Bang Face

Bang Face is known for its fun and creative party atmosphere featuring inflatables being bounced above the crowd, banners bearing comedic slogans and fancy dress themes. A photo feature illustrating this appeared in the Observer Magazine.{{cite news|last=Sturrock|first=Alex|title=Street Life|newspaper=The Observer|date=May 2008}} It is this atmosphere that has become Bang Face’s unique signature with Time Out London claiming that the 2009 Weekender would “make Bestival look like f***ing ‘Question Time’". Bang Face hosts a wide range of electronic dance music.{{cite journal|last=McGrath|first=Allan|title=Bangface|journal=DJ Mag|date=January 2007}}

Bang Face themes its events using historical references. Rolling Stone magazine commented on the 2024 theme, “Such off-the-wall ridiculousness runs through the blood of Bangface: owing to the ‘Bangus Maximus’-theme, this year’s opening party commences with an on-stage Gladiator-style duel that sees one rave champion crowned and then make their way through the crowd on a ginormous Trojan horse.”https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/why-bangface-the-uks-last-surviving-rave-cation-must-be-protected-at-all-costs-43880/

Bang Face began as a monthly club night in London and quickly became increasing popular with a resurgence in electronic dance music. Event organiser, James Gurney, was interviewed by The New York Times in 2007 and said the dance-music scene has been “snowballing” and the crowd is “getting younger and younger.”{{cite news|last=Knight|first=Sam|title=Bang Face|newspaper=The New York Times|date=21 January 2007}} It gained attention early on with a video endorsement from Ozzy Osbourne who described it as "the Punk Rave Place". Whilst supporting mainly new and upcoming artists, Bang Face began to gain attention in the media. It appeared top of the recommended club features in publications such as NME’s ‘Top clubs to get your rocks off’ and The Guardian Guide: “Bang Face celebrates with luminaries Venetian Snares, A Guy Called Gerald and Hellfish to unleash all manner of mayhem”.{{cite journal|title=The Clubs|journal=NME|date=June 2006}}{{cite news|title=Pick of the week|newspaper=The Guardian|date=7 October 2006}} Timeout said “There’s a line most club nights stop at, for fear of being too silly. Bangface crossed that line on its very first night, and hasn’t looked back since. What started in 2003 as a one-off party has become a cultish hub for London's ravers.”[https://www.timeout.com/london/clubs/gallery-ten-years-of-bang-face Timeout: In pictures: the eternal comic genius of Bangface] Bang Face also holds an annual boat party on the River Thames.

After five years of monthly club nights, Bang Face launched the first Weekender in 2008, held over three days at Pontins in Camber Sands. Following the success of this event it has now become an annual event. A fly poster for the first Weekender appeared in Channel 4's Shameless as a stage prop.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ravetalk.co.uk/forum/shameface-t4993.html|title=Shameface! : BangFace|website=Ravetalk.co.uk|accessdate=12 January 2021}}{{cite journal|author=Company Pictures|title=Shameless TV Series|journal=Channel 4| date=March 2008 |series=5}}

In 2012 the Bang Face Weekender was held at Trevelgue Holiday Park, Newquay, Cornwall and headlined by Aphex Twin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/festival/3174471+Bangface+Weekender+2012|title=Bangface Weekender 2012 at Trevelgue Holiday Park (Newquay) on 14 Sep 2012|website=Last.fm|accessdate=12 January 2021}}

The Bang Face Weekender returned in 2015 to Pontins Holiday Park Southport for the 100th event and continued there annually until 2023. Following their performance at the 2023 Weekender, Atlanta-based producer and DJ Nikki Nair said "Bang Face, oddly enough, was one of the most beautiful festivals I’ve ever attended; a celebration of rave as a culture and language, done in a very genuine and wholesome way, with no punches pulled or expense spared to make it feel like, well, the raviest possible rave."[https://crackmagazine.net/article/profiles/signing-off-the-artists-who-defined-2023-nikki-nair/ Crack Magazine: This is Signing Off, our year-end series with the artists who defined 2023]

In January 2024, Pontins in Southport closed down permanently following damage from Storm Henk.{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Gemma |title=Southport Pontins, Home of Bang Face Weekender, has closed with immediate effect. |url=https://mixmag.net/read/bang-face-weekender-pontins-announces-closures-southport-merseyside-news/ |website=Mixmag |access-date=23 January 2024}} On 29 March 2024, it was announced that Bang Face Weekender 2024 would now be held at Butlin's Skegness on 4-7 October.{{cite web | url=https://ra.co/news/80496 | title=Bang Face Weekender reveals new date and location · News ⟋ RA }}

Following the 2024 Weekender at Butlin’s Skegness, Rolling Stone magazine commented that “Bangface – the UK’s last surviving rave-cation – must be protected at all costs... Suffice to say, losing this uninhibited club-born escape from reality would have been an irredeemable travesty for British rave culture  – there really is nothing else quite like it. Long live Bangface!”.https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/why-bangface-the-uks-last-surviving-rave-cation-must-be-protected-at-all-costs-43880/

Bang Face began to host showcase events at UK festivals, starting with The Glade in 2006.{{cite journal|title=Glade Get Bang Face|journal=Clash Magazine|date=18 June 2006}} In 2010 it hosted a night at the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, which was ranked ninth in a Daily Telegraph columnist's Top 10 highlights of the festival. BangFace returned to Glastonbury in June 2011.{{cite web|title=Glastonbury Festivals - 2011 Line-ups |url=http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223212521/http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ |archivedate=2007-12-23 }} In 2013 - 2014 Bang Face organised events in Belgium and Holland where they have a strong fanbase. This included a takeover at Dour Festival in 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://www.frontview-magazine.be/nl/nieuws/bangface-voor-het-eerst-op-dour-festival#.V_JZqTtZus0|title=BangFace voor het eerst op Dour Festival |website=Frontview-magazine.be|accessdate=12 January 2021}} In 2016 Bang Face was invited to talk at a panel at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event).{{cite web | url=https://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl/en/artists-speakers/james-gurney/15044/ | title=James Gurney — }} From 2017 - 2019 Bang Face held an annual event in Amsterdam, known as Amsterbang at the famous Melkweg venue.[https://ra.co/events/1141922 RA PICK - Glow sticks, inflatables, smileys, 303s, whistles, horns, breakbeats, neon, Venetian Snares and fancy dress. Get sucked into the neo-rave wormhole that is Bangface.] In 2019 Bang Face hosted a stage at Boomtown Festival in the UK.[https://boomtownsource.com/boomtown-2019-line-up/ Boomtown Source]

• List of electronic music festivals

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{{Commons category|Bang Face}}

• {{Official website|http://www.bangface.com/}}
• [http://djmag.com/content/bangface-decade-banging BANGFACE: A DECADE OF BANGING]

{{Electronic music festival}}

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Category:Music festivals established in 2003

Category:Club nights

Category:Electronic music festivals in the United Kingdom