Festival Number 6 takes place at Portmeirion in a couple of weeks (5-7 September). Taking place in the same iconic village where 1960s cult television series The Prisoner was filmed, the event’s ‘Number 1’ gives a tour of this year’s bill through a few of his personal favourites.
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Nowhere To Run
“Martha is an absolute legend and we’re delighted to have her this year. At 73 she’s still delivering one of the most fun and uplifting live performances you’re likely to see.”
Temples – Mesmerise
“It’s been an incredible year for Temples, Kettering’s finest pscyhedelic exports. Having played on our Estuary stage in 2013, this year they’re now likely to be one of the biggest draws on the main stage.”
Beck – E-Pro
“We still can’t believe our luck to have Beck making the journey to Port Merion: it’s monumental for us. His performance at Coachella this year was mind-blowing.”
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
“This song has a lot (of great things) to answer for. As important as it is for us to be championing the newest, freshest, future talent at Number 6, we will always champion the original rule-breakers and game-changers and what better way to start your Sunday than with an authentic piece of punk rock.”
Steve Mason – A Lot Of Love
“Headlining the iStage on Friday, The Beta Band’s Steve Mason will be wooing us with his gorgeous solo material like this highlight from his most recent outing Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time.”
Tom Odell – Another Love
“We had an incredible reaction on our Facebook when we announced Tom Odell. There’s no denying his talent and any live performance of Another Love is a truly powerful experience.”
Alexis Taylor – Without A Crutch
“We hope to have Hot Chip at the festival some day, but in the meantime we’ll make do with an appearance from their delightful frontman, Alexis.”
The Beautiful South – Don’t Marry Her
“OK – so we may not have the official reunion show of The Beautiful South but Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott will do and their set will be packed with all the classics. This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere… Nope – it’s Portmeirion!”
Arthur Beatrice – Midland
“I love this song… a lot. A LOT. Arthur Beatrice are a very lovely young London band who I’m sure will be a lot of people’s discovery of the weekend.”
Bonobo – Cirrus
“The slow and steady rise in popularity of Bonobo over the past 10 years has been unbelievably well-deserved. The gorgeous recorded sound is brought to life by an expansive live band which will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the festival this year.”
Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
“Who thought they’d ever see Neneh Cherry get together with Four Tet to make a glitchy, industrial, soul-pop record in 2014? Backed live by Rocket Number Nine, Neneh is a joy to watch on stage.”
Jon Hopkins – We Disappear
“Even my Mum loves Jon Hopkins’ latest album Immunity: the progressive, dark, near-minimal-techno Mercury Prize nominated record. We’re promised a stunning visual show to accompany his headline set on the iStage on Saturday night.”
Kelis – Bossy
“Kelis’ ‘re-launch’ this year has been so much fun to watch and we think she’ll be a fantastic warm up to Pet Shop Boys on Sunday night.”
tUnE-yArDs – Bizness
“Merrill Garbus aka. TunE-yArDs is a genius. Her dynamic and totally unique voice matched with her multi-instrumental talents are always fascinating to experience live… as is her colourful and out-there band of dancers and musicians who surround her on stage.”
Aquilo – It All Comes Down To This
“You may not have heard of them yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if we were fighting to have Aquilo back in 2014 as one of our top acts. Their songs are stunning: cinematic, emotive and near impossible to get out of your head.”
Vaults – Premonitions
“Another very exciting new band we’re excited to host right before they’re set to explode, Vaults were the subject of a fierce label bidding war this time last year and are more than living up to their hype with songs like Premonitions.”
Spector – Celestine
“Crowdsurfing, spontaneously-synchronised handclaps, adoring screams of I LOVE YOU, FRED!, dodgy yet charming on-stage banter, massive choruses and sharp suits: that’ll be Spector’s set.”
Los Campesinos! – You!Me!Dancing
“Wales’ finest indie-popsters Los Campesinos! will crack out their glockenspiels, violins and heart-breaking yet empowering love songs for what I’m sure will be a massive crowd on our main stage on Friday.”
Toy – Motoring
“There’s a definite psych-rock feel in the air this year and Toy are one of the finest contemporary purveyors of it, perhaps lending a slightly more krautrock edge to proceedings than their peers.”
Childhood – Blue Velvet
“Childhood are a real band’s band. They’ve supported the likes of Johnny Marr and Temples on tour this year and have just released their long-awaited debut album Lacuna.”
East India Youth – Heaven, How Long
“Personal favourite track from, potential album of the year contender, Total Strife Forever.”
Tom Vek – Nothing But Green Lights
“Vek’s comeback in 2011 was really the first of a wave of artists who shot to prominence in the early 2000s but he’s proven himself to be much more than his early success and popularity with two brilliant albums and an ever-strong stage show.”
Disclosure ft. London Grammar – Help Me Lose My Mind
“London Grammar played the main stage in 2013 and come back this year after a huge year to headline the stage on Friday night.”
Pet Shop Boys – What Have I Done to Deserve This
“What have we done to deserve this? There’s not much that needs said. Pet Shop Boys are my heroes. Their live performances are some of the best I’ve ever laid my eyes on and most importantly the most FUN! We can’t think of a more perfect festival band, never mind a more perfect way to end our weekend in Wales.”
For the full line-up and latest ticket news, head to Festivalnumber6.com now.
