Red Bull will move out of the forest at Electric Picnic and into the main arena with their new Red Bull Tropical Garden arena. Lined up to play are: Mr Scruff, New Jackson, myself Nialler9, Donal Dineen, Hubie Davison, Colm K, Discotekken, Fish Go Deep, This Greedy Pig, Timmy Stewart, Sim Simma, Dave McCabe, James Hannan, Ciara Brady and KC.
There’ll also be cocktails and of course, the Red Bull bar.
Friday, 2nd Sept:
Fish Go Deep, Colm K, Timmy Stewart, Discotekken, Galactic Beat Club, Ciara Brady, KC
Saturday, 3rd Sept:
Mr. Scruff, Phil Boyle, Nialler9, Sim Simma, This Greedy Pig, James Hannan
Sunday, 4th Sept:
New Jackson, Billy Scurry, Stevie G, Donal Dineen, Hubie Davison, Mr. Ray, Dave McCabe
Hubie Davison’s previous output tended to fall in the spheres of ambient laid back electronica or tougher dance music but his new track ‘Sanctified’ is something else altogether.
A fervent disco groove is at the heart of this house music celebration: strings coalesce, bass thumps and the title track is sung with exaltation. Hubie beefs up the original, The Commodores’ ‘I Feel Sanctified’ for the floor.
It gets a release next week on Midland’s ReGraded label on vinyl.
With a festival like Longitude, you probably already know who you’re going to see from the bigger names (if not: Friday: Todd Terje, SBTRKT, Metronomy, Little Dragon / Saturday: Caribou (+Daphni), Glass Animals, Jungle, Alt-J, Hud Mo, Le Galaxie / Sunday: Chemical Brothers, James Blake, Wild Beasts, Danny Brown, Young Wonder) but it’s further down the bill where things get a bit less clear cut. So here’s your guide to your five a day, five new artists to see to help you keep your finger on the pulse. Plus, there’s also a Spotify playlist for the entire festival lineup to listen to.
I’ll be down at the TXFM stage (Sitemap) on Sunday along with the rest of the crew who are DJing there all weekend long.
Old-fashioned soul is Bridges’ thing. The 27 year-old Texan makes no concessions to modernity, even dressing as well as sounding like vintage Sam Cooke. His album Coming Home is what it is – uplifting soul music for sunny days so fingers crossed for Friday afternoon.
2. Ibeyi
Friday, Heineken Stage, 5:30pm
French Cuban twins with beguiling intertwined voices and instruments. One on a piano, another on percussion (which sometimes extends to her body as an instrument), their worldly songs take in their father’s Yoruba Nigerian tongue, gospel, Buena Vista Social Club styles (who their father played with), jazz and soul. Their XL Recordings debut is a fine album but live, as they did at Other Voices, is where they shine.
3. Haelos
Friday, Whelan’s Stage, 3:30pm
With only an EP and a single on Matador Records to their name, the English three-piece Haelos have already established their sound. A rush of synths, hanging percussion and a chorus of voices. ‘Earth Not Above’ is my absolute jam, as featured in my songs of the year list.
4. Hubie Davison
Friday, 5pm, RBMA stage
He might be CdB’s son but let’s not hold that against him. Mr Davison is a modern child versed in electronic music; based in London and releasing music on the Leisure System label that moves between textural electronic ambience and laid back grooves on ‘Get On’ and more dancefloor-edged fare like ‘Khayyam Grey’. Lots of mixes on Soundcloud to peruse.
5. Young Fathers
Friday, Heineken Stage, 6:45pm
When I watched the Glastonbury highlights and saw Young Fathers live footage, it didn’t come across well. That’s the problem with watching live music on the TV, it doesn’t always translate. I know for a fact, that Young Father’s live set is one of the best around at the moment, a gut-punching, tribal, howling, theatrical, visceral blood-let of a show. Their new album is boss.
The Nialler9 TXFM show airs every Thursday night at 10pm for two hours. You can listen live on 105.2FM, online, the TXFM app or if you missed it, on the listen back function on the site, as per below. The show starts six minutes in, right after the news in each hour. Click the buttons to launch the TXFM site autoplaying links.
Hubie Davison is a young Irish producer who, perhaps informed by his studies in London, makes music that is textural and interesting. It’s got elements of ambient electronica, beat-tapes and ethereal house music. It is not actually light years away from Nicolas Jaar or the likes of FKJ in style. Hubie has already released an EP of tunes on the Leisure System label called I Won’t Be There last month.
Hubie Davison – I Won’t Be There
What you might not know about Hubie is that he is the son of Chris De Burgh.
The mere mention of that name conjures up many things to any Irish person and beyond. It might be ‘Lady In Red’, it might be those eyebrows, it might be that letter or it might be his relatively well-known former Miss World daughter Rosanna Davidson.
Hubie has followed in his father’s footsteps but the apple has, in this case, fallen far from the tree and is nothing of that sort. Rather than making any kind of maudlin balladry, Hubie’s music is sonically electronic, modern and of the zeitgeist. We look forward to hearing more.
