News / Shambala
Bristol-based festival releases 25 year celebration lineup
It may take place in a field over a hundred miles from the city, but Bristol played an instrumental part in its origin story.
Now, 25 years later, St Paul’s is where Shambala’s behind-the-scenes magic happens.
The Kambe Events team oversee the festival’s programming, stringent sustainability practices and entertainments both weird and wonderful from an office on Portland Square, building a community-shaped event that is a much-loved fixture on many people’s summer calendar.
This year they have been busy cooking up an extra special event to mark the festival’s quarter-century edition.
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Ever-innovating, the first glimpse of the full lineup this week revealed an eclectic bill with some new additions and surprises.
“From art-pop to filthy drum & bass, future ghetto funk to rowdy jazz-punk, ours is a line-up unlike any other festival in the land,” they said.
Big names on the main stage, named Solasta for its eye-catching sun décor that wowed crowds when unveiled for the first time last year, include Fat Dog, She Drew the Gun, Hak Baker and Mungo’s Hi-Fi.
Future Ghetto Funk artist Moonchild Sanelly, who appeared at Shindig this year and Shambala’s Solasta stage last year is back on the mainstage this time for the 25 year celebration – photo: Coal Poet Media
Global sounds and international acts – making up an impressive proportion of the festival’s music lineup this year – are represented by Asian Dub Foundation, Cerys Hafana, Madalitso Band, Moonchild Sanelly, Queen Omega and the Zawose Queens.
The second stage hosts breathtaking guitar maestro Gwenifer Raymond, cosmic folk-psych collective Blind Yeo and organic sound artist Jason Singh.
Bristol is well represented by high-energy folk favourites Sheelanagig, polyphonic vocalists the Tryani Collective and a Saffron takeover. Programmers also promise the venue will be the host of Shambala’s beloved after-hours raves.
Sheelanagig wowed the crowd at Bristol Folk Festival last year, just as they have been doing at festivals for the last 20 years – photo: Barry Savell
Roots Corner is back with all the dub and reggae flavours, with live music coming from Aleighcia Scott, the Friendly Fire band, Liz Ikamba, Nick Mannaseh & Earl Sixteen and Young Culture, and DJs Count Skylarking, Pete Not Bombs, Dubtastic Music and Ru Robinson among many on the sound system.
The new Talu stage hosts a shortlist of quality folk acts including Scotland’s Project Smok, Cynefin from Wales, queer folk collective the Goblin Band and acclaimed 80 year old Pakistani musician Ustad Noor Bakhsh.
There’s also a dedicated punk lineup at Rebel Soul which serves as daytime activist café, politically-charged music venue come night.
Back A Yard goes big this year with full power DJs including Addison Groove, Ruffnek Diskotek and a Jam Jar Bristol rinse out. Compass has a typically eclectic mix of sounds that includes a Disney Princess rave extravaganza, Gaba Ghanoush, folk-pop-punk from Bristol’s Second Wife and all-girl chaos from Twat Union.
Elsewhere there’s also jazz, swing, grime, desert Blues, breakbeat, hip hop, spoken word and all manner of electronic music on the bill.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘pun intended’; Shambalans normally go wild with the dressing up and getting involved, embracing each year’s theme at the Sunday carnival – photo: Ursula Billington
“We started as a bunch of 100 mates in a field, with a farmer’s trailer for a stage,” said Chris Johnson, Shambala’s director & co-founder.
“It’s been an amazing journey and life experience – a privilege to be part of a radical community who know how to have a wild time and stand up for what matters in this crazy world.
“This year we will celebrate 25 years in style, with stacks of exciting changes. Expect an adventure!”
Shambala, which boasts ‘radical sustainability’ – that includes no meat or fish served on site since 2016, a ban on single-use plastic implemented in 2013, a concerted reliance on renewable energy and site food waste composted to grow vegetables for the following year’s festival – also announced this year that it will become the first UK festival to use biogas to power all of its onsite gas-powered fixtures.
The sustainability changes put in place, driven by the belief that “a proper party should not come at the expense of a positive future”, have led to the festival reducing its carbon footprint by 90 per cent since 2000.
Find out more at shambalafestival.org
Main image: Lindsay Melbourne
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