UK Flavours Press Release

UK Flavours Festival – British-Russian festival of new culture

The territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, Saint-Petersburg

A new type of festival set in the Russian heartland of Saint-Petersburg is set to promote multiculturalism through music this summer. Lily Allen tops the impressively varied mix of acts, with Dub Pistols featuring The Specials’ Terry Hall also on the line-up.

UK Flavours Festival, organised by The British Council, will celebrate the positivity of diversity in society. However, it doesn’t want to force-feed these values, preferring to allow an eclectic musical line-up to illustrate its message. The all-day festival will attract a wide range of people from Saint-Petersburg; its 4.7 million population includes over 50 different ethnicities.

The line-up depicts the evolution of multicultural influence in British music. With reggae, ska, dub, bhangra and jungle all developing into fashionable music trends as the decades have passed, as a consequence they have integrated into mainstream music.

The Russian public will see this first-hand in headliner Lily Allen’s work. Debut album Alright, Still owes its ska-tinged melodies heavily to the influence ethnic minorities living in the UK have had on British culture. Lily says: "I listened to punk, ska and reggae when I grew up, courtesy of my parents' record collections.” Heavy radio rotation has made Lily a rising star in Russia, while the huge popularity of her MySpace site also extends to the country.

Lily’s status as a successful mainstream artist is seen as the culmination of a cultural and musical progression that is reflected in the line-up. This journey is shown from Glaswegian bhangra outfit Tigerstyle Sound System, via London’s reggae stalwarts Misty in Roots, right up to Dub Pistols hip hop, dub and ska concoction. There are also two Russian bands on the bill, W.K.? and I-Laska. It is completed by militant hip hop collective Fun-da-mental and dub artist/producer Mad Professor.

The festival takes place in the stunning setting of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Founded over 300 years ago, it stood as a symbol of oppression. It was used as a jail for political prisoners including Trotsky and Dostoevsky. Now, as host of the UK Flavours Festival, it will stand as a symbol of a new, multicultural Russia.


Fans will watch acts while standing on the picturesque beach, looking out to the Baltic Sea. They will be able to gaze on the musical portrait of the city the line-up represents, while costume parades and 22 hours of daylight will add to the carnival atmosphere.A conference will be held by the British Council in Saint-Petersburg the day before the festival to promote its purpose. The day after the main event, Franco Rosso’s classic 1980 film Babylon will be screened. Biographies of artists playing are below:

The British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
We operate in 233 towns and cities in 109 countries and territories worldwide.
We build relationships and understanding between people in the UK and other countries and increase appreciation of the UK’s ideas and achievements overseas.
The areas we focus on are creativity, education and civil society.
We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government.
Our income in 2005/06 was £517 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government is £189 million.

Lily Allen: Having conquered the UK, the USA and most of the Western world, Lily is setting her sights on Russia. Her flowing pop style, which incorporates the ska and reggae music that influenced her from a young age, has become a mainstream sensation. Her first single ‘Smile’ reached Number One in England, while debut album ‘Alright, Still’ cracked the American Top 20. The singer-songwriter is now as well known for her outspoken antics and the devotion of her MySpace fans as for her music. However, her incisive lyrical observations, youthful exuberance and laid-back delivery make her a fascinating live performer.

Dub Pistols featuring Terry Hall: The band formed after Barry Ashworth and Jason O’Bryan realised they shared a love of The Clash, The Specials, Andy Weatherall, King Tubby and Public Enemy. These influences, together with hip-hop, dub, techno, breakbeat ska and punk are all thrown into the Dub Pistols sound. They soon attracted the attention of Terry Hall, singer with iconic band The Specials. After collaborating on a single, Hall is now an integral part of the line-up. His laconic singing style is now inspiring a whole new generation as Dub Pistols genre-mashing style brings them more and more success.

Fun-Da-Mental: One of the few uncompromising bands in terms of not only sound but also politics, Fun-Da-Mental are fiercely anti-racist and outspoken. Since 1991, this variety of rappers, poets and singers has been crafting music that melds Eastern and Western influences into a hip hop sound.

Misty in Roots: A reggae institution, Misty in Roots have been at the forefront of the genre in England for four decades. They are noted for their powerful roots reggae sound and uncompromising lyrical vibrations. The group are active supporters of the Rock Against Racism movement and their social awareness comes through in the music they make.

Mad Professor Ariwa Posse: Mad Professor is one of the country’s most prominent dub producers. He launched his own label, Ariwa, which consistently produces some of the Britain’s most important reggae and dub acts. Many of these will join Mad Professor at UK Flavours Festival, bringing a different sound to the people of Saint-Petersburg.

I-Laska: Playing a home town show, this 6-piece band delivers unorthodox reggae and funk. The multinational line up is open to experimentation, making every gig a unique experience.

W.K.?: Meaning ‘Who Knows?’, the name signifies the determination of this Moscow-based band to create their own musical style. The result is a mixture of Break Beat, Drum’n’Bass, Electro, Funk, Hip-Hop, Dub and Reggae. No strangers to entertaining big crowds, they even organised their own festival of live electronic music - ‘Vdokh.’

Tigerstyle Sound System: Scottish DJs, who blend their roots in Bhangra with trip-hop. Using rap music as inspiration for their own sound, they have cut white label mixes for rap stars including Busta Rhymes, Eminem and 50 Cent. Notably they contributed to a remix on Raghav’s hit single ‘Angel Eyes’ which charted at No.4 in the UK charts. Their music makes people dance, but is also an exploration of their identities.