Music

Playing a mix of 60s Soul, Funk, Dirty Grooves, Hot Rockin' Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Ska, Rock'n'Roll, New Orleans, Gospel, Blues & Boogaloo - all on vinyl 45s

Get lost in music and learn authentic samba rhythms, fusing African beats and South American grooves, with Brazilian maestro Marcos Santana and his amazing Tribo drummers. A regular fixture at Europe's biggest Caribbean street party, the Notting Hill carnival, Tribo bring tradition, energy and knowledge together in an uplifting drumming workshop. No experience necessary.

In this hour-long treasure hunt of song lyrics, key lyrics from famous songs will be acted out around the festival site. It's up to you to decipher the lyrics being acted out in front of your very eyes and the song it comes from.  Imagine a man in leopard skin jeggings in a boat zipping across the lake with his sails a-flutter. It's Rod Stewart's 'I Am Sailing'. Simple! Prizes are to be won!

From ornate Spiegeltents the other side of the world to art deco cabaret spaces in Soho, the Gallic legend once again brings his late-night extravaganza to a tent in the Midlands. Expect special guests, spontaneous happenings, a live band and Gallic superiority. “One of the finest nights in our fair city” - Time Out London

It’s back! Got the moves? Got the lyrics down? Got the backing track? The heat is on! This year we’re looking for the best kids AND the best adults to vie for the Lip Synch Battle crown. Last year we had air grabs, flossing, gymnastics and some pretty fantastic performances. Who’s ready?

This distinctive vocalist fuses indie sensibilities with jazzy pop and soulful vibes. She has a gorgeously unique tone, that she accompanies with edgy, melodic electric guitar. Oozing pop star attitude and style, Lola will be playing songs from her debut  EP Naked and the singles Makin' You Mine and Lost in My Days.

DANCE is the spine of ALSO, join our Friday Night Milonga to get your Argentine Tango moves sorted - there's a Tango workshop and for 2019 we have an in-festival choreographer, Fiona Ring (Founder of the incredible My Charleston Dance Company) - whether you're a dancing queen or you dance like a member of the royal family - we'll find a few moves for you to be involved in our Saturday Night Extravaganza. Don't miss one of her workshops - open to all levels - you're in for a treat.

As the last remnants of daylight fade, it’s time to head to the Lake stage, feeling the warm embrace of music and laughter, reveling in the outdoors. Get deep down and dirty in the evening. Back for the fifth year at ALSO, General Disco Procedure's Dan McHarg is here to rock Friday frisky with a riotous set of house, disco, techno, and God-knows-what. Hips to the left, feet to the right, back and forth to the beat.

Join Juliet in easing your body and voice into the Also day. Tuning in through a series of deep breathing exercises, energising stretches, followed by simple chants, nature-related songs and rounds.

Pronounced 'Frooog' - it was the mid-1960s dance craze and as we like to challenge our in-festival choreographer - Fiona Ring we've asked her to deliver a Fosse-inspired workshop in the field. Fiona is no ordinary choreographer - in no time at all she'll be helping you access your inner monkey, chicken, and heavy weight.

Feast on hot gypsy swing adorned by Franco-Irish folk songwriting. Scratchy Beard lead you through an upbeat, playful collage of trans-European roots music.

Denis Coleman is a a dynamic young singer-songwriter from the USA, based in London. His music blends catchy pop with US R&B and hip hop influences. He released his debut single You last September and is fast becoming an independent pop sensation, catching the attention of the industry by winning the Future Music Songwriting competition. Fresh from The Power of Music schools tour, Denis has been spreading positive messages of anti-bullying through performances and interactive chats with students. Watch him blow up the main stage!

We’re setting up a boutique pop up roller disco on the Saturday evening – think Studio 54 on wheels. You'll need to bring your own skates and your optional glittery leg warmers and let’s go! 

DJ Mash returns to the Costa del Also, this year battling with Justin James, a fellow vinyl junkie to bring you a relentless selection of killer tunes from their armory of vinyl. Dropping soul, roots, hip-hop, funk and whatever genre they see fit to get ALSO moving and our Saturday night started.

An acoustic set of honest and thought-provoking tunes from singer-songwriters Alo and collaborator Tom Lennard, on themes of love, loss, power, ecological insanity and the celebration of our common humanity.

This Is A Recording are a live improvised electronic duo performing on analog synths mangled up through FX pedals and tripped out guitar, layered over slo-mo pulsating beats. Their music ranges from ambient, Balearic grooves to psychedelic walls of sound. Think stratospheric harmonics, cosmic melodies, and conscious vibes! 

Portobello Live Choir is the capital's rock and roll community choir. Singing classic songs by west London artists such as Gorillaz, Paul Weller, The Clash and Hollie Cook and mixing in gospel, soul and African flavours.

Comedian Alexis Dubus unearths an overlooked national treasure, Merseyside’s cult band Half Man Half Biscuit, whose lyricist Nigel Blackwell was described by John Peel as “our greatest living poet and satirist.” A 16-album, 33-year retrospective in one hour. Dubus unpicks the cryptic lyrical codes, plays some favourite excerpts and celebrates one of Britain’s smartest, funniest and most reclusive social commentators.

Like karaoke, but with a whole choir and who better to accompany you on the Also Main Stage, than London International Gospel Choir? No one, that’s who. We’ll provide lyrics, music, a glamorous host and twenty backing vocalists. You provide star quality and your best insta-friendly outfit.

Learn the tricks of the songwriting trade with creative tour de force Sophie Garner.  Sophie has released 3 studio albums, toured internationally and was the very first artist to perform on the main stage at London's O2 Arena! She uses songwriting as a powerful tool for building confidence and creative expression with children from 7 to 70+!  This session is for 11-18 year olds. Exploring the art form of song within a group is a musical adventure of games, improvisation and of course singing and song writing.

Jill on Top blazed a trail as half of the DJ/Production duo Girls on Top, immediately becoming part of the Mixmag reviews team, topping the bill at DJ gigs all over the UK and featured in iD, DJ Mag, The Face, & TV shows BPM, Hypnosis and Rapture. And they still found time to remix legends like Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk, Loletta Holloway, Byron Stingily and Gizelle Jackson. Exhausted, Jill finally hung up her headphones to start her own DJ agency in 2003, only coming out of retirement these days for special one-offs like ALSO!

Enjoy our music programme from rising stars and undiscovered gems to gypsy jazz and Ibizan chill out up at The Costa del Also's famous, floating lake stage.  Even better with a cocktail from the Rum Shack or a plate of pinchos from Getaria.

Boost your serotonin and endorphins, lower your heart rate, raise your oxytocin levels and reduce feelings of social isolation by joining this year’s massed sing, led by Juliet Russell, vocal coach on two of the UK’s biggest entertainment shows The Voice UK and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

DJ Vertigo and friends rock Saturday night in Also’s favourite clubbing space, keeping the music flowing and the dance floor going until the cockerel starts crowing!