All Tomorrow’s Parties 2012 Preview

While most festivals are just single-weekend affairs, All Tomorrow’s Parties has events all year ‘round – and not just in their home of England, but also in America, Japan, Australia, and beyond. ATP closes out 2012 at the Pontins holiday camp in Camber Sands, East Sussex, and for curator they picked one of the best bands out there today – The National (QRO spotlight on).

So see who The National have lined up for ATP, Friday-Sunday, December 7th to 9th:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7TH

Stage 1 Kurt Vile & The Violators, 11.15pm-12.45am Even amongst all the lo-fi guitar-punks out there, Kurt Vile has made a name for himself. The former member of The War On Drugs (QRO live review) Kurt Vile has since formed his own ensemble with his Violators, and contributed to/opened for alt-punk guitar god J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr. – QRO live review) on his solo record, Several Shades of Why (QRO review), and subsequent tour (plus recent Dinosaur Jr. You’re Living All Over Me show in NYC), but comes to ATP for a third time as frontman of his own (QRO live review).
Bear In Heaven, 9.45pm-10.45pm Brooklyn band Bear In Heaven (QRO interview) first got notice in 2007 with Red Bloom of the Boom (QRO review), and kept it going with 2009’s Beast Rest Forth Mouth (QRO review) and this year’s I Love You, It’s Cool (QRO review). They’ve garnered massive praise as the band has moved up the rungs of the tour (QRO live review outdoors) and festival hierarchy (QRO photos at a festival), as well as being a road warrior (QRO live review), even overseas (QRO photos at a German festival).
Also: Kronos Quartet, 8.00pm-9.15pm – QRO photos Hauschka, 6.30pm-7.30pm Nico Muhly + guests, 5.15pm-6.00pm Richard Reed Parry presents: ‘Drones/Revelations’, 4.00pm-4.45pm
Stage 2 Boris, 11.30pm-12.30am Japan has adopted and remade everything from car manufacturing to the club sandwich, and metal’s no different – thanks to Boris (QRO photos, outdoors at a festival). Along with ‘bor’ bros Boredoms (QRO photos at a festival), Boris has taken metal into whole new arenas, both geographically (including ATPs in New York & Japan) and musically.
Tim Hecker, 10.00pm-11.00pm International ambient artist Tim Hecker comes back to ATP
Luluc, 8.45pm-9.30pm Reduced and simply special sounds come to ATP from halfway around the world, in Melbourne’s Luluc.
Buke & Gase, 7.30pm-8.15pm Brooklyn’s Arone Dyer & Aron Sanchez (QRO interview) form Buke and Gase (formerly Buke and Gass – QRO live review). They use handmade instruments like such as the ‘toe-bourine’, the ‘buke’ (a six-string former-baritone ukulele), and the ‘gase’, a guitar-bass hybrid, for singular sound. They share a bill with The National for the umpteenth time (QRO photos outdoors, opening for The National).
Hayden, 6.00pm-6.45pm Paul Hayden Desser (QRO interview) is ‘just another amazing Canadian multi-instrumentalist’, who comes to Europe for five shows that will be his first in over a year, showcasing music for his upcoming record, which will be his first since 2009’s The Place Where We Lived (QRO review).

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8TH

Stage 1 Wild Beasts, 11.00pm-12.30am From the Lake District is the dream-pop Wild Beasts (QRO live review), who are neither wild nor beastly (QRO photos at a festival). In their return to ATP, they’ll be playing their acclaimed Smother.
The Antlers, 9.15pm-10.15pm The newest of the next wave of Brooklyn acts is The Antlers (QRO photos), who first blew people away (QRO live review) with epic concept album Hospice, then opened for the likes of Ra Ra Riot (QRO live review, opening for Ra Ra Riot), Editors (QRO album review – QRO photos, opening for Editors) and, of course, The National. But now they’ve graduated to headlining their own big gigs (QRO live review, outdoors & headlining), and came out last year with follow-up new Burst Apart (QRO review).
Sharon Van Etten, 7.45pm-8.45pm While there’s a ton of stripped songstresses out there, one of the nicer ones is Sharon Van Etten (QRO photos at a festival), who evoked the sad strains of Appalachia on her debut, Because I Was In Love (QRO review), while last year’s Epic (QRO review) made her the Brooklyn ‘it girl’ (QRO photos in New York), and this year’s Tramp (QRO review) has gotten her get even more acclaim – and attention (QRO photos). She’s also coming off of a star-studded show in NYC (QRO photos), where she had special guests like Thurston Moore (QRO live review) of Sonic Youth (QRO live review) & The National’s own Aaron Dessner.
Michael Rother presents the music of Neu! & Harmonia, 6.30pm-7.15pm Krautrock heavyweight Michael Rothers presents the music of both legendary act that he was a part of, Neu!, and his own Harmonia (after presenting Neu! at ATP in U.S. in 2005).
Puzzle Muteson with Nico Muhly + guests, 5.15pm-6.00pm Born on the Isle of Dogs, living on the Isle of Wight, Puzzle Muteson’s one-man fingerplucking folk comes to ATP with fellow Bedroom Community artist Nico Muhly & more.
Lower Dens, 4.00pm-4.45pm Slowly but surely little ol’ Baltimore is getting a rep in indie-circles – and up-and-coming alt-rockers Lower Dens (QRO photos at a festival) is one of the reasons why. They come to ATP on their first European tour (QRO photos in Europe). Also: The Kronos Quartet with Bryce Dessner, 2.30pm-3.30pm – QRO photos
Stage 2 Suuns, 12.30am-1.30am Montreal’s Suuns (QRO photos) are a post-industrial group (QRO photos at a festival) that is not the easiest to listen to (when they’re not serving as backing band to city-mate Elizabeth Powell – QRO interview – as Land of Talk – QRO photos of Powell & Suuns).
Menomena, 11.00pm-12.00am Acclaimed Portland experimental indie duo Menomena (QRO live review) are back at ATP (QRO photos at a festival) with their new Moms, their latest since 2010’s Mines (QRO review) and 2007’s Friend and Foe (QRO review).
Also: Dark Dark Dark, 9.30pm-10.30pm Mark Mulcahy, 8.00pm-9.00pm Kathleen Edwards, 6.30pm-7.30pm This Is The Kit, 5.15pm-6.00pm – QRO photos Richard Reed Parry: ‘Quiet River of Dust’ (folk show), 3.45pm-4.45pm So Percussion, 1.30pm-2.30pm

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9TH

Stage 1 The National, 11.00pm-1.00am Cincinnati-by-way-of-Brooklyn’s The National (QRO photos outdoors) hit it big in 2007 with Boxer (QRO review) and tracks like “Fake Empire”, “Mistaken For Strangers”, and “Apartment Story” – and again in 2008 with The Virginia EP (QRO review), but that just presaged last year’s High Violet (QRO review), which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts (QRO expanded edition review). An impressive and much-in-demand act (QRO live review), they’re fitting in nicely as a festival headliner (QRO photos headlining a festival) – and now curator (QRO photos curating a festival). Blown up to the point that New York Times Magazine ran a feature on them & Obama used (a family-friendly) bit of “Mr. November” as a campaign song, The National (QRO photos at a festival) return from an hiatus to take ATP by storm (QRO photos headlining a festival), after having done so in Europe (QRO photos in Europe), the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), and the European festival circuit (QRO photos at a European festival).
Local Natives, 9.15pm-10.15pm Silver Lake’s Local Natives (QRO photos at a festival) have been riding the alt-country/folk wave, but seem to be doing it better than most, charting in 2010 with debut Gorilla Manor, moving up to headliner tours (QRO live review), and well-received on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival).
Owen Pallett, 7.45pm-8.45pm One-man instrumentalist Owen Pallett (QRO live review) has worked with acts like Arcade Fire (QRO live review), including doing the string arrangements on Funeral, Neon Bible (QRO review), and The Suburbs (QRO review), but is also well known for his solo work, with 2010’s Heartland (QRO review) his biggest yet, though he had to drop the moniker of ‘Final Fantasy’ for legal reasons (QRO photos under that name at a festival). Just him and a violin on stage, he loops it through samplers & pedals, yet has been able to fill a stage (QRO live review) even at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).
Perfume Genius, 6.30pm-7.15pm Seattle’s chamber-pop artist Mike Hadreas comes to ATP as Perfume Genius.
Youth Lagoon, 5.00pm-6.00pm Even Boise, Idaho’s got some lo-fi in the form of Trevor Powers, a.k.a. Youth Lagoon (QRO photos).
My Brightest Diamond, 3.30pm-4.30pm While Shara Worden (QRO photos at a festival) has shined in her collaborations, like those with National (QRO photos at a National-curated festival) spin-off Clogs (QRO photos) and Sufjan Stevens (QRO live review), she’s still best known as My Brightest Diamond (QRO photos outdoors) on albums like 2008’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth (QRO review) and last year’s All Things Will Unwind (QRO review). Also: Yellowbirds, 2.00pm-3.00pm
Stage 2 Ethan Lipton’s ‘No Place To Go’ (show 2), 1.00am, 2.30am Stars Of The Lid, 10.00pm-11.00pm Austin drone-ambient musicians Adam Wiltzie & Brian McBride – a.k.a. Stars of the Lid – come back to ATP.
Deerhoof, 8.45pm-9.45pm A band (QRO photos at a festival) that’s always hard to peg down, the prolific Deerhoof (QRO photos), led by the unmistakable Satomi Matsuzaki, come back to ATP on their European tour (QRO photos in Europe).
Wye Oak, 7.15pm-8.15pm From Baltimore is the duo of Andy Stack & Jenn Wasner, a.k.a. Wye Oak (QRO photos). While records like debut If Children (QRO review), follow-up The Knot (QRO review), and last year’s Civilian tackle the sweeter indie-folk side of things, live (QRO photos at a festival) the band rocks a lot harder, especially Wasner’s axe (QRO photos at a festival).
Also: Richard Reed Parry presents: ‘Music For Heart and Breath’ (chamber music set), 5.45pm-6.45pm The Philistines Jr, 4.15pm-5.15pm Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus, 2.45pm-3.30pm Ethan Lipton’s ‘No Place To Go’ (show 1), 1.00pm-2.30pm

For festival website, go here: http://www.atpfestival.com/events/thenational.php