ROUGH BEATS

This year's Rough Beats music festival will be the biggest yet but the event will keep its 'party in a field' roots with ticket numbers capped at 2000.

Ex-EMF frontsman James Atkin, who curates the dance tent on the Saturday night and also performs with his band Asbo Kid, says the Yorkshire festival has a genuine, intimate party vibe.

With EMF and Bentley Rhythm Ace, Atkin - best known for pop hit ‘You're Unbelievable' which reached number three in the UK charts and number one in the US - played crowds of 40,000 at South America's Rock in Rio festival and 10,000 at Glastonbury in the 90s.

He says of Rough Beats: "The atmosphere is probably better actually because you're in a smaller tent, you're closer to your audience, everybody feels a part of it, the sound systems always really good, and everyone's always in a party mood."

Now in its eighth year - and with tickets having sold out last year - the festival in Clapham, north Yorkshire is expanding in 2011 with 45 acts from the UK and abroad, four stages, a pop up restaurant, and a move to a bigger site with more room for camping.

Rough Beats specialises in new music across all genres. Artists confirmed to date are: Colombian rapper Jota Ramos, Rise Kagona of Bhundu Boys, Hot Club de Paris, Transgressive Records, Royal Treatment Plant, Dim, Wilful Missing, Lumberjack Cowboy Heartbreak Trucking Company, Gaucho, Liz McKenzie, Dave McKinley, Dirty Ray, Garron Frith, The Steals, The Flies, Quip (Leeds), The Horn the Hunt (Leeds), Asbo Chick DJs (Clapham/Brighton), Ann Shenton(Windsor), Asbo Kid (North Yorkshire), Organic DJs (Leicester) and Freear (London).

Atkin says: "I think they put a lot of thought into the acts that go on, not necessarily getting big acts for the sake of it just to sell tickets. They get bands with a bit of integrity that sound really good.  And it's very diverse as well, which is great at a festival - walking from one tent to another and hearing lots of different styles of music and genres."

Lumberjack Cowboy Heartbreak Trucking Company guitarist James Ogden says: "Apart from being a very cool festival it's always been well curated. The atmosphere's always great and it's always been quite contemporary music. I don't think I've seen one covers band, it's always been a really good talented mix."

Friday night's dance tent will be programmed by Josh Parkinson of Stylus who started his career throwing mass parties on castles and boats as part of the UK's underground party movement.

Parkinson says: "Our roots are in the free party scene of the mid to late 90s. We still tend to create that sort of free party open air atmosphere." His lineup includes Organic DJs, who play their own music, and DJ Mike Freear, who does live editing.

Atkin says he is excited about booking The Horn The Hunt, an up and coming act from Leeds who are "electronic, a bit out there, very atmospheric".

Asbo Kid (Atkin and ex-Elastica drummer Justin Welch) will play the same tent as Asbo Chick DJs, who are Rachel Atkin (Atkin's wife) and Mew Welch (Justin's wife, also ex-Elastica).

Rachel Atkin says: "Our set is eclectic, from disco to electro. I've picked the best of my back catalogue, tracks that I like to dance to at home and I know will rock a tent."

Rough Beats started eight years ago as ‘Glastonsherry' - a party for 100 friends in a back garden owned by Kevin and Maggie McSherry, whose five sons organize the festival.

Atkin, who left London for Clapham (population 700) five years ago, says Rough Beats is the highlight of the year.

"Having that on your doorstep is really incredible.

"What I find quite funny is that all the village lot seem to camp together in one area. You'd think they'd see enough of each other during the year but everyone gets really excited.

"You'll see a lot of the villagers filling up wheelie bins full of cider to drag down to the festival."

Owner of Clapham's Bunkhouse and Cafe Bar Anne Brierley, who sells tickets and accommodates bands, says it is always a friendly event - "We have a good cross range of people from two years to 90 years old."

Ryan Buckley, who works in village pub the New Inn, says people come from around the UK and abroad. "It's a mishmash of folk, it's for everyone basically. It brings a lot more tourism to the area in that one weekend, and a lot more money which can only be a good thing for a tiny little village."

The festival site is a 20 minute walk from beautiful Clapham village, which lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.