Louder Than War readers may remember that last year we ran an interview with one of the founders of possibly the best niche noise festival in the UK: TUSK. This year the autumnal festival has given birth to a mini summer version too, one which’ll be taking over Newcastle’s The Star and Shadow in just shy of a fortnight. Full details, in time honoured fashion, below.
Describing itself as a meeting of “high-grade, head-melting sonic energies from all corners of the contemporary music sphere” we failed to entice any of our writers along to the festival last year. This year, though, I’m pleased to report that we’ll be up in the north east for TUSK Mini and shall report back soon after.
Housed exclusively at The Star and Shadow (“the best place to see music in the North East bar none, entirely volunteer-run and fantastically supportive”) TUSK Festival has been running for a handful of years now following the inaugural edition which took place in 2011. Its reputation has built and built each year with the result being it’s had to expand a little bit more each year too. They’ve evidently now reached the stage where they can’t fit all the artists they want to work with into the one weekend so they’ve set up a second version of TUSK Festival, a one-dayer called TUSK Mini which is taking place on Saturday 12th July.
Boasting, as ever, a diverse collection of high-grade international sound and music-makers, TUSK Mini this year entices fans up to Newcastle with a score of exclusive UK appearances from truly maverick performers you will seldom if ever have a chance to see again.
Highlights of the TUSK Mini line-up include:
- Swedish proto-punk brainbombers NO BALLS.
- Shanghai noise monster TORTURING NURSE.
- French psych/prog legend RICHARD PINHAS.
- ANNIHILATING LIGHT – the murderous combination of Stefan Jaworzyn and Heather Leigh.
- crystalline yet bass heavy Italo-Belgian Opal Tapers LUMISOKEA.
- steaming Mancunian psych septet DESMADRADOS SOLDADOS DE VENTURA.
- Newcastle’s shape-shifting tape abuser POPULAR RADIATION.
- the infamous, in-your-face BONGOLEEROS.
… and much more.
Besides all this there will be:
“…an amazing film programme, more artist talks c/o THE WIRE magazine, ear-warping DJ action, the usual mouth-watering merch mountain, plus the very reverend RICHARD DAWSON as Master of Ceremonies. The whole event will be streamed live and archived on the TUSK site – more details to follow.”
Details about TUSK Mini:
- Date: Saturday 12th July 2014
- Location: Star & Shadow Cinema, Stepney Bank, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 2NP
- Times: Midday – 1am
- Ticket info:
- Standard ticket: £15 + £1.50 booking fee
- Enhanced ticket (includes pre-order of live vinyl album of Ambarchi / Campbell / Flower’s live set from TUSK Festival 2013, released on June 30 and shipped on that date): £25 + £1.50 booking fee
- Ticket links: Tusk Festival AND WeGotTickets.
- TUSK website: tuskfestival.com, Soundcloud, Facebook and Twitter: @tusk_music.
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