Festival In Focus: Ben & Jerry’s Summer Sundae - London & Manchester – 23&24/7/11
By: Kevin Molloy
If you're looking for something to do with your end of July weekend, and reside in either Manchester or London, a fine way to spend your time would be at the endearingly odd little affair that is Ben & Jerry's Sundae.
Odd because somehow between being one of the more obviously branded festivals out there, and the second one we know of to use the whole Sundae pun with an enviable disregard for the fact it takes place over a whole weekend (pedantic, we know), it boasts a truly eyebrow-lifting line-up across its two days.
On Saturday in Manchester’s Heaton Park and Sunday on London’s Clapham Common, Maximo Park headline, with Gary 'from the 80s' Numan in support, which is odd for starters - we'll be crossing our fingers for 'Cars'. The daytime acts vary between the acoustic leanings of soon-to-be old-timer Stephen Fretwell and the rapped poetic streams of consciousness of Sound of Rum. It's like a pingpong ball being batted around over a table representing the last 3 decades, by bats of at least 6 different genres.
The Sunday (Manc), Saturday (LDN) line-up has much the same fun, pitting Ocean Colour Scene, Ash Fun Lovin' Criminals and Paul Weller's guitarist (Steve Craddock) against a load of bands we've never heard of. Exciting enough, in its way!
Us? We're planning to go and make ourselves sick by over-indulging in ice-cream and skanking to Madness.
Ben and Jerry's Sundae takes place on the 23rd and 24th July in London and Manchester. For more details, head to www.benjerry.co.uk/sundae.
Artists in this article: Madness, Gary Numan, Maximo Park