Over 1,000 festival goers seeing over 80 acts around 10 venues in Shoreditch!  With a lot of rain-dodging, bit of sun-capturing and with any luck some homemade cake-eating thrown in.

Check out some photos of the event here and there’ll also be some fantastic videos coming shortly so keep an eye out for those…

A huge thank you to all the artists and entertainment for donating their time and talent, and to all our sponsors, partners and volunteers for making the event happen!   And of course a big thank you to all of you who came to The Big Mix for partying with us for a great cause. 

We have raised an incredible £31,000 for Macmillan so the celebrations have begun over here in charity towers, Vauxhall, now that we have just about recovered from the big day!

Collect your wristband from Spitalfields market and make sure to collect your flyer with details on all the discounts available.

Fashion brands involved:

11 Boundary      Apple Tree Boutique      Shop 172          Dolly Dare

18 and East        Traffic People       Agnes B          Chica          Foxbat

House of Vintage         Junky Styling         Paper Dress Vintage

Spitalfields Market

12:00  Treetop Flyers

12:45  I Am Harlequin

13:30  The Last Dinosaur

14:05  Holly Taymar

14:30  Sam Brookes

15:00  6 Day Riot

15:30  Swing Patrol (swing dancing)

16:15  New Town Kings

17:00  The Meow Meows

17:45  Swing Patrol (swing dancing)

18:30  Ben Marwood

19:15  Emily and The Woods

19:45  CLOSE

Plus fashion market, The Big Picture Exhibition and Benefit makeovers.

Queen of Hoxton – Unplugged rooftop stage with SilentArena

12:30  Zak Zilesnick

13:00  City Shanty Band

13:30  Daniel Stevens

14:00  Oliver John Ward

14:30  Giles from Cynics

15:00  Matt Rider

16:00 Silent Disco hosted by SilentArena

19:00  CLOSE

Rich Mix

12:25  Kat Vipers

13:15  Friends Electric

14:05  Treetop Flyers

14:55  Kid British

15:45  Bleeding Heart Narrative

16:35  Yunioshi

17:25  The Pipettes

18:15  CocknBullKid

19:15  Clare Maguire

20:20  Newton Faulkner

21:35  James Yuill

22:30  Guilty Pleasures (DJ)

01:00  CLOSE

 Plus Lucky Voice Big Sing and Don’t Call Me Urban! The Time Of Grime photo exhibition

The Light Bar

19:00  Zero 7 (DJ)

20:30  Edith Bowman (DJ)

22:00  Duff Disco (DJ)

23:30  PPQ’s Amy & Percy (DJ)

00:30  Tim Burgess (DJ)

02:00  CLOSE

Vibe Bar Live Room - DJs and producers curated by burntprogress

13:00  Kay Suzuki

14:00  Simbad

15:00  Mr Beatnick

16:00  Mr Wonderful

17:00  Soundspecies

18:00  Tony Nwachukwu

19:00  Morgan Zarate

20:00  Kutmah

21:00  Nightwave

22:00  Martelo

23:00  Kelpe

00:00  Paul White

01:00  Om Unit

02:00  Bullion

03:00  CLOSE

Plus Old Boots New Laces art exhibition

93 Feet East – Bangers and Mash Night

Live Music

21:30  Mothers Ruin

22:00  Box of Ghosts

22:30  On Screen Heroes

23:00  Lee Willz and Trademark

Pink Bar DJs

19:00  Wasim

21:00  Jimmy Napes

23:00  James Theaker

01:30  CLOSE

Cargo – Hip Hop curated by Le Scratch

16:30  Hip Hop Karaoke

18:30  Konvex (DJ)

19:30  Tor Cesay

19:50  Motive (DJ)

20:30  Camouflage Children

20:50  Rugrat (DJ)

21:30  Chima Anya

21:50  Rugrat (DJ)

22:00  XO Man and Mikill Pane

22:30  CLOSE

Plus Live art from St Martin’s emerging art talent!

The Macbeth – Rock curated by Raw Power Management

20:15  My Preserver

21:00  Mallory Knox

21:45  Town

22:30  The Social Club

23:15  Spycatcher

00:00  Dangerous!

00:30  Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard (DJ)

02:00  CLOSE

Concrete – Comedy

18:00  Chris Mayo (MC)

18:05  Matt Richardson

18:15  Diane Spencer

18:30  Kevin Eldon

19:10  Hannah Warman

19:20  Del Strain

19:30  Rachel Parris

20:05  Romesh Ranganathan

20:25  Rufus Hound

20:45  CLOSE

The Brickhouse – Cabaret

15:30 – 18:00  League of The Extraordinary featuring Lady Beau Peep, Marcos The Marvellous, Betty Delight and The Flame Haired Fire Cracker

21:00 – 22:30  League of The Extraordinary featuring Vicious Delicious, Kiki Lovechild, Marcos The Marvellous and Lady Beau Peep.

 N.B. All timings may be to subject to change

Posted Friday 17th June 2011

Xfm studios were taken over last night (Thursday 9th June) by some of the exciting new talent that will be playing at The Big Mix in London on June 18th. Big Mix patron John Kennedy invited artists to come in and perform live in the London studios of Xfm and provide a taster of what’s to come on June 18th at venues across Shoreditch.

First up we were treated to the sounds of roving troubadour Mr Ben Marwood who started the night with a rendition of ‘Singalong’ that has got crowds singing in his recent gigs supporting Frank Turner on tour. Ben also performed ‘Tell Avril Lavigne I Never Wanted To Be Her Stupid Boyfriend Anyway’.

Then came two keen brothers, that’s producers/musicians Henry and Olly Keen from Soundspecies who brought in some brand new tracks and talked to John about some of the influences on the unique music they produce.

Next up Kat Vipers, the winner of The Big Mix unsigned competition voted by Soundcloud listeners and chosen by John, talked about her ever-evolving sound and brought her wild mixture of keyboard sounds to the Xfm airwaves with tracks ‘Put Out’ and ‘Blue Ice Lolly’.

From the synth-pop sounds of Kat Vipers to the spellbinding, beautiful folk music of Emily and The Woods who hypnotised the studio with just her voice and guitar. Emily performed the tracks ‘More Like Me’ and ‘I Can’t’.

Bringing some hip-hop to the mix and fresh from a gig earlier in the night Mikill Pane talked about recently hitting number one in the iTunes singer-songwriter charts for the track Little Lady with Ed Sheeran. Mikill overcame technical difficulties to play ‘You Don’t Know Me’.

Literally towering over the mic next, the man giant of XO Man got the studio bouncing with the heavy bassline beats of ‘What’s He Like’.

Finally the patient Yunioshi overcame a missing drummer and the perils of clumsy cameramen to end the show on a high with a blistering live performance of their latest single ‘Invisible’.

You can listen again to the show here and of course buy advance tickets for just £20 here instead of £25 on the day.

Posted Friday 10th June

Owner of the driest wit and the smartest moustache in the business, comedian Rufus Hound has signed up for stand-up at Macmillan’s Big Mix festival on Saturday 18 June.

While the comedy kingpin tops the line-up of what is set to be the funniest stage in Shoreditch, joining the musical bill is James Yuill whose signature folktronic sound of acoustic mixed with digital creates the perfect fusion. Yuill, armed with his laptop, mixing decks and guitar, completes the Big Mix’s musical line-up that already boasts the likes of Brit-nominated Newton Faulkner; voice of 2011 Clare Maguire; the folk rockin’ Treetop Flyers; retro girl-group The Pipettes and electro-popper CocknBullKid – as well as a number of other acts showcasing some of the best new sounds around.

The one day metropolitan music festival will take over nine venues across Shoreditch, each dedicated to a different sound or experience. At The Light Bar, DJ sets are the order of the day with the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, Charlatans front man Tim Burgess, Zero 7’s Sam Hardaker and production whiz kid Duff Disco on the decks.

At Concrete  Rufus is joined by comedy compadres Kevin Eldon, Diane Spencer, Joel Dommett and Romesh Ranganathan and to name a few.

The Big Mix’s urban tentacles will also be spreading out to: Spitalfields where live acts, Swing Patrol dance lessons, a fashion market and a Macmillan’s own ‘Big Picture’ photography exhibition will be held; Cargo for a night curated by Le Scratch, including hip hop karaoke; 93 Feet East for a Bangers and Mash party; The Macbeth thanks to Raw Power; the Brickhouse for Cabaret and Vibe Bar music agent Tony N. Art lovers can soak up some inspiration at the fascinating ‘Don’t call me urban! The Time of Grime’ photography exhibition at Rich Mix documenting the lives of the youth of London’s inner-city over a 12 year period, and take in  the ‘Old Boots New Laces’ art exhibition at Vibe.

For those looking for an unplugged ambient experience, the rooftop bar at the Queen of Hoxton will be the perfect place to kick back and relax for an afternoon of acoustic sets followed up with a Silent Disco.

Advance tickets still on sale for just £20 here. 100% of profits go to Macmillan Cancer Support to help us improve the lives of two million people living with cancer in the UK.

Congratulations to Kat Vipers who is the winner of The Big Mix Unsigned Competition and will perform at Rich Mix on 18th June and live on John Kennedy’s Xposure show on Xfm on Thursday 9th June.

Kat’s track was voted into the top 10 of almost two hundred entries in our online competition on Soundcloud and was then chosen by Big Mix patron and Xfm DJ John Kennedy as the winning entry with her track ‘Blue Ice Lolly’.

According to John, “Kat Vipers stood out with a combination of electronica and vocals that called to mind the Art Of Noise and Propaganda. It was a really strong combination of song and sound that revealed an interesting talent. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard her before and now thanks to The Big Mix I have and I think we’ll be hearing plenty more of her too.”

Kat will be performing at Rich Mix as part of The Big Mix festival on 18th June and said “I am absolutely thrilled to have won the Big Mix competition and I can’t wait to play the festival alongside many amazing artists”.

She’ll also be part of a special Big Mix show on John Kennedy’s X-posure show on Xfm this Thursday 9th June that will showcase some of the emerging talent performing at The Big Mix. Watch this space for more info on the show and remember tickets are still available to The Big Mix for the advance price of £20 here.

Street-tough electro-popper CocknBullKid will be bringing her feisty-yet-funny tunes to the same Rich Mix stage as the cheeky retro-inspired girl group The Pipettes. The Shoreditch venue will also play host to Brit-nominated guitar hero Newton Faulkner; voice of 2011 Clare Maguire and the folk rockin’ Treetop Flyers, as well as a handpicked selection of some of the best new sounds around.

Over at The Light Bar, DJ sets are the order of the day with the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, Charlatans front man Tim Burgess, Grammy award-winning Zero 7’s Sam Hardaker and production whiz kid Duff Disco on the decks.

For those looking for an unplugged ambient experience, the rooftop bar at the Queen of Hoxton will be the perfect place to kick back and relax for an afternoon of acoustic sets followed up with a Silent Disco.

Fancy a laugh? Head down to Concrete or the Comedy Café to check out some of the best award winning comedians around – whether it’s the all-pervading madness of comedienne Diane Spencer, cult comedy star Kevin Eldon or their comic compadres Steve Hughes, Robert White and Helen Arney there’ll be something for everyone.

The Big Mix is taking over many more venues across Shoreditch including live acts, entertainment and a fashion market at Spitalfields; Cabaret at the Brickhouse; hip hop karaoke, live art and MCs with Le Scratch at Cargo, a Bangers and Mash party at 93 Feet East and an eclectic line-up of DJs curated by Tony N from creative music agency Burntprogress all day at Vibe Bar plus punk rock courtesy of Raw Power at The Macbeth.

Get your tickets in advance for just £20 with all proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support to help improve the lives of two million people living with cancer in the UK.

Lucky Voice will be hosting a ‘Big Sing’ at The Big Mix, getting the crowds to belt out some classic tunes in between the bands playing.  And to get those vocals warmed up in preparation for this, Lucky Voice have got 5 golden tickets up for grabs, giving you and up to 14 friends the chance to perfect those harmonies with a two hour karaoke room hire at Lucky Voice Soho, Islington or Brighton.

All you have to do to enter is retweet the following to win:

Follow and RT to win Lucky Voice golden ticket (karaoke for you and your friends!) with @bigmixfest

Competition Rules

1.   The closing date for the competition is Friday 13 May 2011.

2.  The winners of the competition will receive a Lucky Voice Golden Ticket which will entitle the winner and up to 14 friends a two hour karaoke room hire.  The offer is valid in Lucky Voice Soho on Sunday to Wednesday for 4-12 singers, Lucky Voice Islington and Brighton on Sunday to Thursday for 4-15 singers.  Subject to availability and valid until the end of October 2011.  Macmillan Cancer Support reserves the right to withdraw or replace this prize should it no longer be available.

3. Winners will be chosen at random.  The decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

4. The results of the competition will be announced on The Big Mix Facebook and Twitter pages on Friday 13 May 2011.

The flame haired dread-head will be wowing crowds with his folk genius and spell-binding hits such as ‘Dream Catch Me’- the likes of which helped bag him the UK number one album slot with his debut Hand Built by Robots.

Newton said: “I’m really looking forward to performing at Macmillan’s Big Mix – I’m hoping to have a surprise guest join to me too. It’s going to be excellent. Get your tickets, support this great charity, and I’ll see you there!”

Be sure to catch Newton and his special mystery guest on June 18th!  Get your tickets now for just £20.

First lady of festivals and BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman will be gracing the decks on the night, playing her pick of the latest and greatest from the world of indie and alternative music.

Edith, a long time supporter of Macmillan said: “I love how Macmillan have put the Big Mix together – they’ve got everything in there from folk artists and acoustic performances  to late night DJ sets; comedy acts to burlesque. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday in London if you ask me – I can’t wait.”

UK’s hottest singer songwriter Clare Maguire, tipped as the voice of 2011, will be belting out an acoustic set that is destined to be the soundtrack of the summer festival season. Catch her here first.

Over from LA, Charlatans front man Tim Burgess, will be showcasing his musical pedigree with a rare live UK DJ set. Having previously played launch parties for the likes of the Chemical Brothers, Burgess’s performance is not to be missed.

Also storming at The Big Mix, which kicks off at midday, will be Sam Hardaker from Grammy nominated electronic duo Zero 7 with a DJ set; folk rockin’ Treetop Flyers ahead of their Glastonbury debut; PPQ’s Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker (DJ Set); Manchester’s answer to the Gorillaz, Kid British, and the infectious electronic-pop quartet that is Friends Electric, amongst a host of others.

XFM’s new music legend John Kennedy is a patron of the event, alongside music-loving actor Rupert Grint, giving their seal of approval to other live acts including: Spycatcher; Town; Yunioshi; New Town Kings; I Am Harlequin.

If comedy’s your bag, there’ll be two dedicated comedy venues at The Big Mix featuring the likes of: Steve Hughes, thrash metal drummer who crossed the fine line into anarchistic comedy; Robert White, who took away the award for comic originality at the Edinburgh Festival and Helen Arney: “Champion of musical whims”.

And for those with a short attention span, why not enjoy a spot of hip hop karaoke, check out the art and photography exhibitions or have your likeness taken in the Mighty Booth pod? Ever fancied learning to swing dance? Now’s your chance. Or why not marvel at the cabaret shows or pick up some vintage – or new – threads designed by some of Britain’s best new fashion talent.

We’re super excited and this is just the beginning! Watch this space for more announcements soon…