HIGHER GROUND FESTIVAL
Announces 2023 Line-Up Including The Staves and The Orielles
Saturday 15 July at The Roundhouse
Higher Ground is back for 2023 for a one-day festival at London’s iconic venue The Roundhouse. Headlining this edition is The Staves with The Orielles, Tawiah and Aiofe Nessa Frances completing the initial lineup.
It’s a decade since The Staves self-released their first EP and a lot has happened since then. Their music has changed significantly from the acoustic pastoralism of their 2012 debut album Dead & Born & Grown through to their critically embraced 2015 album If I Was which Stereogum described as “unimaginably beautiful”. Their third album Good Woman, released last year, was written and recorded amid major upheaval, heartbreak and bereavement. The new-found boldness, loudness and lyrical directness on this record are indicative of lives forced to become a serious concern. Higher Ground will be The Staves only live headline London performance in 2023.
Since forming in the West Yorkshire town of Halifax, over a decade ago whilst still in their early teens, The Orielles have journeyed from lo-fi DIY indie to avant-pop with last year’s Tableau – an experimental double album in which The Orielles utilised holistic jazz practices, oblique 21st century electronica, experimental 1960s tape loop methods, otherworldly AutoTuned vocal sounds, the downer dub of Burial, Sonic Youth’s focus on improvisation and feedback, and Brian Eno’s legendary Oblique Strategy cards. The Orielles will perform at Higher Ground with a string section drawing from their recent album Tableau and favourites from their back catalogue.
The band say of this special show: “Playing Tableau live with strings section on its release day was a special moment for us. We are so excited to do it again and at a venue that we’ve wanted to play at for some time now. Expect a mixture of Tableau in its purest form, with some older heavy hitters complete with added strings for vibes. Can’t wait to see you there!“
Known most for her robust and church-honed voice, Tawiah is a progressive R&B artist, writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Earlier this year, Tawiah previewed her live show at the Barbican for “in her words,” a special show celebrating International Women’s Day. Tawiah has worked in collaboration with the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, Dev Hynes, Kindness, Mark Ronson, Cinematic Orchestra and Kano with her work being championed by Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Boiler Room, i-D, The Guardian and more. Accompanied by a live choir, Tawiah will bring her biggest performance of album Ertha to date.
Aiofe Nessa Frances’ 2020 debut album Land of No Junction won praise from Uncut, The Quietus, MOJO, Aquarium Drunkard and Pitchfork, with the latter describing Aoife’s voice as “…a headlight in fog.” Aoife followed that up with her 2022 album Protector, and first for new label Partisan, as well as supporting Alex Cameron (US), Destroyer (EU) and her own headline UK & EU tour.
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