Festival season is rolling around again (see our indie/rock and pop/RnB/dance guides)...and with it a healthy dose of British festival weather in the shape of the rain and cold we've been seeing this month. If you love live music and the chance to see plenty of bands all in one place, but are not so keen on the idea of waterlogged campsites and muddy wellies, the FESTIVAL Live! music event at Monto Water Rats this Saturday might just be the answer.
A new addition to the London festival season, FESTIVAL:Live! features no fewer than eight live bands playing through the night with support from DJ Pedro. The brainchild of promoter Carl Bewick, the bill features talent from all over the UK including MTV "one to watch" DEDE. Islington trio The Red Queens will be kicking off the event from 6pm, showcasing a set of indie rock plus one or two classic covers, ahead of the release of their first EP in June.
The event aims to have all the energy and variety of a festival and introduce live music fans to new acts, but in a concise format and with the advantage of a short tube-ride home at the end of the night rather than a long queue in the campsite carpark. "We're very excited about opening the night," says Darien Graham-Smith, one third of The Red Queens. "The Water Rats is a great venue, and a concise half-hour set is good discipline for a band, too — you have to make every song count. We're really looking forward to kicking things off on Saturday, and we're expecting a good crowd."
The event is already generating quite a buzz among London scenesters — could this new approach spell the end for damp outdoor gigs and the muddy festival blues?
Festival: Live! at Monto Water Rats, 328 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8BZ. Admission £8 on the door all night.
