Field Day
August 8, Victoria Park, London
After early teething problems with facilities and sound, Field Day has spent the last couple of years establishing itself as a place that’s great to be as well a place that puts on great bands. Last year’s festival was something of a revelation, and this year’s event – staged again in east London’s Victoria Park – looks set to be even better, mainly because the line-up is. Actress, Ariel Pink, Carl Craig, Ducktails, Echo Lake, Factory Floor, Konono No. 1, Omar Souleyman, Oneohtrix Point Never, Roska, Pearson Sound, Spector, The Horrors, Twin Shadow, Wild Beasts, Zola Jesus, a ton of other bands and lots of decent people will all be there waiting for you this Saturday, the 6th of August. Tickets and all info at fielddayfestivals.com.
Supernormal 2011
August 19-21, Braziers Park, Oxfordshire
This year’s Supernormal festival takes place in Braziers Park in the Chilterns later this month, and the best thing about it is that I have no idea what to expect from it. Other than Teeth of the Sea, Pink Reason, Rent Boys and Flats, the line-up’s alien to me, but that brings with it its own benefits. What, for instance, might Dogfeet sound like? How about Maria and the Gay, Ratface or Fuck Off Piss Off? The only convenient way to find out is to head down yourself, and that’s not something you can say often given the sheer amount of mid-rung indie rock interbreeding on festival bills these days. Tons more stuff will be happening too, tickets and all details at supernormalfestival.co.uk.
Standon Calling
August 10-12, Standon, Hertfordshire
This well-heeled three-dayer returns for its tenth knees-up with a line-up featuring Spiritualized, Battles, Penguin Café, John Grant, Egyptian Hip Hop and Hercules & Love Affair, plus a raft of spoken-word types and DJs. The fancy dress theme is gods and monsters, so wear what you will. Tickets £120 – or £100, if you go get them from here and enter the discount code “vicestandon” – and all info from standon-calling.com.
Outlook Festival
September 1-4, Fort Punto Christo, Croatia
Used to be that raving abroad meant splashing in the Goa surf to some of the worst trance music imaginable. As the music gets better, it seems the locations get more formidable. Outlook, which sells itself as “Europe’s largest bass music and soundsystem festival” takes place in an abandoned 18th-century fort, where you may find yourself “vybzing” to Skream, Benga, Pharoahe Monch, Newham Generals, Oneman, MJ Cole, Ikonika, Shackleton and a sizeable reggae line-up in locations such as the Dungeon (it’s a dungeon) and the Pit (um, a pit). If you’re worried all that low-end might dislodge a shaky battlement, or simply fancy something a bit more sedate, there’s all sorts of boat and beach parties as well. Sold out, although visit outlookfestival.com and join the mailing list for returns and a possible final allocation.
South West Four
August 27-28, Clapham Common, London
One of London’s prime cruising spots is filled with more dance music figureheads than the bar at the W hotel during Miami Winter Music Conference. Everyone from the old order (Underworld, Digweed, Vath, Hawtin) to young pretenders (Magnetic Man, Joker) will be there, and so, if you like dancing to repetitive beats, will you. Weekend tickets £95, day tickets £45, and all info at southwestfour.com.
She'll be there
Playgroup Festival
August 5-7, Eridge Park, East Sussex
Promising its attendees an “arrogance-free” weekend full of cabaret, healing areas and a music policy that ranges from “gypsy swing to glitch-hop”, Playgroup is a festival that will feature the likes of The Drop, Munk 777 and Mean Poppa Lean. More details here.
Hudson Mohawke
In three days time, the next weekend of our lives will be upon us. And this one brings with it Lovebox 2011. We’ve got some tickets to give you if you feel like getting in on the fun. Read more »
Stop Making Sense
August 12-14, The Garden, Petrcane, Croatia
Would you rather drink warm Carling on a strip of mud just outside Reading’s one-way system and watch Muse and My Chemical Romance OR spend a weekend on a wooded peninsula on the Adriatic coast in a country where you can live for a week on the price of a Leicester Square cinema ticket? The fact that a smorgasbord of all that’s currently good and exciting in electronic music, from Martyn to Floating Points via Chad Valley, will be playing makes it no contest at all. Weekend tickets a bargain £90 and all travel and accommodation info at sms-2010.com.
Maybe you were planning on going to this Saturday’s 1-2-3-4 Festival already. Maybe you were not. All I know is that we’ve got two pairs of VIP tickets to throw at somebody, and there’s no reason why that somebody shouldn’t be you. You could be my friend Tom, in the VIP area at last year’s 1-2-3-4 Festival, meeting Bobby Gillespie. Except you can’t because you can’t go back in time. Read more »
Truck
July 22-24, Hill Farm, Steventon, Oxfordshire
Providing a place for Graham Coxon fans to meet and mingle in a controlled environment since 1998, this 5,000-capacity, family-run festival is pretty much the indiest of the indie. This year, as well as Graham Coxon, you can expect to see young people with badges covering their blazer lapel jigging politely to music from Gruff Rhys, Saint Etienne, the Go! Team, Roddy Woomble and John Grant, and the drummer from Radiohead doing a few acoustic songs – mmm, sounds comfy. Expect also the usual cabaret, comedy, theatre and cinema, organic food and local brews. And, as this is a working farm, the whole experience will be accompanied by the gentle waft of manure. Double mmm. Weekend tickets £99 and all info at thisistruck.com.
