Kendal Calling 2012 Preview

FRIDAY, JULY 28TH

Main Stage Maxïmo Park There are some bands that make the top ten in Britain, and Americans only wish their national audience was as cool in their taste – case in point, Maxïmo Park (QRO photos at a festival). The English act has charted with all three of their records (most recently 2009’s Quicken the Heart), earning their status as a festival headliner in their native country.

Scroobius Pip While best known for his work with dan le sac as ‘dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip’ (like at Kendal Calling 2008), rapper Scroobius (a.k.a. David Peter Meads) plays a solo show on the Main Stage, with a live band (and is still facing off with dan le sac at the Glow Dance Tent on Friday – see below).

Also: DJ Yoda & The Transiberian March Band The Correspondents Whiskycats The Minx Gamu & Jack B


Glow Dance Tent Ash Howell Shy FX Killsonik Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip Dub Pistols (DJ set) Jaymo & Andy George Ms Dynamite Olugbenga Danny Beck Earl Gateshead & MC Supafour Dubcentral Crew


Calling Out Stage Little Barrie Nottingham power trio Little Barrie brings some soul-funk & blues to Kendal Calling.

Little Comets From Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Little Comets jumped right to the majors with last year’s In Search of Elusive Little Comets & their ‘kitchen sink indie’.

Ghostpoet Singer Obaro Ejimiwe – a.k.a. Ghostpoet – not only plays the Calling Out Stage, but also DJs to close out The Kube on Friday (see below).

Admiral Fallow Scottish folk/pop outfit (QRO photos) is hitting all the U.K. festivals this summer.

Hatcham Social New Cross, London indie-pop outfit Hatcham Social come to Kendal Calling in the run-up to their anticipated second album, the follow-up to 2009’s You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soil. Also: Trophy Wife The Last Gambados Nathan Holme


Chai Wallahs DJ Moneyshot Slamboree Monster Ceilidh Band Cut a Shine The Loose Moose String Band Kidnap Alice Lucy Rose – QRO photos at a festival Karima Francis Dexter Dextrous & The Finger Smiths Rae Morris Pete Roe

Riot Jazz Jonny Dub (DJ) Whiskycats Dirty North New York Brass Band GoGo Penguin Extra Love Nancy Kent & The New Generations The User Friendly


The Kube Ghostpoet DJ Set Obaro Ejimiwe – a.k.a. Ghostpoet – closes The Kube with a DJ set, after the Coventry singer performs earlier on Friday (see above).

Olugbenga Olugbenga of Metronomy (QRO live review) plays twice on Friday. Also: DJ Yoda Linton Brown Paper Tiger Ocelus Just Harry GenreSluts Kieran Stafford

The Soapbox Ray Guns Look Real Enough Thingumabob & The Thingumajigs Mik Artistik Alan Anderson Jolly Boat Phill Ellis Beat The Frog Stand-up Winners Slaughterhouse Comedy Sketch Show

The Houseparty Dave Haslam B>E>A>K The Carpels Mike Joyce Girls Big Night In/Out Max Raptor Faceplant The Lottery Winners Mono LPs

Woodlands Stage Thomas J Speight Jenny O Happy Slap Boutique Mikey J Wolfie Razzmatazz Magic Lantern Vinyl Rights Mark Abbott

Songsmith Solar Stage Naymedici The Genuine Articles A Me B Flat Cap 3 Rob Shepherd

SATURDAY, JULY 28TH

Main Stage Dizzee Rascal Mercury Prize winner Dizzee Rascal is playing in anticipation of this September’s new album, his first since his fourth studio release, Tongue N’ Cheek, and it’s number one hit "Dance Wiv Me". And he headlines Kendal Calling for the second time.

Shed Seven While the nineties Britpop scene is best known for acts like just-broke-up Oasis & just-got-back-together Blur, one of the best groups of then, Shed Seven, never quite got their due. Thankfully, they reunited recently, and have kept up the quality.

The View Not the female gabfest, The View (QRO photos) combines all sorts of indie-rock behind the just-out Cheeky For a Reason.

Spector After their tour with Florence & The Machine (QRO album review), Spector (QRO photos) hit Kendal Calling.

Also: Dodgy Little Roy Juan Zelada The Travelling Band


Glow Dance Tent Jack Beats (DJ set) Redlight DJ Zinc & MC Script Toddla T Utah Saints Melé Phaeleh Humanizer Endoflevelbaddie Mungo’s HiFi


Calling Out Stage Tribes Tribes (QRO photos at a festival) burst out of Camden in London last year on the back of the killer single "We Were Children" (QRO review), and kept up their hype with debut full-length Baby (QRO review) earlier this year. So go check out "the children of the mid-nineties…" (QRO live review)

To Kill a King Leeds’ folk-rock outfit To Kill a King comes to Kendal Calling behind their new single, "Fictional State"

Toy Singer/songwriter Tom Dougall (younger brother of Rose Elinor Dougall of The Pipettes – QRO photos) formed the psychedelic krautrock outfit Toy.

Sound of Guns Liverpool’s Sound of Guns (QRO photos) are not some rap outfit (though police in Wakefield thought they were, just because of the name, and sent armed cops to surround the group in 2009), but a solid indie-rock group (QRO photos) touring behind this year’s sophomore release, Angels and Enemies.

Also: The Feud Wonder Villians Jake Evans Spring Offensive The Cold One Hundred The Longsands Blunt Truth


Chai Wallahs DJ Switch Coda Dreadzone Tako Lako Juan Zelada Benjamin Francis Leftwich Dizraeli and the Small Gods HoneyFeet Pat Dam Smyth Jack Martello

Riot Jazz Tommy Riot (DJ) HoneyFeet The Dub Jazz Soundsystem The Yossarians Age of Glass Victorian Dad Toe Rag The Templebys Thingumabob & The Thingumajigs Sara Mac Al Baker & The Dole Queue The 2nd Tallest Man in the World

The Kube Cut Loose DJs Luke Unabomber Ki Crieghton Danielle Moore El Diablos Social Club Boogizm Soundsystem Mark Abbott

The Soapbox The Beta Males Duncan Oakley Michael J Dolan Chris Brooker Chris Purchase Scott Bennett Ralphael Attar Variety Hour

The Houseparty Where’s Strutter The Beat Boutique Black Cat DJs The Beat Club DJs Catfish & The Bottlemen Woodlands Stage Steve Smyth Alpines Alex Hulme

Happy Slap Boutique Ocelus DJM Tom Excell Freear Linton Brown

Songsmith Solar Stage I am Blackbird Roughneck Riot Quincey Brown T-Bird

SUNDAY, JULY 29TH

Main Stage James James (QRO spotlight on) are back! You fell in love with the group (QRO live review) thanks to wonderful 1993 single "Laid", but they were already part of the ‘Madchester’ scene since the late eighties. The group (QRO live review) went on a hiatus as singer Tim Booth did solo work, but reunited a few years ago (QRO photos at a festival) behind the wonderful return The Night Before The Morning After (QRO review), and are killing it on the U.K. festival scene (QRO photos at a U.K. festival).

Feeder While they’ve never really broken outside of the British home, Wales’ Feeder (QRO live review) have been a consistent hit on the Isles (QRO photos), and now bring their alt-rock back home (QRO photos at an English festival).

Inspiral Carpets Another ‘Madchester’ act gracing Kendal Calling is Inspiral Carpets (QRO live review), who have been having their own great reunion (QRO photos) after psych-ing out nineties alt-rock.

We Are Scientists The Brooklyn-by-way-of-Claremont (QRO photos in Brooklyn), California act (QRO photos at a festival) has had a habit of appearing & disappearing, like after hits like "It’s a Hit" (QRO video), but returning in 2008 with Brain Thrust Mastery (QRO review), then disappearing again, but are back again, with 2010’s Barbara (QRO review) & new stuff coming up (QRO photos at a festival). The band’s powerful indie-rock (QRO photos at a festival) has won PhD’s across the country and beyond, and their live show (QRO live review) is known for humorous between-son banter and audience participation (QRO live review), even at festivals (QRO photos at a festival in the prior weekend). Also: The Lancashire Hotpots Twisted Wheel


Glow Dance Tent Andy H & Mikey J ft Ad-Apt A.Skillz Benga Mosca D/R/U/G/S – QRO photos at a festival Fingathing AIM Shaolin Monkey Can’t Mix Won’t Mix


Calling Out Stage Vintage Trouble From Hollywood, Vintage Trouble brings some soul & funk to Kendal Calling.

Various Cruelties Various Cruelties do more with indie than most, and come to Kendal Calling behind a new album & an appearance on Later with Jools Holland.

King Charles Almost like a king in his own right (besides the size of his hair), King Charles (QRO photos at a festival) makes glorious music with gritty croons, and clamoring chords with a boisterous melody of violins (QRO photos at a festival). He already released his latest album, Loveblood, last month, and is playing twice on Sunday (see below). And he recently got off a leg of touring (QRO photos at a festival) as the supporting act to Mumford & Sons (QRO live review).

Also: Random Impulse Hyde & Beast Beans on Toast The Hummingbirds Vinyl Jacket The Tea Street Band The Convulsions The Cheap Thrills The Wild Mercury Sound


Chai Wallahs Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show Lazy Habits Yes Sir Boss King Porter Stomp Bombskare Extra Curricular Hidden Orchestra Heymoonshaker Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six Ryan Keen Police Dog Hogan The Mekkits

Riot Jazz Johnny Walsh (DJ) Riot Jazz Brass Band King Charles – QRO photos at a festival Lauren Housley Scratter’s & The Funky Disco Pig Stan’s Magic Foot Joey Arnold & The Mispers Chili Mazarin Blind Dog Daddy’o

The Kube Fallback Productions Ginny Koppenhol D/R/U/G/S – QRO photos at a festival A.Skillz Aim DJ Set Marc Roberts Soanso Howard Sessions

The Soapbox Not Quite Quartet Mundo Jazz: Juan Mark Rough Danny Pensive Tony Basnett Stuart Mitchell


The Houseparty The Whip Electronic outfit The Whip (QRO photos at a festival) return to Kendal Calling for a second year in a row (QRO photos at a festival) to close out The Houseparty – though only with a DJ set. Also: Shaolin Monkey Bulletproof Indie Disco Jay Smith & Jamie El Muerto Wolf & Bison Rockaoke Beatwolf Radio


Happy Slap Boutique Chris Kommissar Songsmith Solar Stage King Twit Ottersgear Molly Warburton Trio