And it’s a good job that they did. Not only did they have a fantastic time performing at the University Nationals, but they came home with a heap of silverware to boot.

“We performed really well,” says club Treasurer Alexandra Atherton. “We came third in both the highly competitive level one and three categories and won first place in level four. Also, our group stunt performances gained two second.

“Thanks to Sponsorcraft, we came home with seven trophies!” Not bad for a club who were contemplating withdrawal from the competition a mere month beforehand.

Whilst the club is not alien to different types of fundraising, it was their first experience of web-based campaigns. And the positive experience seems to have turned Alexandra into a keen advocate for crowdfunding.

“Crowdfunding is a great way to fundraise as it not only promotes your project or club online, but allows sponsors from anywhere to donate to your project. Additionally, Sponsorcraft’s reward scheme sets it apart from its competitors as it incentivises the whole process.”

Alexandra is now recommending more students and their societies make the most of Sponsorcraft’s website and support.

“Using the Sponsorcraft website was easy and we received a lot of support from their team,” says Alexandra. “I would highly recommend using Sponsorcraft if your club needs to raise money for a project as the process was seamless and can really make a difference.”

Sponsorcraft was built to help students with ideas and ambition find money. For those interested in starting a project or checking out some of those already that are already in place, simply go to www.sponsorcraft.com.

Julian May

This summer Bristol is to be presented with an impressive inaugural festival situated on the popular student and office-break sunny retreat that is Castle Park.

Before you dismiss such a local event due to presumptions of an amalgamation of monotonous amateur Bristol based acts and apathetic food and amusement stands just take a look at some of the names who appear on this remarkable line up.

Annie Mac, Bonobo, Mr Scruff and Roots Manuva are just some of the high-class artists who will be injecting the masses with their infectious melodies on this eagerly anticipated occasion.

The cause for such a plethora of quality acts is due to the collaboration of an abundance of experienced minds including the team behind Glastonbury Dance Village’s Wow! stage, last year’s incredible See No Evil and one half of the brains behind In:Motion.

This event has been referred to in many enlightening manners but the one which sums up the festival most colourfully speaks of ‘A celebration of music, parties and good times due to the culmination of many years spent in fields and clubs, in tents, on dance floors and stages across the UK and beyond – from the late nights to the early mornings, from lugging sound systems through muddy fields to booking amazing acts and watching them grow, everything has been moving towards this event’

Take it from a person who couldn’t have rushed to laptop sooner to book tickets, this is probably the best local festival Bristol has to offer and for such a reasonable price makes it an irrefutable summer purchase.

Amirali – Live / Annie Mac / Babyhead – Live / Ben UFO / Bonobo – DJ / Crazylegs DJs / Christophe & Lukas / Dan Wild / Dance Off Crew / Disclosure – Live /

DJ Derek / Eats Everything / Foreign Beggars – Live / Futureboogie / Greg Wilson / Huxley / Jamie Jones / Javeon McCarthy – PA / Jessie Ware – Live / Joker / Koreless – Live / Maya Jane Coles / Miguel Campbell / Mr Scruff / Pearson Sound & Joy Orbison – B2B / Radikal Guru / Roots Manuva – Live / Soom T – Live /

Tom Rio & Freddie Prest / Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Live /

Young Warrior / Waifs and Strays / + many more to be announced

Sam Hudson 

Where?: Porto, Portugal

When?: 7^th – 10^th June

Line up: Baxter Dury, Death Cab For Cutie, M83, Spiritualised, The XX, Veronica Falls and many more.

Price: €99 – although accommodation isn’t included.

This festival looks perfect for the more cultural among you. The city of Porto itself is a UNESCO world heritage site, boasting many attractions in its own right. Combine this with some of the best off-the-beaten-track music acts and an irresistible weekend awaits. With the low ticket price as well, this could be a good option if your funds are running a little low.

www.optimusprimaverasound.com

Main Square 

Where: Arras, France.

When?: 29^th – 1^st July

Line up: Kasabian, The XX, Azealia Banks, Florence and the Machine, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka and many more.

Price: €160

Each year Main Square Festival in Arras, France (near Calais) boasts an incredible line up –yet few Brits have even heard of it. With two large stages less than 30 seconds from each other, clashes are rarely a problem. Be warned though, French crowds can be reserved and the carefree hippy attitude will almost certainly be absent.

www.mainsquarefestival.fr

Rock Werchter

Where?: Werchter, Belgium.

When?: 28^th  June – 1^st July

Line up: Can only be described as mindblowing. Acts include Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Skrillex, Mumford and Sons, Chase and Status, Snow Patrol, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, plus most of the Main Square Line up.

Price: €79 per day + €25 for 4 nights camping.

Organised by the same folks that throw Main Square, the line up for this festival will make any music fan hyperventilate. If this couldn’t get any better – the festival hosts an unprecedented 4 nights of headline acts. Some of the clashes already look heartbreaking though, so maybe you can have too much of a good thing. Having said this, when else are you ever going to go to Belgium?

www.rockwerchter.be

Hideout 

Where?: Island of Pag, Croatia

When?: 29^th June – 1^st July

Line Up: Chase & Status (DJ Set), Annie Mac, Skream &Benga, SBTRKT, Sub Focus, Skrillex, DJ Fresh, Simian Mobile Disco, High Contrast, Jack Beats and more.

Price?: £99

Only a year old, Hideout Festival offers all the best dance music of the moment in just one festival. Held on the beautiful Zrce Beach, it is no surprise that the festival sold out of tickets in just a few weeks. Hideout features two main stages, an indoor club and two outdoor swimming pools. Croatia has recently been dubbed ‘The New Ibiza’ making Hideout one of the leading dance festivals of the season, and at only £99 -  unmissable for students.

http://www.hideoutfestival.com/

Optimus Alive 

Where?: Lisbon, Portugal.

When?: 13  – 15^th July

Line up: The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Snow Patrol, Florence and the Machine, The Cure and more

Price?: £103 (£89 without camping)

Not to be confused with Primavera Sound in Porto, Optimus Alive offers yet another stellar line up to dent your student loan on. With a line up like this, and a ticket price that low – it is really difficult to find reasons not to go to Optims Alive.

www.optimusalive.com

Tomorrowland

Where?: Boom, Belgium

When?: 27 – 29^th July

Line Up: Pendulum, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Afrojack, Emalkay, Steve Aoki, Laidback Luke.

Price?: €172.5

Tomorrowland has been going since 2005 and has gradually built up its reputation throughout the years. The impressive line up and unique fairyland style theme is said to be what attracts so many festival goers, as tickets sold out within half an hour of being online. There are many stages to choose from suiting a diverse musical palette, let this being a warning to get on the waiting list for next year as early as you can.

http://www.tomorrowland.be/ 

Pukkelpop

Where? Kiewit Hasselt, Belgium

When?: 16 – 18^th August

Line up: Foo Fighters, Bjork, Bloc Party, Flux Pavilion, Two Door Cinema Club, The Black Keys and many more.

Price?: TBA

Pukkelpop offers one of the broadest line ups on offer this year – providing a lot of dance acts alongside blues, indie, alt rock and pop. The range of bands is more than enough to distract from the infamous and tragic stage collapse of last year, and you can be sure that organisers will be extra careful this time around. Prices and other info are yet to be confirmed, but this is definitely one to keep an eye on…

www.pukkelpop.be

Emma Wood & Larissa Huggard 

Elles Bailey 

Elles is in her final year of a BSc psychology degree. While she’ll sit (and sometimes even sleep) next to you in lectures, in her spare time she actively fosters an incredible vocal talent. A local music blog recently said “Prepare to be amazed at the sound of this girl’s voice!” – solid advice where Elles is concerned.

Elles told us “It’s hard work juggling gigging and uni, especially around deadlines. Working [on music] this year has been such a nice break from Freud and all things Psychodynamic!”

Best described as a singer-songwriter, Elles both emulates and aspires to the likes of Debbie Harry, Dusty Springfield, and Adele – all female powerhouses of confidence and big voices. On her future plans Elles told us, “Let’s just say I’m looking forward to finishing [my degree], finally recording my solo album, and working with an epic producer who worked on Michael Jackson’s Thriller!” 

Toby Cryne a.k.a. ‘Dirty Works’ 

Western Eye’s very own News & Politics Editor, Toby Cryne, has been a busy man this year. While working for the newspaper AND in his final year, he has single-handedly written, created and released his own EP – 3 Commands and 1 Exception, performing most of it himself. He said “Fitting [music] around [uni] has been almost impossible. The week of recording has made my dissertation difficult!”

His influences couldn’t be more different to Elles with a more rock-centred emphasis – influences ranging from Queens of The Stone Age right through to Bowie. Accomplished musicianship throughout, this EP would have been impressive coming from a band – let alone an individual artist. Toby also told us of his motivations, saying “I thought f*** it, this is what I want to do and it shouldn’t come second. Having said that, trying to juggle it all has been a pain. Wouldn’t change it though!” 

It seems that the final year of a degree isn’t the best time to get into music – however these guys have shown that a bit of dedication can go a long way. Both Elles Bailey and Dirty Works have facebook band pages, and are definitely worth keeping an eye on.  Let’s hope they catch a break soon – and we hear much, much more from them in the future.

Emma Wood 

In Britain, the muddy festival is somewhat of a staple for any keen music lover. Ever since that first summer of love in ’67, us Brits have been flocking to our countryside religiously once a year for a few days of laughter, excess, and, most importantly, great music.

However, in recent years more and more people have instead been leaving the UK for pastures new, choosing instead to have their little mini break in the warmer climate of mainland Europe.

This is not to say however that British festivals are in a state of decline, quite the contrary, they’re actually doing better than ever, but there is certainly a boom in Brits going foreign when they choose which festival to attend.

Why is this the case? 

I think there are three key factors which determine whether punters choose to go overseas or not. Firstly, weather, secondly the price and thirdly the line-up.

Us Brits, quite possibly because we hardly ever see it, love the sun. So if the opportunity arises to go to a festival which is guaranteed to be scorching hot, you would be a fool to turn it down right? Why chance the notoriously unpredictable British weather and get pissed on for three days when you could simply jump on a cheap as chips Ryan Air flight to Primavera Sound in Barcelona and rave in the sun.

Come on let’s face it; no one has any money at the minute. We’re all skint, yet tickets for the bigger festivals in the UK are still rising. Take Reading and Leeds for example, the price for a weekend camping ticket is £205 including booking fee on Seetickets, a price even as a Reading and Leeds veteran I can’t stretch to this year.

If we compare this to some of the growing festivals in Germany, such as Melt! for example, they offer the whole weekend and camping for the equivalent of £96, and there is still plenty of acts on the bill to get your mouth watering such as Bloc Party, Justice and The War On Drugs.

Admittedly, Reading and Leeds organiser Melvin Benn is aware of the high cost of tickets and has offered every weekend pass holder a free burger and pint of beer for each music day. However I somehow doubt this gesture is going to get many festival goers to suddenly jump up and head to Reading, especially the teetotal vegan demographic (not that it’s a particularly big one).

And so finally to the line-up. British festivals, for the most part anyway, have been guilty of playing it a tad safe in recent years. For example, Bestival 2011 was headlined by a little known band by the name of The Cure, in 2012 it will again be headlined by a little known band by the name of The Cure. Also, The Stone Roses seem to be playing every festival that will have them.

Foreign festivals then can offer a more varied bill as they include not only UK and US acts but also bands from across the continent, something not commonly seen over here in dear old Blighty.

Of course going overseas does also have its downsides. Take the travelling for instance, after a particularly heavy festival I find it hard to even stand up and pack away my tent never mind catch a flight or a ferry. Also, the language barrier could prove a problem and should never be underestimated.

The overseas festival is something that has to be experienced. Only one problem remains, choosing which one to go to.

Benjamin Salt 

The line up for 2012 is perhaps a little less ambitious than previous years, but then the ticket price has also dropped to a mere £20. In short, if you are up for discovering some brand new music for your ipod/spotify playlist – this is a great way to do it.

The festival takes place across several gig venues across Bristol, in various states of repair. This is great if you are suffering from Triangle-fatigue, as it’s a great opportunity for a night (and day) out in places you probably haven’t been to before. Having said this, some are fairly spaced out so be prepared for a walk!

Unlike open air festivals, each venue has strict capacity limits. This means that to see the most popular acts, you’ll need to get in their early as queues are more than likely. Show up for their stage time and you could be left out in the cold.

Timed for the first weekend of June however, Dot to Dot is well placed to celebrate the proper end to exams and the beginning of the summer.

The Drums, Pulled Apart By Horses
Willy Mason, Summer Camp, Lucy Rose, Dog Is Dead
Hooray for Earth, Pond, Turbowolf, Wavves, Willis Earl Beal
Admiral Fallow, Bastille, Beth Jeans Houghton,  Bondax
Broken Hand, Clock Opera, Deaf Club, Dirty Goods + many more

Emma Wood 

The multi-award-winning production has played to over 65 million people worldwide, in a multitude of different languages, since its Broadway premiere in 1997 and will soon see its 10 millionth visitor at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Disney will launch a touring production of the show at The Bristol Hippodrome, opening on Thursday 6 September (previews from Friday 31 August) where it will play a limited 11-week season. The production will then play the Palace Theatre Manchester which will include a Christmas season.

This is the first stage show Disney have launched in the city since their acclaimed production of Mary Poppins in 2004 and comes just in time as the Hippodrome celebrates its centenary year. With a company of 52, The Lion King will visit ten cities in the UK & Ireland over two and a half years – further dates to be announced. The West End production of The Lion King, now in its thirteenth year, will continue to play at London’s Lyceum Theatre where it has proved to be a consistent favourite amongst audiences, and it’s easy to see why.

The Lion King tells the coming of age story of the young cub Simba who must come to terms with the death of his father, King Mufasa, at the hands of his uncle Scar and his subsequent banishing from the Pridelands. Over a number of years in exile struggling against the responsibilities of manhood, he returns to confront his Uncle and reclaim his rightful place as King. With music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, along with a vast array of colourful costumes, innovative puppets and masks, and a plethora of scenery – none of which is fixed to the stage – the production is a spectacle for eye and ear like no other in musical theatre.

The show’s producer and President of Disney Theatrical Group, Thomas Schumacher, notes how following his work on the animated film, he was asked by Michael Eisner to lead its transfer from screen to stage. He says: “It was the worst idea I had ever heard, no one said it looked like a Broadway show in the making.” The sheer production value of the film with its great sweeping shots and the diversity of the inhabitants of the Pridelands was going to make a physical adaptation a mammoth task.

Enter Julie Taymor, who had come to the attention of Schumacher whilst working on a production at the Castle Hill festival in Massachusetts. Word quickly spread of the magnitude of Julie’s designs on subsequent projects and after a brief meeting in 1995, Julie was hired to re-imagine The Lion King for the stage.

What emerged was not contained by the look of the film but something wholly original, this includes costumed dancers taking on the roles of plant life and animals alike, including additional tools to move their costumes – particularly notable and impressive is the use of hand and foot stilts to represent giraffes. The masks are mounted above the actors’ heads in order to maintain an understanding through facial expression whilst portraying animal characteristics. For principal characters such as Simba and Scar, the headpieces can be manoeuvred mechanically to create the illusion of cats lunging at each other. All this and a tweaking of character roles and genders make the show a distinct text to the film.

In the stage show, the part of Rafiki is female after Taymor pointed out there was generally no leading female in the film. Schumacher quips that this is not representative of lions in reality being as it is the females who do all of the hunting and the raising of the cubs whilst the male does little more than sleep! “It’s a matriarchy operating under one big patriarch,” jokes Schumacher, and to reflect this end, the character of Nala has a dramatically increased significance. Her new song Shadowlands is particularly rousing and breathtaking. After opening to critical acclaim, Julie made Broadway history by becoming the first female recipient of the prestigious Tony Award for best Director of a Musical, and on this evidence deservedly so.

This tour isn’t only good news for theatre goers in Bristol and beyond. Bristol itself is expecting a rise in tourism directly linked to the musicals residency, which businesses hope will boost the local economy. Furthermore, Disney hope the show will encourage new audiences to come along for the first time. Following its West End transfer, there has been endless talk of when The Lion King will finally head out on tour. This talk intensified with the beginning of the North America tour and now it has finally happened here in the UK. It is without a doubt one of the largest scale productions Bristol has entertained in its theatre history and according to Schumacher, the tour aims to “bring the magic of The Lion King to local cities to share with those who haven’t experienced it before.” I for one, being a massive fan of musical theatre and having had my first taste of the show, cannot wait to see it in all its glory this summer!

The Lion King @ The Bristol Hippodrome – From 6^th September until 17^th November (Previews from 31^st August) – Tickets available through www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk or by calling 0844 871 3012

James Bonser

It appears that Reading and Leeds are going ahead as planned (hopefully at any rate, as I have a weekend ticket for the former) although tickets have not sold out, despite being on sale for over a month now. Am I the only one who can remember these tickets selling out within hours? The days of sitting in front of three screens with five different ticket sites open on each clicking the refresh button over and over? Crashing sites and engaged telephone lines seem to be a thing of the past.

Bestival, Camp Bestival, Download and V festival are among those that are soldiering on and it seems that the former two are some of the few that are not suffering losses. The independent festivals orchestrated by DJ Rob Da Bank seem to be selling tickets as normal and the independent entrepreneur assures the public that they will not be disappointed and that “we’ll sell out again on both ourshows.” But it seems to be relatively lonely in its confidence of success.

Sonisphere and the Big Chill are just some of the bigger festivals that have pulled out due to organisation and ticket sale disasters this year, whilst a host of smaller festivals have been forced to cancel too. Oxegen’s promoters have stated that, in a similar fashion to our very own Glastonbury, they will be taking a year off, despite it being Ireland’s biggest, most popular festival and having won numerous awards. Sources claim that lack of ticket sales are responsible for this.

It seems that one of the greatest British pastimes for the summer is losing its buzz, and one shouldn’t struggle to fathom why.

The price is obviously a set back: with weekend tickets setting folks back often over £200 the initial intimidation of your bank account is surely something that has put many off. To attempt to combat this, sites such as Ticketmaster have brought in a deposit scheme for Reading and Leeds where customers can pay a 25% deposit for their ticket. Whilst speaking in an interview to NME, Festival Republic boss Melvin Benn stated that:

“It would be lovely to make [tickets] cheaper if it was economically viable but it isn’t… There’s going to be a deposit sale introduced for the March main sale, which will be the first time we’ve done that properly.”

Considering the majority of festival attendees are aged between 16 and 30 this is most certainly a wise move. However, this has not stopped 2012 from being one of the worst years for ticket sales in festival history.

The spirit of festivals seems to have seen a decline too: popstars who do not play instruments and rely on electronics to perform have won the hearts of the masses who have seen the old five-piece rock band routine one too many times.

Additionally, one of the most prominent factors that ought to be addressed is the tiny event that is being held in Britain this year known as the Olympic Games. An event with the historical magnitude such as this, and that none of us will live to see on Britain’s shores again, is a convincing diversion from a festival that will be held again a year after. This comes with another 60 events sprouting up to supplement the game: Radio 1 is hosting a weekend in Hackney and is charging a grand total of £0 for 100,000 lucky goers. The versatile line up seems to take Glastonbury’s absence with an appeal to many musical appetites with acts ranging from Rhianna to Enter Shikari, Ed Sheeran to DeadMau5.

Despite these issues, I for one hope that festivals do not die out and hope that they may recover the spirit that is currently dwindling. The magic that was Glastonbury in the 90’s may have gone, where Oasis and Blur fought for control and instead of spending a fifth of your loan on a ticket one could just climb through a bush, but we as a generation can bring our ingenuity too. And by that I don’t mean Justin Bieber and a rise in unemployment, but bringing something new to the musical table. Music has forever changed and adapted to its society and, therefore, so must its festivals.

David Beatson

After a successful stretch last year, the Jägermeister Music Tour returned to the UK, running through Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle and London before finishing at the O2 Academy in Bristol. The venue sold out before any of the others, with a real mix of generations inside excited for the bands on show.

Opening the night was local act Turbowolf. Unsure what to expect from them, they thoroughly impressed with their unique brand of psychedelic, electronic rock. Vocalist Chris Georgiadis, looking like the hippie brother of the 118 guys, made very good use of the limited space on stage, his mad eyes encapturing every audience member present.

Next were British rockers Black Spiders, who continued to show us why they are a force to be reckoned with on the live circuit, newer songs like ‘KISS Tried to Kill Me’ slotting in perfectly alongside more well-known numbers such as ‘Stay Down’, and banter is kept to a minimum to allow the music to do the talking.

The big surprise of the night is Therapy?, who rose to fame in 1994 with their album Troublegum. Tonight, they give us an 11-song set of pace and power, balancing old and new songs and really get the crowd going, inciting the first pits of the night; ‘Nowhere’ from the aforementioned album a particular highlight.

It’s a mystery to many why headliners Skindred aren’t playing venues like Hammersmith Apollo. The reggae metal boys hailing from Newport are well known for their energetic live shows, and despite losing all power on stage before they’d even played a note, they recovered to give the 1,600 strong crowd a brilliant performance: noone stopped moving for the entire set. Singer Benji Webbe is as charismatic as ever with his banter and prescence, and is easily one of the UK’s best frontmen in the business today. The band played four songs from new album Union Black and mashed up plenty of others – they even threw in a small intermission of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’. But the best was yet to come, as encore song ‘Warning’ sees every person performing the ‘Newport Helicopter’ (find it on YouTube).

By 11:30 it’s all over, as is the Jägermeister Music Tour for 2012. But what a tour.

Elliot Leaver

Sam Brayshaw