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The annual Summer Sundae weekender takes place at De Montfort Hall and Gardens, Leicester, on August 8-10. For the first time, DiS is curating a stage (the Rising Stage) for a day at the festival, offering Friday attendees a little taste of what’s been getting us hot under the musical collar of late.
On the bill for the festival: Supergrass, Macy Gray, Camera Obscura, The Whitest Boy Alive, Zombie Zombie, Roisin Murphy, Tired Irie, Kyte, Simian Mobile Disco, Efterklang, Jeffrey Lewis, Lightspeed Champion, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Those Dancing Days, Mystery Jets, Wild Beasts, Errors, Nina Nastasia, The Coral and many more_.
Click to the festival’s official website for more information, and to buy tickets (priced at £100 for the weekend, including camping; different ticket types are available).
Let’s take a look at who is playing the Rising Stage on Friday, as curated by DiS (bands not listed in running order!)…
Howling Bells
Forming in Sydney in 2004, Howling Bells wooed DiS with ease with their self-titled debut album, released in 2006 via Bella Union (review). They’ve since toured a lot, including support stints with Placebo and The Killers, winning admirers the world over for their smoky and soulful indie-rock – it’s music that conjures images of open plains, a loved one on your arm and no other care in the world to trouble you. Currently putting the finishing touches to their second album, expect to hear brand-new songs from the Britain-based foursome alongside favourites from their sole long-player to date. And, if you haven’t already, be prepared to fall in love with the vocals of front-woman Juanita Stein, love at first sound.
Youthmovies
Oxford’s Youthmovies should be familiar to regular DiS readers – their debut album of earlier this year, the sublime Good Nature, was released by DiS’s label wing – but one should never let such a relationship lead to contempt: ever progressing, the five-piece recently wowed their Truck Festival audience with a set that left critically minded onlookers absolutely flabbergast with delight. With new material expected later this year – we’re hearing November – and a tour with Adam Gnade taking shape for the same time, expect Youthmovies’ Summer Sundae appearance to find the band flexing their recently underused live muscles, delivering a performance of multiple euphoric highs.
Fuck Buttons
Talking of all things euphoric: while it’s something of a cliché these days to suggest that the ATP-signed electro two-piece can take you to another state of consciousness with their loops and drones, frazzled beats and furiously cracked vocals, it’s nevertheless a cliché with an element of complete truth to it. Tip your head back, close your eyes; soak up the sumptuous sound produced by Fuck Buttons, a cascading cacophony of splintered shards of diamond-dusted song structures set to a tempo best-suiting hypnotic worship. The band’s Street Horrrsing is one of 2008’s most-riveting listens yet, and is currently up for DiS’s inaugural Pluto Prize – vote here if their Summer Sundae set wins you over.
The Mae Shi
Hailing from Los Angeles, The Mae Shi are one of the best live bands DiS has witnessed of late (I mean, c’mon – they’ve got a party sheet), and the synth-punkers headlined our DiS-branded tour of earlier this year, with admirable support from Johnny Foreigner and The Lionheart Brothers (look out for an announcement regarding our next tour very soon – exciting times!). To call The Mae Shi lively is to sell their antics a long way short – when they’re on form they’re quite probably untouchable in terms of the energy they exude, and even when tour-fatigued they’re able to find reserves of strength from somewhere and turn any basement, club or tent into one great party. Check out their HLLLYH LP of earlier this year, released via Moshi Moshi (review), for a taste of what to expect.
Noah & The Whale
Something of an unexpected success story, London-based folksters Noah And The Whale (DiScovered) are currently riding high in the charts with their new single ‘Five Years Time’, and their album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is expected to ‘do the business’ upon its release next month. Appealing with ease to fans of Mercury-nodded strummer Laura Marling – N&TW have previously performed as her backing band, no less – this four-piece’s laidback acoustic melodies might sit at unusual odds with some of the spikier fare on offer thanks to DiS’s Friday involvement, but trust us when we tell you we’re honest advocates of quality, far above any bill ‘coherence’. Expect moods to lift in tune to N&TW’s sing-along friendliness, and senses to be soothed by their elegant and understated arrangements.
DiS has a pair of adult tickets to give away for this year’s Summer Sundae, with camping included. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is answer this question:
Which of the following artists is not playing this year’s Summer Sundae?
A) Fuck Buttons
B) Youthmovies
C) The Verve
Post your answer in the comments section below and a winner will be selected at random on ... COMPETITION CLOSED**. You must be 18 or over to win, and (obviously) available to attend the festival in Leicester, August 8-10. For more information on the Summer Sundae visit its official site HERE. Good luck!
