PREVIEW: Beacons Metro 2016

PREVIEW: Beacons Metro 2016

When: 27th October – 7th November 2016
Where: Various venues, Leeds

Rising from the ashes of the sadly departed Beacons Festival, the first edition of Beacons Metro took place last year at various locations dotted across Leeds and the north of England.  This year’s event is concentrated solely on Leeds and will take place between late October and early November and features a total of 16 shows across the West Yorkshire city.

Renowned local music promoters Super Friendz have put together an inspired, imaginative and musically diverse programme of events that stretches all the way from pop to psychedelia and covers most points in between.  Beacons Metro 2016 kicks off at Leeds Stylus on Wednesday and who better to launch this year’s programme than those most durable of brutal sound merchants Dinosaur Jr, led by the all-round legendary guitarist, singer and grunge icon J Mascis.

What then follows over the next 12 nights is a cracking schedule of shows featuring some of the most cutting-edge acts that are around today.  This year’s line-up includes the electronic dance-pop of Boxed In, the musical venture of London-based producer Oli Bayston; Canadian hardcore punks Fucked Up; highly acclaimed rap/MC artist Ghetts; fellow rapper and yet another rising star, Lady Leshurr;  Anna Meredith, whose musical compositions stretch from the classical to avant-garde pop; and the English grime MC, Novelist.

All of these acts, plus several more, will be appearing across two of Leeds’ newest and most exciting music venues, Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House.  Further performances will be held at Leeds Holy Trinity Church, courtesy of local quintet and psych-rock heroes, Hookworms; and the equally beautiful surroundings of Howard Assembly Room which will play host to Cat’s Eyes, featuring the combined talents of the Italian-Canadian opera soprano and classical multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira and Faris Badwan, lead singer of British psychedelic-rockers The Horrors; before Beacons Metro 2016 returns to Leeds Stylus and the place where it had all begun less than a fortnight before with what promises to be a triumphant finale care of the American indie-rockers Local Natives.

All of the Beacons Metro information for this year’s event can be found HERE

God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.