News

All Tomorrow's Parties Is Ten!

• 28th Oct 2010

All Tomorrow’s Parties – the uniquely British alternative music and arts festival, celebrates its 10th anniversary year this December with a series of events curated and headlined by Belle & Sebastian, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and designer toy pioneers Amos to be held at Butlins, Minehead.

Founded in 2000 by then disillusioned gig promoter Barry Hogan, All Tomorrow’s Parties was one of the very first boutique music festivals to launch in the UK. The ensuing ten years have seen the festival grow in stature to become something of a treasured British institution (which is also held at a British institution), whilst garnering international respect and acclaim.

The enduring appeal of ATP lies principally with the festival’s unique proposition; a music festival curated entirely by a single artist and held at an old school British holiday resort where the bands stay in the same accommodation as the festival goers. The festival further sets itself apart from the larger corporate events by continuing to eschew any corporate sponsorship and any notion of VIP rooms making for a uniquely egalitarian festival experience – a proposition which has engendered a fierce loyalty amongst their fan base.

Described by founder Barry as a ‘mixtape of a festival curated by your favourite band’, All Tomorrow’s Parties actively encourages festival goers to seek out and champion new music. Past curators read like a who’s who of the alternative music/arts scene and have included Sonic Youth, Matt Groening, Portishead, The Breeders, My Bloody Valentine and most recently Jim Jarmusch.

Launched in the wake of Belle and Sebastian’s groundbreaking Bowlie Weekender in 1999, All Tomorrow’s Parties first festival curated by Mogwai took place in 2000 at Pontins Holiday Camp in Camber Sands. Camber Sands continued to provide the backdrop for ATP until public demand necessitated a larger venue and the festival moved to the 5,500 capacity Butlins in Minehead in 2005.

In recent years the festival has expanded further; hosting a series of international events whilst maintaining its legacy of being intimate and fan-friendly. Recent sold out events in the US and Australia, curated by Nick Cave and Jim Jarmusch were met with overwhelming critical acclaim with US rock bible, Rolling Stone naming ATP ‘the best rock festival in America’. The festival was also the subject of a full length feature film from Warp Films in 2009 link

The team behind ATP is also responsible for the Don't Look Back concert series, where acclaimed artists perform a classic album in its entirety. The series opened the series with Iggy and The Stooges performing ‘Funhouse’ and further performances have included Public Enemy performing ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions…’, Sonic Youth performing ‘Daydream Nation’, Ennio Morricone performing his classic film soundtracks and most recently the Stooges revisiting their seminal album ‘Raw Power’.

All Tomorrow's Parties will complete their year-long birthday celebrations at Butlins from the 3rd-5th December with The Nightmare before Christmas curated by Canadian post-rock juggernauts; Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who are reforming after nine years for the festival. This first of two festivals has already sold out and those lucky enough to have snapped up tickets will be treated to performances from Neurosis, Weird Al Yankovic, Deerhoof and many more.

The second festival weekend will take place from the 10th-12 December and to mark the occasion the event that started it all, The Bowlie Weekender, will be making a welcome return. The original Bowlie Weekender was curated by Belle and Sebastian and they’re back to headline and curate the eagerly-anticipated Bowlie 2. Guests including; Foals, Crystal Castles and Teenage Fanclub will be entertaining festival goers throughout the weekend.

Anyone wanting to extend their stay after the first festival or come a few days earlier to the second event can also enjoy In Between Days curated by Amos. Taking place from the 6th-9th December, Amos will be putting on a variety of entertainment, including bands and DJs such as Carbou, Wooden Ships and Moon Duo.

The 10th anniversary celebrations will be taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Minehead in Somerset. Looking out over a superb sandy beach the site is equipped with everything festival goers could need offering the perfect location for All Tomorrow’s Parties to mark its landmark anniversary.