This year hasn't just picked up where 2013 left off but has somehow managed to rise up where 2013 fell down in the space of less than two months! Are you kidding me?!! The latest festival line-up announcements all have me convinced - I'm not sure what kind of conspiracy has happened this year,  either every festival has decided to book fantastic artists or all artists have decided to step it up and become awesome. Either way, here's what I've been giddy about so far...

ISLE OF WIGHT
Now, previously I had not really seen Isle Of Wight as a festival that I had to be at and it had never really come out on top for me when choosing festivals. But here's why I mentioned it first - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings Of Leon, Biffy Clyro, Rudimental, Swim Deep, Deap Vally, Peace, The Horrors, John Newman and The Strypes... And that's not even the full line-up yet, are you freaking kidding me?!


READING & LEEDS
R&L is always in the toss up for me when deciding which festivals to go to and again this year is no exception. On just the second announcement, they already have - Blink 182, Arctic Monkeys, You Me At Six, SBTRKT, Warpaint, Architects, Royal Blood, Disclosure, Metronomy and Of Mine & Men. If that's just the second announcement, I know that it can only get better to be honest.


BESTIVAL
Bestival is a festival that I always liked the idea of but I never found myself getting tickets to when it came down to it in the end. This year might just have to be the year though, with artists like - Outkast, Foals, Beck, Disclosure, Major Lazer, London Grammar, Wild Beasts, Sam Smith, Caribou and Laura Mvula - how can I not be excited?


WIRELESS
Another festival that has always had a line-up that I liked, but never enough to actually acquire a ticket. However, as 2014 is proving, it's a whole new ball game entirely. Artists already on the bill include - Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Basement Jaxx, Ella Eyre, Drake, Rudimental, Azealia Banks, Chance The Rapper, Outkast, Bruno Mars and John Newman. In other words - yes, yes and yes.


PARKLIFE
This festival has never really been on my radar until this year. The price (£80 weekend) especially is enticing me as it is seemingly the festival with the most value for money at the moment. To be able to see - Snoop Dogg, Foals, Rudimental, Disclosure, London Grammar, Kendrick Lamar, SBTRKT, Warpaint, Sam Smith, Ella Eyre, Bipolar Sunshine, Bonobo (DJ), Jamie XX, Annie Mac and TEED - all for under £100... you must be having a bubble?


All of this, and Glastonbury and V Festival still have yet to make a main announcement. Even festivals abroad like Open'er, Outlook, Unknown, Primavera Sound, etc.. are pulling out the big guns this year. The only thing that I can say on all this is, ROLL ON SUMMER 2014!

As expected, with a new month comes new music. There've been quite a few new interesting tracks out this past week. Here are some of the few that I had a listen to...


KLAXONS - There Is No Other Time
In short, it's nice to have Klaxons back. They've announced that they should be releasing a record later this year around spring time and so until then they've left us with this to whet our appetites. Listen to it HERE.




THE WYTCHES - Gravedweller
Another band that I wrote about previously as a "new discovery" and boy am I glad that I discovered them after this. They've just made this corker of a track available to stream (along with two other songs to form an EP) and if this doesn't make you want to see them live then you must not be into surf punk. Have a listen HERE. 


BECK - Waking Light
Since just being announced as one of the headliners for Bestival this summer Beck has gone and put out this track from his upcoming record - Morning Phase. It's just a genuinely nice ballad and it makes me interested to see what he brings to the stage this summer. Listen HERE.


ELBOW - New York Morning
In all honesty, I hadn't heard much else from Elbow except the obvious "One Day Like This" and so when I heard that they'd released a new track, I thought that I may as well give it a listen. I do like it but something about this band just really doesn't come close to overwhelming me. Check it out HERE.

Amongst these five there were quite a few other new releases this week and I'm sure that next week will be no exception. 2014 is already looking like it'll be better for music than 2013 and it's only just February! Madness!!