Local Natives - Summer Festival Guide

Beacons Festival 2013- Preview

November 18, 2018August 2, 2013 by Ali Ryland

Beacons Festival, nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire moors, is boutique bliss. Having burst onto the already swollen festival scene a mere two years ago, the four night event boasts the crème de la crème in food, arts and culture-and by no means slim pickings when it comes to stellar performers.

It’s tough to know where to start when the offerings span from up-front indie to chillcore trance, edgy noise punk to folky-psych pop (if you hadn’t already guessed, this festival could count as "one for the hip ‘n’ happening students") but Friday headliner Bonobo is a sure place to start. If you weren’t lucky enough to catch the trip hop megastar’s down-tempo London shows showcasing new album ‘The North Borders’ then you have no excuse not to go. Simon Green's bass-guitared brainchild will surely be the premier event of the weekend, with Gold Panda's similarly trippy blend of electronica shortly following.

Not to worry fans of the heavier side of life; Canadian hardcore outfit F*cked Up will no doubt, a la Gallows, prove they're eclectic and interesting enough to break out from the punk scene into all rounder NME poster boys. F*cked Up may not be one not to take your kids to, but the festival's famously family themes (the Guerilla Rave Rug is apparently perfect for the child who wants every day to be their birthday) add generational variety beyond what the lineup suggests.

For more chilled out vibes, check out Channel One Soundsystem and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats; the former being world famous reggae dub DJs (expect tantalising Panda Dub overlays) and the latter grubbing out some classic stoner rock 'n' roll. Nice.

Others not to miss: Local Natives, Django Django, Eats Everything, Egyptian Hip Hop, Savages, Hookworms, Drenge

Beacons Festival takes place on the Funkirk Estate, Skipton between the 16th-18th August and, at just under £100 a ticket, is set to be the most economically priced-for-what-you-get fest of the summer.

For full lineup details and information visit: www.greetingsfrombeacons.com

Best Kept Secret Festival 2013

June 24, 2013 by Olivia Frayman

Its a very rare occasion that you get to experience a new festival without hearing the experiences of others, and I wasn't sure what to expect from Best Kept Secret, but I was pleasantly surprised by the site, the friendliness of others and sheer organisation, this is definitely a top European festival to be reckoned with.

Not only is it situated on a safari park, but it is surrounded by a beautiful lake and a white sandy beach. Revellers have the opportunity to kick off those shoes, get their feet wet and go swimming whilst listening to some great bands that are were offer. And don't worry if you're not a great swimmer, there are life guards on patrol looking out for your safety.

For the foodies out there, a great selection of both meat dishes and veggie delights were on offer at a reasonable price. And although the weather wasn't on our side, this didn't stop anyone from grabbing a free poncho, throwing it over themselves and making the most of what was on offer. Like most European festivals, BKF operates on a token system, and have a great incentive to ensure you don't litter. For every cup you return to the bar you receive half a token, 2 tokens gets you a free beer, so before you know it, you'll be receiving a free beer for your efforts.

Friday saw the doors open at 5pm, and within easy walking distance you had a choice of 3 stages. Most of the artists had only a slight overlap, so if you wanted to check out a number of bands, then it was easily done. On the bill were Swim Deep, The Maccabees, Bloc Party, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Fuck Buttons and closing the main stage were the Arctic Monkeys. Not only did they pull in biggest crowd, but they played an hour and a half set including their classics which had everyone jumping up and down.

Day 2 saw the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J, Allah-Las, Koreless and Damien Rice take to the stages. Damien Rice entertained the crowd with his hits and it wasn't long before everyone was singing canon ball in unison.

The final day ended with the Local Natives, Everything Everything, Palma Violets, Kurt Vie and the Violators, Portishead and Sigur Ros. Not only was there a great selection of established bands on offer, but also some exciting new bands to watch out for. One band that stood out were Autre Ne Teut, hailing from New York, these guys provided a packed out tent to a mixture of way out musical styles mixed with some great beats to match. Sigur Ros closed the festival with an incredible set and atmosphere to match. They also donated some used signed drum heads and drum brushes, all proceeds donated to Unicef. For anyone looking for their next European festival, I would strongly recommend BKF, you won't be disappointed.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEST KEPT SECRET FESTIVAL

Atoms for Peace to headline Melt Festival + many more!

June 9, 2020March 11, 2013 by Summer Festival Guide

MORE ACTS FOR MELT! FESTIVAL 2013

Soulwax, Rhye, Mark Ronson vs. Riton and many more added to line-up

The 16th edition of Melt! Festival is taking shape, with a new wave of acts ready to perform on the Ferropolis peninsula from 19th to 21st July. Joining acts already announced, such as Atoms For Peace, The Knife, Alt-J and James Blake, are a whole host of thrilling new acts includingSoulwax, Ryhe, Mark Ronson vs. Riton, Local Natives and Austra.

Over a decade ago, Soulwax emerged with edgy alternative and electro sounds. Having done an incredible range of remixes for countless artists under the guise of Too Many DJs, they also made themselves a name as versatile producers. Now they'll bring the unique sound of albums like Any Minute Now and Much Against Everyone's Advice to the City of Iron.

Electronic sounds will also be represented this year by Melt! residents Digitalism, whose track ?2 Hearts? was made the official festival song two years ago, plus Trentemøller with his electrifying live performance, and star producer Mark Ronson and Riton who will be getting behind the DJ booth together this year. Archive, who released their ninth album, With Us Until Your Dead, in 2012, and Amon Tobin will spin under the guise of Two Fingers, and the cryptic Swedish electro project iamamiwhoami will also perform.

Canadian trio Austra will cross the Atlantic to bring their epic soundscapes to the industrial backdrop of Ferropolis this year. Also making the journey are LA duo Rhye and Brooklyn-based Friends, who released their debut album Manifest! last year. Local Natives, MS MR, Diamond Version, Metro Area (live), Trümmer and Bicep also star and Berlin label Suolwill bring their unique sound to the Gremmin Lake with Daniel Bortz, Chopstick & JohnJon, Till Von Sein and Trickski.

Tickets for Melt! Festival are available under the following link. More acts will be announced soon.

All confirmed acts so far