Music Festivals Previews, written by Roy Marmelstein and Greg Stuart

There are now hundereds of music festivals in the UK, almost each day in face. Most of them have semi-identical tried and tested line-ups of festival favourites that to us seem quite dull.

PlatformsMagazine.com presents previews of three music festivals we like and recommend. In chronological order:


Truck Festival, platformsmagazine.com

Described by one person as being "like a village fair but with great bands and a shit load of alcohol," the recipe for Truck is very simple: there's a small handful of little tents and barns in rural Oxfordshire, playing host to one of the best small festival line-ups that you're likely to find in this green land. Whilst you'd be disappointed if you were a dedicated Kaiser Chiefs fan (perhaps permanently disappointed?), the acts on offer tend to be the cream of the slightly or very underground indie crop, and provide an excellent platform for them to be discovered. There are also usually a couple of big-hitters, such as Regina Spektor and The Futureheads last year, so people can have a sing-a-long.

And the line-up this year.....erm, no-one knows, really. At the time of writing there's a lot of conjecture and rumour and things saucily hinted at on the official website.

There's a great atmosphere, a nice lack of corporate meddling (sorry, no mobile phone charging facilities) and you can buy fresh fruit from the local stalls. Truck's certainly not a huge festival, but that gives it its essence and charm. As the website says, people "love being able to see great bands, party and camp out while knowing they will, at some stage, find their friends again". Add to that cheap ticket prices (last year was £40 including camping) and market stalls, including one that just sells ukuleles and you've got yourself a mighty fine little festival.

Truck has sold out. For more information visit www.thisistruck.com.

Secret Garden Party, platformsmagazine.com

The Secret Garden Party is our kind of festival. It's held on a field in Cambridgeshire (complete with its own lake), it's not too big and they are completely independent. That means no sponsorships, no Carling stages and no Channel 4 bars. We like.

Highlights from the line-up include

Friday - Noisettes
Noisettes are a bluesy-punky rock band from London and they are truly incredible. The trio consists of Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison. We interviewed them on Platfrom 7.
Also on Friday - Little Barrie, Echo and The Bunnymen and Paris Motel.

Saturday - Frank Turner.
He used to be in the Million Dead. Now he's on his own, exchanging the punk rock noise to more acoustic bitingly-satirical folk.
Also on Saturday - Rinocerose, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, and Metronomy.

Sunday - Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip
The bearded jazz hip-hop poet and his beat layer scored a hit with the catchy Thou Shalt Always Kill. They've got many more great tracks. We interviewed Scroobius on Platform 13 and he played our first Platforms:live gig.
Also on Sunday - I'm from Barcelona, Karen Ann, Of Montreal, Au Revoir Simone, Peter & The Wolf and Kate Walsh.

The line-up is exciting but SGP has much more to offer than just the music. There will be inspiring art installations, relaxing massages, dance workshops, kissing workshops, open music jams, a fire camp, "nearly naked twister" and more unusual activities.

If you can, you should definitely come along.

Check out their website www.secretgardenparty.com for more info.



The Bestival, platformsmagazine.com

Last year's Bestival was like spending three days inside Rob da Bank's iPod. There was so much great music and very little time to consume it all. Can the Sunday Best team repeat their success? It sure looks like it.

Acts that you should definitely see include:

Bat For Lashes - Natasha Khan played an incredible twenty minutes set last year. That was before her great debut album 'Fur and Gold' was released. This year, she's playing the main stage. She and her band make rich magical dreamy music performed in sparkling headbands and facepaint. We interviewed her on Platform 9.

Kate Nash - This month's interview (click for it), Kate Nash is almost huge at the time of writing. Her single Foundations was just released and is doing pretty well in the charts. Her debut album is on its way. Expect a performance more raw and exciting than the polished single.

The Cuban Brothers - The Cuban Brothers are insane. Sexy soulful Cuban tunes with legendary performances, often including naked breakdancing. They were going to play before The Beastie Boys but were deemed inappropriate.

Also on the Line-up: Emmy The Great, Foals, Gossip, Billy Bragg, Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit, The Go! Team, Mr Hudson and The Library, The Chemical Brothers and Peggy Sue and The Pirates

The Bestival is a fancy dress festival and this year's theme is Kings, Queens, Wenches, Pirates and Wizards. there is a grand procession where you can show off your costume and attempt to break the Guiness World Record. There is also a great free on-the-ground newspaper, The Bestival Bugle. It's really very good. Oh, and an inflatable church and loads of brandy chai and even a charity swim to the Isle of Wight!

It's also sold out.

Check out their website on www.bestival.net for more info.