The Flaming Lips

Liverpool Sound City Review 2015

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There's something counter-intuitive about standing in a tent when it's daylight & the sun is shining.* Ady Suleiman doesn't seem to mind. Hoodie sleeves pushed up on his forearms, he's tasked with opening the Cargo stage for Sound City 2015 & taking a suitably serious approach. It’s a small but merry crowd, one couple dancing drunkenly to 'So Lost'. Amy Winehouse fans will like Suleiman's soulful ska & straight talking. "I wonder what your body looks like." The tent grooves into the weekend.

*Behind the clouds, we assume. It's a grey day, sure, but better than many. 

The Kraken tent cheers six-strong folk act The Sound Poets. Out on the North stage, Delta Rae looks frighteningly cold. It's gusty on the docks, at ground level even. I want to dip the band in hot chocolate & wonder briefly if the Tim Peaks Diner would oblige.

London act Vaults is understated but by no means underdone. Frontwoman Blythe Pepino is unmissable in traffic light red, eyeliner streaming (intentionally, we hope). She is barefoot singing ‘Poison’ & moving from the heart. New single ‘Cry No More’ is a tricky thing, sad & hopeful. Ethereal, electronic, I hear Massive Attack & get those same goodly emotional vibes. The bass at the Atlantic is something else. I spend several minutes watching the stage skirting shudder to the beat.

The Lytics have the Cavern under command, four bright voices in unison. It’s only when the stage empties that I catch sight of one of their number’s leg in a cast. How on earth did he manage all that bouncing? Carnival Youth is perfectly sentimental with numbers like ‘Never Have Enough’ & ‘Brown Eyes & All The Rest’. Before taking the mic, the drummer warns the next is a quiet song. “So yeah, you probably won’t hear anything.” Cute.

Back at North (getting the nautical theme now?), a Jack Sparrow lookalike has one leg up in the air, posed like a plucky pigeon as he strikes the synth.

Spector thrashes out 2012’s Chevy Thunder on the main stage. Lead singer Fred Macpherson has been growing his hair since I saw him last but is no less officious in trademark business attire. New single ‘All The Sad Young Men’ is affecting. “I don’t wanna make love, I don’t want to make plans. I don’t want anyone to want to hold my hand.” It’s a great set, easily as good as later acts Everything Everything & fellow Londoners The Vaccines.

All We Are reign supreme on day two, ‘Keep Me Alive’ an understandable hit. ‘Utmost Good’ is just that, delicious summer listening and even better live. After an obligatory stop at Dogtown & a healthy bout of VIP boat envy, we’re back at base for Dutch Uncles & Duncan Wallis’ enthused vibrato. There’s a video game quality to their sound that I love, playful & rhythmic always.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is another highlight & way more appealing to this reviewer than headliners The Flaming Lips, though without aid of flashy props. I bet Lonelady kills it too but as happens at a festival, we’re caught up enjoying & miss her completely. 

Bill Ryder-Jones is a discovery, at ease playing very personal tunes to the festival’s biggest stage. Moon King deserves a mention for their undersubscribed set at the Baltic, one of the new venue’s more exciting spaces. C.A.R. looks happy sipping Fosters in the sun & it’s ultimately refreshing to get a band all smiles.

Boys club The Raglans are raucous on the Cargo stage & give the audience an epic drumming break to close their set. Things get rowdier as the festival draws to a close, The Cribs not helping matters with older, better known material like ‘I’m a Realist’ & ‘Men’s Needs ’ stirring up the crowd. Security high-fives the first crowdsurfer to reach the front of the stage but I’m wondering if the joke is a little old the tenth & twelfth time. It’s great to watch, the hippies, mods & rockers, the hatted & bespectacled, all joining in the swell.

It’s hard to determine the ebbs & flows, the tarmac of the main stage emptying & filling in parts ahead of a hotly anticipated set from Belle and Sebastian. I’ll admit new album ‘Girls In Peacetime Want to Dance’ was my first encounter of the hugely popular indie outfit from Scotland, but I’m determined to explore their back catalogue after tonight’s showing.

I’m not sold on the new format. What made Sound City great in previous years was that it wasn’t one single identifiable & homogenous thing. It inhabited the cafes & bars of Liverpool’s cooler quarters & to that end, was supremely easy to access & enjoy. The docklands setting should be a win & there is more than enough music on offer, but I’m missing those laidback communal spaces that can make the in-between moments the best in a weekend (not counting the dodgem cars – they’re ace).

Let’s give it a year & see what’s what on the docks in 2016.

 

 

Bestival 2013 Review – Part 1

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As the late summer nights begin to draw in and the end of the festival season is in sight, while many have packed away their daisy dukes, the Bestivalites are suiting up sailor style for the magical mayhem of HMS Bestival 2013 – Robin Hill park is adorned with swaying flags, the ferries are full and the campsites are primed for partying.

Bestival 2013

Thursday’s foray into the mad world of Rob Da Bank’s imagination sees a brand new area – Temple Island (which we managed to explore before it all burnt up – apparently part of the act not an act of pyromania) and a host of new ‘bubbles’ with a stage, chill out areas and sculptures as well as a heap of amazing places to eat (our particular favourite is Anna Mae’s Mac n Cheese).

Heading into the main arena past the giant illuminated Big Wheel, the Big Top is already chocka with people for The Correspondents. Mad frontman Mr. Bruce is spinning wildly in his humbug-harlequin frilly getup during ‘What’s Happened To Soho?’ before launching headlong into heart thumping jungle tunes, to which the crowd goes mental. Yelling “This is about as dirty as a gentleman like me gets on a Thursday” before leaping onto the sea of arms in the audience, Mr. Bruce crowd surfs to the halfway point in seconds as DJ counterpart DJ Chucks lays down the beat. Calling out “I’ve gotta be honest, this is overwhelming…” Mr. Bruce isn’t kidding – for anyone who hasn’t seen The Correspondents before; they usually play to pretty tiny crowds, and tonight The Big Top is overflowing and going top notch wild. Elsewhere, Tankus The Henge bring a punky edge to the adorable Polka Tent and every single person we pass has a giant grin plastered on their chops.

Friday sees drag spectacular Sink The Pink (usually found gyrating at The Grand Palace of Entertainment) joined on the main stage by members of The Royal Marine Reserves for a thoroughly jolly workout session, “On behalf of the armed forces, we thank you” and “On behalf of transvestites we thank you” are not two sentences you expect to hear at a festival on a Friday afternoon but it did make us giggle. French electro band Caravan Palace are a surprise with their interesting mix of what’s being termed ‘gypsy jazz’ alongside some proper swing-dancing, but the crowd really draws in for the hotly anticipated return of American hip-hop crew, Wu-Tang Clan. Despite the fact that pretty much everyone only knows one song, the band manage to produce enough hype to get the crowd jumping, before busting out 2001 mega hit ‘Gravel Pit’. DJ Mathematics pops off his shoe and proceeds to work the mixer with his foot to the chant of “When I say Wu-Tang, you say forever…” as a mass of ‘W’ hand signs are thrust skyward in appreciation. Though their set seemed to a lack a bit of punch overall, the nostalgia factor made up for it.

Wu Tang Clan @ Bestival 2013

A quick jaunt to check out new area The Port reveals it to be a giant boat with Diablo acts, fire poi spinners and a massive mermaid, alongside some banging music from DJ’s atop the structure and a huge crane providing an aerial dancer a place to do crazy tricks above the awestruck crowd. It’s sort of reminiscent of our beloved (missing) Arcadia from the last couple of years, and really comes into it’s own at night, with regular fireworks, flame cannons and an amazing DJ lineup.

Over in The Big Top, Sinead O’Connor pokes her signature shaved bonce out onto the stage to a decent crowd for a stirring rendition (with added crowd participation) of her iconic Prince cover of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, giggling, Sinead says “Thank you, you sang beautifully”. Main stage veterans The Flaming Lips are as bonkers as ever, with frontman Wayne Coyne cradling a baby-doll atop silver spheres, in front of a light-waterfall before spinning a flaming orb around his head like a talisman. Amid the madness and glitter ticker-tape, it’s actually a decent set, but the bafflement on the faces around us suggest they’ve gone a step too odd/dark for the Bestival crowd this time.

The Big Top welcomes Belle & Sebastian with an almighty roar for ‘Cuckoo’, and their soft melodic rock lights up the rammed tent, as the rain begins to pour outside. Joking “I hope you haven’t taken all your drugs at once, remember it’s a marathon not a sprint” frontman Stuart Murdoch launches into ‘Another Sunny Day’ and grabs a host of lucky fans from the crowd to join them on stage for ‘Boy With The Arab Strap’. The Scottish Belles definitely put on one of the best performances of the whole weekend.

Despite the extreme soaking the thousands at the main stage just received, the crowd is going absolutely hyper to the sounds of Fatboy Slim’s Bestival Birthday Bash (See main review for full details), with lasers, fireworks, a great AV show and absolutely banging beats. Norman Cook was absolutely made for Bestival and it’s great to see him filling up the main stage instead of either getting crushed in the Big Top or on the fringe watching the fun happen from the outside. ‘Right Here Right Now’ and ‘Rockafella Skank’ are just absolutely massive, heart pounding, raving beasts of tunes and the whole arena is jumping and waving glowsticks like there’s no tomorrow.

Fatboy Slim @ Bestival 2013

At Bestival, the headliner isn’t ever the end of the action – if you go back to your tent, you’re missing out on the most magical hours at Robin Hill. Staggering about the Ambient Forest, with it’s Chinese lanterns and kids play areas, tiny stages and secret hideouts is honestly like being a kid again. Stick on a forest dwelling animal onesie and you may as well have been dropped into Where The Wild Things Are. It’s totally surreal. As if that wasn’t enough, sneaking past Bollywood and The Port, the top left corner of the forest has a hidden jewel in the form of The Ampitheatre. During the day, this plays host to a huge array of acts (notably, Scroobius Pip’s Satin Lizard Lounge of amazing spoken-word artists) but at night they show bizarre and melon-bending movies for the drunk and delusional. Tonight’s effort is an 80’s hip-hop spectacular ‘Beat Street’. The movie itself is kind of confusing and terribly acted, but the atmosphere of the dark benches hidden in the trees, the bunting and the secret snuggling is what The Amphitheatre is all about, oh and the really exceptionally drink-and-or-drug addled couple falling all over people on their 30 minute attempt to leave – comedy gold.

 
Photos by James Bridle for Summer Festival Guide

Elton John, Snoop Dogg and more announced for Bestival 2013

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Commenting on his Sunday night Bestival Headlining set, Elton John said: “I haven’t played any of the major festivals in the UK in recent years, so when the opportunity to play Bestival came up I was very interested. I’ve heard that the Bestival audience comes in fancy dress and I can’t wait to see that, they must all look amazing from the stage. At various times I have worn enormous feathered head-dresses, cloaks, hot pants, jumpsuits, clown suits, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, French Maid, The Eiffel Tower and The Statue of Liberty onstage! Wearing fancy dress makes us all feel less inhibited so I think it’s a great way to enjoy live music.

Elton John

“2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, so you can expect to hear several tracks from that album. My shows always involve audience participation, singing and dancing, so make sure there is plenty of room for movement inside those fancy dress costumes!”

Taking time out from splicing the mainbrace, Rob da Bank said: “So here we are…our tenth birthday…like a small child proudly entering double figures…but here’s Bestival still wearing ill fitting shorts and running about with grazed knees giggling in the sunlight…Happy days! After 10 years of running our beloved festival, Bestival is still as psychedelically wondrous to us as the September day in 2004 when we first threw open the gates. 2013 will be a vintage year. No increase in capacity but more land, a raft of exciting changes around the site including some great new spaces and all dressed and made up in Bestival’s signature style.

“Band and DJ wise we’ve cast our net far and wide… as ever Bestival 2013 will be a magical mix of the old and the new, the vintage and classic rubbing shoulders with the ultra modern and leftfield. From one of the biggest selling artists of all time and certainly the best at fancy dress, Elton John, through the party blazing hip-hop of Snoop Dogg through amazing rare shows from the likes of The Knife,  to the newest of the new bands and acts that I’m so excited about like Jagwar Ma, Merchandise and Cashmere Cat plus literally the finest selection of house and techno DJs we've ever had from Richie Hawtinand Carl Cox to Besti stalwarts Erol Alkan and Annie Mac – this will be our best Bestival yet, so don't miss out!"

Well, what can we say? In a UK festival exclusive and playing his first major festival set on home soil in many years, we’re over the moon that Elton John and his band will be headlining Sunday night at Bestival! Very probably pop music’s most outrageous son, Sir Elton Hercules John’s reputation as an incendiary live act who pulls out all the stops to put on a scintillating show filled with glitz and glamour makes him, without any shadow of a doubt, the perfect megastar to bring the magic and mayhem of Bestival’s tenth birthday to a close. After partying at the original IOW festival as a young musician in the late 60s we’re very proud that Elton finally gets to perform on the Isle of Wight at Bestival. With more than 30 albums and over 60 UK chart hits to his name, Sunday night is guaranteed to be full-on sing-along good times. We’ve already started stockpiling the platform boots, feather boas and glitter. It’s going to be a proper party!

Snoopt DoggWith Sunday night well and truly taken care of, we are beside ourselves with joy to announce that the Doggfather himself Snoop Dogg will be wowing the Bestival main stage crowd as our Saturday night headliner! Hip-hop icon, pop culture phenomenon, izzle speak don and quite simply one of the most gifted spitters ever, Snoop Dogg’s live show takes no prisoners with his laidback flow capping an almost endless catalogue of super-fat beats. With a forthcoming album produced by Major Lazer and some of hip-hop’s biggest anthems under his belt, you can expect Saturday night at Bestival to blow you away.

We have, of course, got plenty more amazing live acts coming aboard including the mighty M.I.A with a UK festival exclusive set and anthemic Scottish four-piece Franz Ferdinand playing an English festival exclusive. We’re also very pleased to announce the welcome return of psychedelic bliss merchants The Flaming Lips playing a UK festival exclusive set, off the wall Swedish art-pop duo The Knife, rap music revolutionaries Wu-Tang Clan, the unpredictably chameleonic Bombay Bicycle Club playing an English festival exclusive set and neo-soulsters The Roots playing a UK Festival exclusive set.

Plus we’ll have knock-out appearances from majestic indie pop stalwarts Belle & Sebastian, beguiling chanteuse Jessie Ware, the deservingly hyped Disclosure, BBC Sound of 2013 winner Tom Odell, the incomparable Sinead O’Connor, disco overlords Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Warp legend Squarepusher, a live set from dancefloor smashers Hot Natured, the hottest rapper in the world Angel Haze,kaleidoscopic choral collective The Polyphonic Spree, quite possibly the greatest guitarist of his generation, Johnny Marr and indie giants Bastille. In what are the first festival shows confirmed for both bands this year, we’ll have mind-bending riffs from Peace and blistering RnB from The Strypes, who have been getting everyone from Elton John to Noel Gallagher out on the town to check out their brilliant live show. We will also be welcoming next level drum n bass behemoth DJ Fresh, Dexys performing their acclaimed show “One Day I’m Going to Soar” plus a few Dexys favourites, chart bothering juggernautRudimental, woozy garage rockers The Walkmen and legendary Mancunian poet John Cooper Clarke.

And that’s not all as we will have live sets from Lissie, The Wonder Stuff, Caravan Palace, The Cuban Brothers, Matthew E White, While She Sleeps, Merchandise, Mikill Pane, True Tiger, Sexy Sushi, Is Tropical, Skaters, Lulu James, Swim Deep, Fleetwood Bac, Jaipur Brass Band, Kawa Circus, Lewis Watson, Jaws and J-Cats. And we’ve still got lots more live acts to announce! 

Stepping up to the ones and twos on a mission to move your dancing shoes are a whole host of groove controllers including the Plastikman himself Richie Hawtin, techno don Carl Cox, Bestival favouriteAnnie Mac Presents, Detroit via Berlin techy house hero Seth Troxler, Mark Ronson going back to back with Zane Lowe in their A-Yo guise, new beat tzar Julio Bashmore, house doyen Maya Jane Coles, omniscient eclecticist Erol Alkan, the sublime reggae of David Rodigan presents RAM JAM, fathomless fiend Dixon, legend of the deep Kerri Chandler, trailblazer Eats Everything, Numbers featuring Jackmaster, Spencer, Redinho, Sophie and special guest Rustie, the future funky dub love of Joy Orbison, the fabled Fabio + Grooverider and a full on Hospitality Bestival takeover, hosted byWrec & Dynamite and featuring High Contrast, Danny Byrd, Nu:Logic and Fred V & Grafix.

Plus we’ll have speaker splitting action from Marcel Dettman, DJ Yoda, The Daft Punk Tribute Night in The Hidden Disco, Redlight, Bondax, Heidi, Ed Rush, Fake Blood, Jesse Rose, Justin Robertson, Andrew Weatherall And Sean Johnston’s A Love From Outer Space, Ben UFO, Cyril Hahn, Daniel P Carter, Catz N Dogz, My Love Is Underground, Cashmere Cat, Krankbrother, Ben Pearce, Dollop DJs, Alexander Nut, Roska, Bodhi, Kry Wolf, Coley From Luv*Jam, Crispin J. Glover and Bad Zuke with many more still to come.

The Flaming Lips and Dizzee Rascal to headline The Parklife Weekender 2012

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Crowning the festival’s main stage on Saturday and Sunday respectively, these two artists lead the first line-up announcement for Parklife’s third annual party. The finest pop, indie, electronic and crossover sounds are represented throughout the bill, as much-loved familiar names join many fresh faces tipped for the top in 2012’s ‘Ones to Watch’ lists. Everything is poised for a fantastic year that could very well be Parklife’s third and ‘hat trick’ sell out.

Dizzie RascalHeadliners across the festival’s other arenas include dubstep chart toppers Nero, Parisian duo Justice – Live, Mixmag’s ‘Breakthrough DJ of The Year 2011’ Maya Jane-Coles and raucous electronic Canadians Crystal Castles. The Parklife Weekender also welcomes a number of clubland’s most respected labels with Crosstown Rebels and Hospital Records sending a number of their roster to Platt Fields Park. Also pitching up for the weekend are some of the UK’s hottest promoters with Metropolis and Chibuku invited to host their own arenas.
 
Elsewhere the festival’s performers come from the cream of the recent music crop. The newest additions to major radio playlists, magazine cool lists and blogger best of lists, namely Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Azealia Banks, Django Django and Ghost Poet are all part of Parklife’s stand out line-up for this year.
 
Over 100 artists perform across two days on 7 arenas for only £64.50 making The Parklife Weekender what could be the best value festival on offer this year*. 
 
2012 may only Parklife’s third year but already the festival is a huge draw, tickets to both 2010 and 2011’s events sold out at least eight weeks in advance. To avoid disappointment promoters strongly advise fans to act fast and ensure their place at the start to Manchester’s summer.

LINE UP AS CONFIRMED SO FAR:

Saturday 9th June 
 
Mainstage
The Flaming Lips
Noah & The Whale
Kelis
The Cuban Brothers
DJ Yoda
Krysko & Greg Lord
+ special guests:
Chic ft. Nile Rogers
 
Metroplex 
Nero (Live)
Pendulum (DJ Set)
Zane Lowe
Sub Focus (DJ Set)
Jaguar Skills
Tempa T
DJ Hype
Goldie
16 Bit
North Base
 
Crosstown Rebels  
Damian Lazarus
Art Department
Maceo Plex
Clive Henry
Danny Daze
Subb-an
 
Now Wave 
Crystal Castles
Tom Vek
Spector
Friends
Spector
Django Django
Phenomenal Handclap Band
Stay+
To Kill a King
Now Wave DJs
Will Tramp!
+ special guests:
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaus

Thrasher arena
Redlight
Pearson Sound
Araabmuzik
Jackmaster
Ben UFO
Thundercat
presents Archimedes (Live)
Daedelus 
Space Dimension Controller
Lone
B Traits
Damu
 
Chibuku  
Fake Blood
James Zabiela
Simian Mobile Disco
Tensnake
D/R/U/G/S
Justin Robertson
Screendeath
James Rand
 
Kaluki 
Heidi
Marco Effe & James Mile
Romano & Luca Bear
Ellesse & Josef K
Us & Them
Pete Zorba

 Sunday 10th June  
Mainstage 
Dizzee Rascal
Labrinth
Azealia Banks
Delilah (Live)
Murkage
Mista Jam
Juicy DJs
+ special guests
De La Soul
 
Metroplex 
Justice (Live)
Annie Mac
Erol Alkan
Madeon
Busy P
Will Tramp
+ special guest:
Jacques Lu Cont
 
Now Wave 
The Rapture
Mount Kimbie
Gold Panda
Ghost Poet
Twin Shadow
Other Lives
The Field 
Jessie Ware
Now Wave DJs
+ special guests:
Factory Floor

Hospitality 
High Contrast
Netsky
London Elektricity
Danny Byrd
Loadstar
Logistics
Nu:tone
SPY
Jessie Alan
Fred V & Graffix
MCs: Wrec, SP &
+ special guests:
Zinc (Jungle set)

Wax:On 
Maya Jane-Coles
Claude Von Stroke
Julio Bashmore
Todd Edwards
Joy Orbison
Miguel Campbell
Eats Everything
Kysko
 
Ape Carnival Sounds 
Fresh (Live)
Buraka Som Sistema (Live)
Caspa
Shy FX
David Rodigan
Dam Funk & Master Blazter
Dot Rotten
Toddla T
Onemand
DJ Derek
Rich Reason
 
Footwork
Soul Clap
Wolf & Lamb
DJ Harvey
Floating Points
Bicep
Drop The Mustard
Zutekh DJs

 

Science come to life at Live from Jodrell Bank

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Taking to the stage itself will be Dr Tim O’Brien. A Reader in Astrophysics at the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank, O’Brien is an expert on both the workings of the iconic Lovell Telescope and the fascinating findings it has uncovered from deep space. Proving science can be as captivating as any rock ‘n’ roll, O’Brien will introduce the workings of the giant telescope and, weather permitting, steer it around the sky live with the help of Jodrell Bank’s Telescope Controller.

The audience will benefit from free entry to the Space Pavilion, Jodrell Bank’s newly built visitors centre, until 5pm. Gig-goers will be able to take away printouts of live signals received by the Lovell Telescope, discover how hot or cold they are with the use of the centre’s infra-red camera, see the astronomy picture of their birthday and listen to the sound of the Big Bang. There will be rolling Q&A sessions in the events space including some amazing “sounds from space”. Let loose around the site will be real live astronomers and students from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. They’ll be on hand in the exhibition space and around the site, demonstrating physics tricks and discussing their science. If the weather cooperates, special telescopes will look to the Sun and will later in the evening survey some of the wonders of the night sky.

Aiding the event’s sell out crowd, the festival site is accessible via a number of specially laid on coaches from key locations including Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool. Coach tickets priced at £14.50 return, plus booking fee, can be purchased from the Live From Jodrell Bank or Ticketline websites.

Before the first note has yet been played, Live From Jodrell Bank: Transmission 001 has truly caught the attention of music and festival fans in the UK. It took a mere three weeks for all tickets to sell out. Listed as one of the “12 reasons this festival season will be the best” by The Guardian and one of “the new hot festivals” by Grazia, Live From Jodrell Bank will reveal more much-anticipated line-ups in the near future.

The Flaming Lips, British Sea Power to perform at the first ever Live from Jodrell Bank.

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Set 20 miles south of Manchester in the Cheshire landscape, Live from Jodrell Bank is arguably the UK’s most diverse and imaginative setting for a live music event. Throughout the day visitors will take part in experiments and workshops delving into the undiscovered and the obscure; exploring space research and examining the stars; whilst having free access to the newly, redeveloped and magnificent visitor centre. As night falls, the site will be transformed into a musical fervour with this mind-blowing and totally unique show.

 
Saturday’s Transmission 001 features The Flaming Lips who will bring their space-influenced alternative and ground-breaking rock music to the site. Hailing from Oklahoma City and founded by the eclectic Wayne Coyne, the band have been named as one of the 50 Bands to See Before You Die (Q Magazine). Famed for their elaborate live shows featuring costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands and frontman Wayne Coynes’ signature man-sized bubble, The Flaming Lips are the perfect partner to the backdrop of the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world.

Adding to the eccentricity, British Sea Power bring to the table a promise of intensity and the spectacular with a live performance of their epic rock music. No stranger to astronomy with their Lights Out track created in support of the Dark Skies campaign, the performance is set to ricochet across the entire telescope site. BSP are no strangers to performing in weird and wonderful venues. Whether in a tiny pub in Sussex, the Jersey Opera House, the National History Museum or a church up in the Arctic Circle, Jodrell Bank will certainly add to their impressive catalogue of locations. They even recently embarked on a boat on the River Thames to perform and support the British Wave Power campaign.

Chicago based OK Go are renowned for their infectious songs, inventive videos, surprising live shows and forward-thinking back-end, making them arguably the world’s most bleeding edge independent outfit. Expect the unexpected given the show stopping performances the band are fast becoming famous for.

With diverse influences from Janis Joplin to Alicia Keys, Alice Gold makes the kind of blues tinged indie pop that is infectiously foot tapping. Working with producer Dan Carey, a man whose produce credits include La Roux, Franz Ferdinand, Lily Allen and Kylie, Gold’s debut album, Seven Rainbows is destined to a smash.

The giant Lovell Telescope, playing host to Live from Jodrell Bank, has been quietly probing the depths of space since 1957 being the largest and most powerful radio telescope in the world when it was built. This combined with the fervour of The Flaming Lips, the charm of British Sea Power and the unlimited possibilities from OK Go, Transmission 001 is set to place Jodrell Bank firmly on the map as arguably the most unique and spectacular live show in the UK in 2011.

Kendal Calling co-promoter Andy Smith comments, “We’re a big fan of the unusual and the unique and by combining the incredible venue of Jodrell Bank and an amazing live performance by The Flaming Lips, this is going to undoubtedly be one of their most memorable shows. British Sea Power and OKGO are the perfect accompaniment ­atmospheric and thrilling performances in equal measure. Roll on July!”