Music / Interviews
Interview: Simple Things co-promoter Luke Sutton
The amazing, venue-hopping music festival that is Simple Things returns to Bristol on October 22.
You can read our full preview here. In the meantime, here’s co-promoter Luke Sutton on what to expect from its fifth annual outing.
Simple Things has always been a musically varied event, with everything from post-rock and punk to techno and hip-hop featuring strongly. Is there a common thread or an overall aesthetic?
We simply book the artists who we enjoy and respect. The diversity of the lineup also reflects the eclectic and varied tastes of the whole Simple Things team.
is needed now More than ever
Crack Magazine have been co-organisers of the festival since 2013. What has that brought to the event, and how much do you think it reflects the attitude to music the magazine’s known for?
As part of the Crack Magazine side of the team, I think it’s great to be able to support many of the amazing artists being featured in the magazine on the live circuit. I think there’s a certain amount of the lineup of DJs and bands that may not usually be brought to Bristol but as part of a larger festival lineup, it can be possible.
John Carpenter is an amazing booking. How on earth did you pull that off?
Thank you! Around a year ago on my online travels, I saw John Carpenter was set to do a one-off performance in Iceland for ATP. I immediately scoured the internet and my contacts to find out who the agent was, and eventually got talking to the right people. After quite a few months of discussing possibilities, we were very happy to get a date as part of his first ever run of UK shows, and we’re delighted to present it as the first ever Simple Things Finale on the Sunday.
Death Grips, Kayla Painter and the Teklife showcase are all on our must-see list this year (also Helena Hauff after last year’s set). Who else should we go out of our way to catch while we’re there?
For me the level of eclecticism you’ll find from Ben UFO’s 4-hour headline set will be unparalleled. He’s one of my favourite DJs, and it was essential for us to secure him for an extended set. We’re also going to be putting a special guest into the Studio 89 room for a very late Italo set to close the festival. I’d also thoroughly recommend checking out Squarepusher’s new band project Shobaleader One.
For the first time this year’s festival is preceded by a week long ‘extended’ programme. What can you tell us about that?
We’re delighted to be working on a series of special performances, panel discussions and a week-long art installation with support from Arts Council England. I’m most excited about seeing Dopplereffekt perform in At-Bristol’s Planetarium and Tarik Barri‘s Versum I installation at the newly-opened space in the Pithay.
Read more: Preview: Simple Things 2016
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