Hey TP,
I’m on the lookout for small, lesser known festivals and gatherings. Key is not too big and curation/programming that invites discovery rather than just booking the usual household names to try and attract people.
A good reference for those that have been would be the excellent Watching Trees festival.
If anybody has anything that springs to mind of a similar ilk would be grateful.
Cheers
I’ve just discovered Green Island festival. They seem to have a focus on new talent. I’m thinking of checking it out this year
Actually Green Island was mentioned a lot at Watching Trees, alongside Field Maneuvers. Thanks for the reminder!
My response is also Watching Trees.
No line up until what, a week before?
Few names I was very familiar with but they delivered. The location, staging, sound, crowd. All of it was spot on.
It was maybe my favourite weekend last year. I had such a wonderful time. Unfortunately I have a wedding this year the same weekend otherwise I would be going again.
There’s a balearic-y thing called San People in Sougia (Crete) that looks decent in the summer and musically up my street but a real faff to get to/from. We spent much of Sunday evening working out different ferry/flight combos via increasingly outlandish transit points but just gave up in the end.
Into the burrow festival in mid Devon
We usually make the schlep over the pond for this:
Disclosure: a bunch of friends are involved, but in the same breath can vouch for its charitable aims, great vibe, friendliness, and how they’ve worked to ensure they’re looking beyond “our demographic” with a steady influx of youngins playing, attending, and returning.
Previous “names” that have played in recent years have seen Trevor Fung (last year - and one of my favourite sets in a long time, period), A Guy Called Gerald, and Bill Brewster. I think Ray Keith is playing this year (as he got the date wrong last year and was a no show - so apparently playing a couple of times, including a house/disco set?!)
But it’s way more about showcasing lesser known names, in the spirit of the OP.
Perhaps less well known live acts that I’ve loved include Clone and Cord, The Secret Garden, She’s Got Brass, Polyop, Dog Unit, Paddy Steer, and others whose names I forget right now… one of whom is a guy who does amazing layering stuff with a locked groove and then literally adding more layers of platters, stuff, and sensors rigged up to make live tracks on the fly - bloody amazing, and perfect festival tackle.
Don’t think we can make it en famille this year for a bunch of reasons (not least OH new job and cost of getting us all there) but I might try and volunteer if I can align other potential travel plans.
Sounds interesting. Have you been? The instagram posts are pretty vague about size and what type of music
Thanks for posting - this happens close to where I live so will try to attend in future 
Not yet- but will try this year as it’s very close to us. Think it’s only a few hundred people. London based crew- that young man of moment Picasso seems to be involved
my gf just alerted me to this little thing called NEST in Spain with Swayzak and pals. In the trees but fortuitously not too tie dye. Music sounds decent. Tempted
All over this one. Lowlife crew. Looks like Test Pressing too @Apiento ?
Make it a forum meet up.
