Festival: Indietracks

Now in its third year, Indietracks was born of an idea festival organiser Stuart Mackay had to put on some bands while restoring 1950s steam trains at the Midland Railway Centre in Derbyshire.

Two summers on, and Indietracks has grown from a slightly quaint idea into a full blown, albeit niche, festival that is making its mark with indie fans across the UK and further afield.

Cast aside visions of trainspotters and binoculars (although I must confess, there were a lot of cagoules on display). Although many of the gigs take place on the old trains - while they're moving, no less - this isn't a trip back into the past. This year's festival is sponsored by celebrated Spanish label Elefant, giving an edginess to the bill alongside its backbone of unashamed tweeness.

Over the two and a half days, acts from the US to London played across two stages, plus on a smaller stage in the renovated railwayman's chapel, as well as the train gigs. The atmosphere was as friendly as a Fat Controller after three Melton Mowbray pork pies, and extremely well organised with awesome, inspired music and toilets that never ran out of loo roll. Perfect.

And as if all this wasn't enough, there was also a farmyard right next door where festival goers could pet the animals!


Want to know more about the bands that played at Indietracks 2009? Scroll down to find out our favourites - choo choo!

Best Electro Act - Au Revoir Simone

The acclaimed trio of New Yorkers are like three white witches of electropop, with amazingly great hair. Like a female Hot Chip or The Postal Service, their synth heavy pop is sugary sweet and very badass all at once. Effortlessly cool, Au Revoir Simone's wistul tunes and sunset-soundtracking harmonies over dirty beats set the bar very high for the rest of the weekend.

Best 'This is so so awesome!' Moment - La Casa Azul Covering Love Is In The Air

We could forgive you for never having heard of La Casa Azul in the UK, but in their native Spain the dance group are well established. At soundcheck there were five of them onstage - but during their set, only one, frontman Milkyway wearing a white latex suit and a huge grin. There wasn't a single un-raised arm in the house (well, field) during their triumphant cover of Love Is In the Air. Unifying and simply fricking awesome!

Best Gig On A Train - MJ Hibbet
Possibly the funniest man at Indietracks, MJ Hibbett's train gig was utterly packed. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and a hangover, the carriage quickly became a sweatbox as he belted out brilliantly crafted ditties about Take That, old computers and the theme tune from his rock opera about dinosaurs returning to the earth. You couldn't make it up!

Hardest Rocking Act - Art Brut
The Sunday night second stage headliners were announced only a few weeks earlier, and what a worthy addition they were. The highlight of the weekend for many, the four south London boys and one girl provided a welcome dose of rock'n'roll and sarky humour. The fact that almost everyone at the festival seemed to be crammed in front of their stage was testament to how Art Brut - Make Me - Want To Rock OOUUUTT, to quote their most rousing tune. Brilliant!


Biggest Disappointment - Emmy The Great
The Hong Kong-born star-in-the-waiting was almost an hour late for her set after being held up by a motorway accident. That might have explained her tardiness, but it didn't excuse her snotty attitude onstage, cracking condescending 'jokes' about tractors (yawn...) and delivering a perfectly functional but utterly charmless set. It appears she has been believing her own hype a little too much.



One To Watch - Rose Elinor Dougall
Formerly of 60s throwback group The Pipettes, Brighton's Rose Elinor Dougall has been striking out on her own in advance of the release of her debut album, forthcoming on Elefant. Her Friday night set never really got into fourth gear, but her handclap and mandolin-heavy tunes were promising, like Kate Nash crossed with Morrissey - in a good way.