Best of the rest for Get Loaded

United Kingdom | by Tim Clark | 20 August 2004

Before it's even started, the Easyjet Get Loaded In The Park festival has already been dubbed one of the most pioneering new festivals for showcasing new talent, with an expected audience of 10,000 being attracted in by the Happy Mondays' reunion. Dozens of new acts have been given a chance to perform, some for the first time, other veterans re-awakened for various reasons. It's a cause close to Shaun Ryder's heart and one of the reasons the band reformed in the first place. Virtual Festivals previews five ones to watch.


The Devil and Miss Jones
With a name taken from a 1971 porn film, involving more than the average plot (not a pizza boy and the wrong house then), the band is fronted by the luscious and seasoned Ricky Lee Jones, who was inspired to come back from semi retirement to do her bit to hamper George Bush's re-election. Expect to see a mix of old rock, from her roots in the seventies, to fresh, inspiring and angry songs from her new album 'The Evening Of My Best Day'. Rickie Lee has already built a wide fan base, self-confessedly conquering her own self-conscious insecurities and self-destructive streak in the process, instead focused her lyrics on honest spirituality - hence the reckoning of Bush.

The Cribs
Back from Japan and stopping off before their Reading festival slot later this month, The Cribs are considered one of the major new acts to come out of Leeds this year. The three brothers from Wakefield have an art punk approach to modern rock, although possibly not to everyone's taste, they're reminiscent of many bands that have come after The Strokes, but their punkier stuff is more in tune with Blondie than anything else. Expect a riotous, hell bending knees-up. 

The Long Blondes
A five piece crew consisting of Kate, Screech, Emma, Dorian and Reenie, the Long Blondes have been described as "a peculiar mix of jagged art rock and jangly 50s rock 'n' roll, like a hybrid of Elastica and The Pink Ladies". Not fans of traditional rock such as the Stones, Hendrix or Bob Dylan, they pride themselves on not listening to it, preferring to delve into the likes of the Mael brothers, the Marx Brothers, and probably any other brothers coming their way. They each learnt a different instrument and three months after forming played a victorious set at the Leeds hi-fi club. Songs to look out for include 'Long Blonde' and 'Blue Lagoon'.

The Violets
Friends of the Long Blondes and also on the bill this weekend, The Violets are a mix of punk, performed in a particular style which should be a worthwhile listen at the very least. Recently releasing their split LP 'Filthy Little Angels', a record which goes some way to explain the amount of 'quest-for-art' porn on their website, The Violets perform without a bass in their set, a unique and original inadequacy they have somehow sublimey used to their advantage - taking them to places a full set of rhythm would not allow - while the lead Alice's voice stops short of allowing their songs to fall into a total mess.

Emma Chamberlain
Being courted by a string of labels while completing a debut album in six months, and still only the age of 18, it's obvious that Emma is a busy girl. Although some of her songs seem tailored to the politically correct market, her dress sense is certainly not. She has a faint hint of Natalie Imbrulia and Tori Amos about her, within a style she is trying to make into her own - though she has years ahead of her to perfect it.

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