As autumn rolls in, some of the last festivals of the year are starting to announce what they have in store for music fans willing to enjoy some shows in the cold winter wind. Among those, Houston’s Day for Night Arts Festival seems to be flaunting the most impressive lineup, bringing Christmas early to those attending.
The festival will be headlined by Aphex Twin’s first performance in eight years, and the the rest of the lineup includes a staggering array of artists from a wide variety of genres, from the alternative rock outfit Butthole Surfers to the experimental Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk.
Set to take place on December 17th and 18th at the former Barbara Jordan Post Office in downtown Houston, the second annual (with a phenomenal debut) Day for Night has a lineup that would not be jealous of any other more established festivals.
Despite a collection of unbelievable musicians, the festival is more than just the music; festival producer Omar Afra explains that Day for Night blends the live music with art installations in attempt to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“For years and years, people in the industry told us, ‘No way, not going to happen, don’t waste your time’,” Afra recalls. “I think that artists like Aphex Twin want to do things that are a cut above, a little different, and that’s what we aim to do. We had great cooperation from his team and we were just persistent and it worked.”
Other artists confirmed to take part in this year’s proceedings are Golan Levin, NONOTAK, Shoplifter, Tundra, Robert Seidel, Damien Echols, AV&C + Houzé, Michael Fullman of VT Pro Design, Ezra Miller, Jesse Kanda, Alex Czetwertynski and Herman Kolgen.
“This multi-layered, multi-dimensional experience is really something that I think the music industry and the festival industry are late in the game to get caught up to. Meanwhile, you’ve got these pioneering, innovative visual artists that are creating these experiences that many young people are seeing and wondering, ‘what else could there be’? It inspires a level of discovery that is just perfect paired with live music.”
Day For Night tickets start at $150 and can be purchased through the festival’s website.
Day for Night Festival Lineup
Aphex Twin
ODESZA
Travis Scott
Kaskade
Björk (unique digital sets)
Run The Jewels
Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker)
Banks
Butthole Surfers
Blood Orange
Little Dragon
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Squarepusher
Blonde Redhead
Thundercat
Kamasi Washington
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
RZA feat. Stone Mecca Rider
John Carpenter
Washed Out
Ariel Pink
Lightning Bolt
Arca
DJ Windows 98 (aka Arcade Fire’s Win Butler)
Oneohtrix Point Never
Liars
Lower Dens
S U R V I V E
Matmos
Clams Casino
Mykki Blanco
Marcel Khalife
Chelsea Wolfe
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Welcome to Houston
SG Lewis
SOPHIE
Tobacco
Nothing
Soulection
Mary Lattimore and Jeff Zeigler
Fat Tony
Jock Club
Wild Moccasins
Buoyant Spirit
Vacation Eyes
Limb
Hevin
-Us.
Jerk
MNYNMS
Maramuresh
Pfaff
Splendid Emblem
Kult Dizney
DIVISION
Night Drive
Josh Dupont
From Beyond
Futurelix