V Festival 2015
Festival guide
If you see festivals as one long slog of dodgy loos and toilet-circuit bands, the relatively filth-free facilities and big-name, radio-friendly line-up at V should hit the spot nicely. This year, Richard Branson's annual al fresco, split-site jaunt will have Calvin Harris, Kasabian and Ellie Goulding commuting between Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Staffordshire. Fortunately, punters need only navigate between stages and the bar. Dive into the line-up below.
Top picks
Marina & The Diamonds
Ditching the blonde hair dye and putting her synths to one side, Marina Diamandis showed no remorse in murdering her alter-ego Electra Heart, nor in sacking off the revolving cast of producers and musicians who worked on the 2013 album of the same name. It was a very smart move: Diamandis’ latest LP, Froot, is undeniably her strongest effort yet. Head to the Virgin Media Stage on Saturday in Chelmsford or Sunday in Staffordshire, to hear the highlights, plus Family Jewels-era classics like ‘Hollywood’ and ‘I Am Not A Robot’.
Chvrches
Maintaining credibility and mainlining into the life vein of pop might be a tough trick to pull off, but Chvrches did the double with panache on their sparkling debut. After a year’s hard slog in the studio, the Glasgow-based trio are back, and set to unveil the follow-up to The Bones Of What You Believe in September. Get a sneak preview of material from Every Open Eye during their sets at V, where they’ll be playing the MTV Stage in Chelsmford on Saturday 22nd August, and in Staffordshire on Sunday 23rd.
Tove Lo
As songwriter for acts like Icona Pop, The Saturdays and Girls Aloud, Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson has always known a thing or two about capturing a catchy hook. Wisely, the Stockholm-born singer’s now keeping some for herself, as showcased on 2014’s hugely-promising Truth Serum EP and this year’s excellent full-length debut, Queen Of The Clouds. Combine those soaring synth-driven melodies with killer couplets like, “I eat my dinner in my bathtub / Then I go to sex clubs,” and you’ll see why she’s rapidly becoming one of our favourite Scandi-popstars.