Stag & Dagger Festival
By: Dan Monsell
STAG AND DAGGER FESTIVAL - LONDON [21ST MAY], LEEDS [22ND MAY] & GLASGOW [23RD MAY]
It seems that we literally live at urban-multi-venue-"festivals" at the moment. While the last few years has seen the British summer go field festival crazy, April/May is now "urban new band festival" season. Soon, in maybe ten years, life will just be a massive festival and we'll all get nothing done because we'll be leaving work early on Friday to go to Bristol or something, and then we'll be back late on Monday, and, oh, THIS ALL JUST HAS TO STOP.
But maybe not until after this week's Stag and Dagger though, as this special event is a travelling circus of a showcase that takes in London, Leeds and Glasgow and looks like a lot of fun. No stage for us at this one (for once), but we've given a lucky trio of you tickets (emails are in the inboxes of the winners), and rest assured we shall be taking a stroll down to East London to report back to you on the capital's leg. Once more, here are Rockfeedback's preview picks - check the website for specific line-up bits and pieces and who's doing what in which venue:
EVAN DANDO - Dando was apparently on good form at Great Escape this weekend, and it's always an intriguing one every time the former Lemonheads man arrives on UK shores. The Lemonheads are set to release their long anticipated covers album Varshons next month, and this will be a fantastic chance to catch the returning cult rock figure on a rare appearance.
COLD WAR KIDS - We first realized how great Cold War Kids when they did a special song for Rockfeedback TV in a hotel lobby in Iceland. Lovely. Raw, emotional songs to pull hard on your heart strings, ace US indie-rockers CWK haven't been in the UK for a while, and play Stag and Dagger as headliners of sorts. It's a lovely headliner too, and very worthy of your time.
MIKA MIKO - We're still loving these bratty little punk gals from LA. They've quite rightly been causing a bit of a stir whilst over in the UK at the mo, mostly on tour with Black Lips. Super duper live, you ain't doing it right unless you're jumping about or on the floor by the end.
WILD BEASTS - Lake District boys Wild Beasts are one of the best new British bands in the country. This is fact. Genuine, honest, unique and original songwriting of true off-kilter pop means that WB are firm rockfeedback faves. Their appearance at a Club Rockfeedback night last year was one of the best gigs of the last 12 months. This once more is fact. There's some truth for you there.
GIRLS - Are not girls. They are in fact a duo of males, from San Francisco, making pretty lo-fi grunged-up indie rock with shards of melody dug in hard from the hells on up. Kinda like a slacker-style slightly more poppy and 80s elreferencing version of No Age. We like. We go see.
WAVVES (Leeds only) - We're so bored. Life sucks. The Internet and video games have nothing to offer us. Our generation is, in short, f*cked. But who cares, let's make some noisy shouty songs to sing along, get drunk and kick some people to. Wavves (aka Nathan Willaims joined live by drummer Rw Ulsh) has condensed this message into a generation anthem in 'So Bored' that will probably never get the recognition that it deserves. But, he's now he's signed to ace indie Bella Union, so he just might.
BLUE ROSES - Lovely Laura Groves used to make music under her own name, and totally delighted us by bringing down an orchestral quartet to a dingy venue in north London for a Rockfeedback night a year or so ago. Still unbelievably young, as Blue Roses she's now really come into her own as a truly original and talented young artist.
Other stuff that's definitely worth checking out at S +D - Micachu and the Shapes, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (signed to our sister label, appearing a Rockfeedback show next week and sleeping on our floor as we speak!), White Denim, The Mae Shi, Abe Vigoda, Ex-Lovers, Factory Floor, Times New Viking, and probably loads more. Go, it'll be fun.
Tickets are a pretty good £16.50 + booking for each day and can be purchased here for London.