Friday, January 27, 2017

Coming to a field near you

Festival line-up announcement season is upon us!

First up, the one that I'm most likely to go to: Green Man. I can't say I'm excited by two of the headliners, Ryan Adams and Future Islands, but the fact that the third is PJ Harvey - and that Angel Olsen will also be in attendance - has given me serious food for thought.

More so than Reading/Leeds, certainly, where you could have predicted that Kasabian would join Muse atop a bill that screams "At The Drive-In - but at what cost?"

Meanwhile, Kendal Calling - a relative new kid on the block - boasts a line-up choc-full of big names (Manic Street Preachers, Brian Wilson, Editors, Tinie Tempah, Example, Slaves). Music journalist Hayley Scott was quick to note a problem, though - and it wasn't just the presence of Stereophonics among the headliners. Perhaps, in the organisers' defence, they've been issued with one of Trump's executive orders banning them from booking any female artists, Kate Nash being the exception that proves the rule?

Last but not least, my friends Elvana are naturally delighted at the prospect of sharing a stage at Camp Bestival with both Brian Wilson (playing Pet Sounds in its entirety, as he is at Kendal Calling) and Mr Tumble. You know you've made it when that happens.

No comments: