All Tomorrow's Parties: The Nightmare Before Christmas

[Skummy]

All Tomorrow's Parties is the best festival in the world. Fact.

They've just released a new batch of tickets, it's at Butlins in Minehead (featuring "probably the largest water fun centre in the southwest of England", heady praise indeed) on the first weekend of December, and it's a bloody lot of fun.

Worst line-up for the last few years, in my opinion, but it's still pretty fantastic thus far;

My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Sun Ra Arkestra, De La Soul, EPMD, The Horrors, The Buzzcocks, Spectrum, Fucked Up, Le Volume Courbe, Wounded Knees, The Pastels, J Mascis And The Fog, Lily, A Place To Bury Strangers, Witch, Bob Mould, Swervedriver, Dirty Three, Primal Scream, Yo La Tengo, Brightblack Morning Light, Serena Maneesh, The Membranes, Ariel Pink, Josh T. Pearson, Lightning Bolt, That Petrol Emotion.

Less bands that I actually like (or, indeed, have heard of) than the last couple of years, both of which were dream line-ups for me, but the bands I do like are very strong. The only three I've already seen are Sonic Youth, De La Soul and The Horrors, and I have absolutely no problem with seeing Sonic Youth and De La Soul again. Would love to see the Arkestra, The Pastels and Lightning Bolt, and certainly wouldn't object to My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo, The Buzzcocks or That Petrol Emotion. Everything else, I'm probably going to do some research, or just see what's going on.

But between all that, lots of telly, lots of booze, some crazy golf, log flumes, and my ATP tradition of developing a minor gambling habit, it's going to be a bloody awesome weekend all the same, I'm sure.

So, any of you EWB lot going this year? There's no better place for an EWB meet-up than a hipster-infested holiday camp in the middle of winter.

There's also another ATP festival in the same place the following weekend, as part of their 10th Anniversary celebrations, with an arguably better line-up, but I'm not going, so it's not as important.

[Emperor Fuckshit]

I've always vaguely liked the look of the ATP line-ups (particularly TNBC, I seem to remember). I was going to go whichever year Liars were playing; but that fell through. I'd seriously consider going solely for MBV. Seeing them in Manchester last summer was without exaggeration one of the best experiences of my life. The rest of the line-up is mostly bands I'm lukewarm about (Sonic Youth), or would see as a kind of vicarious long-after-the-fact thing (Buzzcocks, Bob Mould).

[Skummy]

As I said, it's the weakest line-up for the last few years, and if I'd known they would be announcing the Ten Year Anniversary the following weekend (which they announced after I'd already bought tickets for NBC), I think I might have gone to that one instead - although the best bands playing it are those I've already seen, so perhaps not.

I'm definitely going to go and see My Bloody Valentine, and I'm sure I'll love it, but as I've not actively listened to them in a few years, they aren't one of the main selling points. A friend and I promised each other we'd go and see the Arkestra if we got the chance, so definitely seeing them, but it's another that falls into the "after the fact" category, in that it'll be a bit of a pantomime performance without Sun Ra himself, but it should still be incredible.

The one problem with ATP is that they do seem to be relying more and more on nostalgia value, which really goes against the spirit of the festival. It's kind of acceptable when you get largely unsung heroes playing - I've seen Silver Apples and White Noise at ATP, for example - and the Arkestra and even The Pastels could be said to fall into that category but The Buzzcocks? Or The Damned last year? It's only a fine line between The Damned playing All Tomorrow's Parties, and The Damned just playing a holiday camp.

[METALMAN]

That is a rather fantastic lineup. If only it was in a more accessible place.

[Iain76er]

There's a few bands I want to see there. I really should have gone last year when Mike Patton/Melvins were curating. I can't see ATP doing a better line-up than that. I should definetely go to one of these some day. The problem always is finding people to go with, because of the niche choice of bands, as well as the price. I have to pay for a chalet as well as my tickets? Bleh. Its probably cheaper to drive there from my parents each day.

Who decides on when these events are held? Surely hosting one a weekend after another is bizarre business practice? Weren't the summer ones close together too?

[Skummy]

Yeah, there's two in May as well. It's really odd. It used to be that the second one was at a different venue, but now they're all at the same Butlins. As you say, it seems like bizarre business practice, but they seem to do it a lot. Maybe it works out cheaper for them hiring the venues that way.

The way you have to pay for it all is a bit of the nightmare, but the chalets are part of the fun - and you get ATP TV, which is pretty cool. The thing is, if they just let you buy tickets without accommodation they'd end up with too many empty chalets, and would lose a lot of money, so it's a necessary evil, really. Though as I'm having to travel from Jersey, the accommodation side of things works in my favour, I can see why other people get annoyed by it.

Sorting out travel's going to be a nightmare for me this time, though - normally one guy books the flights, gets a hire car, we all drive up together and pay him back our share of the cost, but he's going to both festivals and staying in England for the intervening week, and so is the other guy who can drive, the only other driver is coming from Nottingham, so it leaves me and someone else to get to Minehead from Jersey, and meet up with two other people coming from Jersey quite possibly of their own accord, one girl coming from Nottingham, and my brother coming from Hull. Preferably at around the same time. Nightmare. Though I suppose we could try and get ourselves on the same flight as the other two, share the hire car on the way there, and then find our own way back. Still more hassle than I'm used to, though.

Edited October 2, 2009 by Skummy

[Skummy]

New bands announced;

múm, School Of Seven Bells, Faith Healers, Harmony Rockets performing Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void.

I'm of the understanding that Harmony Rockets is essentially Mercury Rev.

Much like most of the rest of the festival, they're solid bands, but no selling points. Oh well.

In much bigger ATP news; Pavement will be curating one of the May weekends in 2010. Kind of psyched for that, but it'll sell out in a flash.

[Skummy]

So, yeah, you know how I said the Pavement ATP would sell out in a flash? It did. In under a week. Before any other bands were announced. Which is bloody ridiculous...probably the fastest sell-out I've ever seen on an ATP event, even moreso than the My Bloody Valentine comeback gig. It's madness. What's more, they've now announced that Faust and The Fall are both playing it, so I'm a little gutted I didn't make that.

I have, however, in a moment of madness, just booked a six-person chalet for the other ATP in May - curated by Matt Groening. Also quite likely to get a second chalet of four along for the ride.

It seems a bit mad - there are no bands announced yet - but I reckon it'll be a good one. He curated the Long Beach ATP in 2003, and chose Sonic Youth, The Stooges, Cat Power, Built To Spill and The Magic Band, amongst others, and you're pretty much guaranteed the kind of low-fi and US indie hipster type line-ups that ATP used to be full of before it got a little (wonderfully) sidetracked with doom, noise, and avant-garde revivalism in the last couple of years, so it should be nice. Plus as he's not playing, it just means Matt Groening will just be there. Milling about. In Butlins.

[YI]

So, yeah, you know how I said the Pavement ATP would sell out in a flash? It did. In under a week. Before any other bands were announced. Which is bloody ridiculous...probably the fastest sell-out I've ever seen on an ATP event, even moreso than the My Bloody Valentine comeback gig. It's madness. What's more, they've now announced that Faust and The Fall are both playing it, so I'm a little gutted I didn't make that.

I have, however, in a moment of madness, just booked a six-person chalet for the other ATP in May - curated by Matt Groening. Also quite likely to get a second chalet of four along for the ride.

It seems a bit mad - there are no bands announced yet - but I reckon it'll be a good one. He curated the Long Beach ATP in 2003, and chose Sonic Youth, The Stooges, Cat Power, Built To Spill and The Magic Band, amongst others, and you're pretty much guaranteed the kind of low-fi and US indie hipster type line-ups that ATP used to be full of before it got a little (wonderfully) sidetracked with doom, noise, and avant-garde revivalism in the last couple of years, so it should be nice. Plus as he's not playing, it just means Matt Groening will just be there. Milling about. In Butlins.

...that is just far too fabulous.

[Gazz]

The Simpson's are creating a new character as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations. Convince him to base it on you.

[Iain76er]

Matt Groening is a member of The Residents, allegedly (so not )

So he could be performing but probably not...

[Skummy]

Who isn't allegedly a member of the Residents?

Though Matt Groening does (or did) play cowbell in a band with Stephen King.