SONISPHERE 2014 coincides with the 40th anniversary of live music at the legendary grounds of Knebworth House, and to celebrate, some very special events will be taking place over the course of the weekend and beyond.

Sonisphere presents Classic Album Sundays in partnership with Jagermeister

In an age where most devices used for playing music come with a shuffle option, songs are sold individually and the majority of music serves as background to whatever other task the “listener” is attending to, the team behind Classic Album Sundays (www.classicalbumsundays.com) provides a remedy to those who’ve forgotten what an album sounds and feels like.

With monthly events hosted in cities around the world, Classic Album Sundays is an opportunity to truly lose yourself in the music, enabled by simple rules – no talking, no texting, and every song on the album is listened to in the correct order as the artist intended. Enhancing the experience and enabling the listener to hear intricate details is the all analogue Audio Note hi-fi, one of the world's best audiophile sound systems.

With the 40th anniversary of Knebworth House coinciding with this year’s Sonisphere, a series of Classic Album Sundays sessions in partnership with Jagermeister will be hosted at the festival. Between 10am – 4pm on the Saturday and Sunday, festival goers will be able to enjoy albums from all three of this year’s headliners, plus other legendary albums by bands from the rich 40 year history of Knebworth. Titles will include Iron Maiden “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”, Pink Floyd “The Dark Side of the Moon”, Prodigy “Fat of the Land”, Metallica “Metallica (The Black Album)” and more to be announced, with an introduction to each by a suitably passionate expert before the playback

Interested parties will be able to sign up to attend these exclusive events during the course of the festival. Visit the information tent for details.

Knebworth Exhibition

Since 1974 Knebworth Park has played host to some of rock’s biggest and best performances, including of course Sonisphere in 2009, 2010 and 2011. To celebrate 40 years of live music at the venue Knebworth House has expanded its existing collection of memorabilia with rare and exclusive items gathered for a special exhibition. With a history encompassing Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, 10cc, Frank Zappa, Lynrd Skynyrd, Devo, Genesis and many more this will be a must for rock fans and music aficionados. Following on from Sonisphere itself members of the public will be able to see the exhibition from 8th July until 31st August during Knebworth House open days between 12:00 and 4:00pm for £12 for adults and £11.50 for seniors and children. The cost also allows access to the Gardens, Dinosaur Trail, Park and Adventure Playground. More information can be found via the Knebworth House website

40th Anniversary Tribute To The Greats

Knebworth House has hosted to some of the biggest and most legendary artists to ever roam the planet, from classic icons to modern megastars. Although Sonisphere plays host to many legends in its own right, with it being the 40th anniversary of festivals at Knebworth, Sonisphere would like to pay tribute to those magic moments over the last four decades via a worthy covers band, and are opening the doors to submissions.

With the likes of The Allman Brothers, Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers, Captain Beefhart, Steve Miller Band, 10cc, Hot Tuna, Lynryd Skynyrd, Rolling Stones. Frank Zappa, BB King, Led Zepplin, Scorpions, Deep Purple, UFO, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and many many more, there are plenty of classic tracks to choose from. If you play in or know of a suitable covers band that you think should make the cut, tag them on their facebook page  or email a suitable link to [email protected] before 15th May.

Sonisphere 2014 takes place at Knebworth Park, Knebworth, Hertfordshire between Fri 4th to Sun 6th July 2014 TICKETS