No more 1997 jokes: Massive Attack curate Meltdown Fest in London

This is probably old news to you if you either a) live in London or b) have had internet access in the past month. Well, for me it's a big, resounding, sometimes ambivalent "NO" to both those statements, so it's breaking news to me. And perhaps you're a shut-in like me, too, and are now totally awed by this information.

What's left of one of the few trip-hop bands that has withstood the test of time and being perpetually played on coffeeshop soundtracks, Massive Attack, is curating the Meltown Festival from June 13-22 at London's awesome Southbank Centre. Massive Attack is opening and closing the Meltdown, with performances from an extensive and stellar line-up including:

The Tom Tom Club, MC5, Primal Scream, Mark Stewart and the Mafia, Gang of Four, Stiff Little Fingers performing Inflammable Material ,Grace Jones, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Fleet Foxes, Johnny Clarke, Elbow, Dälek, the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Adrian Sherwood, Tunng, the Cool Kids, Horace Andy, the Shape of Broad Minds, Flying Lotus, Aloe Blacc, Martina Topley-Bird, Terry Callier, Leila, the Shortwave Set, and DJ sets from James Lavelle, Peaches and Four Tet's Kieran Hebden.

There's all that and more!! Like, Massive Attack will also be doing a live mix of the Heritage Orchestra's Blade Runner soundtrack and there will be art and stuff. OMG this thing is intense. You can find out more about the potentially bankrupting event HERE.

Rumor has it that Massive Attack will be putting out a new album later this year. In the meantime, they're playing a slew of shows across Europe and the UK.

06-09 Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Arena
06-11 St. Petersburg, Russia - Stereoleto Festival
06-14 London, England - Meltdown Festival
06-22 London, England - Meltdown Festival
06-28 Glastonbury, England - Glastonbury Festival
07-01 Cork, Ireland - Marquee
07-03 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Westerpark
07-04 Belfort, France - Eurockeenes Belfort
07-06 Gdynia, Poland - Heineken Open'er Festival
07-10 Ljubljana, Slovenia - Krizanke Monastery
07-11 Balaton Lake, Hungary - Balaton Sound Festival
07-13 Istanbul, Turkey - Parkorman
07-15 Athens, Greece - Fly Beyond Athens Festival
07-17 Naples, Italy - Carpisa Naepolis
07-18 Rome, Italy - Roma Rock Festival
07-19 Ravenna, Italy - Pala de Andre
07-20 Padova, Italy - Villa Pisani
07-22 Cascassonne, France - Festival de la Cite
07-23 Arles, France - Theatre Antique d/Arles
07-24 Fourvieres, France - Les Nuits de Fourviere
07-25 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
07-26 Cognac, France - Cognac Blues Passions Festival
08-06 Lokeren, Belgium - Lokerse Festival
08-09 Saalburg, Germany - Sonne Mond and Sterne Festival
08-15 Almeria, Spain - Ola Festival

Fleet Foxes and Beach House together at last

If you read this blog even semi-regularly, you have probably figured out that I love shoegazy indie group Beach House. In some ways, they're a fairly unexpected addition to my music collection (seriously, count the amount of bat pictures on this blog or its BFF, Omgwhatisthat.blogspot.com and you will see what I'm getting at). But really, when you think about it, it's not that weird. After all, they have an organ. Or at least a keyboard that sounds like an organ.

On the other hand, comin' atcha totally out of left field is my newfound appreciation for the band Fleet Foxes. They've got an Americana vibe, which also makes sense for what kinda music I like, but they also have a HUGE 70s rock thing going on, too. Which I am definitely not super into. At least I don't think so. I don't know anymore. I just don't know anymore. So yeah, Fleet Foxes. They're like 70s indie rock and you can hear them here.

You can also see them with Beach House at these joints:

06-09 Brighton, England - Audio
06-10 Bristol, England - Louisiana
06-11 London, England - ULU
06-12 Nottingham, England - Social
06-14 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan's
06-15 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
06-17 Manchester, England - Roadhouse
06-18 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC2

Or if you live nowhere near any of those places, well then you can see either Beach House or Fleet Foxes without their new friend band!

Fleet Foxes:

04-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club *
04-18 Seattle, WA - Neumos *
04-19 Portland, OR - Holocene *
04-25 Bellingham, WA - WWU Underground
05-24 George, WA - The Gorge (Sasquatch!)
05-30 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
06-02 Paris, France - La Fleche d'Or
06-03 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
06-04 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
06-05 Berlin, Germany - Cafe Zapata
07-12-13 Redmond, WA - Marymoor Park (SP20)
07-19 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Pitchfork Music Festival) ^
08-07 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-09 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival

* with Blitzen Trapper
^ with Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, !!!, Vampire Weekend, Dizzee Rascal, No Age, Jay Reatard, King Khan & His Shrines, Extra Golden, Atlas Sound, the Ruby Suns, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International

Beach House:

04-18 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
04-19 Bloomington, IN - Culture Shock! (Indiana University)
04-26 Clinton, NY - Hamilton College
05-15 Brighton, England - Great Escape Festival
05-18 Minehead, England - Explosions in the Sky ATP
05-31 Dudingen, Switzerland - Kilbi Festival
06-08 London, England - Hammerstein Apollo *

* with Cat Power