Hello!

Fresh back from the Stars of the Lid experience, and what a show it was. Heartfelt thanks to everybody who attended, Ian from the Church Of St. Thomas The Martyr whose open-mindedness meant that we could host the event in the first place, Mariposa and d_rradio who supported with aplomb, and of course the Stars of the Lid crew for being absolute legends and delivering an absolutely jaw-dropping show. If you didn't go, you missed out. Seriously.

So with that out of the way, we can happily announce the lineup for the the biggest and best Distraction Weekender yet on 8th, 9th and 10th August at the Cluny in Newcastle-upon-Tyne! You know the deal: for only five quid a day brings you aural innovation, future players, and diverse sonic excursions, this time presented over THREE DAYS. The legendary Distraction Weekender returns. Accept no imitations.

Starring:

FRIDAY 8th AUGUST : (School of Language
David Brewis' most pressing musical concern; intelligent, challenging and stunning pop music where the traditional and the experimental are fused with incredible results.
Milky Wimpshake
Pete Dale's influential outfit deliver you love songs bristling with social commentary, understated genius and cutting irony and wit.
The Matinee Orchestra
New material from Andrew Hodson's 'laptop band'; a rich and sparkling listening experience with all the rewarding qualities of a classic novel.
Pale Man Made
Punk in spirit, but not in content; lively, punchy and perfect tales of broken hearts, animals, hatred, jealousy, snooker players and natural history museums.
St. James Infirmary
Straight outta Ashington, St James Infirmary combine the folksy charm and observations of a Jilted John or Alan Bennett with the acerbic wit and killing fields of a Pol Pot.
PLUS!
Cuckoo's Nest DJs
Louise Green and Caci (Visuals)

SATURDAY 9th AUGUST : (The Week That Was
Pete Brewis' most pressing musical concern; juxtaposing minimalistic stabs with folk-y warmth to the harmonies in a dark epic narrative replete with deliciously touching mundane lyrics.
Moira Stewart
Quirky, jerky, bonkers and brilliant; upbeat, fun, shambolic electro/guitar pop is the order of the day. Moirageddeon, yes!!
Wroooaar!
Hyperspeed bouncy chipcore techno joyousness from a girl sporting Nintendo trainers
Warm Digits
Ear-troubling krautrock rhythm 'n' noise, free improv drumming, no-wave guitar and BBC Radiophonic electronics with a disseminating Sturm und Drang.
BluntWoundTrauma
Old school hardcore riffing intended to batter, bruise, deprave and violate; brutecore has never sounded so wanton, so adamantine, and yet so gratifying.
BEAK
trrk-errk, trrk-errk, Crrk-trrk-. errk-trrk, SQQQQUUUUAAAAAAARrRWWWKKKK!! SQUAWKKK! SQuuAwk! Errk-er-erk-crrk-SQQUUAAAARRWWWWKK! Trt-trt-crrk-EERKK!
The Black Static Of Summer
Blistering streamroller rock dynamic, free-form post-hardcore with astute, risky, invested, lyrical bite.
The Big Oaks
The sort of crippingly unfunny comedy music which could only be appreciated by the friends of the cretins involved, or Red Dwarf t-shirt wearing bell-ends who live with their mams.
Nathalie Stern
Traditional, tender, evocative Swedish folk, looped, recut, and reused through loop pedals that threaten to tear apart the fabric of your emotions.
PLUS!
d_rradio (DJ)
DJ Search Warrant
Louise Green and Caci (Visuals)

SUNDAY 10th AUGUST : (Unicorn Love
Unicorn Love want to enrich your life. And they'll do this through a sermon of ragga-disco-noise with a smattering of hail, fire and brimstone. Praise be!
Kylie Minoise
Kovorox Sound's whirling-dervish of chaos, discomfort and wanton noise; shortassaultive fists and cut-up junk through a beautiful cream of extended psychedelic tone.
Seppuku
Seppuku take facehitting approach and very heavy sounds! Seppuku this day feature member of Snotnosed, and Marzuraan, expect loud noise fuku and big smash mayhem!
Mutant Ape
A straight up racket-making machine hitting the listener full force, leaving his trembling, quivvering victims in the gutter without remorse.
BONG
BONG start, finish, and end in doomy dirge mode, playing live at high volume for maximum murk and grit and distortion; low-end, sludgey, heavy-as-hell doom-und-grind tones and groans.
Eye Shaking Kingdom
Nackt Insecten and Alistair Crosbie's heavenly fedback loops of decay and delay, grandscrape dynamic flows and life-affirming sanctimonious drones, straddling the line between the dense and the delicate.
Joe Pesci
Not for the faint-hearted; this is hideous thrash violence where only the strong will survive. Prepare to be flayed!
Rough Sex Quartet
RSQ violate sound unemotionally, relentlessly torture their equipment with such an unstoppable torrent of noise that even the sturdiest of immoveable objects would buckle under the weight of such harshness.
Michael Flatley Knifefight
Potent ugly-ass pummeling bone-breaking heavyness from the bandname in the North East.
Mariposa
An heavenly wall of sound; Watching and listening to this duo building layers of noise is mesmerising and a privilege. Christ, is it moving.
Goathanger
Undiluted, dark, tranced out, eerie rhythmic pieces; file under "RITUALISTIC DRONE OCCULTISM".
PLUS!
DJ Search Warrant
Jazzfinger Sound System

Yowsa. Expect more news about forthcoming Distraction releases very soon too.

Take it easy,

Distraction.x.