Nestled in the Derbyshire countryside, Indietracks is a festival based at The Midland Railway Centre. It was first held in 2007, and contains four unique stages: An outdoor stage, an indoor stage, a church stage, and a steam train carriage featuring small acoustic sets. Now in its ninth year, it boasts further attractions including a steam can crusher, a parrot and owl rescue, and a merchandise tent in which punters can mingle with bands and buy all sorts of merchandise, from records to tote bags. Additionally, the line up was an exciting prospect: alongside headliners Cinerama, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and The Go! Team were Indietracks favourites Martha, The Tuts, and Colour Me Wednesday.
Friday 24th July
Although the weather was gloomy, The School kicked things off with some summery sixties pop. The eight-piece formed in Cardiff in 2007, and have gained a strong reputation in the indie-pop scene. Playing a range of tracks from 2010’s Loveless Unbeliever, 2012’s Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything, and the long-awaited new album Wasting Away and Wondering, front woman Liz Hunt’s vocals were strong, while musically they were reminiscent of the likes of Belle and Sebastian. They brought both a positive ray of sunshine and a feel good factor in the large audience, warming them up for Cinerama.
Cinerama were a project formed by ex-Wedding Present frontman David Gedge in the 90s, embracing Gedge’s love for orchestral music and blending this with indie pop. The band reformed this year, and although having not been familiar with the majority of their material, it was a new experience hearing them live. They delivered their songs with precision and elegance, demonstrated in tracks such as ‘Hard, Fast, and Beautiful’, and the lovely closer ‘Wow’. It was a calm set and a taster of things to come across the weekend.