This summer thenorthernline is planning to attend as many northern festivals as is humanly possible. Not Leeds and Reading, T-in-the-park type things where you watch corporate whore indie bands and drink luke warm lager at £4 a pint whilst trying to find a square foot of spare grass amongst the 100,000 other customers!!! No, real music in real places that care about such things as quality, integrity and value the people who come to attend. With all this in mind we kick off our “previews” with a brilliant festival that is happening in that metropolis of music and culture. Yes, ladies and Gentleman I bring you Kendal Calling. Actually its not even in Kendal but in the beautiful countryside that surrounds this picturesque town in the Lake District. It will be thenorthernlines first time at this “Glastonbury for the North” but with the line-up that is planned and the past reviews we think it is going to be one of the best, if not thee best of the summer. So forget about spending loads of money on e-bay to stand half a mile away as Johnny Burrell pretends he is Freddie Mercury whilst some idiot throws a pint of lager (or worse) over you. Get yourself to Kendal Calling. It all begins on Thursday the 29th of July with FREAKEASY and then the whole thing starts properly on Friday the 30th of July. Here are all the details you need to know:

MORE STERLING BANDS REVEALED FOR KENDAL CALLING…

SATURDAY HEADLINER: DOVES

SUNDAY HEADLINER: THE CORAL

JOINED BY BRITISH SEA POWER, BADLY DRAWN BOY, STEREO MC’S, KID BRITISH & THE KING BLUES

Freakeasy: Thursday 29^th July

Full festival: Friday 30^th July – Sunday 1^th August 2010

Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, The Lake District

http://www.kendalcalling.com/

*MANY MORE ACTS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON INCLUDING LINE UPS FOR CALLING OUT STAGE, KAYLIED STAGE, CAFÉ SEREN, HOLY QUAIL & SOAPBOX!*

Nominated for Best Grass Roots festival and Best Small festival at 2009 UK Festival Awards

5^th Birthday year – 8,000 capacity – 8 stages – 3 days and nights of fun in the fields

Two of the North West’s finest exports have been confirmed for the Lake District’s Kendal Calling festival: anthem generating Doves and festival favourites The Coral will headline Saturday and Sunday nights at the stunning festival site.

Joining the likes of Calvin Harris, local lads Wild Beasts and The Futureheads they will take to the mainstage for some trailblazing live sets over the 3-day event. Doves who are used to country dwelling after recording their last two albums in greener settings will be Saturday night headliners, treating revellers to hits such as ‘There Goes The Fear’ and ‘Pounding’ plus other tracks from last year’s Kingdom of Rust album. Doves have a back catalogue of hits that have seen them open for the likes of Coldplay and U2 with their hypnotic and exuberant soundscapes.

Fellow North West heroes & Sunday night headliners The Coral are set to close the festival with their infectious blend of freewheeling guitars and heart-warming Mersey beats. Down to earth lyricists and good time troubadours; The Coral weave words about everything from grandmothers to love to loneliness with high-octane hooks from the 7 piece band. Kendal Calling crowds can look forward to hits like ‘Dreaming of You’, ‘In the Morning’, and ‘Jacqueline’.

Kendal Calling HQ are delighted that British Sea Power back by popular demand, they headlined our first ever Kendal calling in 2006, returned in 2008 and the band are excited to come and celebrate the festivals 5^th Birthday with us & deliver one of their famed storming sets. Originally from Kendal, BSP will be fresh from their own mini festival taking place at Britain’s highest pub – Tan Hill. Kendal Calling are massive fans of British Sea Power and they’ll also be celebrating the launch of their new album – Sunday’s performance is set to be special. With a huge cult following, British Sea Power reside in Brighton, they’ve toured all over the UK and now sail to the high hills of the Lakes!

Prolific songwriter Badly Drawn Boy is also on board the Sunday line up, set to relay his sunshine hits ‘Once Around the Block’ bringing his acoustic sounding magic to the fields.

Brixton dance legends Stereo MC’s will take to the stage on Friday, an extra special show complete with full band & light show and a back catalogue of hip shaking hits spanning the last decade. Their tracks are etched on everyone’s musical memory. Fresh from supporting Madness at O2 Arena last year The Stereo MC’s will take to Kendal Calling main stage with hits such as ‘Connected’ and tracks from their latest Double Bubble album.

Playful Manchester 4-piece Kid British set out to clear the clouds drawing on the street smart sounds of Madness and Blur. They were recently polled above Oasis in a survey of Manchester’s best bands. Delivering a rude boy blend of club friendly beats with hip-hop production – the Kendal fields will be shaking under foot!

Described by NME as ‘riotous sozzled punk with a pinch of salt’ The King Blues return to Kendal Calling after headlining the 2^nd stage last year. They make rough radical music that sits just as well on the Radio as it does in festival fields. Fresh from last years recordings of ‘Save the World, Get the Girl’ this band are a must-see.

Watch this space for more irrepressible line up news coming soon!

EDITORS NOTES & QUOTES:

BEN ROBINSON, DIRECTOR OF KENDAL CALLING SAYS: ” We are all ecstatic that we have been able to invite Doves and The Coral onto the fields. It is an honour to be able to put such a quality lineup together – who would have thought just 5 years ago that acts of such quality would be playing in the Lakes? This is going to be a fantastic weekend that the team and I will never forget!”

“The real draw of Kendal Calling though, is the backdrop. A truly stunning landscape surrounds the campsite, rolling green fields give way to craggy rock outcrops, the odd mountain, copses of luscious green trees and reams of shaggy bright grass. It’s a world away from literally anywhere…which means Kendal Calling can double as an actual holiday. Bonus.” – Clashmusic.co.uk

“The way the organisers took the hassle out of the festival-going was another big plus-point… The festival reminded me of a smaller version of Glastonbury – it catered for every age group… Overall the organisation and atmosphere was great. This festival is a goer, and it’s one I’ll be heading to next year”– Manchester Confidential

“The site was charming, just the perfect size … Present festivals also seem to place a lot of emphasis on how to keep the masses entertained and this one truly excelled. Would I go again? Definitely – it has great potential and isn’t just about the music, all for a fair price” – SafeConcerts.co.uk

TICKET DETAILS:

Date:                            30^th July – 1st August 2010

Location:                     Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, CA10 2HN

Ticket Price: Weekend Camping Tickets: £85

Big Green Coach: Coach travel & festival ticket from £100. Coach travel from £15. 18 departure locations. http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/kendalcalling

Big Green Coach will plant a tree for every full coach we take to the festival – making it more environmentally friendly.

Direct Tickets and local outlet info:    http://kendalcalling.com

Get yourself there it’s gonna be great.

By peter on May 16, 2010