Just three weeks after a soggy, muddy Lovebox, Victoria Park plays host to another series of music events in what could turn out to be a beautiful sun-kissed weekend. First up, Underage Festival on Friday, the one-dayer for non-rubbish 13-17 year-olds. Inspired bookings in Janelle Monae, Crystal Fighters and cocknbullkid should all go down brilliantly with a teenage audience. And with seven stages to pick between, noone’s attention span need wane. More details here.
Field Day returns on Saturday which what must rate as one of the most interesting and buzzy line-ups of any festival this summer, and all squeezed into one day, rather than three. Featuring the returning Electrelane and star turns from the likes of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, The Horrors and Anna Calvi, it promises the best Field Day yet. More details here and a fuller preview here.
Finally, Sunday offers the inaugural The Apple Cart. Designed to serve a mix of music, comedy and cabaret, it’s something a little different from the other London one-dayers. So while the music stage is solid but not as exciting as either of the other days (Patrick Wolf, St Etienne, Steve Mason lead the way), the addition of the other non-music based stages including most exciting of all, a magic stage, together with its situation at the end of a weekend make it a pretty enticing prospect for young families. More details here.
Gig Of The Week: 1 – 7 August 2011
Grimes – Hoxton Square B&K, London – 4 August; Corsica Studios, London – 5 August
Grimes (pictured) is eccentric, ethereal Canadian singer Claire Boucher. She makes strange and inventive music, unnerving yet warm, as her arrangements twist their way around her delicate melodies. Album, Geidi Primes, is due out on 8 August, re-released by No Pain In Pop, and she’ll be playing twice in London this week. First up in Hoxton, and then to Corsica Studios where she’ll headline the always excellent Club Motherfucker. After that a quick whizz around the country will find her in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Brighton.
More details here.
Also Recommended:
Jeffrey Lewis – Lexington, London – 2 August
Crystal Stilts – Madame Jojo’s, London – 2 August
Brit Floyd – O2 Arena, London – 2 August
Cubic Zirconia – Lexington, London – 3 August
Laetitia Sadler – Café Oto, London – 3 August
Tom Baxter – Slaughtered Lamb, London – 3 August
Josh Bray + Sophie Barker – Elgin, Notting Hill, London – 3 August
Morrissey – Brixton Academy, London – 7 August
Just Announced:
WHY? – Union Chapel, London – 24 October
Californian trio WHY? will be playing some very nice venues in October, including a saliva-inducing acoustic night at the Union Chapel. We’re promised fan favourites, cult classics, covers and a preview of some material taken from a forthcoming, and as yet untitled, fifth album. Together with dates in Bristol and Brighton, these will be their only UK dates this year.
More details here.
Zun Zun Egui – Shacklewell Arms, London – 25 October
Bella Union continue to diversify their roster to a wider scope than just the safety of all who follow in the folky footsteps of Fleet Foxes. Zun Zun Egui are perhaps the furthest from the norm, with their vibrant, verging-on-insane pop. New single, Fandango Fresh, with its joyous video acts as a precursor to their debut album, Katang, coming out in October. There’ll be a wider tour announcement coming soon, but for now they’ll be found at the Shacklewell Arms on 25 October.
More details here.
