Still to announce one more headliner, the initial acts to top the bill are Spiritualized and Battles! A perfect fit for a theme that combines the divine and devilish, Spiritualized are making their only confirmed UK festival appearance so far at Standon Calling, headlining the Main Stage on Saturday night. With their first album in three years due for release in the autumn, the seminal rockers are likely to treat the crowd to a mix of new material and music from their genius back catalogue, which includes classic albums Songs in A&E and Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.
Battles will take to the stage on Friday night, armed with new material from their much-anticipated new album Gloss Drop. Released on June 6th it’s their first album since 2007! With a new vocalist to announce, Battles are a band likely to be on everyone’s lips this summer and it’s an honour to have them rock the Standon stage. Like Spiritualized, Battles deservedly enjoy a reputation for stretching sonic boundaries and they’ve promised a jaw-dropping live show.
“We’re really thrilled to have such exciting live headliners. Both Spiritualized and Battles’ sets are going to be something special,” says Festival Director, Graham Macvoy. “But further down the bill we’ve got some other real gems when it comes to live performances and this is only the start. We have lots more artists still to announce.“
Recently formed Penguin Café are on board, a faithful continuation of the original Penguin Café Orchestra founded by the late musical visionary, Simon Geddes. His son Arthur is behind the reincarnation of the signature Penguin Café sound, with the new line-up also featuring Suede’s Neil Codling. There will be live spectacles aplenty. Spoken word will vie with electro-swing and a whole host of other entertaining antics yet to be revealed.
On chief dialectic duties is legendary punk poet John Cooper Clark who has opened for various rock royalty including the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks. Alternative hip hop MC Saul Williams is also performing with a full live band. A prolific, multi-faceted artist, Saul has collaborated with Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails); acted in independent movie, Slam; and released four collections of incredible poetry. Standon Calling know its revellers love to dance and have invited electro-swing scene torch bearers The Correspondents along, who are joined by all-singing, all-dancing, all electro-swinging extraordinaires Caravan Palace.
Also on the bill are Scottish post-electro band, Errors, who can name check Mogwai as a mentor; one of India’s best-selling artists, Raghu Dixit; and Canadian indie rock trio, Born Ruffians, who have an adventurous approach to covers, paying homage to acts as diverse as Grizzly Bear and Aphex Twin. They won’t be the only band playing eclectic covers at Standon. The East London eight-piece, New Orleans-style horn extravaganza, Brassroots put their own twist on classics like ‘Karma Police’ and ‘Seven-Nation Army’ and are an unmissable live act.
Standon Calling enjoys a reputation for showcasing emerging talent and this year’s buzz bands include Trophy Wife and Various Cruelties, alongside a rare appearance from Malachai, who will mix up their DJ set with live performance. More emerging talent will be on show in the form of Silver Moths, Tripwires and Maddox. The 17 bands announced are just the start, with many more acts and another very special headliner due to be revealed in the coming months.