Music Festivals - Glastonbury, Spain and California

This year marks the 10th anniversary of KCRW’s partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,presenting the World Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. The season kicks off June 22nd with Thievery Corporation featuring special guest Seu Jorge, Los Amigos Invisibles and Federico Aubele. The full line up reflects the breadth of KCRW‘s musical tastes – there‘s Gnarls Barkley, Youssou N’dour, Feist. Gilberto Gil,

and Nortec Collective to name just a few.

Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. Held on 27th,28th and 29th of June, this area of England has a long history of pagan and christian rituals. As a result Glastonbury attracts avid music fans as well as lots of people into alternative lifestyles – you can enjoy reike massage in the Green Fields, play drums at sunrise at the Stone Circle, get married at Los Vagueness Wedding Chapel or just stick to the music .The huge line up includes Massive Attack, Groove Armada, Neil Diamond, Manu Chao, Estelle, The Black Ghosts, The Ting Tings and festival fave Fatboy Slim. Noel Gallagher of Oasis criticised hip hop act Jay-Z being being a headliner and blamed this for the slow ticket sales – he was widely rebuked for this comments and organisers said sales were slow due to the horrendous mud of last year. Weather and Gallagher grumbles aside, Glastonbury remains one of the best festivals on the planet so if you do go, tell me your best Glasto moment via Vox.com.

Sonar which takes place June 19 -21 in Barcelona; its celebrating its 15th birthday with two themes – females in music– represented by Goldfrapp, Roisin Murphy, Yelle and Camille and hybridism highlighting the mix of musical genres. Sonar 08 also features reunions such as Yazoo; unusual collaborations by Jamie Cullum and his brother Ben with former Underworld member and DJ Darren Emerson. Also on the bill Diplo, Little Dragon and Barcelona’s own The Pinker Tones. This year will be the first time Sonar features electronic artists from Africa such as Konono No1 and Buraka Som Sistema from Angola, and DJ Key who is credited with bringing hip hop to Morocco.