So festival season is literally around the corner and the folks at Manchester’s brand new 10,000 capacity festival FRIENDS OF MINE have been working hard adding the final names for this year’s debut event on 20th – 22nd May at Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire (less than 30 minutes from Piccadilly Train Station).

Here’s the full line-up;

At Friends of Mine, Manchester legends like THE BUZZCOCKS, THE FALL, Bernard Sumner’s BAD LIEUTENANT and Cheshire’s very own THE CHARLATANS will meet Manchester’s hot new talent like PATTERNS, THE ANSWERING MACHINE, GOLDEN GLOW and DUTCH UNCLES. Joining the dots between them are THE CRIBS, CHERRY GHOST, BADLY DRAWN BOY, JIM NOIR, LIAM FROST, THE WHIP, MR SCRUFF and many more. And from further afield, there’s an international line-up of must-see bands including YUCK, TORO Y MOI, BLACK LIPS, YOUNG KNIVES, and JOHN MAUS.

Also playing; FLATS, DAVID MCALMONT, THE LONGCUT, THE HEARTBREAKS, LIAM FROST, THE LIGHTNING SEEDS, TWISTED WHEEL, MR SCRUFF, THE WHIP, A CERTAIN RATIO, PURESSENCE, THE PHANTOM BAND, THE WEDDING PRESENT, EMMY THE GREAT, FACTORY FLOOR, FICTION, GET CAPE. WEAR CAPE. FLY, KONG, HATCHAM SOCIAL, WALLS, MIND ON FIRE, DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB, RIZ MC, JOSEPH COWARD, GOLDBLADE, THE VIRGIN MARYS, UNABOMBERS, THE TRAVELLING BAND, HOWLS…

Aside from the musical entertainment on the Lake Stage, the Satellite Stage (so named for its views of the giant observatory at nearby Jodrell Bank), the Big Top Stage and the Bowl Stage, there’ll be a dedicated tent for stand-up comedy, spoken word and poetry headlined by the bard of Salford, JOHN COOPER CLARKE and featuring sets from Steve Shanyaski, Mrs. Barbara Nice, Nick Fraser and more. More culture can be found on Saturday’s Jazz Stage, with 12 hours of music curated by Manchester’s beloved Northern Quarter jazz institution Matt & Phred’s. Performers include Hidden Orchestra, Hackney Colliery Band, Illum Sphere Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra and Renegade Brass Band.

There’ll be late night goings-on in the marquee run by THE HOUSE PARTY, who specialise in turning spaces into riotous, themed shindigs. DJs include TIM BURGESS, the Hacienda’s DAVE HASLAM, Smiths legend MIKE JOYCE and Massive Attack collaborator HORACE ANDY as well as DADDY G himself. And there’s a cinema tent showing Manchester-centric movies Control and 24 Hour Party People plus a host of cult classics and a special screening of Mr Nice introduced by HOWARD MARKS himself.

Food and drink-wise, you’ll find none of your gristle-burgers here. Instead, there’s Festaurant, a unique festival food experience in association with Manchester Food & Drink Festival, bringing mobile versions of many of the city’s best-loved restaurants, cafes and eateries to the rolling fields. Plus heaps of additional entertainment, including science demonstrations from the folks at Jodrell Bank who are setting up a mobile version of their new visitor centre on the festival site, complete with giant telescopes. All this is priced at a super-reasonable £89.50 including camping, and VIP options available for those looking to enjoy a bit of extra luxury.

Friends Of Mine rose to prominence from the clubnight of the same name during the boom of DIY club nights in the early 2000s. The first Friends Of Mine took place in October 2004 in a bar in Fallowfield, South Manchester. “Little did we know then that by 2008 we’d have a monthly Liverpool and a fortnightly London FOM running alongside, and that we would not to go more than four weeks without a Manchester show until April 2010 when festival planning took over,” says organiser Sam Gardner. “The ethos for the Festival has come from the same idea as the original club night: maybe we can do one of our own…”

Full info: http://www.fomfest.com/lineup.html

By Lisa on March 30, 2011