Few festivals manage to bounce back from a year ‘on hiatus’, let alone with line-ups which exceed anything they managed to put together before the break. In this way, and many others Long Division Festival is arguably one of a kind. Now into the second year of their comeback, we headed to Wakefield to sample their eclectic delights.
One of the best things about Long Divison is the lengths the organisers go to to ensure that the music across the weekend is accessible to all. As well as range of free fringe events in the lead-up to the festival, the event itself is studded with free stages, including a high profile stage in the centre of the Saturday shopping crowds. It’s there, at the aptly-named Precinct Stage, that we begin our day. Leeds’ Heir have recently experienced mass exposure with their song ‘Need You The Most’ going viral online. Their jovial, 80’s-inspired sound is reminiscent of early Everything Everything and they do a fantastic job of drawing in the crowds for a raucous opening to Long Division 2019.
Manchester’s False Advertising are over in Warehouse 23 with a huge jar of lollipops and a sack of grunge-inspired anthems. While they do have a tendency of wearing their inspirations on their sleeve, their set pulls together the best singles they’ve released to date and the overall experience highlights just how eclectic the trio have become in recent years.
Next, we head over to The Counting House to catch local lads Homesteads, but it’s not all going according to plan. Their monitors aren’t working and no amount of wire-tugging and equipment-lugging can get them to play ball. Eventually, after a lengthy delay which will later cost them their final two tracks, the band take the plunge and play on regardless. Their booze-soaked anthems could well be the soundtrack to your next drunken night at the rock club and even the varied sound issues can’t stop them, and the sizeable crowd, ending with a smile.
Huddersfield’s Knuckle have recently unleashed their debut album and for many, today is the first chance to catch the material from ‘Life is Hard When You’re Soft Inside’ live. Playing what they call ‘Deluxe Garage Blues’ which you will “want to lick”, Knuckle somehow tread the fine line between enviable musicianship and never taking themselves too seriously. The back room of Henry Boons is so full, and ridiculously sweaty, by the time they take the stage, that around fifty people set up camp outside to watch through the open doors behind the stage. Yorkshire has had its share of megastars over the years, but it really feels like this was Long Division’s defining ‘I was there’ moment.
Avi Buffalo took the best part of a decade to mull over his sophomore album, but now that he’s back we’re not letting him go anywhere. Performing in the glorious setting of the Theatre Royal, his tracks are reminiscent of Bon Iver, before the latter fell down the electronic rabbithole. ‘What’s In It For?’ provides the, somewhat predictable, highlight, but what’s wrong with a bit of predictability when an artist has been away for so long?
We Were Promised Jetpacks are currently preparing to tour their debut album ‘These Four Walls’ at the end of the year. Despite our hopes that tonight might provide a sneak peek of this set, the band open with the unstoppable ‘Impossible’ from their most recent album ‘The Less I Sleep The More I Dream’. It’s fun to see the band provide the highlights of their catalogue to date, but it’s still those debut album tracks which cause the sharp intake of breath.
Bill Ryder-Jones was meant to be headlining the Theatre Royal tonight, but he’s a scouser and there’s a certain football match to be watched. As a result, his early evening set is packed to the rafters and he takes the chance to run through the obvious gold from his early albums, as well as some more thought-provoking moments from ‘Yawn’. With a stripped-back recording and tour scheduled for the autumn, Ryder-Jones has the potential to become one of Britain’s brightest stars.
We Are Scientists are another band who are readying themselves for a full-frontal run through of their debut album, but again this release is relatively under-represented here. Instead, the band explore ‘Megaplex’, which came out last year, more than any of their other releases. While the album has some glittering moments, the new material does struggle a little when tracks like ‘It’s A Hit’ and ‘After Hours’ burst forth elsewhere in the set.
Manchester’s False Advertising are over in Warehouse 23 with a huge jar of lollipops and a sack of grunge-inspired anthems. While they do have a tendency of wearing their inspirations on their sleeve, their set pulls together the best singles they’ve released to date and the overall experience highlights just how eclectic the trio have become in recent years.
Next, we head over to The Counting House to catch local lads Homesteads, but it’s not all going according to plan. Their monitors aren’t working and no amount of wire-tugging and equipment-lugging can get them to play ball. Eventually, after a lengthy delay which will later cost them their final two tracks, the band take the plunge and play on regardless. Their booze-soaked anthems could well be the soundtrack to your next drunken night at the rock club and even the varied sound issues can’t stop them, and the sizeable crowd, ending with a smile.
Huddersfield’s Knuckle have recently unleashed their debut album and for many, today is the first chance to catch the material from ‘Life is Hard When You’re Soft Inside’ live. Playing what they call ‘Deluxe Garage Blues’ which you will “want to lick”, Knuckle somehow tread the fine line between enviable musicianship and never taking themselves too seriously. The back room of Henry Boons is so full, and ridiculously sweaty, by the time they take the stage, that around fifty people set up camp outside to watch through the open doors behind the stage. Yorkshire has had its share of megastars over the years, but it really feels like this was Long Division’s defining ‘I was there’ moment.
Avi Buffalo took the best part of a decade to mull over his sophomore album, but now that he’s back we’re not letting him go anywhere. Performing in the glorious setting of the Theatre Royal, his tracks are reminiscent of Bon Iver, before the latter fell down the electronic rabbithole. ‘What’s In It For?’ provides the, somewhat predictable, highlight, but what’s wrong with a bit of predictability when an artist has been away for so long?
We Were Promised Jetpacks are currently preparing to tour their debut album ‘These Four Walls’ at the end of the year. Despite our hopes that tonight might provide a sneak peek of this set, the band open with the unstoppable ‘Impossible’ from their most recent album ‘The Less I Sleep The More I Dream’. It’s fun to see the band provide the highlights of their catalogue to date, but it’s still those debut album tracks which cause the sharp intake of breath.
Bill Ryder-Jones was meant to be headlining the Theatre Royal tonight, but he’s a scouser and there’s a certain football match to be watched. As a result, his early evening set is packed to the rafters and he takes the chance to run through the obvious gold from his early albums, as well as some more thought-provoking moments from ‘Yawn’. With a stripped-back recording and tour scheduled for the autumn, Ryder-Jones has the potential to become one of Britain’s brightest stars.
We Are Scientists are another band who are readying themselves for a full-frontal run through of their debut album, but again this release is relatively under-represented here. Instead, the band explore ‘Megaplex’, which came out last year, more than any of their other releases. While the album has some glittering moments, the new material does struggle a little when tracks like ‘It’s A Hit’ and ‘After Hours’ burst forth elsewhere in the set.
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