Preview: Detestival (curated by The Wet Nuns)

For me it wasThe Elephants. It was somewhere in Denmark, and they were Danish. They were (outrageously) below the bill than the band I was in, and so I wandered out to watch them, and was instantly blown away. On my return, the first things I did was buy their album, bang onto everyone I knew about them, and hope they would come to England, make it big and take over the world. Sadly, they didn’t do any of those things. In fact I can’t find out even if they’re still going.

I didn’t have the foresight or the drive of Sheffield’s fabulous Wet Nuns, clearly. These boys are busy playing everywhere, and finding their versions of The Elephants. But instead of purely telling people about them, they’ve done something about it, and put on their own festival, naming it ‘Detestival’. As they themselves say

“One of the best things about being in a band, along with substandard motorway food, unimaginable inter-gig boredom, fractured relationships and soul crushing financial sacrifice, is the opportunity to play alongside and witness other bands.

Detestival is basically an incredibly selfish opportunity for us to put on what we think is the best line up of bands in the UK, every single band performing on the weekend we have either played with or seen in the last couple of years. We adore and hate every single band with a fiery intensity, they are all far too good and talented and we hate and love them for it. Now we have created an opportunity for us to play with them all, in the city where we have honed our sloppy talent.”

Getting support from Kraken Rum and their record label Throng of Nobs, the boys have got hold of Queens Social Club right here in Sheffield for the Easter weekend of  30th/31st March, and you can get tickets for just £14.00 for the whole weekend. So what exactly do you get for your money? Well……

Toy– Made one of my 25 albums of the year, this new wave of Shoegaze band are really going places. Three quarters of the band played together in Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong (remember them) they set about this new project with some vigour and were quickly signed by Heavenly.

Wet Nuns – Of course the local boys themselves will be making an appearance. You can read and see, and enjoy quite a lot more by them and about them here. Needless to say though they are brilliant, and you wouldn’t want to miss them

Bo Ningen – Coming out of Japan (their name means ‘Stick men’) and based in London, this band are complete madness. Sort of messed up acid-psych, this four piece has released two albums to mess with your mind. Without doubt one of the best live bands touring the UK at present, this is another must see. £14 is ridiculously cheap for this line-up.

Throne – they got riffs, they’ve got songs, they’ve got attitude, they’ve basically got it all. And my god, it’s heavy. Like an almost doom-y heavy, if thats possible to imagine. If it’s not, check out the sounds. And this band are going places, already booked in at next years south by southwest in Texas. Catch them while its cheap I say.

Wolf People – Wolf people are incredible. They make a sound like it’s the late 60’s and they’ve sort of got the whole stoner, blues folk-rock (including flute) thing going off, all done by a smattering of Beach Boys. But at the same time, its bang up to date and I find myself asking why no-one else at the moment is really making music that sounds like this.

Dry Heaves – Dry Heaves are wild boys. Sort of an old school punk, almost Dead Kennedys thing going on,  they make a terrific racket and have been doing all over Sheffield and further afield for a while now.  They’re a band I’m a little bit scared by, but I can’t take my eyes off them. like the musical equivalent of Daleks.

Hookworms – If Krautrock were actually from Leeds, and now instead of the 1970s it would sound like this. And it does. Repeating patterns almost lull you while at the same time the guitars and keyboards fry your brain. If music were written specifically for that bit in The Jungle Book where the Snakes eyes go funny and twirly and Mowgli goes into a trance, this would be it.

Blood Sport – Experimental Sheffield band, who I would love to see live, just to watch them pull off getting anything like their recordings. They describe themselves as ‘liking pedals’ and make sort of half songs/half wield soundscapes. It’s a mixture of difficult post-punk beauty, if there were three random words and phrases that could  be put together to describe something like this. Extraordinary.

Kult Country – I like this a lot. I can only describe their music as sounding a bit like Spacemen 3 pretending to be The XX. It’s fantastically evocative, moody music, with atmosphere exuding from everywhere, a myriad of influences but sounding almost completely original.

John J Presley – An incredible voiced bluesmen, I the Jack White mould but sounding like a bastard son of Joe Cocker (I mean that as an absolute compliment) Presley matches great songwriting, with great arrangements, and a great dirty sound to take the blues into the 2010s. Turn the light off, and chill.

With more acts set to be announced, this really does look like it’s shaping up to be a fantastic little festival. Its dirt cheap, its at a great little venue, and I for one can’t wait. I reckon you need to be fairly quick getting your tickets though. I can’t believe there will be any left by the time it comes around. You can get your tickets here

Meanwhile, until then, let me put my headphones on, remember Denmark, and listen to The Elephants……