It’s official: you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better festival lineup ANYWHERE than the one Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel, duh) has dreamed up for the ATP Festival spot he’ll curate this March in the UK. ATP had previously announced Mangum’s initial choices, which included such heavies as The Fall, Young Marble Giants, The Magic Band, The Magnetic Fields, Low, Thurston Moore, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Joanna Newsom, Mike Watt and George Hurley, Sebadoh, and A Hawk and A Hacksaw. Not a stinker in the bunch, but like a good soup, wouldn’t hurt to add a little something new to the mix.
Mangum’s latest draft picks include Mount Eerie, TMT fave Matana Roberts, the legendary Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Rafael Toral, Yamantaka and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) performing Gavin Bryars’ “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.” Bryars’ piece is a 25-minute 1971 composition (later extended and re-recorded) based around a reoccurring loop of an unknown homeless man singing, and was originally used for a documentary highlighting London street life. It was later re-recorded for Brian Eno’s Obscure record label in 1975.
ATP, in their infinite wisdom, has also gone ahead and invited Blanck Mass, Demdike Stare, and Earth. Very cool. The Mangum-approved ATP Festival is set for March 9-11 in Butlins, Minehead, UK. Tickets available here.
• All Tomorrow’s Parties: http://www.atpfestival.com