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Another weekly edition of the festival news round-up, featuring the events that aren't quite important enough/are too foreign to get their own standalone news story. This week features the Camden Crawl at the top of the bill, as well as offerings from our Polish and German friends.
Camden Crawl:
The people at the Camden Crawl - sponsored nobly by Gaymers Cider this year - have just confirmed three of the four headliners for the Roundhouse shows, on the Saturday and Sunday. To your surprise, Sugababes will be playing Saturday, just underneath SECRET SPECIAL GUEST. On Sunday Lostprophets take to the stage at around 6PM, before We Are Scientists do likewise at 9PM. Elsewhere on the bill, Gang Of Four, Lightspeed Champion, Roots Manuva and Young Marble Giants are set to join in on the Bank Holiday Weekend festivities.
Indietracks:
The most delightful festival I've ever been to. Though it is a three-day indie-pop celebration, so that comes as no great surprise. Also on offer are a fine selection of real ales, not that I'm aiming to be the poster boy for CAMRA or anything.
This year's festival - which takes place from 23 - 25 July at The Midland Railway Museum in Swannick, Derbyshire - has just seen the first bunch of bands confirmed. They are below, in no particular order:
Allo Darlin', Ballboy, Be Like Pablo, Betty and The Werewolves, Boy Genius, The Cannanes, Cineplexx, Fanfarlo, The Felt Tips, Foxes!, The Give It Ups, The Just Joans, The Loves, MJ Hibbett & the Validators, Onward Chariots, Sarandon, Shrag, The Smittens, Standard Fare, Stars of Aviation, The Sunny Street, This Many Boyfriends, White Town, Winston Echo.
Which is a good start. A very good start indeed. More information available here.
OFF Festival, Poland:
We covered OFF Festival last year. Seemed very decent. Anyway, 2010 is its fifth year and the level of performer is at a high standard already, what with them confirming The Flaming Lips to headline. Playing alongside them at the Katowice festival are Lali Pune, The Very Best, Memory Tapes, OSTR, Lao Che, Lacowicz, 19 Wiosen who join other notables like Anti-Pop Consortium, The Fall, Efterklang and Austria's Fennesz.
This year's edition takes place from 5-8 August. More info here.
Ether:
The Southbank centre's Ether festival runs from Friday April 16 until the following Sunday, and it aims to be comprehensive and diverse - and it usually is. A gaggle of appetite-whetting artist additions have just been made, with Gil-Scott Heron adding a second night and the brilliant Germans To Rococo Rot being added along with Tanya Tagaq. There'll also be DJing slots from Andrew Weatherall and Tom Middleton, as well as Tom Jenkinson (that's Squarepusher to you and me) doing similar.
More information, including line-ups and pricing available from the official website.
Field Day:
A lot of you won't remember Field Day too fondly. If it wasn't the endless queues for toilets in 2007, it was the rain in 2008 and 2009. Nevertheless, they always seem to have one of the tastiest rosters around, which should be enough to tempt you to Victoria Park for one more go.
This 'orrible lot are the latest to join the list:
Babeshadow, Carte Blanche, Chapel Club, Hudson Mohawke, Lightspeed Champion, No Age, Simian Mobile Disco, Tamikrest, The Fall, These New Puritans, Yuck.
Field Day 2010 takes place on Saturday 31 July, with more info here.
Brainlove:
This year's Brainlove Festival returns to the Brixton Windmill on May 29/30. Good venue. Initial line-up just announced, featuring...
David Thomas Broughton, Bleeding Heart Narrative, Mat Riviere, The Bear Drive, Godzilla Black, A Scholar And A Physician, Follow Your Heart, Drum Eyes, Stig Noise MMX, Napoleon III, Stairs To Korea, Ratface, Abi Makes Music, Ethical Debating Society.
The first seven of those will play the Saturday, the next seven the Sunday. More information here.
Melt:
A German festival surrounded by coal mining towers. See main picture for surrounding scenery. Industrial to the max. Sounds like my sort of place. Now in its THIRTEENTH year, it will run from July 16-18, in/near Gräfenhainichen, which is about a third of the way to Berlin from Leipzig. Now on the bill:
Massive Attack, The XX, Booka Shade, The Wombats, Foals, Bergain and Panoramabar, Blood Red Shoes, Chris Cunningham, Carl Craig, Ricardo Villalobos, Crookers. Previous acts of note on the bill include a bunch of German Damen und Herren that nobody has heard of, and Four Tet, DJ Shadow, Pantha Du Prince, Chromeo, Sinden und mehr.
1234:
Does London really need another festival? Yes, it does. Especially with bands like this playing:
A1 Bassline, Action Beat, A Grave With No Name, Autokratz, Blood Music, Bo Ningen, Breton, DDD, Dark Horses, Deep Shit, Dollop, Drum Eyes, Dum Dum Girls, Egyptian Hip Hop, Invasion, Is Tropical, Kool Kids Klub, Lele (Speaks), Le Shark, Maria & The Mirrors, Matthew Wowow, Mazes, Necro Deathmort, No Bra, Not Cool, Random Impulse, S.C.U.M, Sharks, Smash & Grab, Sunderbans, The Lovely Jonjo, The Knock Out Drops, The Ruling Class, These New Puritans, The Toes, Toddla T and MC Serocee, Trailer Trash Tracys, Tronik Youth, Veronica Falls, Wavves, We Have Band, Victor Talking Machine, Vivian Girls, Von Haze, Wild Palms, Zombie Zombie.
Many of which are atrocious names. The Toes?! Regardless, some very good stuff in there. 1234 takes place on Saturday July 24 in Shoreditch Park. Information here.
Underage:
Underage is the day after Field Day and in the same location, so let's hope the mess is suitably cleared. First wave of acts include:
M.I.A, Tinchy Stryder, Caspa, Chase and Status, Ellie Goulding, Egyptian Hip Hop, Daisy Dares You, Gold Panda, Hadouken!, Lightspeed Champion, General Fiasco, Late Of The Pier Sound System, New Young Pony Club, Jakwob, Is Tropical, Rox, Stornoway, Sub Focus, Tinie Tempah, Unicorn Kid.
Tickets priced at £29.50 and available from here.
Until next time...
