Playlist - Kendal Calling 2014's top picks inc Suede, Frank Turner, Miles Kane & more

Kendal Calling announced its first waves of bands earlier this week (6 March), with the likes of Suede, Frank Turner, Happy Mondays and Miles Kane set to head to the 1-3 August event. To guide us through the announcement, booker Andy Smith has made Q a Playlist of some of the notable acts on the 2014 bill. “Last year saw Kendal Callers break the Guinness World Record Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Superman as part of the festivals To The Movie’s theme. This year we’re blasting off beyond the stars with a space theme and encourage people to help us break the record for Largest Group Moonwalk,” he explains. “Across the site we’ll be similarly theming our 12 venues and the real ale bar will be stocked well with locally produced ales including Elbow’s Build A Rocket Boys. At night the arena is transformed into a party planet with live music and DJs playing on our six late night stages right through until 3am, with the cinema tent playing some of the best space / sci-fi movies of history.” Now for some music…

“A friend of the festival, this will be Frank’s third time returning to the deer park for what’s assured to be a very special headline set. It’s wonderful to see his unstoppable rise in recent years, from playing a tour of fans living rooms to headlining the Manchester Arena. If I Ever Stray is a great reminder of what matters in life and the importance of keeping grounded.”

“The perfect music to be listening to after a heavy night in one of our five late night stages, this infectiously fun band will have the whole arena dancing. Their December show at Manchester’s Gorilla was my one of my highlights of 2013.”

“She seems to be everywhere right now – in the past month she’s featured on both Clean Bandit and Route94’s respective Number One singles. Her solo material is just as strong and I can’t wait to see her show in the Calling Out tent on Sunday evening.”

“Hailing from just down the road in Lancaster, Bondax are returning to the fields after storming the festival with an epic debut set last year. This time they’re headlining the Glow tent and they’re bringing some friends with them, having curated the days lineup.”

“Another local duo, this time just down the road in Silverdale, Aquilo may still be working on their debut LP but it’s obvious from their free download Calling Me that it’s going to make a big impact. London Grammar played on our Calling Out stage last year and if you enjoyed that then this will be right up your street.”

“With over 200 bands performing over the weekend it’s rare I get to see even a tenth of what I would like to see, but I’ll make sure I’m standing at the front of the Calling Out stage when Findlay appears. Electro-blues is now a thing, and it’s a wonderful thing at that.”

“Their headline set at Leeds Festival dance stage 2006 was a turning point for me – prior to this I’d been a champion of guitar music to the near exception of all else but that set single-handedly introduced me to a whole new musical landscape. For that I’m ever thankful and it’s a dream come true to be able to invite these legends to headline our Glow dance tent.”

“We’ve had some absolute legends over the years – James, Blondie, Primal Scream – and Suede are bound to be every bit as special. I was made up when they reformed but didn’t manage to get tickets – to have them headline Kendal Calling is a dream I could never have predicted.”

“Watching them on Tuesday night at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, the place erupted when when they played Envy from their debut album War Room Stories. One of my favourite new bands and I think the crowd agreed.”

“I bet he thinks I’m a bit of a super fan. I’ve watched his previous groups, The Little Flames, The Rascals and The Last Shadow Puppets and I’ve always been right at the barrier. I’ve yet to watch Miles solo but if his previous performances are anything to go by then we’re all in for a treat.”

For more, including the latest ticket news, head to Kendalcalling.co.uk