IN only its third year, Electric Fields has grown a reputation for being one of Scotland’s most exciting festivals with its vibrant community spirit, eclectic lineup and picturesque location. Held in Thornhill, Dumfries in the grounds of the stately Drumlanrig Castle, the festival has been extended to a two day event for the first time, taking place over the 26th and 27th of August.
Having moved from strength to strength since its inception, 2016 looks to be its biggest year yet as it hosts a seriously impressive lineup full of global talent, with headline performances coming from nineties legends Primal Scream and The Charlatans. Staying close to its roots however, the festival continues to champion the best of Scotland’s emerging talent as music lovers are given the opportunity to see their favourite bands while discovering some new ones in an intimate setting.
With that in mind, TTV has compiled a list of some of our must-see acts.
Primal Scream
Primal Scream: acid house hedonists, indie rock’n’rollers, krautrock politicos. A legendary band who have built a 30 year career on the art of reinvention. They’ll be bringing Electric Fields to a close on the Saturday night with a hit-packed set so expect to hear a range of material from brilliant albums like ‘XTRMNTR’, ‘Vanishing Point’, ‘More Light’, the recent ‘Chaosmosis’ and of course ‘Screamadelica’. Always an exciting band to watch live, Bobby Gillespie is still one of the best frontmen in the business and if their recent performance at the Kelvingrove Bandstand is anything to go by, festival goers are in for a treat.
Fat White Family
Famed for their raucous and unpredictable live performances, Fat White Family will make for must-see viewing on the Stewart Cruickshank stage on Saturday. Embracing a DIY ethic, the band have cultivated a loyal following in recent years while embodying a truly rebellious rock n roll spirit. Their music lives up to their reputation; dark, edgy and stirring with lyrics that often deal with subjects that aren’t for the faint-hearted. Watch them prove their worth as one of Britain’s most vital rock bands as they bring grit and unpredictability to Electric Fields.
Baby Strange
Glasgow’s favourite punk rockers will be making an appearance on the Stewart Cruickshank stage on the Friday. Known for their raucous live performances, the trio have been on a brilliant run of form in recent years with each release as good as the next. With appearances at Reading & Leeds the very same weekend, an upcoming UK tour and their highly anticipated debut album ‘Want It Need It’ coming out in September, it’s an exciting time for Baby Strange as they are primed for big things more than ever before. Impassioned punk anthems like ‘Pleasure City’ and ‘Pure Evil’ will surely go down a storm with the crowds.
WHITE
Having established themselves as one of the most compelling and dynamic acts to emerge from Scotland in some time, WHITE will follow their tour buddies Baby Strange on the Stewart Cruickshank stage on the Saturday. The five-piece have appeared at a number of festivals throughout the summer and are set to excite the crowds at Electric Fields with another compelling live performance. Forever pushing generic boundaries and defying convention, they have forged their own unique sound and style by combining a range of influences from art-pop to post-punk. These guys are always an exciting live prospect thanks to material such as ‘Living Fiction’ and their brilliant new single ‘I Liked You Better When You Needed Me’.
Public Service Broadcasting
This pseudonymous duo have some outstanding material to their name as they bring their audio-visual spectacular to the festival following a stand-out performance at Belladrum. They have gained a reputation for their well-crafted instrumental productions during which they sample old public information films and archive material to create thought-provoking pieces of music. This makes for a truly captivating live performance as they simultaneously screen the films while playing, as they look to give festival-goers a unique audio-visual experience.
Be Charlotte
Charlotte Brimner has been hitting the festivals hard this summer with her innovative and captivating live performances becoming a staple of the circuit. Armed with a completely refreshing sound that merges a number of different influences together, her modern take on pop music has gained her plenty of plaudits in recent months and rightly so. The addition of two band members has allowed her to bolster her eclectic sound as she continues to impress with her wonderful vocals and flirtations with spoken word. With a bright future ahead, this will be a great opportunity to see her before she hits the big time.
Honeyblood
Honeyblood have just blasted back onto the scene with their impressive new single ‘Ready for the Magic’ along with the announcement of their second album ‘Babes Never Die’. The fiery track encapsulates everything we know and love about the duo with fuzzy guitar riffs, gripping melodies, an infectious chorus and a punky attitude. The band seem to have upped the ante since their widely acclaimed eponymous debut album was released in 2014, and this will surely transcend into a typically exhilarating live performance.
The Van T’s
The Van T’s are part of an impressive new wave of bands emerging from Glasgow right now and with the release of their new EP ‘A Coming of Age’ at the start of the summer, they sound like a band who are finding their own lane and blossoming in it. Armed with a refreshing grunge-pop sound, they are able to bring disparate influences together to great effect as their songwriting prowess continues to develop. Following a stand-out performance at the BBC Introducing Stage at this year’s T in the Park, the four-piece will no doubt see their popularity continue to grow in the coming months as they are set to appear on the Main Stage at Electric Fields.
The Ninth Wave
The Ninth Wave were announced as the winners of the unsigned band competition, beating off over 300 applicants to take their much deserved place on the Stewart Cruickshank stage. Full of melodic guitar riffs and atmospheric synths, with the male-female dual vocals giving them a unique dynamic, they have an addictive pop-rock sound which channels eighties new wave influences. The four-piece put in an impressive display at this year’s T Break stage and are set to perform at Tenement Trail later this year.
