Photos/Review: All Tomorrow's Parties End of an Era Part One @ Pontins Holiday Camp, Camber Sands, UK

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All Tomorrow's Parties End of an Era Part One @ Pontins Holiday Camp, Camber Sands, UK
November 22-24, 2013
Photos: Rhona (Wiglet Bill) Aquilina & Chris / Review: Chris

All things must pass. Even festivals that strive to provide an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience in addition to some of the best music lineups known to mankind. In the past thirteen years, UK promotors All Tomorrow's Parties have put on legendary festivals all over the world, but it's their original three-day series at Pontins Holiday Camp in Camber Sands that started it all, and set the template for what a music festival can and should be. And with good reason. Part one of their End of an Era series, curated by Primavera Sound and ATP, provided three of the most memorable days of my life.

Some background on our journey to our first UK ATP festival. My fiancee Jennifer and I decided to take the plunge and make a trip to London after finally meeting FN's London contributor Rhona and her wife Niki back in October, following a two year online correspondance with them. Of all the experiences I've had since creating this blog in 2011, getting to meet people as obsessed with music as I am has been the most rewarding. Rhona and Niki have been to numerous ATP Festivals, and considering the End of An Era series would be the last at Pontins, they were of course attending both weekends. Everything fell into place when Rhona informed me that there was room for the two of us in the 4-person chalet for Part One of End of An Era. Five weeks later we found ourselves on a red eye flight to London, the next morning driving to Camber Sands in a car packed with food, a couple cases of Sapporo cider and a big bottle of Apple Schnapps (more on that later).

Review: Catalpa Festival @ Randall's Island (Day 2)

Girl Talk @ Catalpa NYC

Catalpa Festival @ Randall’s Island - July 29, 2012
Photos: Geanna B. and James MacFie / Review: Geanna B.

La-di-da-di-dahh! It's time to talk about the D-O-double-G! What, what, what whaaaaaat! Fo' rizzle. If there was anyone at Catalpa who was more excited to see Snoop Dogg than me, I would like to shake that person's hand. And then possibly give them a high five. Possibly. My dad hates rap music, so I used to have to listen to Snoop in my room quietly with headphones on without moving, so as not to upset his classic rock sensibilities. But before I geek out on middle school nostalgia, let's dive right into the funstuffs.

Sunday. Round Two. No Mercy, Mr. LaRusso.

Catalpa Festival Next Weekend! (7/28-29) Lineup, Set Times and Tickets!

Veritable smorgasbord music festival Catalpa is coming to Randall's Island next Saturday and Sunday, featuring 3 stages and over 40 artists throughout the hip-hop, indie, reggae and electronic music scenes. The official lineup and full schedule have been announced and are available on the festival's website, with info about tickets, transportation and a pretty ridiculous flame throwing sculpture/structure/DJ booth.

No, really. Check it out for yourself.

Punk Island 2012 Announced!

WE HAVE TO GO BACK!...

Hot damn, the NYC is blowin' up with music fests this summer, scattered all over the damn place and ready to melt some hot, steamy faces. This just in: ABC No Rio's HC/Punk Collective is back to bring you the 2012 incarnation of Punk Island, Make Music New York's one-day punk fest on... where else? Governors Island! Shit is about to get crazy on Sunday, June 24th.

Holy Moly: Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Festival Coming In May (St. Vincent, The Walkmen, Sharon Van Etten, & More)

Have you ever gotten the feeling that someone out there has some sort of machine that reads your innermost musical wishes and turns them into reality? Maybe that's just me being kind of nuts, but that seems to be happening quite a bit lately. The latest case in point: a whole ton of our Future Nostalgia favorite artists and bands apparently met up in an Indie Rock Hall of Justice to put together an awesome new three-day music festival taking place here in NYC from May 3 through May 5.

The Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Festival is being curated by The National's Wonder Twins Bryce & Aaron Desner and will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)'s own Howard Gilman Opera House and BAM Cafe. The lineup, of course, reads like an all-star lineup of indie rock greats:  The Walkmen, St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, Beirut, The Antlers, Atlas Sound, Twin Shadow, Tyondai Braxton (formerly of Battles), and many more. There will also be films shown at BAM Rose Cinemas, and there will be a closing night DJ Pat Mahoney and Nancy Whang, the DFA heroes who were core members of LCD Soundsystem.

Yeah, so you want tickets. Three-day Fest Passes go on general sale on March 6, while day passes go on sale March 12. If you're a Friend of BAM, you get advance presales on March 5 and 8, respectively.

Make it happen, and you bet we'll be right there covering it all.