Visions Of Hackney This Weekend

Chris Lockie
By Chris Lockie Last edited 116 months ago
Visions Of Hackney This Weekend

Moon Gangs

Following a successful sold-out debut in 2013, this weekend sees the return of the Visions Festival to a number of venues around Hackney. For not much over thirty quid you can don the well-worn wristband and tread the walking path between The Brewhouse, the New Empowering Church, The Laundry and Oval Space. And by the end of Saturday you can probably expect visions of your own, even if they're alcohol and lentil burger-induced ones.

The line-up includes an interesting mix of up-and-coming acts, returning heroes and outfits we've absolutely never heard of. Thankfully this blend provides something for everyone, starting with fans of loud guitar music, for whom Cheatahs and Eagulls will both merrily make ears bleed. Talking of which, Andrew WK is on the bill for 8.30pm at The Laundry. Yes, he of Party Hard fame.

Nipping around the rest of the list, there are a good few lesser-known (to us, anyway) acts who deserve a listen. Josef Salvat has an interesting take on understated, intelligent pop and he'll be on stage at The Brewhouse around 6.15pm. Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces unveils her upbeat solo material at 7.15pm at the New Empowering Church. Polica mix electronic fiddling and soaring vocals to round things off at Oval Space from 10.30pm.

Holding up London's end will be the mysterious Moon Gangs, the name sometimes adopted by producer Will Young who will be doing everything in his power to get inside your head from 2.15pm at the New Empowering Church. And if you don't believe us, here's his video for I from his recent EP. It will mess with you.

There are 28 acts in total across the four venues. You can see the full line-up at the festival website. Netil Market will be flogging those lentil burgers we mentioned, while Netil 360 provides both excellent views across the city and... drink.

Visions 2013 was a thoroughly welcome new addition to London's festival scene so we can only hope its sophomore outing is equally successful. The music starts at at 2pm, though wristbands can be picked up a couple of hours earlier. There's even a pre-party on the Friday night (1 August) at The Laundry for the fully committed, though you'll need a separate ticket for that.

Visions takes place at four Hackney venues on 2 August. Tickets priced £30 (plus booking fee) are available from the Ticket ABC website.

Image of Moon Gangs courtesy of Lorenzo Cibrario.

Last Updated 30 July 2014