One minute I’m at a music festival, the next I’m in a parallel universe watching an overbearing comedian clad in dungarees is singing about the dangers of texting unsolicited pictures of your bits, like I’m watching some kids’ PSHE educational show in the near future yet laughing so much I nearly bought a round. This is thanks to supremely gifted musical comedian Vikki Stone, a hilarious act at this year’s Long Division festival, the increased comedy featured proof the organisers are not content with standing still.
LD 2019 sees a host of new venues including the Theatre Royal, a sumptuous Victorian-era performance space designed by Frank Matcham, whose portfolio includes the London Palladium, Hackney Empire, Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Leeds County Arcade.
All wristband only venues are thankfully within a short walk of each other but the BBC Introducing stage in the central precinct provided one of the numerous buckshee places to watch live music, local super-group Living Body gracing the stage mid-afternoon showcasing new material including ‘CREAM’ standing for ‘Cash Rules Everything About Me’, a dilemma within a song, railing against capitalism whilst simultaneously admitting it is a necessary evil to keep the band going.
Long Division curators ensured this year’s line-up featured way more than just your typical indie stodge, Manchester Jazz Collective wowing the sizeable Mechanics’ crowd with a collection of infectious yet largely improvised freeform instrumentals. Down at Henry Boons, Vibe-Ology created a Booker-T sound that reminded me of watching the test card as a child before the kid’s TV programmes started.
By now, Theatre Royal is already pretty full for a fine stripped down solo set by Californian Avi Buffalo, alternating between guitar and piano, mixing old and new material as well as his pretty handy take on ‘Wichita Lineman’. Kentish folk poppers Keston Cobblers Club followed in Buffalo’s footsteps, sharing their trademark rumbustious sound.
Cowtown always prove a great live draw, today’s half-hour of indie-pyromania at Mechanics’ being no exception as ‘Motivational Speaker’, ‘Tweak’ and the brilliant ‘Emojicore’ renders everyone all moshed out, proving the venue is where it’s at as electro poppers International Teachers of Pop completely steal the show with their unique brand of four dimensional post Brexit escapism. Boasting Dean Honer and Adrian Flanagan from Moonlandingz, Leonore Wheatley from noughties cult band Soundcarriers plus Katie Mason on backing vocals, the now packed room bowled over by a spellbinding set of super-infectious banging tunes including ‘After Dark’ and ‘Age of the Train’. The quartet’s cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in The Wall Part 2’ is sensational, featuring a mash up of Kraftwerk’s ‘Robots’, superbly complemented by Leonore and Katie’s cool moves.
Penguin Café, the final act in Theatre Royal leave me slightly underwhelmed, their new penguin themed material a little samey compared to the fabulous quirkiness of ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ ‘Pythagoras on the Line’ and ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’. Their cover of Simian Mobile Disco’s ‘Wheels within Wheels’ was however, rather splendid.
Finally, Peter Hook and the Light stormed a brimming Warehouse 23 with faithful renditions of Joy Division and New Order classics, the earlier material seeming to stand the test of time better. Taut fizzers include ‘Isolation’, ‘Digital’, ‘Transmission’ ‘Control’, ‘Shadowplay’ and ‘Ceremony’, great to see these songs devoured so readily after 40 years. Naturally Hook’s set culminates with ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ bringing the house down at the end of another memorable day’s gigging.
LD 2019 sees a host of new venues including the Theatre Royal, a sumptuous Victorian-era performance space designed by Frank Matcham, whose portfolio includes the London Palladium, Hackney Empire, Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Leeds County Arcade.
All wristband only venues are thankfully within a short walk of each other but the BBC Introducing stage in the central precinct provided one of the numerous buckshee places to watch live music, local super-group Living Body gracing the stage mid-afternoon showcasing new material including ‘CREAM’ standing for ‘Cash Rules Everything About Me’, a dilemma within a song, railing against capitalism whilst simultaneously admitting it is a necessary evil to keep the band going.
Long Division curators ensured this year’s line-up featured way more than just your typical indie stodge, Manchester Jazz Collective wowing the sizeable Mechanics’ crowd with a collection of infectious yet largely improvised freeform instrumentals. Down at Henry Boons, Vibe-Ology created a Booker-T sound that reminded me of watching the test card as a child before the kid’s TV programmes started.
By now, Theatre Royal is already pretty full for a fine stripped down solo set by Californian Avi Buffalo, alternating between guitar and piano, mixing old and new material as well as his pretty handy take on ‘Wichita Lineman’. Kentish folk poppers Keston Cobblers Club followed in Buffalo’s footsteps, sharing their trademark rumbustious sound.
Cowtown always prove a great live draw, today’s half-hour of indie-pyromania at Mechanics’ being no exception as ‘Motivational Speaker’, ‘Tweak’ and the brilliant ‘Emojicore’ renders everyone all moshed out, proving the venue is where it’s at as electro poppers International Teachers of Pop completely steal the show with their unique brand of four dimensional post Brexit escapism. Boasting Dean Honer and Adrian Flanagan from Moonlandingz, Leonore Wheatley from noughties cult band Soundcarriers plus Katie Mason on backing vocals, the now packed room bowled over by a spellbinding set of super-infectious banging tunes including ‘After Dark’ and ‘Age of the Train’. The quartet’s cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in The Wall Part 2’ is sensational, featuring a mash up of Kraftwerk’s ‘Robots’, superbly complemented by Leonore and Katie’s cool moves.
Penguin Café, the final act in Theatre Royal leave me slightly underwhelmed, their new penguin themed material a little samey compared to the fabulous quirkiness of ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ ‘Pythagoras on the Line’ and ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’. Their cover of Simian Mobile Disco’s ‘Wheels within Wheels’ was however, rather splendid.
Finally, Peter Hook and the Light stormed a brimming Warehouse 23 with faithful renditions of Joy Division and New Order classics, the earlier material seeming to stand the test of time better. Taut fizzers include ‘Isolation’, ‘Digital’, ‘Transmission’ ‘Control’, ‘Shadowplay’ and ‘Ceremony’, great to see these songs devoured so readily after 40 years. Naturally Hook’s set culminates with ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ bringing the house down at the end of another memorable day’s gigging.
Words - Mike Price
Long Division Festival