Standon Calling 2011: Spiritualized and Battles to headline Herts festival
THE first acts playing this summer’s Standon Calling festival in the Hertfordshire countryside near Ware have been confirmed.
Taking place over the weekend of August 11-14, Spiritualized and Battles will top the Standon bill in 2011, with one headliner still to be announced.
Fronted by Jason Pierce, space rockers Spiritualized will headline the main stage on the Saturday night.
The band’s best known and most critically acclaimed album was 1997 classic Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, which NME magazine deserved named their album of the year.
Battles, meanwhile, have promised a jaw-dropping live show to round off Standon’s Friday night of music.
above article from here on 16/03/11
Spiritualized have announced six UK live dates in the run-up to their performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Jason Pierce’s troupe are currently recording their seventh album, due for release later this year via Domino offshoot Double Six.
August 13 – Standon Calling festival
October 5 – Leamington Spa, Assembly
October 6 – Edinburgh, Queens Hall
October 7 – Dublin, Vicar St
October 8 – Manchester, Academy
October 9 – Bristol, O2 Academy
October 11 – London, Royal Albert Hall
above article from here on 31/03/11
Spiritualized pull out of Standon Calling 2011
ONE of this month’s Standon Calling 2011 headliners has pulled out of the Hertfordshire music festival.
Space rockers Spiritualized have cancelled their forthcoming appearance at the festival – which runs in the Hertfordshire countryside at Standon Lordship from Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 14 – due to frontman Jason Pierce undergoing medical treatment.
The band, whose 1997 album Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space is often hailed as a classic by the likes of music magazines Q and NME, were due to top the main stage bill at Standon on the Saturday night.
A press release on the festival’s website says: “We are disappointed to announce that Spiritualized are not able to perform at Standon Calling 2011 having cancelled their two upcoming shows due to medical issues.
“Frontman Jason Pierce has been undergoing a course of medical treatment and although the treatment is near completion is not in a condition to perform.”
No replacement has been named yet.
A statement from Spirtualized on the Standon Calling website says: “[It’s] left us with no choice but to cancel following advice from his medical team.
“We have done everything possible to try and do these shows but it recently became apparent that Jason would not be able to perform.
“We apologise to everyone who is affected and hope they realise that cancellation was the only unavoidable option given the medical circumstances.”
Festival organisers added: “Everyone at Standon Calling wishes Jason the best with completing his medical treatment and we hope to see him on stage again soon.”
Battles headline the quirky boutique festival’s main stage on the opening night, with Saturday acts including Lamb, experimental disco outfit Hercules and Love Affair, alternative hip hop MC Saul Williams, Baxter Dury and punk poet John Cooper Clarke.
Sunday sees the likes of Africa Express Sound System and Penguin Cafe play the main stage.
Meanwhile, infamous former smuggler turned author Howard Marks will headline the Under Covers Literary Lounge.
Previous Standon acts include Florence & The Machine, Glasvegas, Paloma Faith, The Noisettes, Mumford and Sons and Friendly Fires.
* See this week’s Welwyn Hatfield Times, out Wednesday, for an interview with Baxter Dury ahead of his Standon Calling 2011 appearance.
above article from here on 02/08/11