Pitchfork: Yoko Ono to Headline ATP Festival

Though the recently revealed contents of President Bush's iPod might argue otherwise, political conservatism isn't necessarily a roadblock to good music taste. Witness noted Republican Vincent Gallo. He may have different political views than many of his musical and filmic brethren, but that hasn't kept him from putting together a corking All Tomorrow's Parties festival this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Camber Sands, England. In his capacity as this year's guest curator, Gallo has recently announced the addition of noted peacenik Yoko Ono to headline the festival's final night. According to the remarkably ungrammatical press release announcing her booking, Ono's set will employ "all [the] elements of sound and vision that she has used throughout [an] extensive multi-media career." Ono's musical career has been recently rejuvenated, with new remixes of both the outstanding "Walking on Thin Ice" and "Every Man/Every Woman" hitting #1 on Billboard's club charts in recent years, and this prominent show should further spread the legend among British clubbers.

The rest of Gallo's ecumenical, era-spanning, not-particularly-right wing ATP lineup runs thusly: Sean Lennon, Ellen Allien (DJ set), John Frusciante, Polly Jean Harvey (performing solo), the Blues Explosion, Merzbow, Olivia Tremor Control, James Chance and the Contortions, Prefuse 73, Buck 65, Lydia Lunch, I Am Kloot, Vitamin B-12, Kid Koala, Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto, Jayne County, Magik Markers, Afrirampo, Women and Children, the Tints, Suicide, John Foxx of Ultravox, Ted Curson, Peaches, Trapist, Nikolai Haas, Thread Pulls, Gang Gang Dance, Autolux, the Zombies, and Gallo himself. His only non-film-related musical work, the 2001 album When, was a set of borderline-parodic takes on banal love lyrics, set to loop-based audio japery. Presumably he'll do some of those songs live, but maybe not; one never knows with these auteur types, does one? If that's not enough to sell you, he'll also be screening The Brown Bunny at ATP, as well as "rare and unreleased short films he had (sic) directed or starred in."

The beachfront ATP event is unique in not exactly selling tickets per se; festival attendees book space in an onsite chalet, which start at £480 for a four-person berth (that's a little over $900, or about $225 per person). Only four-person and six-person berths remain available at press time, and can be bought at the official festival site while they last. Only people over 18 may attend; furthermore, ATP-goers are urged to bring your own towels and toiletries, unless you like being dirty-- although if you're really into Vincent Gallo, the chances of that are pretty good.