More about: howthelightgetsin

Gaining its name from a leonard cohen song and curating a whole line up of thinkers and speakers - HowTheLightGetsIn in Hay is doing something really special off the beaten track of british festivals.

Combining thought and art, you can pick and choose your experience, whether you’re after comedy, philosophy, music and more. As always, we’re opting for music. Supporting with our own line up for a Gigwise showcase across the weekend, here are our must-see acts from our stage and beyond.

Mumble Tide

The dream-pop duo graced our Hello Tomorrow section back in December and so were an obvious pick for our lineup. The couple met during a gumtree ad way back when and have gone on to create endlessly heavenly tunes. Combining hazey sounds with a sharper edge, they’ve been slowly crafting a no-skips discography and nailing down a perfected live set. Bringing a whole host of new and old influences into their bedroom-pop project, there’s no better act to enjoy on a sun-soaked festival weekend.

King Charles

King Charles boomed to attention in 2012 with his debut album LoveBlood and tracks like ‘Bam Bam’ and ‘Ivory Road’. Clad in regency dress and colouring everything with a touch of sensual silliness, he’s moved along from bold character filled tunes into something sweeter and softer. Maintaining the same unique instrumental that somehow manages to combine indie and baroque, he’s a must-see live act.

Peaness

After catching them at Focus wales, Peaness are already looking set to be one of our festival season faves. Creating the perfect summer tunes with a combination of catching guitar riffs and silly lyrics, the band have an endlessly charming live presence like you’re personally invited into a little party. Having recently released their debut album, we’re heading into the last stretch of time that you can officially say “i saw peaness before they got huge”.

Porij

After making tunes together in uni up at Manchester’s Royal College Of Music, Porij almost accidentally became legit after finding themselves on the 6music playlist and quickly becoming a cult favourite in the new music scene. Blending up a whole host of different genres from house and garage to lo-fi and new wave, the resulting sound is entirely theirs. With a live set sure to get everyone moving, go see some philosophy and then head to Porij’s set to dance the heavy thoughts away.

Vanessa Gimenez 

Once a member of Swimming Girls, Vanessa is now going it along with her dreamy pop solo project. Combining personal and introspective lyrics with Lorde-esque big instrumentals, each track is a slice of foolproof pop perfection. With a sound that now extends far beyond the reach of her former band, she’s somehow creating something bolder and bigger than ever on her own. A glorious addition to the Gigwise line up, we can't wait to catch this set.

HowTheLightGetsIn tickets are available now

Issue Three of the Gigwise Print magazine is on sale now! Order here.

More about: howthelightgetsin