Offset Festival was formed in 2008 as a reaction against overpriced festivals with less than creative lineups. The event is held at Hainault Forest Country Park, just outside London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, accessible via the Central Line

Central Line

The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...

.

2008

The first event aimed to join the dots between cutting-edge, new artists and their influences, with 8 stages covering art rock, post-punk, indie, rock and electro. The event was headlined by influential post-punk bands Wire

Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...

 and Gang of Four

Gang of Four

The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...

, with performances from the likes of Black Devil

Black Devil

-2004 "Disco Club" reissue:The 2004 reissue had four editions, some of which featured a new "128 bpm" remix by Luke Vibert under his Kerrier District alias:UK: Rephlex CAT 146 EPUK: Rephlex CAT 146 RUK: Rephlex CAT 146 TUK: Rephlex CAT 146 CD...

, Neils Children

Neils Children

Neils Children is an English post-punk band, founded by John Linger and Brandon Jacobs .-Career:Neils Children formed in 1999 at Harlow College in Essex, where John Linger and Brandon Jacobs were studying with Richard Hawkins...

, Prinzhorn Dance School

Prinzhorn Dance School

Prinzhorn Dance School consists of two artists, Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn.They have taken their name from Dr Hans Prinzhorn, who collected art by mentally ill patients under his care.-Biography:...

, My Vitriol

My Vitriol

My Vitriol are an alternative rock band from London, England. The band name, which is often misinterpreted, is taken from the novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene...

 (who re-formed to play) and Drum Eyes (DJ Scotch Egg's band).

New artists included Blood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes are an indie rock duo from Brighton, England. They have released two full-length albums, Box of Secrets and Fire Like This, plus a slew of early singles on limited 7" vinyl pressings.-Formation:...

, XX Teens

XX Teens

XX Teens, formerly Xerox Teens are a five-piece band from London. They began performing in London in 2004 and since then have released six singles and an EP. Their debut album Welcome To Goon Island was released on 28 June 2008 on Mute Records. It includes the songs "Onkawara/B-54", "Darlin'",...

, X-Certs, ULTERIOR, Chrome Hoof

Chrome Hoof

Chrome Hoof are an experimental orchestra based in London, England. The group was formed in 2000 by Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and his brother Milo Smee. Initially performing as a duo, their music was mostly electronic. Since the start, however, the group have continuously recruited new members...

, Metronomy

Metronomy

Metronomy are an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount , Anna Prior , Oscar Cash and Gbenga Adelekan...

, Johnny Foreigner

Johnny Foreigner

Johnny Foreigner are an indie rock trio from Birmingham, England, consisting of guitarist/lead vocalist Alexei Berrow, drummer Junior Elvis Washington Laidley and bassist Kelly Southern...

, Kill Casino

Kill Casino

Kill Casino is an English rock band, featuring Karen Luan on lead vocals and bass, Chris Ryan on guitar and Paul-Luc Gifford on drums.-Formation:...

, The Maccabees

The Maccabees

The Maccabees are a indie rock band from Brighton, England. They have released two albums so far, Colour It In in 2007, with a follow-up, Wall of Arms, released on 4 May 2009...

, Young Knives and 180 others. Tickets were priced at £45 for the weekend.

Stages were curated by Last.FM

Last.fm

Last.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....

, Experimental Circle Club and Artrocker magazine.

2009

The Offset Festival returned on September 5–6, 2009, with The Slits

The Slits

The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...

, The Horrors

The Horrors

The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...

, A Certain Ratio

A Certain Ratio

A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...

, Kap Bambino

Kap Bambino

Kap Bambino is an electronic musical duo from Bordeaux, France. The group is known for Caroline Martial's wild vocals and Orion Bouvier' electronic metal mixes. The group is also known for their excited live performances, thus them being a part of the festivals ZXZW, Dot to Dot and playing shows...

 and The Futureheads

The Futureheads

The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...

. A comedy tent was also introduced run by rock and roll comedian Bob Slayer

2010

The Offset Festival returned in 2010 on September 4–5, 2010, with first artists announced as Liquid Liquid

Liquid Liquid

Liquid Liquid is a New York City post-punk, post-disco band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines "...

, Cluster

Cluster (band)

Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...

, Telepathe

Telepathe

Telepathe is an electronic pop duo from Brooklyn consisting of core members Busy Gangnes and Melissa Livaudis. The band also includes other occasional musicians, such as Ryan Lucero....

, These New Puritans

These New Puritans

These New Puritans are a British Art Rock band from the Southend-on-Sea area. The group consists of Jack Barnett , his twin brother George Barnett , Thomas Hein , and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson...

 and many more. It was previewed in NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

magazine as "one of the most genuinely left-of-centre two-dayers to emerge recently, this new favourite might boast kraut pioneers Cluster and Brooklyn hype victims Telepathe but it's the spread of music across the weekend that won Offset so many friends last year."