Having gone to the now deceased TMF (Thurrock Music Festival, totally unrelated to the crappy music tv channel) a couple of times in the mid-00s, I was excited to hear about the organisers creating a new festival, Offset. Not least of all as it's about 10mins on the tube from where I live (it's in a forest too but I live next to a forest so that has no novelty for me).
While many people lament the constant invention of new festivals, things like Offset and the forthcoming Concrete & Glass festival are useful for lazy Londoners like myself. Also, I had no doubt the lineup would be stellar and cheap, so much so that I invited lots of people to come via the magic of Facebook about 4 months ago. We'll ignore the fact that 99% of them aren't coming. Here's some highlights they'll be missing out on:
SATURDAY
Klaus Says Buy The Record (Colin's Tent, 12.45-13.10) - Jose Vanders' other half and nifty songwriter in his own right, who recently gave away a mini-album.
Pulled Apart By Horses (Main Stage, 13.30-13.55) - Fresh from a vomit-inducing set at Reading Festival, these Northerners have filled the gap that Meet Me In St Louis left on the Big Scary Monsters label nicely.
Thomas Tantrum (Main Stage, 15.50-16.20) - Popjustice and Alphabeat coined the genre 'wonky pop' but if anything, a band like Thomas Tantrum seem to fit the tag better. Disjointed anthemic brilliance.
Ice, Sea, Dead People (New Bands Stage, 17.30-18.00) - Bearing influence from the likes of Kill Kenada and Jarcrew to Fugazi, expect deafening awesomeness.
Glam Chops (Colin's Tent, 19.10-19.40) - Another Eddie Art Brut side project deal, this time with David Devant. Expect the unexpected. Or go see Johnny Foreigner on the main stage instead as they're on at the same time.
Fightstar (Guitar Hero Stage, 21.35-22.35) - After headlining arenas with Busted, Charlie Simpson now headlines a stage at Offset. Worth seeing for more than just novelty reasons.
Chrome Hoof (Last.fm Stage, 22.40-23.30) - Post-metal-orchestral-techno. Or something like that. A band pushing boundaries, certainly.
Little Boots (Girlcore Dance Tent, ?) - Admittedly only a DJ set but former Dead Disco member Victoria Hesketh is impressing in her new solo pop star guise. If you need proof, consult her ace videos on [YouTube].
It seems pointless to be recommending the main headliners (bands like WIRE and The Young Knives) but I've also skirted past some Keep Hope Inside alumni. If you get a chance, check out 4 Or 5 Magicians, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, To The Bones, House Of Brothers and Situationists. And even then, I'm further ignoring the likes of The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club, XX Teens and The Strange Death Of Liberal England - all of whom have had good press. A testament to the line up.
Although Saturday is by far the stronger day, I'll be previewing the Sunday stage later. Also, if you happen to be around Offset and see me (photo in top right hand corner of my homepage but imagine less hair), do say hello!
FADED GLAMOUR
We're a collaborative British music, film and TV blog. "Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop."
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