Beacons, the jewel in the North of England’s music and arts festival crown, has just unveiled its first acts for 2014. First up on this year’s advertising hoardings and accurate barometers of Beacons’ diverse and far-reaching musical span is the atmospheric, transcendental pop of Daughter, fellow Londoner and ambient trailblazer Jon Hopkins plus the ambitious electronica of New York’s Darkside. The irascible unique individual that is Mark E. Smith brings the mighty, mighty The Fall the short distance over the Pennines to complete what is an already very impressive first wave of headliners.
Set in the beautiful rolling countryside that is the Yorkshire Dales and once more taking place at the very aptly named Funkirk Estate just outside the market town of Skipton, Beacons strikes an excellent balance between its 
recruitment of more established acts and the promotion of fast emerging local talent. Leodians and psychedelic warlords Hookworms (pictured) return to the scene of last year’s early Sunday afternoon triumph on the main stage. Fellow West Yorkshire sonic explorers Galaxians, Autobahn and those nascent stars of Late Show with Letterman, Eagulls bring additional local colour to this year’s event where they will be joined on a particularly spectacular looking undercard which already promises great things through TOY, that quite fabulous Fife folkster King Creosote, this year’s next big thing East India Youth and yet another Yorkshire hero, Nightmares On Wax.
Toss Sweet Baboo, Melt Yourself Down, Pins, Traams into the mix alongside the first raft of DJ announcements courtesy of Dixon, Roman Flugel and Daniel Avery and things are already looking pretty special.
The festival will run from Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th August 2014 and full details can be found here:
http://greetingsfrombeacons.com/
Not surprisingly, all of the early bird tickets have already been snapped up but full adult weekend tickets can be got for £99.50 + booking fee and deposit tickets are available for £25 up front. Ticketing information here:
http://www.seetickets.com/event/beacons-festival-2014/funkirk-estate/761325
