Although the weather forecast definitely isn’t playing ball:

Nevertheless, here’s the timetable for bands playing Field Day 2009 this Saturday:

Stage 1 :: Eat Your Own Ears

21:00 MOGWAI

20:00 SKREAM

19:00 SANTIGOLD

18:15 FENNESZ

17:15 THE HORRORS

16:00 THE TEMPER TRAP

14:45 FINAL FANTASY

13:30 ERRORS

12:30 FANFARLO

12:00 GAGGLE

Stage 2 :: Bugged Out!

21:15 AUDION (LIVE)

20:15 TWITCH

18:45 EROL ALKAN

18:00 LITTLE BOOTS

16:30 FAKE BLOOD (LIVE)

15:00 AEROPLANE

14:30 DELPHIC

12:30 WILD GEESE

Stage 3 :: Adventures in the Beetroot Field

21:30 MYSTERY JETS

21:00 CRISPIN DIOR DJ

20:00 FOUR TET

19:00 THE BIG PINK

18:30 ALLEZ ALLEZ DJ

17:45 WILD BEASTS

16:30 MICHACHU & THE SHAPES

16:00 STOP MAKING ME DJ

15:30 SCUM

15:05 DEVIL MADE ME DO IT DJ

14:35 PLUGS

14:10 CLUB PONY DJ

13:40 SIAN ALICE GROUP

12:50 KING CHARLES

12:25 PSYCHE MILLIGAN DJ

12:05 OLD ROMANTIC KILLER BAND

Stage 4 :: Village Mentality

21:40 TOUMANI DIABATE

20:20 JAMES YORKSTON

19:10 MALCOLM MIDDLETON

18:10 MUMFORD & SONS

17:00 JUANA MOLINA

16:00 THE THING

15:00 WOOD PIGEON

14:00 WET PAINT

12:50 JON HOPKINS

12:00 FIRST AID KIT

Stage 5 :: Bloggers Delight

20:00 Casper C & Skull Juice

19:00 Rusko

18:30 Drums of Death

17:30 Greco Roman Sound System

17:00 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

16:00 Work It

15:30 THE XX

14:00 No Pain in Pop DJs

13.00 DAVE I.D

Another Boris collaboration release to add to the ever-growing pile (do they ever run out of ideas or stop writing new material????)… The Torche/Boris split CD and 10”!

This is coming out via Hydra Head in the US, I’m not sure of the exact date but Aaron Turner off HH and Isis fame etc etc posted the artwork he’s doing for the split on his blog and it looks badass.

 

In other HH-related news, the label has gone completely barmy when it comes to new merch it’s putting out, including a Cave In pint glass and Big Business plates! I really want to have a completely music-influenced crockery set to eat my dinner on Stephen Brodsksy and Aaron Turner’s faces. How good would that be?!

 

Cave In pint glasses:

Big Business plate:

 

 

Playlist: Boris back catalogue

On Tuesday 11th August it’s Pater Godwin’s birthday which, you know, I am inclined to spend with him so that he can pay for me and the rest of the family to go out and have dinner with him to celebrate this.

HOWEVER, turns out it’s also the same night there’s a screening of the ATP Film happening. To say I’m gutted would be a bit of an understatement. Re-living those weekends spent staying with your best friends in a dingy chalet while watching some classic noise rock and drinking away the evenings in the Crazy Horse is probably just as good as going to the festival itself.

Also there is the slim chance that my drunk, dancing self has made it into someone’s mobile phone video shot during the Les Savy Fav ‘crowd-surf on a table’ moment from the Fans in 2007, or dancing aimlessly to party tunes in the Queen Vic until the early hours. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see!

 

Playlist: ATP videos on Youtube

I haven’t listened to this yet and I’m psyched to hear it but No Age have a new EP ‘Losing Feeling’ out 5th October on Sub Pop.

This release is EXCITING is more ways than one because it’s only available on vinyl (and digital download, ahem) but there’s no CD release.

And why the hell not? The last few releases I’ve bought have been vinyl with a free MP3 download which comes with the purchase and it’s been said before, but this format definitely works for me.

Sub Pop Records

Playlist: Trash Talk

On Monday evening I returned from Dour Festival with probably the worst cold I've had in ages. Sadly not Swine Flu, which would have been much more satisfying and also rather dramatic. Nonetheless, now that I'm 25 it seems that spending 5 nights/6 days camping at festival which involves not 3 but 4 days of live music, until 5am each morning, is going to take its toll on my already flagging immune system and stamina levels.

After a day of setting up camp and exploring the nearby Lidl on the Wednesday, the festival started officially on the Thursday with Meshuggah doing a good job as 'first live band of the festival I saw and amazing in-synch headbanging'. They played 'Straws Pulled At Random'. If you've heard me rant about this song before then get video evidence here that from 4.02 onwards that this song is PERFECT. If we hadn't had enough HEAVY METAL to last us the weekend then Isis followed after. You know, people find it easy to diss Isis as boring and I've seen them a few times now, but the first song off their new album sounded EPIC and closing with 'In Fiction' was nigh-on perfect.

Next I should've been watching Friendly Fires but like Monotonix who were basically supposed to open the festival for me, they pulled out. Instead this may or may not have been the time I went to check out the food and got some veggie curry. Santigold was on the main stage with literally THE BEST DANCERS AND BACKING SINGERS I've seen in a long while. Some of her more dancehall stuff is great but the MOR/pop stuff can be pretty boring IMO. At this point it began to rain so it was into a tent to hear a bit of MSTRKRFT and watch Belgians dance (they're dancers, they love to dance) before steppin' over to Joker, retiring relatively early before N-Type sadly.

The Friday began with us missing Sky Larkin because they were on at some ridiculous time, ie before 5pm. Post 5 o'clock though things were chocka, alternating between the Clubcircuit tent and the metal on the main stage. Marnie Stern was on much better form than Primavera, blessed with much better sound and getting all euphoric and uplifting and widdly at the same time. EPIC. Then it was time for a Sepultura-shaped break although let's be honest, if there's no Max, who cares? Deerhoof were actually probably more metal than Sep, churning out the kooky rock which included a Ramones' cover and another song Kitty, Daisy and Lewis did too. I do love a good cover.

There are a few bands I don't really get bored seeing and Dillinger Escape Plan are definitely one. Playing a Nine Inch Nails cover is also a good way to spice things up. Then it was back to tent for ...Trail Of Dead. If I could've written a setlist for them to play, there would only have been one or two small changes. Despite the evident frisson and perhaps a half-arsed attempt to smash the kit up, 'Another Morning Stoner' and 'Caterwaul' sounded almost perfect. After glimpses of Killng Joke (lol) and Mercury Rev, the evening, like all the others, was a massive dance party in the tents. I think I spent most of the evening watching Rusko, which was great, and Diplo, who was not quite as good as I hoped.

By Saturday I was truly feeling the burn and feeling the effect of camping, although luckily for me it was perhaps the quietest day line-up-wise. I caught moments of U-Roy, just to get my daily dose of dub, and The Dodos, who looked and sounded better than they had previously on record. 65daysofstatic played Dour for the second time and went down like loved-locals, with a mega-massive lights show and a huge sound to match. Sadly I didn't get to see the whole of their set as I was dragged off to see The Pet Shop Boys who were predictably very boring on the main stage with pathetically quiet sound. Roots Manuva was enjoyable if a bit shambolic, but Crave and Klever more than made up for it, playing perhaps slightly predictable party anthems. I don't really remember but I'm told that's what happened. It was probably the most fun night of the whole festival, although whether that was down to the music or excessive gin drinking I'm not sure.

Sunday started at the obscenely early hour or 4pm to swoon over John Reis with the Night Marchers. They were on form and he looked lovely but the tent was a bit empty, so it lacked much spark. An Albatross followed who I do still enjoy but they are definitely one of those bands who you don't exactly need to see more than once. I'm trying to remember the last time I saw Rolo Tomassi and I really think it was about 10 months ago. At Dour they played to a packed tent and even managed to get a good old-fashioned circle pit going. After a well-deserved falafel wrap (my favourite food of the festival, no doubt, 9/10), we caught my favourite new discovery of the weekend, Bob Log III. A one-man band dressed in a gold sparkly space suit with a space helmet on, his twangy bluesy garage rock was F.U.N. Like a lot of other acts at Dour, the dancing and general reaction from the audience enhanced the atmosphere so much more than I've really seen at a UK festival like Reading. Like I said, they love to dance. After this high we watched bits of Crystal Castles (too hot in the tent though) before I had a bit of a nap during Boss Hog's set. I thought I might have to retire to the tent, especially after watching a few minutes of Aphex Twin's flat and lifeless set on the main stage. However, Dour had a final trick up its sleeve with the 5 Elements of Hip Hop collaboration featuring members of The Roots, Cypress Hill, Rock Steady Crew and the Beastie Boys. Mixmaster Mike played hit after hit including notable some Rage Against The Machine and, obvs, a lot of Beasties. He was the only element we saw since 5 hours is pretty excessive, let's be honest.

All in all, Dour was an IMMENSE festival experience. Generally, it seemed cleaner and more organised than UK festivals, with a much more varied line-up and live music on all stages til late. Sure, I may have showered every day and actually eaten properly for the first time at a camping festival ever, but Dour is a festival UK music fans should definitey consider checking out. They do love a lot of crappy drum 'n' bass over there though. Shout-outs to falafel wraps, pack-a-macs, boomstankin, BBQ parties, tent collapsing losers, Belchium, and the Lidl shopping trips.

It’s the same old story, as usual. Here’s the shortlist:

Florence & The Machine

One of the favourites, decidedly inoffensive. It’s OK to like her.

Kasabian

…

Bat For Lashes

You know, she’s not that bad, but really, this is standard Mercury Prize fodder which does nothing but get churned out for critics and award ceremonies.

La Roux

You know I heard the Skream remix a few times this weekend and it wasn’t too shabby.

Glasvegas

They needed these guys and Kasabian on the list?! Really?!

Speech Debelle

Black and female?! Efficient on two levels then.

Friendly Fires

One of the 2 albums on this list I’ve heard. I love them. Does anyone else?

The Horrors

Yep there’s album number 2.

Lisa Hannigan

Wikipedia tells me she used to be in Damian Rice’s band. That’s all you need to know really.

The Invisible

The only band on this list I haven’t heard that I’m vaguely interested in hearing.

Led Bib

“Jazz with a punk aesthetic”.

Sweet Billy Pilgrim

Oh wait, I might actually want to listen to this album too. Filling that ‘unknown post-folk-rock outsiders’ slot nicely

Playlist: Dour festival ears ringing.

That was how the oh so eloquent Alex expressed his feelings on the new Japandroids LP ‘Post-Nothing’, which can be listened to on Spotify here.

This is fast becoming one of my favourite releases of the year so far. This is upbeat, melodic, emotionally loaded, tuneful stuff, which carries the lo-fi noise fuzz on the recording but truly SHOULDN’T be mistaken for some kind of No Age wannabe poseurs who think DIY is a style of music that means you don’t know how to play your instruments.

Despite it being in its third year, this is my first time to Field Day. After the disorganised drama and queues of the first year, and the horrific downpours of last year, I’m hoping this year will strike the perfect balance. I spend more time in Victoria Park than I’d care to admit but 1st August I’ll be back to hang with some badass bands and the majority of East London.

As well as the music, more of which later, I’m quite looking forward to all the ‘village’ stuff which is going on, including a clothes swap, tug of war and coconut shy. But thinking about it, I probably won’t do any of these wholesome things as I’ll be drinking gin and tonics and watching bands.

Top 5 picks for Field Day:

Fennesz – Ambient, atmospheric noise could translate well on the stage in Victoria Park, and having missed him at ATP I’m hoping I won’t lame-out again.

The Horrors – Literally on their new album about 6 months later than the rest of Twitter but WHO CARES.

Mogwai – This is their only UK festival appearance this year which is surprising considering the number of ATPs which are taking place. Nevertheless, I hope the sound works out for them because Mogwai with crap sound might as well not bother.

Skream – He's from Croydon.

Wild Beasts – Some people seriously WON’T STOP RAVING about their new album and while I’ve had a few listens and I kind of dig it, I really need to see this live to truly ‘get’ it.

Playlist: Akron/Family, Wipers, Big Business

This is a question I often ask myself and have considered making WWHRD bracelets to wear in the same style of Christians with WWJD. Which, coincidentally, I had no idea what the acronym stood for for about 6 years.

Anyhow, aside from being an punk alternative to the religious fashion accessories, WWHRD is a badass ‘zine which is only on its second issue but features some of my favourite bands, including two Holy Roar bands, Maths and Throats. In the style of usual ‘zine self-awareness it includes stuff lots of others have, including recipes and the usual.

They’ve also done house shows which is good news as the only house shows that seem to happen these days involve hipsters in warehouses in Dalston.

Playlist: Japandroids, Tiny Vipers

First Down I Go gig this year!

First Betty Pariso gig ever!

First…um..time Youves have played with either of these bands!

The last time I camped at a festival was Reading in 2003 and I really don’t miss the experience, but for some reason I’m actually going to be camping next week at Dour.

I keep religiously checking the weather forecasts which don’t look too bad apart from the rain blip on Thursday:

Whatever the weather I will hopefully have a good but exhausting time as the festival is not the usual 3 days of bands but actually 4. Here is what I will be watching and enjoying hopefully in the sun:

And you will know us by the trail of dead….

I still haven’t seen them live, ever!

Friendly Fires

I’ve never seen these guys either and seriously seriously hope it’s hot and sunny and everyone can have a sweaty post-punk dance-off during their set.

The Night Marchers

I actually had tickets to see these guys on the Wednesday, but now I’m going to the festival I was going to sell them, but turns out they’ve cancelled that gig anyway! Basically it all worked out perfectly.

Meshuggah

Only for ‘Straws Pulled at Random’

Venetian Snares

…along with Rolo Tomassi and An Albatross on the stage which I have charmingly re-named ‘the headf*ck’ stage.

 

Others I will be excited about: Marnie Stern (disappointing at Primavera), Dillinger Escape Plan (never get boring), Deerhoof (thought I’d seen these guys before, turned out I hadn’t), Rolo Toamssi (first time seeing them at a festival), Diplo, Monotonix, Isis, MSTRKRFT…..

 

Playlist: Tiny Vipers, Big Business