Last Updated on December 16, 2023
S01 E49
All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP) was a UK-based festival and concert organiser and promoter from 1999 to 2016. It places musicians first, frequently letting the headlining act choose the festival’s lineup.
ATP felt like it was run by music fans who were never quite organised enough to get it together: it was a slightly shambolic affair. ATP Weekends were set in off-season holiday camps in seaside towns around the UK’s coast. They also put on festivals in the US, Australia and Iceland. Another contribution to concert culture was having bands play (frequently classic) whole albums from start to finish.
ATP entered the lives of Andrew and Sam around 2009, and they subsequently went to many of the festivals until the ultimate demise of the organisation in 2016. Here, along with other friends, they slept in chalets, provided their own choice of drinks (Andrew spent one weekend drinking 2.6% Sainsbury’s own brand bitter, wondering why he never felt drunk), discovered a treasure trove of “alternative” bands and witnessed some of their fondest gig memories.
So, join them for a trip down memory lane. Along the way, friends Andy and Al pop up to contribute their experiences. They talk about the feels ATP still elicits, as well as the half-remembered rumours, they joy and the chaos.
If you want to contribute to another ATP show, please send us a message via … and we’ll include it (probably uncensored, within reason):
Email us at beatmotel@lawsie.com
Riffs of the week
- Parliament – Unfunky UFO (opening)
- The Interesting Times Gang – El Diablo Robótico (7:36)
Sam’s choices
- Tweak Bird – A Sun/Ahh Ahh (1.24)
- Shellac – Wingwalker (3.54)
- Les Savy Fav – Patty Lee (0.11)
- Sleaford Mods – The Wage Don’t Fit (0.27)
Andrew’s choices
- The Melvins – The Talking Horse (from start)
- Sunn O))) – Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért] (0:15)
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (1:15)
- “Weird” Al Yankovic – Amish Paradise (2:19)
Ruddiger Broomhilder’s letter of the week
Subject: A Couple of Curiosities from a Woozy Music Fan
Dear Andrew and Dr. Sam,
Hope this finds you both hitting the high notes and staying in tune! Ruddiger here, still buzzing from the beat, albeit a bit dizzy from my recent gastric surgery adventure. Ah, the things we endure for the love of plums and podcasts!
Suffice to say I missed your last episode, due being in the care of the NHS, but felt compelled to email you anyway.
Andrew, I have a question that’s as straightforward as a drum solo. In your esteemed opinion, which famous musician would make the best pizza chef, and why do I ask? I can’t shake the mental image of a rock star tossing his dough.
Dr. Sam, onto a more melodic matter, though I’m afraid there’s been a bit of a mix-up. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the concept of ‘middle 8s’ and, for some reason, I’ve concocted this image of sharing a bath with a rugby team (don’t ask). Could you enlighten me – have you ever experienced a ‘middle 8’ in this peculiar context? Also, I suppose, what is a middle 8 in the musical sense? Asking for a friend…
Oh, before I forget, I’ve been reminiscing about that time I had to clean the dental surgery toilet after my unripe plum escapade. What a symphony of smells and memories! Definitely a story I’ll keep in my back pocket, much like a well-loved bum plum.
Well, I must dash. I’ve got a bit of a situation here; I think I may have trapped my foreskin in the detergent tray of my mother’s washing machine. Suffice to say, it’s a bit of a squat and a squeeze!
Keep the beats flowing and the wisdom coming in my ears.
Rock on,
Ruddiger Broomhilder
(Your slightly woozy but ever-devoted fan)
