THE NORTH EAST’S LARGEST FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH KNOCK OUT PERFORMANCES FROM:

PAOLO NUTINI, ENTER SHIKARI,
CALVIN HARRIS, THE HORRORS, DELPHIC,
THE UNTHANKS, DONOVAN & MORE

Spillers Wharf, Baltic Square & Ballast Hills NewcastleGateshead Quayside
Bank Holiday Sunday 30th & Monday 31st May 2010
www.evolutionfestival.co.uk

Bestriding NewcastleGateshead Quayside the North East’s biggest and best music event Evolution Festival 2010 is poised on the starting blocks of the festival season in what promises to be its greatest year so far. Having previously played host to some of music’s biggest names, old and new, including Dizzee Rascal, Maximo Park and The Human League, as well as some of the most on-point up-and-coming acts, including Duffy, The Big Pink and Marina & The Diamonds before anyone else had even heard of them, this year’s line-up will burst out of the traps over the last bank holiday in May covering a rich musical tapestry that offers something for everyone and can’t fail to get The Evolution crowd jumping across the established Spillers and Baltic stages as well as at the brand new folk and roots area; the Ballast Hills stage.

Kicking things off with a large dose of panache, Sunday 30th May will see the Spillers Stage, situated on Spillers Wharf on Newcastle’s quayside, headlined by incomparable Scottish troubadour Paolo Nutini. With a support slot for Led Zeppelin, a duet with Mick Jagger and a pair of multi-platinum albums under his belt, Paolo’s enticing mix of pop and soul has seen him conquer all before him, marking him out as perfect headline material. Fellow Scot and bona fide pop star Calvin Harris, Brit Rap sensation Tinchy Stryder and indie tearaways The Futureheads will also be making highly anticipated appearances on the Spiller stage on the Sunday, alongside cutting edge sounds from Frankie & The Heartstrings, Twenty Twenty, Natalie Findlay and Let’s Buy Happiness.

Post Hardcore four-piece Enter Shikari will head-up Evolution’s bank holiday Monday line up. Renowned for their fusion of searing riffs and trance-like beats, Enter Shikari’s inspirational lyrics and unique take on one of rock music’s most popular genres has seen them build an admiring army of fans who revel in the band’s visceral performance. Other acts confirmed to rock the Spiller Stage on Sunday include NME Album of the Year winners The Horrors, daisy age hip-hop legends De la Soul and BBC Sound of 2010 and BRITS Critics’ Choice winner Ellie Goulding. Plus there will be sets from breakthrough artists Dananananaykroyd, Everything Everything, Egyptian Hip Hop, Minnaars, Cosmo Jarvis and Polarsets.

Set in the shadow of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on the south side of the Tyne, The Baltic Stage is all about heads down no nonsense dancing on Sunday with a cavalcade of speaker-smashing beats and bass from dancefloor messiah Fake Blood plus Benga, Rusko, Scratch Perverts, Beardyman, Filthy Dukes, Doorly, Jaymo & Andy George, Eskimo Twins and People Get Real. The bank holiday Monday will see the Baltic stage’s flavour change for some altogether edgier indie dance crossover action including performances from Manchester’s bright new things Delphic and Hadouken! Example, Frankmusik, I Blame Coco, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Lonelady, Mirrors and Retriever.

Evolution’s two existing main stages will be joined in 2010 by an incredible, brand new folk and roots stage; the Ballast Hill Stage. Catering for more pastoral pleasures and laidback vibes, the Ballast Hill stage line-up will include Sunday turns from the critically acclaimed The Unthanks and King Creosote, Po Girl, James Hunter & The Jokers, Dawn Landes, John Smith and JT Nero & Friends. Monday’s sounds meanwhile come courtesy of venerable folk colossus Donovan on his farewell tour and Baskery, Lissie, Smoove & Terrell, Slow Club, Danny & The Champions Of The World and Ben Howard.

With what is unquestionably their finest line up to date Evolution 2010 seems set to be the biggest yet.

Carol Bell, Head of Culture and Major Events at NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “Evolution Festival has proved to be one of the most successful and popular events in NewcastleGateshead since its inception in 2005. It has done a fantastic job of seeking out new talent and attracting some of biggest names in music before they become household names. Jim Mawdsley and his team at Generator have an unrivalled passion for music and continue to deliver line-ups that would be the envy of most large scale festivals. The event regularly attracts upwards of 25,000 people and this year we expect to see those numbers increase again.”

One North East, the area’s Regional Development Agency will also be renewing their involvement with Evolution again in 2010.

Chris Little, Tourism and Culture Investment Manager at One North East said: “We are delighted to once again be supporting the Evolution Festival. This popular event attracts music fans from across the UK to the region and has a significant impact on the region’s visitor economy. This year’s high profile headline acts including Paolo Nutini and Enter Shikari will help to showcase the North East and put us firmly on the festival map.”

For the fifth year running Water Aid will be the official charity of Evolution Festival.

Alistair Baker, Northumbrian Water’s Communications and PR Manager, said: “Evolution’s support for WaterAid from previous years has already saved the lives of thousand of people in Africa and Asia. We are delighted that WaterAid will once again be the event’s official good cause and Northumbrian Water is proud to be part of this vibrant and important music festival which supports our adopted international charity. We turn on the tap and take top quality drinking water for granted – sadly 884 million people in the developing world can’t – and it is a matter of life and death. We flush the toilet without a worry for health or the environment – shockingly more than 2.5 billion people in the developing world aren’t so fortunate. While the Evolution festival crowds move to the rhythm of the music they will also be beating the drum and contributing to the cause to bring those basic human rights to others.”

With weekend tickets at only an astonishing £25.00, Evolution offers the North East’s most amazing array of bands and bank holiday fun all on the banks of the Tyne.

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 18th Feb.

TICKET INFORMATION:

WEEKEND TICKETS – £25.00 +booking fees

DAY TICKETS – £17.50 +booking fees

Available online from:

www.EvolutionFestival.co.uk

www.TicketWeb.co.uk

24 Hour Phone Orders: 08444 771 000

O2 Academy Box Offices: Newcastle – Birmingham – Bournemouth – Bristol – Glasgow – Leeds – Liverpool – London (Islington) – Oxford – Sheffield

HMV Stores: Metro Centre Gateshead – Manchester Arndale

Independent Outlets: Beatdown + RPM (Newcastle) – Hot Rats (Sunderland)

13th, 14th and 15th May, 2010 – Brighton, UK

THE GREAT ESCAPE UNVEILS FIRST WAVE OF BANDS FOR 2010

DELPHIC / CHASE AND STATUS /

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE / MARINA & THE DIAMONDS /

ELLIE GOULDING / CRYSTAL FIGHTERS / SLOW CLUB /

COLD CAVE / ESBEN AND THE WITCH / HURTS /

JAPANDROIDS / REAL ESTATE / TIMBER TIMBRE /

DARWIN DEEZ / BEST COAST / THE CHEEK / WILD PALMS /

THE RUBY SUNS

www.escapegreat.com

The Great Escape, Europe’s most anticipated new music festival and Industry conference event is pleased to announce the first wave of acts for its landmark fifth annual Brighton outing. Taking over 30+ venues throughout the city and hosting over 350 bands playing across three days, the event will once again bring to light the most vibrant new bands getting those in the know hot under the collar, as well as giving you the opportunity to see some of the most loved bands around in pleasingly intimate surrounds.

Opening the 2010 festival season in style and running from May 13-15th, this year’s Great Escape is ecstatic to confirm that Manchester’s finest young sons Delphic will be bringing their much lauded indie-rave hybrid to southern shores. Tipped as ones to watch by all and sundry in 2010 and already garnering almost universally high praise for the debut album ‘Acolyte’, this may be the last chance you get to see the band before they make the leap to filling the stadiums that their anthemic warehouse-pop deserves. Also confirmed for this year’s event are Drum ‘n’ Bass overlords Chase & Status. Having built a reputation as one of the most blisteringly on-point live acts in dance music, it’s guaranteed to be nothing short of breathtaking to witness them dropping the heavy bass pressure.

Canadian über-group Broken Social Scene, who are currently putting the finishing touches to their fourth album, will be crossing the Atlantic to join the action with their incredibly engaging baroque-pop. The festival will also be set alight by quirky new wave bliss from the sublime Marina & The Diamonds, hooky electronica from the BBC’s top tip for 2010 and BRITS Critics Choice winner Ellie Goulding, cutting edge Basque folk funk from Crystal Fighters, intergalactic rockabilly-esque folk from Sheffield duo Slow Club, experimental synth sounds from Philadelphia’s Cold Cave, Brighton’s very own Esben & The Witch, lush and icy electro-pop from Hurts, garage rocking duo Japandroids, psychedelic surf rock from Real Estate, swampy ragged blues from Timber Timbre, indie rock with a side of calisthenics from Darwin Deez, hazy bedroom pop from Best Coast, punky power-popsters The Cheek, primal soundscapes from Wild Palms and psych action from Kiwi band Ruby Suns.

Early bird tickets, that not only get you in to see all the bands but will also get you access to outdoor gigs, afternoon shows, club nights, after parties and much more, are on sale now from www.escapegreat.com for a mere £45.00.

Make sure to get your tickets if you haven’t and still can. Beg, Borrow, Steal but make sure not to miss out. The current line-ups are below (make sure to click to enlarge) and for more information be sure to check out the relevant websites on :

Leeds Festival 2009
Reading Festival 2009