Indietracks - an indiepop festival

Thank you!

2012-01-20T11:49:00.002Z

Just writing to say a very big thank you to everyone who donated to help repair the vandalised church at the Midland Railway!

You raised an amazing £935.38 for the railway (including Gift Aid) which we hope will go a long way towards meeting the repair costs. The railway have said that they really appreciate the donations and we can now look forward to seeing lots more fantastic bands on the church stage this year.

The Derby Telegraph have pubished a nice article about the fundraising, including some lovely comments from Alan Calladine at the Midland Railway and further information about how the money is being used: Derby Telegraph article.

Thanks very much again! We'll have some news about this year's festival shortly.

(Photo: Betty and the Werewolves playing the Church Stage in 2010. www.underexposed.org.uk)

Fancy running a workshop at Indietracks?

2012-01-10T21:38:00.000Z

Photo: eFestivals

One of the great things about Indietracks is the selection of workshops which run alongside the band program each year. In previous years we’ve had sparkling workshops where you could make rosette badges with Eithne Farry, get crafty with the likes of Craft Guerilla and Owl Knit You, have a tea party with Fika Recordings, get cupcake decorating and be encouraged to create Bad Art with the Peg Powler crew.

Workshops will again be happening again this year at Indietracks, and we are hoping for a new, creative mix of sessions. If you would like to submit an application please read the small print below and send an email to indietracksalice@gmail.com by March 31, 2012 containing the following information:

- Who you are - and website if applicable
- What your experience is of providing workshops
- What your workshop will be about
- Will you charge for your workshop? If so, how much?
- Have you been to Indietracks before? Any interesting stories to divulge?
- Have you run a workshop at Indietracks before?

Small print

Be creative with your application as we are looking for new and exciting workshops at the festival. We like to mix it up, so we're encouraging new workshop co-ordinators to apply, but we will also accept applications from previous workshop co-ordinators too.

You must provide all materials and equipment to run the workshop with, Indietracks have nothing!

You can charge for people to participate in the workshop but it must be cheap (less than £5) and the money should only be used to cover materials and not be your beer or travel money!

There are two weekend festival passes provided per workshop.

You will be able to sell your stuff on a stall at the festival over the weekend. We charge a standard merchants fee for a stall. Details on costs and the application process are available on request.

Please note we are keen to keep the workshops child-friendly and we are very open to suggestions for workshops specifically aimed at children as these are generally very popular.

Workshops sessions are one hour long including clear-up time. We also may have space for longer interactive workshops in a new space in the festival site, so please get in touch if you have any different ideas.

The application submission deadline is the 31st March 2012. We will let the lucky applicants know shortly after that. Feel free to email Alice with any questions before you submit your application.

Please donate to help repair vandalised church

2011-12-07T11:20:00.000Z

We're sorry to report that earlier this week six of the Midland Railway's church windows were smashed in overnight by vandals. It's likely to cost the charity over £1000 to replace the windows, and we're therefore asking if you'd like to help raise some money towards the repairs.

The church stage has been the scene for some of our favourite Indietracks memories; The Specific Heats, Darren Hayman, The Lovely Eggs, The Middle Ones, Haiku Salut, Gordon Ballboy and various versions of Pete Green to name just a few! Apparently the railway rescued and rebuilt the church, which dates back to Victorian times, from Westhouses in Derbyshire several years ago and we're really sad to see someone cause so much damage to such a beautiful and integral part of both the railway and our festival.

The appeal will run until Saturday 14 January 2012, and every donation, no matter how small, will be very much appreciated. To donate towards the appeal, please visit:
www.charitygiving.co.uk/midlandrailwaychurch

(Photo: The Lovely Eggs by Bob Stuart, Underexposed)

Early bird tickets for Indietracks 2012 on sale!

2011-12-02T11:30:00.001Z

We’re excited to announce that early bird tickets for the 2012 Indietracks festival are now on sale!

The festival will take place on 6-8 July 2012 at the Midland Railway Centre in Derbyshire. We’ve kept the early bird prices the same as last year’s prices, which means you can save £7 on every adult weekend ticket if you pick them up early.

Weekend tickets are now available at an early bird discount price of £60 (standard price £67). Single day (Saturday or Sunday) early bird tickets are available for £32.50 (standard price £35). The early bird prices are only available until 5pm on Saturday 14 April.

Tickets for children aged 5-14 are £6 for a day ticket and £10 for the weekend. Under-5s get in free!

Please pop over to the following Midland Railway link to pick up your tickets:
www.instantticketseller.com/midlandrailwaycentre

Or alternatively, please call the Midland Railway direct on 01773 747 674 between 10am and 4pm.

We’ll start announcing artists shortly. As always, we’ll have around 50 artists playing across four stages: the outdoor stage, indoor stage, the church and on the steam trains themselves. The festival will also host art and craft workshops for all the family and a selection of discos after the bands finish. And you can have unlimited rides on the steam railway over the weekend, as well as full access to all the other railway attractions and museums!

See you in July!

(Photo: Bob Stuart, Underexposed)

Santa Specials!

2011-11-28T13:08:00.000Z

Just a quick post for anyone who's missing the steam trains and getting excited about Christmas!

The Midland Railway is running Santa Specials for all the younger members of the family in the run up to Christmas. There's a Santa's grotto on the train, so the kids can meet Santa during the train ride and receive a gift! There's also a mince pie and a miniature bottle of spirits for the adults! And there's a also a show from the Pinxton puppets in a heated marquee, as well as unlimited rides on the steam railway!

The Santa Specials will run on the following dates: 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 24 December. Booking is strongly advised.

Alternatively, there's the Festive Day Out With Thomas taking place from 27 December to 31 December. Kids can take a trip on the festive Thomas The Tank Engine train, meet the Fat Controller, recieve a gift and visit The Imagination Station with balloon modellers, DVD Shows, Thomas Play Train Table, colouring activities and temporary tattoos!

Back to indiepop-related things, we'll be putting the Indietracks 2012 festival tickets on sale very shortly. Hopefully within the next week or so. Please pop back here soon!

Dates for next year's Indietracks: 6-8 July 2012

2011-10-27T19:00:00.013+01:00

Hello! We're SUPER excited to announce that next year's Indietracks festival will be held on 6-8 July 2012 at the Midland Railway in Derbyshire.

We have decided to hold the festival earlier than usual this year. Usually the festival takes place on the last weekend of July, but we became aware that clashing with the Olympics that weekend might have meant higher travel and accommodation prices for bands and festival-goers.

If you would like to make suggestions for bands playing next year, please visit the Indietracks thread on the Anorak forum and leave your suggestions there.

Any bands wishing to apply to to play at the festival should e-mail indietracksbands@gmail.com with a short biography and a web link to their music (no MP3 attachments please) by 30 November 2011.

Tickets will be onsale shortly, and will be available from the Midland Railway website. For the latest news, please subscribe to this blog, follow us on Twitter or sign-up to our e-newsletter.

We also have a few Indietracks canvas bags left over from this year's festival. Perfect for carrying records, nipping to the shops or as a Christmas gift for anyone who loves pop music and steam trains! You can pick one up from the Make Do And Mend Bandcamp page for just £5. This includes a free download of this year's 40-track Indietracks compilation and all the proceeds go to the Midland Railway charity:
http://makedoandmendrecords.bandcamp.com/

Hope to see you next July!

Vote for Indietracks in the UK Festival Awards!

2011-09-16T14:41:00.003+01:00

Hello everyone, just a little note to let you know that we're nominated in the UK Festival Awards for the Fans' Favourite Festival Award, and it would be great if you could vote for Indietracks!

Voting opened today and will run until 5pm on 10 October, with finalists and winners being announced at the UK Festival Awards on 15 November at The Roundhouse in Camden.

Everyone who votes will automatically have their name entered into a prize draw to win two tickets to every festival next year.

Visit the UK Festival Awards now to cast your vote for Indietracks! You will need to register your e-mail address to enter.

Bid for an Indietracks 2011 canvas bag – signed by the bands!

2011-09-13T09:28:00.004+01:00

Ah September. As we dash about trying to keep our brollies from blowing inside out while the wind whips the leaves around our ankles, it’s hard to imagine that just six weeks ago we were bathing in glorious sunshine surrounded by steam trains, hot air balloons and our favourite bands. If only we could go back and grab a little piece of it to keep forever and ever...

Well now you can! Because while we were all going about our fun at the festival, our friends at the Midland Railway were secretly sneaking bands aside to sign their names to two very special canvas bags that YOU CAN OWN! And that’s not all – besides being autographed by the very hands of our favourite pop stars, they come filled with all sorts of goodies donated by the artists, record labels and the railway themselves!

These two bags (oh, how we wish we could keep them!) are now up for eBay auction, with all proceeds from the auctions going to the Midland Railway. The two bags vary slightly, but you’ll find all the details on each of the eBay listings, here and here. Happy bidding!

Limited edition canvas bags now on sale

If you miss out on the little beauties above, then you can always buy a limited edition Indietracks 2011 canvas bag online for just £5.00 – these are now for sale along with the digital compilation of the festival over at the Make Do and Mend bandcamp page. Buy a bag and get a free automatic download of the compilation!

Winner of the festival prize draw

We’d also like to congratulate the winner of the filled goodie bag won in the festival prize draw, Lindsay Bilborrow of Heanor, who was thrilled to have won and was hand-delivered her prize by one of the Midland Railway staff. Well done Lindsay!

2011 quiz answers!

2011-08-24T17:06:00.000+01:00

Thanks very much to everyone who entered the quick quiz that we ran on this blog a week or so before the festival.

We tried to make the quiz a bit harder this year. However, for some reason, lots of you were able to identify the favourite crisp of John from Butcher Boy, the bass player on a 2003 Athlete b-side and the date when the first apple pie receipe was created. Seven people scored full marks on the quiz, and lots of others came very close, which was very disappointing. So next year, we're going to make the quiz fiendishly impossible. We will take it as a sign of our own failure if anyone dares to enter.

Anyway, for the second year running, it came down to a nail-biting tiebreak. Contestants were asked to come up with a fun name for a ficticious Indietracks workshop, drawing inspiration from real-life Indietracks workshops such as Knit Cave and the Bad Tweed. To be honest, it was a bit of a mixed bag. However, we're delighted to award first place and mystery Indietracks goodie bag to Lauren, who came up with "Say No To Gloves": a seminar (a) extolling the virtues of mittens as a superior hand warming garment and (b) teaching new converts how to crochet tiny ones for use as devices of propaganda. Congratulations Lauren!

The quiz answers are here: Indietracks blog 2011 quiz answers. Thanks again to everyone who took part!

White Town - She's A Lot Like You

2011-08-17T18:07:00.000+01:00

There's nothing we like more than one of our favourite pop stars shooting a video entirely at Indietracks, so imagine our excitement when we saw the video for White Town's new single 'She's A Lot Like You'. We LOVE it!

See if you can spot yourself and your friends!

Question Time 5: What makes Indietracks so special?

2011-08-09T11:06:00.000+01:00

In the run-up to Indietracks 2011 we asked our panel: what makes Indietracks the special and unique and brilliant thing that it is? Having then had the time of our lives at the festival, we reckon they got it just about bang on. What do you think? See what the panel had to say and add a comment of your own...

The thing I love about Indietracks is the atmosphere of the place, the people who go there and the guys who volunteer over the weekend are all so cheery and happy-looking. You go round the site all weekend with a smile!

Toby Marshall, Birmingham (but from Wolverhampton)

Indietracks sticks to what it loves and what it believes in; it has principles. It is a festival at which indiepop bands play and lovers of all things indiepop create, participate and socialise. Just about nothing in life and in the mainstream world caters to our niche passions but here is a weekend where we have just about everything we could dream of, all beautifully packaged in a rural countryside location.

Jennifer, London (Colour Me Pop DJs and gigs)

Almost everyone you encounter seems to be a reasonable person. The festival appears to shun corporate sponsorship and a lot of the stuff on the site is run by railway volunteers, which makes for a lovely atmosphere. Perhaps that's why people are so reasonable: it feels like we're guests at their place. Lastly, the music. Always a killer line-up.

Daniel, Sheffield (pop fan)

It's not a big corporate money-grabbing festival. It's small and has a lovely friendly atmosphere. It has ace music and you can dance in a train carriage!

Paula McCann, Nottingham (artist and superlative baker of cakes for popshows)

As far as I can tell it's the only 'proper' outdoor festival anywhere that is 100% dedicated to indiepop. There's nowhere else I can go away for a long weekend, drink real ale, ride on steam trains, see some of my favourite bands and say hello to people I don't get to see very often who love all of the things I've just mentioned.

Colin Meney, Glasgow (Half My Heart Beats DJs)

The most special unique and brilliant thing is by far and away the setting. Gigs on a train or in an old tin church are always a lot more special than anything you could see on a regular stage, and that colours the whole weekend. The bands usually being great helps, and then all that real ale business is great fun.

Josh Owen Morris, Cardiff (Grand Canonical Ensemble; Eruption Button DJs)

The location, the welcoming clientele, the fact it knows it doesn't have to try too hard, the fact that it draws people from all over the place to a specialist museum near a Midlands mining town with a low-key bill and few of the fripperies every other festival demands through reputation and taking care of the specifics alone.
Simon Tyers, Leicester (Sweeping The Nation blog and gigs, occasional reviewer/writer)

The location, the volunteers, the people who go, the grumpy campsite man, the bands, Gopal's Curry Shack, Real Ale, Dancing in a field, an engine shed, a church, trains. Oh yes and you welcome all ages....

Linda Chapman, Washington, Tyne & Wear (dressmaker and pop fan)

Every year I've been to Indietracks, I've made a new friend. Usually because I get drunk and start talking to strangers. Even if the music was pish, which it isn't, it'd be worth the trip for the people alone.
Carys Kennedy, London (The Give It Ups; Fall Out Make Up DJs)

I think of Indietracks as others might think of that special boy/girl in their life. I can't really put in to words why I love Indietracks. The obvious things like amazing pop bands, beautiful, friendly people, and beer don't seem to be enough to make my heart go 'fuck yea!' when I think of Indietracks, but it really is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ray K, Birmingham (City Sacker zine)

That it's all about the music and the friendliest weekend of the year. There's plenty of young and beautiful people there but you don't have to be either to have a great time!

Jane, London (pop fan)

The people, both involved in putting it on and attendees. It’s lovely to be able to walk around and know pretty much everyone in one way or another. It has such a wonderful temperament and an honest personality that you don’t get with a lot of festivals. Plus real ales and none of that Carling malarkey – that’s always a winner.

Robert Fairs, Derby (Seas of Mirth; Alice Ferguson; Dayglo Tokyo; Apples For Discos gigs)

I think it's the combination of a relatively small sized festival, lovely, unpretentious people, amazing bands and a special atmosphere with the trains and countryside that makes it feel like you really are a million miles away from the 'real world'. I think there's a general mood of happiness everywhere and in all the years I've been going, I've yet to witness any aggression or weirdness that can happen at bigger festivals. I think steam trains are still a bit magical for a lot of people, and they're not something we see or experience every day so it feels like a little escape. I guess there's still a childish glee to it for a lot of people (including me!) and when you add in bands and happy people, it's something you just don't get anywhere else.

Sandy Gill, London (Stolen Wine Social DJs)

In no particular order it is: the odd location, the brilliant music, the lovely people who attend and run the festival/railway museum and the real ale.

Dan Hartley, Sheffield (The Sweet Nothings; Pop-o-matic DJs)

Beautiful location, beautiful music, beautiful people.

Tim, Belfast (Words and Smiles blog)

The trains! It wouldn't be the same without the trains. And everyone is lovely without exception – it's welcoming to even the less indiepop-inclined like me – and the atmosphere is so friendly and brilliant. Plus there's always loads of lovely little babies to coo over.

Hayley, Nottingham (A Fog of Ideas gigs)

It has to be one of the (if not THE) most open, welcoming and non-judgemental festivals in the country. Aside from having the relaxed feel of an oversized village fete with great music and steam trains, it's also one of the most sociable environments I've been to. If you haven't made friends by the end of it, then the only logical conclusion is you've stayed in your tent for three days. Seriously.

Gareth Ware, Anglesey (pop fan)

I'd say it's a combination of atmosphere, friendly folk and the way the festival's run in general. Obviously, indiepop doesn't have a monopoly on DIY culture, but Indietracks certainly feels like a triumphant display of the potential of DIY music, with no greater goal than people (be they friends or friends they haven't met yet) sharing great music over the course of a weekend. If putting on a great show feels like you've managed to pull something off against the odds, imagine how the Indietracks organisers must feel. The best thing is that no-one is ever made to feel like just another punter – everyone's involved and important, on some level. That's kinda what the ideal of DIY means to me, and Indietracks encapsulates it.

Will Fitzpatrick, Liverpool (The 255s)

I'm sure everyone will say this, but it's just so friendly! We've moved towards smaller and smaller festivals over the years, but our first Indietracks (in 2008) was a complete revelation. It feels tailor-made for us, and for everyone else who goes!

Dan and Hannah, Sheffield (Pull Yourself Together gigs/label/DJs)

It takes place in a beautiful field where old trains are restored, it is filled with friendly volunteers, wonderful indiepop people of all ages, amazing bands, real ale, free train rides and not a sign of any corporate sponsorship or heavy-handed security. It's like another planet: the most heartfelt coming together of everything that's good about the world and undeniable proof that we can have fun and still be true, like you once said.

Marianthi Makra, London (Atomic Beat Records; Spiral Scratch gigs and DJs; Team Indietracks member)

Too many things to mention. The opportunity to discover new and amazing bands that you've never heard before, gorgeous steam rains, the lovely railway staff, delicious cheesy chips, crazy blue-coloured real ales, meeting people that you've previously only ever talked to on the internet, the beautiful surrounding countryside – I could go on... Indietracks has and always will be much more than the sum of its parts.

Nat, London (A Little Orchestra; Team Indietracks member)

The fact that it brings so many of my favourite bands together in the one place and the fact that that place just happens to be beautiful countryside that is also filled with steam trains and the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Chris Gillies, Glasgow (The Hermit Crabs)

So, did they cover everything? Did you have a good time at Indietracks 2011? Post a comment, share the love, stay in touch. We'll make a better world one day.

Thanks for coming!

2011-08-01T17:28:00.000+01:00

(Pic: C86ish)

Can it really be Monday already? How did the weekend fly past so quickly? It seems like only five minutes ago since we were perusing the real ales and readying ourselves to watch the opening bands.

First off, we want to say thank you to all the bands, DJs, workshoppers and merchandise tent volunteers who worked over the weekend - you did such a brilliant job! Secondly, we want to say a huge, huge thank you to all the Midland Railway staff and volunteers who worked so tirelessly over the weekend to make the festival so fantastic. We really can't thank you enough for all of your work - you're amazing!

And, most of all, we want to say a massive thanks to YOU for coming. We really value all the support that you continue to give us year after year, and also for all the helpful suggestions and feedback that you continue to give us. Thanks in particular for being so patient and understanding when we had a technical hitch with the Outdoor Stage on Saturday night - we really appreciated it!

You will have hopefully noticed the interior renovations to the station building at the Indietracks site, which were funded by the money you donated after last year's festival. If you would like to support the Midland Railway again, the best way is to make a donation when you download the Indietracks 2011 compilation, which features 40 fantastic songs by artists who played this year's festival. All proceeds from the compilation go to the railway.

We're currently sifting through the huge amount of photos, videos and reviews currently being uploaded, and we'll bring you a selection of some of our favourites over the next few days. Do keep popping back here over the next week or so.

In the meantime, do share your Indietracks photos with the Indietracks Flickr pool. And if you'd like discuss your thoughts and memories, why not visit the Anorak forum and tell everyone about your personal highlights?

We really hope you enjoyed the weekend! If you would like to keep up-to-date with future news about the festival, please follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook page. Alternatively, please sign up to our newsletter by e-mailing indietracksmailinglist2@gmail.com

Team Indietracks x

Last minute reminders!

2011-07-28T10:00:00.004+01:00

We hope you’re looking forward to the festival this weekend! Here's some last-minute information.

Getting In!

When to arrive: The gates will open at 5pm on the Friday and at midday on Saturday and Sunday (unless you’re coming to the 11am yoga session on the Sunday morning, in which case we’ll let you in early!).

Tickets: weekend tickets and day tickets (Saturday or Sunday) will be available on the gates. They’ll also be on sale online until at least Friday lunchtime from the Indietracks ticket page.

Getting to the site: You’ve hopefully sussed out how to get there by now, but just in case, there’s some advice on bus, rail, taxi and car-sharing options on our travel page. If you’re coming by car, please park at Butterley station and catch the train to the festival site (unless you’re in a band or crew, in which case you can park at Swanwick station).

Advance preparation!

Schedule: the timeslots for the bands, DJs and workshops will be printed in the festival programme and are also listed on the Indietracks schedule page.

IPhone and Android apps: For iPhone and Android mobile phone users, there are exciting, free-to-download Indietracks apps with a full guide to the festival. Download them here iPhone / Android.

Indietracks 2011 compilation: If you’re planning your music for the journey to Indietracks, don’t forget to download this year’s compilation. There’s 40 fantastic tracks featuring bands playing at this year's festival. All proceeds go to the Midland Railway charity: Indietracks 2011 compilation

Weather: the BBC five day forecast currently says ‘sunny intervals’ on Friday and Sunday and ‘sunny’ on Saturday. So it could rain or shine - please come prepared for sunshine on a rainy day or vice versa.

Moss Cottage: We've been informed that Moss Cottage is now closed until September for refurbishment. All guests who booked rooms for Indietracks should have been notified of the closure by the hotel. There’s more details here: Moss Cottage

Mixtape swap: There will be a mixtape swap. If you’d like to join in, please make a compilation CD and drop it in the box in the merchandise tent from Saturday afternoon onwards. Please return later and pick up a CD by 5pm on Sunday.

Cash: There isn’t a cash machine on site, so please stock up on money beforehand. There will be real ale, fine foods and inevitably tons of band merchandise and we wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Follow us on Twitter: we'll be tweeting during the festival @indietracksfest, so please come and follow us!

See you at the weekend! Choo choo!

Indietracks interview #29: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names

2011-07-27T12:30:00.004+01:00

For today's interview, Paul from Scared To Dance has been chatting to Johan from our Friday night Indietracks headliners, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names!

Suburban Kids... is a Swedish band formed in December 2003 by Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarsson. They put two songs on an internet site in 2004 and soon after were signed to Labrador Records. The duo combine intelligent, often darkly humorous, lyrics and a bewildering mix of musical styles from skiffle through African hi-life and electronica to produce infectious DIY pop.

Their debut album #3 - following their first two EPs #1 & #2 - was released in 2005 by Labrador Records and subsequently released in the US by Minty Fresh and in the UK & Ireland by yesboyicecream records, receiving widespread critical acclaim.

Hi Johan, how excited are you about playing Indietracks this year? What do you know about the festival?

It’s going to be great fun. Peter played there with his and Linas other band Springfactory last year. I know it’s a big festival for music lovers who are into indiepop and various smaller genres. I haven’t had the time to look up on all of the other bands playing; hopefully I will be surprised and discover different new bands.

You haven’t put anything out for a couple of years now but I read recently that you have new songs you are working on. Will you be releasing new material soon?

I really hope so. It’s a long process. We released an EP (#4) back in 2009 and we also released a new song on a small label (Sound of Young Lötkärr Vol 2) last year. We’ve been working on different songs for quite some time now and some of them are pretty much finished. Now it's summer and we will probably start to work on the songs when we’ve had our vacation.

Tell us more about the songs. What are the ideas behind the music and lyrics?

The ideas behind the music and lyrics are pretty much the same. Depressive and funny at the same time. This time some lyrics lean towards more serious things too.

Labrador have an amazing roster at the moment with Acid House Kings, The Radio Dept., Sambassadeur, Pelle Carlberg. How important are they in promoting Swedish indiepop? Will your new songs be put out by them again?

Labrador is pretty big outside of Sweden. They are one of the biggest indiepop labels in Sweden and they are very good at putting out things in the world. They have helped us by being on their roster to get through to the rest of the world. Apart from that I don’t think you can call it a sound and I like that. AHK and The Radio Dept. have very different approach towards music but it’s always a certain quality to most of the things they put out. Our new album will be out by them if they have the patience to wait for slow guys like us.

Your EPs and album have all been numbered like Led Zeppelin used to. Why did you decide to do that? Will you be giving your releases titles from now on?

I don’t know why we decided on that, the first one we entitled #1 and then it was easy to follow on that concept. We’ve been talking about changing that theme but time will tell.

How do you find it with just two of you in the band? Do you ever get sick of each other on tour or does having a backing band with you help?

Having a backing band does help but we haven’t had that much trouble throughout the year. I think all people tend to get a little crazy when being on a tour because it’s such an intense thing. If you only have that in mind and let people have their space then things will work out fine.

Do you have plans to tour Europe this year?

We don't. We've only been planning this show.

You played recently Huset ved Sjøen festival in Norway. It looked like a unique festival with just nine bands on the bill. How was it? How much will your set differ at Indietracks?

It was a really magic festival. Set in an old Greek temple on a fjord outside of Oslo which was pretty sick and we played on a boat. With the audience standing on land in the temple. There were a lot of good bands playing that day. The setlist from that show will probably be pretty the same, I hope we can cram in some new stuff in there as well and some more old songs.

Will you be staying for the entire weekend? Are you camping or going upmarket and staying a hotel?

We are staying in a hotel and we will be there for the whole festival. Coming up on Friday.

Which bands are you looking forward to seeing the most at the festival?

Edwyn Collins, The Garlands, Jeffrey Lewis, Crystal Stilts.

Thanks! Suburban Kids With Biblical Names headline the Outdoor stage on Friday night at 9:15pm

Moss Cottage

2011-07-26T18:00:00.002+01:00

We've been informed that Moss Cottage, on Nottingham Road in Ripley, is now closed until September for refurbishment. All guests who booked rooms for Indietracks should have been notified of the closure by the hotel.

However, if you have booked a room there and have not received any information, you can contact the head office on 07739 339419 to discuss alternative options for accommodation. Alternatively, if you made your booking through Infotel, please contact 01775 843413 and they will be able to help.

Indietracks interview #28: The Sweet Nothings

2011-07-26T13:00:00.002+01:00

The festival is sooo close now, and to ramp up the dizziness even further we thought we'd interview the most excited band we could find! The Sweet Nothings play indiepop songs that are sparkly, catchy and unfashionably sincere. Songs about love, trains, football, happiness, sadness, trains, opting out, and winning. And trains. They're a Sheffield band made up of Pete Green (singing and guitar), Vinnie Ransome (keyboard and more singing), Dan Hartley (bass) and Tim Boyd (drums). Their first single is released this summer in time for Indietracks: a double a-side comprising 'She's an Accountant' and 'Subterranean Moseley Blues'.

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourselves

Hello Indietracks! Veterans of the 2009 festival may remember our appearance in the church, in our previous incarnation as The Pete Green Corporate Juggernaut. We remember it as possibly the best moment of our entire lives so far. The train whistles still haunt our dreams.

Who are we? We're four people in Sheffield giving it all we can, because the alternative of a life without pop and this passion is too unbearable to contemplate. Welcome aboard the 16:45 Sweet Nothings service to Happiness Central, calling at Wistful-on-Sea, Idealism Junction, Revolution Parkway and Leamington Spa. A trolley service will be providing a selection of train songs, protest songs and last-gasp love songs.

Has anything changed since 2009? We're still full of pop and sparkle and catchy tunes and mild desperation. And we're still obsessed with trains. But this time around we're a bit more kick-ass, a bit more political, a bit more having a GIRL and a Microkorg, and hopefully a bit less going to break a guitar string during our first song.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

HELL YES! In fact we are having an Indietracks Tour Of Awesomeness to coincide with the release of our first single. And it is so insanely exciting that we've barely slept for the past three months. Though part of that might be tinnitus from Tim's drumming.

The Sweet Nothings were born for life on the road. Living for a week off chips, toast and Subway. Arguing over which voice on the hire car satnav sounds the sexiest. Treating the life-threatening ailments of our notoriously sickly keyboard player and bassist with Buttercup Syrup and Strepsils. Trying to get back to the promoter's house after the gig in time for the Shipping Forecast. We love it all.

The single is She's an Accountant/Subterranean Moseley Blues and it came out on Precordial Catch Records on 25 July. We confidently expect it to obliterate the entire system of global capital and sell about 162 copies.

Most of the tour is also the Math and Physics Club/Very Truly Yours tour, which makes it even more exciting. Ethan from MAPC saw us a few months ago supporting Eux Autres (who he was guesting with) and very generously invited us along. Pocketbooks are playing on those dates too. Pocketbooks would never be anything less than thrilling if we watched them every day of the rest of our lives. Not that we're stalking you or anything, Pocketbooks. But we do know what time you all left the house this morning.

The tour takes in Birmingham (Saturday 23 July), Manchester (Tuesday 26), London (Wednesday 27), Nottingham (Thursday 28) and Sheffield (Monday 1 August). Oh, and Indietracks. There's more about it on our website if anyone fancies a look. After all that we'll probably spend the rest of 2011 in bed to recover.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Vinnie speaks four languages. Tim can carry four pints of beer at the same time. Pete makes the best vegetarian fried breakfast in Sheffield. Dan is an amazing DJ and runs a brilliant night called Pop-o-Matic – they're on at the campsite disco on the Sunday of Indietracks. If you've ever wondered how it feels to dance to Jamelia right after The Aislers Set, you should get along.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Oh, we were just passing, you know. No, wait – we were just wanting to be part of the whole reason pop music exists in the first place. Part of a world where music is made for love and anger alone, and your first D chord on fresh strings never stops shimmering, and rockstar sexist bullshit can't reach and the pluggers can't plug and Brandon Flowers followed plan A and became a golfer instead, and James Blunt never even existed, and the corporate sponsors don't put banners up at festivals because nobody even sees them, and the X Factor means the love at a tipsy singalong on a dusty railway platform in the middle of the restless striving night.

And when all that noise is cleaned off the track, we can hear the pop music again. It's fresh and beautiful and it's as pure as a sine wave. It's the singing on 'Heart of Glass' and the guitar on 'The Red Door' and the organ on 'Hey Hey Girl' and the drums on 'Be My Baby'. And the 1-2-3-4 on the first Ramones song you think of. And all these years it's been waiting for us to come back.

Thanks for having us – we'll see you in Butterley. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Workshop interview #5: Rubberband Rockets

2011-07-25T19:00:00.001+01:00

Today, we're chatting to Gareth and Jeanie from Rubberband Rockets, who will be explaining all about their workshop on the Saturday afternoon at Indietracks!

Hi, what's your workshop all about?

Our workshop this year will be about runaway trains. Visitors will design and build their own rubber-band powered wind-up locomotives from a big box of bits and bobs. At the end of the workshop, we'll race our creations in a wind-up steam train Grand Prix. There will be prizes galore!

Haven't we seen you somewhere before?

Yes! Last year we ran the Stop Motion Commotion workshop where we made an animation in an hour. You can see the results here:

How was Indietracks last time? Any interesting stories?

It was brilliant. Our highlight from last year was doing our workshop, the people who joined in were ace – we wish it could have been longer! Other highlights include: Allo Darlin on Friday, who were ace; Steve (Jeanie’s husband) becoming a known felon to the security guards for trying to sneak some cans of Guinness in – they checked him every time he went past, and Indiepop bingo (we’ll teach you how to play if you like)...

Can't wait to see the rockets - see you at the weekend!

Question Time 4: Tips for Indietracks?

2011-07-25T12:30:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to Indietracks Question Time, pop fans. Last time we asked our panel which artist gave the best performance they've seen at Indietracks so far, and why? For this edition we're pooling their experience for the benefit of festival newcomers. The question is: what tip would you give to anyone coming to Indietracks for the first time this year? See what they reckon and post a comment below.

Don't be shy. Everyone's really friendly and nice at Indietracks.

Tim Hall, Belfast (Words and Smiles blog)

Say hello! We're all friendly here!

Carys Kennedy, London (The Give It Ups; Fall Out Make Up DJs)

Speak to anyone you feel like. Everyone at Indietracks is your new best mate.

Ray K, Birmingham (City Sacker zine)

I hope you don't feel like you have enough friends, because you're about to make a lot more. Also, a mac-in-a-bag is only about a fiver from Primark and they're quite handy.

Will Fitzpatrick, Liverpool (The 255s)

Bring spending money, as you will want to buy tons of records. You will discover loads of bands who you have never heard of before, who will have limited edition CDs/vinyl/merch with them that you will NEED to buy. Oh, and you will also need a fair chunk for the ale as well, because the selection of beers is always SUPERB. And a must know bit of inside information – if you drop Sean Price's name into any conversation you have with people you don't know then they will accept you as an old friend.

Dan and Hannah, Manchester (Pull Yourself Together gigs/DJs)

Make sure you leave some time to see the trains, and do make the most of the railway! There's lots of little brilliant things to discover around the site, from the souvenir shop and the big shed full of old engines, to the Golden Valley Light Railway and the model railway museum. Ooh, and don't forget to try the cheesy chips in Johnson's Buffet. They're HEAVENLY.

Nat, London (A Little Orchestra; Team Indietracks member)

It would have been to book the Premier Inn or Travelodge months ago. That's really unhelpful, isn't it? Maybe to find out about the train times. If you turn up at the end of the track, you may have to wait for quite a while before you can reach the main festival site by train.
Daniel, Sheffield (pop fan)

Have a gander at some of the bands beforehand and get an idea of who you want to see. There are some real good 'uns at this festival and it would be a shame if you missed them and heard about them afterwards. I did the same thing with Red Pony Clock and was a bit annoyed that I missed them.

Robert Fairs, Derby (Seas of Mirth; Alice Ferguson; Dayglo Tokyo; Apples For Discos gigs)

It's absolutely essential that you put the running order into a spreadsheet and highlight all the bands you want to see, flagging up any potential clashes to avoid undue disappointment. What do you mean, that's just me? If they’re camping I would highly recommend bringing earplugs so that they get a good night’s sleep.

Colin Meney, Glasgow (Half My Heart Beats DJs)

Don't get too attached to any of the beers – they may run out! Start a conversation with anyone you like if you're that way inclined.

Chris Gillies, Glasgow (The Hermit Crabs)

If you're camping and don't like queues, get up really early if you want a shower. And stay away from the real ale. The Sweet Nothings want to drink it all.

Dan Hartley, Sheffield (The Sweet Nothings; Pop-o-matic DJs)

Don't be afraid to say hello to people, everyone's lovely! Also if they have that orange atomic cider again this year, get in there fast because it sells like liquid gold.
Toby Marshall, Birmingham (but from Wolverhampton)

Advice that I ignore on a regular basis – the beer won't run out by Friday night so you don't need to drink your own body weight on the first night; drink lots of water, plan your trips to see bands in the church; bring healthy snacks and, if you're camping, earplugs.
Jane, London (pop fan)

Bring cocktail-making equipment, and then stuff to make Martinis. That way, when I run out we can share. Also camping is more fun, the dancing is better.

Josh Owen Morris, Cardiff (Grand Canonical Ensemble; Eruption Button DJs)

If you're gonna go dancing in the tent, amongst the rocks, DON'T wear your favourite white patent maryjanes. They will be destroyed forever and hanging on to them in the hopes that they'll be 'fixed' won't bring them back from the dead.

Sandy Gill, London (Stolen Wine Social DJs)

Go and sit on the train next to people you don't know and talk to them. The stationary bar carriage next to the loco shed is especially brilliant for that. And make the most of the free train rides. And tell the railway volunteers how much you love them at every opportunity. And the bands.

Marianthi Makra, London (Atomic Beat Records; Spiral Scratch gigs and DJs; Team Indietracks member)

Get to the church on time!

Linda Chapman, Washington, Tyne & Wear (dressmaker and pop fan)

Book the Premier Inn or the Travelodge if you don't like camping, and try the Sainsbury's cooked breakfast at least once. Also take a fan and lots of fluids if you're planning on sitting in the church for more than five minutes. It gets hot!

Hayley, Nottingham (A Fog of Ideas gigs)

Indietracks is so stress-free that thankfully you don’t have to worry about when you’re going to take a shower, use the loo or eat. All of those necessities really are available and accessible. If someone was attending for the first time, I would recommend really digging in and investigating the line-up in advance, particularly the bands they don’t know. Don’t just stick to watching the bands you do know because there are lots of incredible international gems of bands that don’t perform together any more or never in the UK or are just playing a one-off gig. This year, you can’t miss Sloppy Joe and Next Time Passions!

Jennifer, London (Colour Me Pop DJs and gigs)

I'd recommend talking to people in toilet queues.
Paula McCann, Nottingham (artist and superlative baker of cakes for popshows)

By Sunday, make sure you allow a good five or ten minutes extra to get anywhere in order to allow for bumping into the lovely people you'll INEVITABLY meet over the the weekend.
Gareth Ware, Anglesey (pop fan)

If you've been to Indietracks before, what's your tip? If you haven't, what do you want to know? Shout up in the comments and we'll get all the world's problems solved by teatime.

Indietracks interview #27: Just Handshakes (We're British)

2011-07-24T19:30:00.006+01:00

Hailing from Leeds, Just Handshakes (We’re British) formed on a dingy industrial estate and bonded over their shared love of gin and Swedish pop. As well as being chosen as Steve Lamacq’s unsigned feature of the week and receiving radio airplay on BBC 6 Music from Tom Robinson, JHWB have enjoyed support slots with bands such as The XX, Theoretical Girl, Hjaltalin, Blue Roses and The Kabeedies.

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourselves
We are Clara, Michael, Edward and Jim. We live in Leeds and play indie pop music.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?
This year has been pretty exciting so far, we’ve played with lots of great bands like Pete and the Pirates and Allo Darlin’ and in April our new single came out on Elefant Records as part of the New Adventures In Pop Collection. We’re playing some festivals over the next few months and then after the Summer we are going to start recording our first album, which we are all really excited about.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?
We listen to lots of different stuff when we’re driving to gigs. I guess it depends what we’re in the mood for. Apparently Edward has made a special driving compilation which includes the following tracks:
‘Road to Nowhere’
‘On the Road Again’
‘Thunder Road’
‘Road to Joy’
‘Long and Winding Road’
‘Stanley Road’
‘Roadrage’

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival?
There seems to be lots of Elefant bands playing this year so it will be nice to go and watch some of them, especially Papa Topo. We’ve played with Help Stamp Out Loneliness and The History of Apple Pie before and they are both great bands and lovely people, so we’ll definitely be going to see them too. We’re also looking forward to seeing Jeffrey Lewis and Herman Dune. When all the bands have finished and it’s time to have a dance I think we’ll head over to the DJ tent for our friends Pull Yourself Together & Underachievers Please Try Harder!

Thanks, see you on the dancefloor!

Indietracks interview #26: Apple Eyes

2011-07-24T09:00:00.000+01:00

Apple Eyes is an electro pop band formed in London in 2009. Taking their influences from the likes of Deerhoof, of Montreal and the Flaming Lips, they make catchy slices of pop that twist and turn unexpectedly beneath the surface. Their recent single, 'Wild Beasts' received radio play from BBC 6music's Tom Robinson, and the band have played shows with Allo Darlin', The Electric Soft Parade, The Puncture Repair Kit and the mighty Ooberman! Today we're chatting to Claire and Matt from the band...

Hi Claire and Matt, tell us about Apple Eyes

We're a female fronted indie/pop/electronic band from London. We started writing songs together in 2009, while we were playing in the indie band The Hidden Messages (together with our guitarist Kenny). We recorded a lot at home and had songs played on 6Music, but it wasn't until earlier this year that we started gigging with the full band – Claire, Matt, Kenny, Alex and Dan. We released a download single Wild Beasts last week. We're influenced by the likes of Phoenix, the Flaming Lips, Cornelius, Deerhoof and Elliott Smith, to name a few - you might hear bits of all of these in our songs.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

This isn't strictly a gig, but we were invited to one of Tom Robinson's parties a while ago after he played our song on his 6Music show – it had a masquerade theme, so it was all slightly surreal with everyone wearing masks, but really good fun. In the early hours of the morning we were corralled into playing a few acoustic versions of our songs – we'd never played them live before, but we got through them and the audience seemed to like it. Of course, they were all wearing masks so there was no way of knowing for sure...

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

All of us are also members of A Little Orchestra, who are playing on Sunday evening – Claire & Matt on violins, Alex on bassoon, Dan on percussion and Kenny on all sorts of stringed instruments, including his newest acquisition, the harp(!). We haven't quite incorporated the bassoon or harp into an Apple Eyes song yet, but it can only be a matter of time. Members of ALO are also collaborating with Pocketbooks and Haiku Salut over the weekend which we're really excited about.

Claims to fame... Kenny and Matt were a couple of years above Aston Villa and England striker Darren Bent at school... they taught him everything he knows about the beautiful game. Also, Claire's cousin's husband's sister's ex-boyfriend used to drum for Ozzy Osbourne... does that count?

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Indietracks combines our two loves of indie-pop music and locomotion! When Matt was small his Grandpa built a little steam engine and railway line at the bottom of the garden, so he's going to spend the whole weekend talking about steam pressure and heat transfer. The rest of us are going to enjoy seeing the bands – particularly Pocketbooks, Model Village, Chris T-T, Edwyn Collins and The Hidden Cameras. This is our first time at Indietracks but we've heard great things about it. This is our first festival appearance and we're really excited that it's going to be at Indietracks!

Sunday afternoon pop quiz with Gordon Ballboy!

2011-07-23T14:00:00.001+01:00

Gordon McIntyre is enjoying an illustrous musical career: five ballboy albums, five John Peel sessions, sell out tours across Europe, America and Japan and a hit Musical 'Midsummer'. And next weekend, he'll be able to add Indietracks 2011 quizmaster to his CV when he and Katey from Spiral Scratch host our Sunday afternoon quiz in the workshop tent! They've both joined us today to tell us a bit more about it...

Hiya, how's this quiz going to work then?
It will be an indiepop quiz in the style of a traditional pub-quiz. It takes place in the traditional Sunday "hungover tae fuck" slot of 1pm so have your Bloody Mary's and Hairs of the Dog beside you for comfort. There's no charge, we are part of the Socialist Collective of Pub Quizzers. We provide our questions for the common good.

What are you most looking forward to this year at Indietracks?
Drinking, meeting up with pals watching bands we know (Jeffrey Lewis, Hidden Cameras, Withered Hand and especially Suburban Kids) and hopefully discovering some we don't.

Have you been to Indietracks before? Any interesting stories to divulge?
We've been to Indietracks many times between us. Have had some of our best weekends ever there.

Do you have any festival or camping tips?
Yes - make sure if you are camping that your tent is pitched securely within a larger structure with an en-suite bathroom such as a Travelodge or Premier Inn.

Thanks - see you next weekend!

Workshop interview #4: Knit Cave and the Bad Tweeds

2011-07-22T19:00:00.001+01:00

Eek, we've quite a few blog things to get through before the festival starts next weekend! Let's press on with the next in our series of workshop interviews. Today we're chatting to Rachael who's running an impressively-named knitting workshop on the Sunday afternoon at Indietracks.

Hi Rachael, tell us about the workshop
We're Leeds Guerilla Knitting Group 'Knit A Bear Face' presenting 'Knit Cave and the Bad Tweeds'. Our workshop is going to be a knitting one, where we will be showing people how to knit instruments and various other objects. Or even a scarf.

The workshop is free. Wool and needles will be provided, but people are also welcome to bring their own.

What are you looking forward to at Indietracks?
We will be looking forward to knitting on a train and of course the workshop and all the amazing bands and atmosphere of Indietracks.

Have you been to the festival before?
I went to Indietracks in 2008 to play on a train with my band The Seven Inches and I liked twirling people in the disco.

Finally, any camping tips?
Take a nicely baked cake!

Thanks Rachael. You can find out more at the Knit A Bear Face Facebook page.

Indietracks 2011 Quiz!

2011-07-22T09:15:00.003+01:00

Okay, it's Friday and its only one week until Indietracks begins. Hopefully, you've sorted out all your travel, accommodation and tickets, in which case you can relax and have a go at our Indietracks 2011 quiz!

We've a special and exclusive Indietracks goodie bag for whoever gets the most answers right. Please send your entries to indietrackspress@gmail.com by 2pm on Wednesday 27 July. We'll stick up the answers and announce the winner shortly after. Okay, here goes:

1. Which of the following is a Stars Of Aviation song about one of our Indietracks 2011 stars:
a) Herman Dune slept on my floor
b) Edwyn Collins lent me his phone
c) Norman Blake stole my car

2. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names are headlining our Friday night. Which of the following is not a Biblical name (as far as we can tell from the internet)?
a) Chloe
b) Bethany
c) Amanda
d) Naomi

3. When is the Midland Railway Centre open?
a) Every single day, including Christmas Day specials.
b) It’s not open in December or January in case of leaves and snow on the lines
c) It closes on August Bank Holidays for ‘essential engineering’ works
d) Every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day

4. Which of these is a song by Math and Physics Club?
a) April Showers
b) June Brides
c) November Rain
d) December Boy

5. Name this Indietracks 2011 band

6. Who played on the b-side of a song by indie-rock stars Athlete in 2003?
a) Brad Hargett from Crystal Stilts
b) Philippa Bloomfield from Dignan Porch
c) Graeme Elston
d) Paul John Sarel from Heroes of the Mexican Independent Movement

7. Which Indietracks 2011 artist writes a weekly column on the arts for national left-wing newspaper The Morning Star?
a) Withered Hand
b) Chris T-T
c) Remi Parson
d) Frances Mckee

8. Colm and Bentley from Help Stamp Out Loneliness used to be in which indiepop band?
a) Amida
b) Language of Flowers
c) Strange Idols

9. Name three Indietracks 2011 bands with names that involve parts of the human body

10. How many bands are featured on the Indietracks 2011 charity download compilation?
a) 20
b) 25
c) 35
d) 40

11. For which of the following bands did Joel Gibb from the Hidden Cameras recently contribute backing vocals?
a) The Decemberists
b) REM
c) Sonic Youth
d) Weezer

12. Based on our minimal research and geography knowledge, which band are based the furthest distance away from Indietracks?
a) Math and Physics Club
b) Sloppy Joe
c) Zipper
d) Haiku Salut

13. The History Of Apple Pie play at the festival this year, but when is the earliest recording of an apple pie recipe in the UK?
a) The fourteenth century, in the days of Chaucer and Richard II
b) The sixteenth century, as enjoyed by Shakespeare and Henry VIII
c) The nineteenth century, created especially for Queen Victoria

14. Who were Indietracks' first ever DJs? (HINT: they wrote a piece for the Indietracks blog this year!)

15. Name three bands from the 2011 Indietracks line-up who have food in their name?

16. According to their biography on the Indietracks website, which band describe themselves as originating from a message in a bottle?
a) A Fine Day For Sailing
b) Very Truly Yours
c) The Sweet Nothings
d) Guatafan

17. How many museums are there at the Midland Railway Centre?
a) Museums? Eugh!
b) The whole site is one single living museum of indiepop past, present and future!
c) Four – with everything from historic fork-lift trucks and buses to locomotives and much more!

18. What is Withered Hand’s real name?
a) Dan Popplewell
b) Dan Chapman
c) Dan Willson
d) Dan Johnston

19. What is the favourite type of crisp of John Blaine Hunt from Butcher Boy?
a) Red Hula Hoops
b) Pickled Onion Monster Munch
c) Worcester Sauce flavoured Wheat Crunchies
d) Spicy Nik Naks

20. Which of these is the name of an Indietracks 2011 workshop?
a) Knit The Nine O’ Clock News
b) Amy’s Origami Army
c) Theatre Of Sock
d) The Felt Tips’ Felt Tip Top Tips

Tiebreaker: please come up with your own fun name or idea for an Indietracks workshop – in the unlikely event that two or more people enter this quiz and score the same, we’ll pick the person with the best unique name as the winner!

Remember, please send your answers to indietrackspress@gmail.com by 2pm on Wednesday 27 July.

Good luck!!

Indietracks interview #25: Pocketbooks

2011-07-21T12:00:00.001+01:00

Today's interview questions for Pocketbooks are kindly provided by the good folk of A Fine Day For Sailing, following part one of this daring cultural exchange a few weeks ago. Pocketbooks are a pop group from London and will appear on the Friday night at this year's Indietracks. They've just released a free download for their new single Promises, Promises, and their new album 'Carousel' is available now on Odd Box Records.

Hi, we'd love to know, as a band, what your top desert island discs would be?

Ian: You Can't Hide Your Love Forever - Orange Juice.
Daniel: Hot Head - Captain Beefheart
Emma: A compilation featuring all my karaoke favourites - Kirsty MacColl, Madonna, Cathy Dennis, Jane Wiedlin, Belinda Carlisle, Ronnie Spector.

Have any of you ever done anything on tour or at a gig that you woke up the next day and really wished you hadn't?

Ian: There's probably loads but I'm very quick at forgetting these things ever happened. Ladyboys on tour with The Loves in Newcastle then chucking my guitar down a flight of stairs to round off the evening - it was in its hard case, thankfully.
Emma: Many, many tequilas.

What is the one single thing that you are each most looking forward to doing at Indietracks? This can be seeing bands, dancing, camping, going on the train etc.

Ian: The people.
Daniel: Also The People
Emma: I always love watching people arrive on the Friday and excitedly greet friends who they haven’t seen since last year’s festival.

Do you have anything special planned for your Indietracks appearance, or is that top-secret?

Ian: If we have, then I've not been told. Maybe, hopefully if something goes to plan we'll have something very exciting for everyone but I'm not sure if I can say what that is yet.
Emma: I might plan a special outfit.

How is work going on the next record? We all love your first LP!!

Ian: Thank you. Album number two is in the can, not the bin, the other can. It's all done and released and everything. We're all really happy with it, I think it's our reflective second album. We finished the record toward the end of last year which feels like ages ago so I'm desperate for everyone else to hear it. I'm hoping it might surprise people a little, it's a definite step forward.

This is a two-parter! a) What is your favourite type of pocket and b) what is your favourite type of book?

Ian: We always get asked this. Always. My favourite type of pocket is the back pocket, usually the right one. Sometimes I'll put a wallet in mine and, occasionally, some paper. My favourite type of book is a penguin classic, probably The Great Gatsby.
Daniel: A Clown's Pocket/Matchbook.
Emma: I once had a pair of trainers with a secret pocket on the back of the tongue. I think you were supposed to hide drugs in there but obviously I would never do a thing like that. Favourite type of book is anything set in the 1920/30s (I'll second The Great Gatsby), or anything about psychopaths, which tend to contain a surprising amount of humour.

If you could collaborate with one indiepopster, dead or alive, past or present, who would it be and why?

Ian: Given your band name I'm sure you'll appreciate this one - I'd have to say Rose Melberg. I've found all her bands inspirational ever since I heard Tiger Trap way back in the early nineties - I'll never get tired of her voice. She's a great songwriter too, I can't believe how quickly she wrote those Go Sailor! songs and they're all timeless indiepop. If we collaborated then I think she would write the songs, sing the songs and then play them whilst I made the tea.
Emma: I’d love to sing a duet with Patrick Fitzgerald from Kitchens of Distinction, but even though I’ve met him a couple of times I’d probably be far too star-struck to actually go through with it.

A Fine Day For Sailing ask this to everyone they we meet (!): who is your favourite Beach Boy and why?

Ian: Brian Wilson. Without him then 'Hold On' by Wilson Phillips would never have existed.
Daniel: Mike Love. He has the best latter-day touring band.
Emma: I’ll have to say Brian Wilson because he’s the only one whose name I ever remember. And I just saw him on The One Show.

Indietracks interview #24: Frankie Machine

2011-07-20T13:30:00.004+01:00

Multi-instrumentalist Frankie Machine has appeared on stage over the years with an impressive list of indie royalty, including White Town, Tompaulin and Phil Wilson. His music has been described as "sounds cut straight from the heart" by Drowned In Sound and "very, very special, like a secret on vinyl" by Record Collector, and he is sure to captivate you with his beautiful, witty, musically ornate and sometimes surprisingly lurid songs. His new album Squeeze The Life Back In will be onsale at Indietracks.

Hi, what attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

I’ve played previous years with MJ Hibbett & The Validators (bass) and Airport Girl (trumpet) and loved it. That was on the indoor and outdoor stages but I’ve never played the Church. It’s my favourite stage and to be asked to play is an absolute honour. I’ve seen some amazing gigs there (I’m thinking The Bobby McGees in 2008, where Jimmy decided that wearing a full jester’s costume in a small metal shed on the hottest day of the year was a good idea – and the roof nearly coming off when White Town played “Your Woman” last year). If we’re half as good as that then I’ll be happy.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

I have a bit of a pre-Indietracks ritual in that I avoid listening to indie pop stuff in the immediate run up – otherwise, as my mum used to say “you won’t feel the benefit”. Or maybe that was about wearing my cardigan indoors, I forget. Anyway I’m planning to listen exclusively to German Heavy Metal from the 1980s, particularly the Michael Schenker Group’s excellent “Assault Attack” album. I can honestly say that the line “She's a great dancer. Not ideally built for ballet” is one I will never stop being jealous of not writing. I also promise to high-five anyone who attends Indietracks in a Scorpions t-shirt.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Having finally finished off the album that has been in the works for the past four years, we’re planning to record the next album immediately after Indietracks (before we forget the chords). So 2011 should see two Frankie albums released. That is as near as we get to an “exciting plan” I’m afraid. The new album is out next Monday by the way – is that an obvious enough plug?

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

I’m an enormous anorak when it comes to Edwyn Collins, so that one’s obvious. We played with Jeffrey Lewis a few years back in Hull and there was an incident afterwards in the chip shop that I hope he’s forgotten. I’m also excited by the rumours I’m hearing about The Little Orchestra’s set. That promises to be something special.

One band I’m really looking forward to is Peru. Back in the mid-90’s Jock (or ‘Brian’ to his mum) and I played together in a Smashing Pumpkins-style grunge band called Boy Scout, and we had some interesting times being courted (but alas never shagged) by major record companies. I’ve not seen him for ages, so I’m looking forward to a bit of catching up and some nostalgic story-telling. Incidentally, the bass player in that band was Marc from Bulldozer Crash, whose brother Graham Elston is also playing Indietracks this year. At this point I start to feel like the Kevin Bacon of the festival.

Aside from that I'll just be bouncing between the bar and the stages at random, following my ears. I find it’s always the bands you *don’t* know at Indietracks that surprise you the most.

Thanks - see you next week!

Download the free Indietracks iPhone and Android apps!

2011-07-19T14:07:00.001+01:00

Following the success of last year's iPhone app, this year it's back along with an app for Android phones!

On the apps you'll find all the essential information you might need at the festival, including an up-to-the-minute guide to what's coming up on each stage, details on all the bands and artists, workshop schedule, local transport information and loads more! The iPhone app even has a little extra for the aspiring musicians among you, but we won't spoil the surprise ;)

Download the iPhone app
Download the Android app

We'd like to say a HUGE thanks to Andrew Bulhak and Matloob Qureshi for creating the apps for us and being patient with our constant changes!

Please note the iPhone app was uploaded prior to some small changes to the schedule - there will be an update shortly.

Competition to win Jasmine Minks tickets!

2011-07-19T11:00:00.004+01:00

Today we're very excited to be giving away five pairs of tickets to see legendary 80s' indiepop heroes The Jasmine Minks on Saturday July 23 - their first live gig in London for ten years.

Formed in London, The Jasmine Minks were initially a trio centred around singer Jim Shepherd. After sending a demo tape to Melody Maker, the band were recruited by Alan McGee to record for his fledgling record label (CLUE!), with their self-titled debut album being released in 1985, before recording their only Peel session in 1986. Further albums Another Age (1988) and Scratch the Surface (1989) drew critical acclaim before the band split. They reunited in 2000, releasing the album Veritas, before the band signed to McGee's Poptones label for the release of Popartglory (2001). In 2010 a four-track EP, "Poppy White", was also released on the Oatcake Records label.

The gig, which will be held at the Borderline in Charing Cross, also features the Edinburgh School for the Deaf and the Electric Sugar Children.

Doors open at 7pm with the first band on at 8 15pm and a scheduled finish at 10.30 pm.

All you have to do is answer this simple question: The Jasmine Minks' best-selling album 'Another Age' is due to be re-issued by Joe Foster's Poppydisc record label. On what label was the album first issued?

Please send your answer, along with your name and contact details, to Sandy at sandyjaf@hotmail.com by 5pm on Friday July 22. Good luck!

Question Time 3: your favourite performance at Indietracks?

2011-07-18T13:03:00.001+01:00

(La Casa Azul on the outdoor stage at Indietracks 2009. Photo: _light )

Here we are again! Previously on Indietracks Question Time our panel couldn't agree on which was the best Indietracks so far. Let's see if they can find any common ground on the issue of which artist gave the best performance you've seen at Indietracks so far, and why? Check out their responses and add your own...

Tough question! Not necessarily my official answer but I recently discovered some footage of The Deirdres playing Indietracks and it reminded me of how excited I had been to finally get to see them and just how bloody great they were.

Chris Gillies, Glasgow (The Hermit Crabs)

Allo Darlin' last year felt like a moment, the enthusiasm onstage reflected by the crowd's willingness to share in the glory of Elizabeth's melodic greatness.

Simon Tyers, Leicester (Sweeping The Nation blog and gigs, occasional reviewer/writer)

La Casa Azul – because it was a headline act that wasn't meant to headline. Seeing so many people just dancing to the craziness of it all to the background of space invaders on a big screen in the middle of the Derbyshire countryside.

Linda Chapman, Washington, Tyne & Wear (dressmaker and pop fan)

Pocketbooks playing on the train in 2008. This is a ridiculously hard question to answer! But yes, I think that's it, because it was unexpected and brilliant and it encapsulated everything I knew to be sparkly.

Marianthi Makra, London (Atomic Beat Records; Spiral Scratch gigs and DJs; Team Indietracks member)

The Specific Heats in the church in 2009, because even though it was boiling and a bit of their kit blew up, they were relentlessly cheery and sounded AWESOME. They put a huge grin on my face that lasted beyond the weekend.

Hayley, Nottingham (A Fog of Ideas gigs)

Oh man, another really hard one! I guess this wasn't an 'official' performance... but The Just Joans played on the platform in 2008 and it was just beautiful. Probably because it was sort of impromptu and everyone gathered around like you would at school (I mean that in a good way!). I was mesmerised and that's when I think I became a proper Just Joans fan. Ballboy playing last year with the sun setting was also pretty special; they covered 'Indian Summer' by Beat Happening and to hear that and watch them with the sun setting felt like a really perfect moment.

Sandy Gill, London (Stolen Wine Social DJs)

Betty and the Werewolves, undoubtedly.
Carys Kennedy, London (The Give It Ups; Fall Out Make Up DJs)

La Casa Azul, 2009. Guille made a lot of new friends that weekend and even won an award (I think) for the performance. I don't think many of the non-Spanish punters really knew what to expect, but my heart is all of a flutter just typing about that performace. If I'm allowed to post a link, this 18 seconds pretty much sums it all up for me.
Ray K, Birmingham (City Sacker zine)

I’d have to say The Middle Ones in 2008 (I think). I’d heard some of their songs and was looking forward to seeing them but they really blew me away (albeit in a really understated, gentle way). They were giggly and probably nervous but their amazing harmonies and beautiful songs made my hair stand on end. What’s left of it, anyway.
Colin Meney, Glasgow (Half My Heart Beats DJs)

Probably Allo Darlin' last year, in showing that songs many might have thought would only work in a small venue could work on a big stage by sweeping the Friday night. POBPAH (again last year) run a close second though.
Gareth Ware, Anglesey (pop fan)

So many to choose from! Ballboy last year, The Bobby McGees in 2008, Stereo Total in 2009, who were amazingly filthy, are all distinguished nominations, but for the sake of how unexpectedly fantastic it was, La Casa Azul. I can sing along to pretty much all of those songs now, and a big chunk of the music I listen to nowadays is Spanish.
Josh Owen Morris, Cardiff (Grand Canonical Ensemble; Eruption Button DJs)

I really liked the Weddies and Los Camp BUT I think The Bobby McGees were great fun. There is something magical about a bearded Scottish man dressed as a jester; maybe it’s just me.
Robert Fairs, Derby (Seas of Mirth; Alice Ferguson; Dayglo Tokyo; Apples For Discos gigs)

This is too hard! Probably La Casa Azul, who gave an absolutely amazing performance. I just remember dancing like a mad woman alongside some of my Team Indietracks friends, and then being incredibly moved by the whole scene. We had all worked so hard that year – seeing it all come to fruition was the best feeling ever.
Nat, London (A Little Orchestra; Team Indietracks member)

My personal favourite performance was by Ballboy in 2008. They were just fantastic. A particular highlight was them singing 'Something's Going to Happen Soon' close to sunset, or just after. That song has a lot of meaning to me and my fiancée as it'll be our first song at our wedding next year! I think it's mostly because it's such a beautiful song live!
Toby Marshall, Birmingham (but from Wolverhampton)

Ummmmm... Allo Darlin' on the Friday night last year... Town Bike's 'earmuffs' moment followed by a B*Witched/Nirvana mash-up in '08... Shrag on the main stage last year... La La Love You tearing shit up... plus so many bands that you wander in during the last song and think "fuuuuck, what have i missed?!?" (Be Like Pablo, Brontosaurus Chorus, etc etc). But I think The Middle Ones charming the hell out of all present on a too-packed train will live long in the memory.
Will Fitzpatrick, Liverpool (The 255s)

La Casa Azul's headline slot from '09. Most of the non-Spanish people there wouldn't have heard of him (I think), but everyone was smiling and dancing anyway, so for me it sums up the essence of Indietracks. Plus when he did his cover of 'Love is in The Air' it was a proper festival 'moment'.
Dan Hartley, Sheffield (The Sweet Nothings; Pop-o-matic DJs)

Ohhhh, Camera Obscura were wonderful in 2009. And The Pooh Sticks were amazing fun for all involved last year.
Tim Hall, Belfast (Words and Smiles blog)

I can't name just one... possibly Art Brut. I rushed into the train shed just after they had started and the whole place had already become one giant moshpit. I'm surprised that the shed roof didn't come off when we all shouted along to "DC comics make me want to rock out". But then there was also La Casa Azul. I would never have expected to see a spaceman playing disco pop on the main stage. But there he was. It was very surreal and everybody seemed to love it. Apart from Pete Bee [from Horowitz]. Who looked very baffled.
Paula McCann, Nottingham (artist and superlative baker of cakes for popshows)

Allo Darlin' last year on the Friday night. Our first experience of the band was on the train at 2008's festival, and having closely followed their progress over the intervening two years their set last year was just so perfect, showing how far they've come and knocking everyone's socks off! There were so many people in that crowd with good reason to feel proud of Allo Darlin', and it made for the best atmosphere.
Dan and Hannah, Manchester (Pull Yourself Together gigs/DJs)

Goodness gracious, how can one select the best performance at Indietracks?! I would say when bands play Indietracks, they put so much practice and effort into playing that it is probably their best performance of their career! But the first performance that comes to mind is La Casa Azul’s joyous multimedia extravaganza in 2009. He is only one person but he had a band of stylish bandmates projected onto a screen, a dazzling light show, fascinating video projections and enough boundless energy to turn the most dour-faced misanthrope into a bouncing, sparkling electro-pop convert. Jennifer, London (Colour Me Pop DJs and gigs)

There are so many. I wouldn't like to single one out. Some truly amazing memories.
Daniel, Sheffield (pop fan)

So, so many. The Just Joans, the Felt Tips, Allo Darlin', Cats on Fire, the Pooh Sticks and Mighty Mighty all deserve a mention. However, I think the best perfomance will be this year when Edwyn takes the stage.
Jane, London (pop fan)

Who do you agree with? Or have they all forgotten the best Indietracks act of all? If you've been to the festival before, post a comment below to let us know your favourite performance so far...

Workshop interview #3: Owl Knit You

2011-07-17T11:00:00.001+01:00

Today we're chatting to Emily, who'll be running the Owl Knit You workshop on the Saturday afternoon at this year's festival.

Hi, tell us a bit about yourself...

I’m Emily and I work with a database by day, but am a knitter and crochet-er extraordinaire by night. I make anything from clothes to installations. My latest project is a free-form crochet dress that looks a bit like the shed skin of a ghost.

What your workshop will be about?

My workshop is about using basic knitting or crochet skills to make small things that can be put together to make larger things. It’s hard to start a big project, but easy to start a small one, so by making small bits and pieces, you will have a large pile to put together however you wish into whatever you wish! I will be providing basic crochet and knitting instruction for those who need it, or otherwise providing materials for your imagination to run wild into your own small project. At the end of the workshop, everyone’s small projects will be joined into a larger installation for the festival.

What are you most looking forward to this year at Indietracks?

At heart, I’m a bit of a train geek so music + trains = the best weekend ever! The line up looks amazing and I’ve heard good things about the beer selection.

Have you been to Indietracks before? Any interesting stories to divulge?

This is my first time, but I have plenty of second-hand stories from my friends who have been before.

Do you have any festival or camping tips?

It’s my first festival and first time I’m camping, so maybe I should be on the receiving end of tips!

Find out more at http://www.owlknityou.com and www.owlknityou.tumblr.com

Indietracks interview #23: Model Village

2011-07-16T09:00:00.006+01:00

Model Village are a folksy pop band based in Cambridge. Their three-year CV includes shows with many of the leading lights in quality indiepop, including Bearsuit, Tender Trap, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Jeffrey Lewis, Jonny and The Wave Pictures. The band combine their love of jangly pop like Camera Obscura, the darker side of folk as exemplified by Nina Nastasia and the slick sounds of 'Rumours'-era Fleetwood Mac. They recently released a split 7" single with The Puncture Repair Kit, and plan to release their debut album later this year.

Today (Saturday 16 July), the band are playing at a fantastic-looking all-dayer in Cambridge, along with Allo Darlin', Apple Eyes, The Puncture Repair Kit and many others. Pop along if you're in the vicinity!

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourselves

We are Model Village, the south east's premier success free jangly indie folk super group. We have spent many human lifetimes in the pursuit of music, and have finally found a sound that some other people enjoy! It's working out well.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

I can't really speak for the others, but when they're in my car at the moment we have been listening to a lot of a 3CD Trojan hits compilations with Althea and Donna's "uptown top ranking" and loads of other winners. Additionally Piers has recently shared the Dutch Uncles new record with me, which is great, and I've also been listening to the new Treefight for Sunlight record. Kev our drummer has been in Saudi Arabia for half a year, so he's just pleased to hear any music.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

Two spring to mind in where the Model Village crew is concerned. Recently we had a slot following the The Futureheads at a Cambridge May Ball, it was very tightly run and we weren't allowed to see any of the other acts and had to be escorted in and out. It was like playing a teen wedding with lots of youngsters in black tie and ball gowns.

Prior to that, Rachel's first gig singing with us was at a primary School PTA quiz night. That was probably the most money and most dancing we have ever had. It turns out little kids mums REALLY want to have a good time. Plus we came third in the quiz.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

We will be releasing our album later in the year, and hopefully touring. We've only managed to play London and Cambridge, so Indietracks will be as far from home as we've got. We intend to hit Rachel's Scottish homelands, my and Piers' West Midland's roots and the rest of the country if they'll have us.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Dan he keeps falling over (so far in the last 18 months he has broken his foot, and mashed his face up about three times), Kenny plays more musical instruments than any other member of the band, and makes us all sick.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

Trojan Hits 3xCD for max' summer value. Also probably a compilation CD I found recently that someone gave me back in 2002, it has Sir Mixalot, The Descendents, Funkadelic, High on Fire, Busta Rhymes, Slayer and Stevie Wonder on it.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Dan went last year and had a super time, our friends Betty and the Werewolves played and loved it.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

Well we have a special micro album we're going to be bringing to sell, any other surprises will be thought up on the day.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

There are so many good bands playing it's hard to pick one, I know that various members of our crew will be psyched to see Edwyn Collins, Milky Wimpshake, Jonny, Pocketbooks, Chris T-T, The History of Apple Pie, Herman Dune and of course for no reason whatsoever A Little Orchestra and Apple Eyes; any similarity between members of those bands and our own is coincidental! Personally I'm looking forward to World of Fox as I've not seen Simon Fox since I played a gig with his old band Grover in about 2001!

Thanks - see you in a couple of weeks!

Workshop interview #2: Cake Club’s Sugar-fuelled Cake Decorating Party

2011-07-15T12:30:00.003+01:00

It's just two weeks until Indietracks!! Today we’re chatting to Verity about the sugar-rush-tastic cake decorating workshop taking place on the Saturday afternoon at this year’s Indietracks.

Hiya, tell us a bit about yourself and the idea behind the workshop

I’m Verity, from Bristol and I believe that cake is one of the best things in life. I noticed a distinct lack of it at Indietracks last year so someone came up with the bright idea that I should rectify the situation.

What can people expect from the workshop?

The name says it all. We’ll be bringing a variety of scrumptious home-made cupcakes, icing paraphernalia and sweets. We want everyone to come in, decorate a cake, make a mess, eat it, and feel terribly pleased with themselves and their mad decorating skills. We may even provide a few extra goodies for those less-enthusiastic cake decorators.

What are you most looking forward to this year at Indietracks?

I’m looking forward to making new friends, riding the train, and the bands, of course. Rather excited about Maths and Physics Club and the Hidden Cameras. Oh, and the cake. Everyone should be excited about the cakes.

Have you been to Indietracks before? Any interesting stories to divulge?

Only last year, but it was magnificent. Everything about it. My cake colleague has never been, and doesn’t even really know what indiepop is (!). What a treat he’s in for.

Do you have any festival or camping tips?

Always eat at least two cakes at a festival. It helps absorb the cider.

That's sound advice, thanks! Here’s a link to Verity’s Cake blog: http://cakemakes.tumblr.com/

Indietracks interview #22: Crystal Stilts

2011-07-14T11:00:00.001+01:00

Today, Paul Richards from Scared To Dance talks to JB Townsend and Andy Adler from Crystal Stilts.

Crystal Stilts burst out of Brooklyn's post-punk indie scene in 2008 with a string of releases that culminated in their fantastic debut album ‘Alight Of Night’. The album won universal accolades and established the band as first-class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop. Following extensive tours of the US and Europe, the band now return with their stunning second album ‘In Love With Oblivion’, hot on the heels of the incredible single ‘Shake The Shackles’.

What records did you grow up listening to? In your music I can hear a lot of post-punk and no wave bands – The Fall and Suicide spring to mind.

JB: The Fall is surely a big influence on all of us. I’m still finding more and more Fall songs that I like. When I first met Brad in 2000 he gave me the first two Suicide CDs. I like the more melodic songs. Abcko-era Stones, The Outsiders, I could list all day.

Andy: We surely listen to post-punk, etc, though perhaps not as much as in years prior, but some of it comes from probably listening to the same records they were hearing as well. Psych and folk and experimental and pop and all that mixed up.

Did you set yourselves any targets when recording In Love With Oblivion? To those who may have not got the record yet, how does it differ from your debut Alight of Night?

JB: I think I set a sonic bar for it whilst mixing. I knew how I didn’t want it to sound. It differs a bit in that there’s a bit less drone chords on this one. Songs are a little more concentrated.

Andy: In some ways it must reflect, or reveal, that it was more of a “full band” record. What those revelations are, are to be discovered.

“Love is a Wave” didn’t appear on In Love With Oblivion. Will it ever see the light of day on another release? A compilation perhaps?

JB: “Love is a Wave” is actually sort of the last song that was from the Alight of Night-era but we kept it as a stand alone single. I think we’ll probably have an oddity record somewhere down the line.

Andy: There is something nice about a song like that as a stand alone entity. The to-the point-ness of the ‘45.

Your song “Silver Sun” recently appeared on the Fortuna Pop! compilation Weekend Dreams which was given away with the Scared To Dance Spring fanzine. Tell us more about that track.

JB: Hmmm. I sometimes take critical stances with songs so after they’re done I’ll strip and critique so I sort of try to look at it from an observer's perspective – sort of a psychoanalysis of where the song came from and what it sounds most like. I’m most pleased when a song sounds different from the root influence. I think that song sounds denser then I thought it would. Almost like a Joe Meek meets Love meets The Pastels.

How was your recent tour of the UK? Where are you heading to afterwards on tour?

JB: It went well. I think we’re headed directly to Disneyland after.

Andy: Brief but enjoyable. Always nice to catch up with friends who reside overseas.

The video for “Shake the Shackles” was premiered on Pitchfork a little while ago. What were the ideas behind it? As a band, did you have much input in to it?

JB: We did have quite a bit of direction on that one. We wanted black and white, city shots, helicopters etc.
Andy: A certain someone complained that there weren’t shots of us walking on the beach in it. A little digging can easily find those images. Not even digging really.

You’ve had a few line-up changes over the years with Brad and JB the only constant sole members. How did the changes come about?

Andy: Changes and additions came about organically and continue to cultivate in this Petri dish that is Crystal Stilts. Also, wanting people to play instruments live which has led to some form of permanence and evolved the writing, recording processes.

What attracted you to play Indietracks? Will you be able to catch many of the other bands?

Andy: We have always heard wonderful things from past attendees, bands who have played, and all other travellers. Positive vouching and vibrations have led us there. Hopefully we will be able to see as much as possible, wander the grounds, and generally get the full experience.

What plans do you have for the remainder of 2011?

Andy: We have an EP that will be out in the fall and hopefully will be able to jam, write, and practice the alchemy that is our modus operandi.

Crystal Stilts play the Indoor Stage at Indietracks on Sunday night at 8:15pm.
www.crystalstilts.com

Indietracks interview #21: Math and Physics Club

2011-07-13T12:30:00.000+01:00

Seattle's Math and Physics Club are Charles Bert, Ethan Jones, and James Werle. Since 2005, they've recorded two LPs, three EPs, and a handful of singles for California-based Matinee Recordings. Their 2010 album, "I Shouldn't Look As Good As I Do" is another sparkling collection of short, breezy pop songs inspired by indie bands of the 80s and 90s and classic singles of the 60s and 70s. The band will play on the indoor stage on the Saturday evening of Indietracks. Charles from the band joined us for a chat...

Hi Charles, tell us about an unusual place the band's played a gig in the past

We played a show with Calvin Johnson and Tender Forever at an all-ages club in Seattle called SS Marie Antoinette. It was dead winter and there was no heat. You could see your breath inside the building. I remember having trouble finding the place because there were no lights, no signs, no windows – it looked like a condemned building. I kept driving by thinking, “OK, it should be right here…” But it was actually really fun, and getting to play a show with Calvin was worth a few frozen fingers.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

James dabbles in carpentry. He’s quite good, always building or remodeling something. Kevin writes kids fiction for Scholastic (and starred in this odd Swedish insurance commercial). And Ethan starred opposite Mirah in a student film called “Love is Stupid,” and claims to have taught Carrie Brownstein her first guitar chords in high school (I’ve yet to verify this with Ms. Brownstein, however.) I’m also pretty sure he knows all the words to Wham Rap! I can’t compete with that.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

Whenever we’re in the car together we always end up listening to classic rock on the radio, so this time I’m coming prepared with a proper mix. It’s a delicate balance – it can’t be all “Don’t Stop Believin’” and no “Open Arms.” James loves Springsteen, so I’ll have to factor that in, but I’m a sucker for Bon Jovi.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

It will be a reunion of sorts with Kevin back on drums and Saundrah traveling from Denmark to join us on violin for the Nottingham and Indietracks gigs. We haven’t played with our original lineup since 2007, so I’m really excited to have us all together again.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

We’ve played a few popfests in the States which are always fun, but Indietracks seems like a completely different level of awesomeness. I think it’s really cool how the festival has stayed small, resisted sponsorship, and isn’t curated by some random tastemaker. It’s like the ultimate backyard indiepop show put on by your friends.

Workshop interview #1: The Bad Art Workshop

2011-07-12T15:30:00.001+01:00

As well as steam trains and lots of ace indiepop bands, this year's Indietracks festival will once again feature a wide range of art and craft workshops for all the family! There will be sock theatre, cake decorating, rubberband rockets, yoga, button brooch making and lots, lots more.

Today, we're joined by Rebecca Little and AJ Garrett from the Peg Powler Gallery to find out a bit more about the Bad Art workshop.

Hi, what's the workshop about?

The Bad Art workshop aims to create a relaxed attitude towards drawing, without having to worry whether you can draw or not. This is not your typical art workshop. We are not interested in whether you can draw a straight line or create a photographic drawing of your trainer. We will be broadening people’s perceptions by looking at outsider and controversial art and using materials such as thick black permanent markers we aim to challenge participants already embedded approach to drawing. We will be using a wide range of unique drawing activities; from drawing a portrait of someone who’s not in the room to creating a reproduction of The Mona Lisa in less than a minute. Participants will be awarded with a ‘certificate of bad excellence’ and will be able to take their drawings home.

What are you most looking forward to this year at Indietracks?

Seeing Jeff Lewis again (who we recently exhibited in Spring at our local art centre in Stockton on Tees)

Do you have any festival or camping tips?

We are intrigued by our camp-site that boasts both a jacuzzi and a gym.

Thanks! The Bad Art workshop will take place at 2pm on the Sunday afternoon at Indietracks. To find out more, please visit www.pegpowler.com or http://www.facebook.com/pegpowlergallery

Question Time 2: which has been your favourite Indietracks so far?

2011-07-11T12:30:00.002+01:00

Welcome back to Indietracks Question Time! And thanks for all your comments in response to part 1, where we asked how you'd describe the festival to someone who doesn't 'get' indiepop.

This time we're asking the panel: which has been the best Indietracks so far, and why? See what they reckon, think about your own answer, and then post it as a comment below...

Hard, because they've all been ace for different reasons. I'm going for 2008 due to the gorgeous weather (and mini tornados), and because it's where I first heard The Smittens.
Dan Hartley, Sheffield (The Sweet Nothings; Pop-o-matic DJs)

2009 was pretty special as it was my first and I couldn't believe such a wonderful thing actually existed. Last year was great too, mind. I'll always remember moshing (!) to Talulah Gosh's 'My Best Friend' when Tender Trap played it as an encore on the Saturday night.

Tim Hall, Belfast (Words and Smiles blog)

Every year I am grateful and surprised that Indietracks is still there, so I'll say 2010 because I spent the entire weekend in a state of complete amazement. Also, The Orchids played all my favourite songs with the biggest smiles on their faces. My love knew no bounds then.

Marianthi Makra (Atomic Beat Records; Spiral Scratch gigs and DJs; Team Indietracks member)

I think the commune of 2008 was just about perfect. The weather was incredible, the mini-tornadoes, The Deirdres on the main stage, Ballboy as the sun went down, hungover Winston Echo on the train, Milky Wimpshake! I think I'll always remember Darren Hanlon saying how perfect the day was and pointing out to the crowd the firemen lolling about eating ice-creams. The line-up for this year looks unbeatable, though, and it's always great to meet friends old and new in Butterley.

Ray K, Birmingham (City Sacker zine)

I wasn't there for the first year but every year since then seems to have been better than the last. The one I’ve enjoyed most was probably 2009. A few niggles had been ironed out from the previous year (like better food stalls), it seemed like even more people were there and having a great time and I had started putting on clubs nights at gigs so I felt like a part of it for the first time, rather than an outsider who had come along for a look out of curiosity.

Colin Meney, Glasgow (Half My Heart Beats DJs)

2010 holds a special place in my heart. The Give It Ups got to play, we got to see our Danish friends we'd met the year before, and Betty and the Werewolves played. Magical.

Carys Kennedy, London (The Give It Ups; Fall Out Make Up DJs)

My personal favourite was 2008 because it was my first and because the little acoustic singalongs that happened on the platform every night were so incredibly joyous.

Chris Gillies, Glasgow (The Hermit Crabs)

I’ve only been to the last two Indietracks so out of those two, I would say 2009 slightly tips it for me. This could be because I was so excited that I was finally able to attend Indietracks and witness this beautiful coming together of friends and pop fans from all over the UK, Europe and beyond. But this was also the year that Elefant hosted the outdoor stage. The festival was chock full of lively Spaniards and we were treated to a selection of Spanish bands outside, many of whom I’d not heard of or seen before. It was thrilling to see some of my favourite modern indiepop bands – like Cats on Fire and Northern Portrait – play to such large audiences. And it was joyous to see fantastic bands I’d never seen before, like Butcher Boy and Kevin McGrother. Oh, I can’t forget the fabulous DJs that year too, particularly my brilliant Berlin comrades from P!O!P Kombinat in Berlin and the handsome sign-wielding couple of Songs For Children. Absolute fun.

Jennifer, London (Colour Me Pop DJs and gigs)

Please don't make me choose between my children. 2007 showed that something great was stirring, 2008 was a glorious vindication of those hopes, 2009 was a line-up that I thought couldn't be matched, then 2010 pretty much matched it.

Simon Tyers, Leicester (Sweeping The Nation blog and gigs, occasional reviewer/writer)

Oh man, this is hard. But for me, it was the first ever one-day one that was back in... was it April 2006? I think that was the best one for me, because it was the first time I'd ever experienced anything like that, there were only a handful of people there but the sheer glee and excitement were really apparent and the atmosphere on the platform felt electric. You could actually feel it! I did a lot of dancing and I also got to pull the chain on the train that makes the big choo choo noise, which was pretty darn amazing.

Sandy Gill, London (Stolen Wine Social DJs)

It's really difficult to choose, but I really enjoyed the year that we partnered with Elefant. It was just such a fantastic atmosphere, and ever since then it's really has felt like Indietracks is a truly international festival. We love hearing about and meeting people who have travelled crazy distances just to be there!

Nat, London (A Little Orchestra; Team Indietracks member)

Deffo the one with Los Camp and Wedding Present. The weather was HOT! Too hot if anything, but a great weekend. Some great bands playing and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. And a dog weed on Gemma's foot (for those who don’t know Gemma, she deserves it).

Robert Fairs, Derby (Seas of Mirth; Alice Ferguson; Dayglo Tokyo; Apples For Discos gigs)

Which one was the really sunny one? 2008? I think that was the same year I got emotional about The Starlets in the church. I knew far more people last year, which made it even better though.
Daniel, Sheffield (pop fan)

For me 2009. The year the organisation seemed to come together without losing its spirit and the unexpected joy of dancing to La Casa Azul's cover of 'Love is in the Air' with my best friend was definitely a highlight for me.
Jane, London (pop fan)

Due to circumstances I've only been able to go a couple of times, but I enjoyed the hell out of Indietracks 2008 and 2010. Don't make me choose! I've made too many friends and seen too many great bands at both to decide.
Will Fitzpatrick, Liverpool (The 255s)

I think my favourite Indietracks so far was 2009. I had a ridiculous time. I was up dancing at the campsite 'til 7am on the Monday morning. I'd drunk far too much sparkling wine, I made disappointed faces at a girl as she couldn't foxtrot, failed to recognise some of my favourite songs, but danced and sang terribly until the sun came up. Putting it like that sounds horrific! If you did meet a guy wearing a 90s German football shirt with the name Bierhoff on that night, I am dreadfully sorry, but I was having mad crazy fun.

Josh Owen Morris, Cardiff (Grand Canonical Ensemble; Eruption Button DJs)

2008, which was our first, I think it was because it was like no other festival I'd ever been to! Going onto trains to see bands, seeing the (now sadly departed) llamas and watching bands in the sun playing in a hollowed-out truck! Smashing!Toby Marshall, Birmingham (but from Wolverhampton)

Indietracks 2008, because it was my first one, I'd just moved to Nottingham and met so many lovely people who I am still good friends with to this very day, the weather was beautiful and I saw loads of good bands who I'd never heard of and didn't think I'd like but did.
Hayley, Nottingham (A Fog of Ideas gigs)

I think I'm going to say that our first Indietracks was the best one, because it was such a brand new experience to be at a festival with so many lovely people, most of whom we didn't know at the time but became very close friends with over the following year. Oh, and the fact that the Midland Railway is an amazing venue. And the llamas were still there that year. We first went in 2008, and discovered so many amazing bands for the first time, like Allo Darlin' (who we invited to come and play in Manchester pretty much straight away after seeing Elizabeth playing on the train), A Classic Education, The Just Joans (or as we like to know them, THE Indietracks singalong band), Liechtenstein, and The Smittens. Then of course there was the small matter of seeing friends playing too, and Los Campesinos! absolutely stole the show. It was such a great weekend, and we've been going ever since.
Dan and Hannah, Manchester (Pull Yourself Together gigs/DJs)

The first one, because it wasn't like any other festival I'd been to before. Most of the audience seemed to be in the bands that played. It was a tiny festival, with my favourite sort of music, and it was about 15 miles from where I live. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!
Paula McCann, Nottingham (artist and superlative baker of cakes for popshows)

So who's right? If you've been to Indietracks before, which one do you think was the best? Join the debate – post a comment below and let us know!

Indietracks interview #20: Band A Part

2011-07-10T14:00:00.000+01:00

Just before we start today's interview, a tiny announcement: we've made a small adjustment to the Friday and Sunday schedules so that Jeffrey Lewis and Jonny can play for a bit longer. The revised schedule is here: www.indietracks.co.uk/schedule

Okay, on with the interview... Band A Part are a Spanish indiepop duo featuring Javi and Coral playing wonderful pop songs using guitars, melodicas and xylophones. They're influenced by the Nouvelle Vague´s Godard and Gainsbourg, J.D. Salinger, Sarah Records, Stereolab, the Beach Boys and The Love Generation,

In 2008, they were one of the winners of a contest for new Spanish bands organised by Festival Contempopranea, performing at the festival that year. They were also finalists in International Festival of Benicassim and Lemon pop Festival in Murcia. Their EPs have been released on labels within and outside Spain, including Annika records, Bonvivant records and Molecula records (Mexico).

In October 2010, the band released their first single 'No sé por qué' on the influential Elefant Records. They've now released a second single called 'Una Persona Normal Con Gafas De Metal' on the same label. The band will play on the church stage on the Sunday evening at Indietracks 2011.

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourselves

Coral and Javi form Band à Part. We live in Madrid and the band was created in 2007 the same day we met. The reason we formed a band is that we have common musical tastes and passion for music, specially, 60s Sunshine pop, Shibuya-Key and twee pop.

We made three demos and won some contests, Elefant Records got in touch with us because they were interested in releasing a single vinyl with our songs. The 7 inch single was finally released and it sold out in a short period of time. It was really amazing!

A second vinyl single is now available. It is titled “Una Persona Normal Con Gafas De Metal”. We are also really excited about releasing a 10 inch vinyl EP with Elefant very soon.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

We both are working as graphic designers for different Media Field companies. We usually illustrate the covers of our discs and design our own merchandising, websites, christmas gifts… All our video-clips are directed by us. We really enjoy doing lots of activities linked to creativity, although this means not to have enough time to sleep or other things.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

Some of the new songs released last year and some oldies too. For sure, bands like Afternoon Naps, The Go! Team, The Garlands, Magic Kids, Tennis, Smith Westerns, Chris Montez, The Aisler Set, Maths & Phisic Club, Hazel Nuts Chocolate…

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

We are totally happy about performing at Indietracks Festival. We heard wonderful comments about this festival talking, for example, with our friends from Zipper. We couldn’t come when Elefant Records Anniversary took place in 2009 and it made us feel sad. We celebrate the opportunity of performing at Indietracks, where some of our favourite bands have been performing. This is like a dream come true.

Thanks! Here's the band's latest animiated video from their new single:

Indietracks interview #19: A Fine Day For Sailing

2011-07-09T15:00:00.000+01:00

To mix things up a bit, A Fine Day For Sailing and Pocketbooks have agreed to interview each other for our blog! So this is the first part of this two-part series, with Matt, Jake, Jen and Thom facing questions carefully crafted by Ian from Pocketbooks.

Let's introduce the band first though... A Fine Day for Sailing are an indiepop band from London. They originated in Exeter where popsters Phil Wilson (ex-June Brides) and Simon Bish (Thrilled Skinny) persuaded Matthew Stead that his songs were good enough to sing out loud to people. He then formed a band with Jen Hall, Matthew singing and banging drums whilst trying to play guitar; Jen playing ukelele, singing and hitting a glockenspiel. Jen had to move away but various members joined up and the band became a Beach Boys loving, summer pop producing, indiepop band, releasing two albums within six months; 'My Baby Loves Pop' and 'Sand Box.'

Now Matthew and Jen are back making music together in London and the band has expanded to seven people, including a mini-string section and a proper drummer. Their new single 'Ballad of the Bedsit' is out on 25 July on red vinyl with hand-coloured sleeves on Dufflecoat Records. They've also made a wonderful video for the song.

This will be your first time playing Indietracks, what were your first words when you found out you'd be asked to play?

Matt - I was so incredibly chuffed! I have a really terrible confession to make: this will be my first Indietracks ever!! I've wanted to go ever since the first one, but every year something seemed to come up that stood in my way. To actually play it will be a dream.
Jake - Yeah! (I wish it was a Ralph Wiggum-esque, "I'm choo-choo-chuffed".)
Jen - 'shut up!'
Thom - "I wonder how many times I will be mistaken for Joel Gibb this time?" Incidentally, The Gresham Flyers played the first ever Indietracks summer festival in 2007 - it was definitely a highlight of our career, and we got to see Das Wanderlust who are/were incredible.

Who's in the band, there's a fair few of you, a couple of ex Gresham Flyers - it's confusing. Please clear the whole thing up.

Matt - Sometimes there are so many of us I forget! It's like a mother forgetting the names of her kids. Not that I mother them. Oh god, I'm so going to get into trouble for this answer! So here we go (I'm going to do it in order of people joining the band) Matt plays guitar and sings, Jen does the same thing as Matt, but better, Jake bangs the drums, Thom plays bass guitar and sings, Sharon plays keyboard and sings, Lauren plays Cello and sings, and Caroline plays violin and sings. There's a whole lot of singing going on! I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!
Jen - i'm Jen! :D

You're pretty new on the London indiepop scene, is it everything you dreamed it would be before you moved here?

Matt -It's better than I ever imagined. I always thought of London as this huge sprawling place where I'd feel lost, but I feel like I know so many people on the scene already. I've met some incredible people and I am already lucky enough to say I have great friends here already. The best thing is that there is always so much on. It seems like every weekend I'm out dancing (because I am!): How Does It Feel, Librarian's Wanted, Stolen Wine Social, So Tough So Cute to name but a few. Maybe one day I'll grow tired of it all, but I don't see that day coming anytime soon.

In your opinion, what is the finest day for sailing? Ideal temperature, wind speed etc.

Matt - What are you doing next saturday?
Jake - Thursday. 21 C. 10 knots (I know nothing about sailing).
Jen - a slightly warm day, calm seas, a sick bag cause i don't like boats (!), on a boat with a waterslide and a fridge full of cider and calypsos
Thom - Not a lot of people know, but we do have our own luxury yacht moored in the Docklands. It's always a fine day for sailing when we get our manservants to chauffeur us about.

If one indiepop idol could walk on stage, through dry ice, to play guitar on the final song of your set at the festival - who would that person be?

Matt: It would probably have to be Robert Forster.
Jake: Leo Collett
Jen - Traceyanne Campbell, Rose Melberg, David Gedge, so many!
Thom - Gene Simmons isn't indiepop.

We first saw you play at The Read and Shout library benefit concert in March, it was an amazing event. Looking back now, what are your proudest memories of the day?

Matt - I remember standing at the doors when Jens was playing. The place was packed and everyone looked so happy. I felt like crying (wuss, I know.)
Jake - I loved playing with A Little Orchestra perched a top a drum riser, playing DW drums. I felt like I was in ELO (this is a good thing).
Jen - people singing along to the ba-ba-ba's when we played honeydew and being proud of matthew stead, seeing all the hard work come together in a wicked day
Thom - Managing to get Sly & Reggie offstage without any violence.

What's up next release wise? A single on a new label Dufflecoat Records? Tell us about that.

Thom - A song about The Smiths in a DIY hand-coloured sleeve on limited edition red vinyl - we've pretty much nailed our colours to the indiepop mast there. If people like it, we'll make a couple more singles this year (we're recording the next one in a couple of weeks), make a Christmas record, then get an album out in 2012.

And finally most important of all, are you camping or hotel-ing it?

Matt - I wanted a VW Camper van, but no-one else was so keen!
Jake - Going Alan Partridge I believe.
Thom - We've reserved a nearby country estate to ourselves so we don't have to mix with the riffraff.

Warm-up shows!

2011-07-08T12:00:00.004+01:00

It's just three weeks until the festival begins! If you haven't bought your ticket yet, they're still available to buy online from the Indietracks tickets page or by calling the railway (01773 747674).

And remember also to download a copy of the Indietracks 2011 compilation - 40 fantastic tracks, proceeds to charity, name your own price!

And if that's still not enough to sate your Indietracks appetite, there's a bundle of warm-up shows taking place across the country before the festival starts. Birmingham! Glasgow! Leeds! Nottingham! London! Leicester! Manchester! All of these cities will be hosting Indietracks events in the run up to the festival.

We've provided a list below, and we're keeping this information updated on the Warm-up Shows page of the Indietracks website, so if you'd like your gig to appear on that page just e-mail indietracksonline@gmail.com with the details! Okay, here goes...

Saturday 23 July - London
Spiral Scratch and Indietracks presents:
Amor De Dias + Tiny Fireflies + The Sunny Street
Notting Hill Arts Club, London

Saturday 23 July - Birmingham
The Party Planning Committee present
The Sweet Nothings + Anguish Sandwich + David Leach
The Victoria, Birmingham

Monday 25 July - Glasgow
Half My Heart Beats presents
Math and Physics Club + Very Truly Yours + Bubblegum Lemonade + The Hermit Crabs
The Captain's Rest, Glasgow

Tuesday 26 July - London
Which Way Is Up! presents
A Fine Day For Sailing + The Proctors + Peru (acoustic set)
The Grosvenor, London

Tuesday 26 July - Manchester
Pull Yourself Together presents
Math and Physics Club + Very Truly Yours + Moustache Of Insanity + The Sweet Nothings
The Castle, Manchester

Wednesday 27 July - London
Spiral Scratch presents
Math and Physics Club + Very Truly Yours + Pocketbooks + The Sweet Nothings
The Windmill, Brixton, London

Thursday 28 July - Nottingham
A Layer Of Chips presents
Math and Physics Club + Very Truly Yours + The Sweet Nothings + Pocketbooks
The Chameleon, Nottingham

Thursday 28 July - Leicester
Sweeping The Nation presents
Help Stamp Out Loneliness + Ace Bushy Striptease + The Sunbathers
Firebug, Leicester

Thursday 28 July - Leeds
This Many Boyfriends + The Bon Jovials + 1tbc
Cardigan Arms, Kirkstall Rd, Leeds

Phew!

Indietracks interview #18: Edwyn Collins

2011-07-06T12:00:00.005+01:00

Today we're incredibly excited to be chatting to Edwyn Collins, who will headline the Saturday night of this year's Indietracks festival!

Ivor Novello award-winning Edywn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics in 1976 and later went on to form Orange Juice, who had a Number 8 hit with Rip It Up. Collins released A Girl Like You in 1994, which was a hit in both the UK and the US. Losing Sleep, the first album Edwyn recorded following his double brain haemorrhage in 2005, was released in September last year. Whilst making the record, he collaborated with Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame and members of The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand, The Magic Numbers and The Drums.

Hi Edwyn, tell us a bit more about what you've been up to since Losing Sleep was released last year - you seem to be very busy!

I've been touring with my band, the UK, Europe, more Europe, then the USA (NYC and SXSW in Austin.) I'm still at it, off to Japan in the autumn. behaving like a young person, phew.

Are there plans for a new album soon?

I've got some new songs, bits of things, but probably not until next spring or summer.

You've recently teamed up with Ryan Jarman from The Cribs to produce the latest Comet Gain album, and you also produced the Frankie and the Heartsrings album - how does the production experience compare to playing and writing your own songs?

It's the other half of me. Working in my studio (I've had it for 16 years) and being a producer (been doing that for 20 years) is a very big part of my life. It's good to be back at it.

What attracted you to playing Indietracks?

You have a good reputation. I was asked before and couldn't make it.

Indietracks is set in the grounds of a steam railway - tell us about any unusual places that you've played gigs in the past.

I always remember this very weird cinema by a very deep lake in Austria. I was there twice. There was no PA and we had to stand in front of the screen in a straight line. I believe some bad things happened in that
locale during the war years.

Do you have any surprises in store for Indietracks?

Erm....not really, sorry! Just me and the band.

Thanks Edwyn - see you in a couple of weeks!

Indietracks interview #17: Chris T-T

2011-07-04T12:00:00.002+01:00

Chris T-T is an independent English writer and musician. Since 1999 he has made seven studio albums, most recently Love Is Not Rescue, released in 2010 by Xtra Mile Recordings. His LPs include the 'London trilogy' of albums themed around London; The 253 (2001), London Is Sinking (2003) and Capital (2008).

Already consistently acclaimed for a decade, in recent years Chris T-T has emerged from insurgent roots and he is quietly developing into a major influence over a generation of UK punk/folk artists. His music veers from early albums of psych folk (years before it was de rigeur) to radical left agit prop; from hard-edged alt-rock to piano-led treacle-black heartbreak. Chris will be playing on the church stage on the Saturday evening at this year's Indietracks festival.

Hi Chris, what music are you enjoying at the moment?

I just fell back in love with My First Tooth from Northampton, who I already knew for ages as a great duo but their four-piece lineup is gorgeous live.

I always bang on about Tom Williams & The Boat, but there's no need now, the world's discovered them, they're all over the place. People should also seek out Something Beginning With L from Brixton, signed to Glasgow DIY label Armellodie, they do, um, girl-led guitar fuzz shoegaze meets glitchy electro. And their coming LP is immense.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

Well I've got Ambridge Organics in Borchester listed on my current tour poster, which will be familiar to a few Radio 4 people... I've played a lot of odd corners and silly gatherings, like in the desert at Joshua Tree - but one unusual thing was a solo gig on the fourth plinth on Trafalgar Square, as part of Anthony Gormley's One And Other project - I was picked at random to get an hour up there. It was a perfect setting and a fun gig but to be honest I spent the entire time terrified of falling down, I hadn't realised how precarious it was.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Straight after Indietracks (and a few days on the Isle Of Man) I'm going up to Edinburgh Fringe with a one-man show called Chris T-T Sings A.A. Milne. It does what it says on the tin really - most importantly it's suitable for families. I've not done anything like it before, so I'm excited and nervous. Don't care if the audiences are small (I've been warned about Edinburgh), I just want the show itself to kick arse.

In autumn there's new music to release and tour, including a bunch of songs about Jeremy Clarkson that may become a concept EP or even album. After that, I don't know.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

I particularly wanted to play Indietracks for three reasons: first, the obvious: the trains. I can't wait to nose around the site and the trains. Secondly, simply because it's a festival I haven't done before, in a summer of festivals I've played loads of times. Thirdly, probably most importantly, the proper 'music fan' nature of the lineup - it expressed genuine taste and love for music, rather than ticking boxes. I'm not fooled by even the nicer, smaller festivals, who've reached a point where you can read the lineup as a meritocracy of how good each band's PR guff is.

Thanks Chris - see you at the festival!

Indietracks interview #16: Ace Bushy Striptease

2011-07-02T16:30:00.001+01:00

Ace Bushy Striptease started in Birmingham in October 2007 with thoughts of becoming a twee/progressive pop band. The never really came to be but through a few lineup changes and a bit of time, they've found a niche of sorts which suits them well they feel. The songs are brief, stubbornly avoid repetition and are a bit fancy-pants sloppy-ass pop-punk, all up in yr face all of the time. The concerts are also brief but they contain a bit more excitement and shouting than the recordings show up.

The band's fourth album 'The Words That You Said Are Still Wet In My Head' is available to order from Odd Box Records as a limited-edition run of 150. Snap one up while you can! They will play on the indoor stage at Indietracks on the Sunday afternoon.

Hi, tell us a little bit about yourselves

We live in part Birmingham, part Brighton, part Milton Keynes, and therefore occupy that under-utilised middle ground between UB40, The Kooks and Capdown. We have a combined age of 125, a combined height of 29 feet 5 inches, and a combined name of Basithevejeremypaulsimon.

Aha, someone's been reading the Bumblebees interview on our blog! Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

We've done an album recently. It's going to be coming out in real life slightly before Indietracks though. We'll probably do another one afterwards as well though because that's what bands do isn't it? We're going on tour in October with our good friends Falling & Laughing. That'll be fun. Maybe we'll have a split single with a celebrity band as well if it doesn't fall through.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Eve: Well, I can fold a note of money into the shape of a shirt and I think it has become a hobby. Jeremy writes for a fanzine called A Load of Bull as a Wolves fan; recently at a house-party gig we played in Manchester a person unrelated to him genetically or socially knew of his writing, from what I could gather most memorable was the fact that he kept banging on about some footballer’s thighs. So knowing Jeremy is also a claim to fame. Bas spends any spare time being smooth and a socialite. He also does an okay impression of a dialogue between someone and John Lennon relatively often. I think I’ve become confused about what a hobby or a skill is haven't I? I bought him a large book called Manwatching by Desmond Morris for Christmas so presumably manwatching is his hobby now too, or it better be.

Simon makes really good zines! He does really well, they’re full of stick men throwing up and reviews and comic strips. He also puts on live music party nights in Birmingham, they go by the name of Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff which is rich because Simon DOES sweat the small stuff. Therefore Simon also makes a hobby of being like ‘do as I say and not as I do’ and is really hot on the yoyo. Paul co-organises gig and indiepop disco nights as well, they are called The Party Planning Committee and they put on The Lovely Eggs and Fever Fever this way! They both like to play the ukulele too when they’re sat at home. I guess they’re rivals in many ways. We ALL dance above averagely well.

Simon’s being followed by Rob ‘Sparky Deathcap’ Campesinos! on Twitter which is pretty neat. When I was younger my little brother and I were sat on some steps outside of Old Trafford and Gary Pallister came out and said ‘’Scuse lads’.

Which bands are you looking forward to seeing at Indietracks this year?

Simon: Papa Topo are so perfect. All their singles sound great and have magic videos. It'll be lovely to see if they have a bit of ramshackle in them when they play live.

I found a copy of The Regulars album when the Tempest record show in Birmingham had it's closing down sale. It was so sad watching the racks empty but underneath I was bubbling with excitement having found such a rare piece of great pop music. Dunc Autumn Store (and Falling & Laughing) had been a big champion and Pete had only just posted his own track-by-track retrospective so it was pretty exciting to find it. But yeah, The Sweet Nothings, along with everything Pete has done, are great. I think because of the Birmingham connection there are a few in jokes in the lyrics I'm glad that I get.

The Bumblebees have been our best buddies since forever, we met them on their first tour just after their EP had been released and they were so lovely. My parents came along when we played with them and my Dad loved them. In an ideal world, The Bumblebees would have a residency in my living room and would be playing ace pop songs everytime I walked through.

The History Of Apple Pie are quite new I think but they're going to be totally massive probably. Our friend Aslam plays guitar for them and he's such a lovely guy that you should see them just for him. They are really good though!

We saw The Wendy Darlings at the Odd Box Weekender this year and they blew us all (I think I can speak for everyone) away. They're beautiful on record but live they're louder and harder and fantastic.

We played a show with Anguish Sandwich at the end of April. They have such a coherent (and brilliant) set of songs that when they make an album it is going to be seriously great. Their EP was cause for van sing-a-longs after only a couple of plays through. Catchy and loud and wonderful.

Great - thanks guys! The band have also recorded an exclusive bedroom video song for our blog! you can watch it at http://www.vimeo.com/24070880 using the secret password 'indietracks'!

Question Time! How would you describe Indietracks?

2011-06-30T12:36:00.000+01:00

Now, obviously we at Team Indietracks love the festival and everything about it. So we're bound to tell you it's brilliant every time. But what do your regular Indietracks-goers make of the event? We've gathered a few kind folk to answer some questions about it for the blog.

So, question 1: How would you explain Indietracks to someone who doesn't get indiepop? Check out what everyone said, and post your own answer as a comment if you like...

It's an awesome party in a great location full of amazing people who like some music that you don't like. You're welcome to join us anyway.
Dan Hartley, Sheffield (The Sweet Nothings; Pop-o-matic DJs)

With great difficulty usually! I generally just end up saying that it's a load of bands that I really like and that there's also steam trains!
Chris Gillies, Glasgow (The Hermit Crabs)

Gosh! Tell them it's like being kissed on the brain by the one that got away.
Ray K, Birmingham (City Sacker zine)

Take indie music and suck all of the pretentious posturing and pretence out of it with a giant hoover, dress it in corduroy trousers and a band T-shirt and enjoy!
Toby Marshall, Birmingham (but from Wolverhampton)

Um... utopia for a weekend? You don't have to like indiepop to get it, I think. The bands are a big part of it, but I think you can have an awesome time there even if you're not into the music – there's just so much love goin' around everywhere!
Sandy Gill, London (Stolen Wine Social DJs)

It's a beer festival, with steam trains. Whoops, sorry. A music festival with steam trains.
Carys Kennedy, London (The Give It Ups; Fall Out Make Up DJs)

It's a festival where the music, people and atmosphere just make you want to smile.
Jane, London (pop fan)

It's too difficult to explain without saying the obvious jangly guitar, handclaps, cardigan twee thing. It's much more than that. They'd have to come along and see for themselves.
Paula McCann, Nottingham (artist and superlative baker of cakes for popshows)

"Don’t worry," I’d say... "It’s not all twee." I think it’s difficult to go to a festival like this and not enjoy it. If afterwards you still don’t want to admit you like indiepop that’s fine. You can just pretend you’re Louis Theroux, you’re Louis Theroux and his wry smile.
Robert Fairs, Derby (Seas of Mirth; Alice Ferguson; Dayglo Tokyo; Apples For Discos gigs)

It really is difficult to convey the specialness of Indietracks to someone who doesn’t get indiepop. You can share its general details: it’s a three-day festival of indiepop bands in the countryside with the added attraction of steam train rides, defunct carriages and railway history peppering the site. It’s not Glastonbury or Reading festival; it’s small and perfectly formed, created and run by volunteers with a love for DIY ethics and indiepop. That’s about as far as I go with co-workers who don’t share my passion.
Jennifer, London (Colour Me Pop DJs and gigs)

Great company, lots of old trains and the occasional mad Spanish band. You don't get any of that at V.
Simon Tyers, Leicester (Sweeping The Nation blog and gigs, occasional reviewer/writer)

I'm forever telling people how Indietracks is a fun way to discover loads of ace new bands, but without a lot of the stress and hassle of bigger festivals. One of the things I love most about Indietracks is the friendly, DIY atmosphere, and I think that's definitely something that's starting to appeal to an increasing number of people.
Nat, London (A Little Orchestra; Team Indietracks member)

A bunch of great people having the time of their lives in a beautiful location with steam trains.
Tim Hall, Belfast (Words and Smiles blog)

I would tell them that it’s just like a normal festival but everyone is lovely, even the staff, and you get to watch bands on a moving steam train.
Colin Meney, Glasgow (Half My Heart Beats DJs)

As someone who doesn't get most indiepop, my attitude to Indietracks is that it's a chance to sit outside drinking, have a go on trains, catch up with and meet lovely people and indulge in outfit envy while maybe discovering some brilliant bands. Also if it gets too much you can always sit on a train with your headphones in for a bit. I tend to go for a bit of Jethro Tull on those occasions.
Hayley, Nottingham (A Fog of Ideas gigs)

It's this festival, right, where everyone's dead nice to each other. And some of the bands are slick as fuck and some can't play. Some are cutesy and quiet and look like they don't know what to do in front of other people, and some look like they're having the time of their lives. Some are awesome and life-affirming, and some are a bit more morose. You might know some of them but you won't have heard of most of them. Anyway, it all works. And seriously, everyone's DEAD NICE. If you don't have a good time at Indietracks, you're doing it wrong.
The beer's not bad either.
Will Fitzpatrick, Liverpool (The 255s)

Fun. That is the best way to describe indiepop. It doesn't mean sugary and twee, though some indiepop bands are. Think of bands who look like they are having an amazing time playing, making music that they really want too, for people who just want to hear them playing it and have a dance. I can recall the terror in some kids' faces the year that Art Brut were booked, but we always knew they would be perfect as they are a great indiepop band. They make music which makes it almost impossible not to enjoy yourself, especially when Eddie Argos is bounding through the crowd shouting about how much he loves comic books.
Dan and Hannah, Manchester (Pull Yourself Together gigs/DJs)

The truth is, I'd probably keep them in the dark about it.
Daniel, Sheffield (pop fan)

The word 'festival' doesn't do Indietracks any justice really because it's nothing like other festivals. Not that I've been to any, but I hear they're ghastly. It's a world of beauty and surprise and kindness and endless sparkliness, and dancing 'til you don't feel your feet. The real world is a massive disappointment compared to it but most people won't know those heights of joy ever, so I guess it's lucky to have ever been there and lived it.
Marianthi Makra (Atomic Beat Records; Spiral Scratch gigs and DJs; Team Indietracks member)

It's a festival in steam train museum with gigs on trains and fun music. What's not to like?
Josh Owen Morris, Cardiff (Grand Canonical Ensemble; Eruption Button DJs)

If you've been to Indietracks before, how would you explain it to someone who hasn't? Post your answer in the comments below – and look out for question 2, coming soon on the Indietracks blog...

Frances McKee added to Indietracks bill and campsite DJs confirmed!

2011-06-29T14:00:00.021+01:00

We are super excited to announce that Frances McKee of The Vaselines has been added to the Indietracks bill.

Frances, who will headline the Church Stage on Sunday night, released her first solo album, Sunny Moon, in April 2006 and has been performing as a solo artist since then, as well as playing with The Vaselines. She will also be leading a yoga class at Indietracks, as part of the workshops.

Frances was originally in The Pretty Flowers with Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub before forming The Vaselines with Eugene Kelly in 1986. The band released their first album, Dum-Dum, in 1989 but broke up shortly after its release. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world, and with their songs "Son of a Gun" and "Molly's Lips" covered on Nirvana's album Incesticide and "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" covered on MTV Unplugged, the band gained a new audience. In 1992, Sub Pop released The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, a compilation that contained The Vaselines' entire body of work.

The Vaselines then reformed in 2008 for a charity concert, and in 2009 they played their first London date in 20 years at the London Forum. The band released their second studio album, Sex With an X, in September 2010 and also played the second Bowlie Weekender festival shortly afterwards.

Campsite DJs
In other news, the campsite DJs have now also been confirmed. They are Twisted By Design (Friday), Pull Yourself Together and Underachievers Please Try Harder (Saturday) and Pop-o-matic (Sunday). These discos will take place at the Golden Valley campsite after the main festival finishes each night, and are only open to people who have booked accommodation at the campsite.

Indietracks tickets
Indietracks tickets are £65 (weekend) and £35 (day – Saturday or Sunday) for adults. Children's tickets are just £10 (weekend) and £6 (day). Under 5s can come for free! Tickets are available by phoning the Midland Railway on 01773 747674 or by visiting: www.indietracks.co.uk/tickets.html

Help Stamp Out Loneliness's Guide to Indietracks!

2011-06-27T11:00:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone? Can you believe it's less than five weeks until Indietracks now? If you're anything like us, you'll already dreaming about real ale, cheesy chips and the delights of the steam trains. And, if you've not been before, today's featured band and Indietracks stalwarts Help Stamp Out Loneliness have written their own handy guide to the festival - hope you find it useful!

(Please note: all musical opinions expressed in this guide belong to HSOL, not us!)

Getting there

If you're lucky and live in Manchester you just tell your drummer to drive down the A6 until it runs out of tarmac. If you live in the home counties just ask your dad to pay for a taxi 'UP NORTH'.

Sleeping

You probably won't do too much sleeping but if you're like us and can't abide other human beings we'd recommend you get involved with the local hotel situation. Hotels offer you a plethora of optional extras that you just don't get with a £9.99 tent from Asda. In a hotel you can have a shower, look at yourself in the mirror, tap on a window pane, press your trousers, make a tea or a coffee with electricity, have a shite and wipe your arse without getting funny looks, watch Sky News, brush your teeth with running water, etc - we presume the majority of you know what a hotel is so we don't need to carry on listing the PROS. CONS: well it costs you about £80 a night.

In 2009 Colm and Bentley tried a room share but it all went awry after they argued and had a fight ... apparently Bentley smashed Colm's "fucking ginger head into the telly" (or radiator) he can't really remember. So beware - tents don't have tellies (or radiators)!

Attire

It's not Glastonbury and you're not a farmer - green wellies make you look like a racist. On the flipside don't wear white Converse either. Ben's came back blue after he fell over in the chemical toilet.

Hand-knitted woolly hats and waterproof jackets - what? - you're in the Midlands - it's not Manchester.

Boozin'

If you're camping try to pitch up as close as possible to the 'Heroes of the Mexican Independence Movement' - they are proper connoisseurs of the Booze (or 'Bowz' as they like to call it). Any trinkets of Mad Dog 20/20 or Thunderbirds that they callously discard or half-baked plakky pint-glasses of home-made Blastaways they've left in their wake ... well ... they are yours ... Finders-Keepers. Down sides to camping it up so close to HotMIM are getting Hi-5'd every 3 minutes and waking up with a indelible marker tattoo that screams the legend 'I (HEART) Freddy Mercury' on your forehead. Even if you do (HEART) Freddy Mercury it's a bad look to sport in Derbyshire. Trust us!

If you can't get anywhere near Ground Beero (sorry - that was crap) - you aught to bring booze that tastes ok at room temperature - red wine, sake and hot (AKA luke warm) toddies. Apart from The Smittens there's nothing worse than warm lager.

If you're not camping and you've splashed out on an 'otel just head down to your local Tesco's or Saino's and shack up 6 bottles of their store's own brand 'Gin' (probably about £6 a pop) - now you can make use of that bath when you store them in your plush suite. If you eat a packet of Flamin' 'ot Monster Munch and nail 1 x bottle GIN + 2 x cans of IRN BRU before you leave your room in the morning it should roughly keep your false sense of well being ticking over 'til dinnertime. (NOW SEE BELOW).

Sustenance

Don't do what Bentley did last year and not eat for 3 days (apart from Monster Munch's Flamin' Hot crisps). If your gonna survive Indietracks you're gonna have to expand your delectable itinerary - so try Pickled Onio' Monster Much as well. If you rely solely on bowz you'll end up with a big portion of "Impending Doom" and a forehead that smells like Brasso on Tuesday morning when you're back at work. Fücken sie thät.

If you're veggie please don't take the festival's one vegetarian outlet for granted as they usually run out of beanburgers by Saturday teatime. Do what SHRAG do and live off raw crumpets and margarine. Cheap and cheerful - just like their music.

Actually, remember when you were at university and they had them cans of drink called Nurishment - we reckon one of them might do the trick. Or chips.

Hygiene

Johnson's baby wet wipes are a laugh (we all know that) but don't go silly.

Sex

Just Handshakes.

Getting home

Jesus, if you don't know how to get home you're probably not gonna enjoy this festival - it's very high brow - people even pretend to read the Graun here. Just do what you did when you came - but in reverse.

Indietracks interview #15: Moustache of Insanity

2011-06-25T12:00:00.002+01:00

It's just five weeks until Indietracks! Today we've an interview with Nik and Bill from Moustache of Insanity. Well it's kind of an interview. It's definitely worth reading... we'll explain shortly.

Moustache of Insanity play messy pop songs about the important things in life - cheese, mix tapes, freckles, ninjas, horror movies, love, Chuck Norris and sending postcards to strangers. Bill is on singing, electric guitar, iPod and moustache duties, while Nik sings and attempts to play the keyboard. They've played all over the UK, as well as places further afield including Berlin, Copenhagen, the New York Popfest and the Cosy Den Festival in Stockholm.

In 2009, the duo released two EPs 'Knock Knock...Who's There?' and 'Postcards To Strangers' as well as a self-titled mini-album on WeePOP! After a quiet 2010, Moustache of Insanity kicked off 2011 with a cassette EP on Fika Recordings, and this summer will see the release of their first proper album, called 'Album Of Death', to be released on PYT Records (CD) and Fika (vinyl), which will hopefully be ready in time for Indietracks!

We asked the band if they wanted to do something creative for their Indietracks interview, and they responded with a hilarious and slightly silly quick-fire instant messenger exchange during their lunch hour. Here it is in its entirety - thanks for sending this over guys!

Nik: Hello!
Bill: hello
Nik: Is this the Bill from Moustache Of Insanity?
Bill: Yes. Is this Nik from Moust…said band?
Nik: Yes it is!
Nik: Hooray!
Nik: So...I have a list of questions the friendly folks at Indietracks sent us.
Nik: We should probably answer some of them, right?
Bill: Yeah, I guess. some of them
Nik: Tell us a little bit about yourselves...ourselves...the band. Who are we Bill?
Bill: We are a duo. Like Batman and his friend. Or Paul Simon and His Friend.
Nik: So far...I've managed to drop prawns both on the keyboard and on my trousers
Bill: You're a prawn dropping mother effer.
Nik: and there's still plenty of sandwich left
Nik: are you excited about playing indietracks?
Nik: I am
Bill: Yep. This will be the fourth year in a row for us...not playing. Well, sometimes playing.
Bill: I am too.
Nik: Yeah...last year was the first year where we didn't get to play anywhere.
Nik: No secret shows, no nothing
Bill: I know. But, this year we don't need to play in secret.
Nik: hmmm...questions...What music are you enjoying at the moment?
Bill: Right this very second? Castle Talk - Screaming Females.
Bill: How about you?
Nik: Well, personally, I've been listening to an assload to Half Japanese, Japanther, Times New Viking and Let's Wrestle...so nothing new there really.
Nik: But also...as you know I've developed a minor obsession with bleepy computer games music...so I've been listening to alot to chiptuney stuff like Anamanaguchi, Enfant Bastard and Math The Band.
Nik: SO THERE! True story!
Nik: Screaming Females eh?
Nik: I don't know them
Bill: Um, I heard about them in New Jersey. They're pretty good.
Nik: Oh and Tigercats!! Surely we should mention Tigercats? They're awesome.
Bill: I've also been listening to a lot of Myron Floren. Genius of the Polka.
Nik: Ha! really?
Bill: Tigercats are super awesome.
Nik: weirdo
Bill: yes, really.
Bill: it's not weird. you try listening to Polka and not being cheerful. Impossible.
Nik: They're making a musical about The Shaggs
Bill: Cooooooool!
Nik: There's a Swedish sweet called Polkapig
Bill: We should audition. I know we don't look like sisters...but.
Nik: Polkapigs and The Shaggs are both awesome
Bill: I want to eat one.
Bill: A polkapig.
Bill: What the eff are they? Like jellybabies?
Nik: Tell us about an unusual place we've played a gig in the past?
Nik: nooo...they're like minty Brighton rock candy...is it Brighton Rock? Or is that just a book?
Bill: We had that awful show at the hills in Muswell Hill. The one where they auctioned off bits of stuff from Grease the musical - like a program signed by Ray Quinn's girlfriend?
Nik: I was thinking about that one. We haven't really played anywhere weird. The train at Indietracks.
Nik: Yeah that Muswell Hill show wins the weirdness prize. definitely.
Bill: Wanooski in Vermont was a place with an unusual name. It's fun to say. Wah-noooh-skee.
Nik: I don't even want to think about it. There were gangsters, belly dancing and children's make up kits.
Nik: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-SKEEEEEEEEEEEE
Nik: true. was fun to play as well. Fun to say AND play
Bill: Oh yeah - and that Russian mobster guy who kept snarling at his girlfriend and banging a champagne glass with his knife.
Nik: Do we have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?
Bill: You bet we do.
Nik: Oh yeah! The knife man. And then the promoter did a "sexy dance" by his table. That really confused him.
Nik: what do we have?
Nik: We have an album out soon!
Bill: Oh god, I'd forgotten about the dance. It was to "All that jazz".
Bill: We have an album out... and
Nik: It's going to be called ALBUM OF DEATH and it will melt people's faces! In a good way!
Bill: you already said it.
Bill: Yeah!
Nik: I did.
Bill: I know.
Nik: It's coming out on CD and on censored vonyl
Bill: Wha...? Oh yeah - we're going to censor it! A bit like this conversation.
Nik: vonyl is even cooler than vinyl
Bill: fuckin a.
Nik: well...there's a bit of filler that we could kill and I have a good idea for it...yes I do. But that's a secret. Well, at the moment anyway. Probably shouldn't mention it here.
Nik: OK...final question.
Nik: Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?
Bill: He he he.
Nik: It seems silly to mention any specific plans
Nik: would kind of spoil the surprise
Bill: it would.
Nik: But if we get to play in the church (WINK WINK) then
Nik: then
Nik: then
Bill: Have you seen that movie the 6th sense? Like, if the trailer for that film had said, Bruce Willis, All American Ghost Doctor, just can't get seen in this town.
Nik: Yes...I saw it on a date once...many moons ago
Bill: Good date?
Nik: I guess
Bill: wa-hey!
Nik: but, yes...so we have plans for surprises
Nik: yes we do.
Bill: I saw There's Something About Mary on a date. And reader, i married her.
Nik: It'll be awesome and totally worth it for the people deciding to watch us.
Nik: huh?
Nik: you're confubbling me
Nik: I think that's it. I've finished my sandwich and should probably get back to work.
Nik: Do you reckon we've missed anything
Bill: I was just talking about a movie i saw. You finished your prawns?
Nik: I did. they were tasty
Bill: Do you have any plans for exciting lunches later in the year?
Nik: aah...now I get it
Nik: I read the sentence to quickly...it all makes sense
Nik: not really. I might buy a burrito one of these days
Nik: Sooo....is that it?
Nik: Shall we say good bye?
Nik: probably should
Nik: I think
Nik: BILL?
Nik: BILL??
Nik: BILL???
Nik: BILL????
Nik: BILL?????
Nik: BILL??????
Nik: BILL???????
Bill: Sorry - the doorbell rang.
Nik: clever
Bill: Okay, g'bye!
Nik: Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow
Nik: I'll try to burn some CD's at home this evening
Bill: ta ta. yeah you do that.
Nik: BYE! NINJA AND OUT!

Indietracks interview #14: Jonny

2011-06-23T11:00:00.007+01:00

We're super chuffed to be joined today by Euros Childs from Jonny, who are playing the Outdoor Stage on Friday night at this year's Indietracks. Jonny is made up of Euros, formerly of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub. The pair first collaborated on Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci’s “How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart” in 2001 before meeting up in 2006 at Norman’s house in Glasgow to record some songs. Their self-titled debut album, which was released earlier this year, finds the perfect balance between Childs’ whimsical wit and Blake’s exquisite harmonies.

Hello Euros! Tell us a little bit more about how Jonny came to be, and the two of you ended up collaborating.

I first met Norman when the band I was in Gorky's Zygotic Mynci supported Teenage Fanclub on tour in 1997. Norman also played guitar with Gorky's for a tour in 2000 and played on an album. In 2006 I started going up to Glasgow to stay with Norman. We'd write and play covers and do a few gigs.

You write about a range of diverse topics, including bread and Gloria Estefan! How does the songwriting process work, and what inspirations have you been drawing on recently for your lyrics?

A lot of the album was written with two of us in a room bouncing ideas off each other and gradually creating a song.

We've recently been inspired by the cake gateaux. We have a new song called Re-Gateaux. The lyrics are basically the recipe for black forest gateaux. It's incredible to think that no one's thought of doing this before.

You've played with each others' bands previously, but how does playing in a duo compare with playing with your respective bands?

The duo set up is much less complicated than playing with a band. There's no sitting around for two hours listening to drum soundchecks. Also, you can fit the equipment in the back of a car and the stage is set up in 10 minutes. When we toured Britain it was only the two of us.

You're currently touring across the world - how is the tour going, and what have been your favourite shows so far?

The Jonny world tour has been cut short unfortunately, the American dates had to be pulled because of low ticket sales. We played in Japan though and that was fantastic.

We've seen a couple of shows now where you've played Spanish Dance Troupe and I Don't Want Control of You - have you been playing any other Gorky's and TFC songs during your tour?

In Japan we did a Teenage Fanclub song called Some People Try To **** With You and When I Still Have Thee. We did the Gorky's songs Let Those Blue Skies and Lady Fair.

Are there any plans for a second album?

There's a strong possibility that the second album will be a tribute album to Joe Meek called Jonny Remember Him.

What attracted you to playing Indietracks?

Norman recommended it.

Indietracks is held in the grounds of a steam railway - tell us about any other unusual places you've played gigs in the past.

Gorky's played a cave in Spain once and I did a gig a few years ago in Blaenau Ffestiniog, the venue was a converted court house. It still looked like a functioning court.

And on that note.......thanks Euros - we look forward to seeing you at Indietracks!

Day line-ups and more bands announced!

2011-06-20T19:00:00.003+01:00

(Photo: Bob Stuart - Underexposed)

Today we’re delighted to announce which bands will be playing on which days and on which stages at Indietracks this year. In total over 50 bands will be playing at the festival, as well as a host of DJs, and craft workshops.

We’ve provided a quick summary of the day line-ups below, and there’s a full line-up with stage details and times available at: www.indietracks.co.uk/schedule.html

Friday 29 July:
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Jonny (Norman Blake and Euros Childs), Pocketbooks + DJs

Saturday 30 July:
Edwyn Collins, The Hidden Cameras, Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Butcher Boy, Milky Wimpshake, Math and Physics Club, History of Apple Pie, Amor de Dias, Chris T-T, plus 15 other artists, DJs and craft workshops.

Sunday 31 July:
Herman Dune, Crystal Stilts, Jeffrey Lewis, Withered Hand, Very Truly Yours, Berlin Brides, The Sweet Nothings, A Little Orchestra, Band a Part plus 15 other artists, DJs and craft workshops.

The updated line-up includes five additions to the bill: Berlin Brides (the winners of a prize awarded by Velvet Magazine in Greece), Model Village, The Fireworks, Apple Eyes and Tiny Fireflies.

Weekend and day tickets
Tickets are £65 (weekend) and £35 (day – Saturday or Sunday) for adults. Children's tickets are just £10 (weekend) and £6 (day). Under 5s can come for free! Tickets are available by phoning the Midland Railway on 01773 747674 or by visiting: www.indietracks.co.uk/tickets.html

Hope to see you in July!

Indietracks interview #13: Horowitz

2011-06-19T11:45:00.002+01:00

It's less than six weeks until Indietracks! Today's we're interviewing the Stoke-on-Trent punk pop duo Horowitz. Since forming in 2004 as a three-piece, the band has released a full-length LP ‘Frosty Cat Songs’ and numerous singles, memorably coining the slogan ‘Popkids of the World Unite!’ on the b-side of their 2007 debut 'Tracyanne'. Practically bleeding DIY ethics, the band have taken their infectious brand of noise pop to the US, Germany, Sweden, and Spain.

In December 2010, Thee SPC released 'Popkids of the World Unite!', a 17 track compilation collecting together the output of Horowitz between 2004 and 2009. This year the band released an EP 'The Knitwear Generation' on cassette on Fika Recordings, and appeared on the first release in the Odd Box 7" singles club alongside The Blanche Hudson Weekend. They return to Indietracks for the first time since their rousing performances at the summer festival in 2007 and the Christmas special in 2008.

Hi Pete and Ian, tell us a little bit about Horowitz...

Pete: We're a compact two-piece guitar band but don't tell our drum machine and phantom bass player! We live in different cities and have been together for a number of years.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

Ian: I’m on an Eels binge at the moment. Beautiful Freak, Electro-Shock Blues and Souljacker are my favourites. I really like the diversity of sounds and beats and the contrast between the loud fuzzy bits and E’s more reflective acoustic stuff. And there’s some great pop songs in there, like ‘Fresh Feeling’ and ‘Susan’s House’. Also been listening to some early Byrds and Elliot Smith’s Either/Or LP a fair bit. American stuff, essentially

Pete: The Sweet Nothings, The Wendy Darlings, Los Ingenieros Alemanes, Ace Bushy Striptease and One Fathom Down have been recent choices. The Sweeties' Subterranean Moseley Blues, She's An Accountant and Peace, Love And International Socialism are constantly in my head and a good dose of One Fathom Down's surf n punk n rock n roll is always a healthy tonic. Los Ingenieros Alemanes' 3" single (Memoria Historica and Lampan) is a great mix of indiepop and shoegaze; The Wendy Darlings' pure pop and the Ace Bushy slacker-indiepop are also near the top of the listening pile.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

Pete: We played in a flat in Gothenburg a couple of years ago, as part of a tour organised by our friend Pierre.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Ian: My claim to fame is that I used to play football at school with somebody who has played at the World Cup finals, Christopher Birchall of Trinidad and Tobago.

Pete: My sister recently contacted me to say that she spotted me on television, in the audience at a Suede gig in Stafford in the early 90s. Does that count as a claim to fame?

Yep, especially as it's early Suede! What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

Pete: The Lost Summer Kitten and Lisa Bouvier tapes will probably get an airing in the car cassette player along with some punky/indiepop compilations.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

Ian: The Hidden Cameras! I think they are the perfect choice of headliner. Imagine the utter joy that will surely erupt if/when they play ‘Ban Marriage’. They played in Nottingham a couple of times maybe five years ago and were brilliant. The first two albums in particular are genius pop records I keep going back to time and time again.

Pete: Lots of friends and a whole heap of ace bands. It's difficult to separate seeing bands from the communal Indietracks atmosphere, where being wrapped up in conversation can be equally as memorable as the listening to the music. It's hard to choose one band in particular but the thought of seeing Ace Bushy Striptease, The Garlands, Guatafan, Haiku Salut, History Of Apple Pie, Pocketbooks, Milky Wimpshake, The Sweet Nothings, Very Truly Yours, Remi, Zipper and The Wendy Darlings over one weekend is just brilliant.

Brilliant - thanks Ian and Pete!

Indietracks interview #12: Milky Wimpshake

2011-06-17T11:00:00.002+01:00

Today Sam Metcalf from A Layer of Chips interviews Pete Dale from Milky Wimpshake. Referred to by some as punk folk and twee skiffle, the Newcastle Upon Tyne based band have released numerous singles and four full albums since forming in 1993. They last played at Indietracks in 2008 and we're looking forward to welcoming them back this year...

Hello there Pete! What did you enjoy about Indietracks when you played last?

Good weather, great atmosphere, unique place to for a fest, all good really! Like a lot of people, I imagine, I could use a bit more musical variety because, well, I like all kinds of stuff, but hell, Indietracks really does cover the stuff it covers in immaculate detail, one has to admit that! And all the people I've dealt with and met at the fest have been lovely so, y'know, I well enjoyed it basically!

Which other festivals have you played in the past?

We played a good one in Sweden in, um, 2004 or 2005? Can't remember the name now, out in the countryside, I got to hang out with Vic Godard which was like, um, I can die now! I also played these London Pop Fests, always cool, and, y'know, played Piao fest back in 1994, that was good! Played lots of fests really - not Glastonbury yet, though!

Who else are you looking forward to seeing at Indietracks?

Edwyn Collins, Jeff Lewis, Next Time Passions, and, y'know, lots of bands I haven't heard so that's always good!

Will you be hanging around for the entire weekend?

Aye!

What do you make of the big festivals in the UK?

Last time I went to a big festival, Nirvana were headlining! That's not my scene, mate! But I guess they're exciting when you're 18...

Will your be a greatest hits set?

Nope; but we'll play some old faves, and about half the set will be new songs, including four brand new unreleased numbers!

Which stage would you play on if you had a choice?

The big shed needs soundproofing, just some sheets draped across the back wall would help (Ed: We've added these in now Pete!
And can you name you dream festival headliners? Three choices, please.

How about Fugazi, Hendrix and Talulah Gosh?

Milky Wimpshake are playing a Which Way is Up! show tonight at the Wilmington Arms, alongside The Wind Up Birds and The Kick Inside. Tickets cost £5 from We Got Tickets.

Updated Indietracks flyers and posters!

2011-06-15T11:00:00.006+01:00

Even the cast of Glee have got into the spirit!

Hello! Thanks to everyone who has been helping us distribute Indietracks flyers and posters over the past couple of weeks. We really appreciate your help, and it's great to know that our flyers are popping up all over the place, from Manchester and Glasgows, to Berlin and Madrid!

We've now updated all of our materials following the last set of band announcements, and you can download the most up-to-date version of our publicity pack online. As before, the pack includes:

- An A4 poster
- Small flyers
- E-banners for your website

It would be really fantastic if some of you could print a few out and stick them up in places such as your local record shop, office, library, charity shop, community notice board or music venue.
As before, we're also giving out a special Indietracks prize for the person who can stick up a poster in the most impressive place, so do send us a photo if you put up a photo somewhere particularly interesting. Please ask permission first of course!

Indietracks 2011 compilation: out now!

2011-06-13T10:17:00.000+01:00

To celebrate this year’s festival, Make Do And Mend Records are releasing a download album featuring some of the most exciting bands around! The album is available from today.

The download-only release features 40 fantastic tracks from artists playing at the festival, including a number of bands who have been creating a buzz on national and international radio and across this year’s summer festivals, such as Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Withered Hand and Papa Topo. They’re joined on the compilation by four of this year’s headliners; The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis, Crystal Stilts and Herman Dune.

The album includes an exclusive previously unreleased version of a song by The Hidden Cameras, brand new songs by Frankie Machine, Graeme Elston and The Proctors, plus previously unreleased tracks by Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Victoria and Jacob, Jeffrey Lewis, The Sweet Nothings, and Zipper.

The compilation is available to download from today at:
http://makedoandmendrecords.bandcamp.com/

You can set your own price for the compilation, 100% of which will go directly to the Midland Railway charity who host the festival and without whom it wouldn’t exist! We'd like to encourage everyone to donate as much as you can – even the smallest amount helps keep the railway running, and therefore the festival!

The Hidden Cameras: video round-up

2011-06-11T15:00:00.002+01:00

Here’s the next in our slightly random series of our favourite videos from some Indietracks 2011 bands. Today, we’re featuring one of our Saturday night Indietracks headliners, The Hidden Cameras! There was a bundle of ace videos to choose from, so this is by no means definitive, but here’s just three of our favourites.

First up, here’s the spooky video for the song AWOO from the 2006 album of the same name:

Ever fancied ditching the city office buildings and setting up work in the countryside? Maybe it would be a bit like the video for In The NA, a single from the band’s 2009 album Origin:Orphan

And finally, here’s the animated video for A Miracle, which appears on the 2003 album The Smell Of Our Own.

Indietracks 2011 compilation - released 13 June!

2011-06-09T13:00:00.002+01:00

Next Monday, Make Do And Mend Records will be releasing a download album featuring 40 fantastic tracks from artists playing at this year's Indietracks festival.

You'll be able to set your own price for the compilation, 100% of which will go directly to the Midland Railway charity.

The compilation includes several previously-unreleased songs, as well as tracks from four of this year’s headliners; The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis, Crystal Stilts and Herman Dune. There's also some amazing songs from upcoming indiepop sensations such as Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Withered Hand and Papa Topo.

The compilation will be available to download from Monday 13 June from:
http://makedoandmendrecords.bandcamp.com/

Indietracks interview #11: Sloppy Joe

2011-06-08T12:25:00.000+01:00

Today’s interview comes all the way from Japan! Sloppy Joe are an 80s influenced indiepop band from Tokyo. They released their second single "Portrait" in 2010 on their own label "Cubbyhole Fabrication", and their first full album "With Kisses Four" on Japan's White Lily Label in March. Their sound can be compared to mid 80s bands like Orange Juice, The Jazz Butcher, The Chesterfields, and The Smiths. They play with brilliant guitar, groovy rhythm and sing melancholic melodies. In Japan, they've supported some great bands like The Monochrome Set, Friends, Television Personalities, The Lotus Eaters, The Pearlfishers, and The Starlets. We’re joined by Hitoshi from the group...

Hi, tell us a little bit about Sloppy Joe...

Sloppy Joe formed in 2003 in Japan. We’re based in Tokyo where I used to be in another band with Riichiro (our guitarist) called My Coffee Moment, who released a single on Firestation Records in Germany. Sloppy Joe have released two singles and a mini album, and our first full album was released on the Japanese label White Lily in March 2011. We’ve played as support act for Television Personalities, The Monochrome Set and more foreign bands before. Please check out more info about us on Myspace: www.myspace.com/sloppyjoejp

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

Today I'm listening to Beach Fossils, Kisses, Minks, Brave Irene. And I've recently been listening to releases by Phil Wilson and Edwyn Collins. I especially love 80s and early 90s sounds, for example, Orange Juice, The June Brides, The Monochrome Set, Felt, The Orchids, Another Sunny Day, St.Christopher etc... Next Time Passions is another favourite too. Our sound is influenced by these sort of groups.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

My compilation tapes for Indietracks will be full of indie-pop songs!! The first song has already been decided, "Blue Boy" by Orange Juice.

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

I'm so excited! I went to Indietracks 2010 to see my favourite bands, The Orchids, The Pooh Sticks and others. And I thought I wanted to perform at this great indiepop festival. I'm really glad that my wish is fulfilled.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

I'm looking forward to seeing Edwyn Collins. I'm a big fan of him. Orange Juice has been best band for me ever. And I want to see Graeme Elston. Our second single, Portrait, came with a fanzine last year, and we interviewed Graeme Elston for the fanzine. In Japan, most indiepop fans love his band Love Parade.

Thanks Hitoshi!

Indietracks interview #10: Butcher Boy

2011-06-06T12:38:00.003+01:00

Today our interviews for 2011 reach double figures, which means that the festival is getting ever closer! We're delighted to be chatting to Basil from Butcher Boy ahead of the release of their much-anticipated new album Helping Hands later this summer. Butcher Boy are from Glasgow in Scotland and have been performing since 1997. Their debut album ‘Profit in Your Poetry’ was released in 2007 on London-based label How Does It Feel To Be Loved?. Their second album, ‘React or Die’ was then released in April 2009 and received ecstatic reviews, including glowing five star reviews in the Times and Sunday Telegraph.

This summer, their latest album ‘Helping Hands’ will be released (hopefully in time for Indietracks!) on Damaged Goods. And as Basil mentions, the forthcoming Indietracks 2011 compilation (available from next Monday!) will be the first chance to hear one of the new Butcher Boy songs!

Hi Basil, Tell us a bit about the new album Helping Hands. Which are your favourite songs from the new record?

Wow - straight in with the hard questions! There's lots of changes of tempo and feel and three instrumental tracks on the album, so it's hard to choose. But as we're giving the Indietracks compilation a download of 'I Am the Butcher' I'll go for that as my favourite for today. This is the first track from the new Butcher Boy album Helping Hands available anywhere! It's a weird wee song that sounds Scottish and vaguely Spanish at the same time and swings along with what the old folks refer to a 'a good beat'. The title references the band's name of course, and one of John's favourite French films 'Le Boucher', so thematically there's a lot going on even before you get your ears around the lyric. I also got to make a nice twangy sound with my Guild Duane Eddy guitar and a plate reverb - and if the kids don't like that then there's no hope (these opinions and observations may not necessarily reflect those of the band, or anyone else for that matter...).

Butcher Boy seem to play live very rarely. Would you like to play more shows or go on tour?

I think we'd all like to be making music full-time but with the exception of our string players we make our livings doing other things. If we were younger (specifically me!), or doing less demanding jobs, or had fewer commitments then we'd probably try and play more shows. However, I think that because we don't play live that often, when we do it means more to the band than if we played regularly. We're not about to become blase or jaded any time soon!

We want to do more shows around the album launch (hopefully July, definitely through Damaged Goods). We actually enjoy touring, we treat it as a holiday where you go out every night in a different town and meet old pals.

You've played in bowling clubs, libraries and film theatres in the past. What do you think makes a perfect venue for a Butcher Boy show?

Anywhere that isn't a regular 'rock' venue works well for us - we try to make each show special and memorable for everyone involved and on a pragmatic level there's too many of us to fit on most stages. Having said that, some of our best shows have been at the likes of the Luminaire and Metro (it has been a long time between tours...). I fancy doing a tour of arthouse cinemas or community centres in the Scottish highlands.

What are your favourite memories from playing Indietracks in 2009?

Oh, we had a blast in 2009! Indietracks is a real gem of an event, like a church fete without the religion and better music. It's the only time we've played a festival and it was a lot of fun. In fact it was the first time most of the band had even been to a festival...So there's no-one more surprised than us that playing in the daylight worked and that we enjoyed it.

My favourite memory was seeing Cats on Fire play in the engine shed - they were on magnificent form. I'd promoted a show in Glasgow for them a couple of days before and had the pleasure of their company as houseguests so I was rooting for them anyway, but it felt like my team won!

Who are you looking forward to seeing at this year's festival?

We did a day trip in 2009 but we'll be there on the Saturday for the duration this time. I'm hoping to catch Edwyn Collins as he's as close to a hero as I have these days. The Hidden Cameras are insanely good live so I'm looking forward to seeing them and singing along. We haven't seen the running order yet so I'm hoping to avoid a clash (hint, hint). Also, our John is doing some National Pop League style dj-ing and that, along with real ale, is a cast iron guarantee of a good time! I'm also looking forward to having time to see some new bands and hopefully take a train ride.

Thanks Basil - can't wait to see Butcher Boy at the festival!

Jonny: video round-up

2011-06-02T13:00:00.001+01:00

In what is quickly becoming a new regular feature on this blog, we've decided to compile a few of our favourite videos from one of the Indietracks Friday night headliners. Jonny are made up of Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci), finding a perfect balance between Childs’ whimsical wit and Blake’s exquisite harmonies.

Here's the band's debut single, Candyfloss, featuring Norman and Euros chomping through plate after plate of the fluffy confectionary.

And here's their second single, You Was Me, featuring some beautiful, picturesque countryside scenary.

And finally, here's Norman and Euros playing an unreleased (we think) song called Ursula's Crow live at Celtic Connections in 2009.

Indietracks interview #9: Haiku Salut

2011-05-31T13:00:00.001+01:00

Haiku Salut are Gemma, Sophie and Louise. The Derbyshire-based instrumental group use accordions, organs, ukeleles, glockenspiels, pianos and loop pedals to create gorgeous melodies. Their debut EP, How We Got Along After The Yarn Bomb, is set for release soon by Team Strike Force!

Hi Sophie, tell us a little bit about Haiku Salut...

We are Gemma, Sophie and Louise and we are based in the peak district - not too far from Butterly Station coincidentally! We have an army of temperamental instruments which we constantly battle with to try and write something cohesive. We use a loop pedal, an accordion, glockenspiel, a piano, reed organ, ukulele and classical guitar and heavens knows why but we try our upmost to make the songs as complicated as possible. Other collective hobbies include, geocaching which someone once described as a pastime which uses multi-million pound technology to find somebody's lunch box in a tree (if this doesn't sell it to you go and look it up! It truly is great). We also take part in the mysterious act of yarn bombing which is a type of street art or graffiti which uses colorful displays of knitting or crochet rather than paint. We will possibly pop a few up at Indietracks, so keep your eyes peeled! Lastly we used to be in another band that played at Indietracks a few years back. I think they were called The Die Drys or something.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

Me (Sophie) and Louise DJ together every Monday night in Derby, due to the clientele we mainly get requests for Tina Turner, Simply the Best and 'Funky House'. This can often be distressing, but instead of letting this puncture a hole in our smug indie exterior we continue to exercise our rights as music nazis and try to educate them with brute force of the volume slider. We've played Why?, Yuck and Best Coast a lot in recent weeks. Louise has recently expressed a great love for the new Black Keys record, Gemma is eagerly awaiting the next Kimya Dawson album (we're secretly hoping this one won't be about nappies though) and I'm currently into anything that is horrible and sounds like a Nintendo, see Sabrepulse. See also World's End Girlfriend. Although this will probably be a fad and will hopefully pass.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Yes! Firstly we are releasing a 3" CD on Team Strike Force! called 'How We Got Along After the Yarn Bomb' - the whole package is going to be lovely, the songs we've put on there are lovingly and intricately hand crafted and much sleep was lost labouring over the artwork. Oh and the release also comes with a Haiku Salut comic! This will be available on the merch stall at indietracks if you want to gander at its immense beauty.

Also we will be toddling off to play in Sweden at Cosyden 2011 in August which is going to be mega.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

We are currently planning something literally quite big for our live set at indietracks but if we told you what that entails it wouldn't be a surprise would it?

Thanks - can't wait to see what the surprise is!

Indietracks interview #8: The Whatevers

2011-05-29T13:00:00.009+01:00

The Whatevers are an indiepop / lo fi DIY punk band from Leeds in the north of England. Online releases so far include 'Rhapsody In Blue Jeans/ You And Your Twisted Romance' on Holiday records, and 'Art And Sex, an album available on Bandcamp. Mike writes the songs and Kate sings them. Al plays the bass guitar. The band have just finished their second record 'All Your Indie Heroes'.

Hi Mike, tell us about The Whatevers... Kate and I were childhood indie sweethearts in a tiny little town in North Yorkshire. We made fanzines and played gigs in the youth club and all that stuff. We met Al last year when he started listening to us obsessively on lastfm. Rob is Kate's brother and he is playing violin with us for this acoustic show as well as drumming on our next record.

Have you played anywhere as unusual as Indietracks before?Indietracks is actually only going to be our eigth gig! so the train will be the oddest one we've done. Although I did used to busk outside an Anne Summers in Manchester back when I was a homeless morphine addict. I used to serenade the girls with their bags full of dildos. Going for that famous Dildo Guilt Busker Payoff. Works every time.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?
We're trying to do at least three albums of new material in a year. The first two are available for free download on Bandcamp now along with a bunch of odds 'n' sods and the next one will be much more spontaneous and collaborative and louder and shoutier. We should have the physical copies of our debut 'Art and Sex' album ready to sell in time for Indietracks which we're really excited about. So all told we will be releasing about fifty songs in our first real year as a band, and also playing round Britain for the first time!

What are you most looking forward to at Indietracks?
Indietracks is our first real 'proper' festival gig so we are just excited to see all the great bands and to be a part of it, we are most excited for all of it really!

Thanks Mike!

Herman Dune: video round-up!

2011-05-27T15:00:00.010+01:00

Following this week’s exciting announcement and in anticipation of their headline set at Indietracks 2011, we thought we’d round up a few of our favourite Herman Dune videos.

Firstly, here’s the fantastic Sesame-Street inspired video for I Wish I Could See You Soon, from their 2006 album Giant.

And, here’s the video for Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, taken from their new album Strange Moosic. It features the Mad Men actor Jon Hamm and a blue Yeti. No, really!

And finally, here’s the video for the gorgeous song On A Saturday, which appears on the band’s 2008 album Next Year In Zion.

Herman Dune and Crystal Stilts join Indietracks 2011!

2011-05-25T16:00:00.004+01:00

We're very excited to say that Herman Dune and Crystal Stilts have been added to the line-up for this year’s Indietracks Festival. The main headliners for this year’s Indietracks festival are now as follows:

Friday 29 July: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Jonny
Saturday 30 July: Edwyn Collins, The Hidden Cameras
Sunday 31 July: Herman Dune, Jeffrey Lewis, Crystal Stilts

They will join Math and Physics Club, Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Withered Hand, Butcher Boy, Chris T-T, Milky Wimpshake and dozens more indiepop acts at this year’s festival, held at the Midland Railway in Ripley, Derbyshire. A full timetable will be published shortly.

Herman Dune (pictured above) were formed in Paris a decade ago by songwriter and vocalist David-Ivar Herman Dune and drummer Cosmic Neman. They soon gained cult status with the help of DJ John Peel, recording more than 10 Peel Sessions. Following a string of DIY releases, they released their first professional studio album, ‘Giant’, in 2006, attracting wider recognition. The album’s opening song ‘I Wish That I Could See You Soon’ ranked in Rolling Stone US’s choice of ‘Best Songs In 2007’, and is well known for its Sesame-Street-style video. Their new album, ‘Strange Moosic’ is possibly the band’s most timeless and accessible record to date.

Crystal Stilts burst out of Brooklyn's post-punk indie scene in 2008 with a string of releases that culminated in their fantastic debut album ‘Alight Of Night’. The album won universal accolades and established the band as first-class purveyors of haunting, atmospheric post-punk pop. Following extensive tours of the US and Europe, the band now return with their stunning second album ‘In Love With Oblivion’, hot on the heels of the incredible single ‘Shake The Shackles’.

We’re sad to say that Ringo Deathstarr are no longer able to appear at this year’s festival.

Around 50 indiepop bands will be playing at the festival across four stages: the outdoor stage, the indoor stage, the church and the steam trains themselves. The festival will also host a range of art and craft workshops and a selection of discos after the bands finish.

Weekend tickets are £65 and day tickets £35. Tickets for children aged 5-14 are £6 for a day ticket and £10 for the weekend. Under-5s get in free. Tickets are available by calling the railway direct on 01773 747 674 or visiting www.instantticketseller.com/midlandrailwaycentre

Hope to see you in July!

Indietracks interview #7: The Bumblebees

2011-05-22T11:00:00.006+01:00

It's just ten weeks now until the festival starts! Hopefully you've already got your tickets, travel and accommodation sorted, in which case, please sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the next in our series of short Indietracks interviews!

The Bumblebees are an indie pop trio from Bristol, UK, consisting of Rosalind Glennie (vocals, keyboard), Ellis Jones (vocals, guitar) and Daniel Howard (vocals, drums). They began in November 2007, and their debut EP 'The Bumblebees' was self-released in September 2008. They are currently working on their first album, to be released on the independent record label Local Kid.

Hi Ellis, Roz and Dan, tell us a bit about the Bumblebees... We live in part Bristol, part Oxford, part Staines, and therefore occupy that under-utilised middle ground between Massive Attack, Radiohead and Hard-Fi. We have a combined age of 64, a combined height of 16 feet 2 inches, and a combined name of Ellisrozdan.

What are you up to this year? Our first and last ever debut album, and HOPEFULLY (attention promoters) a summer tour culminating in Indietracks! We released our first EP in 2008, so it's seems like it's been a long time coming. We've spent big bucks on big name producers and guests on this one - we really felt like it had to be perfect.

What will be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to the festival? We don't agree on much, musically or otherwise. Roz and Dan especially. We have this thing called 'the Roz-Dan' rule, which dictates that if one of them likes something, they other has to hate it. However, on the rare occasions that they do agree on something, that makes that OBJECTIVE FACT. So it is an objective fact that these songs are awesome:

'Sexy Friction' by Jackolantern (Winston Echo's hallowe'en-themed rap collective)
'100s and 1000s' by Ace Bushy Striptease
'Thundercloudbusting' by Jelas
'Boredom' by Buzzcocks
'Electronic Picnic' by The Restaurant Mystery
'Oso Panda' by Papa Topo
'March of the Father Fists' by The Music Tapes
'Carry the Zero' by Built to Spill
'Celebration' by Cats and Cats and Cats
'A Good Man' by Zipper
'Sneaky Sneaky Dog Friend' by Connan Mockasin
and Kimya Dawson to drive Roz insane.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if we told you know, would it?!

But no... no we don't. Sorry.

Well it will be great to see you there anyway, surprise or no surprise! Thanks Bumblebees!

Edit - 13 July: Unfortunately The Bumblebees are now no longer able to play at the festival this year. They have have been replaced by the wonderful Sock Puppets.

Indietracks interview #6: Zipper

2011-05-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

Today we're chatting to Spanish indiepop heroes Zipper!

Zipper hail from Madrid and play beautiful indiepop songs with a little bit of punk. They sing in both in English and Spanish. Their debut album "11" was released in 2008 by Discos Liliput (Madrid), and this was followed by a series of excellent singles on indiepop labels from around the world: "Last chance for Friday's badge" (Bubblegum Records, Glasgow), "Incredible visions in Moscow" (Cloudberry Records, Miami) and "New adventures in Pop" (Elefant Records, Madrid) . They've also appeared on compilations for WeePop! Records (UK) and Aplasta tus gafas de pasta (Madrid).

As well as playing shows across Spain, the band has played at the first London Popfest, at a previous Indietracks in 2009 and at the first Let's Kiss And Make Up festival in Berlin.

Hi Zipper, tell us a little bit about yourselves

We're three, David, Maria and Oscar. We love C-86 bands and play some kind of twee-pop-punk songs which we enjoy a lot. We've been together for many years now and we perfectly know each other's virtues and defects so we get along fine and try to do the best we can.

Indietracks is a pretty unusual festival, what with the steam trains and everything. Have you played anywhere else unusual in the past?

We're not very used to play acoustically, but we had to play two accoustic songs for a video recorded in Carnaby Street (London). It was very funny playing and singing out load while we were walking along the street with everybody looking at us and with two cameras recording us.

You can watch the video here:

Zipper in Carnaby Street (2 March 2009) from lafonoteca.net on Vimeo.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year? Apart from playing at Indietracks, we're going to play in Spain at the Contempopranea Festival and in December at the Glasgow Popfest, where we finally weren't able to play last year due to the snow and an air traffic controllers strike - we're very exited about having another chance this year.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

The Garlands, Tesco Chainstore Mascara, Betty and the Werewolves.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

We'll try not to make any mistakes while we play....

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

This is the best festival ever.

Aw, thanks! Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

The Garlands, who we haven't seen live yet and we really love them; and The Bumblebees, who we've played with them before three years ago and then we thought that they were very promising so we want to see what they have turned into.

Thanks Zipper!

Indietracks interview #5: Heroes of the Mexican Independence Movement

2011-05-18T13:52:00.000+01:00

Today's interview is with Heroes of the Mexican Independence Movement (HotMIM), a bunch of spaghetti western indiepop bandits from East Yorkshire and London.

The band features ex-members of The Rocky Nest, Fonda 500 and The Loves and was formed in January 2011 by ex-Nesters Paul John Sarel and Tom Nash with Chris Norrison of Dead Sea Diver. Live they play stripped down sparkly Velvet Underground third album style pop, complete with stand up Mo Tucker drums, maracas, guitar, bass, vocal harmonies and tamborines. They occasionaly feature Simon from The Loves on extra guitar and fuzz organ. The bright jangly nature of the songs hides a seedy undercurrent of sex, booze and secret handshakes in songs such as 'The Last of the Tea Drinking Temperance Meetings' or 'Beekeepers Central/Northern Region'.

Currently recording in bedrooms, hallways and farm buldings with ex Salako (Jeepster) and Bitmap man Mr Luke Barwell, the band plan to self release their debut recording on their own 'DiY Hi 5' label in time for the summer. Today we're joined by Paul from the band for a few questions...

Hi Paul, what music are you enjoying at the moment?

Well I for one have mostly been listening to and watching Jonathan Richman today, I really love the one about dancing in a lesbian bar. There is a clip on YouTube that I always go back to with Jonathan wearing his stripey jumper and playing his enormous guitar and he does his little dance. He kinda looks like a sad uncle at a wedding but for some reason Jonathan gets away with it. It's fantastic.

Chris our drummer is probably listening to Guided By Voices. He loves them and he also loves The Drones. He talks about them a lot but I've not quite got round to listening to them properly. Tom is away on Easter hols at the moment so he's probably listening to summery stuff on his car stereo........I'm gonna say he's listening to The Wurzles, he can't answer back so....yeah, our bass guitar player Tom is listening to The Wurzles.

Simon Love is listening to The Velvet Underground.....it is the law for Simon to listen to them everyday otherwise the Lou Reed Police Department (LRPD) kick his door in and lock him up....that's why Simon Love loves HotMIM, cos we love The Velvets.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Well, we're always recording so finishing an album's worth of stuff is always on the agenda. There is also a good chance we'll be doing a split single with another band, but we're not sure if we can mention that yet so it'd be unfair to name them. We're also starting up the regular DiY Hi 5 nights that The Rocky Nest used to host (two of us are ex-Nesters). They'll be a whole gang of us doing a collective in Hull... films, videos, art, gigs, fanzines.... The first one is on June 3rd (featuring The Understudies) at the Hull Adelphi. The plan is to expand it slowly and hopefully by next year put on a few indiepop alldayers... hey if any one wants to play give us a shout popkids.

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

Not sure if it's worth bragging about but I played on the b-side of a single by the band Athlete back in 2003... do you remember Athlete? It got to number 41 in the charts!.

Our drummer Chris has an unusual habit of only being able to clean his flat whilst wearing his glasses (they actually have no glass in them they're just frames), he often does this at two o 'clock in the morning after we've finished a band practice round his place. He also drums in his glasses. Look out for them at Indietracks.

Tom can play any stringed instrument you put before him and also has one good drum beat in his locker...the one that goes dum,dum,dum,tsch,dum,dum,dum,tsch,dum,dum,dum,tsch,dum,dum,dum,tsch,...bah,bah,bah!

Simon Love has too many talents to list but very few people know his real name is actually Simon Hate.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

This is a tough one... the reason being that last time I attended Indietracks and spent most of the time wandering around just soaking it all up and just chancing it with whichever bands I stumbled upon.

I found that the most exciting way to discover new stuff and I'm not one for being told by people what bands I should see. I really like to make my own mind up and Indietracks has so many bands I've never seen before that I'm sure I'll discover my new favourite band right there hopefully. I'll then obsess about them and collect everything by them before moving onto something else in three months time. I'm a right fickle git me. Last time it was Helene.........Helene were ace.

Thanks Paul - see you in July!

Indietracks 2011 posters and flyers

2011-05-16T11:00:00.003+01:00

We've been busy over at Indietracks Towers designing a set of posters and flyers for this year's festival, and it would be really fantastic if some of you could print a few out and stick them up in places such as your local record shop, office, library, charity shop, community notice board or music venue. We've created the following materials:

- An A4 poster
- Leaflets
- An e-flyer and banners for your website

They are available to download from this page: Indietracks posters and flyers

It would be particularly brilliant if anyone in a town or city near Indietracks - Ripley, Derby, Matlock, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke, Leicester or Birmingham - could stick up a poster and distribute some flyers for us. Please get in touch if you're able to help, and we will find a suitable reward!

We're also giving out a special Indietracks prize for the person who can stick up a poster in the most impressive place, so do send us a photo if you put up a photo somewhere particularly interesting. Please ask permission first of course!

Fancy running a stall at Indietracks?

2011-05-12T12:12:00.000+01:00

The lovely Tatty Devine ladies and their jewellery stall

Are you interested in running a stall at Indietracks?

We are currently looking for a wide variety of stall-holders for the Indietracks merchandise tent this year, from fanzines and crafts, to vintage clothes and records. We've had some really fantastic stalls in the past, and we’re trying to be even better this year - so do get your creative thinking caps on!

If you would like to apply, please visit http://www.indietracks.co.uk/applications.html for more details, and you can also e-mail Rachael at indietracksstalls@gmail.com

All applications must be submitted by May 31.

Thanks!

Indietracks' first ever DJs....

2011-05-09T12:30:00.005+01:00

(Photo: Jens Hoffmann)

Chuffing 'eck! We're SUPER excited to have Indietracks' first ever DJs - Sam Metcalf from A Layer of Chips and Andy Hart from A Fog of Ideas - with us today, to talk about their (in their opinion) ignominious DJ set at the very first Indietracks event in April 2007. You might also be interested to know that Andy is also the hugely talented chappie who designed this year's Indietracks logo, fact fans.

Hello you two! Sooo.....how did you come to DJ at the first ever Indietracks (Saturday 28 April 2007)?

Sam: I don't really remember the details, to be honest. I'd met Stuart a couple of times in the lead-up to Indietracks at gigs in Leeds and Nottingham I was putting on. He was handing out some flyers there. I think he must've asked me then. I've never been asked to DJ anywhere since. I'll let anyone read whatever they want into that. I'm not the world's greatest DJ...

Andy: Sam asked me, it was the night before, I’ve no idea why to this day but I’m grateful, although he caught me at a disadvantage as all my records and whatnot were back home so I was forced to select from Sam’s picks...

Casting your minds back, can you remember what you played?

Sam: Heaven knows. (There might be a theme appearing here). I remember Camera Obscura's 'Let's get out of the this Country' was a favourite album of mine at the time, and so I probably played 'Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken' about 15 times, like I used to at Don't Start Feeling All "Romantic" - a club night some friends of mine used to run, and at which I used to fail very badly at DJing.

Andy: I don’t remember very clearly but Sam played ‘Lloyd, Are you ready to be Heartbroken’ by Camera Obscura and then I played it a few songs later and then Sam played it again for good measure... I remember insisting that ‘Other People’s Girlfriends’ by Sportique got played and it did and folks were busting moves and we both agreed on ‘Sweet and Tender Hooligan’ by The Smiths. I think Sam played ‘The Day that Thatcher dies’ by Hefner. Whatever we did play, it all seemed to be received rather well despite the sound cutting out for ten seconds or so every other minute... which we thought was a bigger problem than it turned out to be

And how was it for both of you?

Sam: It was terrifying somehow. I'd asked Andy to help me out, and so there were the two of us, stood in this deserted train carriage behind a few fairy lights with a slack handul of CDs between us. We started playing some songs, and, every so often the generator would go down for a split second. Which wound me up to begin with, but then became quite amusing (honest). And, eventually, enough people made it into the carriage to make it all worthwhile, and we had a great time. It only lasted about half an hour, but by the end I could've carried on for at least another four minutes.

Andy: I think I can say with some certainty that Sam did fret rather more than I did and at one point exclaimed ‘this is so unprofessional’ like he was Mariah Carey or something. I just stood there like the big useless lump I am- but people were dancing on a moving locomotive train and when the sound dropped out nobody cared, they sang the missing bits and carried on dancing. It was very much a ‘let’s have the party right here... on a steaming train’ kind of a feeling. It was a lot of fun, it felt like a train wreck (for us) at the time but immediately after Tonieee from The Parallelograms/Plouf! said it was the best disco he’d ever been to... and somebody else quite liked it too, so that was nice. The DJ sets that followed (from Offbeat and Spiral Scratch) kind of made us look a bit rubbish, to be fair, but we were the first- nobody can take that away from us. We’ve never been asked back to DJ, mind.

Hee, we're struggling not to imagine Sam as an indiepop Mariah at this point! So, did you recover sufficiently to return to any Indietracks events since?

Sam: I'm proud to say I'm an ever-present. It sounds quite trite to say it's the best weekend of the year because there other things out there in The Real World that probably mean more, but, for me, it really is. I even made it to the two Christmas events - both of which were cold enough to test even the hardiest pop fan.

Andy: All bar one (the very last Christmas Twee one... I think I was tobogganing in the Cairngorms)

You're obviously pretty hardcore fans then - Christmas Twee was freezing! What does Indietracks mean to you, then, as fans?

Sam: I mentioned The Real World before, and, come the revolution, The Real World will be like an Indietracks weekend. Mutual respect, love for each other, genuine creativity, just enough cynicism to keep things grounded, toilets that work, and Finchley Ted. You can find all these things in the Communist Manifesto if you look hard enough, and for one weekend a year you can find them all in the middle of Derbyshire. I've met people at Indietracks who are now proper friends, and where else can you find Mark Hibbett pissed up in a ditch by 6pm each day? Well, for us outside of London, that's a rare treat. I can't speak for those living in the capital. In summary: it's ace.

Andy: It’s just all rather special, unique and lovely. It’s that sense of shared goodwill and everybody wanting it to be smashing and it never fails to be anything short of smashing or ace or skill. And I get to get my legs out.

And, on that leg-based visual bombshell, we'll leave Sam and Andy to continue reminiscing about that amazing first Indietracks. Thanks you two!

Indietracks interview #4: Next Time Passions

2011-05-07T09:00:00.001+01:00

Today we're interviewing one of the many overseas bands playing at this year's Indietracks festival. Next Time Passions hail from Athens, Greece and originally formed over twenty years ago! Their songs recall several noteable indiepop bands from the late eighties and early nineties, including some Sarah Records artists like St. Christopher, Brighter, Another Sunny Day, and The Field Mice.

Their only releases were the 'Angel Flower' 7” on the Greek label This Happy Feeling label in 1993 and a split 7” with Impossible Tymes on the Spanish label Elefant Records in 1994. However, several of their songs such as 'Not Here Anymore', 'Feeling So Real', 'Sunday Sore' and 'She', are also included on indiepop compilations on labels from around the globe, including Shelflife and Pop Art.

We spoke to Billpos from the band ahead of their Indietracks appearance.

Hi, tell us a little bit about Next Time Passions

Next Time Passions have recently got back together again, 14 years after our dissolution in 1996. We're starting to record new material, and we're aiming to show the same dedication to authentic music.

The new line-up of the group consists of six members, now with a drummer and new bassist (Dimitris from One Night Suzan). We are all hardworking family men, and the band is our only leisure, psychotherapy, and creative form of entertainment. Away from the group, we like books, film, sports, comics, djing and concerts.

What music are you enjoyng at the moment?

We all listen to many different kinds of music, but if we have to spot a common axis from all that, it would be the good melodies from indie pop, jazz, groovy, funk soul, electronics, garage, psychedelic and others.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to indietracks?

As a short guide to our travel compilation, we'd have examples such as Skywalkers, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Mark & The Spies, Jessica Fletchers, Jeremy Jay, Afternoon Naps, The Clientele, Papercuts, Burning Hearts, Sleepy Jackson, Magnetic Fields, Sharon Jones, Bamboos, Budos Band, Foxionairs, Nicole Willis, Frank Popp Ensemble, Tahiti 80, JJ, Air France, CEO, Whitest Boy Alive, Cut Copy, Club 8, Sambassadeur, The School, Hat Company, plus lots of 80s and 60s pop tunes.

Wow, I guess it's a long journey from Greece though! What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Indietracks festival is the most intense and honest thing that happens regarding the independent pop sound. Additionally, it's very close to Next Time Passions philosophy and sound. We are exited that we’re going to play in front of such an audience and we hope the audience feel the same about us!

They definitely will! See you at the festival!

Last chance to buy cheaper early bird tickets!

2011-05-04T12:31:00.000+01:00

Just a quick reminder that our early bird Indietracks ticket offer expires at 11.59pm this Friday (6 May). Please pick up your tickets before then if you want to grab a bargain for this year's festival!

Tickets are available from the Indietracks website at www.indietracks.co.uk/tickets.html

Early bird weekend tickets cost £60 and day tickets cost £32.50, increasing to £65 and £35 after the offer ends. Under 5s can come along free, and 5-14s can come for just £6 (day) and £10 (weekend).

Bands playing at Indietracks this year include Edwyn Collins, The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis, Jonny, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Math and Physics Club, Ringo Deathstarr and dozens of other fantastic indiepop bands.

Ticket-holders will also have unlimited free steam train rides and access to the station museums over the weekend!

Hope you'll be able to join us in July!

xxx

Indietracks interview #3: Very Truly Yours

2011-05-02T11:00:00.001+01:00

Today is Indietracks interview number three and Ian from Pocketbooks interviews our first international band, Very Truly Yours from Chicago, USA. Not only will this be their first indietracks but also their first time in the UK. The band have been quietly making a fuss on the indiepop scene for the last couple of year and we're really proud they've agreed to come and play for us.

Getting to the UK isn't cheap though, so the band have set up a donation page. Why not get an exclusive demo CD of the band’s first album, appear in a music video or even have them record an album for you?

Anyway, on with the interview...

On a scale of 1 to 100 - how excited are you all about your upcoming UK mini tour and Indietracks?

110 !!! This is quite exciting for us. I can't rate the excitement really. This is my first time to the UK, so personally, it's really unbelievable.

How would you describe your sound for those who haven't heard you yet?

We are a pop band that finds delight in pretty, female harmonies and 1960's influenced arrangements.

I first heard you on the split Cloudberry CD with The Understudies and the album seemed to come along pretty soon after that - they sound quite different, were they recorded a long time apart?

Before Very Truly Yours, Lisle and I were in a band called The Lorimer Sound. After the band broke up, I had these songs that I didn't know what to do with ("1234", "Pop Song 91", and even "Ballad of Growing Up", which is on the full length.) There was a short lapse between TLS and Very Truly Yours, and when we started working with Roque and Cloudberry, we were a four piece. We didn't have any idea of what kind of music we would create, we just knew that we wanted to do it together.

Since I was a teenager, I dreamed of being a chamber pop band. I have a somewhat formal classical background, and am intrigued by well-crafted instrumental arrangements in pop music. This dream in my mind became more of a reality, when in 2009, we began rounding out our sound to create "Things You Used to Say."

The good thing about music is that it can reinvent itself. I have been very fortunate to have such talented musicians believe in Very Truly Yours. We are excited about our new songs (another Cloubderry release!), which have evolved in such a way that draws back to our Pop Song 91 roots but still stays true to this sound that we've tried to achieve.

Rumour is there's not much of an indiepop scene in Chicago - is there anything going on to shout about?

Ha! This is true. We hosted an Indie Pop Prom in Chicago a while back, as a fundraiser for our SXSW tour which was a success. But unfortunately, nothing much to shout about.

If you could pick your own Indietracks headliner for this year, who would it be? You can say yourselves.

Wow! I would love to see The Siddeleys and Aislers Set. Lisle would want to see Field Mice, Acid House Kings, and Shonen Knife.

Will you be camping at the festival?

No...Lisle and I are booked at the Travelodge, and the other members are doing a bed and breakfast, I think. I'm afraid I'm not a good camper, although touring has made me quite used to sleeping in places other than my bed.

Finally, have you ever signed off an email saying Yours Sincerely, Very Truly Yours?

Of course! But I used to work at a law firm, so Very Truly Yours was standard. It's not really the nicest closing to say, although it does sound very sweet. I do like to say Yours Sincerely, but it sounds a little too old-fashioned to me!

And here's Very Truly Yours putting in an amazing performance on Chicago's Chic-A-Go-Go TV show!

Indietracks DJs announced!

2011-04-29T18:00:00.001+01:00

(Photo: inuitmonster)

Hello! Hope you’ve been enjoying our recent band announcements, and that all the recent Bank Holidays have helped to get you in the festival mood. We’re already digging out our tents, bunting and sunglasses for Indietracks - hopefully we won’t need those wellies though!

We’re now VERY excited to announce the DJs for Indietracks this year. We’ve got a fantastic range of disco treats for you, from sublime indiepop and 60s girl pop, to top-notch post-punk and new wave. So make sure you bring your dancing shoes – as you’re sure to be shimmying away for most of the weekend!

FRIDAY

Scared To Dance (main shed)
A monthly club night in London playing indiepop, post-punk and new wave.

Unpop (marquee)
Edinburgh club night playing C86, twee, jangle pop and generally heavenly pop hits.

SATURDAY

Little League (main shed)
Little League is a quarterly club night in Glasgow run by the legendary National Pop League and Butcher Boy's John Hunt. Expect to hear indiepop, C86 and post punk!

Big Pink Cake (marquee)
Big Pink Cake is a club in Bristol (and sometimes not Bristol), dedicated to playing classic and new indiepop, 60's girl groups, the poppier moments of punk, Motown and soul.

SUNDAY

Half My Heart Beats (main shed)
Half My Heart Beats is an indiepop club night in Glasgow, who also put on regular gigs in the city.

The Boys Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming (marquee)
An indiepop club night, based in Athens, Greece, who put on their first ''pop n roll'' party two years ago.

For more information about all the DJs, please visit the artists page on our main website.

And finally, just a quick reminder that there’s just one week left to pick up tickets at cheaper early bird prices. Please visit our tickets page before Friday 6 May to buy cheaper tickets.

Indietracks interview #2: A Little Orchestra

2011-04-28T10:00:00.002+01:00

Today we're interviewing A Little Orchestra, a London-based indiepop orchestra led by Monster Bobby of The Pipettes. We're joined by Bobby and violin player Nat, who tell us more about their orchestra....

Hello Nat and Bobby! We've never interviewed an orchestra on the Indietracks blog before. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

Bobby: We're A Little Orchestra, a small instrumental chamber group playing original material, avant-garde classical music, minimalism, pop music, film scores and variously structured improvised pieces, and in the tradition of the Scratch Orchestra, the Portsmouth Sinfonia, and the Boston Pops.

Nat: We have been together for just over a year now, and we all met when Bobby advertised for members to come and join a small pop orchestra. We’ve got around 12 full-time members, although the number does change! Recently we have been playing a lot of indiepop shows and also collaborating with indiepop singers and bands.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

Bobby: Prokofiev's opera based on Gozzi's The Love of Three Oranges; the midday hip hop throwdown on New Jersey's Hot 97 radio; 'Let's Talk About Sex' by Salt'n'Pepa; FaceCrimes; Les Rita Mitsouko; Benjamin Britten's string quartets; Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder; Stockhausen's LICHT; Daft Punk's music for Tron Legacy; the revolutionary operas of Madam Mao.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past.

Bobby: I once played a show in a bar in Berlin which was run entirely by French people and everything was upside down. Upside down furniture, discarded keys and bits of crap stuck to the ceiling, a bookshelf, hanging from the ceiling, all of its books stacked along the top of their respective shelves. On stage, the light was so bright in my face that I couldn't see any of the audience!

Nat: As an orchestra, we played in Nettlefold Hall at Norwood Library as part of the Read and Shout festival in March. We weren’t quite playing amongst the book stacks, but it was so lovely to play such an unusual venue.

What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

Bobby: Barry Gray's early sixties advertising jingles; Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson's music for The Legend of Hell House; songs from The Backyardigans; songs from the Ghana Special compilation; 'Cool in the Pool' by Holgar Czukay; 'It's not the bullet that kills you - it's the hole' by Laurie Anderson; 'Sacrifice of the Virgin' by Les Baxter; Billie the Vision and the Dancers; Belbury Poly; Vanity 6; Inga Rumpf & I.D. Company; and lots of French disco - Claude Francois, Dalida, etc.

Nat: I take my pre-Indietracks musical preparation very seriously, so probably the Indietracks compilation!

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Bobby: I'm going to Thailand soon, and hopefully I'll finish writing my book too before too long.

Nat: I’m actually getting married the weekend after Indietracks, so I’ve got a pretty exciting summer in store! As an orchestra, we’re playing for How Does it Feel to be Loved? in June, and we’re also hoping to put on our own charity show at the Kilburn Tabernacle before the end of the year. It’s a tin church built to look like the inside of a ship, and the interior is absolutely beautiful.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

Bobby: Oh, just the usual laser shows, pyrotechnics, circus acrobats and flying monkeys....

Nat: We’re hoping to invite along some very special indiepop guests, but you’ll have to wait and see! To give you an idea of the sorts of collaborations we've done before, here's a video of us playing with Darren Hayman at the Read and Shout festival.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

Bobby: I shall be particularly looking forward to seeing Edwyn Collins, whose A Girl Like You was a teenage favourite when I used to stay up listening to Mark and Lard's Radio One graveyard shift long before I fell in love with Orange Juice. Also, I have never failed to gain tremendous enjoyment from watching Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Chris T-T, Moustache of Insanity and Pocketbooks.

Nat: It's really hard to choose, but I'm a massive Gorky's Zygotic Mynci fan so probably Jonny, although I'm also really excited about seeing The Sweet Nothings and A Fine Day for Sailing.

A Little Orchestra are playing with Electric Soft Parade and Ooberman this Saturday (April 30) at the Amersham Arms in New Cross, in a tribute concert for their late euphonium player Edd, who sadly passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition last year. The concert will raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young and the Ruby Lambert Trust. Further details are available at We Got Tickets.

Indietracks interview #1: Simon Fox

2011-04-26T12:53:00.000+01:00

Today we're kicking off our series of 2011 Indietracks interviews. Between now and the end of July we'll be chatting with as many of this year's line-up as possible. Last year we interviewed 27 bands, and by a spooky coincidence we also interviewed 27 bands in 2009. Will it be 27 again this year? Stay tuned over the next few months to find out!

Our first interviewee from the Indietracks 'Class of 2011' is Birmingham's Simon Fox. Since disbanding post-rock pinoeers Grover, Simon has quietened down a bit, trading sweeping guitar theatrics for more intimate, acoustic-led songwriting. His songs have a personal, reflective quality, with deceptively rich arrangements, a disarming wit and a flair for creating intimate moods. Simon plays a wide variety of instruments, including guitars, banjo, percussion, keyboards, theremin, mandolin, even occasional brass and woodwind. We can't wait to see him at Indietracks this summer!

Hi Simon, tell us a little bit about yourself

I'm Simon Fox and I'll be playing solo at the festival. I used to be in Birmingham post-rockers, Grover, and now I do stuff as Fox, World Of Fox, Lonesome Fox, etc. I have released a bunch of singles and a couple of solo albums: "Everything Is For The Best", which is all original material, and "Respect", which is a collection of covers of songs from the 1980s which I released one song a month in 2010. The full CD is now available on Where It's At Is Where You Are Records. I'm pretty self-sufficient, recording all my stuff myself, playing all the parts. Live, I generally play acoustic guitar and banjo, but use effects pedals to build up different moods. You can stream all of my releases from the website: http://www.worldoffox.com/.

What music are you enjoying at the moment?

I recently played with label-mates Eux Autres when they came over for a UK tour. Their album Broken Arrow is lovely - spiky, classic indie-pop. Jonny are also great. They've managed to take the best elements of Teenage Fanclub and Gorky's songs and make something really special. They're also hilariously chaotic live.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past.

Grover once played the Oxford Union Debating Hall for a launch of a student magazine. That was pretty strange, playing full-on heavy feedback in the ancient oak panelled hall surrounded by busts of the great and good (and a bunch of slightly disturbed posh kids). When we first started out we also played a Velvet Underground set at Wolverhampton Art Gallery to accompany their pop art exhibition. That was a laugh - playing Sister Ray to polite gallery goers.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

Isn't Indietracks excitement enough? Other than solo gigging and more recording, I also play in James Summerfield's band. For his next album we're going to record it live in the studio, which is something I don't normally do. That'll be good fun - if I can learn my parts properly! I've already had a lot of excitement this year - we recently went on a trip to the southern states of the US. We drove up from New Orleans, through Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, taking in Clarksdale, Memphis and Nashville en route. It was a real musical odyssey and we got to see some really great live jazz, cajun, blues, country and bluegrass on the way. A real inspiration!

Do any band members have any claims to fame you wish to share?

I took John Peel out for a curry once. Does that count?

Yep, that definitely counts in our book! What's going to be on your compilation tapes as you travel down to Indietracks?

I'm going to do some research and try and pull together a comp of some of the bands playing who I haven't heard before. That'll put me in the mood and give us an idea who to try and see over the weekend. Of course, my girlfriend might just insist on putting Super Furry Animals on, as usual. Not that I'm complaining...

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Lots of my friends have been before and raved about it. A few friends of mine have also played before (MJ Hibbett, Pete Green) and said how lovely it was. We were planning to come this year as punters anyway, but then you asked me to play! Ta.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

I love Jeffrey Lewis and always catch him when he plays. We're lucky because he always plays Birmingham (he's friends with Misty's Big Adventure). I saw Edwyn Collins at ATP, backed by Teenage Fanclub. That was a lovely, emotional show. I'm looking froward to seeing him again. I'm a big fan of J-Pop, so I'm going to make sure I check out Sloppy Joe. Sounds right up my street!

Brilliant, thanks Simon - see you in July!