FARM FEST 2021 LINE UP

BAXTER DURY

Charismatic songwriter Baxter Dury releases his new album ‘Night Chancers’ later this month, a collection of ten-songs which in his own words are “a psychological journey through the maze bit in The Shining”. With a headline set scheduled for our Main Stage, local fans have a second chance to see his sonic journey unfold live this year, after his show at Bristol’s SWX sold-out in under a day. From what we’ve heard, his sixth album features some of his most incisive and musically dexterous songs so far, infused with classic disco, Italian pop, ’80s hip hop beats and smart strings. It promises to be a special moment in the history of Farmfest when he takes to the stage; Baxter, the farm awaits you…

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BEAK>

One of Bristol’s most exciting exports, Beak> have performed worldwide with headline tours around Europe and US, and supporting acts such as The Horrors, Chris Cunnigham, Savage, Mogwai and Arcade Fire. Comprised of Billy Fuller (Robert Plant), Geoff Barrow (Portishead) and Will Young (Moon Gangs) the trio have released 3 albums on Invada Records – 2009’s ‘Beak>’, 2012’s ‘>>’, and 2018’s ‘>>>’ – as well as the soundtrack to the award winning film ‘Couple In A Hole’ (2015). Their most recent album, ‘>>>’, was made 6Music’s Album of The Day. Renowned for captivating live shows, their Main Stage performance is set to be a highlight of the weekend.

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GENGAHR

The North London outfit are riding high after the release of their third album, Sanctuary, at the start of the year. More expansive and ambitious than ever before, Gengahr are a band reborn. The new material is their finest body of work to date, a DIY triumph which welcomes old friend Jack Steadman of Bombay Bicycle Club as producer, adding his distinct brand of symphonic sparkle to Gengahr’s complex, layered sound. Undoubtedly one of the UK’s most exciting guitar bands at the moment, and they are blossoming into something truly special. The experimental alt-pop four-piece take to the main stage this July.

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BCUC

This booking has been two years in the making but finally we welcome one of South Africa’s most successful musical exports, BCUC. Since exploding onto the scene, the seven-piece band has been mesmerising audiences globally with their indigenous funk and high-energy performances. Artistic heirs to Philip “Malombo” Tabane and Batsumi, BCUC seek to give a contemporary voice to the ancestral traditions of indigenous peoples. Jazz sounds of 1970s and ‘80s productions have been replaced by hip-hop influences and a punk-rock energy. The Africa portrayed by BCUC is not poor, but rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs. Their music derives from a blend of genres across the ages and they draw inspiration from indigenous music that is not exposed in the mainstream. “Music for the people by the people with the people” – a people they refuse to box into one community, to circumscribe to one skin colour. We are truly privileged to have BCUC closing the live performances for the weekend with their Saturday headline set in our Big Blue Tent.

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SOPHIE HUNGER

Sophie Hunger is one of those perfect Farmfest acts, as she is a genuinely genre defying artist. She’s long been synonymous with a minimalist folk-jazz hybrid that put her in step with fellow travellers like Laura Marling and Feist. But having made the move to Berlin in recent years, she has since discovered electronic music, became a frequent visitor to the Berghain club on Sunday nights and developed an interest in modular synths. Already an established artist in mainland Europe, ‘Molecules’ is Hunger’s first full album in English and is what she describes as “minimal electronic folk”. Her most compelling qualities – an ingenue-like delicacy and contrasting solitary darkness – haven’t changed. Familiar trickles of funfair weirdness still permeate the music, calling to mind Beth Orton and Regina Spektor. ‘Molecules’ bears witness to her defiance and intellectual credibility in a post-truth age of ignorance. Pop fans in search of a nuanced, intelligent role model could do worse than to keep an eye on her.

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SNAPPED ANKLES

“They came from the trees…” The first thing you notice when London post-punks Snapped Ankles take to a stage is they’re kitted out as ‘woodwoses’ (mythical wild men). The next thing you’ll notice is the woodwose have discovered electricity and they’re not afraid to use it. Now settled in fertile east London, Snapped Ankles maintain the feral energy of the forest. Fight or flight. They’ve flourished in the sub-tropical climes of warehouse and squat parties, moving onto performance art collaborations with filmmakers and shows in unlikely locations such as barber shops, games arcades and the forests they once called home. This is what dance music will sound like when computers finally fail us. Homemade log synths (yes, literally), electrified sticks (again, we’re serious), bass guitar and sticks beating hell on taut animal skin coalesce to form fearsome primal rhythms. Fuzz guitars rubbing up against dirty rolling arpeggiated synthesisers to ignite wild white noise fires. Ultimately, you’re in for one amazing, sweaty, weird treat of a show.

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PEANESS

We love a good DIY band here at Farmfest, so we naturally gravitated towards Peaness who themselves have strong roots in the DIY scene; self-releasing their first EP ‘No Fun’, and releasing their critically acclaimed EP ‘Are You Sure?’ with UK independent label royalty Alcopop! They often make their own music videos, have close creative friends doing press shots and artwork, and even have their mum’s making handmade squeaky peas for merchandise. Formed late in 2014, in Chester university digs, the three-piece band write catchy, fuzzy, harmony driven indie-pop songs about love, friendship, frustrations, Brexit and food waste. They’ve been playing together since summer 2015, and their fun, friendships fuelled live performances have been winning the hearts and minds of people up and down the country, including ours!

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TALK SHOW

London 4-piece, Talk Show, burst onto the scene at the beginning of 2019 with the release of their debut single via YALA! Records, ‘Fast and Loud’. We instantly fell in love with their intense, raucous outlay of post-punk energy, and they were one of our first bookings of the year. In their short time as a band they have performed throughout the UK and Europe in support of artists including Fontaines D.C., Squid, Fat White Family, Crows, The Murder Capital, Black Country New Road and Pip Blom. The band’s unmissable live show has already seen them headline London’s Lexington, demonstrating their status as one of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming artists. An intense and intimate performance awaits us in USAGI’s Tavern come July, which will be an increasingly rare chance to see the band up close and personal, as their latest headline tour is already taking in 700-capacity venues such as London’s Lafayette, Nottingham’s Bodega and Manchester’s YES.

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LIINES

Manchester post-punks LIINES have built a reputation as one of the most exciting acts to emerge from Manchester in recent years. Their sound is an infectious, urgent and at times furious; a blend of Riot Grrrl, post-punk and alt-rock sounds. Comparisons have been drawn with the likes of Savages, PINS and Desperate Journalist, and since releasing debut album Stop-Start the trio have toured the UK with Sleaford Mods, Ash and Hot Snakes, including a string of the country’s festival heavyweights like Glastonbury, Blue Dot and Kendall Calling. This year they’ll be add Farmfest to that list as we prepare ourselves for a high energy, ferocious encounter with one of the most exciting post-punk outfits we’ve encountered for years.

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JUST MUSTARD

Just Mustard have been steadily building a reputation as one of Ireland’s most thrilling new bands – live and on record – since forming in 2016. The Dundalk band’s heady blend of noise, trip hop and electronic influenced music earned their debut album Wednesday a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year. NME dubbed the debut “a two-toned masterpiece” and the Irish Independent described it as “a swirling atmosphere-heavy thrill-ride”. They’ve gone onto make huge strides internationally with the release of their AA side ‘Frank//October’, with KEXP making Frank their ‘Song Of The Day’, and BBC Radio 1 naming it ‘Tune Of The Week’. The band supported Fontaines DC on their sold-out UK tour, emerging as a ‘band of the weekend’ at Brighton’s Great Escape Festival and came out of Primavera as one of the “12 best acts” according to NME. As if we needed any more proof that we needed Just Mustard on the farm this year, the band were recently handpicked by Robert Smith to support The Cure at Malahide Castle due to their electrifying live show.

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JUNGLE BROWN

The exciting UK rap collective effortlessly combine jazz infused instrumentals with soulful hip-hop, boom bap beats and even elements of trap and house. Their debut album ‘Flight 314’ achieved well over a million streams without any budget for marketing or promotion, leading to them being swiftly snapped up by the Mr Bongo label (who’ll also be joining us in the Big Blue Tent this year). They later released their second LP ‘Full Circle’ on the label to critical acclaim, with rave reviews flooding in from heavy weights of hip-hop such as Loyle Carner, who simply summed up stand out track ‘Keep It Movin’ as “It’s my jam!”. Jungle Brown have also garnered praise for their energetic live performances which has led to them sharing stages with the likes of Ghostface Killah of Wu Tang Clan, Akala, De La Soul and Speech Debelle.

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THUMPASAURUS

Thumpasaurus are a gang of five superbly skilled young American musicians taking hugely divergent influences and channelling them into something uniquely… Thumpasaurian. Last year we began hearing stories of the funky five’s wild house parties, thrown at Air BnB’s across Los Angeles. Of course, we had to get in on the action and we’re delighted to be one of the few UK destinations on Thumpasaurus’s next outing across the pond. Musically, the band have their own unique punk/funk stew with traces of Zappa, Beefheart, James Chance, Funkadelic/Parliament, Morphine, Devo, Talking Heads and Prince, as well as some rocking heavy metal, free jazz, musical theatre and even some light opera references thrown in for good measure. Lead singer and guitarist Lucas Tamaren’s alter ego, Sensei Boland, recently achieved web notoriety by challenging the world to bring him something he can’t karate chop. A promotional meme for “Mental Karate” resulted in Buzzfeed picking up on the video and the band’s music being shared by the likes of Alt-J, Shakey Graves, and Rob Thomas amongst others. Check it out here: http://whatichopped.com The band’s manifesto sums up their live show in a few simple words: Think. Dance. Smile. Feel. Long may you Thump.

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NORMAN JAY MBE

A man who needs no introduction and a DJ we’ve had on our hitlist since day one, Norman Jay is unquestionably one of the most respected and popular DJs in the world today. Co-founder of the legendary Good Times Sound System and London dance music station KISS FM, Jay fostered the ‘Rare Groove’ scene pushing the boundaries of the UK’s emerging club culture. Awarded an MBE for services to deejaying and music, in 2017 he released ‘Mister Good Times’ capturing the true spirit of Good Times, and is currently taking his legendary Good Times party to selected venues around the UK, continuing to convert generations of clubbers to the cause, championing new sounds, yet never forgetting his musical roots, thus guaranteeing nothing but ‘Good Times’. Let the good times role…

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THE REFLEX

The Reflex (Nicolas Laugier) is now the most played remixer on BBC6 Music, which kind of says it all! He has captured the world’s attention by taking remixing and audio editing to new heights with his ‘Revisions’; the expert craftsmanship involved in turning stems into brand new versions. With privileged access to original multi-tracks, The Reflex extracts the funkiest elements of vintage recordings and puts the musicality to the fore while building his own groove in a way that only he can. While some are remixing from the outside in, layering house beats over disco classics, The Reflex does it the hard way, combining creativity and functionality with results that are often nothing short of spectacular. He’s gathered support from virtually every corner of the industry – from the tastemakers (Gilles Peterson, Mistajam, Bill Brewster, Lefto) to the heavyweights disco DJs (Joey Negro, DJ Harvey, Dimitri from Paris, Mousse T.); from the top underground jocks (Skream, Eats Everything, Disclosure, Purple Disco Machine) to hip-hop heads (De La Soul, Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina); from the DJ / remix pioneers (François K, Danny Krivit, Greg Wilson) to ground breaking producers (Patrick Adams, Jimmy Jam, Leroy Burgess); the list of supporters keeps growing. As a DJ, The Reflex sets are a proper energy-packed workout, full of unreleased material, combining an impressive mix of disco, cosmic, funk, boogie house, rarities and much more.

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ALFRESCO DISCO

Alfresco Disco throw some of the most imaginative and talked about parties in the UK and beyond. Unearthing never used before party locations, building bespoke themed décor and programming the most forward-thinking surprise line-ups are their speciality. From free parties in forests under moonlight, to huge daytime warehouse raves, Intimate boat trips to exotic locations, the Alfresco Disco legend continues to grow apace. In 2018 they were awarded the coveted ‘Best of British’ award from DJ Magazine. This set-in stone what many already knew – Alfresco throw the best parties in the land! Expect underground house bangers, Afrobeat and mid-tempo acid chuggers.

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DANIELLE

Danielle is a DJ and Illustrator from London, currently based in Bristol. Her job at Phonica Records has helped her build up a truly special collection of music with her sets featuring an impressive range of genres drawing from an informed selection of old school house cuts, into bass, electro, new-wave, UK techno and beyond. Over the last few years she has had the chance to play at some of the city’s best parties including Timedance, Livity Sound and Young Echo, and at some of the World’s best clubs such as Corsica Studios, Oval Space and Griessmuehle. She’s a resident at BRSTL (a monthly club night showcasing Bristol-based talent) and is one of the mentors at the increasingly popular Bristol-based DJ workshop ‘Mix Nights’.

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A SAGITTARIUN

Pulling deep from his three decades in the music scene, A Sagittariun delivers a smattering of techno classics, deeper cuts and raw and uncompromising electronic music. He has indulged in astrological techno, spiritual house music, bass heavy dub rhythms and ambient paths, culminating in two full length albums, ‘Dream Ritual’ (2013) and ‘Elasticity’ (2016). A Sagittariun has also released music on Secretsundaze, Hypercolour and Couldn’t Care More. From the booth, ‘The Archer’ beams down heady and driving techno, permeated with melodic touches and a sense of optimism.

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MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM

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JAMES DYER

With a penchant for the wonderful oddities of golden era Ibiza and tribal rhythms of sweaty underground basements, Dyer has become a firm Bristol favourite and his esoteric selections have matured through years and years of record digging. He is one of Artwork’s favourite warmup DJs and was handpicked by Andrew Weatherall to warm up for him at his New Year gig in London.

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NORTHERN SOUL GIRL

Levanna McLean aka Northern Soul Girl came to the attention of the music industry through her up beat dance videos on Youtube. Her videos even caught the eye of Universal Music Group who released 3 CD Compilations of hers, selling over 100,000 copies. She continues to embrace her love of rare soul music through Djing, Dancing and making videos. Join Levanna Mclean on the Soul Express on the Soul Express this year with her vinyl box full of Funk, Soul, Disco and more.

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DROPOUT DISCO

NOMADIC PARTY STARTERS AND PURVEYORS OF THE FINEST HOUSE, TECHNO AND DISCO. WE LOVE DROPOUT DISCO SO MUCH THAT WE’RE PARTYING WITH THEM TWICE! CHECK OUT OUR WARM-UP PARTY ON JUNE 8TH AND THE DEN AT FARMFEST 2019.

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MARCO BERNARDI (OCTOGEN)

Marco Bernardi is an alchemist of electronic sound; from Berlin’s top clubs, to Glasgow’s underground lairs such as the Sub Club, Paisley’s rave palace of Club 69 and into staples such as Barcelona’s Loft or London’s Fabric – his trail has blazed, and there’s been no stage so far denied to him. Over the past decade Marco has honed his techno sorcery to a level at which it now occupies the same quality niche as his heroes of Drexciya, UR, Orlando Voorn, and Legowelt. He’s released albums and crucial 12”s on labels as serious as Clone, Frustrated Funk, Abstract Forms, Soma, Rawax, Dutch imprint Creme/Bunker and Dave Clarke’s Whitenoise. Today, Bernardi is about to unleash his next assault on the world from his furtive Bristol bunker, including launching his own label: Take the Elevator.

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FEEL THE REAL

Bristol-based DJ collective, Feel The Real Soundsystem, are a made up of Andres Cervero, Pato, Christophe, and legendary MC Joe Peng. Formed in 2010, they are forged in the best traditions of the Bristol soundsytem/DJ crew culture from the early ’80s to the present day, and which formed the bedrock of the Bristol sound and music scene. Boogie, rare groove, 80s soul and proto house boys at heart, the sounds spans four decades of dance music, whilst the vibe is always a smiling, happy dancefloor full of people with discerning taste having a great time! Over the years Feel The Real have played at multiple venues and festivals both here and abroad, including Glastonbury, Shambala, Secret Garden Party, Love Saves The Day, Love International, Garden Festival…and now Farmfest!

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CHEEBA

DJ Cheeba is hailed as one of the most progressive audio-visual artists around today and has found an audience world-wide with his unique style of turntablism and video manipulation. Cheeba has produced a variety of celebrated projects including video mixes, movie re-scores, adverts, documentaries and commissioned projects for everyone from Led Zeppelin to Aardman as well as the eclectic mixtapes that he’s best known for. Best experienced live, Cheeba has performed worldwide with tours spanning UK, Europe, Australia and Canada as well as being a regular on the UK and European festival circuit. He’s a truly versatile performer, a genre smashing party DJ known for his cut and paste style of turntablism. Farmfest revellers can expect a high paced trip through styles made to make them dance, think and smile.

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