UTOPiAfest 2016 preview

UTOPiAfest Music and Arts Festival focuses on throwing away the conventional corporate trappings that accompany much of the music festival scene. Alongside a range of acts across many genres, it offers a capped audience of around 1 800 to avoid enormous crowds, combined with no overlapping stage times. Attendees are welcome to bring their own food and drinks, camping and parking is free. It's definitely a different experience, one where the audience is engaged in the moment, not wasting time standing in long queues of equally fed-up people waiting to eat overpriced food, and most importantly, one that feels intimate, so much so, it actually feels like it's yours to share with your friends.

If all these elements sound like what a perfect festival should be, UTOPiAfest might be exactly what you're looking for.

We spoke to one of the festival founders, Travis Sutherland about the history and philosophy behind the festival. “We set out to create the festival that we wanted to go to, my partners and I ourselves. My family and I are all music lovers and we had created parties in the past but nothing on this scale, and my idea was to allow people in the hill country to get the chance to experience live music and people from the city and to see the beautiful countryside. Then it kinda evolved into what would make the ' perfect festival ' and minimise things associated with some other festivals such as the corporatization, and a claustrophobic atmosphere. Then over time we've been working toward carving out our own little niche in the festival marketplace.” Indeed it seems that more and more of these boutique festivals are popping up each year.

One brave move that Travis and his team took this year was the big decision to stage the festival during one of the two Austin City Limits festival weekends. ACL Fest has become internationally recognised as being one of the most successful festivals in the country and to go head to head with such an established brand has to be applauded. What was the reasoning for that decision? “Well, since ACL Fest had expanded to two weekends, I had said previously that I would be up for going up against it, because some people like the huge festival but not everyone appreciates that and there is a market for people who want a more intimate experience - not everyone in Austin enjoys when the giant festival comes to town and so it would be good to offer an alternative and a way for those people to get out of town for a few days and experience something different”.

One thing I recall from last year is that I felt every single band that played were on their 'A game', and their enthusiasm really came across. "It's true the bands that play the festival are all bands that want to be there and we pick bands that we know will blow people away". Last year saw incredible sets from Explosions in the Sky, Charles Bradley and tUnE-yArDs, among others, as well as a particularly incendiary surprise set from hometown hero Shakey Graves. A particular highlight is the special acoustic area lit by candles called Tank Goodtimes, where the audience is respectfully hushed as the artists perform under the full moon after the main stages have closed.

This year without a doubt one of the festival's major draws is sure to be a rare show from Brooklyn-based electronic duo Ratatat. Tell us how that came about? "Actually we had every other band booked for weeks before as we tried to secure them. My partner Aaron had to put together a package to present to them that showed them what we represent as they had actually turned down offers for other festivals before they finally confirmed with us. Actually, we are the only festival they are playing this year, they got the proposal and dug it and so they scheduled a mini run of dates around South America also, it worked out great and it's gonna be something special for sure”.

And that is what I came away with last year after attending UTOPiAfest, a feeling that I had participated in something that mattered, that made you feel good, something special, something very special indeed.

UTOPiAfest takes place 29 September - 2 October in Utopia, Texas. Tickets are available from the festival website.

Artists include Ratatat, Victor Wooten, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Givers, Big Thief, Man or Astroman and White Denim.