Pitchfork

The Evolution Festival in NewcastleGateshead, England is a curious beast. The four-day event takes place this year from May 23-26, and it consists of various one-off events-- concerts, seminars, a dance party-- at venues throughout the metropolitan area. Sons & Daughters, the Wild Beasts, Tiga, and the Felice Brothers will play some of those one-offs, but then there's the matter of the more traditional portion of the festival: a single-day outdoor event that happens across two stages on May 26.

That festival-within-the-festival will feature sets from the Streets, Hercules and Love Affair, CSS, Kate Nash, Crystal Castles, the Whip, New Young Pony Club, Lightspeed Champion, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, among others.

Finally, there's the fact that some proceeds from the seventh annual Evolution will go to a self-explanatory charity called WaterAid. So while it's all a little bit confusing, at least it's for a good cause.