The seventh annual Long Division festival comes into full swing tomorrow. With an eclectic assortment of arts, literary and music events taking place across some of Wakefield’s most loved landmarks and venues, including the Town Hall and Cathedral, Long Division is Wakey’s largest festival of music and culture.
Established in 2011, Long Division sets out to provide a platform for “independent, creative and forward thinking artists”, whilst “creating engaging and unique new work.” Acts including The Fall, British Sea Power, The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses and renowned poet Simon Armitage have graced Long Division’s stages over the years – and this year’s offering is EXCITING.
Whether you’re heading over to the wonderful West Yorkshire city of Wakefield this weekend, or if you can’t make it due to some other extremely important commitment, here’s a whirlwind tour of a small selection of acts from the line-up that absolutely must be checked out. So, in no particular order:
ZoZo: Manic post-punk ramblings versus sax drizzled ska-punk.
Toria Garbutt: Knottingley born spoken word poet who captures the spirit and struggles of her working class upbringing with gloriously raw delivery.
Team Picture: Muso six piece who have crossed the no-man’s land from DIY alternative fuzz to a polished electronically-led, 80s tinged pop party. Gated reverb, synths and punchy melodies here, there and, well, everywhere. Listen to their glittering mini-album ‘Recital’, released just today.
Mush: Glitchy art-rock, like if The Strokes had babies with Omni. Nice.
Mugen: Meditative, chilled indie with velvety vocals and smooth as silk production.
The Lovely Eggs: Seasoned lo-fi Lancastrians churning out surreal, psychedelic infused rock. Abstract lyrics, abstract concepts, infectious, consuming creations!
Laminate Pet Animal: Juxtaposing sweet female vocal and deep, ominous male notes. Rippling electronic underbelly and melting melodies, laced with elements of Jacques Green and Burial.
Kermes: Read Turtle Tempo’s review of their smasher of a debut album. Inclusive, gritty and raucous pop punk. They’re noisy, liberating and amazing live.
King Creosote: With nearly 40 releases behind him, Kenny Anderson’s traditional folk vocals and musical elements are captivating; mixed with contemporary rhythms and subjects.
Floodhounds: Royal Blood splattered gritty guitar riffs and driving percussion underpins attitude-accelerated indie rock.
Glass Mountain: Rolling guitar murmurs and percussion accents clash with mournful lyrics and lulling electronic drones. Irresistibly comforting chord transitions form ultimate sad dream pop.
The Golden Age of TV: Uplifting, catchy indie-pop. Dance-worthy, melodious tunes.
Galaxians: A powerhouse of demanding vocals and synth dance loops. Soul, disco and late 80s dance mingle together splendidly.
Drahla: Minimal three piece effortlessly delivering post punk and art rock musings. Bass heavy and driven by discorded noise, plus Luciel Brown’s understated yet dark and commanding vocal.
Colour of Spring: Reverberating, hazy shoegaze ambience against fuzzy, shadowy post-rock touches.
Billy Bragg: Iconic political punk singer-songwriter, delivering social and personal deliberations through his accessible, quintessentially English folk tinged ballads and anthems.
The Boxing: Spectres coated gloomy, murky post-punk. Mellow guitar oozes around minor notes and ominous melodies.
Bearfoot Beware: Abrasive, aggressive post-punk foundations from the likes of Protomartyr and Duds. All out, guttural grit.
Enough to tempt you? Ought to be… Long Division is taking place this weekend (June 1st – 3rd) across a range of the city’s cracking venues: Long Division 2018.
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