This esteemed platform not only provides an opportunity for emerging talent to shine but also welcomes established artists from across Northern Ireland to captivate audiences with their artistry.

The festival will feature performances in various locations throughout Portrush and Portstewart, know as the music trail. With a lineup of 40 artists and more than 20 venues, the event spans across three days, providing a broad platform for both emerging talent and established artists from all corners of Northern Ireland.

Venues will include the recently renovated Portrush Playhouse, The Station, and Elephant Rock. These additions to the music trail are set to enhance the overall experience. Snow Water, in collaboration with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, has meticulously curated this year’s festival program. It will showcase esteemed acts from previous Atlantic Sessions, known for consistently delivering sold-out shows.

Renowned artists such as, The Bonnevilles, No Oil Paintings, and esteemed singer-songwriters like Ciaran Lavery, Matt McGinn, and ROE, will grace the stage, presenting their latest albums from 2022 and unveiling new releases. Notably, select performances will be featured during the highly anticipated ‘Sunday Session’ hosted by Ralph McLean.

The Atlantic Sessions has transcended from more than a mere music festival, as it embodies a profound appreciation for Northern Irish culture and offers a captivating exploration of the region’s rich musical heritage. Attendees are invited to embark on an enchanting musical odyssey, tracing pathways that wind through esteemed music venues, exquisite restaurants, luxurious hotels, and vibrant bars, resulting in a riveting tapestry that entwine music and local culture seamlessly.

We are THRILLED to announce PULP as your headliner for Concert in the Gardens 2023!

We know you will remember the first time you brought in the bells under Edinburgh Castle, like the Common People with PULP! pic.twitter.com/MmltePENfH

— Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (@edhogmanay) September 26, 2023

Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the New Year, and typically involves gift giving, bonfires and other festivities. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival is one of the largest of its kind, and was even recognised by the Guinness Book Of World Records in their 1996-97 edition as the largest New Year’s party, with approximately 400,000 people in attendance that year.

The upcoming event will mark pop band Pulp‘s first live show in the Scottish capital in over 20 years. Attendees will be able to celebrate the New Year as they watch Pulp perform against the surreal backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker said on the band’s upcoming appearance at ‘Concert In The Gardens’, “When your grandkids ask “Do you remember the first time Pulp played Edinburgh’s Hogmanay?” What will your answer be? Come along & start 2024 in the very best way possible. Oh yes.”

Directors of UniqueAssembly, which creates and produces Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Reaching the milestone 30th anniversary for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a phenomenal achievement, which since 1993 has welcomed millions of party people to celebrate at the Home of Hogmanay.

“We wanted to make sure that this year was extra special for our audiences and are thrilled to welcome Pulp to the party. This will be the hottest ticket in town, and we recommend people grab their tickets fast to make sure they don’t miss out.”

Other events taking place at this year’s Hogmanay festival include a street party, silent disco, a torchlight procession and many more activities yet to be announced.

Tickets for the 30th anniversary of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay go on sale this Friday (September 29th) at 10am, which you can purchase here.

For those registered with the Hogmanay website, a pre-sale for the ‘Concert In The Gardens’ will be available from 10am on Thursday 28th September.

It was revealed that 80% of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces.

In order to combat these problems, L’Oreal Paris’ Stand Up Against Harassment programme emphasises the importance of empowering everyone to be active bystanders when seeing harassment take place.

Festival goers were able to receive free anti harassment and sign up to learn more about L’Oreal Paris’ Stand Up campaign. In addition to this, 500 employees working at the festival were also trained in Stand Up. This will allow them to identify and acknowledge all potential harassment at future events they may be employed at. All staff on site were given regular security briefings and implemented the Ask For Angela scheme in order to allow people to seek help from uncomfortable and unsafe situations discretely.

The annual festival All Points East was held in London’s Victoria Park and took place on six dates this year from August 18-19 and August 25-28.

Headliners for the festival this year included Stormzy, Jungle, Dermot Kennedy, and Haim.

Check out the full line up for All Points East Festival below:

August 18 – Stormzy

• Kehlani
• Sampha
• Knucks
• Lucky Dave
• WSTRN
• Ms Banks
• Elmiene
• Amaria BB
• Debbie
• Jayo
• Nippa
• Dexter in the Newsagent
• Rampage Sound
• Dankie Sounds
• The No Signal Stage

August 19

• Aphex Twin
• Bonobo
• Arca
• Fever Ray
• Jayda G
• Jon Hopkins
• Kelela
• Moderat
• SBTRKT
• Sudan Archives
• TSHA (live)
• Actress (live)
• Desire
• Giulia Tess

August 24 – The Strokes

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Amy and the Sniffers
• Angel Olsen
• Black Midi
• The Walkmen
• Warmduscher
• Be Your Own Pet
• The Lazt Eyes
• Julie
• Vacations
• Highschool
• Hotwax
• Hannah Grae
• BBY
• Picture Parlour
• Azure Ryder
• Feet

August 26 – Jungle

• Erykah Badu
• Raye
• Gabriels
• Nia Archives
• Folamour
• Badbadnotgood
• The Blessed Madonna
• 070 Shake
• Charlotte Day
• Wilson
• Lil Silva

August 27 – Dermot Kennedy

• Olivia Dean
• SG Lewis
• Aurora
• Chromeo
• Nick Nulvey
• James Vincent McMorrow
• Novo Amor
• Moncrieff
• Rachel Chinourir

August 28 – Haim

• Girl in Red
• FKJ
• Confidence Man
• Griff
• Tove Lo
• Joesel
• Snail Mail
• Tamino
• Romy
• Avalon
• Emerson & The Charm
• Paris Paloma

To find out more about the Stand Up Against Street Harassment Training, check out the website here

Power Trip is an upcoming heavy metal music festival set to take place on 6th-8th October. Although this is the first instance of the event, it is being described as a sequel to 2016’s Desert Trip, a 6 day festival that also took place in Indio, California. Headliners of Desert Trip included Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Who.

The rockstar was set to perform at Power Trip this October alongside headliners Metallica, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. However, in a statement released in July, Osbourne revealed that “Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-assed”.

As painful as this is, I’ve had to make the decision to bow out of performing on Power Trip in October.

My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, & when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward.

Unfortunately, my body is… pic.twitter.com/gHWEE8VuI6

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) July 10, 2023

It has since been revealed that Judas Priest will serve as Ozzy’s replacement at the upcoming event.

The 74-year-old acquired a neck injury after a fall in 2019 that required 2 metal plates to be inserted into his spine. The result of this caused the singer more pain, and meant he required more surgery last year, from which he is still recovering. The heavy metal legend has also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, all of which contributed to his decision to retire from touring. Osbourne made the announcement of his retirement on February 1st.

This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans… pic.twitter.com/aXGw3fjImo

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 1, 2023

Although the English rocker was optimistic about being able to return to the stage, his wife Sharon Osbourne stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that “He’s doing a lot better, but he still has a long way to go before he can perform a full concert.”

Sharon was joined by daughter Kelly Osbourne, who, when asked about her father’s decision not to perform at Power Trip, claimed that “We can’t talk about it in the house because it is just so heartbreaking to see that all he wants is just one more show”. 

“He said that if he can’t give his fans what they paid to see, he won’t do it”.

Although this decision was clearly very tough to make, Ozzy Osbourne assured fans in his announcement, “I love you all and I will see you soon.” 

Enigmatic frontman Maynard James Keenan will be joined by his band Puscifier for their electrifying Download debut on the Opus stage on Thursday night. The band has found the time to squeeze in the festival amid their worldwide tour in support of their remix album Existential Reckoning: Re-Wired, which came out in March.

On again off again English alt-rock band Hundred Reasons will also be performing showcasing their new fifth studio album and first album in over 15 years Glorious Sunset. Watch the band’s latest music video for “Replicate” below:

Toronto hardcore band Cancer Bats, Leeds newcomers Static Dress, New York pop punk band State Champs, Newcastle metal band Rituals, and the darlings of rock & roll The Cherry Bombs are some of the much-welcomed additions to the line-up. Casey, Punk Rock Factory, Haken, Snayx, and Redhook have also been crammed into the packed bill.

The festival has also now revealed its stage splits with set times to follow. To see what bands will be playing where visit here.

Download announced the headliners for this year’s festival back in November. America’s biggest heavy metal band Metallica will be playing “TWO completely unique sets on Thursday and Saturday” according to the organisers. Legendary British rockers Bring Me the Horizon will be headlining the festival for the first time on Friday. American metal royalty Slipknot will be headlining the festival for the fourth time and closing out the festival on Sunday.

The festival previously confirmed that bands such as Five Finger Death Punch, Nova Twins, Ghost, Neck Deep, Evanescence, The Distillers, Deaf Havana, Jinjer, Placebo, Mom Jeans, Crawlers, and Architects would be amongst the hundreds of acts performing at the four-day event.

Musing with NME on the secret to the festival’s success, Download boss and booker Andy Copping said, “I think the secret is that you’ve just gotta keep driving to get better. From the very first year, we’ve tried to get better bands, better the layout, better the campsite and better the experience. You can’t rest on your laurels.”

Unfortunately for those who missed out Download has completely sold out this year. For the first time in the festival’s history, all select day tickets as well as weekend tickets have been snapped up by festival lovers.

Metalheads and noise lovers across the continent will gather in the BEC Arena in Manchester on Saturday the 4^th November this year for Europe’s biggest indoor metal festival. This will be the 17^th year of the day festival first held in Jilly’s Rockworld in October 2005.

Iconic singer Julie Christmas’ set will be her UK exclusive this year at the annual festival. According to the festival’s Instagram post, “fans can expect to hear an eclectic mix of new and old solo material as well as Made of Babies and Battle of Mice gems”, during Christmas’ set.

Last month, Christmas delighted fans with her return to the scene releasing the post-metal song “Not Enough”.  The atmospheric scream-filled single is her first release since the space-themed collaborative album, Mariner, she worked on with Swedish metal band Cult of Luna in 2016 and her first solo work in 13 years. Listen to “Not Enough” below:

Undeath shared their delight at their upcoming Damnation debut with the festival saying, “Damnation has been a fest that we’ve wanted to play since we started Undeath a few years ago, so it feels surreal that we finally get a chance to tear it up with y’all in Manchester this fall. We can’t wait“.

Undeath played to sold-out venues on their 8-date UK tour earlier this year and will also be appearing at Download festival in Derby this June. Just over a year ago, the band released their second LP It’s Time… to Rise From the Grave to favourable reviews from Pitchfork and Kerrang!. See the full Download line up here.

Taking their loud and hypnotic sounds to the stage will be the three-piece Kurokuma. The band from Sheffield released their much-awaited debut album, Born of Obsidian, last year. The band shared the announcement on their Instagram with the caption, “New logo, new era, new show”.

Back in March, it was revealed that headlining the festival this year would be Dorset-based doom heroes Electric Wizard – returning to Damnation after seven years. The Norwegian black metal band Enslaved, Belgium atmospheric sludge band Amenra, and Japanese avant-garde metal band Sigh are also topping the bill. For tickets and more information click here.

“My new thing is acknowledging the things I’m good at, and I’m good at writing pop songs,” Goulding said in an interview with NME. “I’ve made a classical album, I’ve made electronic music and I regularly give my vocal away to producers like Four Tet. There are so many genres of music that I’ve been lucky to explore but when it comes down to it, I really just love making big pop songs that you hear on the radio.”

Work started on the album when the lockdown restrictions in the UK were lifted. She continued to tell NME that she didn’t “intentionally make an album that people can dance to and forget their worries” but it’s “what we needed to do for ourselves coming out of a really bizarre, surreal time”.

On the day Higher than Heaven was released, an ethereally nocturnal video for the track “Better Man” premiered that sees Goulding singing cast in pulsating red and blue hues. The video follows the two other music videos released for Higher than Heaven. Single “Like a Saviour” received a video in February and the title track “Higher than Heaven” received a video in October of last year.

Watch the video for “Better Man” below:

Originally the album was announced to be released in February but was pushed back as Goulding struggled to find suitable eco-friendly materials for the LP’s physical release. According to the singer’s Instagram post the vinyl is a “100% recycled colour compound which would’ve otherwise been wasted, in a recycled sleeve, and then wrapped in a renewable plant based wrap”.

The Herefordshire-born singer will embark on her tour supporting Higher than Heaven in October later this year. The 12-date tour, will start in Dublin and finish in Berlin in November. In the meantime, Ellie will be performing at sold-out venues across the UK and Europe this spring and summer. For tickets and more information see here.

In March, the singer’s collaboration with Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris on the trancey single “Miracles” earned the singer a position at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song marked the artists’ third time collaborating having worked on 2013’s “I Need Your Love” and 2014’s “Outside” together.

For all of Ellie Goulding’s UK and Europe dates see below:

30/04/23 – The Queen’s Hall – Edinburgh
01/05 – The Wardrobe – Leeds
02/05 – Hangar 34 – Liverpool
04/05 – PRYZM – Kingston
05/05 – Engine Rooms – Southampton
15/06 – Fornebu Music and Arts Festival – Fornebu
16/06 – Pinkpop – Landgraaf
19/07 – Colours of Ostrava – Ostrava
12/08 – AIG Women’s Open – Walton on the Hill
02/09 – Olympiapark M Nchen – M Nchen
16/10 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin
18/10 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow
19/10 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle Upon Tyne
20/10 – Manchester Academy – Manchester
23/10 – O2 Institute – Birmingham
24/10 – Roundhouse – London
27/10 – Bataclan – Paris
30/10 – Tivoli Vredenburg – Utrecht
31/10 – Cique Royal – Brussels
02/11 – Fabrique – Milan
06/11 – E-werk – Cologne
07/11 – Huxleys Neue Welt – Berlin

Among the headliners taking the stage at the 2023 Takedown Festival will be a selection of immense acts, such as; Jamie Lenman, Loathe, Palm Reader, Fearless Vampire Killers, The Bottom Line, Punk Rock Factory, InMe, Our Hollow Our Home, Dendera, As December Falls, CLTDRP and Seeking Akira.

Alongside the names which were revealed in the initial announcement, Takedown added a range of bonus acts to the line-up, including; Red Method, Autumn Fires, Slackrr, Saint Agnes, False Hope For The Savage, Shell Beach, Chaosbay, Balance Breach, Consvmer, Elwood Stray, Sunfall, Ithaca, Confessions of a Traitor, Heart of a Coward, Asleep At The Helm, Royals, Lightwave, Crushed By Waves, Meg Emelie, Defences, Two Year Break, Chuggaboom, Black Water County and THECITYISOURS.

As Takedown Festival makes a highly anticipated comeback, it was revealed that the festival is part of a new partnership between Divergent Festivals and The Guildhall Trust. Kai and Sarah Harris, Co-directors of Divergent Festivals, discussed the festivals comeback, ‘’Even in these strange times it feels like the perfect time to be bringing back one of the best-loved one-day events on the South Coast, taking it back to our roots with one of the biggest line-ups Takedown has ever seen. We can’t wait!”

Andy Gray, Chief Executive Officer of the Guildhall Trust added, ”We are delighted to bring an alternative rock and metal festival to Portsmouth with a great calibre of artists already announced. Portsmouth has a fantastic music scene, but we felt like there was a gap for fans of this genre.”

Takedown Festival also announced a new initiative for the 2023 event, as they will be teaming up with Tonic Rider, a mental health charity. The newly introduced initiative will see Takedown become the first festival to offer mental health resources for staff, crew and artists. The Tonic Rider team consists of mental health professionals with an understanding and background in the music industry. The team will be located in the green room and will be offering support, information and free resources.

Following the complete line-up announcement, Takedown Festival also revealed the full set list for the day.

MAIN STAGE
14:00 – DENDERA
14:45 – RED METHOD
15:35 – SEETHING AKIRA
16:25 – FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
17:15 – OUR HOLLOW OUR HOME
18:15 – PALM READER
19:25 – JAMIE LENMAN
20:35 – LOATHE
21:45 – SLEEP TOKEN (UK EXCLUSIVE)

TOTAL ROCK STAGE (OUTDOOR)
13:45 – AUTUMN FIRES
14:30 – SLACKRR
15:20 – CLT DRP
16:10 – BOTTOM LINE
17:00 – SAINT AGNES
18:00 – AS DECEMBER FALLS
19:10 – INME (ANNIVERSARY SET)
20:20 – PUNK ROCK FACTORY
21:30 – SKINDRED

OUT OF LINE STAGE
14:00 – FALSE HOPE FOR THE SAVAGE
14:45 – SHELL BEACH
15:30 – CHAOSBAY
16:15 – BALANCE BREACH
17:05 – CONSVMER
17:55 – ELWOOD STRAY
18:45 – SUNFALL
19:45 – ITHACA
20:45 – CONFESSIONS OF A TRAITOR
21:55 – HEART OF A COWARD

DOWN FOR LIFE STAGE
14:00 – ASLEEP AT THE HELM
14:50 – ROYALS
15:40 – LIGHTWAVE
16:30 – CRUSHED BY WAVES
17:20 – MEG EMELIE
18:10 – DEFENCES
19:00 – TWO YEAR BREAK
19:50 – CHUGGABOOM
20:50 – BLACK WATER COUNTY
22:00 – THECITYISOURS

VIP LOUNGE
13:30 – SEETHING AKIRA
14:15 – AS DECEMBER FALLS
15:00 – JAMIE LENMAN
15:45 – DAVE MCPHERSON
16:30 – BLACK WATER COUNTY
17:15 – PUNK ROCK FACTORY (M&G)
18:00 – KIER KEMP
18:45 – SKINDRED
19:30 – THECITYISOURS
20:15 – THE BOTTOM LINE
21:00 – PALM READER
21:45 – OUT OF LINE KARAOKE

The remaining tickets for the event are on sale now. To access these tickets, click here.