Wakefield’s largest festival of music and culture, taking place across multiple venues in the city, Long Division returns this weekend 1st – 3rd June, after a break in 2017, with its largest and most diverse lineup yet.
One of the partners of the festival this year is Leeds organisation, Girls That Gig, who have taken over and will be curating a stage at the festival. Dedicated to promoting women in music, they’re an organisation after our own hearts, so we asked events manager Jenny Bunn to give her top ten recommendations for the weekend…
The Bleeding Obvious:
As a self confessed “queerdo”, Jessica Rowbottom’s The Bleeding Obvious is an LGBT+ driven musical trinket box of genres, collaborations and “whatever she found in her parents’ music collection.” Interspersed with comedy and stories of her real life experiences, the blend of orchestral, electro and spoken word amongst many others brings a unique take on a contemporary musical project.
The Bleeding Obvious is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at The Red Shed at 1.45pm.
Kermes:
If the weather is as overcast as you’d typically expect in Britain, you’ll want to get down to see Kermes to cheer yourself up. If the weather has decided to treat us to a rare moment of sunshine, you’ll want to get down to see Kermes to dance and have fun. Poppy with a dash of sad punky roots, the eight-legged pop monster that is Kermes will light up your afternoon up and maybe make you forget that it isn’t all doom and gloom.
Kermes is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at The Red Shed at 6.45pm.
Charlotte Hatherley:
If you were into alt-rock in the late ’90s and early 2000s, there’s no doubt you’ve at the very least heard of Ash. Guitarist Charlotte Hatherley’s latest project is a world away from her alt-rock roots with Ash; her most recent release ‘Hook You Up’ is melodic vocals and electro escapism at its finest.
Charlotte Hatherley is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at Wakefield Cathedral at 7pm.
Chloe Juliette Beswick:
Dreamy hypnotic whimsical melodies from Wakefield, the home of Long Division itself, Chloe Juliette Beswick ever so delicately manages to catch a little bit of ’90s grunge in her DIY dream pop.
Chloe Juliette Beswick is playing at Long Division at the Beer Exchange. Time TBC.
Genevieve Walsh:
One of the best parts of Long Division is the sheer diversity of the acts, and Genevieve Walsh is no exception to this. Bringing with her a wealth of spoken word and poetry experience garnered through running Halifax’s longest running poetry night, she tours and workshops poetry in the North of England. Her own unique brand of punk poetry (not to mention fabulous blue hair) is a refreshing interlude that embraces weirdness, rhythm and honesty.
Genevieve Walsh is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at Neon Workshops at 3.40pm.
Fig By Four:
It’s always good to have a chilled out solo project when you’ve been involved in some of the Leeds scene’s most well known local bands over the past few years. You may know of Sarah Statham through Esper Scout, Crake and Living Body or for what she’s done for the Leeds DIY music community, but Fig By Four stands up fantastically on its own with captivating earthy reverb-y vocals and acoustic folksy guitar lines. Definitely one to check out.
Fig By Four is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at Wakefield Beer Exchange at 6.15pm.
Galaxians:
It’s hard to believe that Galaxians came into being in 2012 and not in the mid ’80s. Mixing synths with live drums and vocals, you’ll be back in the age of charismatic energetic synth-pop with a hint of disco as soon as they start playing. Get the Duffer Brothers on the phone, we’ve found the latest addition to the soundtrack of Stranger Things season three.
Galaxians are playing at Long Division on June 2nd at Warehouse 23 at 6.30pm.
The Lovely Eggs:
Wonderful and weird, The Lovely Eggs are an egg-cellent eggs-ample of the fusion of modern day riot grrrl with neon bright psychedelic weirdness, and are bringing their fifth album This Is Eggland to Long Divison. Oh, and maybe check out their website – there’s a petition up there to stop ‘fake encores’ from happening in the modern music scene and an entire page dedicated to reminding us all that people are tw*ts. Cracking.
The Lovely Eggs are playing at Long Division on June 2nd at Warehouse 23 at 10.15pm.
Peaness:
With a name that’s toeing the line between cutesy and inappropriate, Peaness are a harmony laden indie pop trio or “pea pop” as they like to call themselves. Spreading “peas and love” through their sunshiney happy-go-lucky vibes, they’ve already played alongside the likes of The Cribs, Muncie Girls and PINS and are definitely on the rise – keep your eyes on these ladies, 2018 could very well be the year they explode onto the UK Music scene.
Peaness are playing at Long Division on June 2nd at The Red Shed at 7.45pm.
Wiyaala:
Ghana’s finest Wiyaala cites Madonna and Tina Turner as two of her biggest influences alongside afro-pop and tribal folk music. Combining songs written in her native Sissala and Waale dialects with English, she has used her voice to speak out against child marriage, poverty and sanitation issues in parts of Africa. Oh and I should probably mention that, as a member of the international all female band GRRRL, she’ll be performing at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Australia this year. Impressive.
Wiyaala is playing at Long Division on June 2nd at The Red Shed at 8.45pm.
Huge thanks to Jenny at Girls That Gig for her recommendations!
Long Division Festival takes place in Wakefield this weekend, 1st – 3rd June, more info and tickets here.
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