Rob da Bank and his wife Josie, the masterminds behind the hugely successful Bestival and Camp Bestival, are back with a brand metropolitan music festival here in Southampton. Common People will be taking over Common (see what they did there) the May Bank Holiday weekend.
The inaugural event features a huge range of acts and activities. With legendary headliners Fatboy Slim & Grace Jones, amazing newcomers like Years & Years and Slaves and the notoriously good live Clean Bandit, it is a stellar line-up for such a new festival.
Speaking to The Edge about his latest creation Rod da Bank said: “We thought it’d be good to do a show for people who maybe don’t want to do the whole camping experience, and just want to come to a day show instead. I think it’s a great place for a festival, Common People, for people that have never tried a festival before, or just want to dip in and out for the day.”
There’s also been a huge focus on new music, with artists being offered to submit tracks and the ‘I want to play at Common People’ competition at The Joiners in Southampton, for bands to battle it out for a place on the line-up. Speaking about this focus, da Bank said: “That’s the exciting thing for me really, the new acts. It’s great to have Grace Jones, and Fatboy, and all the other brilliant acts on the bill, but for me at Bestival, Camp Bestival, and now Common People, the breaking bands, they’re the future stars of tomorrow.”
If music isn’t your thing, there’s a host of activities like from trapeze lessons and morris dancing to yarnbombing (whatever that is) and hoedowns; and if it tickles your fancy you could always take a trip to Big Bears Big Balloon Disco. There’s also been a focus put on food and drink, with a host of unique places to grab a drink or a bite; like the day of the dead margarita lounge and the jam jar bar.
Common People Festival takes place on 23-24 May on the Southampton Common. Tickets are available now from Ticket Line.
