Stereo Jealousy

So, you’re off to one of the biggest festivals in the world; revered and loved by all whom attend? You lucky soul! I’ve picked five acts that you shouldn’t miss and hopefully demonstrating some of the variety that Glasto is famed for. The headliners are Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur for the main stage, with great bands throughout the bill.

The Soft Pack

Where: John Peel Stage When: Sunday, 4:55 – 5:45pm Why: Feral racket making of the highest order, California’s The Soft Pack (formerly The Muslims) are a fantastic live prospect. Fast, loose and exciting the band will bring garage to Glastonbury. Expect tunes from their recent Extinction EP.

Listen: Call It A Day Watch:Extinction

Rokia Traoré

Where: Jazz World Stage When: Saturday, 3:45 – 4:45pm Why: Malian superstar Rokia Traoré has a voice that could melt Glastonbury Tor. Rich and vibrant, her band play with such sheer joy that despite the language barrier you’ll find yourself captivated and understanding exactly what is going on.

Listen: Aimer Watch: Tounka

Bon Iver

Where: Park Stage / Other Stage When: Saturday, 10:45pm-12:15am / Sunday, 8:00-9:00pmWhy:I guess little explanation is required for this pick. Justin Vernon’s act has been one of the critical smashes of the last eighteen months or so and For Emma, Forever Ago still sounds as good as the hype that surrounded it. The opportunity to catch him out in The Park should be a big draw.

Listen: Blood Bank Watch: Skinny Love

Florence And The Machine

Where: John Peel Stage When: Saturday, 8:00-9:00pm Why:An opportunity to catch Florence Welch before she goes stratospheric. Lungs, her debut album, is just around the corner and is likely to be in the mould of her output so far; fresh, intelligent and delivered with a killer voice. Watch out for her cover of You’ve Got The Love – it’s a barnstormer.

Listen: Dog Days Are Over Watch: You’ve Got The Love

Speech Debelle

Where: Pussy Parlure When: Friday, time TBC Why: Rap? At Glastonbury? Speech Debelle is an incredible talent balancing fresh-yet-old-school beats with thought provoking lyrical flourishes. Coming straight outta London, catch Speech and her incredibly personal tunes will burrow their way into your heart and mind.

Listen: Buddy Love Watch: The Key

Enjoy – and if you haven’t checked out who is playing in full yet, the whole line up is here.

Photo: CmdrGravy, Glastonbury 2007

There’s little under ten hours to go until the gates open at Glastonbury. For the first time in over fifteen years the festival hasn’t sold out in advance. Michael Eavis claims it is due to the dreadful weather of the last couple of years, but most would put it down to a lacklustre headline and main stage lineup. As always though, the undercard is where most of the highlights are to be found. Here are my ten picks for the festival, with some tracks to whet your appetite…

1. Edwyn Collins, Friday – Park Stage (A Girl Like You)

2. Massive Attack, Saturday – Other Stage (False Flags)

3. Black Mountain, Sunday – Other Stage (Wucan)

4. Holy Fuck, Saturday – John Peel Stage (Milk Shake)

5. Elle S’Appelle, Thursday – Left Field (Little Flame)

6. Six. By Seven, Saturday – Glade (IOU Love)

7. Lykke Li, Saturday – Park Stage (Breaking It Up)

8. Martha Wainwright, Saturday – Pyramid Stage (So Many Friends)

9. Hercules & Love Affair, Friday – East Stage (Blind)

10. My Morning Jacket, Sunday – Park Stage (Look At You)

Photo: Gilberts

Massive Attack today announced the line up for this year’s South Bank based Meltdown Festival. The Bristol trip-hop legends curate the festival running between 14 and 22 June. The festival each year give’s the chance for an established act to take over the entire South Bank site, totalling arond 21 acres, and present an arts festival taking in a range of media; music, art, film and performance. Previous curators in the festival’s 15 year history have included David Bowie, Morrissey, Elvis Costello, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Nick Cave.

Massive Attack have unveiled a line up that digs into their influences as well as promoting contemporaries. The highlights for me are two performances from the group themselves, on the opening and closing nights of the festival. Elsewhere, a double header of Gang of Four and Tom Tom Club is mouthwatering, as are sets by relative newcomers Elbow and Tunng. It is a diverse listing, featuring many genres that impact on Massive Attack’s work: punk, disco, cinematic soundtrack, reggae, hip hop and indie. Perhaps surprisingly, there are none of the rumoured performances from collaborators Liz Fraser’s Cocteau Twins, nor Tricky. Other vocalists such as Terry Callier and the incomparable Horace Andy appear on the bill, and will presumably line up with the curators for their shows.

The full line up (musically) is as follows:

14th June – Massive Attack / Gong

15th June – Yellow Magic Orchestra / Reggae Acoustic Songbook ft Horace Andy

16th June – Elbow & Fleet Foxes

17th June – Vangelis Blade Runner Soundtrack performed by Heritage Orchestra

18th June – Stiff Little Fingers / The Shortwave Set & Martina Topley Bird

19th June – Grace Jones / Future Sound Of Hip Hop ft Dalek & Cool Kids

20th June – Gang of Four & Tom Tom Club / Terry Callier & Aloe Blacc

21st June – Tunng & Leila

22nd June – Massive Attack / Saxon Sound System

South Bank’s Meltdown Page

Massive Attack – Teardrop

Tunng – Bricks

Gang of Four – I Love A Man In Uniform (Yeah Yeah Yeahs Remix)