Bestival party: March 2010

As a big fan of Bestival, I thought I'd share this splendid news: they're holding a party in London on Saturday 20 March.

Hell, they haven't even announced the lineup yet, but this is the festival that launched a thousand fancy-dress nights - why not go for the giggle? It made dressing up like a knob cool again. Without Bestival, I would never have seen so many male friends clad head to toe in lycra, rolled-up socks firmly in place.

You can go geared up in any of the previous years' themes, which were: cowboys and indians, circus, pirates, under the sea and outer space. Woohah.

The party's being held at Koko in Camden. Tickets are £12 from www.ticketline.co.uk. For info, go to their Facebook page.

Brass is class

I DJed a few weeks ago at the hilarious Why So Serious? night at Russian Bar in Dalston. Its a big phat 90s mashup with a great crowd and plenty of glowsticks (plus a game of pass-the-parcel).

On the dancefloor, I chatted to a guy who'd been to Bestival this year. His favourite act of the whole festival? A brass band that played the Polka Tent - and totally packed it out.

This was interesting. A raver saying they prefered a brass group to an hour of Carl Cox DJing old skool? (That was possibly the best set, anywhere, of 2009.)

So I looked into it. Turns out they're an eight-piece band from east London called Brassroots, and they are absolute class.

Check out their version of Inner City's 'Good Life' here:
www.myspace.com/brassroots

If you're at Glastonbury, Lovebox or Bestival next year make sure you pay them a visit.

And if you like the sound, follow this up with a listen to the famous Hot 8 Brass Band, a New Orleans group that have been rockin tings since their first album (on Tru Thoughts) in 2007:
www.hot8brassband.com