Spanish event brand 981Heritage “Son Estrella Galicia” makes a welcome return to the Oval Space in London on July 10th following its 2013 sell-out Bath’s headline show. Celebrating its tenth anniversary and its third London edition, the festival will present electronic band Austra, Montreal duo Blue Hawaii and London popsters Maxixe.
Born back in 2005 at La Coruna (Galicia, Spain) as a modest event, 981Heritage has evolved into one of the most influential music festivals in the Spanish calendar. In these first nine years, 981Heritage went from a single location in Galicia to three: two in Spain (Madrid and La Coruna) and one in London. Its growth didn’t affect its original aesthetic, providing a platform for the most experimental artists to perform to intimate audiences in unique spaces.
To mark its tenth anniversary, Barcelona will be joining the list of locations, whilst the Oval Space prepares for a comeback event of epic proportions – fresh from Coachella, Austra will headline this year’s London edition of the festival. The band will present their new four-track EP ‘Habitat’ live for the first time (set for release via Domino Recordings on June 17th). ‘Habitat’ is the electronic trio’s eagerly awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘Olympia’ which helped secure the attention of the British public.
Independent On Sunday, 2013 – “Katie Stelmanis’s emotionally tortured vibrato meshes with her band’s lush textures to often-potent effect.”
In support, Grimes-approved girl/boy electronic duo Blue Hawaii will return to London with their blizzard of erratic vocal harmonies and deep house beats. This hypnotic team represent a melancholic-jaded paradise both in sound and visuals – but a paradise nonetheless.
Completing the line-up will be Maxixe, the new project from Micachu & The Shapes drummer Marc Pell and We Have Band singer Darren Bancroft. The violently indefinable London duo released their debut album ‘Ice On The Belly’ last year with stand out track ‘One To Make You Happy’. The recording poetically introduces Bancroft’s wheezy delivery as a staunch match for Pell’s aggressive, caustic synth mastery – one to watch out for during their live set.
981Heritage has gained the reputation of bringing the newest acts in electronic music to the fore, international names that have gone on to define the “new music” of the last decade such as Gilles Peterson, Hudson Mohawke, Nathan Fake, Actress and more have all performed at the Spanish festival since its inception.
The Oval Space in the heart of Bethnal Green is a perfect backdrop for this visually aesthetic line up.
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