Reminder: applications for workshops

(Photo from the Bunty Collective, Indietracks 2009)

Hi, just a quick reminder that the deadline is approaching for submitting application to run an activity workshop at this year's Indietracks.

In the past we've had songwriting, bunting making, jewellry making, stop-motion animation, quizzes and lots of other activities, some designed for children and others for everyone.

If you'd like to apply, please read our previous post for the full details and then email indietracksalice@gmail.com by 29 April.

Volunteer at Indietracks 2011

(Sunset dancing at Indietracks 2009. Photo: rainonthelens)

This year we're once again looking for volunteers for the festival weekend. It's a great way to gain experience of working at a festival, it can be really fun and it means you can get in for free! We're looking for volunteers for the following positions:

Stewards

All stewards will work shifts and, where required, will be directing festival goers to the site, assisting with ticketing and wristbanding and stewarding the site. Some festival experience is an asset but not necessary.

Stage Assistants

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals with some experience of stage management, either at festival or gig level. This would be an ideal position for an events management student looking for some work experience, or someone with experience who wants to assist in the running of the festival. Each volunteer will work in pairs, managing each stage. This will involve meeting the bands from arrival to the site, helping them find their way around, making sure the bands are ready on time, and collecting their PRS forms.

For both positions, you must be able to arrive on site by midday Friday 29 July for induction and site preparation and be available to work throughout the days on 30 and 31 July. In return you will receive:
*The chance to get involved with a unique festival
*Experience of working at a festival for your CV
*Free entry into the festival
*Free camping if required
*Food and drink vouchers (only for use in the railway buffet)

Please note you will have to make your own way to and from the festival site. A deposit in the form of your camping fee will be payable which will be refunded on successful completion of your duties.

If you'd like to apply, please download an application form from the following link and, once you've completed it, send it to indietracksvolunteers@gmail.com before 30 April 2011.

Volunteers application form

If you would like to apply to work with a friend, mention this in the comments and we’ll do our best to make it happen. Please also let us know if you have volunteered in previous years.

If you have any questions, also e-mail us at this address and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Edwyn Collins joins the Indietracks 2011 line-up!

(Photo: Tracey Mckenna)

Edwyn Collins, Suburban Kids with Biblical Names and Jonny have been added to the headliners of this year’s Indietracks Festival, held on 29-31 July  in the grounds of a picturesque 1950s steam railway in Derbyshire.


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.

Jonny are made up of Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci). 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.

Swedish indiepop band Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, consisting of Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarson, formed in December 2003. Since then, they have released one album and three EPs on Labrador Records and have been described as “lush folk pop” by the NME, with “catchy, clever and coolly complex” songs.

Other bands announced today are Butcher Boy, Withered Hand, Pocketbooks, Ringo Deathstarr, Chris T-T, A Little Orchestra, Dignan Porch, The Bumblebees and Papa Topo. All bands are from the UK apart Ringo Deathstarr, who hail from Texas, and Papa Topo, who are from Mallorca.

Also among the headliners at this year’s Indietracks are The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis and Math and Physics Club.

Further bands will be announced shortly.

Early bird tickets!

Weekend tickets are now available at a cheaper early bird discount price of £60, and day tickets are available for £32.50. This price is available until Friday 6 May. After this date, weekend tickets will be £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

More bands to be announced this evening...

(Photo: Photojonny)

Just a very quick post to say that we'll be announcing some more Indietracks 2011 bands, including a few more headliners, at 7pm today (Thursday 7 April). Please pop back here at 7pm!

Thanks very much to everyone who's picked up an early bird ticket so far! Don't forget, these cheaper early bird tickets are available until Friday 6 May. To buy tickets, please visit the Midland Railway tickets page.

Fancy running an activity workshop at Indietracks?

Fortuna Pop! supremo Sean Price enthralls a tent full of people keen to learn how (not) to run a record label!

(Photo: Underexposed)

One of the many, many things we love about Indietracks is the wonderful workshops run by talented volunteers each year. There is always a range of brilliant activities for both children and adults, and in previous years we have made jewellery with Tatty Devine, got crafty with Craft Guerilla, learned how (not) to run a record label with Fortuna POP!, made stop motion animation films and even played indie pop Guess Who!

We're really keen to run workshops again this year, so please do get in touch if you're interested in getting involved. You will be able to run your workshop in a designated tent and - of course - you will have a free ticket to the festival.

The deadline for workshop applications is April 29, and we will contact successful applicants shortly after that.

If you would like to submit an application please read the small print below and send an email to indietracksalice@gmail.com containing the following information:

- Who you are - and website if applicable

- Have you run a workshop before?

- What your workshop will be about

- Will you charge for your workshop?

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

********************************************************************************
Small print

Please be creative with your application as we are looking for new and exciting workshops at the festival. We are particularly looking for new workshops, but will accept applications from previous workshop co-ordinators too.

You must provide all materials to run the workshop with - Indietracks has 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 per workshop.

You will be able to sell your stuff on a stall at the festival over the weekend. We charge a standard merchant 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 open to suggestions for workshops specifically aimed at children too.

There have been increasing requests for non-craft based workshops, so we are hoping to vary the schedule more this year.

First bands and early bird tickets for Indietracks 2011!

We’re very excited to announce that international indiepop favourites Jeffrey Lewis and The Hidden Cameras will be among the headliners of this year’s Indietracks Festival.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for the festival, which takes place on the weekend of 29-31 July 2011 at a steam railway in Derbyshire.

Jeffrey Lewis has become one of the front-runners of the anti-folk movementsince releasing his official debut album on Rough Trade in 2001. The New Yorker has been described as “the best lyricist working in the US today” by Jarvis Cocker, and as “the Big Apple’s best-kept secret” by the NME.

The Hidden Cameras, hailing from Toronto, have released seven albums, including three albums and an EP on Rough Trade, and are the brainchild of Joel Gibb. Their live performances are often elaborate, high-energy shows, featuring go-go dancers in balaclavas and choirs. The BBC described their most recent album, Origin:Orphan, as “a serious and sophisticated musical force to be reckoned with”.

We’ve also announced seven further artists from across the globe: Math and Physics Club (US), The Wendy Darlings (France), The Sweet Nothings (UK), Next Time Passions (Greece), Very Truly Yours (US), The Garlands (Sweden) and Zipper (Spain). Further headliners and day bands will be announced very soon!

Early bird tickets

Weekend tickets are now available at an early bird discount price of £60, and day tickets are available for £32.50. This price is available until Friday 6 May. After this date, weekend tickets will be £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 now from www.instantticketseller.com/midlandrailwaycentre or by calling 01773 747 674 during the daytime.

We hope to see you at this year’s festival!

xxx

Coming soon...

Just a quick message to let you know that we're planning to make an announcement at 7.00pm today!

Please pop back here or visit our website later this evening. Or alternatively, for the very latest news follow us on Twitter or Facebook or sign up to our email newsletter mailing list.

Popfests in 2011!

Hello, it’s been a while! As we at Indietracks HQ sift through the hundreds of band applications that have already flooded in for the 2011 festival, we find ourselves getting a bit impatient for some pop action and a chance to get together with our friends from all over the world. But we can’t wait until July – it’s aaages away!

Thankfully we don’t have to wait that long at all, because next month brings the first of 2011’s Popfests! These festivals happen all over the world and it seems like more spring up every year – last year saw the very first Copenhagen Popfest, and this year the Madrid Popfest will be making its debut. These events are lovingly organised by friends and indiepop fans, many of whom we have come to know well through our own festival, and some of whom are even involved in Indietracks themselves. If you’ve never been, we can’t recommend enough that you do! Below are the details we have so far:

London Popfest, 24 – 27 February

Thursday @ Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush
The Pooh Sticks, Tender Trap, The Understudies + 1 more tba

Friday @ Brixton Windmill, Brixton
The Andersen Tapes, Sourpatch, Town Bike, The X-ing School

Saturday @ 100 Club, Oxford Street (now sold out)
Bearsuit, Evans The Death, Eux Autres, The Felt Tips, Help Stamp Out Loneliness, The History of Apple Pie, Humousexual, The Monochrome Set

Sunday @ The Lexington, Islington
14 Iced Bears, The Notes, Youngfuck + 1 more tba

Tickets are selling FAST for this, so be quick! You can find out about tickets, schedules, news and loads more at www.londonpopfest.com

Madrid Popfest, 11 – 12 March

Bands confirmed so far are Tender Trap, Cola Jet Set, The Blanche Hudson Weekend, Papa Topo, Aias, Zipper, and Horowitz.

Visit the website for tickets, and to sign up for news and updates! www.madridpopfest.com

Other Popfests!

Rome Popfest is usually in March, but no details have been released for this year’s event as yet. You can visit the website for updates!

Last April’s Copenhagen Popfest was somewhat hampered by pesky volcano action, but people were so determined to get there that they travelled for days on whichever mode of transport they could find still operating! Sadly we were among those stranded due to cancelled flights (we ate a lot of cake that weekend to console ourselves), but received glowing reports from those who had made it. Let’s hope they announce a 2011 version soon – keep up to date here.

Next up is New York Popfest, which is taking place in May. We’ve been hearing the first whispers about this in the last couple of days, and although the website isn’t operating at the mo there is a Facebook group which you can follow. We’ll be there, so come and say hello!

Also in May, the San Francisco Popfest have not yet released details of this year’s event, but having visited ourselves in 2009 we can guarantee it’s worth going! Visit their website to get the news as it happens.

If you still haven't had enough pop after Indietracks in July, then head to Athens (US) Popfest which takes place in August! Visit their website to read about last year's event, download the excellent free compilation of bands who played, and get the 2011 details as they're announced!

Finally, New England Popfest takes place in November. It’s a bit early for details of the 2011 version just yet, but you can visit their website or join them on Facebook to get the first details.

So there you go – the pop never stops!

Band submissions for Indietracks now open!

Applications are now open for bands interested in playing at Indietracks next year. To apply, please send your email address, a short biography and a link to your music to indietracksbands@gmail.com We prefer to receive links rather than mp3s where possible.

The deadline for applications is midnight on February 13, 2011. Thanks to everyone who has applied so far - we're now looking at your emails and we'll respond to successful applicants after the submission deadline has closed. Best of luck!

Next year's Indietracks takes place on July 29-31. For further information about the festival, visit http://www.indietracks.co.uk/

Midland Railway in the snow

Hopefully the recent snow has had you feeling all excited and festive! Of course, it's made running a steam railway an interesting challenge, as these photos demonstrate. They were taken on 1 December, at the height of the snow, so it's possibly all melted by now. Still, it all looks very Christmassy! 

The railway has sent us a quick update following the recent appeal we held to help finish the Swanwick station building. Work is continuing at the station, with some more internal work done to the station office and wood panelling put up around the booking hall. The railway have told us it looks great, so we can't wait to see it next year! They're hoping to be able use the booking office as part office/part shop in the spring, which will be a great addition to the part of the site where we hold the festival.

If you've come along to Indietracks over the last few years, you'll have seen this station building growing gradually, and it'll be fantastic when it's finished. Thanks again for your contributions!

Have a great Christmas, and we look forward to seeing you next year!

xxx