[Beacons] Our Most Anticipated Artists of the Festival

As far as straight up awesome festival line-ups go, Beacons Festival has nailed one of the most diverse and ear pleasing rosters I've seen in recent years in 2013. The festival itself is an infant, still finding its feet in the ever growing rough terrain of the small festival wilderness in the UK and in 2011 it had to be cancelled due to the good old UK weather. Last year was a raging success however and this year promises to be bigger and better than that. We'll be heading over to the site in Skipton, Yorkshire, tomorrow morning to take in the gorgeous countryside, and of course some of the top notch line-up while we're there. We may have to try a good sample of the amazing Ales on offer too, but we'll talk about that next week. If you make the jump you can see who we're very eager to see and what we think will make for a very special weekend. 

Who: Local Natives

Why? Their second album showed a growth from the LA band, evolving from Gorilla Manor into a mature, more subtle in places, but every bit as sonically brilliant band. Hummingbird is sure to see their live dynamic grow too. Their live performances are pure brilliance as is and we're sure this will be a highlight of the weekend for many. 

Who: Ghostpoet

Why? His ear pricking style of spoken word and rap are sure to burrow their way into your subconscious, talking to memories you long forgot about. Paired with his multiple styles of backing, he's certainly one to watch during your times in the fields. 

Who: Danny Brown

Why? On the surface when you first see Danny Brown you may just laugh. Don't judge a book by its cover, for Danny is going from strength to strength and if there's an artist who deserves more recognition here in the UK it's this Detroit export. Tongue in cheek, all the while keeping your attention firmly fixed between the ridiculous and the serious. He will not disappoint.

Who: Lulu James

Why? Lulu hails from the north east of the UK and offers up an infusion of throwbacks to the 70's combined with modern tendencies. Her sound is being called "21st Century Soul" and upon hearing her infectious tracks it's easy to see why. Think Donna Summers meets Grace Jones with a brand new twist. Pop to see Lulu and get you glad rags on, 'cause she's bound to be dressed better than you. 

Who: Fucked Up

Why? If you're fancying something a little more brash. Maybe you're feeling a little worse for wear over the weekend and need a pick me up, go see Fucked Up. The Canadian hardcore punks will leave you out of breath and still wanting more. Their live shows pack in more energy than most within the opening 5 minutes. 

Who: Findlay

Why? Findlay hails from Manchester but when you first hear her you'd be forgiven for thinking she comes from Tennessee next door to Jack White for she wears her influences firmly on her sleeves and the results re magnificent. Raw, powerful and in your face blues rock.

Who: Wet Nuns

Why? Wet Nuns hail from Yorkshire, so it's fitting that they should play one of its best festivals this summer. The two piece bring more noise than most bands twice their size in numbers. Think desert rock sounds like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age with enough guitar noise to warrant two sets of ear plugs. The guys even have their own festival; Detestival. They don't take nonsense, and neither should you. Go watch 'em.

[Y Not Festival] Day One Highlights including Willy Moon, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and a very British Summer

Festivals of all sizes are always a blast. Contrary to belief, bigger is not always better. Last weekend I took the trip over to Derbyshire, the county I grew up in from age 4-18, to hit up the fantastic Y Not Festival. A grassroots festival that started in a Quarry with a group of friends. It's now grown to be an award winning small festival with an amazing atmosphere and an ever growing number of big bands topping the line-up. This year was the biggest and best with The Cribs, The Horrors and The Darkness headlining the main stage and a flurry of great bands performing across another 6 stages. 

 Arriving at the festival you notice its small stature, like a little brother you want to look after. It feels friendly and that's what I like about it when I first touched down in the fields. The sun was peeking out from between clouds and the camping areas were filling up with a mix of young and old from all walks of life. After finding a nice spot to camp, and having found out I'd bought a palace rather than your average two man tent, I did what any normal person does when arriving at a festival does; I had a beer. The great thing about Y Not is that it has numerous bars, all holding local ales and ciders, ranging from the normal to the crazy stronger stuff. Wonderful.

With a beer in hand I headed to see where my ears took me from the noises carried not he wind. A favourite trick of mine for festivals early on in the day when you may not know all of the bands playing. Sons and Lovers at the Quarry stage delivered an on point set tracks to a packed out tent. One advantage to playing ear lie run the day on the opening afternoon of a festival. My ears then took me across the field to a noise that sounded more up my street. A heavy, glitchy guitar jolt of electrifying Dillinger Escape Plan-esque math-rock. I walk into the tent to be absolutely blown away by a 4-piece instrumental band by the name of Axes. Playing to a sweltering Giant Squid Stage tent, the relationship the four had was noticeable. TO play the stuff they were playing so seamlessly, it was undeniably breathtaking. A definite highlight of the day, if not the entire weekend.

Next up I finally got to witness Willy Moon in a live situation. Walking out with a Gretsch round his neck and accompanied by an all girl band, I couldn't help but think of Jack White and his recent penchant for an all girl band. Two songs to his high energy set though, Willy is seen just wandering around the stage sipping from a mug, giving nods to people who wave… All sound on the main stage had died. He leaves the stage. It took a good hour until normality resumed and he finished his set in torrential rain. Fair play to him though, he absolutely killed it and the crowd was not disheartened by the British Summer weather. "Yeah Yeah" went down a treat with the umbrella wielding crowd.

The weather from here on on Friday was the stuff of a romantic comedy that might see the two main characters kissing and making up in the rain ala Spiderman. I Managed to catch part of the "surprise set" from Reverend and the Makers who, to be fair to them, did get the crowd well and truly going. Headline sets at festivals are always tricky to choose between but Y Not did everyone a favour and had the tents ending earlier than the main stage. That went out the window. I squeezed into a packed Quarry Stage tent to watch Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, the act I was most looking forward to from the weekend's line-up. Pip was a force to be reckoned with, walking around the stage and completely demanding the attention of the crowd while Dan offered up recognisable beats from their back catalogue. Just as the crowd were really starting to bounce, Scroob states that we "all need to leave, they're evacuating the tent". The storm outside was righteous and for safety, we all had to leave but were told to come back 30 minutes later.

Everyone and more returned and witnessed the duo debut their new single "Stunner" to the crowd. Finishing up the set, Scroob took to the crowd and was carried around, high-riving as he went. Due to this misfortune I missed The Horrors but caught a few tracks as I made my way back through the crowd to the campsite. I finished day one at Y Not 2013 happy, with my ears ringing from a combination of beats and thunder, literally. It was a good day.

[Listen] Frank Ocean Raps on Earl Sweatshirt's New Track "Sunday"

Sunday comes early this week.

Earl Sweatshirt's new album Doris arrives next Tuesday, but lucky for us new music just keeps on coming. "Sunday" drifts along slowly, propelled by the echoing keys of a church organ and a dingy guitar riff, but it really lights up when Frank Ocean's voice takes over. He doesn't sing, as you might expect. Instead, he delivers a solid two-minute rap verse that comes across as very honest, almost conversational. Listen below.

[Listen] Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica Feature on Vicious Unreleased Big Sean Track, "Control (HOF)"

Too bad Big Sean's new album Hall of Fame didn't feature this grimey, furious track, 'cause it's downright amazing. He had guests like Nas, Miguel, Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Nicky Minaj, Young Jeezy and more on the LP, but nothing compares to the verses delivered by Jay Electronica and Kendrick Lamar on "Control (HOF)."

Big Sean said on Twitter that "[t]his one that didn’t make the album cuz of the sample BUT IT IS NOT no radio shit.. Straight rap… I’m talking 7min shit… Grimey shit." Instead, he went ahead and leaked it on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show. Lucky us. If he hadn't done that we wouldn't have heard the lyrical barrage that is Lamar:

I heard barber shops debate the greats all the time // Who’s the best MC? Kendrick, Jigga and Nas // Eminem, Andre 3000, the rest of y’all // New niggas just new niggas, don’t get involved // And I ain’t rockin no more designer shit // White T’s and Nike Cortes, this is red Crvettes anonymous // I’m usually homeboys with the same niggas I’m rhymin with // But this is hip hop and them niggas should know what time it is // And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale // Pusha T, Meek Mill, ASAP Rocky, Drake //Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller // I got love for you all but I’m trying to murder you niggas // Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas // They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas // What is competition? I’m trying to raise the bar high."

Stream "Control (HOF)" below.

[Watch] Youth Lagoon - "Raspberry Cane" (Official Video)

I bloody love animated videos. Especially when they're as beautiful and mesmerizing Youth Lagoon's new video for the track "Raspberry Cane". The clip, directed by Stephen McNally, is a great watch for your tired mid-week eyes. It features all kinds of wonders and frights, yet accompanied by the track it floats from scene to scene wonderful. Click play below and enjoy it courtesy of Noisey.

The track features on Youth Lagoon's album Wondrous Bughouse which is out now.

[Listen] Cults - "I Can Hardly Make You Mine"

Cults have returned with a brand new track titled "I Can Hardly Make You Mine" which sees the band refocusing their energy a little. They seem to be a little more psych orientated, the immediate link would be to the likes of Tame Impala, it's definitely not a bad thing at all. A powerful vocal delivery and a very dance-worthy drum beat. The track can be heard in full below and be sure to let us know what you make of it.

The track is set to appear on their new album Static which hits shelves on the 15th of October via Columbia.

[Album Stream] King Krule - '6 Feet Beneath the Moon'

King Krule's highly anticipated debut album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, isn't set for release until the 24th of August 24 via True Panther and XL but Archy has treated fans to a premature listen. The young talent has been developing a lot of hype since the release of his self-titled EP, and the long player is promising a mature sound. It was produced by the man himself, along with Savages/the xx collaborator Rodaidh McDonald. 

[Watch] The National - "This Is the Last Time" and "Graceless" Live on Kimmel

Last night The National were the guest of choice on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and they brought along with them two performances from of tracks from their album Trouble Will Find Me. The band laid down moving renditions of "This Is the Last Time" and "Graceless" which you can watch above and below, respectively.