10 must-see acts at Long Division Festival 2023
In 2011, fanzine Rhubarb Bomb started Wakefield’s Long Division Festival as a way to celebrate the city’s DIY culture and platform for upcoming indie artists. Since then, the festival has grown to take place across the city and widened its scope, featuring the likes of Billy Bragg and Gang of Four over the years. Now, the event takes one last bow with its final edition this weekend.
The 2023 festival sees Long Division, with a lineup of over 50 artists taking over nine Wakefield stages this Saturday, with music from across folk, post-punk, electronic and more. The big names include leftfield favourites The Orielles, Scottish indie-rockers Arab Strap, and folky soloist Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, but the smaller names are just as impressive, from Wakefield folk collective Mi Mye to Leeds legend Hang Linton.
The festival also caters for families with activities including zine-making and badge-making. Retaining their DIY ethic and community feel, the final Long Division festival is set to be a memorable farewell. With tickets close to selling out, it’s sure to go out with a bang.
With such a huge lineup, it’s hard to pick which stage you should be at when. So we’ve compiled a list of ten unmissable acts at Long Division this weekend.
10 must-see acts at Long Division:
Mi Mye
Wakefield’s own Mi Mye bring their indie alt-folk to the Theatre Royal this Saturday. The folk outfit combines their Yorkshire and Scottish influences to form soft soundscapes that tell stories of hope. With five albums worth of folky goodness under their belt, Mi Mye isn’t one to be missed for those looking to ease themselves into the festival this Saturday.
The band took to Instagram to share their excitement to play the festival, stating: “We fucking love LD and they have always been totally ace to us, it’s the last one ever this year and we are super sad about it but also totally stoked to be playing it.”
Bug Teeth
Combining influences of indie, shoegaze, trip-hop and dream-pop, Leeds-based Bug Teeth carve out ethereal soundscapes that are all the more atmospheric live. Their recent EP, Lucky Me, Lucky Mud is a sonic collage for fans of 1990s favourites Broadcast and Cocteau Twins – it’s magical and airy as if covered in a layer of fairy dust.
After being long-listed for Glastonbury, playing a support slot for Melody’s Echo Chamber at Scala, and a recent set at Live at Leeds, the bugs are taking the world by storm. Donning custom-made bug hats and taking an IKEA Djungelskog bear with them to every gig, their superlunary set is not one to be missed.
Ellie Bleach
Taking it up a notch, London-based singer-songwriter Ellie Bleach takes to the Unity Minor Hall this Saturday. Her music places storytelling at the centre, a theatrical blend of indie pop and strong vocals that chart the pains of modern life. She’s part of a new wave of women making bold indie-pop with a slightly eerie dissonance to it, alongside the likes of CMAT and The Last Dinner Party.
Her most recent EP, No Elegant Way To Sell Out, featured the hit track ‘Doing Really Well Thanks’, a commentary on love, well-being and burnout accompanied by eerie, laughing backing vocals and upbeat but slightly off-kilter piano.
She’s previously appeared on bills alongside the likes of Black Country, New Road, and Kate Nash and Ellie Bleach will perform a solo set at Long Division this Saturday, which is sure to enhance her bold vocals and lyricism.
Drahla
Drahla may exist amidst an increasingly deep sea of post-punk in Leeds, but the band set themselves apart from the rest. Their instrumentals are dark and bass-heavy, with dissonant guitars and sax contrast with Luciel Brown’s playful, effortless vocals.
After taking a three-year hiatus which ended late last summer, Drahla’s live presence is just as fresh as their studio sound. A recent show at the Leeds underground scene’s new favourite venue, The New Headingley Club, proved their prowess on stage – their ability to hold a crowd is sure to translate to the Theatre Royal this weekend.
Opus Kink
If you’re looking to pick up the pace of your day in Wakefield a little, stop by Opus Kink at Venue 23. The jazzy post-punk sextet are a live force to be reckoned with, providing a torrent of horns and choral vocals with each performance and never failing to get a crowd moving. Their latest EP, My Eyes, Brother!, was full of more dark, dissonant but groovy genre-blending mayhem, and Opus Kink’s set is sure to match.
For those fans of new wave post-punk looking for something a little more out of the box and with a definitive groove, Opus Kink are for you. Their heavy sound has previously seen them gain support slots with the likes of Warmduscher.
Hang Linton
Leeds legend Hang Linton is one of the most talented and lovely artists in the region. Hang Linton creates synthy avant-funk beats accompanied by lyrics equal parts comedic and honest. Hang sings about everything from his children’s love for dogs to commercialism and police brutality.
His live performance combines powerful, honest moments with the comforting stage presence of a children’s entertainer. He also recently played a family-friendly, accessible gig at the famous Brudenell in partnership with Deer Shed in the same week he played Brixton’s Windmill. Hang Linton’s range is unparalleled, and the honesty of his performances is always heart-warming. With an upcoming Kimya Dawson support slot, be sure to catch Hang on a small stage while you still can.
Robbie & Mona
Sinking further into the electronic programming of the festival, Robbie & Mona are a hazy electro-pop duo from Bristol. They recently released their sophomore studio album Tusky, which offers up more atmospheric synth-scapes. Inspired by films like David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Frederico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, their sound flits between dark, romantic and playful.
Robbie & Mona have appeared on festival lineups across Europe, from Rotterdam’s Left of the Dial to London’s leftfield Visions festival. After a co-headline tour with Bingo Fury brought them to Leeds’ Headrow House last Autumn, Robbie & Mona’s return to the north promises Wakefield a dose of seductive synth.
Thank
Thank could be considered the cult band of the Leeds underground scene. Often using the tagline ‘The Rock Band Thank From Leeds’, they’re known for their loud, pounding live sets and their idiosyncratic lyrics and vocals. They released their second studio album, Thoughtless Cruelty, last year, which included the thumping ‘Good Boy’, and Leeds anthem ‘Dread’ in which front-man Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe declares, “There’s never been a good band from London.”
Though Thank’s noise-rock sound and straightforward lyrics are unrelenting, their live set is just as fun as it is heavy. The audience and band blend into one as Freddy enters the crowd. With previous support slots alongside Yard Act, the rock band Thank from Leeds are a must-see.
The Orielles
Heavenly Records’ The Orielles have come a long way from their roots in spacey indie pop. Their debut album Silver Dollar Moment featured optimistic, twangy guitars and Esme Hand-Halford’s sweet vocals. Follow-up Disco Volador in 2020 blended their dreamy indie with elements of funk and electronica to demonstrate a more developed sound.
More recently, though, The Orielles have moved away from their easy indie sound into more experimental territory. Tableau in 2022 unincorporated experimental electronic elements, jazz, and more. The band then released The Goyt Method this month, an accompanying remix EP they made by picking elements from Tableau at random and mashing them together.
With such a mix of sounds in their catalogue now, it will be interesting to see how The Orielles have adapted their live set. Their recent performances at Stoller Hall with The Northern Session Collective promise an innovative, stunning show in Wakefield this Saturday and an indietronica antidote to Thank’s torrent of noise.
Jessica Winter
Ending our day in Wakefield is Jessica Winter. A London-based artist and producer who rejects the constraints of genre, Winter has used the words trap, indie, chanteuse and unadulterated pop to describe her sound. It’s a melting pot of genre, heavy synths combined with pop sensibilities and twinkling piano. Most of all, it’s fun.
On her studio recordings, Winter has collaborated with similarly hedonistic, vibrant artists such as Lynks and Metronomy, while support slots have seen her share the bill with Rebecca Black. For fans of hedonism and hyperpop, Jessica Winter will send you home from Wakefield glowing.
