Bestival announces Invaders of the Future!

Making Bestival the festival to discover new music is a big part of what keeps us buzzing. Finding an incredible new band that could change your life, or that one amazing unknown track that will blow everyone away is something that our intrepid curator Rob da Bank has made his life’s work. With his monumental musical knowledge helping him to sniff out a cornucopia of mysterious gems, Rob’s track record for discovering the next big thing is unparalleled, and the Invaders of the Future stage is Bestival’s cathedral of cutting edge sounds where you’ll find this year’s selection of bright young things who could just be your new favourite band in The Future. 

Rob da Bank says: “Yup, we all love a stonking big headliner at Bestival, and huge DJs and bands that have sold millions of records smashing it on our stages, but mostly where you’ll find me across the weekend at Bestival is in our Invaders stage checking out the new bands. Once more we’ve gone mentally diverse from Radio 1 and SXSW darling’s Danny L Harle, Pup and Sunflower Bean through the amazing Eska and a takeover from the hottest label out there, PC Music, to local island talent Born Ina Barn and Xockha. See you down the front!”

Out on a mission to capture your heart and keep your feet moving at the UK’s official Best Major Festival, the Invaders of the Future stage will be bouncing all weekend long to sets from west London’s All This Noise, high-octane punks Asylums, atmospheric four-piece Black Honey, Island b-boys Born Ina Barn, and soulful pop types Clean Cut Kid, with appearance from Coco, Creeper and Saturday’s late night headliner Danny L Harle.

We’ll also have singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eska, beguiling trio Fatherson, pop outfit Fickle Friends, rock n rollers The Greasy Slicks, the darkly inventive HÆLOS, visceral Spanish indie quartet Hinds and the swirling sounds of The Japanese House.

Getting those in the know all hot under the collar there will be more Invaders of the Future action from the golden voiced JP Cooper, Illinois’s K.Flay, the folk musings of L.A. Salami, hotly-tipped Merseysider Louis Berry, emo four-piece Moose Blood, punk rockers Milk Teeth, hyperreal ultrapop label PC Music All Stars and Pinegrove.

Don’t miss the chance to check out Merthyr Tydfil’s Pretty Vicious, Toronto’s Pup, the hypnotic and pulsing Rationale, off-kilter R&B producer Royce Wood Junior, epic indie upstarts The Sherlocks, Mancunian powerhouse Spring King, mesmerising 12-piece Stompy's Playground and incorrigible ravers Subgiant.

And make sure you catch amazing new music from Brooklyn trio Sunflower Bean, Smugglers co-founder Will Varley, purveyors of surf-doom The Wytches, alt rockers Vant, the Island’s own Xockha and indie three-piece Zibra.

Collecting all our top tips for the future in one mind-blowing stage, head to the Invaders of the Future and discover what fires up Bestival’s soul.

The Great Escape add 150 more artists to lineup for 2016

The Great Escape, the festival for new music, is returning 19 – 21 May 2016 to transform Brighton into a mecca for emerging talent with an unparalleled showcase of international and local acts. For over a decade, The Great Escape has produced diverse line-ups flecked with the stars and sounds of the future, establishing this 3-day festival as the ultimate destination of discovery for music-lovers.

The Great Escape has just announced 150 new bands and its final Spotlight show featuring gutsy grime MC Stormzy who celebrated his highest-charted single ‘Shut Up’ last Christmas which instigated more pandemonium and rewinds than ever before. Best known for his mic-chomping and often politically-driven lyrics, Stormzy is very much at the forefront of the latest resurgence of his genre. He will be joined by Newham rapper J Hus, hip-hop collective WSTRN who made waves with ‘IN2’, and fierce R&B trio M.O described as “the only girl group you need to worry about”.

Also joining the line-up is Brighton four-piece Black Honey blending girl-band pop with blurry shoegazing guitarsalongside indie-pop assembly Highasakite who will fly that Norwegian flag high with lead singer Ingrid’s enchanting melodies and serene soundscapes. Packing a whole lot of attitude is bitter post-punk Leeds collective Eagulls, whilst providing a dose of disco inferno are South London brothers Formation who merge funk, northern soul and liquid grooves.

And if that wasn't enough, fresh from his comeback, noughties smooth crooner Craig David is back with a bang with his exciting new DJ project TS5. Influenced by his Miami penthouse sessions, expect a hair-raising mix of old school anthems, garage, bashment and glossy vocals. Collaborating with grime heavyweight and humorous internet personality Big Narstie, “When The Bassline Drops” is David’s highest charting single since 2007.
 

Visit the Great Escape festival's website for a full line-up and for tickets.