Festival season is galloping ever closer, and before it quickly passes us by, let’s get our act together. You could pay a lot of money to go and see a load of bloated old stars at Leeds/Reading festival, be bogged down at Glastonbury (it’s due a rainy year, after all) or go to one of the many other generic festivals with incredibly similar line-ups that seem to have sprung up from nowhere. Or, if you want a glimpse at what your friends are going to be talking about in 12 months time, you could do worse than visiting Salford on May 2nd. Sounds from the Other City is taking residence for it’s 5th year and the line-up is phenomenal – you can take a look on it’s Facebook page, whereas there’s even more information on it’s official website. Tickets are £15 and it’s bound to be an excellent day, whilst the various clubnights that are flocking down for the evening will make sure you won’t be home well into Bank Holiday Monday.
To celebrate, here’s a mixtape of bands playing the festival, donated by the acts themselves. Listen to the tracks and download the whole mix below:
- 1.Egyptian Hip Hop – Heavenly
Manchester’s great new hope, fast becoming one of the most talked about new bands on the planet. Taking the best of the city’s musical past and completely demolishing it, you’d be a fool to miss them
Playing Bring on the Dancing Horses, Upstairs at The Old Pint Pot
- 2.MAY68 – Last Mile
Infectious and utterly brilliant, the band have recently released their debut single on the uber-hip Hit Club Records. Ridiculously talented, certainly one to watch.
Playing Bring on the Dancing Horses, Upstairs at The Old Pint Pot
- 3.Dean McPhee – Water Burial
Anyone who thinks that downtempo music can’t be breathtaking should listen to Dean McPhee. With all his songs (whether improvised or not) done in one take, his live show looks set to be the best at the festival
Playing Room Tones in the Engine Room of Islington Mill
- 4.Hotpants Romance– Stop Escaping Me
Anyone who promotes themselves as ‘3 girls. 3 years. 3 chords.’ is bound to be wonderful. Stripped back and utilising a tremendous energy, there’s very little not to love of Hotpants Romance
Playing Comfortable on a Tightrope at The Angel Centre
- 5.Io Monade Stanca – Abete 43211234
Filled with the kind of math-rock breakdowns that’s made Battles the math-rock band that could, Io Manade Stanca take experimental post-rock to it’s natural conclusion. Rarely short of breathtaking.
Playing Mind on Fire vs Wotgodforgot at The Salvation Army
- 6.A Middle Sex – MRSA
To say A Middle Sex are minimal is somewhat misleading – the band’s sound is peppered with influences from all over the sonic spectrum, driven by a kind of cold electronic industriality. In practice, nothing short of amazing.
Playing Room Tones in the Engine Room of Islington Mill
- 7.The Cavalcade – For You
If twangly guitars and heartfelt, slightly nasal lyrics that sound like they’re being delivered by a man in a nice vintage suit are your thing, look no further. Comparisons to The Pains of being pure at Heart and Belle and Sebastien are inevitable, but that’s never a bad thing
Playing Postcard from Manchester, downstairs at The Old Pint Pot
- 8.Windmill – Big Boom
The fact that Windmill is one man’s work is pretty much unbelievable. The Polyphonic Spree might be on adverts for supermarkets, but they didn’t manage anything that comes close to the scope shown on Big Boom, and they were the size of a small army. Bewildering, inspired and uplifting. Excellent.
Playing Postcard from Manchester, downstairs at The Old Pint Pot
- 9.Levenshulme Bicycle Orchestra – Whale in a Duckpond
Constantly blurring the lines between music and performance art, recent performances have seen the band hand out ‘Last Will and Testament’ cards` for the audience to fill out. Playing parts of broken bicycles won’t seem like such an odd thing once they’re done.
Playing Mind on Fire vs Wotgodforgot at The Salvation Army
- 10.Sam Barrett – Lay a White Rose
Folk inspired music with speedy guitar work that you could easily lose yourself in. Overwhelmingly beautiful, with lyrics firmly set in nature, definitely one to see on a lazy bank holiday weekend
Playing Your Mama’s Cooking at The Crescent
Sounds from the Other City: A Mixtape
download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?gymznmzz1ww
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