Feature: Festival Preview - Sonisphere (UK) 2011

This weekend rock fans from all over the UK will head to Knebworth for three days of non-stop rock with day one featuring the 'Big 4' of Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeath, whilst the ever-growing Biffy Clyro will headline day two before Slipknot close the festival on Sunday with their first UK show since the passing of Paul Gray last year.

However despite the headliners there are many more to check out throughout the three days. From Limp Bizkit to Weezer to You Me At Six on the Apollo (headline) stage to the smaller stages that feature the likes of Title Fight, Don Broco, Rolo Tomassi, Me vs Hero and countless more.

On the whole the third Sonisphere UK festival has one of the strongest line-ups you will see all summer and its diversity will definitely meet fans needs.

Preview|More Information|Stage Times

Preview

The Apollo stage will be home to this weekends top headliners and some of the most revered bands on the planet. Friday sees the "BIG 4", Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax grace it’s presence; never before seen together in the UK, this is sure to be a monumental occasion for any metal fan.

Once the inevitable mayhem concludes, Saturday sees a far more easygoing day of rock. We see the return of veteran punk rockers Bad Religion and are treated to another appearance by US legends Weezer. After supporting the Foo Fighters in Milton Keynes, Biffy Clyro can make their mark as Saturday’s headliners and close the night in style.

Sunday encompasses all that is heavy! Not only do Mastodon and old-school metallers Motorhead provide a riotous beginning to the evening shows. Whilst Limp Bizkit are back in support of their latest release, ‘Gold Cobra’. The final headline act for Sonisphere 2011 is the one people have been waiting for… amidst all the emotion, Slipknot are back in the UK and are sure to deliver a truly unforgettable performance.

With all the focus on the Big 4 this Friday, the first note on the Saturn stage will be played by the ultra smooth and ultra kitsch Richard Cheese on Saturday. There’s a distinctly punk-riddled theme to the rest of the day; Gallows, Sum 41 and All Time Low all grace us with their presence until finally, Sonisphere gets technical at the end of the night with The Mars Volta.

If bizarrely, none of that wets your appetite, Sunday’s line-up is an eclectic mix that’s sure to please everyone. Made famous by their infectious 90’s anthem ‘Jump Around’, hip-hoppers House Of Pain are the curveball in the line-up. Swiftly after, we’re back to some good ol’ heavy metal thanks to In Flames and Opeth until the night finally climaxes with a very special comedic performance from Britain’s very own Bill Bailey. (SD)

Although the Apollo and Saturn stages may draw in big crowds, there is still plenty to see on the Bohemia stage. Friday sees appearances from The Black Dahlia Murder, My Passion and comedy Bluegrass band Hayseed Dixie, before the influential Killing Joke headline with their brand of post-punk. On

Saturday the line-up turns out to be even more diverse with metalcore band While She Sleep opening the stage with pop-punker's Me Vs Hero and prog-metal band Gojira will also be playing on the stage alongside One Minute Silence, Periphery, Pulled Apart by Horses and headliners Sisters of Mercy.

The final day will close with Four Year Strong making their return to the UK where we you can expect a fun, fast and frantic show from the Massachusetts group. Some of the other names appearing on the Sunday include Cancer Bats, Anberlin, Turbowolf and InMe.

Over at the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage you can expect the likes of Rolo Tomassi, Protest the Hero, and Cerebral Ballzy to bring a hat-trick of insane and heavy sets on the Friday, before Tek One and Innerpartysystem bringing a party-like feel to the festival on Saturday with their electro/dub step sounds and will follow the headliners, Swedish black metal band Watain, ultimately showing how diverse Sonisphere can be.

Whereas Sunday has a strong mix of emerging and established bands; Title Flight, Me Vs. Hero, Arcane Roots, Don Broco, and Dangerous! will all make a good impression on the Sonisphere crowd before Sonic Boom Six close with their brand of reggae-influenced ska punk.

In addition the eight winners from this year's Red Bull Bedroom Jam will be appearing throughout the weekend. Expect the likes of Hill Valley High, Floods, Autumn In Disguise and The Ocean Between Us to pull off great sets.

Whilst Jagermeister Stage will play host to a wide range of bands; London based metallers, The Defiled will headline on Friday with emerging UK pop punk band Decade being one of the noticeable names that day. Saturday is truly rock 'n roll day with the likes of Black Spiders, The Virgin Marys and Saint Jude sharing the stage with Jettblack, No Americana, and Six Hour Sundown. The final days sees sets from alternative rockers Amplifier, Exit Ten, Anterior and former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho's Fozzy with Orange Goblin headlining with their brand of "stoner rock."

If that wasn't enough Sonisphere will play host to several comedy and spoken word sets, with Sean Hughes, Jackass' Steve-O, and Howard Marks being some of the names performing on the comedy stage throughout the weekend.(SR)

More Information

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Stage Times

Friday|Saturday|Sunday
LINE-UP SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Friday July 8

APOLLO STAGE
Metallica 20:30
Slayer 18:45 - 19:45
Megadeth 17:15 - 18:15
Anthrax 16:00 - 16:45
Diamond Head 15:15 - 15:45

BOHEMIA STAGE
A1 Bassline (Dj Set) 02:15 - 03:00
Fold (Dj Set) 01:30 - 02:15
Hayseed Dixie 00:30 - 01:30
Killing Joke 23:00 - 24:00
Blood Red Shoes 20:10 - 20:55
My Passion 19:10 - 19:50
Black Dahlia 18:20 - 18:50
Firewind 17:30 - 18:00
Glamour Of The Kill 16:40 - 17:10
Lower Than Atlantis 15:50 - 16:20
Japanese Voyeurs 15:00 - 15:30

JAGERMEISTER STAGE
Witchsorrow 22:00 - 23:00
Flats 21:00 - 21:30
The Defiled 20:00 - 20:30
Black Breath 19:00 - 19:30
Slam Cartel 18:00 - 18:30
Hounds 17:00 - 17:30
Decade 16:00 - 16:30
Hammer Of The Gods 15:00 - 15:30

RED BULL BEDROOM JAM STAGE
Rolo Tomassi 20:30 - 21:00
Protest The Hero 19:30 -20:00
Cerebal Ballzy 18:30 - 19:00
Young Legionnaire 17:30 - 18:00
Acoda 16:30 - 17:00
Make This Relate 15:30 - 16:00

Saturday July 9th

APOLLO STAGE
Biffy Clyro 21:15
Weezer 18:30 - 19:30
You Me At Six 16:35 - 17:35
Bad Religion 15:00 - 15:45
Cavalera Conspiracy 13:25 - 14:10
Architects 12:10 - 12:40
Sylosis 11:00 -11:30

SATURN STAGE
The Mars Volta 19:40 - 20:55
All Time Low 17:40 - 18:25
Sum 41 15:50 - 16:30
Kids In Glass Houses 14:15 - 14:55
Gallows 12:45 - 13:20
Richard Cheese 11:35 - 12:05

BOHEMIA STAGE
Innerpartsystem (Dj Set) 02:00 - 03:00
Tek One (Dj Set) 01:00 - 02:00
The Sisters Of Mercy 23:15
Paradise Lost 21:45 - 22:45
Gojira 20:30 - 21:15
Ginger Wildheart 19:25 - 20:05
Periphery 18:15 - 19:00
Pulled Apart By Horses 17:20 - 17:50
Steve O 16:20 - 17:00
Jared Christmas (Mc) 16:10 - 16:20
Jim Breurer 15:40 - 16:10
Jared Christmas (Mc) 15:35 - 15:40
Nick Helm 15:10 - 15:35
Jared Christmas (Mc) 15:00 - 15:10
Cherri Bomb 14:00 - 14:30
Me Vs Hero 13:10 - 13:40
Vintage Trouble 12:20 - 12:50
While She Sleeps 11:30 - 12:00

JAGERMEISTER STAGE
Black Spiders 22:15 - 23:00
Saint Jude 21:00 - 21:45
Rival Sons 20:00 - 20:30
Spy Catcher 19:00 - 19:30
The Crave 18:00 - 18:30
Six Hour Sundown 17:00 - 17:30
The Virginmarys 16:00 - 16:30
Panic Cell 15:00 - 15:30
The Treatment 14:00 - 14:30
Jettblack 13:00 - 13:30
No Americana 12:00 - 12:30
Sons Of Icarus 11:00 - 11:30

RED BULL BEDROOM JAM STAGE
Silent Disco 23:00 - 02:00
Watain 21:45 - 22:30
Rise To Remain 20:30 - 21:15
Tek One 19:30 - 20:00
Innerpartysystem 18:30 - 19:00
Tesseract 17:30 - 18:00
Revoker 16:30 - 17:00
The Hype Theory 15:30 - 16:00
Hill Valley High 14:30 - 15:00
Page 44 13:30 -14:00
You And What Army 12:30 - 13:00
The Suzukis 11:30 - 12:00

Sunday July 10th

APOLLO STAGE
Slipknot 21:00
Limp Bizkit 18:45 - 19:45
Motorhead 16:45 -17:45
Mastodon 14:50 - 15:50
Parkway Drive 13:20 - 13:55
Arch Enemy 12:10 - 12:40
Volbeat 11:00 - 11:30

SATURN STAGE
Bill Bailey 19:55 - 20:40
Opeth 17:50 - 18:40
Airbourne 15:55 - 16:40
InFlames 14:05 - 14:45
2 Minutes Silence For Paul Gray 14:00 - 14:02
House Of Pain 12:45 - 13:15
Black Tide 11:35 - 12:05

BOHEMIA STAGE
Alfie (Dj Set) 00:15 - 01:00
Stan Sb 23:45 - 00:15
Bat Sabbath 22:55 - 23:25
The Answer 21:25 - 22:25
Four Year Strong 20:10 - 20:55
Alestorm 19:10 - 19:40
Cancer Bats 18:10 - 18:50
Anberlin 17:15 - 17:50
Sean Hughes 16:30 - 17:00
Andrew O'neill (Mc) 16:25 - 16:30
Brendan Burns 15:55 - 16:25
Jason Rouse 15:25 - 15:55
Jason John Whitehead 15:00 - 15:25
Andrew O'neill (Mc) 14:55 - 15:00
Inme 14:10 - 14:40
Kylesa 13:20 -13:50
Turbowolf 12:30 - 13:00
Howard Marks 11:00 - 12:00

JAGERMEISTER STAGE
Orange Goblin 22:15 -23:00
James Cleaver Quintet 21:15 - 21:45
Fozzy 20:00 - 20:45
Anterior 19:00 - 19:30
Exit Ten 18:00 - 18:30
Mad Dog 17:00 - 17:30
Amplifier 16:00 - 16:30
Demonic Resurection 15:00 - 15:30
Turbogesit 14:05 - 14:35
Mojo Fury 13:00 - 13:30
The Safety Fire 12:00 -12:30
Fletcher 11:00 - 11:30

RED BULL BEDROOM JAM STAGE
Sonic Boom Six 19:30 - 20:15
Don Broco 18:30 - 19:00
Title Fight 17:30 - 18:00
Dangerous 16:30 - 17:00
Floods 15:30 - 16:00
The Ocean Between Us 14:30 - 15:00
Autumn In Disguise 13:25 - 13:55
Feed The Rhino 12:30 - 13:00
Arcane Roots 11:30 - 12:00

Words by Sean Reid (SR) and Sandeep Dawett (SD)