After announcing one of the best line up’s of the festival season, that includes headliners such as The Vaccines, Belle and Sebastian and The Flaming Lips and acts such as The Cribs, Peace, Everything Everything and Unknown Mortal Orchestra further down the bill, it comes as no surprise that there is plenty of things going on at this year’s SoundCity festival that will suit all tastes.
The festival is split into two parts: the music and the conference and I’ll be starting with what you should be checking out at the music festival. First up is the tall ship called Kaskelot, which will serve as a floating venue for parties and intimate shows over the course of the weekend. If you are attending the festival then you have the chance to get your hands on special tickets to get onboard, look out for unique ways to claim them around the festival site.
Next is a SoundCity staple and highlight, the Aussie BBQ. As the name suggests it is a traditional Aussie BBQ brought to you in partnership with Sounds Australia and takes place at the Kraken Stage on Saturday 23rd. With freshly grilled fare and live music on a purely Australian bill starting from 1pm, it is a great place to check out. But it is not just the Aussies who get their own showcase as plenty of other countries get in on the act and you can check out: BreakOut West, Generator NI, PRS Foundation, Quebec Showcase with POP Montreal, Korea Rocks, Horizons: New Music from Wales, New Zealand Music Export, French Music Bureau and many, many more.
Two other things to look out for are The Mudflappers, swing dancers bringing their New York-themed Lindy Hip Hop show to the festival. There will also be a taster lesson on site for anyone that wants to give the dancing style a go. Also, the Brazilica Carnival returns for a special samba meets Mad Max feast for the eyes as a huge float of dancers dressed in post-apocalyptic theme bound to entertain.Now onto the conference side of the festival and with the likes of Edwyn Collins, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and Mark E Smith already confirmed to be speaking, it will definitely be a great and informative couple of days. As well as all that, SoundCity will be honouring Deltasonic Records founder and music industry luminary Alan Wills, who passed away last year, by setting up the Alan Wills Innovation Awards. These awards will be for entrepreneurs with innovative projects with the overall winner receiving £500.
The conference has also teamed up with JUXDIT and PledgeMusic creating direct to fan for three artists, Sankofa, Gerry Cinnamon and Scarlet, who will be featured at the festival, a great idea to support up and coming musicians while also getting to see them first live.
Taking place in the Rum Warehouse at The Titanic Hotel at the historic docklands of Liverpool, the festival will be set in a stunning and historic atmosphere making it that little bit more special. With the conference taking place on 21st and 22nd of May and the music side of the festival running from 22nd-24th May it will be a weekend to remember full of interesting conversation, rousing sets and great new music at every corner to discover. It really will be a great festival this year from the looks of the line up and if you haven’t bought your tickets yet make sure you get them NOW!
To find out more about SoundCity visit their website, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter – @SOUNDCITY
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