Avenue61 is a leading indie music site that specialises in album and gig reviews, breaking new bands, publicising events, and exclusive interviews with the leading cutting edge acts in the alternative music scene. Avenue61 covers a wide range of artists – some you would have heard of, some you won’t. Artists the site has reviewed recently include the Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Noisettes and Ladyhawke. The site is updated regularly so come back to catch up the latest news and reviews from the bleeding edge of the alternative music scene.

Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Cheltenham racecourse’s immediate affiliations may lie with the world of horseracing. With images of ladies in over-sized, over-decorated hats watching small men on grand steeds being evoked, such an amphitheatre of decadence for the perpetual middle class may seem far removed from the ritual free spiritedness of an annual music festival, particularly one without any major commercial sponsorship. But once a year, during the last weekend of may, Cheltenham racecourse becomes home to upwards of 10,000 discerning music lovers, all eagerly awaiting the best in Roots, Rock, Folk & world music from both emerging & established artists.

This collected gathering of eclecticism is better as the Wychwood Festival and will be commencing this year on May 29th through 31st. Despite being something of a new-comer to the summer festival calendar, Wychwood has systematically carved out it’s own niche among the amassed horde of prospective festivals to visit.

Firstly, the fact that Wychwood lacks any major commercial backing, (it’s primary backer is, in fact, The

Independent,) the festival seems to induce the heady miscellany of a time when music festivals were precisely that, tailored toward the appreciation of music, not to the overtly capitalistic interests of multi national companies. An act which creates an undeniably ethical festival-going experience.

The individualist, almost independent nature of Wychwood can be seen through their somewhat esoteric Line-up choices. Take 2009’s headliners for example. Friday’s slot is occupied by Welsh Psyche-Indie stalwarts Super Furry Animals, Saturday’s by shiny Alt-pop monkeys & Sunday’s, arguably the most prestigious headline slot of the weekend, is being filled by relative newcomers to the World’s stage, Dub-reggae pioneers Dub Colossus. With such ensemble cast of acts appearing over the course of the three days, it’s a fairly safe bet that you will discover something new & exciting, something which will re-establish your relationship with music for the near future.

Wychwood’s second pillar of integrity comes from it’s unashamedly family orientated set-up. Whilst many major festivals will be pandering to whims of intoxicated adolescents, taking inordinate amounts of money for inedible food & flat beer, Wychwood had been taking pride in it’s appeal to a younger generation, appealing to both the literary & creative. This year’s line-up will feature a children’s literary festival, an event sure to inspire the festival-goers of the future.

The festival-going experience seems to become irreversibly altered among most major festivals over the past two decades, with extortionate ticket prices, line-ups becoming undeniably insipid & uninspiring it’s good to see a festival taking a grass roots approach to the experience. With day tickets starting from an inexpensive £35, this may very well be the perfect festival for the credit-crunched times.