If you’re not yet familiar with the day, Brainlove Festival is a yearly celebration of exciting new underground & leftfield music, run by London-based DIY indie label Brainlove Records. From the youthful fizz of emerging London acts like Crushed Beaks (pictured) to the sultry drones of Female Band to the warm melodies of Icelandic/Danish artist Dad Rocks!, there is something to be found for every open-eared music lover. The label’s roster is also fully represented with Napoleon IIIrd, Mat Riviere and Andrew Paul Regan (aka Pagan Wanderer Lu) all unveiling new material.

With the help of good friends at the Windmill and the hand-picked selection of fantastic bands, artists, DJs and good-hearted helpers, Brainlove Festival is an unmissable day for the people who swarm down every year to bask in the sun, take in a lot of creative new music, pick up some short-run rarities on the stall, and score some free barbecue in the process.

There will be two stages (one indoors and one outdoors) with over 20 acts running from 2pm till late, as well as a newly-added spoken word stage and independent record label market out front with labels like Something In Construction and Blood & Biscuits already confirmed to take part.

This year’s line-up boasts a wealth of Brainlove-signed artists, select picks from Nordic countries, and a handful of promising London-centric upstarts, with a number of acts still to be announced.

That already-impressive first lineup in full:

Dad Rocks!
Napoleon IIIrd
Crushed Beaks
Mat Riviere
Octagon Court
Female Band
Bleeding Heart Narrative
Andrew Paul Regan
Tall Stories
Keel Her

Nice Things People Have Said About Brainlove Festival:

“A truly enjoyable day of DIY music culture.” – Artrocker
“An unspeakably good repertoire – you can’t afford to ignore them… relentlessly brilliant.” – NME
“DiS’s über-indie label of choice… the talent spotters to watch” – Drowned In Sound
“A really good label… love it!” – Huw Stephens, Radio 1
“If there’s one thing London label Brainlove Records could never be accused of, it’s being predictable… a prismatic cross-section of amazing bands.” – The Line Of Best Fit
“If Brainlove Festival was about pushing boundaries, it achieved it’s goal… this event makes it clear there are great things going on out there.” – Clash Magazine
“This annual shindig is a well-spring of the leftfield… the prospect of a Brainlove Festival 2012 is a tantalising one.” – Amelia’s Magazine
“The roster rivals any mini-festival staged this summer in the capitol city… the Brainlove collective is one of the most interesting record label and art collectives currently operating in the Southeast.” – London Tour Dates
“your essential glimpse into the thriving UK underground is back with another packed bill of pop oddities, brand new talents, breaking leftfield acts and cult stars.” – Contact Music