Beacons music and art festival has just announced the first bands set for this year’s event (7-10 August). To guide us through who will be gracing the stages at Skipton, Yorkshire this summer festival chief Ash Kollakowski has made us this playlist. “Keeping Beacons going after the flood in 2011 has been really hard, but when Wild Beasts headlined in 2012 the stars realligned and it was totally worth it,” he says. Now I don’t think about booking acts just to sell tickets, I book a line up that I really want to see as you never know when it could go tragically worng. I’ve never been a fan of festivals as there’s always 4 out of 100 bands I actually like, so booking my favourite bands is really important. If I didnt book Beacons I’d go to it… if the booker had the exact same taste as me obviously.” For the full line-up and the latest ticket news head to Greetingsfrombeacons.com.
Hookworms – Form And Function
“Probably the most excity live band around, this songs puts you right on the stage sitting on MJ’s keyboard, a mindgasm if you will.”
Darkside – Paper Trails
“I’ve yet to see them live and its a very unexpected album. It’s a little Tinariwen at times, it’s got a certain electronic folk feel to it, quite natural sounding.”
The Fall – Theme From Sparta
“Probably one of their best known songs. You don’t see them on many festival line-ups these days, but they’re the daddy of all live acts.”
Eagulls – Council Flat Blues
“Not for the faint hearted, they can be pretty brutal and unforgiving live, but when you get sucked its like getting battered at a football match – scary and exhilerating at the same time.”
Nightmares On Wax – Nights Interlude
“The first ‘popstar’ I met in Leeds when I moved there was George from Nightmares. This song is the first time I heard Summer In The City by Quincy Jones years before the Pharcyde sampled it, brings back great memories of old school hip hop jams in Leeds.”
Daughter – Youth
“Epiclly beautiful, just an awe inspring vocal and a huge live set.”
Jon Hopkins – Sun Harmonics
“He just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Sun Harmoics is a treasure of a song, really haunting and spiritual.”
Traams – Low
“I saw them with Parquet Courts last years and instantly booked them for Beacons 2013! Great catchy songs, its a travesty they’re not bigger.”
Toy – Conductor
“Their first album passed me by a little but when I heard the first track off the new album it was like Andrew Wetherall producing Wooden Shjips (which would be great). It instantly locked me in.”
East India Youth – Heaven How Long
“He supported factory Floor recently and I finally understood it, its quite a live show for a one man producer act, he totally pulls off the Panda Bear thing.”
For more head to Greetingsfrombeacons.com.
