FESTIVALS: HOME (England and the United Kingdom) 

ROCKNESS

12 – 14 JUN, LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND

The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal, Super Furries and more against an eye-poppingly gorgeous Loch Ness backdrop.

MELTDOWN

13 – 21 JUN, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, LONDON

Curated by Ornette Coleman and sporting Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, Patti Smith and thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Yo La Tengo and more.

GLOBAL GATHERING

24 – 25 JUN, LONG MARSTON AIR FIELD, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

The Prodigy, Orbital, Richie Hawtin, Digitalism, Tiga and like a billion cocks – including Dan Black.

GLASTONBURY

24 – 28 JUN, WORTHY FARM, PILTON

Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, Passion Pit and so much bad stuff you wouldn’t dream of watching in a million years, except it’s fucking Glastonbury and you might be on TV trying to neck one of the Killers, so you might as well push to the front.

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

2 – 19 JUL, VARIOUS VENUES, MANCHESTER

One for the connoisseurs, with Steve Reich, Kraftwerk, Antony and the Johnsons and It Felt like A Kiss, an intriguing collaboration between Damon Albarn, Adam Curtis and Punchdrunk Theatre where you find yourself "inside a film". Like George Clooney, but without the looks or money.

LOUNGE ON THE FARM

10 – 12 JUL, MERTON FARM, CANTERBURY

Alright, you might have to sit through Mr Scruff to do it, but we’ll give someone a fiver if they push one of the Horrors in a cow pat. The Aliens, Edwyn Collins and Hack and Hacksaw will all be watching.

LOOP

10 – 12 JUL, BRIGHTON DOVE & VICTORIA GARDENS, BRIGHTON

Imagine if the Loop festival consisted of just loops? William Basinski could headline for a hundred hours, and we’d never get bored. Oh well. Instead you’ve got Squarepusher, Herbert, The Field, Sian Alice Group, Tuung, Plugs, We Have Band and Samim. That’s pretty good. I mean it’s not a hundred hours of Basinski, but it’s pretty good.

MAGIC WAVES: THE ITALO FESTIVAL

10 – 11 JULY, CORSICA STUDIOS, LONDON

The chaps behind Magic Waves radio have assembled a dream line-up of over 40 acts to celebrate the lasting legacy of italo-disco. As well as live performances from originators like Fred Ventura, Fockewulf 190 and Alex Novaga, modern-day devotees like Alden Tyrell, Legowelt and Heartbreak will be hammering out heavily synthesized jams for your dancing pleasure. Totally unmissable.

GLADE

16 – 19 JUL, NEAR WINCHESTER

With a new venue and later hours, this year’s Glade is shaping up to be one of the most memorable yet. Music from Femi Kuti, Booka Shade, Digital Mystikz, Dave Clarke, Juan Atkins and more.

LATITUDE

16 – 19 JUL, HENHAM PARK, SUFFOLK

Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Bat for Lashes, Spiritualized, Little Boots, 65daysofstatic, !!! and more.

LOVEBOX

18 – 19 JUL, VICTORIA PARK, LONDON

Alright, Lovebox always has its dodgy headliners (though this year’s choice of Duran Duran are preferable to most) and it attracts a load of twats, but really, what festival doesn’t? Ladyhawke, Secretsundaze, Friendly Fires and N.E.R.D should be good enough for any local punter.

CAMP BESTIVAL

24 – 26 JUL, LULWORTH CASTLE, DORSET

If festivals were women, some – Exit, Bangface – would be the sort of wenches you’d want to spend a weekend in a sex dungeon with armed with nothing but poppers, viagra and PVC, and then never see them again. Camp Bestival, on the other hand, is the sort of homely lass you would gladly marry, live on a farm with, and introduce to your parents every week. Measured, reliable and family friendly, this year’s Camp sports PJ Harvey, Mercury Rev, Bon Iver, Phoenix and more.

SUPERSONIC

24 – 26 JUL, VARIOUS VENUES, BIRMINGHAM

Corrupted! Head of David! Skullflower! Scorn! Jarboe! Goblin! And more vaguely connected heavy-as-fuck acts that we love. Yes.

STANDON CALLING

31 JUL – 2 AUG, STANDON, HERTFORDSHIRE

Standon returns to the Herts countryside for its ninth year in action with Friendly Fires, Femi Kuti, Ladytron, Sun Ra Arkestra, and best of all, Hawkwind.

FIELD DAY

1 AUG, VICTORIA PARK, LONDON

Field Day’s third year is shaping up to be its best to date, with Toumani Diabate, Erol Alkan, Fennesz, Final Fantasy, Aeroplane and more making the trip to Victoria Park.

UNDERAGE FESTIVAL

2 AUG, VICTORIA PARK, LONDON

Santigold, Patrick Wolf, Little Boots, the Horrors, Mystery Jets, and hopefully no paedos.

SUMMER SUNDAE WEEKENDER

14 – 16 AUG, LEICESTER

Best thing to happen to Leicester since Steve Guppy, sporting Mystery Jets, Chairlift, The Streets, Bon Iver, Dananananaykroyd, Micachu and the Shapes and more.

THE GREEN MAN

21 – 23 AUG, GLANUSK PARK, WALES

Hey Beard, what are you smiling about? What, you’re going to a festival soundtracked by Wilco, Bon Iver, Wooden Shjips, British Sea Power, Beach House, Peter Broderick and the Amorphous Androgynous? Okay, we’ll let you off this time.

BEACHDOWN FESTIVAL

22 – 25 AUG, DEVIL’S DYKE, BRIGHTON

Beachdown returns to Devil’s Dyke with Grace Jones, Super Furry Animals, Saint Etienne, Laurent Garnier (live), Prince Buster, Grandmaster Flash, Mutalu and the Heliocentrics, and, well, the Zutons, but you can pretend they’re just four Justin Lee Collins doing karaoke.

SHAMBALA

27-30 AUG, SECRET LOCATION, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Completely free of advertising and sponsorship, Shambala is a rare breed of festival. The intimate, defiantly green affair takes place in a secret location in the Northamptonshire countryside, and features music from The Bays, The Bees and The Egg, plus over a 100 diverse live acts and DJs still to be announced. Look out for all the other weird creative business going on, including a series of video performances powererd by, er, bicycle pedal power. Skream called Shambala his favourite festival of 2008, so there…

READING AND LEEDS

28 – 30 AUG, READING AND LEEDS

Radiohead, Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend and the inevitable feeling of everyone enjoying it more than you.  

GET LOADED IN THE PARK

30 AUG, CLAPHAM COMMON, LONDON

Orbital headline their zillionth festival of the summer, plus Carl Craig, Count and Sinden, Crookers, Magnetic Man, Laurent Garnier, Bloody Beetroots, other stuff.

BESTIVAL

11 – 13 SEP, ISLE OF WIGHT

Kraftwerk headline and heavyweight support comes in the form of Massive Attack, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Bat for Lashes, Klaxons, Future Sound of London, 2ManyDJs and Soulwax, Michael Nyman, Altern 8, Heartbreak, Pole, Little Boots, The Beat, Diplo, Skream, 65daysofstatic, Buraka, etc.

END OF THE ROAD

11 – 13 SEP, LARMER TREE GARDEN, NORTH DORSET

Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, Leisure Society, Neko Case, Malcolm Middleton and more.

FESTIVALS: AWAY (Europe and Beyond) 

MUTEK

27 – 31 MAY, MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Villalobos & Zip, Moderat, Mala, Appleblim, Moderat, Robert Henke, SND and more.

PRIMAVERA SOUND

28 – 30 MAY, BARCELONA, SPAIN

Primavera’s strongest line-up to date features Gang Gang Dance, ArielPink, SunnO))), Michael Mayer, Ponytail, Neil Young, Bat for Lashes,Magik Markers, Fucked Up, Aphex Twin, Lightning Bolt, Sonic Youth,Shellac and more.

BAD BONN KILBI

29 – 31 MAY, DUDINGEN, SWITZERLAND

Half the dudes from Primavera – Sonic Youth, Gang Gang Dance,SunnO))), Lightning Bolt, etc – but with added neutrality and probablyless drugs.  

SYNCH

12 – 14 JUN, ATHENS, GREECE

Greece’s answer to Sonar, Synch this year features Herbert and BigBand, Friendly Fires, 3 Chairs (Theo Parrish, Rick Wilhite,Marcellus Pittman), Merzbow
,
The Bug, Mr Oizo, Fenneszand more.

SONAR

18 – 20 JUN, BARCELONA, SPAIN

The big one, featuring a Raster-Noton showcase with Atom TM, SND,Alva-Noto and Byetone, then Animal Collective, Marcel Dettman, Shed,Grace Jones, Carl Craig, Crystal Castles, Fever Ray and more at night.Then there’s a Brainfeeder off-Sonar party, a Phonica one, you know thedeal.

ROSKILDE

2 – 5 JUL, ROSKILDE, DENMARK

Look there’s plenty of good here – Faith No More, Fucked Up, BlackDice, Dungen – but we can’t take a festival seriously that’s actually booked Slipknot.

EXIT

9 – 12 JUL, NOVI SAD, SERBIA

Kraftwerk, Richie Hawtin, Green Velvet, Heidi, Dubfire, plus it’s in adisused fort in Serbia and they sell you pills of ketamine. But likeRoskilde with Slipknot, they’ve booked fucking Korn. Is there some sort of nu-metal renaissance going on in Europe, or just a running joke?

DOUR

16 – 19 JUL, DOUR, BELGIUM

Aphex and Hecker, Animal Collective, Deerhoof, I’m From Barcelona, Joker, Mercury Rev, Pet Shop Boys, St. Vincent and more in Dour surroundings. Har har.

5 DAYS OFF

15 – 19 JUL, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

Santigold, Crystal Castles, Jamie Lidell, Chris Cunningham, RichieHawtin, Simian Mobile Disco (live), Moderat (live – Modeselektor,Apparat & Pfadfinderei), Black Rose (Henrik Schwarz & JesseRose), Goose (dj-set), Magnetic Man (live – Skream,Benga & Artwork), Mad Decent Soundsystem (feat. Diplo, Fake Blood,Boy 8-Bit & Maluca) and loads more. Five days off? More like five days on it!

BENICÀSSIM

16 – 19 JUL, BENICÀSSIM, SPAIN

Impossibly dad-friendly line-up this year with Oasis, Franz Ferdinand,The Killers, Morrissey, Paul Weller, Psychedelic Furs, Glasvegas et al. Whatever.

MELT

17 – 19 JUL, GERMANY

Aphex and Hecker continue their impressive live collaboration from BlocWeekend, and are joined by Whitest Boy Alive, MSTRKRFT, Matias Aguayo,A Critical Mass (Dixon, Ame and Henrik Schwarz), Ellen Allien, HudsonMohawke and, erm, Oasis.

WAY OUT WEST

13 – 15 AUG, GOTEBORG, SWEDEN

Everyone loves a trip to Sweden, and now you have Wilco, My BloodyValentine, Fever Ray, Antony and the Johnsons and Grizzly Bear tosoundtrack your perving.

LA ROUTE DU ROCK

14 – 17 AUG, SAINT-MALO, FRANCE

Route du Rock kind of sounds like what we imagine Wayne’s World would be called if it was made in France. Except the film wouldn’t besoundtracked by My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, Camera Obscura,Grizzly Bear and Tortoise. It’d feature Boss MC or someone.