Glasgow’s Eastern Promise festival is on to its third edition this year, boasting an impressive line-up topped by Quietus favourites Alexander Tucker (above) and Land Observations.
Taking place at Platform in Easterhouse, Glasgow from October 5-6, the rest of the bill is equally good, featuring: Matthew Bourne, Richard Youngs, Adrian Crowley, Body Parts, Lightships, The Monochrome Set, Plank! and Sexual Objects – get tickets here.
We talked to organiser Alun Woodward before this year’s proceedings kick off:
So Alun, tell us about Eastern Promise – what’s the thinking behind it?
Alun Woodward: Eastern Promise began in 2010 with the idea, or perhaps the hope, that most people have an eclectic, adventurous taste in music. We always try and have things that are very accessible alongside music that is a little more abstract and less known. So the first festival in 2010 had King Creosote on the bill with Nils Frahm and RM Hubbert and last year The Thing were on the bill with The Pastels. This year the line up is pretty varied again with Alexander Tucker, Richard Youngs, Plank!, The Monochrome Set and Sexual Objects on the Saturday and Land Observations, Adrian Crowley, Lightships, Matthew Bourne and Body Parts on the Friday.
Why Eastern Promise as a name?
AW: The festival takes place at Platform in Easterhouse in Glasgow, an amazing multi-arts centre playing a pivotal role in the regeneration of an area of the city that has suffered from well documented social problems since it was built in the mid-1950s, and illuminated through the prism of Iain Duncan Smith’s visits over the last 10 years. The truth is that there are problems in Easterhouse, but by constantly highlighting them and ignoring the hundreds of local people donating time, running clubs and generally making a positive contribution we only see a perpetual cycle of misery and gloom. So Eastern Promise seemed an appropriately upbeat name for a festival taking place in in a positive area in the east of the city.
What are you most looking forward to?
AW: I actually really like everyone playing but if I had to pick one thing then it would be Alexander Tucker – I have never seen him play and Dorwytch and Third Mouth are both outstanding records.
