Loop reunites to co-headline All Tomorrow’s Parties ‘End of an Era’ with Television

The annual All Tomorrow’s Parties holiday festival in Camber Sands, England, will come to an end later this year with one final two-weekend extravaganza, with the first weekend headlined by Television performing its peerless 1977 debut Marquee Moon in full and the second weekend both curated and headlined by the reunited Loop.

The ATP organization says it will continue to put on shows, but the two “End of an Era” weekends will be the last of their “holiday camp” festivals. The first weekend, Nov. 22-24, is curated by Primavera Sound and also features Thurston Moore’s Chelsea Light Moving, Dinosaur Jr, Mike Watt and more, while the second weekend, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, features The Pop Group, Fennesz, 23 Skidoo and more.

While Television has been playing sporadic shows since reuniting for an ATP festival in 2001 — and now carries on without Richard Lloyd, who left in 2007 — the Loop reunion is a huge coup for the fest. The London alt-rockers, which put out three studio albums in the late ’80s and early ’90s, will play their first show since 1991 as part of a reunion expected to continue through 2014.

In a statement provided to ATP, bandleader Robert Hampson writes:

It was a long time ago… and it didn’t really finish that well. I’m not sure anyone of us can really put our fingers on specific reasons, for they are legion, but after many many years of being asked why not play again, I can’t seem to find any excuses for why not to anymore.

To always pursue a forward motion has been my goal, but what goes around comes around as they say.

It seems that as much as you try to run as far as you can away from it, your past will always haunt you. I have never really slept well over the demise of Loop, it always felt unfinished. If I had a pound coin given to me for every time I get asked to reform Loop, I’d be a very rich man by now. I had always baulked at the idea, especially when I have been asked to perform songs with a pick-up band, something I could never do… ever.

It’s not that I am precious, but at the same time, without John and Neil holding down that centre, I’d never be able to wave, it would never be the same.

I’m so proud to say that the line-up of John Wills, Neil Mackay, Scott Dowson and myself have agreed to perform a limited number of shows from late 2013 to mid 2014 at various venues across the world. To perform from all stages of the Loop arc, enjoy it again, hoping that we make plenty of people happy again and maybe give people a chance to see it for the first time… then, we can put it finally to rest with a better feeling of completion and that a chapter is really over. I sincerely hope it maybe refreshing to us and to others. For some, it may simply not be on their radar anymore. Well, it’s simple enough for them, don’t buy a ticket. It’s going to blink and you miss it because it’s not going to be around long, I refuse to prolong it and for it to become embarrassing. It’ll be sharp and to the point…straight to your heart and then, it’s gone.

RH April 2013

Full lineup and ticket information is available at atpfestival.com.