NEWS: Shirley Collins and Omar Souleyman among acts announced for first ever Safe As Milk Festival

NEWS: Shirley Collins and Omar Souleyman among acts announced for first ever Safe As Milk Festival

When: 21st-23rd April 2017
Where: Prestatyn, North Wales

The masterminds behind the experimental TUSK Festival and alt.vinyl in Newcastle have come together to create a brand new festival, Safe As Milk, at Prestatyn’s Pontins in North Wales.  The organisers are looking to take their format of bringing together the best in leftfield music to a whole new level and, with the first wave of announcements, it seems like they might be doing just that.

Folk icon Shirley Collins – who is releasing Lodestar, her first album in 38 years next month – and Syrian dabke vocalist and electronica artist Omar Souleyman are both playing at the event.  They’ll be joined by electronic duo Dopplereffekt, double-drumming Eygptian duo Islam Chipsy & EEK and Arfo-futurist techno producer Hieroglyphic Being.  Experimental art collective The Residents, Japanese genre-defiers OOIOO, and dark singer-songwriter Grouper are also on the bill, as are This Heat, This Is Not Heat, which in the past have – and may still include – members such as Thurston Moore and Alexis Taylor.

Founder Graham Thrower said: “What do you want from a festival?  A real diversity of artists delivering powerful sets, a great environment to spend time with your mates, and plenty of stuff going on when the bands aren’t playing.”  Co-founder Lee Etherington continues “But we want more from a festival too – good food, films, exhibitions, good beer, workshops, great records to buy, gig posters, guest DJs – we’re taking this format to the next level and beyond, it’s going to be the best weekend you’ve ever had at a festival.”  Graham concludes: “It just seemed like the right time to put it all together…

Tickets for the festival go on sale on 31st October. Super early bird prices start from £139.99 and include accommodation. For more information, visit the Safe As Milk website.

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.