With the summer festival season approaching, here's East's pick of 15 of the best in the region.
Lovewood, Heathfield. May9-10.
Ease into the festival season with the low-key, charitable Lovewood festival. Your £30 helps go towards children and adults affected by poverty and HIV/AIDS, while you enjoy a peculiar bill where Dirty Ugly Punk Monkeys rub up against The Tribute Amy Winehouse. You don't get that at V.
The Great Escape, Brighton. May 14-16.
Essentially an excuse for the music industry to decamp to the seaside and promote their newer signings, this year The Great Escape features over 300 acts in 34 Brighton venues. A £45 wristband gains access to the gigs, but be prepared to queue. Kasabain, Enter Shikari and The Charlatans are among the major visitors; Brighton represents with Brakes, British Sea Power and The Pipettes; and there's an early chance to see the ex-MummRa boys in Mirrors.
Meadowlands, Glynde. May 22-24.
A new, ecologically-minded festival in the depths of the Sussex countryside. Mr Scruff, The Bays and Bomb The Bass headline, with a few choice regional acts (I Get Flashbacks, Gloria Cycles) lower down the bill. Some of the £85 weekend price goes towards ensuring the event keeps its carbon footprint lower than average.
Black Horse Festival, Telham, nr Hastings. May 22-25.
The popular Hastings festival enters its 21st year, with seperate days devoted to folk, blues and world music. Weekend tickets are £42, but there's no camping. Individual tickets for specific afternoon or evening sessions are also available. Niche headliners include Aynsley Lister, Achanak and Wheeler Street; regional favourites Blair, Zoe Konez and King Size Slim feature; and Monday's Young Bands Afternoon ghetto-slot is pretty strong, with To The Moon Alice and Red.Was.Here among the highlights.
The Firegathering Festival, nr Horsham. May 22-24.
This family-friendly, somewhat hippyish event features as much cabaret and circus skills as live music. With no corporate sponsorship, your £69 helps keep the festival running. Red Snapper are the biggest draw on a bill largely comprised of popular Brighton perennials (Los Albertos, 12 Stone Toddler).
Hop Farm Festival, Paddock Wood, Kent. Jul 3-5.
Successfully launched last year with a one-day event headlined by Neil Young, this brainchild of festival behemoths Mean Fiddler returns for a full weekend in the summer. No acts have been confirmed so far, but the organisers' pulling power should ensure some Grade A attractions.
Down Home Festival, nr Shoreham. Jul 10-12.
Another tiny Sussex festival tucked away in the countryside, focussing on country, blues and Americana acts. Currently offering £40 early-bird tickets, the festival presents familar regional acts like Mudlow, Drookit Dogs and The Jooks Of Kent in a chilled rural setting.
Guilfest, Guildford. Jul 10-12.
That big festival up there in Surrey, Guilfest's major headliners for 2009 include Beach Boy Brian Wilson, Motorhead, Happy Mondays and The Charlatans. Full weekend tickets are £110, but day and non-camping tickets are also available.
Loop, Brighton. Jul 10-12.
Electronica festival in the centre of Brighton. Live acts including Squarepusher, Tuung and the Matthew Herbert Big Band will bring the noise to Victoria Gardens, near Brighton Pavilion. Full tickets are £65, with offers for individual days available. No camping in the centre of Brighton, obviously.
Lounge On The Farm, nr Canterbury, Kent, Jul 10-12.
This ever-growing festival ('Kent's Bestest') is still confirming it's bill, but it looks like Gong, James Taylor Quartet and Mr Scruff are amongst the draws. £85 for a multitude of boutique stages should be good value.
One Love Festival, nr Hellingly. Aug 21-23.
The reggae & dub festival moves to Hellingly's Blackstock Farm this summer. The full line-up is yet to be announced, but Saxon Sound System, Adrian Sherwood and Smith & Mighty are amongst those signed-up. Weekend tickets are £70, day tickets also available.
Beachdown, Brighton. Aug 28-31.
Last year's Beachdown debut was well-received, and this return to the South Downs is a potential word-of-mouth sell-out. Beachdown have already confirmed a very strong bill of major acts (Grace Jones, The Zutons, Super Furry Animals, St Etienne, Grandmaster Flash, The Fall), and there's plenty of Brighton's own bands filling the weekend out. Full weekend tickets are £97.50, and the Devil's Dyke campsite offers the best festival views this side of Glastonbury.
Out Of The Ordinary, nr Hailsham. Sep 18-20. Far-out, Equinox-oriented event. Eat Static and Banco De Gaia top the bill, with a decent regional smattering of supports (The Laylanas, Pog). Early-bird weekend passes are £45, increasing in price throughout the summer, according to the solar calendar... There's a whole host of guest speakers of various degrees of scientific credibility too, so bring and open mind and a pinch of salt.
Brighton Live. Sep 30 - Oct3.
Late in the festival season, Brighton Live is a healthy alternative to The Great Escape's industry bunfight. Dozens of Brighton's finest bands (and some of the ropier ones) play all across the city during the week, but crucially entry to all gigs is free. No names confirmed as yet, but just about every major Brighton group has shown up at this in recent years.
Tenterden Folk Festival, Kent. Oct 2-4.
If all that activity hasn't been quite enough to satisfy, head over to Tenterden for their Folk Festival. £24 brings you dozens of traditional music artists in several pubs and marquees in the village, with a shuttle bus laid on to and from the nearest campsite. Sounds like a fine way to wind down from the summer.