When: 21st-23rd April 2017
Where: Prestatyn, North Wales
The masterminds behind the experimental TUSK Festival and alt.vinyl in Newcastle have come together to create a brand new festival, Safe As Milk, at Prestatyn’s Pontins in North Wales. The organisers are looking to take their format of bringing together the best in leftfield music to a whole new level and, with the first wave of announcements, it seems like they might be doing just that.
Folk icon Shirley Collins – who is releasing Lodestar, her first album in 38 years next month – and Syrian dabke vocalist and electronica artist Omar Souleyman are both playing at the event. They’ll be joined by electronic duo Dopplereffekt, double-drumming Eygptian duo Islam Chipsy & EEK and Arfo-futurist techno producer Hieroglyphic Being. Experimental art collective The Residents, Japanese genre-defiers OOIOO, and dark singer-songwriter Grouper are also on the bill, as are This Heat, This Is Not Heat, which in the past have – and may still include – members such as Thurston Moore and Alexis Taylor.
Founder Graham Thrower said: “What do you want from a festival? A real diversity of artists delivering powerful sets, a great environment to spend time with your mates, and plenty of stuff going on when the bands aren’t playing.” Co-founder Lee Etherington continues “But we want more from a festival too – good food, films, exhibitions, good beer, workshops, great records to buy, gig posters, guest DJs – we’re taking this format to the next level and beyond, it’s going to be the best weekend you’ve ever had at a festival.” Graham concludes: “It just seemed like the right time to put it all together…”
Tickets for the festival go on sale on 31st October. Super early bird prices start from £139.99 and include accommodation. For more information, visit the Safe As Milk website.
