Tag Archives: constellations

Post- CONSTELLATIONS musings on festivals

I was 15 when I attended my first festival – U2 at Milton Keynes Bowl, with support from The Ramones, REM, Spear of Destiny and Billy Bragg (who performed at pretty much every festival in the mid to late 1980s). Bono was less pompous then, I was in love with Larry Mullen Jnr, and I’d never seen 50,000 people in one space before – it was quite a big deal for little teenage me. I also got hideously sun-burned and learned my first festival lesson – sun-block.

I haven’t been to that many festivals since, as I decided I actually don’t enjoy them that much. I’ll get excited by a line-up, pay a huge sum of money for maybe three or four bands, then feel disappointed because I can’t see a thing, the sound quality is rubbish, and there are too many drunk people invading my personal space. I’ve often come away from a festival saying “(insert band) were great, but I’d love to see them properly…”

Then I had my first All Tomorrow’s Parties experience. No tents. No portaloos. No sun-block. Amazing bands, decent stages and sound quality – a festival that gives you a proper, intimate gig experience for each band you choose to see. And do you know what else I like? Seats. Standing around all day takes it’s toll, and I am officially middle aged, you know.

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Constellations – a review of 140 characters

I was only at @cnstlltns from 6pm last night but this is what I made of it
Monday 15th November 10:10

I think #Liars did a new song at @cnstlltns. It was ace
Sunday 14th November, 18:53

Until @localnatives said so at @cnstlltns I didn’t know Warning Sign was a Talking Heads cover. Their harmonies are spot on live.
Sunday 14th November, 19:02

The percussive multitasking of @localnatives was as impressive as their harmonies at @cnstlltns
Sunday 14th November, 19:29

A lesson from @cnstlltns : try to stage dive while @lessavyfav are playing & u might end up getting… A foot massage
Sunday 14th November, 20:55

Sorry @loscampesinos but I couldn’t drag myself away from @lessavyfav at @cnstlltns but delighted u were allowed overtime so I cd see u too!
Sunday 14th November, 21:17

Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav, photographed by Hannah Cordingley

What I saw of @FourTet & @bssmusic (Broken Social Scene) tonight at @cnstlltns left me wanting more. Wish I cd have seen full set by both
Sunday 14th November, 22:42

I missed @sleighbells at @cnstlltns to catch train. Jen Fox of @bcbradio saw them & says: “they were good…prefer the heavier shouty stuff”
Sunday 14th November, 23:27

The above are all Tweets from @djalbertfreeman

Eclectic Mainline 10th November 2010

constellations

Constellations line-up

This Sunday, the rather splendid Constellations Festival is on in Leeds, and it really is quite a line-up! 

You may already have heard Katie and Jen talking about it in The Show, and I’m sure several other BCB presenters have been bigging it up too.

As you will see the line-up really is quite special.  Regular listeners to Eclectic Mainline will have heard all the artists mentioned to the left.

Last night in my show we featured Katie speaking to Local Natives about their appearance at the festival.

A server glitch prevented me from posting my playlist straigh after the show, but here it is now:

This is what I played in my show last night:

Panico – “Icon” (LP – “Kick”) (Chemikal Underground)
Blonde Redhead – “Not Getting There” (single and LP – “Penny Sparkle”) (4AD)
Peter Broderick – “Human Eyeballs on Toast” (LP – “How They Are”) (Bella Union)
Zé Da Lua – “Ulungu Wami” compilation LP – “Angola Soundtrack”) (Analog Afrika)
Vessels – “Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute” (single) (Cuckundoo)
The National – “Conversation 16” (single and LP – “High Violet”) (4AD)
Appliance – “West Waves” (LP – “Re-conditioned”) (RROOP)
Sparrow and the Workshop – “Black To Red” (single) (Distiller)
Four Tet – “Angel Echoes” (LP – “There Is Love In You”) (Domino)
Local Natives interview with Katie Jennings
Local Natives – “Who Knows Who Cares (BretonLABS remix)” (single and LP – “Gorillan Manor”) (Infectious)
Liars – “Scissor” (LP – “Sisterworld”) (Mute)
Warpaint – “Undertow” (single and LP – “The Fool”) (Rough Trade)
Consumers – “Anti, Anti, Anti” (compilation LP – “Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80) (Domino)

Escort Knights on The BCB Sessions – Wed 10th Nov

Hiya,

Escort Knights are our featured band of the week…they’re from Leeds and are having a big do this Saturday night at Nation of Shopkeepers, playing with Club Smith (indie/house).  For all the blurb and to get details of their remix competition: www.myspace.com/escortknights

Here’s what made the show:
SBTRKT – Look at stars
Jonny – Continental
Micah P Hinson – Watchers, tell us of the night
Escort Knights interview – with Joe
Escort Knights (featured band) – Hole in your head
Hide Me – We love
Dirty Projectors – As I went out one morning
Deerhunter – Never Stops
The Dawnriders – Goldrush (lovely track from West Yorks band – playing with The Sunshine Underground at St George’s Hall, Bfd on 26 Nov)
worriedaboutstan – The Butterfly Effect (Two guys from Leeds, making soundscapes that push boundaries and keep me very interested)
iliketrains (archive session track) – sirens (see them this weekend at Constellations Festival)
Girls – Heartbreaker
Chilly Gonzales (Erol Alkan rework) – Never Stop
Escort Knights (featured band) – I don’t know your name

Get in touch if you’d like to come in and record a session or get your music played on the radio. We’ll add you to the The BCB Sessions Hall of Musical Fame! email: laura.rawlings@bcbradio.co.uk

Back next week, Wednesday night at 9pm on 106.6fm in Bradford or www.bcbradio.co.uk wherever you are.

Lx

The Show – 02/10/2010 and again on 05/10/2010

Hello blog world!

This week, Katie and Jen of The Show spoke to Rory from bright young thingies, The Kabeedies. He was very tired and in a miscallenous Travel Lodge (oh, the trappings of fame). We mostly talked about Twitter, which is always entertaining as neither Jen nor I really ‘get it’. The Kabeedies are playing at the trend central venue that is Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds on Thursday 7th October – they are a most excellent live band with enough energy to keep a medium sized town (perhaps Ipswich) alight for at least 2 hours, i.e they are rather good.

sometimes they wear more clothes

sometimes they wear more clothes

We also talked about the AMAZING Constellation Festival happening over 2 days at Leeds Uni on 13th and 14th November – excellent line-up featuring Local Natives, Liars, Fout Tet and Broken Social Scene.

Here is what we played –

– Kap Bambino – ‘Red Signs’ (Single, 2008)
– Musuem of Bellas Artes – ‘Watch the Glow’ (Single, 2010)
-Kabeedies – ‘Palindromes’ from the EP ‘Ten Animals I Slam in a Net’ (2008)
-Broken Social Scene – ‘World Sick’ from the Album ‘Forgiveness Rock Record'(2010)
-Young Blood Brass Band – ‘Nuclear Summer’ from the album ‘Is That A Riot?’ (2007)
-Kabeedies – King Canute’ from the EP ‘Ten Animals I Slam in a Net’ (2008)

The Show goes out at 6pm on Saturdays, is repeated on Tuesdays at 1pm and will see you soon.