FRIENDS, THE STAVES, THE D.O.T., THEME PARK, MAN LIKE ME, DUB PISTOLS, SAM SMTIH, DRENGE, THUMPERS, ARLISSA and more.
Performing a unique and special late night festival show, the legendary Mike Skinner and The Music frontman Rob Harvey who make up exciting new electronica duo The D.O.T. fuse Skinner’s meticulous dance production with classic pop songwriting, the results heard on debut album And That celebrated for it’s lairy, heady balance of style and genre, while it’s follow on lands this summer. As part of The Streets, Skinner enjoyed huge success with five top-ten albums including the number one records The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living and A Grand Don’t Come For Free which featured the number one single ‘Dry Your Eyes’. Last month he also received an NME Award for his memoir The Story Of The Streets.
Folk trio The Staves make their Blissfields debut this summer, the Atlantic Records signings bringing the kind of contemplative, delicate serenity that guest featured on Tom Jones’ Praise And Blame to the Hampshire countryside this July. Championed by Bon Iver who they recently joined on tour, the much revered band have also found the ear of Jools Holland fans following a performance on Later.
They’re joined by Brooklyn dance-pop troupe Friends who following a year of support from people like Huw Stephens for their mutant disco funk carnage, were one of last year’s most talked about live acts. Their greatly admired debut record followed soon after the New Yorkers landed on BBC’s Sounds of 2012 poll, and was surrounded by months of hugely entertaining party shows in the vein of Tom Tom Club and ESG. Now readying a new album, expect brand new material in their celebratory Blissfields show.
Fresh from touring with Bloc Party, the bright and quirksome leaders of British indieTheme Park join the line-up this year, their intelligent, modern use of groove and guitar on their self-titled debut album likening them to a festal Talking Heads or Fine Young Cannibals, restlessly running wild in the school yard at break time. With playlist support from Radio 1, and a sell-out UK tour recently tucked under their belt, their return to Blissfields will celebrate an exciting year for the band.
Thursday night will see a performance from Man Like Me, returning to the festival to headline its opening night alongside winners of the Road To Blissfields competition happening in 13 venues across the country, from The Sugarmill in Stoke-On-Trent to The Monarch in Camden, throughout Spring. Man Like Me are renowned for their fun live performances that have previously soundtracked some of the biggest party crowds at Blissfields, their piercing pop complimented by sharp stage antics and hip-hop bravado.
Featured on BBC’s Sounds of 2013 list, hungry young star making huge headway in the pop world Arlissa’s music has been described by the Guardian as “stirring, valedictory anthems about discontinued love, mournful but not nostalgic”. She also joins the corral of diverse and exciting artists that comprise this year’s Blissfields music bill as festival fans will welcome the return of Dub Pistols.
Along with Drenge, Sam Smith, Thumpers, Blaenavon, and Jim Lockey, who are also confirmed, these additions follow in the great Blissfields lineage of emerging talent, the festival having previously showcased the likes of Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Ben Howard before their meteoric rise to popdom, while more recently Jake Bugg and Charli XCX, who appeared in 2012, have both seen chart and critical hype respectively. Blissfields commitment to providing the most exciting all-round line-up in such an intimate environment remains at the heart of its ethos.