We've all been waiting for it, and now it's finally here. We present to you, the line-up for this year's Freshers' Festival.
The wait is finally over!
We’ve been working extra hard behind the scenes this summer to make sure you guys have the best Freshers’ Festival yet, and we're delighted to be able to announce this year's line-up.
Drum & bass pioneer Andy C (ft. MC Tonn Piper) takes the mantle as headline act for this year. We're sure bringing one of the most iconic figures in global dance music to Egham has whetted your appetite enough, but we'll also have EO bringing urban vibes to our Flawless Wednesday night, Don Broco (DJ Set) to show us the right way to play air guitar and Philip George to top off the week at Freshers’ Ball.
Not bad!
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Andy C feat. Tonn Piper
With over 40 awards to date, Andy C’s career has been nothing short of a phenomenon. He’s sold-out Alexandra Palace and Brixton Academy with his own solo shows, played headline slots at the world’s greatest festivals including Parklife, Tomorrowland, Reading and Leeds Festival, Creamfields, Glastonbury, EDC, and SW4, and released a string of phenomenal crossover anthems like ‘Heartbeat Loud’ and club cuts like ‘New Era’. He’s also the go-to remixer for the likes of Major Lazer, Sigala, London Grammar and beyond, and was recently chosen to host the first drum & bass radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1, broadcast to over 100 countries.
A reputation as one of the most significant British artists in global dance music has been hard earned, but it’s hard to place the tipping points. Was it his performance at Radio 1’s Hackney weekend, where his set was watched online by more people than either Jay Z or Rihanna? When he performed to 85,000 people at Glastonbury in 2013? When he sold out Brixton Academy in 10 minutes? Or when he got voted sixth greatest DJ of all time by Mixmag in 2011?
As the owner and figurehead for RAM Records, Andy has nurtured and developed huge headline artists including Chase & Status, Wilkinson and Sub Focus, turning it into one of the world’s most respected independent operations across recordings and now festivals like EDC Las Vegas, Creamfields, and SW4 where RAM have hosted their own arenas and stages.
Andy’s main signature motif as a DJ is that he’s guaranteed to be packing tracks that no other DJ has. Hunting, digging, searching and signing: he is constantly immersed in new music. Not only does this ensure a wholly unique experience when you see him live, but it also gives RAM Records a front row seat when it comes to spotting new artists… As the likes of Loadstar, Wilkinson, Calyx & TeeBee, Frankee, Delta Heavy, Culture Shock, DC Breaks, Hamilton, Mind Vortex, Chords and many more exciting talents will happily confirm.
EO
The feat of gaining 1.5 million views within a week of releasing your first single is quite possibly an artist's dream, and in most instances unattainable. However, this achievement from 17-year-old rapper/YouTuber EO (Edwin Onokhua) with his debut single 'German', fits perfectly with his story thus far.
The song is urgently the sound of now in a classic way, with a catchy hook and the innocent aspirations of inner city teenagers: a nice car, chain and girlfriend. To get to this stage, Edwin's journey has been both intentional and coincidental in the Gen Z way.
With an accumulated six million views, his subscribers would spur EO on to work on his own music, recognising his vocal abilities. With song parodies such as 'Mans Not Hot' now on over a million views, to give his own music a try seemed like the next logical step.
Recording the original version of 'German' on the instrumental of 'Barking' accumulated over 300,00 views on YouTube. With the demand for more, EO went back and re-recorded a new version with a video premiered on GRM Daily that garnered over 500,000 views within five days. The Gen Z formula of trying and seeing how it turns out.
The essence of a performer can not only be seen in his videos but also his personality. A true child of Generation Z, he stands in his truth and is bold with his moves, which have in turn led him to creating an audience for himself that have helped 'German' to rack up over 28 million views. So what's the ultimate goal? "I would want to work with Not3s - I love everything he does... and Wizkid and Davido." Judging by everything that has gone before him thus far, EO seems destined to achieve this.
Don Broco (DJ Set)
Opting for a bark over a bite is the trap that most rock bands fall into. But turning up to 11 and high-fiving your bandmates as you blow another eardrum is rendered pretty pointless if your chorus hits home like a Boris Johnson bellyflop. The loud/louder/REALLY LOUD dynamic can only ever be as good as the song allows it to be.
It’s an approach that Bedford four-piece Don Broco are keen students of. Having formed officially in 2008 after a number of years playing together, and in various other bands, at Bedford Modern School, vocalist Rob Damiani, guitarist Simon Delaney and drummer Matt Donnelly have honed the art of rock music with a gloriously melodic edge. Joined by new recruit Tom Doyle on bass, the quartet’s debut album is one of the most adrenaline-veined, hook-heavy rock debuts of the year.
Therein followed a determined DIY push at doing the band “properly”. In between extensive gigging, including an appearance at Download and a support slot with Enter Shikari, they released the self-recorded single 'Dreamboy' in October 2010. It was at this point that they realised the momentum, propelled by putting songs online for free download and selling EPs at their increasingly-attended live shows, was pointing towards a more substantial release, resulting in the 2011 mini-album Big Fat Smile. “Writing that was when we decided what we really liked about our sound – the idea that we keep things quite fun and high-tempo, keep the lyrics simple and tell stories.”
Philip George
Philip George burst onto the scene with his stellar debut single 'Wish You Were Mine' back in 2014, peaking at number two in the UK national chart and gaining platinum status.
His second single followed soon, charting at number four, further cementing his place in the world as a uniquely talented young producer, enhanced by a year long spell with his own show on Kiss FM.
Since then he’s been touring globally as a DJ, and now having played some of the worlds biggest and best clubs, he’s back with an infectious and emotional new single.
‘Losing My Mind’ features the indie tinged vocals of Saint Raymond who is perhaps best known for supporting Ed Sheeran on tour. The instantly memorable melody and hooks will find favour with Philip’s existing fans for sure, but it showcases a more mature string to his bow and is sure to rest easily on the ears of more a discerning audience too.