The Beat-Herder Festival 2024 - Tickets Warning

The Beat-Herder Festival have today announced that this year's festival will be more "bijou" than recent years and "on a scale reminiscent of the early days". Even though the capacity is being reduced, the organisers have said "the advertised line up will remain, and so will most of the venues". In fact they say they won't be cutting corners, they'll be adding new ones and "bringing an intimate event with a thicker later of Beat-Herder love spread right to the edges".

The smaller event means that tickets will be more limited, and considering that the festival has sold out more often than not in previous years, Beat-Herder HQ have warned that this year's tickets will sell out in advance!

The Beat-Herder Festival 2024 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival Phase 1 of the line up for 2024 is here!

The initial line up features internationally acclaimed bands, legendary festival acts, world-renowned DJs, Breakthrough artists & absolute party starters from just a handful of the usual 20+ stages.

17 years in, the festival now runs from Thursday to Sunday in the beautiful North West based setting that we call Beat-Herdershire.

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The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - The Factory Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the line up for The Factory - "where you clock in and never clock out. The monotony of the machines may have gone but the beats and energy still remain."

Of the 21 stages on offer, this is the one where classic house and the early days of rave meets the current sound of nu disco and indie dance.

You can catch me playing 2 sets on the Saturday night. Expect Chicago style House and Disco heat all the way, giving a nod to the DJs and producers that laid the foundations of House music as we know it.

Set times: 21:45 – 22:30 then 23:15 – 00:00

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The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Trash Manor Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the line up for Trash Manor - "Home of rebels, punks and pioneers, in our very own courtyard of Chaos. So come all you Ravers and Rockers, you Misfits and Wierdos."

With Flamin' horses, pole dancing robots, and an eclectic music policy of live Jazz meets Techno via Punk, Dub, Disco, Funk, Soul, Reggae, House, Boogie, Breaks, Basslines, Dubstep, UK Garage - the list goes on...

Trash Manor is pulled together by the most stylish of crews you'll find in yonder fields.  Grab your flat cap and bike chain necklace and get ready to storm the manor!

The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Thursday Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the full line-up for the Thursday.

The opening night is always a super special time with excitement and energy levels at max as people bounce into the fields for their first evening of love.

Taking us back to the early days of the petite and unique festival, just 7 of the 21 stages will be open and capacity is limited to keep things nice and intimate.

TOIL TREES

LF SYSTEM, Eats Everything, Hannah Laing, K-Klass [djset] & Aroop Roy

TRASH MANOR

BCUC LIVE, Paul Dig Deep, Chris Holt, Pilani, Kenneth Kaos, The Trash Manor Family

SMOKY TENTACLES

Dr Syntax LIVE, James Lyons, Four to One - 421 Collective, Head Tentacle

PLUS all the venues on The Street in the woods - 

The Church

The Garage

Hotel California

The Barn

There are a limited number of the 4 Day Tier 3 Tickets remaining so get yourself sorted sharpish if you want to party for the full weekend and save some money.

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The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced Phase 1 of the line up.

This initial line up features world-renowned DJs and internationally acclaimed live artists alongside up and coming acts from the underground, all spread over the 21 stages.

16 years in, the festival now runs from Thursday to Sunday and word from the camp is that the 4-day tickets are already running low.

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The Beat-Herder Festival 2022

It's safe to say Beat-Herder 2022 absolutely smashed it yet again. The outpouring of love across social media from those in attendance in the 2 days following the festival has really demonstrated how much of a good time was had, with many saying the now common post Beat-Herder mantra "best one yet!".

The success of The Beat-Herder Festival really is a credit to everyone involved, from the festival organisers that create a unique environment and unite us as one, the teams that put their heart and soul into running each of the stages, the DJs, artists, and musicians who deliver amazing performances, to the ever loveable crowd that brought their best party vibes for the 15th anniversary. Everywhere I looked people were having the time of their lives. Festivalling as festivalling should be done.

In world that is mired with corruption, capitalism, greed, and general badness we need safe spaces like Beat-Herder to be free, connect with like minded people, express ourselves and show love and respect for one and another. That sentiment has always been at the heart of Beat-Herder and is the reason why it continues to be the best festival in the land. Herd Em Up!

The Beat-Herder Festival - 14th-17th July 2022

The Beat-Herder Festival // Buy Tickets // Line Up // Stages // News

Trash Manor At The Beat-Herder Festival - Full tage Line Up Announced

Trash Manor - The home of rebels, punks and pioneers.

The Trash stage is my home from home when I'm in Beat-Herdershire. The area is run by a tight family of Northern misfits and artisans and they always make me feel welcome and one of the gang,

If someone had told my 17 year old self that one day I'd be on the same flyer as that top line I'd have thought they were winding me up.

In 1992 Justin Robertson released his first Lionrock 12" and this was quickly added to my growing collection. I went on to buy all of his releases and remixes for years. We went to see Justin DJing on many occasions in places like Cream and Voodoo in Liverpool, possibly The Orbit, and Sankey's plus another club I can't remember the name of in Manchester He was always great.

Ralph Lawson came a bit later. It's a bit hazy now but I know in 1996 I was listening to his Back To Basics: Cut The Crap mix incessantly and had just started buying his releases on his prolific 20:20 Vision label.

This all came together at the now legendary Back To Basics club night in Leeds. Justin Robertson would be tearing the roof off the the basement with some heavy weight Techno alongside the likes of Andy Weatherall and Slam's Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle. Meanwhile Ralph Lawson would be DJing upstairs alongside Terry Farley playing the deeper more soulful side of House music. That time was truly inspirational for me and helped me develop the foundation of the electronic side of my music collection. 

I'll not go into the time that I (allegedly) drove straight over a roundabout one night on our way to Leeds. Or the time that I was faced with a herd of escaped sheep that were jamming up the country lanes in the early hours on our way back home. Or the time that I forgot to turn the kill switch back off after a fun night in Cream. I still feel bad about making my mates push the car halfway through Liverpool as I tried to bump start it - which obviously was never going to happen. We had to get a taxi to tow us home in the end and I only realised what had gone wrong the next day.

Greg Wilson has been DJing for the longest of the 3 of this year's Trash Manor headliners. Interestingly it's the sound that he was championing in the early 1980's that I have spent the last 10+ years learning about, collecting and playing. It was that proto-house vibe where disco and funk and modern soul became that bit more electronic as the (then) new boogie sound took hold with labels like Prelude and Leroy Burgess' output going onto be classics that still sound fresh today.

Toil Trees At The Beat-Herder Festival - Full tage Line Up Announced

For those that don't already know, the Toil Trees area is organised by the crew that created the festival back in 2006.

In July we celebrate the 15th Birthday of the 10,000+ capacity award winning festival.

It's been a pleasure to have watched Beat-Herder grow over the years. The festival is pulled together by a small bunch of people that do it for the love and you can tell. 

The vibe is 2nd to none and this year's line up is super strong. I'll be warming up Toil Trees early on the Sunday before Mikey D.O.N, Mr Scruff, and Dan Shake take us through the afternoon to the evening and DJ Paulette, Or:la, and HAAI cover the night shift.

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The Beat-Herder Festival takes place 14th-17th July 2022

The Beat-Herder Festival // Buy Tickets // Line Up // Stages // News

The Beat-Herder Festival 2022 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced Phase 1 of the line up for their 15th birthday and it has some mint acts to look forward to. 

In their usual style we have world-renowned DJs and internationally acclaimed bands rubbing shoulders with up and coming names and people that are well established on the underground side of things.

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Beat-Herder 2022

I'll be honest, after 2 long years of hunkering down, physically separated from the music scene that I have loved since I was in my teens, I was starting to wonder if we would ever be allowed to play out again.

But thankfully things seem to be going in the right direction (kind of) and if there was ever something that was going to tempt me out of my rabbit hole, it was going to be The Beat-Herder Festival.

After all how could I miss what is certain to be an epic post apocalyptic party of joyous communal togetherness. 

In fact just a few minutes looking on the website at The Gallery of spectacular scenes is enough to bring back a wealth of warm fuzzy memories. Of all the festivals I have been too, Beat-Herder is the one that truly feels like coming home.

To me The Beat-Herder Festival has always felt like a society where we can live how we should live every day. Where we can shut out the nonsense that plagues the world and congregate with like minded people. 

It's a place where mates and music bring about happiness, smiles, fun, love, and unity. Where fields of colourful tents and amazing art instillations keep your eyes wide open, whilst headliners rub shoulders with local acts to create an explosive atmosphere of liberty, dancing and escapism.

It's a family thing pulled together by a small bunch of people that do it for the love, and you can tell.

So the dates have been set for a 4 day long orgy of everything that is right to celebrate the festival's belated 15th birthday. And to be honest I can't wait. 

Beat-Herder Festival 2014

The festival of festivals returns for 2014 and I can't wait to get back to Beatherdershire...

Now in my 8th year, I have been DJing at The Beat-Herder Festival in the Trailer Trash tent since the crew first asked me in 2007.  I'd done a few local festivals at that point as well as popping my Glastonbury cherry a few years earlier, but nothing could have prepared me for the warm glow I felt as soon as I arrived on site.  "you need to get down here", "it's a proper little festival", "no they don't do day tickets, just come down on Saturday and you'll love it" were some of the text messages I was bashing out on my mobile.

Beat-Herder Festival 2012

The Beat-Herder Festival

29th June - 1st July 2012

It's almost time for 3 more days of beats and barminess in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire!!

As always the line up is a fine mixture of headline acts and local talent.  Here are just a few of the highlights that PT is looking forward too...

• Pilooski (Saturday night - Trailer Trash)
• Sean P (Saturday night - Trailer Trash)
• Trailer Trash Lounge (All weekend - don't miss Martin Deane, James Deane, Annie, Fraser, Peach, Linsey, Underground Roots ft Danman & Bongo Chilli & City Culture, Red J, Karl Roscoe, Chris Holt & Paul Thornton plus plenty more wonderful guests.)
• Mr Scruff & MC Kwasi (Sunday afternoon - Toil Trees)
• Best Joined Up - NY Subway Train (All weekend with Family & Fiends including Bodie, Fraser, Kenny, Vinyl Miners, Lil Miz, DJ Woody, Peach, Linz, Red J, Chris Holt and Paul Thornton.)
• DJ Woody (Friday night - Toil Trees)
• Mr Breen & Jude (Stumblefunk Soundsystem)
• Lee Scratch Perry (Sunday - The Beat-Herder Stage)
• John Tree (Saturday - Perfumed Garden)
• Sarah Brown (Perfumed Garden)
• Hotel California (Various)

For specific set times make sure you grab a guide on the Friday.

Dig Deep / Four Corners action...

• Paul Thornton & Chris Holt back to back in Trailer Trash - Sunday 8:45 - 10:45pm
• Paul Thornton in Best Joined Up - Saturday 9:00 - 10:30pm
• Chris Holt in Best Joined Up - Saturday midnight - ?

facebook.com/BeatHerder | www.beatherder.co.uk | Trailer Trash | Best Joined Up

PaulThornton · Paul Thornton - Live at The Beat-Herder Festival 2011 - Saturday Afternoon