Preview: Kendal Calling 2013

Clash pick five of the best acts from the line up...

It’s a standard media trope to lament the demise of the great British festival. However if you look hard enough then you’ll find more than a few success stories, events that seem to grow bigger each year.

Returning for its eighth instalment, Kendal Calling is just one such festival. Set in the Lake District, the event boasts one of the most naturally beautiful landscapes on the summer calendar.

Family oriented, Kendal Calling is outstanding value – boasting some 14 stages and three days of entertainment for just £115.

Running this weekend (July 26th – 28th) only a handful of tickets remain for the summer extravaganza. With that in mind, Clash have picked out five favourites from the line up…

Primal Scream
Famed for their studio prowess, Primal Scream’s true place is out onstage. Recently returning with their vast, re-vitalised double album ‘More Light’ the band blew away the crowd at Glastonbury recently with a set which matched old standards with new (soon to be) favourites.

Clash spoke to Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie earlier this year, and found an artist who had lost none of his lust for progression. Check out a web edit of that Q&A HERE.

DJ Yoda
One of the most popular turntablists the UK has ever produced, DJ Yoda is much more than mere tricks ‘n’ skills. Sure, he’s got the technique but Yoda can read a crowd like few else around. A festival favourite, the DJ continually tailors his set to suit his surroundings – so when DJ Yoda hits Kendal Calling you can be sure he’ll have something special up his sleeve.

A noted advocate of Moombahton, Clash tracked down DJ Yoda earlier this year to discuss this North American reggaeton/house hybrid. Find that feature HERE.

Fossil Collective
Essentially a two piece (and not a collective…), this Leeds group aim to wrestle the bewitching world of folk away from our American cousins. Sure, comparisons can be made to Neil Young or even Fleet Foxes, but theirs is a uniquely British sound. Debut album ‘Tell Where I Lie’ emerged earlier this year, and is fast becoming a sleeper hit for those who like their songwriting crisp and golden.

Johnny Marr
One of the most influential guitarists to ever pick up a plectrum, Johnny Marr has waited until now to turn solo. Sure, he’s still with a band (a born rock ‘n’ roller, after all) but Marr appears re-energised, with a fresh, post-punk inspired direction. Invited to support The Stone Roses during their Finsbury Park stint, the guitarist was on cocky, preening form – throwing in a few Smiths classics for old times sake, his set at Kendal Calling shouldn’t be missed.

Johnny Marr sat down with Clash recently to chat about his new album, growing up and his abiding love of the guitar. Check out that interview HERE.

The Charlatans
The past few years have witnessed a mini-Britpop revival, with plenty of mid-90s hit-makers getting back out on the road. The Charlatans, though, have handled themselves with more grace than most – in part due to the continuing creativity of lead singer Tim Burgess. Recently completing his memoirs ‘Tellin’ Stories’ the songwriter also heads up the O Genesis label who have just issued the new LP from scuzz-punks Throwing Up.

Clash caught up with indie renaissance man himself Tim Burgess recently – find that interview HERE.

Kendal Calling runs between June 25th – 28th.

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