The Station Narva festival, which takes place in Estonia's easternmost city of Narva on 21-23 September, already boasts British post punk band Echo & the Bunnymen in its main lineup, so the addition of fellow brit Tricky only serves to emphasise the size of the festival in only its debut year.

Tricky is to perform in the post-apocalyptic surroundings of the grand industrial architecture complex of Kreenholm Manufacturing Company on the first day of the festival, Friday, 21st September.

Tricky's short bio

Tricky, real name Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws, is a trip hop pioneer from Bristol in the UK and is currently resident in Berlin, Germany. He first came to prominence after rapping on fellow Bristolians Massive Attack's 1991 debut album Blue Lines, before going on to a major solo career which included collaborations with artists as diverse as Terry Hall, Björk, Yoko Ono, Gravediggaz, Grace Jones, Neneh Cherry and PJ Harvey and even having a poem about himself written by David Bowie and published in Q Magazine in the UK.

His musical style has been described as a blend of hip hop, ragga, rock and disembodied lyrical threats, reconstructualising samples and slices of anything from the most respected black music and the tackiest pop.

In 2017 Tricky returned with his 13th album, 'Ununiform', a delicate, storming and intricate album that saw him take a journey into happiness and contentment, confronting his legacy, history, and even death itself, and includes four tracks recorded in Moscow and featuring Russian rappers Scriptonite, Vasily Vakulenko (Basta), and Smokey Mo.

Other events and performers

The live music hotspots of the festival are to be the Kreenholm Manufacturing Company and the cultural hacktivists' headquarters Art Club Ro-Ro on 21 and 22 September. Alongside Tricky, the headliners of the festival are the godfathers of nocturnal pop, Echo & the Bunnymen, as well as the cerebral electronic music producer Actress, both from the UK.

Other international performers include Gazelle Twin, a British performance artist (producer Elizabeth Bernholz), Swedish singer-songwriter Jenny Wilson, Russian acts Shortparis and RSAC (Red Samara Automobile Club), and Finnish shoegaze band Joensuu 1685, as well as hip hop act View, also from Finland.

Estonian performers include Mart Avi who has an upcoming solo album, hip-hop troupe 12EEK Monkey, dance act Una Bomba 50+ , noise-rock group Zahir and Sõpruse Puiestee, together with several other acts from all over Estonia.

Not just music

Supporting the two-day music programme will be various additional interactions, performances, street food etc. plus on 23 September, Narva is to receive the annual title of the "autumn capital", followed by a public get-together meal at the long table on the shores of the River Narva.

A trilingual stand-up performance in cooperation with Comedy Estonia is on for the 23 September, and the European Commission Representation in Estonia will apparently be arranging 'Speak Dating' sessions.

Narva Art Residency is offer art activities and host public talks under the umbrella of the Narva's BAZAR opinion festival. Station Narva's info desk along with DIGIX Games Café will be open in the Narva College of the University of Tartu. The full programme of Station Narva will be announced at the beginning of September.

Station Narva music lineup

Friday, 21 September: Tricky (UK), Actress (UK), Jenny Wilson (SE), Una Bomba 50 + (EE), Zahir (EE), Grechka (RU), View (FI), Beebilõust (EE), RSAC (RU), Shortparis (RU), Propazha (EE)

Saturday, 22 September: Echo & the Bunnymen (UK), Gazelle Twin (UK), 12EEK Monkey (EE), Mart Avi (EE), Joensuu1685 (FI), Fever Dream (IS), Sõpruse Puiestee (EE), Электрофорез / Electroforez (RU), Indrek Spungin (EE), Tam i Tut (EE), Eksponatika Clan (EE) Guesthouse (EE), PTF1987 (EE)

Tickets and organisers

Station Narva 2018 Festival Passes are on sale at Piletilevi site and sales points across Estonia and cost €39. Single Day Tickets for the music programme on 21 or 22 September cost €25.

 Station Narva is organised by Shiftworks OÜ— the team behind international music showcase festival Tallinn Music Week — in cooperation with representatives from Narva: Narva Gate Ltd, Art Club Ro-Ro, Narva College of the University of Tartu, Narva Art Residency, festival BAZAR, Comedy Estonia, Lamprey Festival, and NGO Uus Sild.

The festival is powered by Telia and supported by the Narva City, the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia, the European Commission Representation in Estonia, the Finnish Institute, the Swedish Institute, the digital media incubator DIGIX and TheNordics. Station Narva takes place as part of celebrations to mark 100 years of the Estonian Republic.

Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!