What’s On reveals the October Sandance line-up; Rudimental, De La Soul, Clean Bandit, Empire of the Sun, and more all play Atlantis The Palm.

More…
– Sensation line-up
– Best of Sandance
– Meet the Sandance team

The full line-up for the October return of Sandance has been revealed.

Following earlier news that Rudimental would return to Nasimi beach, bringing with them debutants Clean Bandit, organisers have then confirmed that De La Soul and, as What’s On told you exclusively, Empire Of The Sun, will also be partying on the beach at Atlantis The Palm.

A trio of announcements were concluded on Thursday, when superstar DJ duo Axwell and Ingrosso were added to the line-up.

For EDM fans, the Scandinavians enjoy iconic status, and ravers will be thrilled to see them take to the decks until the early hours. The two enjoyed their greatest success as part of the Swedish House Mafia when they were joined by countryman Steve Angello, though earlier this year they released their own album as a pair.

Meanwhile, it’s the first time since 2012’s Chillout Festival that the New York rappers have played in the UAE, and comes 27 years after their formation in Long Island. Famed for their fusion of jazz, funk and traditional rap, Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason – or Plug One, Two and Three – can count some of the industry’s catchiest tunes in their repertoire, including ‘Magic Number’ and ‘Me, Myself and I’.

Australian electronic duo Empire of the Sun first hit the headlines in 2008 with ‘Walking On A Dream’ and have since backed up that success with ‘We Are The People’ and, four years later, ‘Alive’.

As we told you yesterday, frontman Luke Steele revealed earlier this summer that they would likely come to town before the year was out. Speaking during the Governors Ball in New York (in a video below) he confirmed an appearance would be part of their current tour.

“We play here, then to Korea and we’re taking the show to places we haven’t been like Dubai, Malaysia and other continents,” he said.

Steele, who also fronts rock band The Sleepy Jackson, is renowned for his eccentric stage performances, backed up by stunning visuals, zany costumes and a collection of wild support dancers. Footage accompanying the interview in the USA shows an NYC stage suitably packed with the usual psychedelic scenes.

 

Brit quartet Rudimental were last on these shores in 2013 when they rocked out alongside Jamiroquai and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. Coming straight out of Hackney in east London, they exploded onto the scene in 2012 with UK number one ‘Feel the Love’, featuring John Newman, and followed it with ‘Waiting All Night’, alongside vocalist Elly Eyre. Since their last visit, they have won a Brit Award and performed sell-out shows in the UK (three at the iconic Brixton Academy) and further afield.

Clean Bandit, meanwhile, who have actually been around for the best part of five years, have only recently begun enjoying mainstream success following the release of the track ‘Rather Be’, with the lyrical support of Jess Glynne.

October’s stellar cast – to which we expect more names to be added before the week is out – follows the likes of Fatboy Slim, The Killers, Basement Jaxx, Emeli Sande, Axwell, Pete Tong, Nile Rodgers and Jamiroquai who have all taken to the beach to perform in the past 12 months.

It’s been three months since the festival’s return was confirmed, and fans have been waiting eagerly for updates with speculation as to who would be on the bill as rife as ever.

The announcement of shows (a second is scheduled for Friday November 14), was made as a virtually sell-out crowd rocked the night away to Kings of Leon at Live@Atlantis. The gig featuring the Tennessee brothers was hailed as a success despite yet more traffic problems accessing the venue, after a succession of more subdued gigs on the famous strip of sand in the shadow of Atlantis

Other bands that had been touted by numerous industry insiders were Paolo Nutini, who headlined the recent V Festival in the UK, and Lily Allen, though What’s On understands the latter is more likely to appear in Dubai at a later date. The same goes for Lana Del Rey.

October’s Sandance comes at a time when what promises to be a memorable season of music will be back in full swing. Aside from the second slated party on the sand on November 14, Take That frontman Gary Barlow is in town on October 17, Sensation dance event takes over Meydan on October 31, and, of course, Lady Gaga is in town just next week. There are also three exciting announcements regarding the Formula One weekend expected in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Sandance will be available from Wednesday September 3, priced at Dhs295 (Early Bird), Dhs325 (Regular) and Dhs500, and available from atlantisthepalm.com and platinumlist.net. For VIP table packages call 055 200 4321