‘Tis the season to sip from lukewarm tinnies while traipsing around a field in search of the next big thing – with Glastonbury officially kicking off at Worthy Farm this week, a summer of festivals is in full swing.
Of course all of the big hitters are covered between Elton John’s last ever UK show on the final day of Glastonbury (sob!), Pulp resuming headliner status at Latitude, and Lorde’s Cornish bonanza at Boardmasters, but lower down the bill, there’s plenty of fresh new talent to delve into.
The question is, where to begin? With a huge choice of rising stars heading out on the most chaotic gig circuit going, allow us to shepherd you towards the likely standout sets.
The Last Dinner Party
This London band draws on a heady blend of influences; think: whopping, ABBA-style choruses dripping with melodrama, swaggering, riff-packed pub-rock, and the artsy wink of Sparks. Though the five-piece have just one single to their name so far – the excellent Nothing Matters â they’ve already inked a shiny major label deal with Island, and have been busy recording their debut with Arctic Monkeys’ producer James Ford. Not to mention that they share flashy management with Foals and Metallica, and opened for Rolling Stones (though admittedly at the very bottom of an all-day festival bill) last year at Hyde Park.
Hype has risen to dizzying levels in a remarkably short space of time, leading to claims that this lot are industry plants/nepo-babies/insert-other-disparaging-term-here. But truthfully, the biggest factor in their rapid rise is the quality of the tunes themselves, not to mention that of their live shows, and vocalist Abigail Morris’ magnetic stage-presence.
Catch them at: Glastonbury (June 21-25); Latitude (July 20-23); Truck (July 20-23); Y Not Festival (July 28-30); Boardmasters (August 9-13); Green Man (August 17-20); Reading & Leeds (August 25-27); End of the Road (August 31 - September 3); Electric Picnic (September 1-3)
Meekz
This masked Manchester rapper is yet to show his face, preferring to let his music do the talking. Though London has long hogged majority of the airtime when it comes to UK rap, Meekz is part of a growing wave of artists grabbing some of that spotlight and shining it onto other cities, alongside the likes of Nottingham’s Young T & Bugsey, Leed’s Graft and fellow Mancunian Aitch. Drawing on muscular trap beats, the rising rapper – from the city’s Gorton area – has a voice that’s deep and viscous like syrup; and last year’s debut Respect The Come Up contains co-signs from both Dave and Central Cee. The latter is also on the Reading & Leeds bill alongside Meekz – a possible live collab ahead?
Catch him at: Reading & Leeds (August 25-27)
Wunderhorse
Jacob Slater has come a long way since fronting the short-lived and scrappy punk band Dead Pretties – as well has his stand-out portrayal of Sex Pistols’ John Lydon in the otherwise patchy telly biopic Pistol, he formed his Americana-tinged solo project Wunderhorse while bored senseless in lockdown. The endeavour has since evolved into a fully-fledged band, and first full-length Cub – which is heavily influenced by both Neil Young and Elliott Smith – was one of last year’s most intriguing debuts. Its first outing on the festival circuit should prove a real moment.
Catch them at: Glastonbury (June 21-25); Barn on the Farm (June 29 - July 2); Latitude (July 20-23); Tramlines (July 21-23); Connect Festival (August 25-27)
Coach Party
Between the surrealist rock leanings of Wet Leg and Lauran Hibberd’s witty and observational pop-punk, the Isle of Wight is on a roll right now – and Coach Party may just be its next greatest export. Signed to Chess Club, the discerning indie label that also signed Wolf Alice and Jungle early in their careers, there’s more to this trio’s thrashing brand of mayhem than meets the eye. Sure, the likes of Breakdown, Shit TV, and Everybody Hates Me have the kind of huge riffs that make you want to cathartically drop-kick a pint into the air, but Jess Eastwood’s biting lyrics also dig deep.
Catch them at: Glastonbury (June 21-25)
Jockstrap
This London duo’s experimental debut I Love You, Jennifer B was one of last years’ finest – and should be a standout as it takes its first voyage into the chaos of festival season. Greatest Hits’ huge, Screamadelica-styled piano line is just begging to go off in a packed field, while the weird and warped Glasgow could well be this summer’s biggest curveball singalong. All together now, and lighters in the air: “I’m not coming to Glasgow, I’ll just see you at the show!”
Catch them at: Glastonbury (June 21-25); Boardmasters (August 9-13); Forwards (September 1-2)
Clavish
Stamford Hill’s Clavish has a slightly different take on UK drill to many of his counterparts. While the genre originally had a lot of grit, fusing Chicago road rap with London staples grime and garage, he brings cinematic gloss to the table, along with a huge helping of wit. “The streets aren’t for everyone, that’s why they made the curbs,” he quips on No Interview, a highlight from this year’s debut mixtape "Rap Game Awful”. A festival outing in Finsbury Park, at Wireless, should prove a stand-out.
Catch him at: Wireless (July 7-9); Reading & Leeds (August 25-27)
Lambrini Girls
Earlier this year, Iggy Pop declared the excellently-named Brighton duo Lambrini Girls as his “favourite new band” – high praise, indeed – and accordingly, they’re now opening for him and Blondie at July’s punk-centric festival Dog Day Afternoon. Rage-dancing to the satirical macho-rock of Lads Lads Lads and the furious Help Me I’m Gay (“Help me I’m gay/Yet everything I do is for the male gaze”) it’s easy to see why he’s a fan – though they’re certainly cut from a similar cloth to US riot grrl-adjacent bands like Bikini Kill, L7 and Babes in Toyland, their sharp brand of humour feels brilliantly British.
Catch them at: Dog Day Afternoon (July 1)
Anish Kumar
To give a brief insight into Anish Kumar’s highly eclectic appeal: the electronic artist (who is also studying to be a vet at Cambridge) first shot to fame when Annie Mac made his beat-heavy edit of Brenda Lee’s swooning Sixties pop track Is It True her hottest record in the world. Elsewhere, Blackpool Boulevard scored him an underground hit alongside an equally-hyped Barry Can’t Swim, while Steamroller has to be one of last summer’s best dance tracks. Don’t miss him at The Warehouse Project in September, alongside the likes of Jamie xx, Little Simz, and Fred Again..
Catch him at: Repercussion (September 16)
Sudan Archives
Every time Sudan Archives rocks up at a festival tent, the whole place seems to go wild – her nimble string lines, effortlessly bowed on a violin she wields like weapon, tend to have that effect on people. The musician and songwriter, from Cincinnati, Ohio, crafted one of last year’s best records with the exploratory Natural Brown Prom Queen, and it’ll be a sure winner seeing highlights like Selfish Soul and NBPQ (Topless)’s explorations of colourism live.
Catch her at: Green Man (August 17-20); Field Day (August 19)
Bleach Lab
Based between Brighton and South London, Bleach Lab specialise in dreamy, shoegazed flecked indie-rock songs that delve hard into heartbreak, and have a definite whiff of early Wolf Alice about them. They’re gearing up to release their debut album, Lost in a Rush of Emptiness, in September – you’ll just have to trust us on this one for now, but you’ll end up kicking yourself if you miss out on an early, festival-season preview of things to come.
Catch them at: Latitude (July 20-23)
