Preview: The Rest of the Summer

So the dust has settled on a scorching Glastonbury and JT and Jay Z have put their stamp as Legends of the Summer on the Olympic Park. The city festivals are but a slightly warm memory and we’re all melting in office blocks or summery parks waiting for our next Cornetto.

You could however, go to another festival this year.
“But Sound Influx, festivals are really expensive and the summer’s already half done. Can’t I just sit at home and watch Wiley rant about them on the internet?”
No reader, whilst that could be quite fun, even Wiley’s going to get his wellies melted onto his feet at Reading and Leeds and there’s an assortment of festivals left this summer that won’t break the bank.

Y Not

Occuring on the first weekend of August, this, by means of proximity to now is the most likely one to see radiant sunshine. Having grown over the last 8 years, championing the best in new music and getting bigger headliners by the year; this year sees once Reading and Leeds headliners The Darkness join The Cribs, Ash, The1975, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, 65DaysOfStatic and The Horrors.
Future big deals Chloe Howl, Lewis Watson and Gnarwolves also fill the £80 weekender that holds the Mystery Jets as its house-band. Our friends at Alcopop! Also host a stage at what promises to be a hugely diverse festival that’s also known for it’s wonderful toilets (and we’re not even taking the p*** there!)

Beacons

The north of England really is a wonderful place; so wonderful infact that the lovely folk at Beacons in Skipton, North Yorkshire have managed to persuade everyone from Danny Brown, Django Django, Fucked Up, Bonobo  and Melody’s Echo Chamber to join in on the fun. Of course, if all of that fun isn’t up your street, you can always go to a Whisky Tasting workshop, watch a film or enjoy a talk on philosophy whilst eating one of the many wonderful food options (the food here is second to none, for a field). Four nights of this Yorkshire bliss costs under £100 and they’ll even throw in David Rodigan MBE!

End of the Road 

Closing August in utter beauty this year, EOTR sees Sigur Ros, Belle & Sebastian and David Byrne & St.Vincent join the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Savages and Daughter at a festival that also holds its own Ale Festival, Comedy stage and Icelandic Grotto. If that’s not enough for you they even have their own bicycle based Postal Service to pass on goodwill, fleeting moments and memories across the site. We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention that all of its cheapest tickets flew out of the door to be replaced by £175 ones, but frankly Sigur Ros are in the best shape of their touring careers whilst sets from Eels and Daughter won’t feel more fitting anywhere else in the world except in this field in Dorset.

ArcTanGent 

Finally but definitely not bringing up the tail quietly is ArcTanGent. It’s the rookie of the batch being in its debutant year, but hosted by the same folk that brought the world 2000Trees and held just outside of Bristol, it stands up amongst the rest straight away. 65DaysOfStatic and Fuck Buttons headline whilst SI favourites Tall Ships and infectious post-rockers And So I Watch You From Afar, hardcore outfit Rolo Tomassi, recent starlets Public Service Broadcasting and our underground favourites Nordic Giants glitter the huge lineup. It’s the cheaper (£60), louder option to EOTR and one way or another, we promise it’ll be a good one, even if it pours down with rain because the main stage is a huge Arc Tent.

We hope that one of these whets your whistle more than it wets your tent, but with weather like we're having now, its worth the risk. See you in the fields.

Parklife Festival 2013

Saturday

First on my list to see was Lapalux. After seeing the Essex boy and RnB bootleg advocate earlier in the year and being more than impressed I wanted to see if he could match that performance to a larger, younger, Levi cut off wearing, Mkat sniffing audience. All of this on top of a set early on in the day and a very large tent must have been intimidating, compliments to Now Wave.

Known best for his merging of RnB and synth that coincide with sublime future garage and deep house remixes Saturdays set wasn’t as I’d hope. The sound was poor, non of which was Stuart Howard's fault, and the audience (that were sat down) were even worse. I felt pity on the dude! Big tune and a personal favourite notably released on Fly Lo’s Brainfeeder label ‘Guuurl’ wasn’t received as highly you’d expect as the majority of the audience looked as if they were on a school trip and/or day release. Please, leave your bum bags and snap backs at home.

Parklife was a dire representation of Manchester and all the talent it houses. Although the variety and caliber of electronic music was on point, the crowds were not and never have I realised what impact this makes. A clear representation of this was Dusky's set.

After previously seeing the London duo at Sankeys, they delivered a similar set with new age anthems such as Calling Me, Nobody Else and Murial. With releases on Aus, Dogmatik, Aunjunadeep and the mighty School Records, its crowd pleasing, it’s a little cautious and it’s oh so Swamp 81. The tent was more so full than my previous visit for Lapalux and the light warehouse tech/bass soul connoisseurs ‘worked it.’ Recent released EP Vanishing Point was a favourite.

After a wonky wait to speak to a Parklife affiliate about using my camera in the pit without being looked at if I were a criminal and getting NOWHERE I decided to venture back to the Now Wave tent to see the infamous Four Tet grace his presence. As expected, expectations were high and like the whole weekend, a bit of a let down. Without blaming the genius himself, nothing could be helped from the poor sound nor the squalking 15 year old girls that kept asking the question ‘Is this Four Tet?’ This and the combination of large inflatable balls and riled up coke heads donning their wifebeaters jumping in all directions proved too much for not only me but the majority (and small selection) of the crowd. The sound picked up slightly towards the middle of the set and we heard the likes of Pyramid, Jupiters and Lion from the fantastic creation that is Pink. I was hoping to hear his recent remix of JT’s Suit and Tie but unfortunately 25 minutes was enough to send me under.

The majority of my Saturday was spent speaking to and getting nowhere with various members of staff, practically babysitting the amount of pissed up children that attended and trying to find somewhere to sit down. Can’t say this years festival was for me.

Becca Kennedy

Sunday

I hate students. You're always cheering and hollering about something. After a packed tram ride to Heaton Park full of said students and their stinking armpits in my face I made my way just in time to see my first act of the day, Action Bronson, who's spearheading the revival of the good old days of New York Hip Hop with the likes of Joey Badass and The Flatbush Zombies. His set is tight and very entertaining, singles from his new EP 'SAAB Stories' such as Triple Backflip and Strictly 4 My Jeeps get an airing and there's even an appearance from Danny Brown for their verses on ASAP Rocky's track 1 Train. The set comes to a close with Bronson taking his microphone out of the tent and walking around Parklife causing a near stampede of people trying to get back into the tent with him as he makes his was back to stage via the crowd. 

Danny Brown's on next after a short DJ Set from his DJ Skywlkr, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, Brick Squad will always be well received at a DJ set, even if you're a total joke of a DJ, so Guetta if you're reading this, take 
notes. Danny Brown's got a back catalogue to be proud of, tracks from mixtape XXX get an airing, as do singles produced by the likes of Araabmuzik and Flosstradamus, and judging by the couple of songs he played from upcoming album 'Old' the album's going to be a corker. There's moshpits and crowdusurfing galore, and despite the shitty sound over at the Hudson Mohawke tent, he has the crowd in the palm of his hands, at one point a fan gets a little too excited and receives a 
crack over the head by Danny's microphone and he doesn't even miss a beat, incredible. And then something strange happens, Action Bronson walks back out to let us know his iPhone has been stolen and there will be a cash reward for anyone who returns it to him, up jumps a kid (a little too fast, if you get what I mean) and hands him his phone, Bronson gives the kid £2000 as a thank you, lifts him over his shoulder and takes him backstage leaving the crowd with jaws wide open. 

Joey Badass has already started his set at the Ape Parklife Beatdown (I have no idea either) tent by the time I get there with the majority of his setlist coming from his debut mixtape '1999' the show ends with the song that made him an overnight star 'Survival Tactics' chaos ensues and there's a stage invasion, man of the day Action Bronson rescues Joey from the over-eager crowd, I think it's fair to say that hip hop's just got exciting again. On the main stage are one of the only acts in Hip Hop to always keep it real, despite its sudden taking over of the mainstream, Jurassic 5, who had a packed crowd grooving and grinning like cheshire cats in the scorching heat, there was even para-gliders dancing overhead 
to classics such as Concrete Schoolyard and What's Golden, a memory that will stick with me forever so thank you J5.

 I end the night back at the Hudson Mohawke tent to see the man himself along with Lunice, TNGHT, they play tracks from debut EP TNGHT and plenty of Kanye West songs, so much in fact that it was just short of an interruption from the man himself. Parklife have plenty to improve on for next year, there was no signal, the majority of the bar staff seemed not to be able to count, the stage times and map on the £6 lanyard were largely wrong and I ended up being kettled for 2 hours waiting for the bus home, but if they manage to keep the sun, incredible acts and get a lot of the students to leave their shitty LADish attitudes back at their shitty uni halls, they may just have a winning formula.

Aaron Lewins 

2000Trees - Review

Every now and then, something comes along that makes Britain seem a bit better. Amidst the dreaded double dip recession, the over-crowded central cities, days of delays to planes, trains and buses and everything else that comes with being in our supposedly “Great Britain”, it’s nice to have a pick-me-up every once in a while. For many, it comes in the form of a quick bit of escapism. Visiting your favourite little haunt, reading the latest paperback fad (although if you’ve picked up 50 Shades of Grey in the last few weeks, I feel like you’re not using the internet properly), switching to a bath once in a while or staggering to McDonalds at 4am because they stay open later now and all that vodka is telling you that a 20 McNugget share box is the perfect remedy for your broken dreams. For others, it comes in the form of moderate sadism mixed with the kind of adrenaline rush that can only come from hearing your favourite band play your favourite song whilst other people share that experience with you in a field somewhere in the British countryside. The adrenaline is natural if festivalling is your kind of thing, but the sadism only comes from the glorious British institution that is rain. Over prolonged exposure to it, hypothermia, trench foot and general wetness become your vices whilst scatterings of sunshine seem to burn you quicker as you bask in its godlike glory. If you’re participating in festival traditions of fancy dress and said fancy dress is made of a material that doesn’t react well to rain, then you’re in worse trouble. Luckily, none of that suffering matters at 2000Trees.

It’s been chucking it down for days, with intermittent spells of radiant sunshine and even the mud being 2ft deep in parts of the main walkway (literally) isn’t going to dampen the spirits of the soaked five thousand in attendance. The festival boasts the best in the British underground and it has to be said that some match this boast much better than others. Thursday’s stage brings enourmous sets from Tall Ships and Tellison as the early bird-ers try not to drown in the endless downpour by dancing in an increasingly steamy tent. Tall Ships are winding up to their debut album release (can I get a “FINALLY”?) whilst Tellison are riding on the success of theirs so watching the two back to back really is a lesson in devotion of fans. The singalongs are massive, only topped by the intelligence of the riffs. Those who don’t give up are subjected to Imperial Leisure (seriously, people listen to that?) and treated to the loudest Three Trapped Tigers set ever.


2000Trees: The main event

Waking up on Friday you’d be forgiven for thinking your tent had been washed far out of the Cheltenham festival’s grounds as peering out of your tent, you’ll discover hundreds more have cropped up over night, seemingly replacing the clouds and grey with pure bright blue. Gunning for Tamar wake up the crowd, Maybeshewill post-rock the heck out of us with more stereo-panning than is ever necessary but enough quality to mask the issues and Lanterns on the Lake struggle against the setting but just about pull of their sunny set on the main stage. We Were Promised Jetpacks see their set compete with live extrordianares The Computers and both pull it off. Jetpacks with singalongs, Computers with pure energy that rivals tour mates and second stage headliners Pulled Apart By Horses. The Futureheads still think it’s 2007 but no one seems to mind until they acapella what was a promised electric set and never regain relevance after and My First Tooth are the surprise of the day bringing a bit of high spirited dancing to the Leaf Lounge tent.

The heavens open as 65Daysofstatic take to the stage and it proves to be for the best as the band thrive in extreme conditions. Playing mostly from their most recent record We Were Exploding Anyway, but with a diverse enough set to please even the most cynical of Trees-goers, the band pull of the set of the weekend and leave those brave enough to choose them over the Xcerts, Gallows and PABH glad of their decision.

Saturday brings a similar schedule of weather (it’s a British festival, I have to mention the weather at least once every 100 words or kittens die) only the downpour starts early on those in fancy dress (there’s about 50 very wet Lemmings plodding about) during a rather moody 2:54 performance. Another band that would be more suited to a tent out in the fields but nonetheless a band with potential even if their debut record was lacklustre. No one minds though after the likes of Fixers failed to excite but definitely got some heads turned and Dog is Dead who are quickly becoming the perfect festival act. You don’t have to be bland to be a festival act and tracks such as Young and Two Devils show their diverse influences and promising debut album in a good light. Elsewhere Johnny Foreigner yet again traverse their back-catalogue and still find room for the singles collection sub-headlining the Leaf Lounge before the ever serene talent of Lucy Rose, Ben Marwood headlines the Greenhouse at the remote far end of the festival to an intimate and dedicated crowd and Summer Camp play before Hundred Reasons who play before Guillemots. The booking order is baffling to say the least but I’m told that the first two worked. Guillemots perform with the usual elegance and insanity as ever mixing last year’s Walk the River tracks with forthcoming new material and the noughties hits. The crowd barely care but Fyfe Dangerfield and company close the festival in eclectic style.

It’s been a very British weekend, you could even buy tea and bacon sandwiches in a makeshift café or enjoy an ice cream in the rain. Wringing out the last of your clothes and looking back on the madness, it’s definitely a worthy alternative to Latitude and one worth noting the lineup for even if you do choose Glastonbury's little sister in the future. 

Words: Braden Fletcher

Photos: 1&2 Jacqui Sadler
3&4 Ben Morse

Latitude 2012 - Review

As about 96% of the comedians appearing over the weekend hastened to remind us, Latitude is very middle class. Probably one of the most middle class festivals ever. There is a Loch Fyne Oyster stall and a Costa. There are morning yoga workshops, talks about the Higgs-Boson and radio 4 recordings. In the comedy tent people use pages from The Independent to sit on. It is basically Adam Buxton’s festival song, in real life. At least this means that a lot of the toilets are nice and, (hallelujah!) there are showers.


FRIDAY

At i arena, Cold Specks aka Canadian born Al Spx, is asking the crowd: ‘Wanna hear a dirty cannibal joke?’ from behind her dark sunglasses. Instead she opts for a warbled version of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ theme tune, getting some of the words wrong. She manages to make it as ‘depressing’ (her word) as her own music. I can’t help but feel that her set would have benefited from a dirty cannibal joke. More impressive, Swedish sister act First Aid Kit craft their famous harmonies dressed in swoon-worthy 70s style dresses on the Main stage. The early time doesn’t affect their beautiful performance, husky voices accompanied by clap-alongs and plenty of hair swishing. 

We head to the comedy tent to catch one of my new favourites, Doc Brown, a comedy rapper. Don’t let the phrase ‘comedy rapper’ put you off. As an ex-rapper, Doc Brown/Ben Smith knows his way around a rhyme. He is one of the highlights of the weekend, with his righteously angry rap about people who put the milk in first when it comes to making a cuppa. Next up is one of the biggest names in comedy, Tim Minchin, whose musical comedy has made him something of a rock star. His set includes old-time favourites such as ‘Prejudice’ and new favourite ‘Woody Allen Jesus’ (the song that was infamously deemed too controversial for The Jonathan Ross Show). Unfortunately, some parts of his set seem a tad too indulgent, with some songs dragging on too long and some gags coming across a bit too big-headed.

Another act which surprisingly disappoints is Alt-J, a band which normally impresses live with their intricate percussion and offbeat, catchy songs. The stage may not help; playing an enclosed tent may have aided the atmosphere of their set better. This seems a shame for a band who has just released a debut album.

The Antlers, luckily, don’t disappoint. Much rockier live than on record, they play a fantastic set in the Word Arena, including a beautiful rendition of ‘Two’ from third album, ‘Hospice’. Yeasayer follow, playing a set full of new songs, including the fantastic ‘Henrietta’. They also play some fantastic live versions of the ‘Odd Blood’ favourite, ‘O.N.E’, which catches everyone in the crowd by surprise. Neither the very drunk couple staggering into everyone, nor the annoying girls holding up a message on paper plates (and therefore blocking a lot of people’s view) can detract from a triumphant, highly enjoyable set.

Bon Iver is the headliner for the night, and plays on a beautiful stage decked out in fishing nets and lights. The set includes many songs from both albums, and it is a joy to see how well the ‘Bon Iver’ songs translate so well live, with Justin Vernon’s haunting vocals entwining with a myriad of different instruments.

SATURDAY

It is early (11am) on the Saturday morning and already there is a considerably sized queue outside the comedy tent. Someone, half-serious, tries to start a chant: ‘What do we want? Science based comedy? When do we want it…?’ When at last the tent opens there is a huge rush to get to the front. People are running. What is all the fuss about? Brian Cox is in the vicinity, that’s what. The first event of the Saturday Morning is a recording of the last in the series of Radio 4’s ‘science based comedy’ show ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’. The show is co-presented with comedian Robin Ince, who brings his brilliant, enthusiastic humour to the mix. At the end of a very interesting discussion about the importance of both science and art in life (unfortunately simplified, rather confusingly, to ‘Science Vs. Art’ at first), Brian Cox is surrounded by teenagers as if he were (still) a rock star. Well, he is on the telly. And he does have very lovely hair…

Over on the Word stage, Sharon Van Etten plays a beautiful set. Her voice is husky and powerful, and this works very well with her fantastic guitar playing. The highlight of her set is the last song, with a plodding drumbeat leading up to a majestic, Sigur Rós-style build up, layered with echoing Warpaint like vocals.

Back to the comedy tent, we catch Josie Long at her finest; her enthusiastic and passionate political comedy is really impressive. She is not afraid to let rip onstage and go a bit mad either, which makes her even cooler. She really is one of the best stand-ups in the country!

Django Django play the teeny-tiny i arena in the woods, and there are as many people outside the tent, craning in as there are packed like sardines inside. There is such a buzz about this band, and there is no wonder; their angular pop sounds just as good live as it does on record. They also have a fantastic, energetic stage presence (from what I could see through the low branches outside the tent).

Later on at the i arena, Nika Danilova, or Zola Jesus is prowling around the stage, dressed head to toe in white. (“Its days like this I wish I wasn’t so committed to wearing white!” she laughs, alluding to the sea of mud). She is every bit caged animal as she eschews the mic stand for the majority of the set and paces the stage. Her operatic voice really is something, especially live, and versions of ‘Sea Talk’ and the powerful, bittersweet ‘Night’ bring a tear to the eye.

Later that night, Robin Ince brings his Late Night Revolution, a pick and mix of sketches and singers, to the Literature tent. This boasted the amazing Grace Petrie, who is the female Billy Bragg, pedalling stories of love and politics with the help an acoustic guitar and fantastic voice. Another highlight of the ‘Revolution’ is Johnny and The Baptists, my new favourite comedy folk band. They sings songs about having sex in a library (NOT the children’s section) and unrequited love amongst many other things, aided with fantastic violin playing and melodramatic singing. One thing the ‘Late Night Revolution’ was missing was a bit more Robin Ince/Josie Long stand-up, but alas, time was tight. Still, a very nice excuse to stay up late.

SUNDAY

Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall bring their unique views of Britain from Americans point of view to the comedy tent. Reginald D Hunter exudes cool where Rich Hall is grumpy, but with a twinkle in his eye. He shouts at teenagers in the front row who are leaving for a loo break, before deciding he wanted youngsters to leave, yelling ‘JUSTIN BIEBER IS A C***!’ to try and achieve this.

St Vincent plays at that time of the day on the Sunday afternoon where the lack of sleep starts to catch up with some of the less hardy punters (me). However, ANNIE CLARKE?! impresses, with a fantastic stage presence- red lips and jet-black, curly hair teamed with the perfect shuffle dance. Her sexy vocals entwine with amazing guitar riffs, and I’m pretty sure everyone leaves a little bit in love with her.

Slow Club open their set in the packed out i arena with a cover of ‘Disco 2000’ by Pulp, and end it with a party; their friends dancing onstage with pom-poms and bassist Steve/Sweet Baboo taking his shirt off to play the last song. Their set is a bit short of songs from debut ‘Yeah, so’, however, wellie-stomping ‘Giving Up On Love’ being the only one which seems a little bit of a shame. Perfume Genius follows, and what a heart-rending-ly beautiful set he provides. You can tell just how much Mike Hadreas connects with what he creates, and how much it means to him emotionally. The prime example is during ‘Mr. Peterson’, he himself cries just as much as many of the people in the audience. You would have to be pretty tough not to cry too. The atmosphere in the tent is spell-bound, the fragility and raw emotion in Hadreas’ voice and the delicate piano notes watched in absolute silence before being applauded enthusiastically. Hadreas is also incredibly humble (a really refreshing and appealing attribute), looking genuinely surprised when he said, several times, ‘I hadn’t expected this, thank you so much’ about the reception his beautiful songs received. We leave the set slightly emotionally bruised and a little bit breathless, with watery eyes and a feeling that we have just seen something incredibly special.

It does seem a little bit of a shame that the highlights of Headliner Paul Weller’s set are mostly songs by The Jam. However, he is not, as one smart arse near us claims ‘shit’, and even if he was, they are perfectly welcome to go and watch something else. Smoking endless cigarettes on stage, The Modfather does look just a bit, well, old. Too old for all this maybe. However, some songs from his new album ‘Sonik Kicks’ do go down well, especially ‘Dangerous Age’ with its doo-wap style vocals. When he does play the Jam, it’s fantastic, especially ‘Town Called Malice’, which gets everyone dancing.

Latitude was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, a beautiful site packed with countless activities and stalls and of course, the coloured sheep. The atmosphere was also incredibly friendly and not once did I feel unsafe, even when alone. This was topped off with an impressive line-up of music, comedy and literature. A really wonderful festival.


Words and Photos: Holly Read Challen

Latitude Festival 2012 - Preview

With ten days to go, it’s time to get excited about Latitude festival once again, with its fantastic line-up and famous coloured sheep. The headliners are impressive: Friday night sees the beautiful (and in my opinion, un-missable) Bon Iver taking the top slot, while the other headliners are the huge dad-band Elbow and the Modfather himself, Paul Weller. Also playing and worth a mention are Metronomy and Wild Beasts, both worth a watch too. But who else should you see this year?

1. Yeasayer

The fantastically oddball lads from Brooklyn’s new album is out in August, so a mix of old favourites and first listens to new material can be expected.

2. The Antlers

Another Brooklyn band, The Antlers should not be missed, with their fragile yet expensive sound draped in falsetto.

3. Sharon Van Etten

A singer-songwriter with a distinctive voice, which is sometimes fierce and sometimes gentle. Also worth a watch just in case Justin Vernon from Bon Iver comes and duets with her on ‘Love More’ – Bon Iver covered the song. (A long shot, but boy, that would be magic!)

4. Zola Jesus

This is one artist who should never be missed. Nika Danilova aka Zola Jesus makes stunningly beautiful, eerie and industrial operatic music. This set it bound to be breath-taking.

5. Alt-J

Having recently released their debut, ‘An Awesome Wave’, Cambridge’s finest purveyors of geometry-focused angular geek pop are definitely worth a watch, with beautiful harmonies and odd lyrics.

Latitude also prides itself on its fantastic array of comedy and poetry, (its strapline is ‘more than just a music festival’) so these are also worth a mention:

1. Jack Dee

Always worth it. One of the grumpiest men in comedy, and one of the best for that very reason.

2. Tim Minchin

He had to be in this list, and doesn’t really need any introduction. You shouldn’t need any encouragement for this one either! Go and see him!

3. The Infinite Monkey Cage with Robin Ince and Brian Cox

The brilliant combination of Mr. Ince’s offbeat, charming and enthusiastic comedy and Mr. ‘making physics sexy’ Cox’s knowledge and lovely northern accent is not to be missed. (Don’t let the fact that they are joined by the annoying Al Murray put you off!)

4. John Cooper Clarke

Again, you really shouldn’t need any encouragement to go and see the legendary manc in the sunglasses with the hair. Expect hilarity and Northern wit.

5. John Hegley

A charmingly eccentric poet possibly familiar to Radio 4 listeners, who writes poetry and songs about existentialism and, famously, glasses!

Full line-up can be found at http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/line-up/

Holly Read-Challen

Leefest 2012 - Preview

South East London is a musical black hole. It’s close enough to the rest of London to go there for gigs and events, but the area itself is barren of any noteworthy acts (except for maybe Squeeze, but, y’know). This weekend however, for the sixth year running, it’s LeeFest!

In 2006, a bunch of teens fulfilled an age-old adolescent fantasy and held an impromptu festival at their house after one’s parents had gone on holiday. The story of the inaugural Leefest is a testament to teenage ingenuity and heroic compromises, from bribing a school caretaker with beer in exchange for a stage to pulling said stage for a mile in a bunch of stolen shopping trollies. Since then the organisation’s been upped but the basic premise remains: an unpretentious festival that chooses not to overthink itself or burden itself with gimmicks.

Though this mentality could easily lead to it all collapsing in a pile of wanky worthiness and dire up and comers, the organisers have made the intelligent decision to go with bands that come with both credibility and hefty presence.

 
Mystery Jets headline this year, along with Slow Club and Ghostpoet. Further down the line up lurk gems like Casiokids, whose skittery electro-pop has been cruelly missing from UK festivals for years, or Sound Influx faves Summer Camp, who’ll hopefully bring along new material as well as big hitters from their still-great debut.

The biggest surprise is Raf Daddy (better known as the non-Hot Chip half of 2 Bears), who is set to play a dj set that looks likely to contain the kind of garage, 2-step and soul that’s currently leading the way in reshaping the UK’s pop landscape. With more acts still to be announced and the cost of bigger festivals soaring, Leefest is looking likely to be the underdog of this festival season.

Find out more here on the official website

Ned Powley

Parklife 2012 - Review / Murkage Interview

So over the past weekend, whilst the heavy metal kids got their kicks at Download, Manchester played host to the Parklife Weekender, offering a completely different experience for the festivalgoer. Whilst the wellies were still on full force on a quite damp weekend, the spirits of many dance music enthusiasts weren’t dampened (get it?!). Amongst the churned mud were DJs and artists such as Julio Bashmore, Bicep, the Rapture and Buraka Som Sistema joined headliners the Flaming Lips and Dizzee Rascal. Parklife themselves have quite an easy festival to organise with many labels and organisers wishing to curate stages themselves. Drum & Bass label Hospitality took advantage of this as did deep house troupe Crosstown Rebels to help provide a wild and eclectic range of performers to keep everyone happy overall.

Our writer Robbie conducted interviews with both The Rapture and Murkage whilst at Parklife last Sunday. Below is his interview with Murkage, conducted after their slot at Reebok Radio which launched at the festival! 

So, Manchester, this like a home festival for you anyway, but how did it feel opening? Murkage Dave: Yeah, yeah, yeah! It felt fucking good, man. The last time we played this festival, we played in a fucking tree house that doubled for the silent disco. But y’know, we still smashed it! It feels like a cliché, you know “from zero to hero” and it’s not like that ‘cause we’re still on a journey but it feels good to play on the main stage to a home crowd. We saw so many people wearing the t-shirts and knew the lyrics. 

Gaika: Yeah, we know so many people that have supported us from the start and yeah, it was dope. It just went off with everyone jumping at the end. 

MD: that’s the way we look at it, we want to be the first stadium rap group from the UK, there isn’t really anyone out there doing that. 

So that’s the ambition then, you want to be a stadium group rather than staying in the underground like a lot of other rap groups do?
MD: I just let the secret out of the bag, but yes!
G: The thing about us is that we’re very humble, but we’re not modest. Our ambition is to win. MD: We said before, it’s all about the deconstruction of the old. We’re breaking down old ideas, bringing new energy, new people, whatever you want to do. Like, why not? Why indoctrinate yourself? 

Especially with such a big group yourselves, with the whole cartel; it must be emphasis on the group things around at the moment. The ASAP mob and Odd Future are all doing their own thing, so is there more of an onus on it?
G: it’s to do with the world changing. People have to make their own structures, their own barriers, they have to it themselves; that’s the one thing you take from us, it’s within you. 

MD: From the online presence, the blogging, the videos, the merchandise, not everyone is doing the same thing. Everyone’s bringing a different thing. It makes you feel closer and more connected, it’s good. 

G: we were all friends before this and we’ll all be friends after it. So it’s an amazing feeling being with your mates.
MD: it’s just fucking good. I’ve got my brother here with me, my good friends, it’s a privilege to be doing this with the people you actually love. 

In your set, you also mentioned the other Manchester MC’s that are coming through such as Virus Syndicate. 

MD: Definitely! They paved the way for us y’know? They were the first ones big in Europe 

G: Broken English and Fallacy! 

MD: Especially Fallacy, he did it his own way. He didn’t have to rap in an American accent, he didn’t have to be a backpacker or mimic the Brooklyn sound but above all, he’s just fucking sick. 

G: and when no one was fucking with us, he was! So shout-outs to him.

As well as the Manchester scene, there are sites such as Don’t Flop, do you feel the genre is going to begin getting over saturated?

MD: Nah, nah, nah! Chronicle and Roman have started something. I’ve been in Manchester for 9 years now and this is the first time there’s something exciting going on. From Wu Lyf, to Illum Sphere to Blizzard even Dub Phizix jumping on that track with Strategy, there’s an explosion waiting to happen and people just need to understand it. 

G: We should work together ‘cause there’s a lot of good music coming out of the city at the minute 

So finally, for Murkage, what are the main summer plans? 

MD: we’re in Europe a lot, European Festivals. We’re looking at trying to get to as many festivals as possible. Sweden is gonna be peak and Belgium! 

G: Yeah, we’re going to France with Xzibit! 

MD: We’re doing EuroRockenes so it’s just crazy. We’re doing about 5/6 festivals in France, we’re in Belgium and Germany. 

G: We’re doing Bestival and Secret Garden and Lattitude and Isle of Wight, everyone from the crew is doing something!

Robbie Baxendale

Lovebox 2012 preview (Sunday)

On Sunday, a few members of the Sound Influx staff will be heading down to Victoria Park for the second time this month for Lovebox, who are celebrating their 10th birthday this year, 'A Decade Of Love'. Hot Chip, Friendly Fires and Grace Jones are headlining the festival, accompanied by both critically and universally acclaimed artists such as Lana Del Rey, Crystal Castles and Special Disco Version (James Murphy and Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem). Although the weather is currently rain, rain and more rain; let's hope that this bill of summery acts can bring the sun out.

Here are five acts that we're excited about seeing and think you should too:

Lana Del Rey

Having made a big impression last year with her debut single Video Games and quickly following that up with her full length, Born To Die, Del Rey has become one of the most sought after artists, with many of her gigs selling out in minutes. However, shaky TV performances and her uneasy presence have made for some unfavourable comments on how her assured and confident music translates in a live setting. Nevertheless, it could be very different at Lovebox as she has no doubt has some practice playing her songs to crowds across the world.

Special Disco Version (James Murphy and Pat Mahoney)

I'm still not entirely sure what Special Disco Version entails but anything that's a collaboration of two LCD Soundsystem members has to be good. After the news that LCD would be splitting up back in 2010, fans knew this wouldn't be the end for James Murphy and co. There's a video of Youtube with an extract of Mahoney and Murphy playing together as Special Disco Version from last year when they did a 2 hour DJ set so perhaps we can expect something similar at Lovebox.

Niki & The Dove

Sweden has been on a roll this year, with the likes of Icona Pop, iamamiwhoami and of course, Niki & The Dove showing everyone else how pop is meant to be done. Their debut album Instinct was released not long ago and received critical acclaim from across the board as every song on the album has its own merits. However, it's tunes like The Drummer, Last Night and DJ Ease My Mind that are likely to get a crowd going, whether the sun is shining or it's torrential rain.

Patrick Wolf

Having already seen Patrick Wolf a couple of times in a festival setting in both sun and rain; you can be reassured that whatever the conditions, he's guaranteed to raise spirits with his music. After 5 albums, though, it's no surprise that Wolf performances are so polished as he effortlessly converses with the crowd, switches between instruments and bounds across the stage with so much energy and youthfulness. We can expect nothing less than enjoyable from Patrick Wolf's set on Sunday.

Azari & III

Azari & III are one of the bands I've been waiting to see all year and was so disappointed that I missed at Heaven back in February. Their self titled debut is packed full of sexy electro house that slowly constructs itself offset by soulful vocals. Perhaps what looks to be one of the more lively sets at Lovebox on Sunday, it'll be interesting to see how the music comes alive with the two DJs and two hypemen.

Aurora Mitchell