Block9 is getting bigger, badder, and 'butcher' at Glastonbury Festival this year

The first details of the Block9 area in the naughty corner of Glastonbury Festival have been announced for next month's Festival. A 24-hour wonderland of heavyweight sound systems, underground nightclubs, huge artworks and extremely alternative performance, Block9 the late-night destination is home to three jaw-dropping installations: Genosys, NYC Downlow and London Underground.

This year sees a brand new NYC Downlow venue, now set in the Meatpacking District, and Block 9 will host performances from acts including The Black Madonna, Andy Butler, nd_baumecker, and Roger Sanchez, and Hot Chip (DJ set) with a tribute to Prince at Genosys at midnight (Fri night/Sat morning).

Block9 's NYC Downlow venue moves after ten years on New York’s East 7th Street, rampant gentrification has resulted in eviction of the infamous gay nightclub NYC Downlow, forcing it to relocate across town to the Meatpacking District. The club will now share premises with the notorious West Side Bath House in a fully functioning Meatpacker’s warehouse; two worlds colliding under one roof…

Organisers reveal, "Now darker, seedier and moodier, get ready to experience a new chapter in the ongoing NYC Downlow story that continues to delve deep into the fleeting space between art and music. An authentic reproduction of a meatpacker’s warehouse circa 1982, the new design also features a second dance room called The Meat Rack, a hidden blackout play space for the more adventurous partygoer, and an army of go go boy butchers."

The exterior will feature a replica meatpacking warehouse loading bay (complete with hanging beef carcasses), which serves as an outdoor stage. A host of meaty new performers in wipe-clean aprons will man the loading bay, in keeping with what the Meat Packing District was once famed for: butchers, meat processing, prostitution and seedy leather clubs.

After passing through the loading bay area, party goers will arrive at an authentic Bath House reception where they can purchase a moustache - compulsory for all - which then leads past dark and sweaty locker rooms into the legendary club.

The interior will be populated by the pansexual performers that the Downlow is famous for, with a white-hot DJ line-up featuring the cream of the international gay underground. Profits from moustache sales will continue to go to charity, with over £57,000 donated to date.

Gideon Berger, co-founder of Block9, said, "The heart and soul of the NYC Downlow - the spirit, the incredible people and most importantly the music - that have made it such a phenomenon over the past 9 years, will remain the same. This exciting new twist in our storyline gives us a huge amount of new creative material to play with, but also shines a spotlight on current, gay, cultural and political issues."

The NYC Downlow has been a Glastonbury favourite since its first appearance in 2007 and was the UK's first LGBTQ festival destination. An estimated 50,000 people pass through the Block9 field at Glastonbury Festival every year.

To help bring the new NYC Downlow to life earlier this year, Block9 went on the hunt for sexed-up butchers, jocks, hustlers and clones at the Gay Meatpackers Recruitment Drive at The Glory, Haggerston. The winners of the competition are joining the NYC Downlow performers at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

NYC Downlow will host an army of 50 pansexual go-go boy butchers and a polysexual Meatpacking trans army not to be reckoned with. Get ready to “meat” the neighbours with Jonny Woo's cutting edge, queer performance artists. Themes over the long weekend include Inside 80's club land ( high fashion / street wear / sports) on Thursday, Leather XXX Fetish on Friday, A Bowie Night on Saturday, and on Sunday the Sauna Party.

NYC Downlow is not the only venue in Block9. The Genosys outdoor arena, short for Generated Oxygen System, is a concrete and glass 50-foot, audiovisual hybrid that fuses music, art, lighting and video design. This year the venue has an audio upgrade means Genosys will now benefit from the same cutting-edge sound system used by the Pyramid Stage

The London Underground is a sinister, decaying tower block with a life-size, blazing tube train bursting from the fifth floor, this towering nightclub venue showcases the cream of London’s sound-system underground. The London Underground queue and lobby have always attracted dubious characters. Sometimes, all is not what it seems and an invitation to queue jump might result in more than you bargained for… Prolific theatre director David Rosenberg (Shunt) joins Block9 for this brand new site-specific installation in association with The Roundhouse Theatre.

Genosys will be home to acts including Joey Beltram, Mike Dunn, Mr G, DJ Deeon, De Sluwe Vos, Seth Troxler, Craig Richards, Hot Chip (DJ set) - Prince Tribute, and Roi Perez.

NYC Downlow will feature acts including Roger Sanchez, Dungeon Meat, Honey Soundsystem, The Black Madonna, Andy Butler, Prosumer, Chez Damier, Midland, Gideon, Tama Sumo & Lerato, and Horse Meat Disco.

Taking to the decks in London Underground will beShy FX & Stamina, Youngsta, LMK, Artwork, Solution Sound, Hodge, Horsepower Productions, and Nicky Blackmarket.

DJing in the backroom hangout that is The Meat Rack a new space within the NYC Downlow complex, will be Eats Everything, Fouk, Jo Nathan, Boogie Cartel, Situation, Trouble Vision, Guy Williams, Soulhole, and more.

For the full line-ups and day splits click here.

Tickets for Glastonbury Festival have sold out. This year's full line-up is yet to be announced.

The Friday headliners are Muse, Adele tops the bill on Saturday and Coldplay on Sunday, plus PJ Harvey, Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra, Art Garfunkel, Cyndi Lauper, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Last Shadow Puppets, Sigur Ros, Ronnie Spector, Ellie Goulding, Explosions In The Sky, Foals, Beck, LCD Soundsystem, ZZ Top, Disclosure, New Order, Skepta, The 1975, Grimes, Annie Mac, Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, Underworld, James Blake, Chvrches, Savages, Floating Points, Laura Mvula, Stormzy, Daughter, Little Simz, Vince Staples, John Grant, Band of Horses, Jess Glynne, Carl Cox, Nao, Fatboy Slim, Bring Me The Horizon, Richard Hawley, The Lumineers, Lady Leshurr, Rokia Traore, Guy Garvey, Kamasi Washington, Jack Garratt, AlunaGeorge, Hinds, Ezra Furman, M83, Kurt Vile (solo), Mercury Rev, Gregory Porter, Madness, Wolf Alice, Baaba Maal, Ernest Ranglin, Bastille, Roisin Murphy, Santigold, Years And Years, Dua Lipa, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bat For Lashes, Protoje, Two Door Cinema Club, Jake Bugg, Mac DeMarco, St Etienne, Blossoms, Of Monsters and Men, and Lapsley.. Plus the entrants for the Emerging Talent competition Bossy Love, Early Ghost, Gillbanks, Hattie Whitehead, Henry Green, Lady Sanity, Marcus McCoan, and She Drew The Gun.

The line-up for areas of Glastonbury Festival announced so far are:
Silver Hayes Dance Area
The Common Area
Field Of Avalon
Leftfield
Theatre & Circus, Glebeland
Kidz Field

Expect something like 2,000 performances at over 100 venues including music, cabaret, theatre, circus, a fantastic Kidz area, poetry, green crafts and information, site art, decor, and loads, loads more ... much more than just the music, so make sure you check it all out!

As usual eFestivals will bring you the very best-sourced rumours - keep your eyes on the Glastonbury 2016 line-up & rumours, updated as we receive information.

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