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September 5, 2015

Found Present: Ceremony Festival 2015 [News]

Ceremony Festival will be closing festival season 2015 for London this Summer. Taking to Finsbury Park in London on Saturday 12th September. Still a baby festival, returning for it’s second year this year, it will bring past, present and future dance music artists together. Part of the Found series, who this Summer have given us four great festivals including Born & Bred, 51st State and the forthcoming United on the 13th September along with Ceremony.

Made up of an amalgamation of seven arena’s with international and homegrown UK sounds that have played an essential role in British club culture. Over 50 artists will touchdown on Saturday to play music from Grime to House to Club Classics and Hip Hop, this festival has something from everyone. I’m looking forward to catching a lot of the Grime acts over on the Tropical stage such as Boy Better Know’s Skepta & JME, brothers Preditah & C4 and Slimzee as well as Todd Edwards, DJ Marky and Plastician

There are some final release tickets left, so grab them while you have the chance!

ceremony

http://www.ceremonyfestival.com/

Date: Saturday 12th September

Location: Finsbury Park

Tickets: Final release @ £40 VIP Second Release @ £45

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September 3, 2015

Sunday Review: Reading Festival 2015 [Review} (@OfficialRandL)

Sunday feeling a little bit tired after sleeping in a tent we awoke and livened ourselves up hoping to catch The Skints with Grime MC Rival, which unfortunately we missed.

Walking past the BBC Radio 1 Dance Tent I was enticed in by some banging tunes played by 99 Souls who I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of before, but this is what I love about festivals finding new artists! The DJ’s got me raving as soon as I stepped into the festival!

I headed over to the 1Xtra Stage next to catch Isaiah Dreads. The young, West Country, Grime MC who pulled in a decent crowd even though it was early and had people singing along to his lyrics which included ‘Wait For Me’ off his recently released mixtape. You could see he had impressed crowd, some who hadn’t heard of him before too.

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Fekky was the next live artist we chose to see. His live performances always win over more fans for him. He set the stage alight more than I’d ever seen before, with pure energy and charisma. Performing tracks such as ‘Still Sittin Here’ ‘Way Too Much’ ‘Hot Boy’ and more he sprayed water over the crowd and handed out plastic cups filled with champagne. His two surprise guests brought a huge buzz especially when General Levy came out performing ‘Incredible’ and fellow South London don Sneakbo who performed ‘The Wave’.

Taking some chill out time we headed to the NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage to watch a band completely unheard of to our ears; Glass Animals and yet again they won us round. It’s amazing what listening to a band live can do and how it can change your perception. I really would advise checking them out as they blend R&B, soul, hip hop and indie.

Next up was Young Thug the American rapper who made his debut appearance in the UK at Reading Festival and what a chaos he caused over in 1Xtra. He certainly made an impression on festival goers with his incredible energy and stage presence, showering fans with water who knew every words of his lyrics.

Excitedly rushing over to the NME/BBC Radio 1 stage I knew I had to catch Jamie XX live and in all his glory. The DJ literally left me in awe and dancing for the 30 minutes I witnessed of his hour set. The atmosphere of the crowd was pure entrancement. This set was definitely another favourite of the weekend, and one I had never witnessed before.

I caught some of South London’s Stormzy set over at 1Xtra. He played again to a full house where the energy was high performing hit ‘Not That Deep’, ‘Shut Up’ and more, bouncing all over the stage with the vigor transferring to the crowd. Krept & Konan were next up on 1Xtra and they drew even more of a crowd performing tracks from mixtape ‘Young Kingz’ such as ‘MDMA’ and ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ and also tracks from their new album ‘The Long Way Home’ such as ‘Freak Of The Week’. The South Londoner’s also shut down their performance bringing mad energy and special guest Yungen on with them.

West Coast, American rapper Kendrick Lemar was up next on the main stage where he brought the mood up and down performing hits from his album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ and ‘Good Kid M.A.A.D City’ such as ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’, ‘Swimming Pools’ and more. He showed Reading why he deserves his mainstream success as he lit up the stage.

The next two artists I wanted to watch were luckily at the same stage (BBC Radio 1 Dance) and finished off the Sunday night perfectly for me. Hudson Mowhake was first and warmed me up nicely for the headline act over at the dance stage BBK. Hudson Mowhake shone with his amazing productions mixing hip hop, soul and electronic and I was amazed to be in his presence while he stood on stage.

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The Dance tent suddenly became more and more packed as it seemed like the whole of Reading Festival had come to watch Boy Better Know for their hour set with Frisco coming on stage first, followed by Jammer and then the rest of the crew through from Shorty to Skepta, JME, Maximum and Solo 45. They performed a whole host of tracks such as Frisco’s collaborative ‘Walking With The Elephants’ with Shakka, ‘Shaky’, ‘Too Many Men’, ‘That’s Not Me’ ‘It Ain’t Safe’ and ended with ‘Shutdown’. They showed Reading why Grime will always live on and why they are the Grime Kings.

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September 3, 2015

Saturday Review: Reading Festival 2015 [Review] (@OfficialRandL)

Arriving on Saturday at Reading Festival and setting up my tent for the next few days we headed straight to the press tent to see the line-up and times for the day. Deciding to catch Dimension and Kove’s set on the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage first was a brilliant decision and really hyped us up for the rest of the day. They started the set with some heavy drum & bass tracks then leading into some lighter house tracks also playing their collaborative track ‘Feel Love Again’.

Next up was the 1Xtra tent to catch the hypest Grime MC Tempa T who performed a intense set to a packed tent, we could barely squeeze in so unfortunately had to watch from the outside. We hurried back to the dance tent to catch Secondcity who played their hit single ‘I Wanna Feel’ and got the crowd moving and ready for the evening.

I’d heard a lot about Royal Blood, but hadn’t really listened to a lot of their music, so now was the time as they were up next on the Main Stage. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed their music. They were definitely one of the stand out performances for me over the 2 days I was at Reading. Their performance was simply stunning and I felt the bass shudder through me. Mike & Ben have won a new fan.

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Ms Dynamite is someone I’ve watched perform many times live, but never fails to disappoint, so over to the 1Xtra stage it was. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric and was dancing from start to finish while she performed tracks such as ‘Dibby Dibby Sound’, and ‘Wile Out’.

Veteran hip hop DJ Semtex took over from Ms Dynamite on the decks spinning old and new hip hop tracks for an hour before the illustrious Lethal Bizzle took to the stage. The 1Xtra tent slowly got more and more busy before Bizzle’s set and was overflowing to the outside. The more brave took to the centre where the mosh pits were going to start especially crazy when he performed hit single ‘Pow’. The Grime MC also performed recent hits ‘Fester Skank’ and ‘Rari Workout’.

Headlining the main stage were Metallica the famous rock bank who burned bright and kept festival goers entertained and happy even watching them under the rain. They kept their status strong at Reading as one of the most powerful live bands and I was stunned as I watched them. Towards the end of their set they let out giant inflatable balloons in the crowd showing their playful side. This is a performance I won’t ever forget.

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Last but not least I headed to the NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage to catch Rebel Sound who are made up of three generations of DJ’s; Sir David Rodigan, Digital Soundboy’s Shy FX and Chase & Status who played to a full tent dubplates, reggae and jungle tunes which left Reading on a high on Saturday night.

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September 2, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @LadyLykez @CourtneyLDN @JammerBBK @AR15UK @JusRival

Lady Lykez – Chat To Your Man

Lady Lykez the cheeky female MC drops another fun and serious track at the same time, with a lyrical onslaught but with a positive message at it’s core. The dynamic Lykez is one of the only artists who can convey a strong message and still keep it light-hearted. She tells a story of different women all involved with the same man, she tells them they shouldn’t be fighting with each other but should be joining together. Lykez will be clashing Sox on Lord Of The Mics this month at the live show, 23rd of September at 02 Islington Academy so make sure you catch her down there!

Courtney Bennett – Motives

Courtney Bennett released the audio to her debut, self-penned single ‘Motives’ off her forthcoming EP ‘HE(art) Dealer’. The singer/songwriter/rapper has built her name in music circles and has fans in artists such as Jhene Aiko, M.I.A, Big Sean, Missy Elliot, Erykah Badu and Raekwon already. She found her Youtube presence growing after covering and interpreting classic and modern hits and now has a following with over 5 million hit and 60,000 subscribers! Listen to the futuristic synths with Courtney’s elegant tone on ‘Motives’.

Jammer – Royal Rumble

Boy Better Know’s Jammer has brought the old skool Grime vibe officially back with new track ‘Royal Rumble’, which captures what Grime was about in it’s origins with some of the scene’s most legendary MC’s; Jammer, D Double E, Footsie, Lethal B, Hype, Blacks, Jendort, Shorty, Bruza, Ears, Face and Royal. Produced by Mystry the MC’s go in hard with 13 straight back to back pure, hype, unadulterated bars. The track was created in celebration of 10 years of Lord Of The Mics and has definitely done it justice to the fullest.

AR15 Presents Can’t See Me Again ft Skepta, Bashy & Kano

The biggest rap album to ever be seen or heard out of the UK dropped last Friday 28th August on iTunes. AR15 Presents ‘Concrete Jungle’ sees over 50 of the cream of the crop of UK rappers from Grime and UK rap team up for 16 exclusive tracks and unseen collabs. ‘Can’t See Me Again’ the latest track off of the mixtape sees three Grime originators come together to exchange verses about their lives, the changes, letting go of the past and moving on for the better.

Rival – Victory Interlude

East London Grime MC Rival has dropped another winning track ahead of his debut album release.  He connects well with the down tempo, CRT produced track and talks about never giving up and how he is so close to making it. This won’t be on the album, but it’s definitely warming us up for it!

 

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August 7, 2015

Review: Eastern Electrics 2015

Eastern Electrics in its 8th year and it came back bigger and better to impressing with its electronic beats and accessibility for London residents as it’s just a short ride away from Central London. On the grounds of Hatfield House, which is due to turn into one the UK’s premier dance festivals in years to come. The one-day event sold out with ease with 12,000 people swarming to Hatfield from 12-10pm for a day of sunshine, tunes, rides, drinking and most importantly raving.

We started off watching Crazy P DJ at Gloria’s stage after finding our bearings they had the crowd feeling light with their easy listening electronic sounds, mixing disco and dance. We then headed to the new Forest Stage which was the Black Butter Records Stage to see standout DJ/producer, Mele had his moment at the festival. He has become a fast favourite due to his mixing and wide track selection, which demonstrated at EE.

The Skreamizm stage was the next to watch with one of our favourite DJ’s Boddika who had an hour and a half long set, enough to showcase his  skills and understanding of music playing everything from house to D&B and electro. We then had a chill out period in the garden area where they had the Sexy Kitchen men DJing which was pretty hilarious, playing some old skool hip hop with the host gyrating around the stage.

Back to Black Butter to catch My Nu Leng, a duo who I listen to a lot who have produced for the likes of Newham Generals and remixed for Clean Bandit, Naughty Boy and more. They played a bass heavy set and were my favourites of the festival, mixing dubstep, grime and more playing tracks like Solo 45’s “Feed Em To The Lions”.

Unfortunately the BB Records Stage started to become very, very busy during My Nu Leng, so busy you could barely move so we moved on  after 40 mins or so, and as DJ EZ came on after about 10 mins later the stage had to be shut down due to overcrowding. We headed to the EE Pub to watch Mike Skinner and he wasn’t there and I was told by a bouncer he was on site, returning in the last 20 minutes of his set he still hadn’t turned up. I had wanted to watch him and it was a shame two headliners didn’t deliver their sets.

Skream the main man behind the Skreamizm stage did deliver a class set as always mixing deep, dubby, bassy sounds with some disco. I knew Skream wouldn’t let us down and he ended the festival on a high for everyone watching him!

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August 3, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @SCRUFIZZER @MrMiniUK @OfficialChip @Nines1Ace @TriggaSDC @ChimpoMCR

Scrufizzer & Mr Mini – Conquering

This is the one for the Grime heads as West London’s Scrufizzer and South London rapper Mr Mini collaborate on new track “Conquering”. They have previously worked together on a few tracks, and their sounds gel really well together ,with Mr Mini lending his more relaxed bars on the chorus to Scrufizzer’s fast-paced ones giving it an equal balance.

Chip ft. Wiley & Frisco – My Bruddaz

When three hard lyricists in Grime link up teamed with a Rapid (Ruff Sqwad) trademark production, it can only mean straight fire. Chip has been releasing a good amount of music recently, keeping the quality of it high, and new track “My Bruddaz” is no exception. Showing love to their close friends who they class as their brothers, this is a good vibe track with lots of energy.

Nines ft. Scrapz & Fatz – Ice City

Church Road rapper Nines is one of the UK’s most promising and underrated rappers in the UK, so it’s always due to be a banger when he drops a track. The track “Ice City” pays homage to the crew they are in of the same name, with the three laying down some hard-hitting, truthful bars about their lives and thoughts.

Trigga x Chimpo x Sam Binga – Who Run Tingz

Manchester native’s Trigga and Chimpo alongside Bristol’s Sam Binga have joined together for “Who Run Tingz” which is due for release August 8 on Toddla T’’s label Girls Music. It’s dark beat that combines Grim, Crunk and Dancehall from the 2 producers is turned energetic with Trigga’s lyrics with a gangster vibe – the essence of the Shadow sound.

 

 

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July 29, 2015

Bugzy Malone @ 02 Islington Academy [Review] @TheBugzyMalone

Manchester wordsmith Bugzy Malone played a sold out show at the 02 Islington Academy on Tuesday 28th August. He’s had a fantastic week with the release of his EP ‘Walk With Me’ reaching No.6 in the national album charts, along with the sold out show.

Hosted by Charlie Sloth who has been supporting the artist on his BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra show heavily, where Bugzy also hit the radio presenter’s infamous Fire In The Booth freestyle series. It was evident that Charlie along with other faces in the crowd such as Kiss 100 DJ Logan Sama and A&R Benny Scars also have faith in the 0161 artist.

Arriving at 9pm just as Bugzy hit the stage, I unfortunately had missed warm-up acts such as Potter Payper. The Mancunian Grime star brought a strong energy with him, bouncing around as he delivered his first lyrics to the captivated crowd.

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Bugzy repeatedly got the crowd shouting “0161 Manny on the map”, as he moved from track to track such as ‘M.E.N’ a more personal track off the EP. He quickly began with one of his older tracks with an aggressive, delivery. He performed his Fire In The Booth which fans were eager to hear live and they spat the lyrics along with him.

As he moved to a track close to his heart about a family member passing, his storytelling technique in his rhymes really shone through, and his manner and attitude softened. He asked the crowd to put lights on their phones or with lighters and turned the stage lights off so he was barely seen and the audience was lit up as a mark of respect.

As he swiftly brought the energy back up, moving onto a track from his EP produced by Rude Kid ‘Watch Your Mouth’, which saw the MC return to his more passionate, powerful and lively state.

He controlled the crowd like only a true star can, getting them involved and bringing a quality stage presence. He truly had them walking with him as they knew every word to his lyrics and were like his soldiers. Bugzy Malone is the next Grime artist to blow so keep your eyes peeled on him!

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July 27, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @JusRival @SOLARGE_E300 @officialAvelino @Espa @MyNuLeng @NewhamGenerals @BladeMusic

Rival x So Large – Voices

East London MC, Rival has been on the road recently touring with Ghetts and The Skints in doing so has been busy and making his presence known. He’s joined forces with fellow East London’s So Large for “Voices”, with them both exchanging hot verses. They deliver fiery bars with energy over a heavyweight, vocal-led instrumental from Rude Kid. This is definitely one of my favourite grime tracks of the year.

Avelino – Money Over Everything

North London’s Avelino is destined for big things in the world of UK rap, which is currently at it’s healthiest stage ever. His music sees reflective lyrics, joined with experimental and often melodic productions. For his new track “Money Over Everything” which samples Wretch 32’s famous F64, Avelino tells Complex UK “It’s sick to have him jump on the tune, as well. ‘M.O.E’ is a song that, hopefully, you can turn up to but lyrically, it’s me admitting that I’m aware of our ignorance but it’s just the way it is .”

Espa – Pray For Me [My Nu Leng Remix]

Espa dropped her “Pray For Me” track back in May which saw the London singer show a vulnerability to her, over a garage beat reminiscent of from the 90’s. Now production duo My Nu Leng have given it the remix treatment taking it down a darker, bass heavy route.

Newham Generals ft Wiley – Scars

Footsie released his Scars EP via Butterz on vinyl earlier this year with the track originally being released in 2005 The classic Grime tune has now been given visuals, fitting the era it was originally made in, with memorabilia such as RWD magazine covers, Nokia 7600s, Lord OF The Decks DVDs and more. With bars from Newham Generals and Wiley this is one to keep in your music catalogue forever.

Blade Brown ft. Tigger Da Author – Drug Dealer

Blade Brown certainly did it big for his “Drug Dealer” video which is a favourite track amongst his fans off his Bags & Boxes 3 mixtape. Shooting the video in LA, we see Blade Brown with a luxurious car on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, also hitting the beach with his lady. See you can spot in the video as it includes celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather.

 

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July 20, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @BossmanBirdie @RudimentalUk @REAL_JSPADES @AbelMiller @TheBugzyMalone

Bossman Birdie ft. Meridian Dan & Skepta – Wristbands 

A couple members of the Bloodline crew, Bossman Birdie and Meridian Dan as well as Skepta from Boy Better Know come together for “Wristbands”. Growing up on Meridian Walk all together and being part of one crew previously, it’s no surprise to see these three working together. The track is about their status as artists, being able to access all areas and about respect and loyalty.

Rudimental ft. Anne-Marie & Dizzee Rascal – Love Ain’t Just A Word

Rudimental have been giving festival-goers tasters of what to expect from their new forthcoming album We The Generation especially with this new track “Love Ain’t Just A Word”. It features the lovely vocals of Anne-Marie and a verse from grime legend Dizzee Rascal who talks about the love in music, people, our maker and more.

J Spades ft. Mostack , Swift, J Hus & Grizzy – Nobody 

When it comes to UK rap, J Spades is one of the hardest and respected straight out of Hackney. As an older sometimes you have to help the younger generation, and this is what he has done bringing together some of the hottest names that are coming up in the game right now; Mostack, Swift (Section Boyz), J Hus & Grizzy. This will be on his forthcoming release MMMP3.

Abel Miller ft J Spades – Angel Blues

UK R&B singer Abel Miller has already built a solid fanbase and reputation for himself even though he is still young in the game; he has been releasing strong material for a few years now. He premiered his brand new club single “Angel Blues” earlier this week for our enjoyment, showing off his vocal talents and bringing in J Spades for a feature. This is the second single to be heard off his forthcoming EP Patience.

Bugzy Malone – Hulk Smash 

Bugzy Malone has been smashing it recently, gaining more and more fans all over the country with his hard bars and real lyrics. The Mancunian rapper delivers again oh his “Hulk Smash” freestyle over a Z Dot production giving us his thoughts on the music scene, delivering the bars with such passion and fierceness. His Walk With Me EP is due out on July 24 and he has a headline show at Islington 02 this week too!

 

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July 19, 2015

Why You Should Be at Eastern Electrics 2015 [News]

Eastern Electrics may only be in its fourth year, but the festival has garnered a great following – with this year expanding to 8 stages, catering to varied electronic acts with a very appetising line-up. Taking place on August 1 at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, there are still a number of tickets left that are selling as we speak, so grab them whilst there is still time!

Let’s talk DJs now and who will be playing! The soundtrack to the main stage will see icon Jamie Jones deliver a closing set as the sun goes down. Techno staple Nick Curly from Germany and the man behind Fuse London, Enzo Siraguasa will also be present, along with king of techno house Matthias Tanzmann.

The Big Top stage will see DJ Skream’s brand Skreamizm host and bring some high class DJ’s with cutting edge sounds. Skream of course will be present bringing the beats and vibes along with Boddika, electronic act Midland, Detroits Floorplan, Richy Ahmed and Jasper James.

Black Butter Records a ground-breaking UK label will be taking to the Forest to bring the bass. They will bring UK garage legend DJ EZ who will be cutting up some classics, along with a host of the labels starts such as Mele,My Nu Leng, Woz, Wayward, Applebottom and Tazer. This stage will be definitely not be one to be missed for us as they always bring unique, fresh and exiting sounds.

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The Star Of EE Pub will bring some music legends to the stage such as garage star Matt Jam Lamont, as well as The Streets Mike Skinner who will show his skills as a DJ, and UK clubland’s Jon Carter. You will also be able to catch London party starters Michael Bibi, Two and Eight and Capulet along with EE’s protégé Jordan Mina.

Sankeys provide another killer stage for the Ibiza lovers with headliner vIVA chief and Steve Lawler and starring Outcross Records boss and Hot Creations family Miguel Campell along with some of the brightest underground gifted DJ’s from Hamburg’s Sidney Chales to Berlin’s Sante along with Jozef K and Manu Gonzalez.

Other stages include The Switchyard where global underground goddess TINI will be bringing some special DJ’s such as Detroits Godfather of house Delano Smith, techno maverick Jichael Mackson and more. XOYO & Sink The Pink present Gloria’s Cabert with DJ’s Mag’s breakthrough producer of 2013 Citizenn bringing the beats, The 2 Bears, Horse Meets Disco and more.

The VIP area will hear a hip hop set from Miguel Campell, Kuible will be playing disco classics, EE regular Matt Tolfrey will go back to back with Geddes and many more will be bringing the vibes all day.

FULL LINE UP

Eastern Electrics Main Stage

Jamie Jones / Joris Voorn / Cassy /Matthias Tanzmann / Guti (Live)/ Nick Curly / Enzo Siragusa

Skreamizm hosts the Big Top

Skream / Boddika / Midland / Robert Hood presents Floorplan / Richy Ahmed /Jasper James

tINI and The Gang in the Switchyard

tINI / Bella Sarris / Delano Smith / Jichael Mackson (Live) / Seb Zito & Rossko / Die Holländer

Sankeys

Steve Lawler / Miguel Campbell / Sidney Charles / Santé / Jozef K / Manu Gonzalez

Black Butter Records in The Forest

DJ EZ / Melé / My Nu Leng / Applebottom / Woz / Wayward / Tazer

XOYO & Sink The Pink present Gloria’s

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set) / Citizenn / Crazy P (DJ Set) / Lil Louis / Severino / The 2 Bears (DJ Set) / Joshua James

Star of EE Pub

Matt Jam Lamont / Mike Skinner / Jon Carter / Waifs & Strays / Jaymo & Andy George / Ryan O Gorman / Michael Bibi / Two and Eight / Capulet / Jordan Mina

VIP

Kubicle (Disco) / Miguel Campbell (hip hop set) / Mat Tolfrey & Geddes b2b / Remi Mazet / Robert Outch / Andrew Baxter / Johnny Hunter

Early birds are now SOLD OUT | £55.00 tickets final phase tickets available here

 

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