Greenbelt / 2008: Rising Sun / Music lineup

Music at Greenbelt 2008: Rising Sun

A Failed Perfection

A Failed Perfection write melodic hardcore music. From brutal, scream driven beatdowns to chilled out, neoclassical instrumental sections and...

Aaron Roche

Aaron Roche is from Nashville, where he adds his voice to an underground collective of artists and musicians. His recent musical work can best...

Abram Wilson & The Delta Blues Project

The incredible trumpeter and vocalist Abram Wilson was born in Arkansas and raised in Louisiana, where he attended the famed New Orleans Center...

Alfredo Barcos

Alfredo Barcos grew up in the emerging Swiss clubbing scene of the early nineties, his dj career began with venues in Tokyo during his stay...

Andensum

Andensum are a six piece heavy rock/metal act, playing a fusion of eastern melodies with heavy metal undertones. Formed out of a group of...

Andy Yorke

The man calls himself a serial band-quitter, having abandoned his long-suffering colleagues in Oxford-based (and critically acclaimed) outfit...

Anna Elias and the Forlorn Hope

Anna Elias and the Forlorn Hope were formed in 2007 with the intention of exploring what would happen if you write and perform music with a...

Aqualung

“This whole project has been blessed with many instances of good luck,” says Matt Hales about Memory Man, the emotionally gripping new Aqualung...

Aradhna

Bored of the same old, same old worship music? Then let Aradhna bring you songs of devotion and complete surrender – in a style that will...

Audiocalm

They’ve got folk roots but Audiocalm have done the Dylan thing, plugging in the electric guitars and sacking the cellist (OK, so Dylan didn’t...

Back Pocket Prophet

After storming sets at Greenbelt Festival 2007 and 2008 playing to a packed crowd,  Back Pocket Prophet have not stopped, continually touring...

Baluji Shrivastav

Baluji is one of the great sitarists of India with the ability to enthral an audience regardless of their level of understanding of the musical...

Beth Rowley

Beth Rowley is a singer, known for her unique rich soulful voice and her love of Blues and old Gospel music. Hailing from Bristol, and...

Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg has been at the forefront of politically-engaged rock, roots and folk music since the early '80s, with his ongoing activism going...

Brian Houston

Acoustic sparks on stage. Brian Houston offers up intense live performance with melodic dexterity. Championed by Radio 2's veteran DJ Bob Harris,...

Captain Cameron

Captain Cameron came into existence when the young rogue found that his brother was no longer worried when he opened the case for his acoustic,...

Cathy Burton

A firm fixture on the list of Greenbelt favourites, Cathy Burton has a voice of emotional resonance and tender fragility that recalls pop goddess...

Chas & Dave

Top-drawer German theologian Rudolf Bultmann dedicated an entire chapter of his ground-breaking Theology of the New Testament to an analysis...

Christafari

Ranking reggae stalwarts Christafari have been at it for nearly two decades, but still manage to sound fresh and delight audiences across the...

CL6

Brimming over with soul, sweet-voiced CL6 grew up on a diet of Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. Their original speciality was...

Coldcut presents Journeys by VJ

The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis calls them “dance producers at the top of their game” - quite a feat when you consider they’ve been at it twenty...

Crave

Touting guitar fuelled infectious riffs, this Northern Irish four-piece have four years' experience of gigging across Ireland and...

Daby Touré

Music stole the life of Daby Touré, the Paris-based, Mauritanian-born virtual one-man band who has supported Peter Gabriel and been a hit mainstage...

Danny Cope

Songwriting lecturer by day, and acoustic guitar wielding singer songwriter by night (and weekend), Danny Cope has been compared to the likes...

David Clifton

David Clifton had his first break with indie band Sensible Jerseys, who were discovered by John Peel & then signed to Virgin Records. He has...

Death Is Not Welcome Here

Five guys. Five words. Far from being just the band's name, these words have become a resounding declaration, with their anthemic pop echoing...

Delirious?

Still crazy after all these years, anthemic rock outfit Delirious? have fans a-plenty and critical acclaim from secular and religious critics...

Denison Witmer

Patience is a virtue, and Denison Witmer knows this well from personal experience. Until recently, only a small audience has had the good fortune...

Desert Sun

Desert Sun has been together just over a year and is focused on playing melodic but dry Rock inspired by such bands as Alice in Chains and Guns...

dfg

Yes, quite. Badger is the common name for any animal of three subfamilies, which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same mammal family as...

Dodds, Lawson, Woods

What happens when you get three of london's finest improvising musicians together and let them 'just play'. No pre-written songs, no cover tunes,...

Duke Special

2011 has proved to be another interesting and busy year, starting with‹presenting a TV documentary for RTE in Ireland on the life and times...

Eben

Citing Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire and Radiohead as inspirations, Eben draw on a wide range of musical influences, including folk, classical and...

Echo Park

Female-fronted indie young guns Echo Park put equal measures of guitar, keyboard, energy, Muse, Coldplay, Radiohead and none-too-shabby songcraft...

Electralyte

Electralyte call themselves 'a crowning glory in intelligent rock'. They cite a dizzying range of influences, but may we invoke Robbie Williams...

Electric Nightmares

From the industrial heart of the North East, Middlesbrough, comes Electric Nightmares, a young original band playing their own blend of exciting,...

Elliot Jack

Purveyors of lovely acoustic/electronica, the four members of Elliot Jack love delay pedals and e-bows, Doctor Who, Radio 4 and buying keyboards...

Emmanuel Jal

After his storming set at Nelson Mandela's Birthday Party bash in Hyde Park and with the release of an acclaimed new album, Emmanuel Jal is...

Esther Alexander

Sweet-voiced songstress Esther Alexander has a solid background as a session vocalist - she's performed with Steve Winwood, Ruby Turner and...

Ezio

Ezio Lunedei and Mark 'Booga' Fowell first started strumming together in the early 90s, and have been recording and gigging hard ever since....

Fightstar

Splicing emo and metal influences, Fightstar’s music encompasses the delicate and the dark. "That blend of aggression and tenderness is the...

Finchley

Ex-Supervision guitarist Ian Finch set up Finchley with the aim of producing something "melodic and beautiful" and, do you know, he might just...

Foreign Slippers

Swedish songstress Gabi Fröden quietly dropped her clarinet for the charms of her mother’s old piano at age 14. Snowbound in a small town,...

G-Force Alliance

Richy became involved in the hip-hop at a very young age and started out Djing before concentrating on MCing/Production. His first official...

Gareth Davies-Jones

Combining Folk, Americana, Roots and Acoustic traditions the Irish-born singer-songwriter Gareth Davies-Jones demonstrates that the legacy of...

Glitch

Purveyors of the finest emo, Glitch have built up a loyal following, having notched up over seven busy years on the road. So far there have...

Hangman Charlie

Hangman Charlie was formed during a trip to Pizza Hut when friends Ben Judson (vocals/acoustic guitar/rhymes) and Tommy James (electric guitar/vocals)...

Helen J Hicks

Once a Cambridge choral scholar, Helen now delivers jazzy tunes with intelligent lyrics in the vein of k.d. lang and Elkie Brooks. Ex-HoneyRiders...

Her Enemy

Likening their sound to "a full on car crash", Her Enemy don't like to be pigeonholed but certainly live their lives, and their music, in the...

Howe Gelb and Giant Sand

Inaccurately yet affectionately dubbed “the Godfather of Alt. Country” by the British press, Tucson, Arizona-based musician Howe Gelb has...

Hummingbird

Hummingbird are Amy Wadge, Cathy Burton and Edwina Hayes. They met on the festival circuit in the UK over the last five years and decided in...

Iain Archer

Iain Archer's been busy. Whilst creating his own brand of classic acoustic tunesmithery, over the last couple of years he's been collaborating...

Ignited

Bursting from the heart of the Midlands, this is Ignited!‹‹ Fusing Speed with melodic riffs and combining harmonies with frenzied screams,...

Jim Jones

He's not the Bishop of Liverpool, nor the suicidal cult leader: pouring his life into his music is what South West-based acoustic singer-songwriter...

José Gonzålez

JosĂ© GonzĂĄlez's story is rare in modern pop – a heartening case of the artist resisting the vicissitudes of musical fashion to carve out...

Julia Harris

Saturday mornings at the Harris household started with Dad blasting out James Brown, Paul Simon and Buddy Holly, and these eclectic wake-up...

Julie Lee

Embracing gospel, bluegrass, Maryland jazz and folk roots, Julie Lee has a smooth, lilting voice that gracefully slips across the borders of...

Julie McKee

In a year known for young female singers, it’s tempting to ask why this one’s any different. That there is a difference is the point: Julie...

Juliet Turner

A guitar left mysteriously on her front porch on the day of her fifteenth birthday gave Juliet Turner her first strum into making music. But...

Justine Berry

Formerly of chart-toppers Hey Gravity!, Justine describes her solo work as a "Janis Joplin meets Led Zeppelin". Hey Gravity! performed across...

Kadialy Kouyate

Kadialy is from the Casamance region of south Senegal, born into a family of ‘griots’ oral traditional storytellers from the Mandinka culture....

Kanda Bongo Man

Born in 1955 in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), Kanda Bongo Man joined a local Kinshasa band on leaving school, playing...

Kashee Opeiah

(pronounce: [kaeshiopaeia]) leaves a permanent impression. The sound of the band is rude and dirty; brutal and thrilling. The energetic live-performances...

Kathryn Williams

Some artists grab you by the throat and force you to listen; Kathryn Williams prefers the art of slow seduction. Her gentle voice drips honey...

Keith Ayling

There are few songwriters as prolific and tenacious as Keith Ayling. Variously appearing under his own name, then 'K', then 'Kato', he now returns...

Kevin Max

He’s sold over 9 million records worldwide, won four Grammy Awards, had a US Top 40 hit with Just Between You and Me; and the Morrissey-esque...

Kinzli

She's been called a musical magpie - her music spans folk, jazz, rock, country, Latin and gypsy - but her Tanita Tikaramesque delivery and solid...

LDL

The artists formerly known as Lies Damned Lies, Greenbelt stalwarts LDL have been making music together since 1989. Steve, Charlie and Dot cite...

Les Passagers

Les Passagers, a "groupe pop-rock acoustique tendance jazz influences celtiques", naturellement, are a firm fixture on the Christian music scene...

Linchpin

They met three years ago at a South London skate park. They have lovely hair. And 33,000 people downloaded their first music video. Linchpin...

Lleuwen

Every day, when she wakes up, she thanks the Lord she’s Welsh. Then belts out a hymn and a Bob Dylan classic before breakfast. The Observer...

Logistics

Winner of the 2007 BBC 1xtra "Album of the Year" award, expect to hear more of the heart-wrenching electro disco-soul drum & bass which Logistics...

Lucius

No nonsense from the rocking Welsh boys: meaty riffs, power chords and big tunes. Imagine the Gallagher brothers writing for Maroon 5. ...

Martyn Joseph

Just when you think you’ve got a handle on singer songwriters, along comes Martyn Joseph to blow the myth away... In a year that marks...

Matthew Herbert Big Band

Restless innovator, sampling wizard, classically trained pianist and superstar collaborator, Matthew Herbert is one of electronic music's most...

Michael Franti & Spearhead

If the words 'protest singer' conjure up worthy-but-dull diatribes listened to in reverential silence by men in chunky sweaters, take a look...

Michael McDermott

“I consider myself a storyteller,” McDermott said in a 1999 interview. “I’m also a hopeless romantic, so lots of my subjects are simply...

Michael Weston King

Former leader of alt-country pioneers The Good Sons, Michael is now a highly acclaimed solo troubadour. He's toured the world with the likes...

Miriam Jones & the Red Sea

Relaunching at Greenbelt as a punchy little trio, Canadian singer Miriam Jones returns to the festival with one hand in her pocket, and the...

Mor Karbasi

Not many songs still survive from 1492, when the Ladino speaking Jewish population in Spain fled the Inquisition - only the most beautiful are...

Mordecai

Mordecai are a South London four-piece whose music has been described as "a deep, rich, dark sound". They have been gigging extensively over...

MxPx

Sometimes you can go home. Just ask the iconic, idyllic punk/pop stalwarts MxPx, who have returned to the almighty Tooth & Nail Records for...

My Spoon

Releasing their debut album Love stories and Lies in March 2006, My Spoon have since been touring relentlessly around the UK. These guys have...

Ni-Cola

Nicola Monique witter was born in 1982; she grew up with 3 other siblings alongside her in a strong Jamaican single parent home. Ni-Cola remembers...

Nikko Fir

Named after a tree, Nikko Fir gives you "music that is sharp and pungent and cleansing, with a slight air of loneliness and high places". You'll...

Nizar Al-Issa

A singer-songwriter with extraordinary range and control, Nizar Al Issa is also reknowned as a virtuoso on the oud. He draws on traditional...

Nu:Tone

Since signing to Hospital Records in 2003 Nu:Tone has risen through the ranks to become one of the most highly respected producers in the drum...

One Nation

Described as “one of the most exciting crossover funk acts in Britain today” One Nation return to Greenbelt with their global funk sound, blending...

Over the Rhine

Taking their name from a downtown Cincinnati neighbourhood, Over the Rhine first got together in 1989 and have been making beautiful music ever...

Phil Pilot

Phil Pilot is one half of Ireland's The Amazing Pilots, normally to be found behind the kit for artists such as Iain Archer and Psapp. His debut...

Psalters

Psalters redefine the concept of retro by seeking inspiration from the temple musicians of Israel many years BC; blurring the boundaries between...

Replenish

Replenish are a three-piece guitar-based rock band from the south coast of England who mix fat riffs, gutsy lyrics and hooky melodies. Jam Magazine...

Retrofect

With a sound they call Dark Disco, retrofect cite The Beatles, Radiohead and The Smiths among their influences. Ace out of Skunk Anansie has...

Ric Hordinski

He has more guitars than anybody should be allowed (see the list on his MySpace page, if you don’t believe us), but fortunately he also knows...

Rising From Death

Five-piece metal/hardcore band Rising From Death share an uncompromising faith in God and a strong message behind every song, backed up by an...

Rosie Thomas

Her first solo record label was the ultra-hip Sub Pop, and she’s just worked with best mate Sufjan Stevens on her new album; endorsement enough...

Rubber Duck

The music draws on a wide range of influences including rock, jazz, funk, reggae and electronica, but rubber duck’s unifying vibe is catchy...

Sam

Sam, is the songwriter and singer for the group Fuse Factory. Born in France, she studied classic violin and music theory and sang in various...

Sarah Masen

Bearing a guitar, a wistful voice and a nice turn of phrase, songstress Sarah Masen makes a welcome return to Greenbelt. She weaves words into...

Seth Lakeman

Seth Lakeman, the West Country-born singer and songwriter credited with bringing folk music to a whole new audience since his 2005 Mercury-nominated...

Shlomo and the Vocal Orchestra

One of the world’s leading beatboxers, Shlomo has worked for years to push the boundaries of beatboxing as an artform, making music with...

Six Star Hotel

Since their inception on a national stage in 2004, these four Irish up-starts have risen to the challenge of trans-European touring, self-funded...

somethingABOUTnothing

They have a girl bass player, which is always to be approved of. CrossRhythms has made favourable comparisons to Oasis “when Noel Gallagher...

Soweto Kinch

Award winning alto-saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians in both the British jazz and hip...

Starfield

With their last album, Beauty In The Broken, these young Canadians achieved their best radio success to date, sold twice as many records in...

Tankus the Henge

Ragamuffin, street-performing gentlemen from the banks of the wide, slow-moving Thames in London. Formed in 2006 from a singer who ran away...

The Austin Francis Connection

This Midlands based Acoustic Hiphop trio have been making tunes and beats to make crowds smile and nod their heads since 2005. Edi (vox) met...

The Brute Chorus

The Brute Chorus came to London from the four corners of the land to pursue their interests at college in Greenwich. Comprising West Country...

The Burn Band

All members of the Burn church in St Albans, the Burn Band break new ground in worship with fervent, passionate torch songs in an expansive...

The Effras

“There are not many songs that start with the line ‘West Norwood Cemetery’,” so says Living South magazine, “but then there are few...

The Excuses

Offering "rock music with a difference", London-based six piece The Excuses cite The Decembrists and Damien Rice amongst their influences. The...

The Gentlemen

Sandman Magazine - early champions of other no-hopers like the Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys - reckon “you’ll find it difficult not to...

The Guild

With a dash of Coldplay and a shake of Athlete, Sheffield’s The Guild are starting to get noticed: Drowned In Sound were won over by the “eloquently...

The Ian McMillan Orchestra

Take an ensemble of weird and wonderful instruments, add some charming, wistful, haunting tunes, stick a Barnsley-accented poet on top, and...

The Irrelevants

The Irrelevants hail from a small planet called Accrington and are made up of a triumvirate of super-intelligent elephants whose favourite geometric...

The Kingdom Choir

They have performed besides the likes of Elton John, Luther Vandross, the Spice Girls, Michael Ball, Leslie Garrett, Alexander O'Neal, not to...

The Plymouths

Bournemouth band The Plymouths are not to be confused with Plymouth band The Bournemouths. If you're the kind of person who likes a danceable...

The Race

Reading-based band The Race can already boast support slots on the Supergrass spring tour and were the first unsigned band to record a hub session...

The Repercussion

Combining ethereal vocals and piano with a expansive rock sound that evokes a female-fronted Radiohead, The Repercussion have recently signed...

The Response Collective

A wee bit Lemon Jelly, a wee bit Joy Division without the singer, the Collective throw guitars, drum machines and turntables at the wall, and...

The Steels

The Steels, currently touring their eagerly anticipated 2nd album, Your Name in Lights, are an exciting, edgy three-piece rock band, hailing...

thebandwithnoname

Based in Manchester and serving up great fab slabs of rock and breakbeat, thebandwithnoname was launched in 2002 by youth evangelism organisation...

This Beautiful Republic

Poised on the brink of hugeness, these downhome boys from a small American town have a big sound and a growing following and they're coming...

This Morning Call

Following rave reviews from the likes of Channel 4, XFM and Channel M, underground Mancunian pop artists This Morning Call bring their melodic...

Verra Cruz

Verra Cruz rock, and hard. They’re busy touring and building up a loyal fan base on both sides of the pond. Their 2006 debut album Emancipation...

Virgin Passages

If you're a fan of Sigur Ros, empresarios High Voltage reckon this band is "your new bible"; Virgin Passages give you chapter and verse on dreamy,...

VJ Spir

VjSpir, visual artist and producer, fine artist from Los Angeles, california, is the art director of an international NGO and the owner of the...

Voice of the Mysterons

The band science couldn’t explain! A transmutational menagerie of monstrosity, metaphysics and music, VOTM are an eccentric sci-punk hybrid...

Where On Earth

Where on earth? In your face, that’s where. Packing a powerful pop-punk punch, this energetic foursome have played gigs galore in a relatively...

Will Tang

Raised in Rochdale, after school Will put a harmonica in his pocket and followed his Anglo-Chinese roots to Hong Kong where he established himself...

Willard Grant Conspiracy (solo)

They've been called the world's first proto-garage-folk-rock band, and when you're dealing with that many hyphens you know you're onto something...

Wille and the Bandits

Wille and the Bandits are a three-piece ensemble pushing the barriers of the roots rock scene. Forming just over a year ago, they have already...

Woebegone Brothers

Plucked from a storm-sodden field and flung onto a Greenbelt stage sometime way back in the 20th century, these rabblerousers enjoyed a brief...

Wonderland

Swedish punk-rockers Wonderland will have you in the moshpit in seconds with their no-nonsense guitar-fuelled onslaught. But there's food for...

Yellow Bentines

With vibrant piano and trumpet-led melodies, Yellow Bentines' energetic and fun-filled performances have built up a huge following and won them...

Yusuf Mahmoud

Yusuf Mahmoud is the tabla player with Baluji. He is the son of Ustad Asif Mahmoud from the most famous family of tabla players in Afghanistan....

Yvonne Lyon

Singer/songwriter Yvonne Lyon is among the best and brightest emerging talent currently from Scotland. Her new album, ‘Ashes & Gold’ has...

ZeroStar

Offering a mix of 'unashamed stadium rock, classic pop and ethereal atmosphere', Zerostar have enjoyed extensive radio airplay and count Grant...