There’s something pleasingly honest about Constellations, a new one-and-half-day festival seemingly built on nothing more than the notion that the people of Leeds could do with distraction from being slapped in the face by swirls of wet November leaves.»
Hello Everyone. On the 9th, 10th and 11th days of next month I shall be in France at a thing called Trans Musicales. And I don’t know if you can tell what those crazy French have done there, but they have put the word 'musical' together with the word ‘trans’, to create the word ‘transmusical’. And I don't know what that means, but I am pretty sure it is good. Here's why you should come too...»
This year DiS's Mark Ward and Andrzej Lukowski went down to Birmingham's Supersonic festival, where they bore witness to Swans and some other bands. Here is their story.»
Following Part 1 from Wendy Roby on Friday, here's Dom Gourlay's take on the happenings in Manchester... Manchester, so much to answer for. As the elder statesman of the UK's independent music scene, it's perhaps only fitting that the annual A&R man'»
Wendy Roby went to In The City and saw a buncha bands. John Allison drew Sky Larkin. Everything was good. Almost.»
Reykjavík is a beautiful city. That’s the first thing that springs to mind when we arrive within its limits during the pitch black early hours, virtually nonexistent street light during the drive from the airport sending a striking vista of stars rolling out across the night sky. Despite Friday morning dawning cool and cloudy, it’s no less impressive in the morning light: old-style buildings and expanses of green are interspersed with modern touches and unfinished constructions, perhaps continued relics of the country’s monetary collapse. But for all that event’s devastating economic and social impacts, the city’s yearly Iceland Airwaves festival couldn’t feel more open and welcoming in 2010, with a diverse and friendly crowd and an almost unnerving volume of excellent music. »
With the best will in the world, there are few weekends where Cardiff and Birmingham find themselves tussling for the title of most musically happenin' place in the UK... but that all changes over the next few days as Capsule's Supersonic festival goes head to head with Huw Stephens' S?n. DiS OBVIOUSLY CAN'T TAKE SIDES, but fortunately the most anticipated set at either festival is by Michael Gira's resurrected Swans, who are playing in Cardiff on Saturday night and Birmingham on Sunday. Ahead of these dates and a string of UK shows next week, DiS caught up with the man, the legend, Mr Michael Gira.»
The kind of fatigue that floods your muscles, where before adrenaline was flowing freely, feels like tour limbs and stomach are loaded with ball bearings. It's also a sign that, despite your crushed physical frame, you've given your all and had the best time you could possibly have had. Reeperbahn Festival provides this in a way only SxSW and Brighton's The Great Escape can compete with. »
"We have performed at a few off piste festivals this year. Here are the highlights: Fence Collectives 'Away Game' Festival on the Isle of Eigg The festival is also put together by Sarah Boden who's family live on Eigg as farmers. The population of Eigg»
A record 48,000 revellers crossed the Solent for the seventh edition of Bestival, their rucksacks brimming with enough fancy costumes and illicit substances to allow the last major festival of the season to see out the summer in a suitably joyous haze. While rainclouds may have made the trip with them for only the second time in the festival's history, there was to be no repeat of 2008's apocalyptic scenes and an impressive line of ensured Rob and Josie Da Bank's 'year of the fantastic' had every chance of living up to its handle, even if some kids spent the entire weekend collecting cans and cups to recycle for 10p a pop...»
A three day display of European and continental talent, Reeperbahn Festival's fifth year provides visitors with a hefty bunch of exciting new bands, a few favourites and a snapshot of Hamburg's creativity and culture.»
For those that only know about Oxegen, Electric Picnic is the other major Irish festival and the country's closest answer to Glastonbury. Sure, it has little of Worthy Farm's tradition (it only began in 2004), but that needn't preclude it from feeling special. It has a similarly well-balanced mix of music, culture/arts, fun stuff and pretty decent food. The Stradbally Estate setting is beautiful, and there's a decent crowd of beery lads'n'lasses and middle class wine-quaffers to make things lively, but never rowdy.»
Needs Luke to add his bit then GTG»
The New York incarnation of ATP may only come around once a year, but few folks who have braved the charmingly decrepit surroundings of Kutshers Country Club can resist its lure. Most of the lineup this time around is made up of 40-something musicians who are lifers at this game, working every shitty day job imaginable to support themselves, playing notorious flea pits all over the globe, and finding a home of sorts in the shape of multiple ATP festivals. Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is on board as a curator, porn star Ron Jeremy is stalking the corridors, Bill Murray is rumoured to be in attendance (false, sadly), and Thurston Moore is talking about hummus at a Q&A. Just another vintage weekend in the Catskills for what is hopefully now an annual trans-Atlantic jaunt for the ATP organisation.»
On the face of it, staging a festival in Ireland, in September, just as we approach autumn/say goodbye to summer, is well... pretty baffling. Only the most optimistic individuals will be travelling to the verdant fields of County Laois, Benicassim-light. »
Wednesday 12th August The plane touches down in Hungary, and the passengers walk onto the airport tarmac. The first thing they notice, once they stop hugging the tarmac and thanking their God that they're alive, is the heat. It's 37 degrees Celsius and t»
Twitter
Main /
Feed /
Site Status /
Live /
Link your account to Twitter
Facebook
Like
Last.fm
Group
SoundCloud
Group
MySpace
Page
Friendster
Profile
RSS
Site feed /
Subscribe via email
DiS joins the Music Alliance Pact + May 2013's global MAP compilation
Drowned in Bristol #12
DiS Does Singles 13.05.13: Swim Deep, These New Puritans, The National
Darkstar, Ed Harcourt, Halls, Wall +more for 3 DiS-curated nights at Great Escape 2013
Interview: Frank Turner on The Olympics, The Backlash, Thatcher and Black Flag
Drowned in Nottingham #14