[Y Not Festival] Day One Highlights including Willy Moon, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and a very British Summer

Festivals of all sizes are always a blast. Contrary to belief, bigger is not always better. Last weekend I took the trip over to Derbyshire, the county I grew up in from age 4-18, to hit up the fantastic Y Not Festival. A grassroots festival that started in a Quarry with a group of friends. It's now grown to be an award winning small festival with an amazing atmosphere and an ever growing number of big bands topping the line-up. This year was the biggest and best with The Cribs, The Horrors and The Darkness headlining the main stage and a flurry of great bands performing across another 6 stages. 

 Arriving at the festival you notice its small stature, like a little brother you want to look after. It feels friendly and that's what I like about it when I first touched down in the fields. The sun was peeking out from between clouds and the camping areas were filling up with a mix of young and old from all walks of life. After finding a nice spot to camp, and having found out I'd bought a palace rather than your average two man tent, I did what any normal person does when arriving at a festival does; I had a beer. The great thing about Y Not is that it has numerous bars, all holding local ales and ciders, ranging from the normal to the crazy stronger stuff. Wonderful.

With a beer in hand I headed to see where my ears took me from the noises carried not he wind. A favourite trick of mine for festivals early on in the day when you may not know all of the bands playing. Sons and Lovers at the Quarry stage delivered an on point set tracks to a packed out tent. One advantage to playing ear lie run the day on the opening afternoon of a festival. My ears then took me across the field to a noise that sounded more up my street. A heavy, glitchy guitar jolt of electrifying Dillinger Escape Plan-esque math-rock. I walk into the tent to be absolutely blown away by a 4-piece instrumental band by the name of Axes. Playing to a sweltering Giant Squid Stage tent, the relationship the four had was noticeable. TO play the stuff they were playing so seamlessly, it was undeniably breathtaking. A definite highlight of the day, if not the entire weekend.

Next up I finally got to witness Willy Moon in a live situation. Walking out with a Gretsch round his neck and accompanied by an all girl band, I couldn't help but think of Jack White and his recent penchant for an all girl band. Two songs to his high energy set though, Willy is seen just wandering around the stage sipping from a mug, giving nods to people who wave… All sound on the main stage had died. He leaves the stage. It took a good hour until normality resumed and he finished his set in torrential rain. Fair play to him though, he absolutely killed it and the crowd was not disheartened by the British Summer weather. "Yeah Yeah" went down a treat with the umbrella wielding crowd.

The weather from here on on Friday was the stuff of a romantic comedy that might see the two main characters kissing and making up in the rain ala Spiderman. I Managed to catch part of the "surprise set" from Reverend and the Makers who, to be fair to them, did get the crowd well and truly going. Headline sets at festivals are always tricky to choose between but Y Not did everyone a favour and had the tents ending earlier than the main stage. That went out the window. I squeezed into a packed Quarry Stage tent to watch Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, the act I was most looking forward to from the weekend's line-up. Pip was a force to be reckoned with, walking around the stage and completely demanding the attention of the crowd while Dan offered up recognisable beats from their back catalogue. Just as the crowd were really starting to bounce, Scroob states that we "all need to leave, they're evacuating the tent". The storm outside was righteous and for safety, we all had to leave but were told to come back 30 minutes later.

Everyone and more returned and witnessed the duo debut their new single "Stunner" to the crowd. Finishing up the set, Scroob took to the crowd and was carried around, high-riving as he went. Due to this misfortune I missed The Horrors but caught a few tracks as I made my way back through the crowd to the campsite. I finished day one at Y Not 2013 happy, with my ears ringing from a combination of beats and thunder, literally. It was a good day.

[Y Not Festival] Our Most Anticipated Artists of the Festival

We've mentioned Y Not Festival a few times in the past few months and this weekend hoards of people will gather in Pikehall, Derbyshire to see some fantastic live music. We'll be making the trip over to enjoy the weekend in the sun (hopefully) and before we do that we thought we'd include some information on the bands we're most look forward to seeing over the weekend. 

Make the jump to get the low-down. The festival is now sold-out so if you slept on it, I'm afraid you've missed otu this year. Be sure to find the guys on Facebook to keep up with next year's plans. 

Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip

When: Friday

Where: Quarry Stage

Why? Quick wit, great beats and a return from the duo after their last release back in 2007. Excited yet? You should be. Try and keep up as Scroob lays verse after verse down making you both think and dance all at the same time. A deadly combination.

The Cribs

When: Saturday

Where: The Big Gin Stage

Why? The Wakefield band of brothers have come a long way over the past decade and their live shows are raw as freshly chopped onions. With their latest album released just last year after the departure of Johnny Marr from the ranks, they've gone back to basics and I'm sure the performance will be a highlight of the weekend for many.

Willy Moon

When: Friday

Where: The Big Gin Stage

Why? When you first see Willy Moon you might not expect him to be a mover and a shaker, given his clean cut hair and dapper suits. Don't let that fool you. His live performances pack a punch and after releasing his brilliant album, Here's Willy Moon, he's sure to leave the main stage crowd impressed.

The Horrors

When: Friday

Where: The Big Gin Stage

Why? If Dan Le Sac and Scroob ain't quite your thing on Friday evening, then how about you head over to the Big Gin stage to witness The Horrors perform tracks from their absolutely stunning LP, Skying. On point and it could be argued, better live than on record. You be the judges.

Family Rain

When: Sunday

Where: Quarry Stage

Why? Another band of Brothers for you to check out on one of the smaller stages. The Family Rain recorded in their families basement and the results on record are wonderful. Gritty and blues tinged, perfect for a Sunday afternoon in the sun.

Wet Nuns

When: Sunday

Where: The Giant Squid Stage

Why? A two piece band that will melt your face and make you want to kiss the person next to you all at the same time? Wet Nuns are for you with Kyuss like riffs and stoner vibes. Make sure you catch these guys and shake off your Sunday cobwebs.

China Rats

When: Sunday

Where: The Big Gin Stage

Why? We've mentioned China Rats a few times on SKOA and they're definitely a band to keep a close eye on over the coming months and festival season. Catch them now before they start playing larger crowds and bigger tents. It could be an "I was there" moment for the years to come.

The Joy Formidable

When: Sunday

Where: The Big Gin Stage

Why? A band with fans such as Mark Hoppus and Dave Grohl have got to be high on your "to-see" list for Sunday surely? These guys are sure to start your Sunday evening with a bang before the big guns take to headlining. 

[News] Y Not Festival Lineup

You know what I enjoy even more than the UK's biggest festivals? The smaller ones. Last year I ventured back into my home county of Derbyshire to hit up Y Not festival, a homegrown, grass roots built from the ground up festival. Boy did I have a good time. The likes of The Wombats, We Are Scientists, Pulled Apart By Horses, Roots Manuva, Little Comets and a host more across numerous stages graced the fields. This year promises to be even bigger, and with the winning the best small festival award last year, they're going to want to keep the good graces coming their way. With real ale and cider on offer too, family and friends a like are sure to have a good time along with tasting some great local produce.

This summer, over the weekend of August 2nd-4th, the normally peaceful countryside will play host to a melting pot of talent old and new. Headlining the Big Gin Stage will be The Horrors, The Cribs and The Darkness along with Ash, The Joy Formidable, Sky Larkin, Swim Deep, Drenge, Willy Moon. Gracing The Quarry Stage will be The 1975, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Electric Six, Stealing Sheep, The Family Rain and Sons and Lovers. Thing stake a heavier turn on The Giant Squid Stage with Wet Nuns, We Are The Ocean, Sharks, Arcane Roots, Gnarwolves and The Computers playing their music to the tent. 

The full line-up can be seen over on the official site with tickets priced at just £79.50. More bands are yet to be announced. Treat yourself to some summer fun.

[News] Parklife Weekender announces initial line-up

After weeks of torment and announcing just one act a day via numerous sources, Parklife Weekender has been given a full initial line-up announcement and it's shaping up to be a fun start to summer in Manchester. Presented by the same awesome people that bring us the Warehouse Project, the festival takes part over the weekend of June 8th-9th. Previously announced acts included Julio Bashmore, Everything Everything, The Maccabees, Four Tet and Hudson Mohawke. 

Names added today include Example, Plan B, Rita Ora, Mark Ronson, A Trak, The Horrors, Jessie Ware, Jamie Jones, Disclosure, Rudimental, TEED, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Savages, King Krule, Toro Y Moi and a crap load of others, with loads more still to be announced it's looking like it will live up to the previous years'. For the full line-up so far head over to the official website to grab some tickets. You know you want to. We're still awaiting word on the new venue/location for the event but we're told it'll all be revealed a week today (February 21st).

[Listen] The Horrors - "Ocean’s Burning" x "Still Life" (Electropsychacoustic) Session for 6 Music

Yesterday on BBC 6 Music, The Horrors took a visit to Lauren Laverne's Morning Show during which they all felt more than a little under the weather! However the band charged onward to lay down what they called an "electropsychacoustic" set of some Skying highlights. They played "Ocean's Burning" and today Lauren played a rendition of "Still Life" for the listeners and those in the studio. The minimal performances sounded great and the results can be enjoyed below. Alternatively you can enjoy the entire show for the next 6 days over on the BBC website. 

[Watch] The Horrors - "Still Life" Feat. Florence & The Machine (Live at The NME Awards Ceremony 2012)

So, last night The NME Awards took place in London with a number of Artists taking to the stage throughout the night. The show will be broadcast on TV this Saturday but footage from the performances is sneaking online. Kasabian paid tribute to the passing of Davy Jones with a brief Monkees tribute in their set but whilst scouring footage on Youtube I stumbled across this clip on The Horrors performing their single "Still Life" with a little help from double winner on the night, Florence Welch. Check out the footage at the top and look out for pro-shot performances appearing on SKoA at the weekend after the TV broadcast.

UPDATE: Added in the pro-shot broadcast footage above. Enjoy.

[Watch] The Horrors - "I Can See Through You" x "Endless Blue" Live on Last Call

On Tuesday, UK band The Horrors appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly to put in a couple of performances from their latest record, Skying. The band performed single, "I Can See Through You" and album cut "Endless Blue" for the audience in the studio, and at home. These guys seem to be going from strength to strength in a live setting and this performance shows it. Check it out "I Can See Through You" at the top of the page whilst "Endless Blue" is available after the jump. Both courtesy of The Audio Perv.

[Watch & Download] TOY - "Left Myself Behind"

They may be rocking 70s-era haircuts, but don't let that fool you. London five-piece TOY is nowhere close to retro. Lead primarily by a Korg Delta, the band has already found themselves supporting acts like The Horrors and The Pretty Things after forming only a year ago in 2010. They've got that dreary-dream-pop thing going on much like S.C.U.M. but a little less dancy despite their similiarities.

Once you've enjoyed the 7 minute and forty-seven second treat that is "Left Myself Behind" courtesy of the above video you can head over this way to grab the track for free courtesy of Heavenly Recordings.