Land of the Kings Festival Promises a Royal Dalston Knees-Up

Once again Dalston's home-grown two day music festival returns with a host of exciting bands and musicians on the bill.

Land of Kings returns on 28th and 29th April to Kingsland Road, and organiser promise Dalston's very own Royal knees-up, including basement parties, rooftop all-dayers, film showcases, secret banquets, popups and underground gaming.

Hot new acts now include the hybrid rave-duo of Drums of Death and Mumdance; Mums of Death, electro party-starters In Flagranti and hyped Dalston band D/R/U/G/S. Bass and dub heads will get their fix with Hyponik, Funkineven and Om Unit, whilst selectors Eeek Empire, Soul Jazz Soundsystem and Wild Geese join the event's dancefloor action.

Land of Kings also announced a new, exclusive collaboration between Absolut Vodka and multi-media director extraordinaire, Saam Farahmand (Soulwax's 'Part of the Weekend Never Dies' and videos for Klaxons, Simian Mobile Disco, Mark Ronson). 

'Absolut Dalston' will roll into the festival on Thursday 28th with a 'shooting party' filming festival attendees. On Friday 29th Saam will curate an almighty one-off, live, audio-visual DJing event at the Arcola Theatre with special guest DJs.

The festival takes place at a number of venues in and around Dalston, like Rio Cinema and Arcola Theatre to the Vortex Jazz Club and Moustache Bar. You can see all the venues involved here.  

“It’s about a balance of getting the popular spots – The Nest, Vortex, The Alibi as well as some that people are less familiar with. And I’m still a fan of Dreams. It’s probably the most underrated club in the world,” says Nick Griffiths, director and co-founder of the festival.

The area's backstreet theatre Stoke Newington International Airport decamp to Dalston Boys Club - an old Victorian School hall - for a "Royal Wedding Voodoo Remix" featuring a Kate Middleton-inspired striptease and dead Royals from history coming back to celebrate the un-missable occasion. 

Elsewhere, interactive theatre company Gideon Reeling will be sprinkling their own unique, if slightly crazy, magic on the proceedings with their Phoenix Nights-inspired "Cosmic Prawn Wedding Party". Imagine Kate 'n' Wills' big day at a working men's club in the early 90s. Then turn left.

Celebrating the Wedding in their own unique style are the Dalston Darlings, who are hosting a day-long Royal Cafe atop the Dalston Roof Garden, for what will be space's season premiere. Looking out over the E8 skyline, the ladies will be serving high tea, gin cocktails and a BBQ whilst showing the action live on TV, as well as offering love-struck couples the chance to get wed on the day in a (not quite legally binding) ceremony.

Early Bird 2-day tickets for the whole festival are on sale now via www.landofkings.co.uk, We Got Tickets, Crowdsurge, Ransom Note starting at £10. To keep up to date with latest additions join us at www.facebook.com/landofkings