Lunar Festival returns to Umberslade Park & Farm Estate this weekend, with the site open from 10am on Friday 5th until to 7th June.
A three day affair, with daily tickets for £39 (advance) & £45 (otd) or a weekend pass for £89 & £100 (otd), Lunar is enjoying its fourth festival summer this year – with acts from Wilko Johnson to the Bootleg Beatles on the main stage.
There’s even a limited place homage to Nick Drake, where two score ‘Lunarees’ (…trademark Birmingham Review) will be taken off site for a secluded listen to Bryter Layter – the sophomore album from the man who’s partly the reason we’re all here this weekend.
But never fear, there’s plenty more to keep you occupied for 72 hours; we’ve even highlighted a few below:
Friday 5th June / Modulate presents Higher Intelligence Agency
Once you’ve arrived, found your friends, claimed that sweet camping spot (just far/near enough to everything necessary) and started perhaps earlier than you thought you might, why not keep Modulate in mind.
Coming back to a Birmingham crowd, in what could only induce tears and laughter from a few of us, Mr Bobby Bird will be playing live Higher Intelligence Agency tracks as part of an evening from the ex-Oscillate (well 2/3 of them) audio/visual collective. Modulate will no doubt make the closing hours of Lunar Day One suitably blissful, with enough sensory tickling to keep even the hardest hit amongst us safe and sound (or at least occupied). But if you want to see en masse middle aged Ambient Techno memory lane… this might well be worth a look.
For more on Modulate at Lunar Festival, visit http://lunarfestival.co.uk/line-up/modulate-presents-higher-intelligence-agency/
For more on Modulate, visit http://www.modulate.org.uk/
For more from Higher Intelligence Agency, visit https://higherintelligenceagency.wordpress.com/
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Saturday 6th June / Trembling Bells & Mike Heron
A lot to get excited about on Saturday (just finger stroll the line up) but a particular point of interest on the bill is Trembling Bells & Mike Heron. Having collaborated with the Incredible String Band founder on a previous 2011 tour, The Bells & Mike Heron are coming to Lunar Festival as part of their ‘The Circle is Unbroken’ UK endeavour – performing tracks from the first four, now reissued, Incredible String Band albums.
Although you could say this about a few faces on the Saturday line up, this will be a chance to see so serious calibre on stage. Either of these acts would be worth a look/listen in their own right, but have formed a musical partnership that seems to be confidently evolving.
For more on Trembling Bells & Mike Heron at Lunar Festival, visit http://lunarfestival.co.uk/line-up/mike-heron-trembling-bells/
For more on Trembling Bells, visit http://www.tremblingbells.com/
For more on Mike Heron, visit http://www.mikeheron.co.uk/
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Sunday 7th June / BBC Radiophonic Workshop
With childlike excitement, Sunday afternoon sees the BBC Radiophonic Workshop perform live on the Lunar main stage. Formed by old members of the BBC’s sound effect unit at Maida Vale, the Radiophonic Workshop have been behind some of the most memorable music to grace our airwaves – from The Goon Show to Doctor Who, via the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Blake’s 7.
Touring a live show since 2009, today’s line up began with former Workshop composers Roger Limb, Paddy Kingsland and Peter Howell, alongside archivist Mark Ayres – coming together for a special concert at the Roundhouse in 2008. Pioneering techniques and approaches that will have underpinned so much of modern Electronica, including a fair number on the rest of the Lunar bill, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop are a seminal ensemble who helped carve out a part of contemporary culture. Plus how cool would it be to see the Doctor Who theme tune played live..?
For more on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop at Lunar Festival, visit http://lunarfestival.co.uk/line-up/bbc-radiophonic-workshop/
For more on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, visit http://theradiophonicworkshop.co.uk/
Lunar Festival comes to the Umberslade Park & Farm Estate, from 5th to 7th June. Tickets are still available– priced at £42 per day (advance) or a weekend pass for £94 (advance).
For further information, and online tickets, visit http://lunarfestival.co.uk/
