More about: Long Division

The city of Wakefield opened its pubs, clubs, and theatres for its annual Long Division festival for a final time, with the event bowing out after 12 years, and with a sold-out crowd, a stacked line up or new and returning talent, plus a scorching weather forecast; it promised to be a high note to go out on. 

It also saw the return of two of the city's most cherished venues, the Theatre Royal and Unity Hall. The former played host to an array of acts such as folk rock ensemble Mi Mye, Halifax’s alt-rockers The Orielles and returning indie-pop heroes The Research, back onstage for one night only and who gathered probably the most rapturous welcome to the stage of the whole festival. 

It’s always a unique experience watching contemporary rock groups in more traditional venues, such as Drahla, whose icy post-punk sound complete with powerhouse drums and angular guitar stabs rattled through the theatre and deep into the bones of those taking it all in on plush red velvet seats. A slightly different experience from say the similarly noisy bdrmm who performed brooding shoegaze through layers of dizzying guitar and ethereal vocals, drawing some of the most active crowds alongside classic post-punk group The Membranes and local psychedelic heroes The Lovely Eggs all under the roof of Venue 23. 

The Theatre having a definitive seat capacity necessary meant there was an anxious anticipation about getting into some of the performances, headline act Arab Strap for one pushed the place to capacity, but to its benefit, through a relatively sparse set up against the gorgeously ornate backdrop the Scottish alt-rock duo generated a moodiness that felt amplified even further by its setting. 

Unity Hall, a tremendous old school venue popular in the 1970s and 1980s, was renovated and re-established a few years but has seen little gig action sadly of late, so a full day of music in the building was a terrific thing to witness again. With two separate rooms available, one being the main hall and the other a smaller, more intimate space, it meant every performance style felt catered for from opener Spielmann’s infectious, sunny side up indie-tronica to Thank’s abrasive noise rock, culminating in a commanding closing set from glitch-pop up and comer Jessica Winter.

Hang Linton was a highlight in that he made the smaller room space totally his own, armed with a unique splicing of breakbeats and hip-hop rhythms delivered with unrelenting psychically. Bounding about the stage with eyes beaming, sweat lashing from his brow, he moves incessantly, never losing the audience’s gaze. His songs came with a biting satirical edge that was counteracted by playfulness and surreal humour; he is certainly one to watch going forward. Similar things can be said about Skinny Pelembe, who closed the show at Main hall, he too feels like an exciting contemporary artists with a voice of their own, drawing from indie, psychedelia, hip-hop, afrobeat and vintage soul to craft one of the most captivating and unique sounds of the festival. 

Wakefield’s density has always been a strength, meaning you hardly had to walk far to make the next act, ideal for a city festival and a blessing as the heat grew stronger throughout the day. It reached a height during Green Gardens set in rock club Vortex, the band jokingly thanking the audience for deciding to come to “the hottest room in Wakefield”. Another Leeds act on the rise, Green Gardens have tons of charm about them, they’re chatty and funny between songs, but not so much so that when they fall back into their music, a pleasantly textured and tasteful take on art-rock with notes of americana and Midwest emo, it doesn’t feel out of place. 

Many of the artists mention their sadness about it being the last Long Division festival, indie-folk troubadour Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly jokingly lamented the bittersweetness of playing for the first and subsequently last time during his not so “secret set” instore at Wah Wah Records, and overall, amidst the celebratory feel of the day, there is melancholy in the air too. In some of the promotional material the organisers remark upon the difficulties faced by running the festival, understandable in this climate, yet looking at the swarm of faces of music fans young and old traversing across the city, eager to discover the excitement of live music in a place close to home suggests there will be a sizable hole left in its wake. 

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More about: Long Division