Preview: Melt! festival 2009
- May 14, 2009
So you're stuck in a field, there's a rock band playing â“ we all know how this goes. Oh for a festival that has all the best bits of the normal events, but something a little unusual too. Say, a load of gigantic ancient diggers, situated just outside of Berlin? Welcome to Melt! Festival.
Of course, the staple of any festival is the music, which Melt! certainly delivers on for many different tastes. There are the big-hitting headliners in the shape of Oasis, Bloc Party and Aphex Twin. For those after acts that always pop up in the upper echelons of summer lineups, there is also Kasabian, The Gossip and Travis.
Regardless of who is playing, the whole thing is set in a Ferropolis, a location with the wonderfully rugged moniker of the City of Iron. Having been going for more than a decade, this German festival is established, but hasn't grown to the size that can cause annoyances â“ the attendance just nips past the 20,000 mark. In addition, its location means a trip before of after to the fascinating and lively capital of the country is a must.
If more dance-orientated music being sought, it excels here too. With open air and tented venues running through the night for those with the stamina to stand it, Simian Mobile Disco, Yuksek, Digitalism, Boys Noize and Erol Alkan will be sure to thrill. Revellers wanting to move to more cutting edge yet chart-friendly sounds will be excited by Klaxons, Foals, Crystal Castles and La Roux.
Editors, who see their fair share of festivals, summed it up aptly after playing the event: "You don't get anything like this anywhere else. It's nice to see something
so different and unique, not just a field or a hall with a stage," the band stated. "When the sun goes down here and all the machines are lit up and the stage lights go on, then everybody gets really involved."
Innovative smaller groups and those who will soon be breaking through are also filling the bill, such as Caribou, The Dodos, Metronomy, The New Wine and Passion Pit, plus the critically-acclaimed Patrick Wolf, Cold War Kids and Animal Collective.
With all of the highs of a UK festival, a chance to hop over to Deutschland, one hell of a lineup and a setting of incomparable intrigue, Melt! Festival could just steal the summer. It takes place from July 17th to July 19th, with camping available beforehand too. Here is the main stages lineup so far, in running order no less.
The full line-up so far:
Friday 17.07.2009
Mainstage: Aphex Twin + Hecker, Travis, Klaxons, Röyksopp, Foals & Cold War Kids.
Gemini Stage: Gossip, Simian Mobile Disco (live), Jazzanova Live!, Crystal Castles, MSTRKRFT, Metronomy, Deadmau5, Bodi Bill & James Yuill.
Melt! Klub @ Coca Cola Soundwave Discovery Tent: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives , The Dodos , LA Roux, The Virgins , This Will Destroy You & Gysbert zu Knyphause.
Saturday, 18.07.2009
Mainstage: Bloc Party, Digitalism (live), Phoenix, The Whitest Boy Alive, Animal Collective, Jochen Distelmeyer & Baddies.
Gemini Stage: Boys Noize + Erol Alkan, !!! (chk chk chk), WhoMadeWho, Mediengruppe Telekommander, Filthy Dukes & Super 700.
Melt! Klub @ Coca Cola Soundwave Discovery Tent: Muff Potter, Anna Ternheim, The Wedding Present, Caribou, Bonaparte, The New Wine, Berlin-Bergen-Surprise-Mash-up & Mikroboy.
Sunday, 19.07.2009
Mainstage: Oasis, Kasabian, Polarkreis 18, Glasvegas, Patrick Wolf & Passion Pit.
Gemini Stage: Tiga, Brodinski, Yuksek, Shir Khan & DJ Supermarkt.
