South Facing Festival welcomes the celebrated American synth-pop band Future Islands. The Baltimore quartet will take to the Crystal Palace stage this Summer with support from Baxter Dury and Julie Byrne.
This highly anticipated London date follows the release of their seventh album, the critically acclaimed ‘People Who Aren’t There Anymore’, touted by the Guardian as ‘a brutal, beautiful breakup album’.
From their start, Future Islands have been singular and instantly identifiable. Samuel T. Herring’s life-worn croons and cries are backlit by Gerrit Welmers’ melodies and charged by the rhythms of William Cashion and Michael Lowry. That premise hasn’t changed on People Who Aren’t There Anymore, but the people have. There’s a pain and a joy in Herring’s voice that’s only been rivalled by their legendary live performances but never captured in their studio albums; that feels like it’s been untethered for the first time.
Future Islands have played nearly 1,500 shows – shows that have bruised bodies and frayed vocal cords, provided escapes for audiences and healed their messengers. People Who Aren’t There Anymore is a major work from a band at an inflection point: they’re discovering new ways to experience the world, because the old ways weren’t working. That freedom has led to the most fully realised, most transparently honest statement in their 17 years as a band.
South Facing is a multi-day, open-air festival that takes place each summer in the historically significant Crystal Palace Bowl. The iconic location has hosted massive names, including Elton John, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, The Pixies and Bob Marley. The affectionately nicknamed “rusty laptop” stage now boasts a blue plaque to commemorate the location of Marley’s biggest and last-ever London show in June 1980.
Debuting in 2021, South Facing was created with the ultimate goal of having reduced environmental impact. South Facing works with local partners while setting high standards in sustainability for everything from audience experience and travel to recyclable and compostable products. The festival boasts a huge choice of top-end street food and drink options and is easily accessible from London and all over the South East thanks to the various train and bus routes, including Crystal Palace (TfL Overground and National Rail), Penge West (TfL Overground and National Rail), and Gipsy Hill (National Rail).
The festival’s debut year included headline slots from Dizzee Rascal, Supergrass, Sleaford Mods, Max Richter and The English National Opera, and has since seen artists including London Grammar, Richard Ashcroft, Becky Hill, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jungle, Craig David, James, Rudimental and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds grace the stage.
