Festival Of Sound in London is on the 28^th – 30^th of September 2018 at the Novotel London West, Hammersmith, London. Having evolved from the successful Indulgence shows of the last two years, Festival of Sound is a Music and Audio show, promising some exciting Hifi and live music.

Live Music

Art of Noise co-founders JJ Jeczalik and Gary Langan are the latest band to be added to the ever-growing line-up for Festival of Sound, the Music and Audio Show’s concert series. The duo will be in the headline slot at 8pm on Friday 28 September 2018 at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith. The concert series is part of Festival of Sound’s new musical programme that has been put together to showcase multiple musical styles and genres across three days under one roof.

JJ Jeczalik and Gary Langan co-founded the Art of Noise with Anne Dudley, Trevor Horn and Paul Morley in 1983 and their new sound, style and approach to experimental pop music resulted in the ground-breaking singles Kiss (ft. Tom Jones), Close (to the Edit), Beat Box and Moments in Love.

They also forged what ITV News described recently as “the art of noise movement” producing and playing on game-changing records by the likes of Malcolm McLaren (Buffalo Gals), Yes (Owner of a Lonely Heart) and Scritti Politti (Absolute).

JJ Jeczalik said, “Part DJ-set, definitely. Part seminar, maybe. Part Q&A, probably. While we continue to reboot AoN’s In Visible Silence in concert with the inimitable Anne Dudley, this is Gary and I jamming the history of the ‘art of noise movement’ live on stage.  Something for everyone, hopefully.”

Gary Langan added “What started off as a one-off DJ set looks like it will flourish into something this audience will remember… Live samples, memory dumps and mash-ups. Deconstructing and reconstructing the original tracks, with themes and stories that blend some highlights of our combined back catalogue. With a lot of heart, and a lot of noise.”

Other live music at the event includes Unkle. Founded in 1992 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy, Unkle is a British trip hop group that has gained a huge following, with around 250,000 followers on facebook alone! The band have headlined the Dance Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivalsand their music can regularly be heard in films and on numerous TV shows, including on BBCs Top Gear on a regular basis since Season 2.

Appearing on the Friday afternoon are the hugely talented “Unsung Singers”. This supergroup of the UK’s leading backing singers is the brainchild of Gina Foster and Tessa Niles, who have sung backing vocals for an untouchable array of stars such as David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner and Eric Clapton to name a few. At Festival of Sound we will see them step into the spotlight. Joining them on this musical journey is their musical director, Mike Moran, the renowned producer who has worked with the likes of Queen, Ozzy Osbourne and George Harrison. The show is the ultimate backstage pass into the world of rock and pop, blending the history of British backing vocalists with revealing storytelling, featuring the songs the Unsung Singers have helped make hits. They will also give the audience a peak behind the curtain at what went on during the recording sessions and tours of some of the biggest artists in the world.

Performing as part of the live music concerts at this year’s show at 2pm Sunday will be Antonio Forcione. Antonio Forcione is an artist in every sense of the word, hailed as one of the most charismatic, unconventional guitarists at large in the musical world today. With a host of international awards under his belt, this eclectic composer never ceases to stun his audience on stage, leading him to be referred to as the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar”. His solo performances never fail to bring the house down, let alone when he is performing in duo, as a trio, or with his quartet of international musicians.

He breaks the mould of most conventional guitar sounds, be it in the field of jazz, Spanish, African, Brazilian or improvised music, with a ferocious virtuosity, passion and humour. He has shared the stage and recorded with some of the world’s most accomplished musicans including Charlie Haden, Angelique Kidjo, Trilok Gurtu, Larry Coryell, Diego el Cigala and many more as well as supporting giants such as Phil Collins, Bobby McFerrin, Zucchero and Van Morrison amongst others.

Hifi

On the Hifi side of things expect to see Node Audio who we encountered first at this year’s North West Audio Show.

Innuos will be using Festival of Sound to present the new Zenith Statement music server .Hear it at Festival of Sound in room 3024 (third floor) and the Cremant Suite (headroom area).

IAG will have a significant presence in the Pomerol Suite on the 2^nd floor of the Novotel London West, from where they’ll be showing off the latest products from Audiolab, Quad and Wharfedale.

Audiolab and Festival of Sound will see the UK launch of the brand new Audiolab 6000 series products, including the 6000A integrated amplifier with integral 32-bit DAC and phono stage and the 6000CDT CD transport.

KEF have announced that they will be at the show this year, and have hinted that there could be some important product announcements at the show. You can find KEF in the Cremant Suite (headroom area).

At this year’s Festival of Sound UK based Blue Aura will be demonstrating the full Blackline range with one, if not two exciting new products to reveal and running a competition for visitors to win one of the Blackline systems. See Blue Aura in D9 St Emilion on the 2ndFloor

PMC will be presenting the UK debut of its new flagship audiophile loudspeakers, fenestria, at Festival of Sound.

Taking centre stage in the Mouton Cadet Suite on the 2nd Floor of the show, PMC’s 1.7m tall fenestria is a three-way, ultra-high-resolution passive twin ATL™ loudspeaker. It incorporates all-new, tailor-made drivers, twin Laminair™ vents for improved aerodynamic airflow and a newly designed cabinet that houses the treble and mid-range units in an elegant reflection-free module. We heard it first at Munich and can guarantee you will not be disappointed, we loved them!

Seminars

There will also be a series of seminars and taking the stage as part of The Inside Track Music Seminars, Liam Nolan from Metropolis Studios will be providing an insight into modern recording techniques, and in particular his work with Adele on the album ‘25’, which won him two Grammy Awards for the single “Hello”.

Legendary music producer, Chris Kimsey, will be opening the studio doors to reveal the production of Clutching of Straws, Marillion’s fourth album during Festival of Sound. As part of The Inside Track music seminars, running throughout the weekend, Chris will be taking Marillion fans, and anyone interested in the recording process, through the creation of this landmark album, that marked a watershed in the careers of Marillion and Fish.

Gary Langan gives you behind the scenes access into the creation of Bohemian Rhapsody.Ahead of the Bohemian Rhapsody film, due to hit cinemas in October this year, recording engineer, producer and musician Gary Langan will offer unparalleled behind the scenes access into his experience of working on the creation of the world’s most famous rock song at the Festival of Sound. Gary will bring the 24 track masters from the studio to demonstrate how the song was created and showcase the three movements in which it was composed. Audiophiles are invited to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and attend the interactive seminar, part of The Inside Track Music seminars, which takes place on 29 September.

Taking the stage as part of The Inside Track Audio Seminars, Peter Thomas and Oliver Thomas from PMC Loudspeakers will be helping the show visitors put faces to names as they take people behind the scenes at PMC – its past, present and a glimpse into the future.

Keep an eye on Hifi Pig in the run up to the show for more exhibitors and their news, confirmed times of events and other info.