One of the biggest, brightest and loudest weekends in the Manx music calender kicks off tomorrow (Friday).

For the fourth year running, the Dark Horse music festival takes place this weekend at the Silly Moos campsite, Lezayre, and features three days of performing arts and full-on revelry, along with more than five stages full of live music packed with local and international groups and musicians.

This year’s headliners on the Dark Horse main stage are Bristol-based funk, dub and reggae eight-piece the Hot Steppas, who will be on stage on Friday nights, and UK DJ duo the Audio Bullys, on Saturday night.

Also featuring on the Friday line up are the vaudeville hip-hop and punk inspired swing band Rum Buffalo, and warming up the Saturday crowd are another Bristol outfit, Little Thief, and three-piece who have become a favourite returning act at the festival, having played a number of raucous, wildly-received sets throughout the previous years.

Local Radiohead tribute band OK Computer will be rounding the entertainment off on Sunday night, with Edinburgh-based alt-pop and rock band Teek on before.

Down in the camping field, both the Mill Stage and the Mothership, run by the team from Mother T’s community shop in Laxey, will both feature a full line up of local bands throughout the weekend.

Pink Floyd tribute group Pigs On The Wing headline the Mill on Saturday night, and punk rock and rollers Mad Daddy top the Friday line up.

New local group Lazy Daze will round off the bands on Sunday afternoon, from 5pm.UK funk group Grinny Grandad headline the line up on the Mothership stage on Friday, and UK brass beat duo DAM-SLO headline the Saturday, line up, which also features Baad Acid amongst many more.

More details about the local acts completing the Mill and the Mothership line ups can be found in the Manx Sound Exchange column on page 29.

There are also stages hosted by Soundcheck, featuring many of the island’s young groups, Sound Records, the Corkwing collective and the Bass bus.

Also featuring this year is the ’Cardboard Arcade’, a community art project run by street entertainer Mike Bell.

Originally from the Isle of Man, and now living in Bristol, Mike has created a social gaming experience from cardboard, designed to create an interactive and fun experience for people of all ages.

Festival organiser Barry Fearon said that there is more to the weekend than just music.

’With five independent music stages, there is plenty to see over the three days. ’But it doesn’t end there,’ said Barry.

’There are arts and crafts, the Hive area, with all the wellbeing activities, stall holders of many varieties, complete with plenty of eco-glitter, theatrical entertainers and an abundance of diverse food stalls.

’All this means that the weekend really is a family friendly getaway.’

There is also an ecological theme running through this year’s festival, with the organisers aiming to cut down on the amount of waste and rubbish left behind once the festival-goers have packed up and gone home.

They have been recognised by the Isle of Man UNESCO Biosphere project for their efforts in cutting back on the use of single-use plastics, and they have also a published a list of hints and tips on how to cut down on bringing potential waste materials to and from the festival site on the Dark Horse website.

’This year is the first time Biosphere have granted the festival recognition for its environmental efforts,’ said Barry.

’This year we will have a multiple use cup at the bar available, as opposed to the single use plastic cups normally used at outdoor events.

’Simply purchase for a nominal fee, bring it back have it cleaned and returned to you to refill, therefore hopefully seriously reducing the amount of waste normally created.’

Weekend pass tickets for the 2019 Dark Horse festival are £70 for an adult and £20 for children, and are available online, along with a full line up of groups, activities and crafts sessions, from darkhorsemusic.im

by Mike Wade

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