Friday 27 February 2009

Indietracks Festival - first details!

Hello everyone! We're very, very excited to announce that Scottish pop legends Camera Obscura will be headlining this year's Indietracks, held on 24-26 July, 2009, and tickets are now on sale! The band, who have recently signed to 4AD, are playing the Outdoor Stage, which is this year being curated by seminal indiepop record label Elefant Records as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations.

The band will be joined by fellow Glaswegians BMX Bandits, shimmering six-piece Lucky Soul, indie heroes The Frank and Walters, and hotly-tipped Welsh popsters The School. Other bands playing on the Elefant stage over the weekend include La Casa Azul, Cola Jet Set, Cooper, Nick Garrie, Single, Speedmarket Avenue, Tender Trap and Fitness Forever.

Elefant is a Madrid-based record label launched by Luis Calvo in 1989. The staunchly independent label has become internationally renowned for both its championing of cult music heroes such as Trembling Blue Stars and Helen Love, and its Singles Club releases from more established bands such as Cinerama and The Clientele.

Over 50 bands will play Indietracks this year, and a second headliner and more bands will be announced shortly - we can't wait!

This is the third ever Indietracks festival, which is held at the Midland Railway in Ripley, in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside. The site houses a whole range of lovingly restored steam and diesel locomotives. Festival goers are allowed to have unlimited rides on the steam railway over the weekend and full access to other railway attractions including a farm and museum.

Weekend tickets cost £55 and are available from Friday 27 February from Ticketweb or by calling the railway direct on 01773 747 674.

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Fancy running an activity at Indietracks 2009?

Here at Indietracks Towers we’re busily preparing for this summer’s festival. Bands are being invited, and websites and flyers designed as we speak. And, as always in the run-up to July, we’ve our ear to the streets to find out what you want at this year’s festival. Do feel free to post a comment with your ideas!

One suggestion we’d like to introduce is to have some fun extra-curricular activities at the festival this year. It would be great to get everyone involved in some fanzine-making, music-playing or craft-crafting. So, we’re asking whether any of you fancy running these activities? This could involve anything really. Maybe...

- art and craft / drawing / knitting / badge making
- music / songwriting / ukelele playing / drumming
- poster designing / fanzine making
- how to promote gigs / start a record label - quizzes / board games

We’ll find you a suitable area – maybe even a section of steam train! – and of course, you can have a free ticket to the festival.

If you're interested, please write to indietrackspress@gmail.com in the next week or so.

Indietracks will take place on 24-26 July 2009. We’ll have some news about this year’s festival very shortly!!