Only 200 tickets and a line-up exclusive! Right here!
If you’ve ever been, or are, in a band, you will know there are two (yep only two) types of gigs. Firstly, there are the gigs you end up doing for a promoter who hounds you constantly for ticket sales on the run up to the gig, then is nowhere to be seen on the night as your feedback deafens miserable gig-goers and you look longingly at a sound engineer who’s either asleep (I had this once) or too busy on his mobile phone to notice, or care, about your pain.
Secondly, and in polar opposite to the first, there is the type of gig where someone who genuinely loves music, collaboration, experimentation and the bringing together of like-minded music lovers, puts on a well thought out show, makes an effort to promote it and bring the right type of appreciative crowd together for all to enjoy a night of musicality and all-round fabness.
Anyone familiar with Baz Wilkinson, and the events he organises, will be know that his events slot well into the latter. Originally hosting Imploding Inevitable nights in Wigan, he soon ventured out to host nights in Manchester and then the Imploding Inevitable Festival, now is its third year. This takes the well-appreciated musical wonderment he’s established in the nights hosted in these fine northern cities to the shore of Lake Windermere for a fantastic weekend festival which runs on the 29th-30th June 2012.
I got together with Baz and asked him to explain more about Imploding Inevitable Festival and the creative ethic behind its unique intimacy:
“We’ve been promoting regular gigs with the odd two day festival thrown in for seven years. It started in Wigan actually, as an outlet for the experimental musicians who were living in the town at the time, but had no real stage or community to play to and bounce ideas off so we set Imploding up to promote creativity and allow the sharing of ideas between musicians and artists alike. Originally it was called Imploding Acoustic Inevitable, named after Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, but we never really liked the idea that creativity was being limited by the acoustic element which was kind of forced on us by mitigating factors [long story that we overcame through persistent nagging]. Eventually we were able to drop the acoustic tag and really begin to embrace more diverse musicianship.
“In time word caught on that we were developing something that was an extension of what was happening in Manchester. It wasn’t too long before Manchester musicians would start dropping us the odd message asking if it was possible for them to come over and play. They would then go and tell other musicians they knew how much they enjoyed it, how much they were taken care of and how good the sound engineers and other musicians who played alongside them were, too. Simultaneously, Wigan musicians who had played with us were branching out to other cities and spreading the word. Imploding began to be rewarded for its integrity, with integrity.
“We realized that what we were doing had an audience and that there were like-minded people in the region too. It wasn’t long before more and more musicians from all over the place began to roll through the doors. We eventually set up the Manchester night at Dulcimer, in Chorlton that has been doing well. It’s received Marc Riley’s thumbs up too after he came to see Laura J Martin perform. So things are going well.
“The festival is an extension of this success and essentially celebrates everything that Imploding Inevitable is about. It brings together all the important aspects that we’ve developed over the years and this year is going to be something VERY special. It’s the first year we have managed to bring at least one artist from each of the relationships that have been such a part of Imploding over the years. We have Static Caravan Records DJing with their recent signing Laura J Martin performing too. The Pictish Trail from Fence Records are coming down from Scotland as well as the amazingly dedicated and influential Song, By Toad label who will be DJing and bringing Rob St John down to perform, too. Then there’s Jonnie Common from Red Deer Club, as well as Welsh band, Colorama. All of these artists have very strong Manchester connections and alongside this there’s another very well-known Manchester based musician who we haven’t announced yet….shhh!
“But The II Festival is not just music. We have also created very strong connections within the poetry and spokenword sphere and our poetry curators, John Leyland (Director of Blank Media Collective) and Annette Cookson, do an amazing job each year of sourcing the region’s best and most promising up-and-coming poets who perform alongside more established poets.
“So, in all, it’s basically a two day festival that celebrates and brings together everything that Imploding Inevitable stands for: creativity, integrity and originality.
“Also, the Imploding Inevitable Festival is in a beautiful setting, 50 meters from the shore of Lake Windermere, in which festival goers help to create one of the best festival experiences they’ll have. It harks back to how festivals should be: no cash machines, no mobile phone charging points, no idiots, just great music, fine food and ales, in a beautiful setting with all manner of creative stuff happening.
“There are SO many festivals these days popping up all over the place, so we aim to make Imploding Inevitable a truly special experience. I think the festival ‘experience’ is changing for the better. Yeah, you can still go to Glastonbury and it is amazing but more and more festivals, especially the newer ones like Imploding are seeking to build a community of festival goers who are fed up of the huge treks to find your tent, the awful toilets, and I hate to mention it but the crime too, of overcharging for tickets, food and drinks but also actual crime that takes place due to horrible people thinking they can take advantage of people whilst they’re off having a good time. Imploding Inevitable is unique for what it is and each element helps to create that from the musicians and other artists we promote to the festival-goer themselves.
“We really are taking everything that is fantastic about the Manchester Imploding Inevitable night and turning it into the most fantastic and intimate festival. There is a very special Manchester based artist who we are actually keeping secret at the time of writing but by the time this is in the public sphere you’ll maybe already have found out so I will spill the beans, exclusively, right here. Denis Jones has agreed to make another appearance at the festival this year!! We’re pretty thrilled about this as we go way back and have seen each other progress significantly, especially Denis. He originally played our first festival, in 2010, but other factors affected his enjoyment of the festival and he basically came off the train, jumped on stage and played what was an amazing set and then he had to run off right after. We made a gentlemen’s agreement over some lentil and spinach dhal curry (amazing it is too!) just before he left that he would come back and stay and take the whole weekend in and enjoy all the other acts. He’s really looking forward to it and we are majorly happy he’s agreed to come back this year, especially as he helps to really put the icing on the cake for us! Not only that but he’s planning to create a show especially for the festival which will use projection, possibly lasers and lots of bass alongside some of his more popular and well-known material. Positively can’t wait!
“The last two years have seen us receive some stunning feedback for the great atmosphere and community spirit that sees you through the whole weekend. With it being limited to just two hundred tickets you can turn up and share a beer with a group you’ve never met before and you know everyone by the end of the weekend. That’s special!”
Check out the truly special line-up here: http://theiifestival.co.uk/
Venue: Fell Foot Woods
Address: Newby Bridge, Ulverston, LA12 8NN, United Kingdom
Buy tickets here.
