Field Day - 2012

Each year there are many day-long events in our fair capital city, but few ever come close to the quality of line-up offered at Field Day. Taking place on 2nd Jun 2010 at the usual venue of Victoria Park located very close to Mile End tube station in the London's east side. 

For those who enjoy festivals but hate the haul of tents and supplies to last an entire weekend, an event like Field Day is the perfect middle ground. Victoria Park is the perfect size and location for such an occurrence - with an atmosphere and a line-up to rival some of the larger weekend events 2012 looks set to be just as good as the years prior.

Tickets are still available and very reasonably priced at £45.

Here at contactmusic, we thought we'd share a little info of just a few of the bands we'd be watching.


Pond
Australian psych rockers Pond were one of the highlights of this year's SXSW festival and it's not hard to see why. While their debut album 'Beard, Wives, Denim' isn't perfect, it a great debut and shows plenty of potential and acts as a great introduction to their music. The band line-up includes three members of the group Tame Impala and their mix of blissed out psych rock will be the perfect accompaniment to a festival atmosphere.

Listen to: 'When It Explodes' & 'You Broke My Cool'


Citizens!
Citizens! claim 'pop is not a dirty word' are we couldn't agree more! Their debut album is being released through Kitsune the week before Field Day. It was recorded in Scotland with Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) who acted as producer. Their vision when entering the studio was to create something that 'no element of any given song was allowed to sound as if it came from the same place.', this is exemplified in tracks like 'True Romance'. The band have toured Europe throughout May and Field Day marks a home gig for the boys and the first in a line of UK tour dates.

Listen to: 'True Romance' & 'Reptile'


Hudson Mohawke
Next up Warp favourite Hudson Mohawke. Dousing the audience in his own brand of future r n'b Hud Mo's set is tighter than ever. Bass and beats abound as he cuts through the many dance floor favourites he's churned out in the last few years. It's clear having seen him a number of times since he first came to my attention back in '08 that he's found his groove live and is using his skills and tricks to devastating effect.

Listen to: 'Turn Me Off' & 'Freek'


Crocodiles
Crocodiles have been around for a number of years, the core has always centered around Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell. Now on the brink of releasing their third studio album the band have also recruited a few additional members which has built multiple layers of depth to their sound. Having previously been compared to the likes of Jesus & The Mary Chain, from what we've heard of the band's new album 'Endless Flowers', the band have grown incredibly and started to develop a style of their own; Brandon perfectly surmised "I think those two albums, while I love them, were somewhat monochrome. This one is in full colour."

Listen to: 'Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)' & 'Sleep Forever'


Blood Orange
Not many people have managed to re-invent themselves as well as Dev Hynes. In a short amount of time Dev's been a member of Testicles, written tracks for countless acts and released music under the pseudonym of Lightspeed Champion and most recently -and our favourite of his many guises - Blood Orange. Drawing inspiration from everyone from Prince to Chris Issack emphasis is firmly focused on songwriting. We can't wait to hear what the many of the songs on his last album 'Costal Grooves' sound like live.

Listen to: 'Sutphin Boulevard' & 'Dinner'


Metronomy
'The English Riviera' was one of the best albums to come out in 2011, Metronomy's slick electro pop is something close to the what Junior Boys might create if they were British. Having recently completed the NME Awards Tour this is a band who are at the top of their game and must see act to at this years Field Day. While on record, Metronomy might be seen as slightly one dimensional, their polished electro pop songs never fail to deliver in a live environment.

Listen to: 'The Look' & 'The Bay'


Friends
Ever since hearing Friends' cover of Ghost Town DJs' 'My Boo', we've had a slight thing for Brooklyn based quintet Friends. The cover is the flipside to 2011 released single 'I'm His Girl' which captures the essence of 90s pop music just as brilliantly without sounding dated and outmoded. The heavy drum beats and bass lines add a smooth rock instrumental to Samantha Urbani's seductive vocals which are beautiful to hear. Their debut abum 'Manifest!' is set for release on June 4th 2012 through Lucky Number records; an exciting prospect.

Listen to: 'My Boo' & 'I'm His Girl'


Gold Panda
Now a Berlin resident, Gold Panda's new surroundings are obviously rubbing off on the former London based electronic boffin. Having remixed a whole host of bands and artists, Derwin Panda AKA Gold Panda has found himself accepted in many different musical circles. He may not label himself as a DJ but we loved his DJ Kicks compilation released last year and hope he'll venture into that area more in the not too distant future.

Listen to: 'Before We Talked' & 'Mountain'


Django Django
Quirky just doesn't quite cut it when describing the Edinburgh-based four-piece Django Django. Their multi-layered tapestry of electronics along with Vincent Neff's soothing, melodic vocals and producer David Maclean's rhythmic drum beats create a cacophony of psychedelic dissonance infused with trip-hop and upbeat guitar riffs. It is a truly unique sound with moments of 60s psychedelia with a modern indie rock twist. They released their self-titled debut album on Because Music records in January. On stage they are just as creative and memorable as in the studio; as we earlier said about the band, 'Like their recorded output, live the band are an unrefined mash of ideas and enthusiasm, bursting across the stage with a confidence that suggests they are more than comfortable in front of sardine-packed venues.'

Listen to: 'Default' & 'Hail Bop'


Grimes
Having missed a date on their current European tour, we're glad to hear that Grimes is back to full health and able to perform at Field Day. The heavily electronic sound imbued with Claire Boucher's (alias Grimes) sweet, breathy vocals is a vision of modern dream-pop. Her single 'Oblivion', from her third LP 'Visions', spent much time on the hypemachine chart. Grimes presents an alternative style of music that redefines electronic music. She is truly experimental in her composing and is never afraid of taking it to another level entirely.

Listen to: 'Oblivion' & 'Genesis'


As well as the bands mentioned above, we'll also be attempting to watch the likes of: Andrew Bird, Beirut, Errors, Mazzy Star, SBTRKT, Theme Park, Toy, When Saints Go Machine and Zulu Winter. All in all 2012 looks set to be a year to remember.