July 30, 2014
The U.K. is littered with excellent music festivals (QRO U.K. Festival Guide), and yet Beacons Festival still stands out this year with a wide and impressive line-up. So head to Skipton, Friday-to-Sunday, August 8th to 10th:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8th
Last.fm / Loud n Quiet Stage (Main Stage) Daughter, 23:30 – 00:30 North London’s Elena Tonra + Swiss-born Igor Haefelli & France’s Remi Aguilella = indie-folk Daughter (QRO photos). |
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Joan As Policewoman, 22:00 – 23:00 Originally the violinist for Hawaii/Boston alt-outfit The Dambuilders, Joan Wasser has built her own solo career As Policewoman (QRO photos outdoors). |
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Submotion Orchestra, 20:30 – 21:30 Catch the jazz & dubstep of Leeds’ Submotion Orchestra. |
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Womans Hour, 19:30 – 20:00 London’s Womans Hour may feature only one actual women, but do have intricate, striking art-rock. |
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TOY, 18:00 – 19:00 Singer/songwriter Tom Dougall (younger brother of Rose Elinor Dougall of The Pipettes – QRO photos) formed the psychedelic krautrock outfit TOY (QRO photos at a festival), though they didn’t impress on debut full-length Join the Dots (QRO review). |
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DZ Deathrays, 17:00 – 17:30 Thrash-pop duo DZ Deathrays (QRO album review) comes to Beacons from across the globe in Brisbane, Australia (QRO photos). |
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Post War Glamour Girls, 16:00 – 16:30 Check out the glamour of Post War Glamour Girls (QRO photos). |
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British Sea Power, 14:00 – 15:30 All hail the navy blue might of British Sea Power (QRO spotlight on). This (yes) British act (QRO live review in the U.K.) is also no stranger to playing Britain’s many small land-locked villages. Touring behind last year’s Machineries of Joy (QRO review), they’re epic in all the right ways, and a great fit for a festival anywhere (QRO photos at a festival). So have no “Fear of Drowning” (QRO video), ‘cause “It Ended On an Oily Stage” (QRO video). At Beacons they do a special performance of last year’s From the Sea To the Land Beyond, their soundtrack to film of archival footage of British coastal life. |
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Noisey Stage XXYYXX, 00:00 – 01:00 Orlando electronic musician XXYYXX (QRO photos at a festival) describes his music as, “Doing drugs on a freeway… underwater.” |
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Action Bronson, 22:30 – 23:30 From down-river in Flushing, Action Bronson moved from gourmet chef to rapper with panache, and comes to Beacons hot on the heels of his major label debut, Mr. Wonderful. |
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Melt Yourself Down, 21:30 – 22:15 Melt Yourself Down take jazz & funk to avant-garde modernity. |
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Vessels, 20:30 – 21:00 While they originally started out as a post-rock outfit on 2011’s sophomore LP, Helioscope, Vessels have since expanded into live techno. |
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Also: East India Youth, 19:30 – 20:00 Vaults, 18:30 – 19:00 Golden Teacher, 17:30 – 18:00 Paris XY, 16:30 – 17:00 Championlover, 15:30 – 16:00 Nai Harvest, 14:30 – 15:00 Baby Strange, 13:30 – 14:00 The Witch Hunt, 12:30 – 13:00 |
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Argyll Stage (DIY) King Creosote, 21:30 – 22:30 Paul Thomas Saunders, 20:00 – 21:00 Sivu, 19:00 – 19:30 Cottonwoolf, 18:00 – 18:30 Eaves, 17:00 – 17:30 Kult Country, 16:00 – 16:30 Serious Sam, 15:00 – 15:30 Charlie Straw, 14:00 – 14:30 Major Rust, 13:00 – 13:30 |
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Resident Advisor Stage Roman Flugel, 23:00 – 02:00 Dan Avery, 20:00 – 23:00 Daphni, 18:00 – 20:00 Dan Shake, 17:00 – 18:00 Max Graef, 15:00 – 17:00 Hugh Taylor, 14:00 – 15:00 |
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Redbull Stage Optimo, 21:00 – 00:00 Greg Wilson, 19:00 – 21:00 Dave Haslam, 16:30 – 19:00 Luv*Jam, 14:30 – 16:30 |
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9th
Last.fm / Loud n Quiet Stage (Main Stage) Jon Hopkins, 23:45 – 00:45 Jon Hopkins began his musical career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap (QRO live review), went on to produce records for the big-name likes of Brian Eno & Coldplay, and has now made his own name in electronic music with Mercury Prize-nominated records Diamond Mine and last year’s Immunity. |
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Nightmares on Wax, 21:45 – 23:15 One of the first artists ever released on famed electronic imprint Warp Records, George Evelyn – a.k.a. Nightmares On Wax – has been spinning and producing for far longer than today’s whippersnappers. |
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Rejjie Snow, 20:30 – 21:15 Ireland is home to many things, including rap, in Alex Anyaegbunam, a.k.a. Rejjie Snow. |
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DâM-FunK, 19:00 – 20:00 Pasadena funk singer/DJ DâM-FunK (QRO photos outdoors) threw down five full-lengths worth of new material in 2010, edited and compiled into double-disc Toeachizown, and comes to Beacons (QRO photos at a festival) behind his latest, Invite the Light. |
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Charli XCX, 18:00 – 18:30 Charlotte Aitchison, under the moniker Charli XCX (QRO photos at a festival), is one of Britain’s most elusive dark pop songstresses. Already toured with Santigold (QRO live review) and Coldplay (QRO album review), as well as festivals (QRO photos at a festival), she has started to solidify her career as a pop songwriter to be reckoned with (QRO photos). Last year’s seen her release her debut full-length, True Romance, and play her own headlining gigs (QRO photos). |
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Also: Indiana, 17:00 – 17:30 Glass Animals, 16:00 – 16:30 Jaws, 15:00 – 15:30 Menace Beach, 14:00 – 14:30 |
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Noisey Stage Hookworms, 0:00 – 00:45 Catch the psychedelic noise-rock of Hookworms (QRO photos at Beacons last year), who play Beacons for a third time in a row (QRO photos at Beacons ’12). |
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Galaxians, 23:00 – 23:30 Mixing house and disco, Galaxians come to Beacons for a second year in a row. |
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Traams, 22:00 – 22:30 Beacons welcomes the noisy, joyous krautrock of Traams. |
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Weirds, 21:00 – 21:30 Get Weird(s) at Beacons. |
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Pins, 20:00 – 20:30 Manchester’s Pins (QRO photos) channel the Manchester of thirty years ago. |
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Joanna Gruesome, 19:00 – 19:30 Not a woman but a band (with feminist views) is the five-piece Joanna Gruesome (QRO photos at a festival). |
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Cheatahs, 18:00 – 18:30 Cheatahs (QRO photos at a festival) taught the old dog of fuzzy rock some new tricks on their self-titled debut (QRO review) back in March. |
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Also: Younghusband, 17:00 – 17:30 Moko, 16:00 – 16:30 Famy, 15:00 – 15:30 Plank!, 14:00 – 14:30 Autobahn, 13:00 – 13:30 Kleine Schweine, 12:00 – 12:30 |
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Argyll Stage (DIY) MONEY, 21:30 – 22:30 Dealing in love, not lucre, MONEY (QRO live review) come to Beacons with a hot live show (QRO live review) and new album, Shadow of Heaven (QRO review). |
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Also: Adult Jazz, 20:30 – 21:00 Pawws, 19:30 – 20:00 Capua Collective, 18:30 – 19:00 Years & Years, 17:30 – 18:00 Beaty Heart, 16:30 – 17:00 Fickle Friends, 15:30 – 16:00 Lovepark, 14:30 – 15:00 Temple Songs, 13:30 – 14:00 Goodbye Channel, 12:30 – 13:00 |
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Resident Advisor Stage Special Request, 00:00 – 2:00 Leeds techno-house hero Paul Woolford comes to Beacons under his new alter ego, Special Request. |
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Erol Alkan, 22:00 – 00:00 Erol Alkan began as a club promoter with his famed Trash club in London, moved on to DJ and up to producer for the likes of Mystery Jets (QRO live review) & Late of the Pier (QRO album review), but still knows how to spin the beats. |
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Also: Dusky, 20:00 – 22:00 Jackmaster, 18:00 – 20:00 Volte-Face, 16:00 – 18:00 Arthur Barr, 14:00 – 16:00 |
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Redbull Stage Joy Orbison, 22:00 – 00:00 Huxley, 20:00 – 22:00 Pariah, 18:00 – 20:00 Tasker, 16:00 – 18:00 Wayward, 14:00 – 16:00 |
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10th
Last.fm / Loud n Quiet Stage (Main Stage) Darkside, 22:10 – 23:30 Electronic musician Nicolas Jaar & multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington (QRO photos) combine as Darkside. |
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Neneh Cherry, 20:30 – 21:30 Sweden-by-way-of-London (with Sierra Leone heritage), Neneh Cherry (QRO photos at a festival) sang in a slew of punk & post-punk bands in the eighties before breaking through solo with international hit single “Buffalo Stance” (and losing the Grammy for Best New Artist to Milli Vanilli…). In this century/millennium, Cherry’s been doing some interesting collaborations, including with London duo RocketNumberNine behind last year’s team-up, Me Without You. |
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The Fall, 19:00 – 20:00 No festival is complete without an iconic, venerable alt-act, bringing some class and history to the event. For Beacons, it’s The Fall (QRO photos at a festival). Begun in Manchester all the way back in 1976, The Fall evolved from a pioneering punk band to a pioneering post-punk band, with numerous cast changes around founder/frontman Mark E. Smith. One of those bands that spawned numerous other great bands, The Fall have been name-checked by the likes of Pavement (QRO live review), with the great “Conduit For Sale!” (QRO video), and The Wedding Present (QRO live review), in “Take Me!” from Bizarro (QRO album live review). They’re also an incredibly prolific act, so who knows what to expect from the set list at Beacons (QRO photos at a festival)? |
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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, 17:30 – 18:30 One of the many Brooklyn neo-garage acts to break out, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (QRO live review) hewed more towards the brighter, twee side of things on their self-titled debut LP (QRO review), but veered into neo-John Hughes territory with last year’s great Belong (QRO review). A band (QRO photos) that deserved to break out of the Brooklyn garage (QRO photos outside of NYC), live & outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), they really kick it up a notch (QRO live review outdoors). They come to Beacons behind this year’s Days of Abandon (QRO review) and tour (QRO photos at Days of Abandon release party). |
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65daysofstatic, 16:30 – 17:00 Sheffield’s post-math-rock outfit 65daysofstatic forge their own sound and style (QRO live review) that’s not quite The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties (QRO EP review), but has earned praise from the likes of The Cure (QRO photos opening for The Cure), and numerous festival appearances (QRO photos at festival). |
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METZ, 15:30 – 16:00 Both loud and skilled, METZ (QRO live review) come ready to rock and impress at Beacons (QRO photos at a festival). |
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The Wytches, 14:30 – 15:00 Catch the surf-psych of Kristian Bell’s The Wytches (QRO photos at a festival). |
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Tall Ships, 13:30 – 14:00 The three-piece Tall Ships (QRO photos at a festival) is Brit-folk rock at its best. Pleasing vocal harmonies, rattling bass, and immense distortion easily describe their performances (QRO photos). |
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Noisey Stage Eagulls, 22:00 – 22:30 Lean in to the post-punk of Leeds’ Eagulls (QRO photos at a festival), who return to Beacons. |
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John Wizards, 21:00 – 21:30 From the Southern Hemisphere in Cape Town comes the reggae-South African house John Wizards. |
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Fat White Family, 20:00 – 20:30 Fat White Family may have been banned from playing posh Somerset House in London, but Beacons ain’t for the noise-in-the-air crowd. |
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Slaves, 19:00 – 19:30 Sacramento experimental rock outfit Slaves comes to Beacons behind this summer’s debut full-length, Through Art We Are All Equals. |
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Speedy Ortiz, 18:00 – 18:30 There’s tons of buzz around Brooklyn’s new Speedy Ortiz (QRO photos at a festival) – so of course they’re playing hip U.K. festivals (QRO photos at a festival) like Beacons. |
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The Garden, 17:00 – 17:30 Twin brothers Wyatt & Fletcher Spears form The Garden. |
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Sleaford Mods, 16:00 – 16:30 Catch QRO favorites Sleaford Mods (QRO album review) at Beacons. |
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Also: Nope, 15:00 – 15:30 September Girls, 14:00 – 14:30 Girl Band, 13:00 – 13:30 Night Flowers, 12:00 – 12:30 |
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Argyll Stage (DIY) Cate Le Bon, 21:30 – 22:30 Wales-by-the-way-of-Los Angeles, Cate Le Bon (QRO photos in U.K.) has worked with the likes of Gruff Rhys, Neon Neon, and Manic Street Preachers, but comes to Beacons all on her own. |
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Also: Sweet Baboo, 20:00 – 21:00 James Bay, 19:00 – 19:30 Yumi Zouma, 18:00 – 18:30 Little Mammoth, 17:00 – 17:30 Racing Glaciers, 16:00 – 16:30 Jarbird, 15:00 – 15:30 The Horn The Hunt, 14:00 – 14:30 Nadine Carina, 13:00 – 13:30 |
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Resident Advisor Stage Dixon, 20:00 – 23:00 Mano Le Tough, 18:00 – 20:00 Aartekt, 16:00 – 18:00 Hugh Taylor, 14:00 – 16:00 |
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Redbull Stage A Love from Outer Space (Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston), 17:30 – 22:30 Psychemagik, 15:30 – 17:30 Night Fantasy, 13:00 – 15:30 |
For festival website, go here: http://greetingsfrombeacons.com/
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