Saturday, 30 August 2008

New website and details of next event!

Hello there pop kids! You didn't think we were going to leave you 'til the end of the year without any top pop action did you? If you're anything like us, you've been spending the tail-end of the summer wailing into your (non real) ale and thinking fondly about llamas, wishing upon a star that it could be Indietracks time again. Well, your dreams will be soon coming true, 'cos we've got loads of exciting news about the next event coming up very soon!

Along with the details of the next event, our BRAND SPANKING NEW website will be launched into cyberspace on Monday 1st September, decked out in groovy new colours and with all sorts of fancy features. It's got a handy new FAQs section, where you can discover all sorts of top-notch Indietracks information from travelling to the Midland Railway to where to find the finest food and drink. You can even send your own burning questions into Indietracks HQ! There are also better ways to contact us, more detailed local travel information and this year there’ll be an Indietracks shop for all those pop-aholics out there!

Just visit the usual website address www.indietracks.co.uk on 1st September and have a look around. And, don't forget, we always want to hear your thoughts and suggestions for the blog and website - so keep on sending your ideas to indietracksonline@gmail.com Look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Benefit gig for the Midland Railway!

Well......we couldn't expect you to last until December without any Indietracks-related gossip now could we? If you're like us and craving some railway-themed fun, but you just can't wait until the Indietracks Christmas event (more information on this to come, kids), then we've got some exciting news which is sure to tickle your fancy!

Still bowled over by the hospitality of the lovely Midland Railway staff, those kind-hearted folks over at the Layer of Chips and A Fog of Ideas fanzines have decided to put on an all-day benefit gig for the railway. It will be held at Lee Rosy's Tea Shop in Nottingham on November 16 and bands already confirmed as playing are (in no particular order):

The Bobby McGee's
Milky Wimpshake (pictured above)
Pocketbooks
Phil Wilson (ex-June Brides)
MJ Hibbett
Frankie Machine
Lardpony
Pete Green
Gregory Webster (ex-Razorcuts/Sportique)

Tickets cost £7 and are available from We Got Tickets. Doors will open at 3.30pm and the gig will finish at 10.30pm.

And, in other news, we discovered today that Indietracks has starred in a music video for The Just Joans, who played in the church at this year's festival. Part of the video for their new single, Hey Boy, You're So Sensitive, was filmed at the railway and features some indiepop band members - see how many you can spot!


The video was made by Mark O'Donnell, who also produced this fantastic Indietracks video montage, soundtracked by a beautiful late-night performance by Let's Whisper on the station platform.


Saturday, 2 August 2008

Indietracks reviews!

Photo: www.underexposed.org.uk
Hello everyone! How are you all feeling? If you're anything like us, you'll still be a little tired but at the same time also massively excited about all the new music you discovered over the weekend! We still can't believe how many great bands there were in one place, and we're already hoping some of our favourites have got Autumn tours lined up soon!Anyway, we've been keeping an eye on all you busy bees writing for fanzines and magazines, and have rounded up a selection for you to check out, along with our favourite quotes from the reviews!

A great review of the weekend. As it's a magazine, there's no full online version to link to, but here's a lovely excerpt:

Our fave quote: "...Indietracks is actually completely ace. We ride minature steam trains and talk to llamas. We sit on a hill in beautiful countryside and watch bands as the sunset explodes into crimson. We sit under clouds as big as spaceships and drink cider and the sky unexpectedly fills with hot air balloons and I think: "This is actually amazing. The best festival I've ever been to.""

A comprehensive day-by-day review that covers many of the bands, as well as the overall festival atmosphere.

Our fave quote: "...without doubt the most enjoyable and civilised festival we've ever been to in our lives. No wonder [Los Campesinos!] frontman Gareth Campesinos! looks humble and overwhelmed at the end. DiS is too – here’s to Indietracks 2009!"

Review of the entire weekend which also features a brilliant section where you can turn your favourite festival photos into e-cards!

Our fave quote: "Would I like to go back next year? Hell yes! A festival punter's paradise!"

A full-page review in the October issue (it can't be October already?!). It's just in the mag, so there's no link to the full thing we're afraid. It includes lovely reviews of Shrag, Mai 68s and Los Campesinos! among others.

Our fave quote: "...this is an event set up to please and surprise... a charming little gathering."

Review complete with daily diary section too!

Our fave quote: "Over two days, this quiet and secluded area of Derbyshire became an indiepop haven shaking to the sounds of good music. Add to this the heritage of the railway, and this unique little festival is on the right tracks."

A whopping three posts so far (and probably another to follow) from the hyper-productive indiepop website: Highlights Friday reviewSaturday review

Our fave quote: "It wasn't all about the music - but the music I got to hear was mostly wonderful. Indietracks is so much more than this -but it's hard to find the words that can sum it all up. The steam trains, the smiling people and location make it something I was just happy to been a part of."

Dean Jackson's The Beat show features interviews with popstars and festival-goers alike - click on the "Listen Again" button. You'll need to hurry though, as this will change on Sunday August 3.

Small news review featuring interview with organiser Stuart Mackay.

Our fave quote: From Stuart himself - "It was a tremendous success, my team, the railway, the bands and the audience were all delighted with the way it went – many people saying it was the best festival they'd ever been to."

Detailed reviews of Saturday and Sunday which incoporates loads of bands- we can't believe they managed to see so many- phew!

Our fave quote: "The location, the bands, the clientele, the organisation, the whole essence of Indietracks has seen an increase in publicity and numbers from last year and ridden it out spectacularly. It may not be the coolest to the Vice subscribers, but who cares when there's something uniquely special about Indietracks already."

A charming review from the Manchester indiepop club and fanzine.

Our fave quote: "Indietracks was a load of fun. Setting a festival in a railway museum - great move. Lovely band/fan run merch stand - brilliant. Ace bands and great people watching them - our favourite festival of the year!"

Fantastic two-day review from the Wales-based website, who DJed at last year's festival.

Our fave quote: "Oh, I don’t know what it is, this feeling I’m left with, there’s the huge buzz from seeing some of the most amazing bands, the pure-sugar abc sweets that will surely keep me awake for the next 4 weeks as well as the previous week, and then there’s that lonely feeling, no Darren Hayman to look forward to tomorrow, no party with the best of friends going on and on. It’s a sad feeling but a kind of sadness that the end of such a great event deserves."

A review of the Saturday, including The Wedding Present, Shrag, Comet Gain and more...

Our fave quote: "Sunburn is a small price to pay for this year’s event with its collection of British, Scandinavian and a few North American bands. The larger number of punters than last year brings additional security but doesn’t affect the sense of community, which is palpable and pleasing. It has just the right degree of amateurism, like stepping into a giant fanzine."

A lovely photo diary of the weekend's events.

Spiral Scratch promoter Marianthi's heart-warming pen portraits from her weekend.

Our fave quote: "I don't know how we can get away with Indietracks. It's so removed from everything we know real life to be and even further removed from what escapist fun is to most people. It can't even be called escapism because there is no real attempt to create a separate reality. It just is what it is in the most effortless way."

A review of Saturday featuring Shrag, Liechenstein, Red Pony Clock, The Kabeedies and more...

Our fave quote: "The ‘truly indie scene’ is right here at Indietracks hidden away in the middle of Derbyshire, having the time of its life, ignoring the irrelevance of the mainstream, ducking commodification, doing things its own way, getting on with stuff just like its always done. There are nigh on a thousand people here and nothing that even approaches being landfill indie. We are the popkids, we are the winners!"

Another comprehensive review which enjoyed Silence At Sea, The Just Joans, Darren Hayman, KateGoes, Little My and The Bobby McGee's, among many more...

Our fave quote: "An idyllic site -- complete with its own railway station -- was the perfect place for indie-pop fans to hop on board the train to Indietracks."

We'll keep adding reviews as they appear, so do keep checking back occasionally. Sadly, we'll be posting a little less frequently now, but we'll be back soon with news about the next Indietracks event in December. As always, we'll keep you updated with the latest news and gossip from Indietracks HQ - thanks for reading and keep sending your comments and ideas for the blog to indietrackspress@gmail.com

Wednesday, 30 July 2008

Indietracks in seven minutes!

Phew! Does you feel as tired as we do? How can just two days of jangly indiepop and sunshine frolicing leave you feeling so exhausted? If anyone knows the answer do let us know, 'cos frankly we're baffled!

Anyway, in between catching up on naps, we've been hunting down the best photos and videos from the weekend and this short film, made by Chris Gilmour from Last Night from Glasgow Indie EyeSpy, is frankly ACE. It tells the story of Indietracks 2008 in seven minutes - see how many bands you can spot and give yourself a prize of some sleep and/or a healthy snack! (You'll need those vitamins after the weekend burger-fest!. You'll probably have to click through to YouTube to hear it with sound....

Tuesday, 29 July 2008

Thanks everyone - see you next year!

Photo: Lostmusic
Hello everyone! Wasn't it FANTASTIC?

Phew! We'd been in such a high state of over-excitement for so long we just couldn't see how it was going to live up to all our expectations......but it did, and much, much more besides! From MJ Hibbett's hilarious My Exciting Life in Rock in the tea tent on Friday, to Los Campesinos' storming performance on Sunday evening, the whole weekend was just a perfect concoction of wonderful new music, glorious weather, steam train fun, friendly faces, enthusiastic dancing, impromptu singalongs and fruity real ale!

Congratulations to Stuart for organising such a perfect festival, and thanks to all the bands, volunteers, railway staff and everyone else who's helped with the organisation and helped spread the word. And most importantly, thanks to everyone for coming along and helping make Indietracks one of the most friendly and welcoming festivals around.

No doubt you're itching to upload your photos, videos and reviews from the festival, so here's a few things which might be handy:

Anorak forum: there's a special area where you can discuss your favourite highlights from the festival:Anorak Indietracks discussions

Indietracks Flickr group: share your photos with other Indietracks festival-goers here: www.flickr.com/groups/indietracks

Videos: if you made any videos, it would be wonderful if you could send them, or your YouTube link, to:indietracksonline@gmail.com

Reviews: no doubt many of you will be writing for your own fanzines, but for those who would like to write for a piece for our blog, e-mail us at :indietrackspress@gmail.com

We'll be posting up reviews, photos and videos over the next few days, but in the meantime here are a few of our favourite photos posted up so far........

Ballboy on the outdoor stage. Photo: Emmlpop

The crowd at the Church stage dancing along to Darren Hayman. Photo: Smith of Smiths


Over-excited KateGoes fans go POP! Photo: Sweeping the Nation

Thursday, 24 July 2008

Greetings from Indietracks!

Hello there pop kids! By the time you read this, we'll be on our first train journey of the weekend, travelling up to Nottingham clutching our dancing shoes, train whistles and festival survival kits! If you're anything like us and you've left everything to the last-minute, here's a few final pieces of info to help you on your way:

Quick guide: If you're looking for information on accommodation, tickets, transport, food and Friday night's MJ Hibbett show, there's a handy last minute guide on the official Indietracks website.

Weather: According to the BBC 5-day forecast, it should be pretty fine, so don't forget to pack your suntan lotion and sunglasses as well as maybe an umbrella, just in case. With its indoor and outdoor stages, and of course the train rides, the festival is perfect for all weathers!

Merchandise stall: If you have any CDs, t-shirts, mugs or anything for any of the bands playing at the festival, please pop over and say 'hi' at the merchandise stand, by the main stage, and they'll be happy to help. Please sticker the stuff with the price though, so the volunteers know how much to sell it for!

Anorak forum: if you have any last-minute questions, want to share a lift or need emergency fashion advice for the festival, the Anorak forum is a good place to start.

Warm-up gigs: You've a choice of three warm-up gigs on Thursday 24th:
- Leeds: Rosie Taylor Project @ Holy Trinity Church
- Nottingham: Airport Girl + The Zebras + Pocketbooks + Fists @ Junktion 7
- London: Even As We Speak + Mexican Kids At Home + Hong Kong in the 60s + The Give It Ups @ Jamm in Brixton

And a couple on Friday 25th:
- Indietracks: MJ Hibbett's "My Exciting Life In Rock" + Penny Broadhurst + HDIF DJs @ Midland Railway Butterley
- Leicester: Punk TV + Mai 68s @ The Charlotte, Leicester

Tickets: there's still weekend and day tickets available - you can buy them on the door, through We Got Tickets or by calling the railway direct on 01773 747674 (9am-5pm, 7 days a week).

We'll be back after the festival with all the gossip, reviews, photos, videos etc. We'd love to hear from you, so please send your fave youtube links, embarassing pictures and everything else to indietrackspress@gmail.com

See you in the disco carriage!

Indietracks interview #29: Ballboy

Ballboy’s love affair with independent music began in 1999 with the release of their first EP ‘Silver Suits for Astronauts’ on SL Records. Since then, four further albums have followed - ‘Club Anthems 2001’ (An EP compilation,) ‘A Guide for the Daylight Hours,’ ‘The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories’ and ‘The Royal Theatre.’ A fifth album is now in the pipeline. They have toured the UK umpteen times as well as the USA and Sweden. John Peel was a huge fan and they recorded four Peel sessions, including a live Christmas broadcast from John’s house, the ultimate honour.

Hello Ballboy! Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourselves....

Gordon: We are 3 boys and a girl from Edinburgh, Scotland. We make music, but not the kind you have to write down with squiggles on fancy paper (apart from Pete the Cello Genius).
Alexa: Two girls if you count Veronica the melodica.

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

Gordon: Nothing springs to mind from the last year, but the most unusual one ever was either by the side of a primary school swimming pool or on a makeshift stage on a front lawn in Sweden.
Alexa: Birmingham ;-)

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

Gordon: We have a new album "I worked on the ships" out in August and I have a play with music that I have cowritten opening in November.
Alexa: I need to get 2 more rabies boosters

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

Gordon: I can juggle, Nick can cure headaches, Gary can make whole new worlds out of PVC glue and old hair, and Alexa has rabies.
Nick: I can also cure hiccups.
Alexa: I would like to point out that I don't have rabies in case they don't let me in at the English border. But I can make puffin noises.

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

Gordon: iPod on shuffle so it could be anything really, but the new Wave Pictures album will be on there at some point.
Alexa: Roxette - which may mean I get kicked out of the van before Newcastle.

Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

Gordon: Any surprises will probably be a surprise to us too.
Alexa: for health and safety shouldn't we mention that Nick is planning on jumping off a crane onto a car bonnet?

What attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

Gordon: Independent music....in the countryside...in the summer...with trains!
Alexa: Two words - steam train

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

Gordon: The Wave Pictures because they are the best new band (ie new to me) that I've heard in the last few years.
Alexa: The Smittens

Thanks everyone! We'll look forward to catching you on the main stage on Saturday....

Indietracks interview #28: The Candy Twins

Hello everyone! Hope you've been enjoying our regular updates! We're off to Nottingham tomorrow for festival fun and a preview gig with Airport Girl, Pocketbooks and The Zebras, but, in the meantime, here's an interview with late Indietracks bill addition The Candy Twins....The Candy Twins - hmm ... there seem to be more than two of you and you don't look very similar!

Why don’t you tell us a bit more about yourselves?

Yes, we started as a duo - the Ear Candy Twins. But we're not twins, or related, and we couldn't keep time to the backing tracks so decided to become a band, and cut our 'ear' off. But I guess The Candy Twins works ok for indiepop which is what we seem to have been labelled as. We're from the London area and we mostly gig round there though we did tour Germany earlier this year. Our bassist Mat Durrance is possibly the best known of our number - Wedding Present fans may know him from his acoustic covers of Weddoes songs on YouTube. Mat met David our lead singer and songwriter after being lured along to a Candy Twins gig by others who said we sounded a bit like the Wedding Present, who David - to his shame - had at that point never heard of. Since then he's become a Take Fountain addict.

How do you feel about music at the moment and the new crop of indiepop bands?

We're pretty much virgins in the indiepop world. We played a warm up gig at Gramaphone in London recently where St Christopher were headlining - that was fun. But we're looking forward to catching up with more bands at the festival. Indietracks is held at a steam railway.

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

Our gig in Leipzig on our German tour was bizarre. It was basically an apartment above a cafe - Noch Besser Leben - in one of the city's suburbs. It was like playing in someone's back room. It WAS someone's back room. The organiser was very apologetic before we went off to our accommodation to tune up because only two people had turned up. We came back in a few minutes later to start and the room - a big room - was packed out. For the sound check they just wanted it quieter and quieter so as not to annoy the neighbours. It started off as our worst gig on the tour. David broke a string (as usual), didn't have a spare guitar and it was all going belly up. But at the end the crowd asked us back to do an acoustic set, requesting songs, and giving us a great reception. That was sweet and such a turn-round!

Gosh – that all sounds really exciting! Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

We're completing our second album (again it's likely to be a self-release) bit by bit. Sad-Glad Songs is its working title. It will include our download single A Younger Crowd which The Sun (no less!) gave a 4/5 rating to in their hot tracks of the week when it came out. And then all the German venues we played earlier this year invited us back so we hope to repeat that tour either later this year or next. It would be nice to do some more British out of London gigs too.

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

As previously mentioned, Mat our bassist is a Wedding Present addict. He'll be at their set on Saturday night. He's probably lost count of the number of Weddoes gigs he's been to. David is a big (fair weather) Hull City fan so looking forward to their debut premier league season in August. Mat once appeared on Master Chef. David once wee-ed in Hannah Hawkswell's barn. It was a two-storey barn. He didn't realise Hannah was underneath milking the cows and therefore got a surprise golden shower. And our tribute song 'Edwyn Collins Is Back' is a big YouTube hit - Edwyn loved it and put us on his guest list for his first comeback gig, but we were too shy to go and say hello afterwards. We've tried to blag a support slot with him but failed so far.

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

El Rey I guess for Mat! The rest of the band are borrowing a Scout minibus that doesn't have a music system.

And what attracted you to playing Indietracks?

We got a lovely review on the Indie-MP3 blog run by Lost Music and spotted the banner on their site and decided that was where we wanted to be, and we are thoroughly looking forward to it.

As ever, we have a free MP3 to give away, click on the link below to hear it!

Free MP3 Download: Start to Believe

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

The Bubblegumkillers guide to festivals...

What? It’s Wednesday already? That means Indietracks is in three days time… We’re so not ready…

We hope this last-minute panic-attack of an article might be of some help to all Indietracks goers. Welcome to the BubblegumKillers DJ Team guide to festivals (well, this one) and that…

PETE GREEN IS WRONG! (about one little thing)

Now, while we absolutely, genuinely, completely and utterly adore the “everything is going to be sparkly” song-smith, it must be pointed out that myspace really doesn’t suck. It’s how we first heard the brilliant TOWN BIKE, and many of the other bands on the bill. Why not have a flick around the myspace pages of all the artists you’ve not heard of. You might discover the genius of a band with a slightly rubbish name, that you weren’t gonna bother with, all because a so-called friend of yours said they were crap, and they’re the first band on. We missed so many great bands at festivals in the dark pre-internet days that we really regret now (Kenickie in ’96 being the worst example), so check them out before you kick yourself in years to come…

HITS PLEASE!

We’ll forgive The Wedding Present if they don’t play all the hits, what with them having had 12 Top 40 singles in one year, lest we forget. But as for the rest of you, please play all the singles, ‘cos that’s what festivals are about, huge bombastic greatest hits sets. Blow us away with your 7” pop lasers please!

THINGS TO BRING!

A notebook; for writing down all the bands you see. Then divide the cost of the ticket by the number of bands you’ve watched and you’ll see how much value for money IndieTracks is for you. Challenge your friends!
A cigarette lighter; sellotaped securely to a length of string, affixed to the belt-loop on you corduroy flares. No more of those “scrabbling-around-and-emptying-all-your-pockets-and-getting-all-stressed-cos-you’re-sure-you-had-it-earlier-but-did-you-lend-it-to-that-bloke-with-the-hat-during-Pocketbooks?” moments guaranteed! Even if you don’t smoke, you will have a valuable tool to make new friends.
A Musical Instrument; especially if you can play one. This is even more important if you’re in one of the bands playing. Please note, that the bongos, or variations thereof, are not musical instruments. Kazoos, however, most definitely are.

THINGS NOT TO BRING!

An MP3 digital music walkman thing. Why would you? The Parallelograms are on RIGHT NOW!
Too much money. You’ll only spend it all on doughnuts and pin badges on the first night and end up scrounging off your mates for the rest of the weekend.
A set of bongos. Not a musical instrument.

REQUESTS PLEASE!

We’re DJing on the S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y… NITE! and we’re not bringing our combined record collections with us. And not any vinyl at all. So if there’s a song you want us to play, please send your request to bubblegumkillers AT googlemail.com – then we can find it and make it go on a CD if it’s on a record. Or send us MP3’s (completely legally like…).

Normal Terms & Conditions apply.

Helen Love’s BubbleumKillers Attack Squad DJ Team Formation reserve the right not to play any songs that a: aren’t pop enough, b: we don’t have, and c: aren’t by the Ramones.
See you there (for giggles and that watch us run between Town Bike, Silence At Sea and Slow Down Tallahasee, while still bleary eyed from the magical Penny Braodhurst and the ace MJ Hibbett the night before). And do say hello. We’re quite nice…

Indietracks interview #27: Roadside Poppies


We're just about to fly back from Stockholm, but there's still time to post another pre-prepared interview for your enjoyment. There's lots to squeeze in over the next few days before the festival begins, so keep popping back!

Roadside Poppies play slapdash jangly pop songs. They started as a one-man project by Matloob but blossomed into something far greater. Currently a six piece, split between the UK and Denmark, they play songs about “summer, flowers, cycling, falling in and out of love and murderous neighbours- the usual indiepop fare!”

Their first official CD release was the now sold out ‘Cycling and Crying’ EP on WeePOP! Records, the first release on the label. They also recorded an entire album in 28 days as past of the RPM challenge and this is available for free download from their website.
After a smattering of gig across the UK, they headed off to Denmark and Sweden in September 2007 on their first European tour.


Hi Matloob, we’re big fans of t’Poppies over the Indietracks blog, but for the uninitiated - tell us a little bit about yourselves!

Roadside Poppies started as a bedroom recording project in Cambridge but became a band once Martin and Duncan joined. After seeing bands like the Suburban Kids with Biblical Names and Sambassadeur sounding great with mp3 backing tracks, we decided to ditch the idea of a drummer in favour of being able to travel to gigs by bike or public transport. We've played a few gigs in Oxford, Cambridge and London and also in Denmark and Sweden. I ended up moving to Copenhagen this year so we're now an Anglo-Danish band. Indietracks will be the first gig we'll be doing with members from both countries so it should be jangly, poppy fun.

You mentioned Suburban Kids with Biblical Names and Sambassadeur - how do you feel about music at the moment and the new crop of indiepop bands?

There is some great music around at the moment, it's good to see the British scene catching up with Swedish and American bands. There are a couple of great indiepop bands in Copenhagen and I can heartily recommend all popkids check out Ampel, De Agtige and Northern Portrait.

You’re about to play at a steam railway - tell us about an unusual place where you've played a gig in the past.

Well, if it counts, we did an extended pop jam at Jarn Torget (Iron Square) in Gothenburg to try and work off a hangover before playing a gig at a nearby bar. It was great fun playing to a mixture of amused teenagers, bemused passers-by and sarcastic drunks. Oh, and we've got a plan to play a tree gig in Copenhagen in August. We've checked out a tree in Norrerbro that we think we can climb and play in.

Now that is surprising! Do you have any surprises planned for the Indietracks festival?

We'll be fielding our new full line-up of British and Danish musicians and playing some completely new super-poppy songs. We'll also have a very limited number of exclusive and completely unique CDs for sale. The band has members representing all three sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and there will sweets for anyone who can identify all the band scientists (and their discipline) on stage.

Hee, sounds like fun! Who are you most looking forward to seeing at the Indietracks festival, and why?

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Pocketbooks, the songs just keep getting catchier and more moving as time goes on. We're on the church stage just before they play so we'll be running from straight from the church stage clutching our instruments to catch their set.

Free MP3 Download: Roadside Poppies - Erosion