Turning our backs on the British winter means it’s time for us festival junkies to get to work. Scouring the internet for various line-up announcements and securing those elusive tickets, it’s time to wash our sleeping bags, ready for another summer of music (definitely), fun (hopefully) and mud (inevitably). We’ve saved you some time by selecting the crème de la crème of headliners from the already-announced line-ups across the British festival circuit (more updates in the coming months), so you and your mates can book those tickets, kick back and relax.
Slaves | Live At Leeds | April 29th 2017
©Mike Massaro For The Guide
The punk duo from Kent released their first EP, Sugar Coated Bitter Truths, back in 2012 and have since become a regular feature on the festival circuit with their frenetic live sets. Last year’s Consume Or Be Consumed album produced some fantastic live shows and will be one of the top draws at the tenth annual Live At Leeds Festival. Featuring hundreds of shows across 22 venues in the city, performers including Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, White Lies, Wild Beasts and Temples will descent upon the city – and in a slight change to the usual format, Future Islands will also playing a separate ‘welcome’ show the previous evening.
Seasick Steve | Bearded Theory | 25th – 28th May 2017
© Wikimedia
Crowned Best Breakthrough Act at the 2007 MOJO Awards, this 67-year-old – there are some dispute over his actual age – American Blues musician has a quite the story to tell. After a long career as a session musician, recording engineer and producer, Seasick Steve shot to fame with 2008s, I Started Out With Nothing And I Still Got Most Of It Left. Last year’s Keepin’ The Horse Between Me And The Ground has seen no let-up in his popularity, with his appearance at 2017s Bearded Theory Festival – alongside Madness, Skunk Anansie, Cast and New Model Army – ensuring his place atop our festival highlights list. Bearded Theory prides itself as being one of the best family festivals around, with the Cotton Hall site in South Derbyshire hosting this annual Spring gathering since early 2008.
Hands Off Gretel | Camden Rocks | 3rd June 2017
These colourful indie grunge newcomers are fronted by singer-songwriter Lauren Tate, having famously released their 2016 debut album, Burn The Beauty Queen, following a fan endorsed crowdfunding campaign. The band were selected from over 3,000 applicants to play the Camden Rocks Festival alongside The Damned, The Rifles, Milburn and a magical new band founded by Carl Barat from The Libertines. Camden Rocks takes in over 25 venues across North London in a single day and includes 250 different shows – there’s no excuse to miss it.
Alt-J | Boardmasters | August 9th-13th 2017
Formed in Leeds in 2007, Alt-J rocketed to stardom in 2012 when their debut album, An Awesome Wave, won critical acclaim and secured them a Mercury Music Prize. They’ve since become a three-piece, with bassist Gwil Sainsbury leaving the band in 2014, just before the release of their second album This Is All Yours. Alt-J join Two Door Cinema Club, Jamiroquai and Jake Bugg at the ever-growing Boardmasters Festival in August, where music, surfing and skateboarding combine to create a four day adrenalin-rush. Taking place at Watergate Bay, Newquay, while the famous Fistral Beach hosts the annual surfing events, which have been going since 1981 and now attracts up to 40,000 people.
Kasabian | Reading & Leeds | August 25th – 27th 2017
The Leicester rockers are making a triumphant return in 2017 with an expected new album, their sixth since 2004s Kasabian debut. Tom and Serge have become festival veterans and the pair will no doubt be hoping to top 2014s epic closing set at Glastonbury. It will be Kasabian’s first appearance at Reading & Leeds in five years, and with Muse, Bastille and Fatboy Slim on the bill, it’s sure to be another mammoth weekender across both sites. Having run since 1961, Reading is the wise, older brother, having featured historic sets from the likes of Nirvana and The Stone Roses in the past and (we hope) many more to come.
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