Big D ticket sale nears as Simian Mobile Disco complete line-up
Big D organisers have confirmed that dance act Simian Mobile Disco will headline this year’s event, with support from Scratch Perverts and Utah Saints.
Event co-ordinator Anna Claire Younger confirmed the international DJs will play at the Derwent festival, which this year will have a ‘Wonderland’ theme. Younger also announced the release of the event’s promotional video, which can be viewed exclusively here.
Tickets for the event will go on sale from 12.00 on Wednesday Week 2, having sold out in under 24 hours last year.
Younger revealed that the preparations for the year-ending event are well underway, stating: ‘’I am so excited about this year’s Big D. We have a really great committee who have already put in so much hard work that I’m sure this year will be better than ever and raise more than ever before for our chosen charities!’
“This year’s Big D will be a raunchy, trippy, colourful, glitz-fest, where Alice has grown up and gone a bit naughty. And building on the success of last year’s Big D, Won-D-erland will be an event like no other,” Younger added.
Simian Mobile Disco, most famous for their tracks ‘Hustler’, ‘Tits and Acid’ and ‘It’s the Beat’, are also playing at this year’s T in the Park and Electric Picnic festivals.
Aside from the exciting music line-up, which will be supported by campus groups Idioteque and Breakz as well as other campus DJs, Younger’s team have organised fairground rides, a laserquest arena, themed attractions and roaming entertainers to run throughout the 6-hour long event.
All money raised at the event will go to the chosen charities York Mind, a local charity helping the mentally ill, and The Teenage Cancer trust, as well as campus organisations RAG and Student Action. In 2008, Big D raised £2,500, and this year Younger hopes to considerably increase upon that total will a series of mini events around Derwent leading up to the festival.
The official launch of the promo video takes place this Monday, while Younger revealed that Little D, a smaller event with its own attractions, will take place during the afternoon of the larger festival.
Simian Mobile Disco
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Are these gonna be DJ sets or live performances? Either way, I’m moist already.
I’ve always wondered what’s behind that white door in the quiet place
A green shisha-smoking ginnie and a group of hot girls apparently. Shame I never went through.
I can’t wait for Won-D-land! The video is amazing and the plans look set to make this years Big D the best end of year party York has seen. Plus, Simian is going to be brilliant.
Just make sure you’re online at 12.00pm (midday) on Wednesday or you’ll miss out big time!!
has vodka revs relocated to the quiet place?
It’s a shame there isn’t a big name ‘cheese’ act.. I thought that’s what Derwent was all about..
though there’s no big name cheese act, there definitely will be something for everyone musically – there’s loads more acts and performances both in the daytime and in the evening to be confirmed!
Going to be epic. Again.
Excellent video – good work guys! Though Alice looks a bit lost at the end, poor girl …
And it’s a caterpillar, not a genie, silly.
Yeah. That video was outrageously good.
Top duck Derwent, top duck.
Excellent work on the video, very nicely done! I can’t wait for this now.
looks incredible,
I hate to have to ask, but how much will tickets be?
Last time I checked £19.50. Not sure how much booking fee is – though I think about 50p per ticket.
Lineup ain’t looking great, no bands this year? Just DJs?
Is it still the case that not everyone with tickets will be able to see the big acts given the capacity of derwent bar as with previous years?
I hear that it isn’t even Utat Saints performing, but their drummer playing some CDs.
That, and you’re not guaranteed to get in to see these ‘acts’.
Thanks, Derwent.
Thanks to all the people that have posted messages of support so far – the Big D committee has been working really hard for over 17 weeks already and its really great that people are starting to get as excited about the event as we are!
In response to the capacity issues: I worked Big D last year and was frustrated to see people disappointed that they couldn’t get in to see the main act alongside the issues that arose due to the hideous weather! When I took over this year this really was top of my agenda. Although I can’t change the actual rooms (sorry anonymous I can’t built you a new university) I promise that I am doing absolutely everything I can to maximise the space that I have to work with.
I have spent a long time working out where to put the acts and at what times, so that as many people can move round and see them all as possible. Increased capacity in the courtyard means more people can be in at any one time and including the upstairs of langwith as well as investing in tents, gazebos and covered fairground rides should ensure that everyone can still enjoy the event if the weather is not on our side.
James,anon and anonoymous – sorry that the acts aren’t to your taste – it is really hard to try and please everyone, especially when you are trying to keep ticket prices as low as possible, donate to charity and convince agents that a university that doesn’t even have anything remotely resembling a gig venue is a good place for their big name acts to play.
I am really excited and pleased with the line-up and if you are not impressed I really do apologise. I see Big D as being about so much more than the acts – this year we have so much going on that I’m sure you will enjoy yourselves.
I hope this clarifies a few things for people
The big question on everyone’s lips though is will it sell out in the record-breaking time as it did last year?
Big D will be fantastic!! The video looks ace and the line-up is impressive! No matter how much hard work has gone into making Big D great, some people still feel the need to complain. People at York are so lucky to have such a keen group of people work SO hard to put on something which sounds absolutely brilliant. If it’s not your thing, do something else and stop being negative- it’s unnecessary. Lighten up and look forward to a magical night!
Could the Big D organisers confirm whether these will be live performances or DJ sets from band members? What am I paying my £20 for?
Anon (3.30pm) – It is a shame people didn’t follow your advice when it came to the attempt to move summerball on to campus. A group/individual working exceptionally hard to put on a ‘magical’ event was met with a disgusting level of criticism and personal attacks.
This isn’t meant as a dig on Big D or its organisers but I hope those of you on the Big D committee / Derwent College JCRC who were so vocal against Burton’s proposal to move summerball will realise what is like to have criticism coming at you. It really is frustrating when you put so much well-intentioned effort in to a project and people can do nothing but be negative.
I wish the BigD Committee the best of luck and I am sure it will be an amazing event.
Videos like that don’t come cheap, anonymous. Once the catering, light technicians, camera crew, make-up artists, actors and of course, professional directors such as Sam Houlders and I have been paid, that leaves about 50 pence for the actual event.
Oliver Lester
Lester and Houlders Productions
Hollywood, USA
I don’t think it’s complaining “Anon”, I just think the main acts seem to reflect a rather narrow spectrum of genres, though the Scratch Perverts should offer something for those of us who aren’t into electronica.
It’s a good job Woodstock exists really!
Pendulum did a DJ set last year, and as far as I know, nobody threw their rattles out of the pram about that. I think people should have faith that Miss Younger and her committee will do an amazing job. I mean, if that much effort goes into a video publicising the event, imagine what the ACTUAL event will be like.
Keep up the good work, Derwent.
Pendulum weren’t fantastic but at least I’d heard of them… The acts are such a bit let-down after the amazing people we’d been promised! I don’t think I’ve even ever heard the name “scratch perverts” in my entire life before this and I’m a fan of that kind of music. Last year’s line-up was better.
But I’m sure it’ll be great and the good thing about BigD is that there’s the whole other edge to it as well as the bands (or non-live non-bands, depending) and I’m sure my candy floss will taste very nice!
Can we buy tickets for people in other unis?
“I don’t think I’ve even ever heard the name “scratch perverts” in my entire life before this and I’m a fan of that kind of music.”
I nearly displaced my wig in shock and disgust!
Just to echo Mr Lester’s comments, video production does not come cheap. I mean sure, we didn’t need that massive buffet, and with hindsight, the huge gazebo filled with copious amounts of alcohol and chocolate fondue sets was a bit over the top too, but hey!
All in the name of charity.
Samuel Houlders
Lester and Houlders Productions
Hollywood, USA
… a sell out in under an hour!
Seems that plenty of people like the Big D line up and all the rest that the organisers have put on to make the Wonderland one massive end of year party. Mad Hats off to the organisers and Derwent. Can’t wait!
I bought my ticket at half 2. Thought tickets went on sale at 12?
‘I don’t think I’ve even ever heard the name “scratch perverts” in my entire life before this and I’m a fan of that kind of music.’
Clearly then you aren’t…
That’s not how you tell whether someone is a fan of a genre or not! Listening to them, they are good and my kind of thing but they sound like a lot of local artists of that type do but with better sound quality. They’re pretty good but I really haven’t heard of them.
Big D will be amazing and if you aren’t a fan of the headline acts there is plenty more going on and other acts to look forward to!
I, for one, am over the moon that we aren’t having some dodgy indie band or washed up RnB singer and that we are having a really good set of electronica performers!
Simian Mobile Disco are going to be amazing!
I can’t believe anyone is complaining about the acts for Big D, if you want cheese go to ziggys. From first hand experience, Simian Mobile Disco are incredible live and I couldn’t believe it when they were announced. Also, if the music is so bad, how did the event sell out in two hours?
Scratch Perverts have consistently re-defined ‘dance’ music over the past decade. I use the word ‘dance’, as a way of describing SP’s sparingly; although that is essentially the one thing they would like their fans to do.
Simian Mobile Disco are probably ranked in the top three electro outfits currently, and (along with Justice & MSTRKRFT) have defined electro as a genre. To have both Scratch Perverts and SMD playing in one night is outstanding; to have Utah Saints as well is an incredible feat of budgeting.
Right…
Scratch Perverts will probably not play ‘live’. It’s most likely that there will be a couple of them (the original Scratch Perverts consists of Plus One, Prime Cuts and Tony Vegas). All three may be there if the schedules are good, but they all DJ individually under a number of different names. They have been known to bring an MC along; or DJ with a well known MC, but it’s unlikely that will happen in this case.
Simian play three ways. Ordinarily they DJ using the traditional method; playing their own stuff and remixes of their stuff by other people, effectively mixing an album as a set. Secondly and most unlikely they play a lot of minimal tech / electro. This is good for music lovers, but unlikely as they will take into account the audience and therefore know their own, better known stuff will go down. Thirdly they may play ‘live’. This is the biggest spectacle, and involves them hand mixing the tracks using a combination of samplers, decks and twiddly knobs. Theyre just about to release a new album… IF they play like this at big-D it will be the single most incredible thing you have ever seen on campus.
DJ’ing and ‘live’ are pretty much synonymous, as in, the people you have paid to see will be there. They might not throw a drumstick into the crowd at the end of the show, but they will be there.
The organisers have done well for this one; Big-D is the best event on campus, if not for the acts, merely for its ambition. Please make sure the sound system is pumping. Thanks for putting the work in guys; see you at the front.
I can see why people might feel aggrieved by a lack of bands/cheese acts, but these acts are extremely good, and show a refreshing level of ambition on behalf of the organizers.
Moan about it afterwards if you don’t like it, but I’m fairly sure most people will have an extremely good time – I can’t imagine Lemar will be able to conjure the same atmosphere somehow…
great line-up. sorry to bring up the perennial question but why is a college getting consistently better acts that the university.
i mean SMD -v- Lemar!
are you kidding me Burton?
To be honest, it’s almost irrelevant who the two sets of acts are. Big D was always going to sell out so quickly because of the fantastic work done by Lester and Houlders Productions, Hollywood, and the great promotion by the entire committee. Summer Ball wasn’t as well advertised and there was less hype about the sales. Not to mention the price difference.
Both look to be fantastic events. Lemar’s a noteable name and SMD is too. “Dodgy indie band” and “washed up RnB singer” seems about right for the vast majority of popular acts in Britain (no offense to them) and just because they are inferior, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t just as popular. What’s great is to see some variation from the standard and more importantly the fact that people are looking forward to that variation!
Though there’s nothing wrong with cheese (the comparison with Ziggy’s makes me want to retch and I wouldn’t even qualify it as cheese) and I am still going to be looking forward to Fresher’s Ball if they pump me full of reformed Take That
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