Rockfeedback @ The Great Escape ‘09
By: Dan Monsell
So it's that time of year again. Making it our fourth festival in four weekends (and our fifth of the year already), Rockfeedback will be venturing down to lovely Brighton for this year's Great Escape Festival from this Thursday. Taking place across a multitude of venues this year over three nights, the festival boasts headliners in the shape of Kasabian, British Sea Power and Holy F**k.
However this has never been an event about headliners. Coming on all like a UK's equivalent to SXSW, the fest has ALL the new bands that anyone with any kind of role in the hype machine have mentioned this year (from your student scribe to your sceney-hanger on chatting to some label guy at the back of a gig in Hoxton), all in one place over a weekend.
We shall be there reviewing and covering the weekend for this fair site of course, but we'll also be bringing you this gaggle of fair delights (and lovely friends of ours) as we host a Rockfeedback stage on the Saturday. It's at the HOME of rock and roll, Po Na Na, and will features these lovely people:
LIAM FINN -Liam played a totally stellar set at ATP this weekend (and then get us all really drunk in a chalet that was actually nicer than our houses). Joined by the equally excellent EJ on stage, Liam does killer things with melodies, loops, amazing drumming and jaw-dropping stuff like that.
DIE! DIE! DIE! - The second New Zealanders on our bill and our perhaps one of our favourite noisy punk rock trios around, Die! Die! Die! tore the place up at a Rockfeeback night back last year, and we know they'll most likely do the same again here.
PEGGY SUE - Lovely melodies and great songs from another of our recent favourites (and last week's tour of the week stars) Peggy Sue. These two girls and a fella do excellent bluesy folk pop and they do it pretty darn nicely such that we really do love 'em so.
OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT - We've made no secret (geddit?) of our love, admiration and respect for this awesome foursome from London town. With a fantastic debut LP now under their belts, the world is surely theirs for the taking. They've been kind enough to stop in to open proceedings as part of a string of shows they'll be doing over the weekend.
Here's a whole host of other bands playing TGE right on through from A-Z, with a little teensy reason they're worth catching right by each one...
Abe Vigoda - Tropical punk goodness from the US of A, over to bring the noisy party and your get those heads nodding by the sea.
British Sea Power - Surely one of Brighton's finest bands, fast becoming a UK heritage outfit too, and one of the most consistently enthralling live prospects.
Crystal Antlers - Let's all take some 'shrooms and get psyched out and watch Crystal Antlers! Yeah!
Dead Kids - Because you're guaranteed a performance from a front man who will give you his ALL and some for the sake of a rock and roll show.
Evan Dando - Rare appearance from last generation's US Pete Doherty.
Fanfarlo - Great indie-pop lovieness for fans of Beirut and Arcade Fire.
Gentle Friendly - These kids were raised weird, and it sounds gooooood...
Holy F**k - Holy F**k, these guys are an amazing dance your ass off electronica group from Canada!
Idlewild - Because they've been playing 100 Broken Windows in full live, and that album is one of landmarks in UK indie over the last 10-15 years.
Johnny Flynn - The saviour of British folk! (Transgressive bias here), but definitely guaranteed to make those eyes wet.
Kasms - One hell of a female fronted sexpot of pop-tinged hardcore.
The Low Anthem - Dylan-esque endearing folk songs from across the pond that'll make you swoon.
Mika Miko - Shouting down the telephone snotty girl-punk to start the dance-fight party right here. Our band of the week. FUN.
Noah and the Whale - We remember them when they was yay high and opening our club nights, but now they're a pop beast of mammoth well-deserved proportions. Always a great live band too.
Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man. - OX! Of course some more sister label bias here, but you gots to go see Ox...
Pulled Apart By Horses - Because we'll see you at the front, getting quite hurt and having a very good time.
(Nothing for Q apart from Queens of Noize, and they're not a band!)
The Rumble Strips - Because their new album sounds great with some lovely Springsteen-esque terrace shouters, and they played a total cracker at Camden Crawl last week.
The Soft Pack - One of the most memorable shows we've put on this year, the Soft Pack are a totally awesome garage rock band with bags of killer songs and an ace de-tuned guitar live show to boot.
Thomas Truax - The messiah of a fast growing "steam-punk" scene, Truax is a genuine creative gem that should never be missed.
(We just don't know anything in the U category so we won't lie)
The Veils - More Kiwi goodness for you here, heart-braking melancholia of a very fine variety. Soon to be seen at a Rockfeedback night, indeed.
White Denim - Austin's garage rocking superstars know how to crack out the wah wah and kick out the jams.
The XX - Hip popping Londoners with some great songs and some justifiably big hype to go. Time to check out the fuss...
Your Twenties - Fleetwood Mac meets Scottish indie pop goodness from London upstarts featuring ex-Metronomy man Gabriel.
(Some dude called Zach Hill, but we just couldn't recommend him, that'd be lie, as we just don't know what he sounds like.).
Make sure to check out our lovely sister label Transgressive's stage on the Saturday night too, featuring Ox Eagle Lion Man, Esser, Mechanical Bride and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson at the Sallis Bennis theatre.
Tickets for the weekend can and should be purchased HERE.