FESTIVAL GUIDE: Field Day

Name: Field Day

Where: Victoria Park, London

When: 6th – 7th June

Headliners: Caribou and Ride

Also Featuring: Patti Smith, Django Django, FKA Twigs, Gaz Coombes, Kindness, Owen Pallett, Spector…

A Brief History: Launched in 2007 by Eat Your Own Ears’ founder Tom Baker and Marcus Weedon (the owner of the Griffin, where Baker held his first foray into festivals), Field Day has become one of London’s most unique festivals. And there are a fair few of them now. The festival prides itself on championing new and, arguably, unappreciated acts – a bunting-lined ‘Village Mentality’ area as its centre, all straw bales and team games – yet with huge cherries on the top of the line-up (last year saw Pixies headline, with performances from established acts Metronomy and The Horrors too). Over their eight year history Field Day has seen performances from almost unknowns Florence + The Machine, Foals and Laura Marling, and has seen its attendance rise from 10, 000 to 30, 000.

How To Get There: There are no car parks, but with no need to bring a tent or the kitchen sink that shouldn’t be a problem. Otherwise take your pick from the Underground (nearest Tube stations to are Mile End, Bow Road, Stratford, Bow Church and Bethnal Green), Overground (Hackney Wick, Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green) or bus (8, 277, 309, 339, 388, D3, D6, S2 all pass close to the park).

Gigslutz Top Tip: As highlighted by those aforementioned pre-stratospheric rise bookings, Tom Baker knows a good thing when he hears it, almost as if he’s travelled backwards through space and time to find the next big thing. …because Doctor Who. With that in mind, use the time in between the acts you want to see to listen to someone you’ve never heard of; chances are you can be the one to say “I heard them first” before the prick who prides himself on it. We all know one.

Memorable Moments: Metronomy’s first headline slot was at Field Day last year, showcasing their blend of wonky pop/indie-dance numbers from four albums, but particularly the punchy Love Letters. Weeks before cancelling all performances due to family commitments, Solange Knowles gave a fashionably late yet bang on trend take on R’n’B tinged pop in 2013, strutting the stage just as confidently as Beyonce did at Glastonbury the year before. In that moment, with the infectious loops of ‘Losing You’ bleeding through the crowd, there was only one Knowles worth knowing about.

What We Said Last Year: Our Mari (a huge Pixies fan) went along for the Sunday, read her thoughts here.

Did You Know? Field Day originally ran alongside Teenfest, another Eat Your Own Ears event aimed at 13-17 year olds, and set up by Sam Kilcoyne, born from the frustration of being turned away from a Buzzcocks gig when he was 14.

How To Get Tickets: Online tickets can be bought from the site, or physical tickets from a long list of pubs, all of which can be found here.

The Playlist: 

Dan Bull

@danbull7609

Dan Bull

Dan Bull

Reviews Editor
London. Likes: Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, Prince Charles Cinema, Duran Duran Dislikes: Soreen, All-hits setlists, "I liked them before everyone else..."
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About Dan Bull
London. Likes: Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, Prince Charles Cinema, Duran Duran Dislikes: Soreen, All-hits setlists, "I liked them before everyone else..."