Beginners Guide to Hospitality In The Park
When you think of the word ‘hospitality’, your first instinct (well at least my first instinct) was to think of crappy B’n’Bs where a tiny biscuit on your pillow is supposed to be some kind of enticing treat, where you’re lucky that you’re not sharing a bathroom with platoon of creepy-crawlies, and an experience which, as a whole, is just kinda rubbish. But how wrong I was. Enter the world of Hospitality DNB. Hospitality DNB is a worldwide club event from top UK DNB imprint Hospital Records. This summer the DNB aficionados at Hospitality are putting on a summer session like no other, and the great peeps at Licklist (that’s me!) are here to be your spirit guide through the incredible world of Hospitality. Let’s get cracking!
Hospitality History Lesson 101
Right so first we’ve got to have a bit of a history lesson. But we’re not talking boring battles and crusty old politicians, I’m talking the history behind Hospitality. The story of Hospitality starts way back in 2001, at Herbal. Flash forward five years at the East end venue and that’s when Hospitality took its first big move towards stardom – one small step and all that. It was in 2006 that Hospitality moved to the superclub Heaven for quarterly parties which were soon widely renowned. Think Great Gatsby but with less champagne and more drum and bass. After a few more moves (variety the spice of life etc etc) in 2010 they found themselves a new home, none other than the 4,500 capacity Brixton Academy. This is big leagues. And now Hospitality is a household name worldwide, with parties from Brixton to Miami to Tokyo. Hospitality world domination is certainly on the cards. And regardless of location you can be sure to get the same, uniquely fantastic Hospitality experience: bassy bangers, a cracking atmosphere and incredible quality production consistently create the best clubbing experience out there. So, London, you’ve got a real treat in store for you this summer!
Roll on the 24th Septemeber, cos Hospitality are putting on a show you cannot afford to miss. Get on down to Finsbury Park in London, and grab yourself a ticket to the aptly named Hospitality in the Park. On the fence about getting a ticket? Firstly, what is wrong is with you? Secondly, don’t worry. I’m here to show you the error of your ways.
The Lineup
Hospitality have set up five stages (yes, five!) of incredible music for your listening pleasure. If that’s not enough to get you grooving, then, to be honest, I really don’t know what would be. And the lineup is literally incredible. I can’t really do it justice in the limited word space I have for this article (damn you, Licklist editors! Joking, please don’t fire me), so I’m begging you to take a gander to their website. I’ll do my best to give you a little taster here though. On the main ‘Hospitality’ stage, there’s London Elektricity Big Band (Live), Dynamite MC and 12 Piece Brass band, Metrik and S.P.Y, to name a few. On the Rampage stage, we’ve got Modestep, The Prototypes and Funtcase B2B Cookie Monsta, among others. Now my favourite stage, Dub Phizix & Strategy’s Well Good Do. Headlining this one is unsurprisingly Dub Phizix and Strategy. This is going to be nothing short of incredible. Oh and then they’ve also got D Double E, DJ Marky, and General Levy. Then there’s two more stages of unreal tunes, and, as I said, just get yourself onto the website to see the full lineup, and be prepared to have your mind blown. I for one cannot wait for this one.
Street Food
All that moshing got you hungry? Well those lovely folk at Hospitality have laid on a veritable feast for all you hungry ravers. Again, there’s too much choice for me to put everything down in this article, but here are a few of my faves. First up, the Cheese Truck, melting the best British farmhouse cheeses in melted, gooey toasties. Simple yet fantastic. Next up, Le Bun. Putting a US diner spin on classic French bistro, dig in to Bisque Mac & Cheese, Beef Bourgignon Short Rib and many more. Could be the only taste of Europe we’ll be getting for a while, amrite?! (Sorry, please don’t fire me). And last but by no means least (actually probably my mouth watering favourite) Mother Clucker. Full marks for the name, first of all. And then there’s the food. Since 2013, these chicken-lovin’ mothercluckers have been serving up the tastiest tea brined, buttermilked soaked, twice battered fried chicken. Sounds incredible. Finger lickin’ good, you could say, if you want to have a copyright lawsuit brought against you. Which we don’t. Sorry, Colonel Sanders.
Boring But Necessary Stuff Which Is Actually Very Useful And Good
Finally, some more pragmatic stuff. However, don’t despair cos this is could really sway you to go (as if you weren’t going already after all of the above?!) First of all, it’s incredibly easy to get to; it’s in the middle of London. Whether you’re getting there by plane, train, car, or camel, the venue is really well connected, and if you have any queries be sure to check the website for some useful tips. Secondly, the price. It’s only £42.50. Like I still cannot believe how cheap this is. I genuinely cannot think of anything that you can get for £40 quid which is better than this. Especially now the pound’s gone to shit (I’ll stop the Brexit references now, I promise). What I’m trying to say is that this festival is astounding value for money; and I don’t think that it’d be outlandish for me to say that this is perhaps the best value for money festival out there at the minute. Cop yourself one here.
So what are you waiting for?! Grab yourself a ticket and get on down to Finsbury Park on the 24th September for a rip-roaring, show-stopping DNB session. It’s gonna be huge, and we can’t wait to see you there.
Nicholas Cooke