May's Bank Holiday weekend occupies a curious position on the Great British calendar. The second Bank Holiday of the month offers the chance to spend time catching up with parents and siblings in whichever small town you grew up in. As such, it typically throws up the question of whether you'd like to spend 72 hours watching elderly Morris dancers saunter round a maypole, as a melting 99 ice cream runs down the length of your arm.
For the discerning festival goer, the answer is a comprehensive ‘no', which makes Lost Village's placement at the end of May (27th - 29th, to be precise) come as a blessed relief. As the unofficial British electronic music festival opening party it presents an opportunity to welcome clubbers in from the cold and into an idyllic woodland space in the Midlands. Judging by the extensive and eclectic roster at this year's edition, it's an opportunity grabbed with both hands.
The festival drew plaudits from punters and critics alike last summer and comparisons with Gottwood and Dekmantel do not come lightly. This year's edition is shaping up to be better, if not necessarily bigger, with festival organisers keen to retain the intimacy which a 5000 capacity festival affords. The location is suitably idyllic and each of its three stages aims to offer something unique and exciting.
The bill itself is shared by unmitigated heavyweights such as Eats Everything, Ben Klock and Kink with a smattering of electronic music's most exciting breakthrough artists. It feels perverse to label Bicep as ‘ones to watch', but such has been their progression over the previous twelve months that their status has been taken to a much Higher Level (If you haven't heard their remix of Isaac Tichauer's track then step away from this article and go do that) Crap puns aside, their performances and productions over the previous year have been phenomenal.
Fatima Yamaha is another who fits into this slightly unusual category. Ostensibly, the Dutch producer is something of a veteran, yet ever since Jackmaster started hammering out “What's A Girl to Do”, he has enjoyed a similarly meteoric rise. His live performance, preceding what will undoubtedly be an absolute masterclass from Kink, is another source of great anticipation.
The beauty of Lost Village's placement in the festival calendar is that many of the industry's producers are just hitting their stride. Meaning that many of this summer's future anthems will be thumped across the Lincolnshire countryside before they're heard anywhere else. If I were a betting man I would be laying serious money on Midland's “Final Credits” making a serious impact at the festival. Regrettably, high street bookies don't offer such markets but Midland's set in the Forgotten Cabin is sure to be another highlight.
Whether Lost Village delivers on this promise remains to be seen. A full review will follow once I have made sense of the weekend... but the signs are encouraging. A lovely location, a selection of talented DJs and a weekend away from the doldrums of Barnard Castle makes for an ideal May bank holiday.
WORDS | Jonno Coll
