Emmy The Great To Headline Indietracks Festival

• 16th Mar 2009

Critically acclaimed folk popster Emmy the Great is to headline this year’s Indietracks festival. The London-based singer-songwriter, who will play on the Indoor Stage, is the second headline act to be announced for Indietracks alongside Scottish indiepop favourites Camera Obscura. The festival, held on 24-26 July, 2009, takes place in the grounds of a picturesque 1950s steam railway in Derbyshire.

Emmy will be joined by the hotly-tipped Butcher Boy, scuzzy guitar-lovers The Manhattan Love Suicides and sophisticated chanteuses Help Stamp Out Loneliness. Other bands playing the festival include BMX Bandits, Lucky Soul, Frank and Walters and The School. More headline acts will be announced shortly.

Emmy the Great released her debut album, First Love, in February 2009 on her own Close Harbour record label after receiving glowing reviews for a clutch of limited edition singles and EPs. Renowned for her evocative lyrics and inventive rhymes, she has toured extensively with artists such as Tilly and The Wall and Martha Wainwright. Her live band includes Euan Hinshelwood of Younghusband, Tom Rogerson of Three Trapped Tigers and Ric Hollingbery of Pengilly’s.

This year, Indietracks is teaming up with legendary Elefant Records as part of the indiepop label’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The Madrid-based label, which was launched by Luis Calvo in 1989, has picked a number of bands to play on a special Elefant stage over the course of the weekend, including La Casa Azul, Cola Jet Set, Cooper, Nick Garrie, Single, Speedmarket Avenue, Tender Trap and Fitness Forever.

Over 50 bands will play the festival in total, and other bands announced so far include Wake The President, Friends, The Rocky Nest, Zipper, King of Cats and Poppy and Friends.

This is the third ever Indietracks festival, which is being held at the Midland Railway in Ripley, in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside. The site houses a whole range of lovingly restored steam diesels and locomotives. Festival goers are allowed to have unlimited rides on the steam railway over the weekend and full access to other railway attractions including a farm and museum.

Weekend tickets cost £55, day tickets cost £30 and both are available to buy from Ticketweb or by calling the railway direct on 01773 747 674.