THE first-ever music festival at Carlisle Castle will be held later this week, with tickets still on sale for the two-day affair boasting big names and intriguing acts.
The Borderlands festival will start on Friday, September 8, 2023, with the following day also presenting live musical acts in the historic venue.
Major names like Happy Mondays and Friendly Fires are attached as headliners, with prominent DJs like Patrick Topping and Nightmares on Wax featuring to create a mini-Ibiza in the city.
The full lineup will likely have something for everyone, but if you’re unsure, here’s a roundup of the acts performing in Cumbria’s newest music festival.
Friday, September 8
Patrick Topping
Ibiza-DJ Patrick Topping has received several accolades internationally for his craft.
He has hit number 1s on the Beatport Tech House charts, and received the Track of the Season award in Ibiza for his summer hit ‘Forget’ in 2014 – he also won the Best Tech House DJ award in 2018.
Eats Everything
Bristol-born house DJ Daniel Pierce, who performs under Eats Everything, has played at some of the world’s biggest clubbing institutions like Fabric, The Warehouse Project, Space, and Amnesia.
He’s also played Glastonbury, Creamfields, and has produced three essential mixes for BBC Radio 1.
KiNK
Bringing his unique techno stylings from Sofia, Bulgaria, Kink is known for his captivating take on performing electronic music live, using live instrumentation.
KiNK is well known in the DJ scene, having performed for years around the globe, and is regarded by some as one of the best DJs in the world.
Sarah Story
From Carlisle, she is known locally and internationally for DJing with BBC Radio 1, best known for presenting the hugely popular Future Dance show, and formerly being a DJ for Capital FM’s Weekender.
Beth
Scottish mononymous musician Beth is headlining the festival, having already featured in lineups alongside Patrick Topping, MK, Sam Divine, and Sosa to name a few.
She’s a regular feature at leading Glasgow venue SWG3, and has played at key UK festivals like FLY and TRNSMT.
Ki Creighton
A DJ of 30 years, Ki started out with Uber, Carlisle’s premier club night organiser.
He is well-set in the Carlisle dance scene and has played at famous venues like Fabric, Warehouse Project, Circus, and Sub Club.
He’s also become something of a legend in Cologne, holding down a residency at Living Room.
Saturday, September 9
Happy Mondays
Legendary ‘Madchester’ pioneers from Salford, the lineup, led by Shaun Ryder, blends indie rock, rave, psychadelia, and funk to bring a truly joyous sound that encapsulated the 90s in the UK.
Some of their best-known songs are Kinky Afro, Step On, and Loose Fit.
Friendly Fires
Indie rockers from St Albans, their self-titled debut was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2009.
Other charting singles include Skeleton Boy, Kiss of Life, and Hawaiian Air.
Nightmares on Wax
Leeds-born Ibiza-based DJ Nightmares on Wax spans genres and is well-known for captivating live performances, often involving physical vinyl.
An expansive discography, is decorated the 90s with a trip-hop and downtempo sound made as much for the lounge as it was for the club, and has since released several more of various genres, from hip-hop to techno.
One of his best-known live performances is with Boiler Room in London and has garnered millions of views on YouTube.
Novablood
Carlisle electronic group Novablood is a local act with a sound similar to the likes of Icelandic house legends GusGus, Empire of the Sun, and MGMT, all while keeping it wholly their own.
Novablood performs with live instrumentation and has released their most recent album – Changes in the Colours – in August this year.
DelaGrave
Blending funk and soul, Cumbria’s own DelaGrave will delight audiences on the last day of the festival.
They’ve gone from strength to strength throughout their career, having performed at Carlisle’s The Brickyard venue, Wild on the Wall in Walton, and The Source in Carlisle.
'The site lends itself to something great'
Matthew Tyson, Borderlands organiser, spoke of the upcoming festival.
He said it's been planned for five years, with him and his team being rooted in the city's dance music scene.
"For me, born and bred and working in Carlisle, I just thought how good it would be to do a festival there.
"It being an English Heritage site, there were lots of hoops we had to jump through to get it done, it's thinking about how clever ways to do things.
"The site lends itself to something great, there's no chance of it flooding either, it just needs to be safe and sound good, but it also needs to fit well with the surroundings."
He's looking forward in particular for the sets of KiNK and Patrick Topping, the latter of whom he said is a ntoriously difficult DJ to book with him being so popular and sought after.
On tickets, he said: "It's been really busy, the Friday has been better than Saturday, but tickets are still available."
To buy tickets, visit their Skiddle site at https://www.skiddle.com/festivals/borderlands-festival/.
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