Preview: The First Fifty Festival
JAMES WITHERSPOON WHETS YOUR APPETITE FOR THE FIRST FIFTY FESTIVAL.
Ah… November dawns – and festival season 2016 is well and truly over. After lighting up May – August; straggling on through September; and then finally dying out around Oktoberfest; one could argue that the year has nothing left to give save the inevitable New Year’s bonanzas.
Not so, say the creators of UK festival mainstay ‘The Great Escape’ – whereupon 400+ new bands convene upon Brighton every May to strut their stuff and show the world that they should be listened to. In November, however, they’re bringing THE FIRST FIFTY straight to your doorstep – with three days of relentless partying in 5 kickass venues! What’s more, each gig (featuring between 2 and 4 performers each) will only set you back a fiver…
That’s right folks, it’s time to ready yourself for a cosmic, colourful, and crackerjack extravaganza of the freshest and hippest acts around!
‘Great Escape’ are featuring an eclectic phantasmagoria of artists such as Jameszoo, who’s gonna be injecting his blend of astral, electronic jazz – newly signed by FlyLo’s influential Brainfeeder label – straight into your heart. Not your thing? Sure – Ray BLK is bringing her spine-tingling, electrifying soul and verse to The Old Blue Last right off the bat from collabs with such artists as Stormzy and SG Lewis. Something different still? Get your rock on with funky alt group Gothic Tropic or go harder with rocky maelstrom Abbatoir Blues – who’ll shake you up with their grungy psych-jams. Those who want a punky kick would do well to see the cathartically savage Cabbages or Moses.
Perhaps you wanna have a bit of a rave? Ibiza meets roots EDM maestro Pote will be spinning the decks and spicing up the dancefloor in The Old Blue Last. Or maybe vocal excellence is your weakness…. If so, then Fil Bo Riva is sure to hit all the right notes; inhabiting that sweet spot of uniqueness and raw talent that many artists would die for. L.A. Salami is also on hand to layer perfect spoken word verses on top of liquid blues rhythms that are sure to get you down on the floor.
Like your instrumentals served up straight? Why not see uber-talented multi-instrumentalist Sarathy Korwar – fresh from a tour with the eminent Kamasi Washington – strut his stuff with a traditional folk music/jazz mashup of planetary proportions that’s sure to leave you in an inspired state of awe. Or go full garage and remind yourself of your epic summer Interrailing with eminently cool and indie psych-pop-rock outfit Indigo Husk.
And that’s not even the half of it. No, seriously, there’s well more than double that number of acts mentioned in this whole article to rock your eardrums silly throughout the festival. From perfectionists redefining the mainstream, to the experimenters transcending the limits of what music can achieve, THE FIRST FIFTY is set to be an eclectic, inspirational, and unique head trip. It’s all set to transform your grey November nights into a brilliantly bright spectrum of memories you’ll keep for a long time to come.
Rock on People!