The Lineup
TheNewburyTakeover is an independant music festival featuring some of the best new bands in the UK. Like a musical terrier nipping at the heels of the bigger festivals, we may be small but we certainly make a lot of noise.
News
Website launched
Welcome to the official Newbury Takeover minisite! Here you'll find all the latest updates about the festival, plus info on all the artists playing on the day. And there's a shiny new map in the "how to find us" section - it took us ages to get it working so please look at it or we'll be sad.
Posted by TNT, 19/06/07
Lineup announced
We're proud to announce the lineup for The Newbury Takeover (very proud; really stupidly proud actually). We'll be updating this page with more details very soon (once we get back from the Jail Guitar Doors festival) so please check back then.
Posted by TNT, 15/06/07
GoodBooks
Melody can be a dangerous thing, according to GoodBooks. But while catchy tunes may never be cool, once pop music is imaginative, it rarely ceases to inspire and affect any listening ears. When GoodBooks try to convey this formula, they tend to repeat Hot Chip's rather simple ethos - “we love the idea of ‘pop’ music but not the people who make ‘pop’ music now.”
A neatly surmised philosophy is about the only lead GoodBooks have taken from elsewhere though. Part Orange Juice, part The Cure and part Talking Heads, but as blindingly original as they are deviously infectious. Somewhere between Max's subtly affecting vocals, Leo and Chris' vivacious rhythm section and JP's Johnny-Greenwood-in-a-small-room keyboard collection, a sound that is uniquely GoodBooks emerges.
The debut album ‘Control’ is released on Columbia Records on July 30th 2007
www.ilovegoodbooks.com | www.myspace.com/goodbooks
SixNationState
SixNationState write songs with guts, with melody, with passion and heart but above all else, they write and they play like their future depends on it.
An attack of vocal harmonies and tribal sea shanty shouts are punctured by soul stripping, sand-papered cries as the band pound out infectious rhythms and hooks. As the energy oozes from their collective pores from one 200mph performance to the next, the band lunge proudly behind sweat-soaked hair.
Their influences may be many and varied but at the belly of this commotion, SixNationState's sound is 100% punk from conception to delivery.
The single ‘Where Are You Now?’ is out now on Jeepster Records
www.sixnationstate.co.uk | www.myspace.com/sixnationstatetheband
My Luminaries
My Luminaries have ideas and attitude to spare, their angular indie stuffed full of instantly catchy hooks and choruses the size of tower blocks. Proof yet that rock's basic formula of heartfelt lyrics with irresistable riffs never gets tired, they take bits from Pavement, Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire and make them into something new; something to believe in. And, importantly, something you can dance to.
Recent support shows with Delays and Badly Drawn Boy and a UK tour with Radio 4 has introduced this new material to a growing army of fans, who have involuntarily laid bare the cracks of venue floors across the UK. One listen to recent singles ‘The Outsider Steps Inside’ or the scissorkick riffs of ‘Jumping The Great White’ and it's clear that My Luminaries are fast anchoring themselves to that rare fleet of seminal british guitar bands.
The single ‘The Outsider Steps Inside’ is out now on Grönland Records
www.myluminaries.com | www.myspace.com/myluminaries
Quad Riot
Described as “neon pirate rock'n'roll disco”, Quad Riot's debut single ‘Johnny Negro’ is a whirling dervish of modern day indiepop sensibilities topped off with a cracking chorus. The title comes from singer Johnny's experiences of racism at school: “I'm mixed race and this song is really about being different and how everybody at one time or another has felt like the odd one out,” says the frontman.
Nowt wrong with being the odd one out. Quad Riot have taken their influences and fulfilled their mission statement by hammering out danceable full-on rock'n'roll. Better than that, this super limited edition Label Fandango release is the band's reward for beating 1000 indierock hopefuls in the 2006 Diesel-U-Music unsigned competition, voted for by various underground luminaries including Xfm.
The single ‘Johnny Negro’ is out now on Label Fandango
www.myspace.com/quadriot
FortyFives
FortyFives are from a land of semi-detached housing and town centre rejuvination; five boys aged 15-17 with a common love of playing music. Amongst the multi-storey car parks and industrial estates, FortyFives came to life in Sept '06 after the death of 2 bands, The Elliotts and The Junglists.
The band themselves reckon their songs are like “icicles in your ears”, while the BBC claims “FortyFives thrash out bolshy hell-raisers that mercilessly stamp on elegance and leave a burning fag-end prodded out on anything remotely resembling stylised music.” We'll let you decide - we'll just dance.
The Enigma Project
Probably one of the most hotly-tipped bands in the local area at the moment, the Enigma Project have been described as “Biffy Clyro meets Cooper Temple Clause”. The band's knockout guitar assault is tempered by Rhys' searing vocals and Joe's subtle synth lines; the result is (according to Blah Blah magazine) “uplifting, brawling, overwrought rock in its purest form”.
A relentless appetite for touring has seen the band play venues across the country (including a few guerilla outdoor gigs), and has turned them into one of Berkshire's tightest rock acts. Catch them while you can.
The EP ‘Scenes Of The 21st Century’ is available now
www.myspace.com/theenigmaproject
The Wookies
Formed just a year ago from the ashes of Newbury bands The Junglists and Ocean Plaine, the Wookies began their career at full speed. Having travelled far and wide, the band return to their hometown to showcase their self-styled "indie-prog" sound.
Conjuring the spirits of classic rock acts such as Pink Floyd and The Who and giving them a modern twist, the band are not afraid of mixing up their instruments: a Wookies song can switch from guitar solo to clarinet solo in an instant. Add a sprinkle of forest vibes and a dollop of epic songwriting and you've got a very tasty mixed metaphor indeed.
The EP ‘Pedlars Of Bombast’ is available now
www.myspace.com/thewookiesuk
The Matadors
The Matadors are a quartet from London via Dorset who create, according to the NME, "painfully catchy songs destined to get the indie kids dancing".
Indeed, fans of Larrikin Love, The Strokes and Kings Of Leon will find plenty to love in their unique brand of charismatic, highly energetic, cowbell assisted, dancefloor filling indie-pop, something which has landed them gigs with The Young & Lost Club, support slots with The Wombats and a place as Radio 1's top unsigned band for over a week. They have also featured on MTV2 as part of a "bands to watch 2007" program, which was aired for 2 months.
www.the-matadors.co.uk | www.myspace.com/thematadorsuk
Heartwear Process
With hard stares that could suck the soul from your body before emptying your liquor cabinet and running off with your other half, Reading's Heartwear Process are five intense-looking blokes who could have stepped from the sun-beaten desolation of a Sergio Leone movie.
Indeed, the tremoloed guitars that slice and punctuate Heartwear Process' songs recall the haunting twangs of Ennio Morricone if they had collided with the dark murmerings of Nick Cave - but this isn't an exercise in formulaic posturing.Tom Purcell's anguished vocals perfectly distil the hint of menace, voodoo and dread that the band create so well and it isn't long before you're forced to look over your shoulder with a mixture of fear and exhilaration.
The split EP ‘Four By Four’ is released on July 16th 2007 by Broken Tail Records
www.theheartwearprocess.com | www.myspace.com/heartwearprocess
The Screenbeats
Combining the style and poise of the Small Faces, the energy and DIY ethic of the Libertines and the tunes of Arthur Lee & Love, The Screenbeats have proved themselves to be one of the hardest working bands around; - gigging relentlessly with very often just a single beat-up Rover as a means of transport, receiving airplay on XFM with their tracks ‘All The Rage’ and ‘Troubled Scene’, recording two EPs with Ed Deegan (Cribs and Holly Golightly producer) at Gizzard Studios in London, and sharing stages with high profile bands such as Thee Unstrung, The Greenhornes, Milburn and the Heights.
www.thescreenbeats.co.uk | www.myspace.com/thescreenbeats
Crawlin' King Snakes
Yeeehaw! This band will have you throwing your hat, beer, children, whatever you can get your hands on into the air! Their classic blues sound has been fine tuned with years of gigs. Johnny's biting harmonica, Dan's whiskey-soaked vocals, and a rock-steady rhythm section from Barry and Dave will get your toes tapping in no time.
The EP ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ is available now
www.myspace.com/thecrawlinkingsnakes
Sky Babies
Dedicated to those good ol' fashioned rock'n'roll values, Sky Babies tell tales of wasted weekends, destructive relationships and finding salvation in sound. Taking influences from their favourite bands, including The Wildhearts, Supersuckers, Steve Earle and a healthy dose of the Beach Boys, Sky Babies are fired up for the future of the band.
Dayzed
Jake Alder and Steve Jones had been writing songs together since 2004, but it wasn't until they met Adam King that Dayzed was born. Inspired by the likes of Muse, Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band blast out a hard-rocking sound that belies their tender years. With two self-released EPs under their belt and a third on the way, Dayzed are ones to watch.
How to find us
By Car
From the M4:
- Leave the M4 at junction 13, taking the A34 southbound towards Newbury
- Exit onto the A339
- Cross over the first roundabout (Vodafone) and at the second (Robin Hood) take the fourth exit onto London Road
- Turn left onto Park Way
Pay-and-display parking is available along Park Way, right next to the festival. Otherwise there are three multi-storey car parks in the town centre. If you can find a space, the Bayer car park on Strawberry Hill is the one to go for 'cos it's free on Saturdays.
By Train
Newbury is less than an hour away from London on the train - services leave regularly from Paddington and Waterloo. From all other departure points it's probably best to head for Reading station, where you may have to change trains. Victoria Park is five minutes' walk from Newbury Station and the town centre.
Info
Opening times
Victoria Park is a public space, and as such is open to the public 24/7. The first act will be on stage at 12 noon but if you fancy watching us set up the equipment you're welcome to come and chill out before then. All acts will be finished by 9pm, at which point we'll be heading over to the afterparty at the Late Lounge (in the centre of Newbury) to have a drink and a wee dance.
Facilities
A bar will be serving a range of delicious beer and soft drinks from 12 noon. For all alcohol purchases, bar staff will ask for proof of age ID if the customer appears to be under 18. In addition, there is a cool little hut selling hot and cold food and drinks in the centre of the park. Public toilets are located at the entrance to the park off Park Way.
Litter
Please help keep the Newbury Takeover tidy by cleaning up after yourself, using the bins provided. If we make a mess we won't get a licence for next year, and then we'd have to find some other way to pass the time. Like knitting or something.