The Beginners Guide to Sound On Festival
Where: Essex Sports Village,247 Purfleet Rd, South Ockendon RM15 4DT
When: 13th-14th August, 2016
Highlights: Headliners still being announced!
Cost: £40 Weekend ticket, £20 for Saturday, £15 for Sunday
Sound On Festival, the Essex born wunderkind of EDM. As much a curated compendium of the entire electronic music genre , there’s been some rumblings from the promoters regarding this little beauty this month. You see, originally Sound On Fest 2016 was going to take place the end of this month, however the folks over at SoundOn noticed an opportunity to optimise gains later in the festival season and expand upon their already impressive festival grounds, meaning you lucky so and so’s have got an opportunity to take advantage of better weather, a better line up and a better fest. Sound On is raising the bar again in Essex in August 13th and 14th; the first tier of tickets are on their way out, the revised line up is currently being announced and it’s time for your pals at Licklist to give you some pointers on what to expect now that Sound On has evolved into a brand new beast.
Beastly Beats
So as a result of all this tomfoolery, Sound On is busy haggling its new EDM sets. The headline acts are going to be announced imminently, but we’ve already had grime legend Chip sign onto the Sunday set to show why he is the man to watch. Fuse ODG, a fresh new maestro that’s racking up the UK top 10’s and collaborations with Major Lazer, is championing a mainstage performance himself with Krept & Konan coming to take London’s hip hop fans to school on a Sunday. Saturday’s got music fiends Toyboy & Robin with David Zowie currently generating some serious buzz about his late mainstage performance. Truth be told though, there’s whispers in the wind of a monster Saturday night headline. Buy your tickets now while they are cheap, boys and girls.
Tickets you say?
Yes indeed, tickets. So the script looks like we’re not gonna be camping at this one folks, what with it being in the big Smoke and all that. This means the tickets are bargain bucket cheap, comparatively, with entry to the whole shebang knocking in at just £40. You can also select a day that suits you best and pay a reduced fee for either one individually, just bear in mind Saturday runs for a little longer so the tickets are a bit pricier to compensate. Travel and accom is always the biggest pain for fests in the capital if you’re looking to do this on a budget, however Essex Sports Village is really accessible by car and the site offers plenty of parking. It’s also dead easy to get to from the London Tube so you could even staying with some pals in the centre or check out an Air BnB. Travel advice and directions can be found here.
Anything else I should know, chief?
Not much else, pals. Just remind yourself this wee fest may be a fresh new baby in the festival ward but its championed by some serious promoters. Pushing parties and fgigs as far back as the UK Acid House craze of the 1980’s, this mix of young and old talent are ready to throw it all in a pot and brew a monstrous party mix of DnB, trance, garage, jungle, house and techno. It’s all here and waiting for you, so get the tier 1 tickets while they are cheap. All this promised with boutique food and drink outlets, cocktail bars and lounge areas. Get the squad together, buy yourself some shutter shades and pack a few emergency red bulls. We’ll see you in the crowds!
Kyle Cairns