Music fans ready to party in park (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Music fans ready to party in park

1:30pm Wednesday 8th July 2009 in

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MORE than 100 acts and award-winning headliners will be descending on War Memorial Park at the weekend for this year’s free Basingstoke Live music festival.

The town’s top musicians and dancers will be showcasing their star quality on four stages, performing everything from hip-hop and funk to street music, acoustic sets and classic rock.

Headlining on the Main Stage on Saturday night is young grime and rap artist Chipmunk, who has built up a huge following over the last few years and was the MOBO and UMA award-winner 2008 for Best Newcomer.

Drawing the festival to a close on Sunday evening’s Main Stage are The Beat. With 30 years’ experience in the music industry – including tours with David Bowie, REM, The Police and The Specials – they will show less experienced acts how it is done.

Apart from the Main Stage, there is the 100% Tent, featuring a long list of guitar-driven bands from Basingstoke and the surrounding area, and the Sunrise Stage, with MCs and DJs playing everything from funk, jazz, reggae and hip-hop.

New this year’s is the Unplgd! Stage, with singers and songwriters playing their own material in acoustic sets.

Headlining this stage on Saturday is Basingstoke’s Lisbee Stainton, and on Sunday, Nina McCann.

As part of the dancing scene, between 1pm and 4pm on Saturday, Fairfields Community Centre is taking over the Main Stage with World-beat, featuring The Hip Hop House Party in the Park. The Indian Summer Section, with Bollywood dancers, will be taking part and there will be displays by UK Shaolin Temple Kung Fu and Nepalese dancers.

Now in its third year, Basingstoke Live, which is funded by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, is set to be bigger than ever.

More information about acts and their performance times is available online at basingstokelive.co.uk.