Seeking to pay homage to the East End music scene by “nurturing the new wave of talent and providing a platform for them to perform alongside other bands who have come out of the area”, Sunday’s 1234 Shoreditch Festival, in Shoreditch Park, is all set to be another stylish triumph of substance over typical bland-fest pomp.

Building on the huge success of the inaugural festival in 2007, this year’s event, which is once again organised by Sean McClusky of namesake 1234 Records, features the hottest bands de jour, such as S.C.U.M, An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump, Ipso Facto, Chrome Hoof and Lion Club, alongside the finest DJ talent on the electronic stage, brought to you by the likes of Autokratz, Boy Crisis and The Kool Kids Klub.

Providing the proverbial cherry on the top are headliners Patrick Wolf and the four-piece Whitechapel-based outfit The Rakes.

I caught up with lead singer of The Rakes, Alan Donohoe, for a quick chat before their homecoming gig:

Can you explain the story behind your name and how you all met? Jamie (Hornsmith, bassist) and I met on a summer job adding sand to the man-made beach on the Thames. We were playing air guitar with the rakes and then came up with the name.

Your music has been described as post-punk art-rock. Do you agree? I honestly don’t know what you’d call our music – I thought the new post-punk was The Editors or White Lies, or maybe it’s bands that follow the Jam template – either way it ain’t like that.

What is it about East End London that breeds creativity? The weather, the litter and the attempt to be different and recognised in a busy pub.

What can people expect from your 1234 performance? Songs.

Favourite ever gig? Jamie Lidell supporting Squarepusher and the London Sinfonietta Orchestra at the Brighton Dome.

Worst ever gig? Kraftwerk the other week in Germany – plain daft.

Why the break between Ten New Messages and your new album Klang? When housewives we knew came up to us and said they liked Ten New Messages we knew something had gone wrong. We needed to get back to our roots and get some attitude back that you can lose if you are touring non-stop for a year and never let your feet touch London’s rain-soaked ground.

What’s next? A cup of tea.

The 1234 Shoreditch Festival runs on Sunday, July 26, from noon-9pm. Tickets: 0870 264 3333, 0844 477 1000 or www.the1234shoreditch.com (£15). For The Rakes visit www.therakes.co.uk