The Beat surrenders

TEMPLEBYS - The Perfumed Garden - Sunday

After a busy 2013, Templebys are ready for this year’s festival.

Originally formed in Preston in 2009, singer Kim Hollin accompanies Alec Hollin on guitar, Chris Mather on bass, Dave Farnworth on keyboard and Phil Carr on drums.

Having been described as a large measure of soul, a splash of funk and a pinch of acid jazz, strong female vocals and addictive bass riffs help create a unique, expensive sound.

Templebys are no strangers to the live circuit, playing at bigger venues such as the Dogs in Space tent at Solfest and several appearances at Kendal Calling festivals.

Their latest EP Who the Funk are the Templebys? is an excellent array of catchy, original tracks including Playin’ to Win and Alarm Bells.

The World is Mine (Batman Strut) displays the true feeling of the band with choppy guitar chords and deep soulful basslines.

Money Honey and Funkaphrenic highlight Kim’s impressive, powerful voice.

Along with original work, Templebys are able to recapture the sounds of the past with covers of James Brown’s excitable Sex Machine.

Having supported Newcastle soul stars Smoove and Turrell in recent years, Templebys recently supported The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show at 53 Degrees in Preston. This year looks extremely promising for the Preston band, reappearing at Kendal Calling and Audio Farm and supporting Craig Charles at 53 Degrees once again.

Jamie Brewer - Maison D’etre - Saturday

Formerly part of Defy in the Sky, Jamie Brewer let go of his heavy metal roots and released an acoustic phenomenon into Preston with his captivating plucking technique.

Playing guitars for more than 10 years, Jamie has become one of the most talked about local guitarists to date, making an exceptional set at last year’s Preston Christmas lights switch on.

With little to no emphasis on vocals, Jamie resonates his voice through his instrument.

Using intricate, complex lap slide guitar techniques, Jamie is able to produce two sounds in one. Hitting the body of his guitar one moment, then producing an exquisite sound from the strings with the next.

Songbird was Jamie’s first official video, which was filmed in his home town.

Jamie has also produced other incredible works such as No Good With Words and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition.

Jamie’s has been recognised by mainstream media, with the BBC introducing him as “a phenomenal guitar playing talent and a must see performer.”

American rock band Incubus’ singer Brandon Boyd described him as “a gifted artist”.

A range of influences from Latin, traditional and world music plus a large amount of talent come together to promise that Jamie Brewer will be a highlight on the Maison D’etre stage on Saturday.

Davos - The Perfumed Garden - Friday

After his first piano lesson in 1980, his last three years later, Davos has been a self-taught keyboard player for more than 30 years and is now an accomplished live keyboardist, mixer and producer.

Davos’ appearance on YouTube in 2012 playing impromptu nineties house classics at a Christmas party went viral.

In one week the video had more than 120,000 views.

Davos spent 2013 playing his own unique brand of piano house to audiences up and down the UK.

No stage is too big for Davos, recently becoming the first ever live act to play on the New Sonic Stage in Glastonbury’s Silver Heyes dance arena.

He wrote his first single with Shapeshifters, Universal Love featuring Natalie Peris, the popular Can’t Stop with Doorly and Rae and has been working with Marshall Jefferson, Kevin Sanduerson and DJ Driis.

This year has been no smaller than the last, accompanying The Northern Project’s DJ Ash, hitting the UK Festival circuit and along with co-writer and MC Mr South from London’s AcidHeadz playing at Kendal Calling, Strawberry Fields and Glastonbury.

Anne Savage -The Fortress - Friday

One of the first ever female dance producer/DJs, Anne Savage has been DJing on the music scene for 15 years. Inspiring other female stars to pursue a career in music.

The Burnley girl’s first residency was at the legendary Angels night club in Burnley during the early 1990s; she played alongside Carl Cox, Joey Beltram and Paul Taylor.

In 1994, she DJ-ed as indoor fireworks and pyrotechnics were let off at a rave at Bowlers in Manchester.

She has produced House and Techno remixes for acts such as the Holloways and The Rakes and Drum and Bass tracks with J Majik & The Wickaman, while taking to the stage at The Miami Winter Music conference, Glastonbury and The Secret Garden Party.

Anne said: “It won’t be hard dance, but it will be packed full of the energy you should expect from an Anne Savage show.

“Most people know that my background is much more than Hard Dance, but I also play breaks, DnB, Electro, Deep House and Techno – so here’s a chance for you to sample me playing some exciting shizzle on the soil where I grew up.”

Paul Taylor (RETRO) - Toiltrees - Saturday

Scottish-born but moved to Burnley at the age of 13, Paul was offered his first job as a DJ in 1974 at Angels.

Fifteen years later, along with business partner Steve Farkas, he took ownership of Angels.

As Angels gained popularity, so did the DJs, the cost of hiring a DJ meant that Angels’ 1,200 capacity couldn’t afford the high fees and expenses that came with the territory.

Going against what Paul wanted from dance music, therefore during a cold November month in 1991, Paul dedicated a Friday night devoted to lost dance music from 1985-1991.

He hand-picked DJs who otherwise would be warm up acts and use them before they went off the radar being sidelined by the ‘next jockey’ and the ‘new sound’, this is when RETRO was born.

Retro soon became one of the biggest brands in house and spread out of Angels and all around the country.

When Angels closed in 1996, the brand has since given credibility to the Club Classics concept.

The brand then moved quickly overseas and had a huge impact on the Balearic scenes in both Ibiza and Majorca, with a residency in Eden, Es Paradis and more.

RETRO became the big success story in Ibiza during 2000 and was bestowed the award of Best Newcomer on the White Isle by Mixmag, the biggest dance music and clubbing culture magazine, who also asked: “Is RETRO the UK’s busiest club?”