Avenue61 is a leading indie music site that specialises in album and gig reviews, breaking new bands, publicising events, and exclusive interviews with the leading cutting edge acts in the alternative music scene. Avenue61 covers a wide range of artists – some you would have heard of, some you won’t. Artists the site has reviewed recently include the Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Noisettes and Ladyhawke. The site is updated regularly so come back to catch up the latest news and reviews from the bleeding edge of the alternative music scene.

Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Sun, Surf and Sand is what Beach Break promised and they delivered what they set out to do. The Surf may have been over a crowd and the Sand brought 300 miles from it’s original destination but the organisers of Beach Break managed to create a fantastic atmosphere for all of the festival goers.

Just 6 days before the event it was announced to the public that Beach Break would no longer take place at St Agnes Beacon in Cornwall and instead moved to Port Lypmne in Kent. The 10,000 students who had planned to pack speedo’s and bikinis were now having to re-arrange their wardrobe and travel plans. Of those thousands of students it was reported that around 9,800 turned up at the new location, an incredible effort from all the students and the Beach Break organisers who put on free buses and helped pay for petrol so people could make it.

Many of those who did make it wore some brilliant outfits. There were students dressed as teletubbies, tigers, fairies, superman, batman, there was a guy in a cow outfit, someone ran out of clean clothes and decided to wear empty strongbow boxes. The pair that won the award for most thought put into a costume were dressed as a giant cock and a whale (sperm whale, it took me a while to figure it out).

So with the crowd in place it was time to turn attention to the music. Avenue61 went down to the festival for the Thursday and witnessed acts such as 360, Dub Pistols and Killa Kela. By the time Ladyhawke made it on stage she was greeted by thousands of expectant students waiting to hear her live. She did not disappoint with tracks such as Magic and My Delirium getting the crowd into a frenzy. The party was in full swing and the mass of people bouncing as one, Ladyhakwe is a relative newcomer to the public eye and by the end of the Summer will no doubt be on everyone’s mp3 player.

By the time the main act came onto the stage the crowd had doubled in size and there was an electrifying buzz around in anticipation of seeing one of this years most successful artists. The light show coming from the Main Stage lit the sky as Dizzee Rascal stepped onto the stage. Bringing out huge tracks such as Dance Wiv Me, Stand Up Tall and Sirens. There was a mass of hands in the air, pulsating to the beat, sweaty and intoxicating. Dizzee owned the stage, smashing out tune after tune before the climax of 2009’s hottest track. Suddenly the atmosphere grew to a new level in expectancy of his final song . . . Bonkers!

It’s the perfect tune for a thousand strong, alcohol infused, army of students wanting to let it all go after the stressful pressure of exams. They let it all go in style and was an amazing way to cap off one of the best festivals of the season. Who knows where Beach Break 2010 will take place but one things for sure it promises to once again create the must-visit event of the festival calendar.