stag and dagger preview, May 21st

Over the last two years, Stag and Dagger’s Glasgow leg has honed the multi-venue urban festival format into a slick, well-oiled machine. 2011’s eclectic line-up suggests they’ll make it three for three, with big(ish) name veterans like Clinic alongside young guns like Star Slinger. Sound of 2011 graduates Warpaint and Yuck are potential queue-builders, with buzz still building on the latter and lingering around the former, while you’d be daft to miss Kurt Vile and the Violators woo the Captains Rest with tracks from the recently-released Smoke Ring for My Halo.

Toronto’s Rural Alberta Advantage and Oklahoma’s Colourmusic are amongst this year’s imports, but it’s the array of contemporary Scottish talent that really impresses, including Admiral Fallow, Broken Records, Conquering Animal Sound, The Scottish Enlightenment, She’s Hit, Sons & Daughters, Veronica Falls, Wake the President and, if you’re looking for something more heavy and confrontational, De Salvo. Also on the noisier end of the spectrum are Japanese oddballs Bo Ningen and grunge revivalists Tribes, while ambient mavericks Toro Y Moi and Chad Valley should keep the party going into the wee small hours. Early-bird tickets are long sold-out, so act fast.