The Festival will go out in style this summer with an impressive lineup and support from YouthMusic, designed to take Long Division back to its roots to celebrate and say goodbye.
The final edition of the annual music and culture festival will take place over the 9th – 11th June 2023, with Saturday 10th June seeing the majority of Long Division’s musical offerings across multiple venues and spaces throughout Wakefield.
Started in 2011 by the Rhubarb Bomb fanzine as a celebration of Wakefield’s DIY culture and grassroots creativity, Long Division has grown into a year-round arts organisation and beloved annual festival. From their groundbreaking #YoungTeam education programme, arts mentoring schemes and school music sessions to the innovative Wakefield City PA project, Long Division has always aimed to develop and celebrate the City’s unique cultural prowess as inspired by the people who live, work and create there.
Looking both forwards and back for its line-up to select a group of exciting new artists, Long Division favourites and some dream headliners, LD’s 2023 lineup looks set to cement its legacy; a foundation for the future of culture and creativity in Wakefield and beyond.
Cult Scottish indie outfit Arab Strap lead the bill with a special stripped-down set, whilst festival favourites The Lovely Eggs bring their technicolour chaos back to Wakefield and local leftfield legends The Orielles help see the West Yorkshire institution out in style.
Elsewhere, Long Division 2023 will also play host to the likes of bdrmm, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, DEADLETTER, The Membranes, Loose Articles, Sisterwives and SPIELMANN as well as inviting a series of beloved local acts from the festival’s rich history back for one last time. Amongst Wakefield’s finest playing the festival are sugar-sweet synth act The Research, reuniting for the first time since 2008; Captured Tracks signed, post-punk power trio Drahla and cherished folk collective Mi Mye.
Adding to the celebration are Opus Kink, Before Breakfast, Thank, Stanley Brinks, Freschard, Mik Artistik, Sunflower Thieves, Robbie & Mona, Heartworms, Green Gardens, Bug Teeth, Luxury Goods, LADY, Living Body, S. T. Manville, Hang Linton, St Gregory Orange, Vanity Fairy, Ellie Bleach, Bungalow, Bunkerpop, Honey Guide, Little Hand Feet, birdseed., Beth Pilling, Daisy Dorothy, Epilogues, Feeble Strength, Harri Larkin, Keep Back Ivy, Marnie Glum, Sooner Or Later, St. Malo, Vehicle, Eye To Eye, Last Season’s Winners, Misfortune Cookie, Nervous Twitch, Surface Waves, Tiger Island, Too Many T’s, Galaxians.
Long Division are operating a flexible ticket system this year with general sale available at £40. Reduced £30 tickets are available for those unable to cover the whole cost with no proof required and a third tier priced at £50 is available to help the festival cover the cost of reduced ticket sales. Tickets for under-18’s are again priced at £1.
Tickets for Long Division festival are on-sale now.
Dean Freeman, Founder / Director, Long Division:
“It was a massively tough decision of course. Long term it’s just not financially viable, for lots of reasons. We didn’t want to compromise or dilute what we do and we also felt passionately that getting to write your own ending is perhaps something many festivals, shops, labels and bands don’t get to do. We’re going to end on a massive high. We’re doubling our efforts to sign off in style. We’re calling in favours, we’re doing all those things we never got around to. It’ll be the culmination of 12 years of madness in Wakefield and it’ll be joyous. Let’s all hang out together, one last time.”
What the Press think:
“Long Division festival continues to epitomise Wakefield’s revitalised scene” – Gigwise
“Music festival Long Division is energising teenagers into careers in the creative industries” – The Guardian
“Wakefield has established itself as an under-the-radar cultural hub and home to one of the best independent arts festivals in Europe” – Under The Radar
Cover photograph: Mi Mye by Andrew Benge.
