Truck Festival have announced their 2020 lineup. The festival takes place at Hill Farm in Didcot, Oxfordshire on 31st July-2nd August.
Bombay Bicycle Club, The Kooks and Catfish & The Bottlemen are headlining the event with Blossoms as the Thursday night headliners.
You can buy tickets for the festival at https://truckfestival.com/tickets/
FRIDAY
Would it even be a Download weekend if there wasn’t at least the threat of rain? It’s grey but holding off as we head into the arena for a day of pure rock and metal shenanigans. The first notable difference is the somewhat extreme, and numerous bag checks. We’d been warned via the site and social media that only A4 sized backpacks and smaller would be allowed into the arena, but didn’t realise that there would also be multiple check-points between the car-park and actually getting in to see the bands. Not to worry though, the checks are pretty quick and efficient, and soon we are cresting that hill for the first amazing sight of the arena.
I’d also like to do a quick shout-out at this point to Download’s ever evolving experience enhancements. Big plastic tracks have been installed around the second stage area making both walking in general and getting to the Accessibility platform via scooter or wheelchair easier than ever, and they have employed professional BSL music performance interpreters for the Main and Zippo Encore stages, giving even more fans access to this incredible event. They have also increased accessibility shuttles from the campsites, provided a wheelchair charging station and increased their accessible portaloos by 50% on last year. This continual thought and attention to feedback is impressive, and Download is one of the few festivals out there who seem to be really improving access year on year, in all kinds of different ways. Bravo.
So, the Arena. If you’re a rock or metal fan and you haven’t been to Download before, all I can say is, it’s like coming home. All the beautiful freaks are right here with their astral hair, their pleather and fishnets, jackets covered in patches and piercings in every available inch of spare skin, tattoos blooming from black tshirts and ripped jeans. Oh and at this point in the day, approximately half of them are jammed in a never-ending queue to buy merch. Bah. Tips for next year DL – employ at least twice as many staff for this please, it was obnoxious.
Extortionately priced t-shirts in hand, we stride down the hill to catch up with the mighty Dragonforce who have gathered a massive crowd for ‘Cry Thunder’, prophetically as the rain begins to spit. Thankfully that’s where the correlation ends, but it is still pretty ridiculous when they yell “We are Dragonforce… we come from right here in sunny England…”. Frontman Marc Hudson also lets us know that they “…are filming every single song of this set… so the rest of the world sees how fucking crazy the UK is” which obviously sparks a frenzy for the next song, only to fall foul of technical difficulties. If sod wrote a law, the page would be titled ‘Dragonforce’ today. Laughing “It’s so great when your mic cuts out in front of thousands of people…” they deal with it gracefully and end on a high with ‘Through the Fire and Flames’. Oh and no, I’m still not over Herman Li’s majestic hair swishing. Werk.
Yorkshire band Marmozets fronted by enigmatic Becca Macintyre are straddling the line of hipster rock, almost too current-cool for Download but they certainly know what they’re doing. Yelling out “Last year I was camping with you lot” Becca hops around in bright pink trousers whilst a Darth Maul in the crowd is going absolutely mental with his inflatable lightsaber.
Over on the Zippo Encore stage, self-professed king of the party Andrew WK has amassed an army of bemused onlookers, if not actual fans. Yes he’s kitschy, yes he rocks up in pre-dirtied white jeans and yes he pulls faces like a more demonic Jim Carrey, but well, he’s our weirdo. The rock community is strangely proud of him. Fan fave ‘She is Beautiful’ is silly and fun and I really rate a dude who can build anticipation with the line “…and now it is time… for me to play a guitar shaped like a slice of pizza”. No really, damn I love that pizza guitar. As if he wasn’t margarita-cheesy enough he calls “It’s not Andrew UK… it’s Andrew DOUBLE UK, double the power!” and then proceeds to do an actual 100-1 countdown for anthem ‘Party Hard’. It is frankly ridiculous that everyone likes this terrible track so very much. I of course am bouncing around with them.
Now for something completely different, in the form of Danish metalheads Volbeat. Now Volbeat are no strangers to DL but they never seem to be hyped up either, someone you know but wouldn’t flock to. Not so today my friends, Volbeat are here to slay. The enormous crowd that has surrounded the main stage is singing along to ‘Lola Montez’ and frontman Michael Poulson’s Elvis-esque lilt is refreshingly different to your standard screamer vs. power vocal camps. As if to highlight the difference in fact, Barney of Napalm Death fame (who have a set later on) is brought in for a quick collab on ‘Evelyn’ with his distinctly unintelligible shrieking, but oh we do love a bit of Barney don’t we. ‘Still Counting’ goes down a storm for their last song and honestly, I think they are arguably the band of the day for me.
On the zippo stage, Hell is for Heroes have about 30 people down the front watching them, which is kinda sad actually as they were by no means awful at all, and their cover of The Cure’s ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ was decent. However, I think they definitely fell foul of their timeslot – everyone seems to be getting their food and booze situation sorted before tonight’s headliners.
That’s something we should really mention actually, the food. It’s been getting steadily better every year at DL but this year was off-the-charts excellent. An incredible variety but also quality, gone of the days of rat-burgers and CMOT-Dibbler style saugages-inna-bun. Truth be told, you can still buy a box of suspect noodles if you want the real Doningtons-past experience but why would you? We instead grabbed ourselves a stack of butter-milk chicken in a brioche bun and a side of poutine. Effing decadent.
In the Avalanche tent Bad Religion are shutting it down, rocking on to an intro of ‘My Sharona’ and looking decidedly less punk than they used to. No worries though, they sound exactly as good as they ever have with the likes of ‘Recipe for Hate’ and Tony Hawk Pro Skater hit ‘You’. Yelling “Everyone gearing up for a big weekend huh? I got some bad news… we can’t stay for the whole weekend… there was a backstage clause, Axl kicked us out…” the band head into the excellent ‘Anesthesia’. ‘Infected’ is the sound of the 90’s and the packed out crowd is straight up loving it.
As we head back out to the main arena for Avenged Sevenfold, as huge crowd has already gathered and though we are donning toastier clothing for the chilly night, we’re still damn thankful for the minimal rain today. To read what we thought of A7X’s headline show, click the link below!
Read our full Avenged Sevenfold review HERE
SATURDAY
Weather report: still holding, patches of sun spotted but we’re keeping quiet because we don’t want to jinx it. Still packed a poncho.
Monster Truck are providing the heavy rock sounds as we head into the afternoon, already drunk people are taking enormous risks with their phones on the high-flying sky-swing (do it for the ‘gram y’all) and lunchtime calls for another foray into the plethora of nourishment offerings. Seriously, vegan sushi, paella, duck fat roasted potatoes, a bowl of crumble and ice cream, wings, burritos, tapas, full roast chicken dinner? You want it, they have it. Oh and the now famous Motley Brew are serving up an array of hot beverages in real mugs, and they even have seats. You can take your Coachella VIP champagne and caviar and shove it up yer arse, we’re British. We like a CUPPA and a GOOD SIT DOWN.
One very notable thing on walking/squeezing around the arena today – it is RAMMED. Day sales for G’n’R must have been good this year because it is truly packed. Local lads The Struts give it big on the main stage shouting “You know we used to live in Derby just down the road… and we used to come to this festival and stand where you’re standing now… it’s incredible to be up on this stage” to a roar from the crowd. We love a hometown hero, but I’m less convinced on their actual show. I mean, they’re not bad as such, just a bit wet compared to everything else I’ve seen this weekend. The Temperance Movement however, muster all the southern soul a grey afternoon needs to get with the programme, and indeed they seem to bring out the sun a little. ‘Trouble’ and ‘Midnight Black’ are phenomenal and it’s more than a little hard to believe boho frontman Phil Campbell, with his maracas and tambourine, swaying in a lace shirt – is actually Glaswegian.
Thunder step on stage to AC/DC track, er, Thunderstruck. Well, why wouldn’t you. ‘Wonder Days’ and ‘River of Pain’ are pretty epic, it’s so great to see a band who are just absolute pro’s at what they do. Joking “Hands up who wasn’t even born in the 90’s” makes for disturbing viewing (thanks for that, Thunder, so kind) but they are absolutely killing it so I’ll let them off.
Over at Zippo Encore, there is no longer any visible section of floor. This is the busiest I’ve ever witnessed this arena without it being a headliner for sure. It seems like Babymetal’s fan base is a lot larger than anticipated and to be honest, sheer fascination seems to be driving a large portion of people in rather than actual fandom. Podium platforms for dance showcase the three firecracker leads who are sporting gold and black Xena-warrior-princess style outfits. Yeah it’s super kawaii nonsense but the music is actually decent and hit ‘Chocolate’ is both ridiculous and annoyingly catchy. I sort of love them.
Onto something we can pretty much all agree on. Kentucky kings Black Stone Cherry are Download’s biggest love story. A band championed by fans ever since their first showing here back in 2008, a decade of repeat requests for their billing, and it’s no wonder why. They are honestly flawless, vocalist Chris Robertson is arguably one of the best rock and roll singers going, he soars through ‘Blind Man’ in the now blazing sunshine, and everyone around us is singing their hearts out alongside him. Thankfully this time ‘Rain Wizard’ doesn’t coincide with a hideous downpour, as it did a few years ago, and ‘Me and Mary Jane’ has the entire crowd bouncing. A cover of Hendrix’s ‘Foxy Lady’ is made for this Wayne’s World worshipping crowd – yes, we did dance like Garth, yes it was magical. ‘Like I Roll’ and ‘Blame it on the Boom Boom’ see crowd-surfers flailing towards the front and ‘Lonely Train’ is just, incredible. Closing up with ‘Family Tree’ from the new album, this has been yet another epic showing from BSC and we hope to see them back again soon.
With a huge chunk of time before Guns’n’Roses we lope off in search of sustenance, beer and portaloos as the evening draws in. It’s been an incredible day here at Donington and we are suitably amped up for the closest we’ve ever been to a full G’N’R lineup…
Read our full Guns’N’Roses review HERE
SUNDAY
WOAH. It is HOT today. Not England hot, like equatorial hot. Everyone either has the sheen of well slathered sunblock or is already burnt to a crisp and the whole place after three days of booze and no showers, smells like an armpit. A rowdy afternoon starts with the likes of Turbonegro and Kreator on the Zippo Encore stage and Hatebreed are throwing down on the main stage, yelling “This is for Dimebag, Lemmy, Chris Cornell, Chester (Bennington)… I wanna see every fist in the sky” for ‘Perseverance’. It is at this moment that a small bi-plane flies overhead with a banner reading “Jesus loves every 1 of U” and the fists become horns. Hard to tell whether it’s a joke or we’re actually the subject of some local zealot’s fear, but either way everyone is laughing and trying to take poor phone photos of it.
In This Moment bring the strange and unusual next, with everything from priestess costumes, skulls and pentagrams to choral music and interpretive dance. I don’t really know what to make of them if I’m honest. They sound like metal-Bjork. Is it a good thing? I mean I do like the toilet-paper costume, but their mini cover of Metallica’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ is a little upsetting. I did laugh at the Game of Thrones Cersei-style ‘Shame’ poster situation, but there is a nice sentiment behind it all; “…this is what I was told when I was just a girl, that I would amount to absolute shit, that I would become nothing at all… this last song is about rising above other people’s perceptions” – for ‘Whore’, accompanied by huge white balloons being batted around the crowd.
Black Veil Brides sport pyrotechnics and screaming, standard. It’s decent but they are eclipsed by next up: Shinedown. Super appropriately it is scorching hot right now and they are smashing their way through some straight up great rock and roll. Motivational as ever, frontman Brent Smith invites everyone to shake hands with a stranger next to them, and hit ‘State of my Head’ goes down a storm. “Take a look at the history you’re making this afternoon… ladies and gentlemen you look absolutely spectacular today” yells Smith, and I must sincerely disagree, we look fried, tired, sweaty and smashed. But I do appreciate the love.
Over in Avalanche, happy pop punk legends A are playing to a packed out tent, which is suspiciously full of pale people avoiding the sun-monster. Riffing on their age “hands up if you’re over the age of 30… hands up if you’ve got 2 properties… you know when bands re-form and they’re like 20 years older and you’re like why are they bothering? We just really fucking enjoy this” the band speaks to a place in all of us, who are genuinely here for the same reason – even if we’re sort of proper grown ups now. Oh and they start an over-30’s circle pit, cause it’s funny to go home to your office job with two black eyes, right?
Now, was anyone else truly alarmed by the sight of Marilyn Manson in daylight? I was. I thought he was going to spontaneously combust, burst aflame, incinerated by the power of sunlight. I mean he’s so pale as to be almost translucent – at one point he turned sideways and I swear I could see a passing plane through his face. However, it’s an absolute treat to have the master of the macabre here at Donington and he does not disappoint, rolling in with ‘Irresponsible Hate Anthem’ backed by a giant inverted monochrome crossed American flag.
Sporting a knuckle-duster mic and a long black trench, it takes all of about two minutes before he looks as though he’s sweating his ass off and has to ditch the look, pogo-ing down the runway he calls “Thank you for coming out in daylight… it’s like the opposite of our lives… do you like daytime? I don’t… we’re kind of stuck here together with daytime… let’s deal with it” perhaps displaying a little animosity towards the scheduling. It’s true, his show and music both lend themselves to a dark and brooding atmosphere, it’s a little hard to get caught up in the bloodlust when the big tattooed bloke standing next to you is eating a 99 with a flake.
‘Disposable Teens’ is obviously solid gold but it’s more than a little amusing that due to there being no option to control the lighting, we get to see people rush on an off stage during the show to dress Manson in various different outfits. More amusing still is that it is genuinely too hot for any of it and he keeps having to peel it all off himself within minutes. He’s clearly frustrated about it too “It’s very difficult, but together we can accomplish it… like having sex with the lights on”.
‘mOBSCENE’ comes with a vampiric Manson backdrop and during ‘Kill4Me’ he drags a crowd-surfing mega-fan on stage with him. She’s head to-toe Manson-merch and is sporting an “I’d Kill 4 you” flag, obviously ecstatic to hug him as he slaps her ass and sends her on her way, before togging up in an enormous Howl-like (of Moving Castle fame) black feathered trench-coat. Think, demonic Big Bird.
Talking to us as he emerges from a corner of the stage “I was just having a moment with my personal physician, with my eyesight and the sun…” it’s not clear whether that’s a joke or he’s ahem, getting medicated, but it seems extremely apt that we head into ‘The Dope Show’. ‘Sweet Dreams’ is breathy and brilliant, there’s some writhing around a smoking podium which looks rather uncomfortable, and a little bit of using drum sticks to hit a bass guitar. It’s a bit off, and I can’t put my finger on why. Dani Filth joins the action for ‘The Beautiful People’ and unfortunately he finishes up a little slow with ‘Cry Little Sister’. I’ll be honest – Download have definitely seen him better, and I hope next time we can at least give him the night.
Closing up the Avalanche for the weekend are Sweden’s mischievous mayhem peddlars – The Hives. We’ve seen them in white suits, we’ve seen them in black suits, and today – they’ve sown them together for half and half suits. Aesthetic on point. Yelling “Did you miss us? It’s good to see again isn’t it? Did you miss this face?” it’s clear they are here for fun, and they have lost absolutely none of their famous energy and life. ‘Die, Alright’ is awesome and ‘Hate To Say I Told you So’ brings back a wave of college memories, of afternoons in dingy pubs and cover bands. “We have come to the part of the show where we expect way more applause than we are getting…” garners a massive roar from the absolutely packed tent, and “…this is reparations for all the shit we stole from you in Viking times… we’re giving it back in the form of musical treasure!” makes everyone laugh. They are an unstoppable force, jumping from amps and swinging mic stands around their heads with wild abandon, they just look like they’re having the absolute best time, and so are we.
As the sun begins to set we head back to find a spot in the main arena, cover up our burnt bods and grab a beer before our final headliner – Ozzy Osbourne. It has been yet again an incredible weekend and if you’ve never experienced Download before, I can scarcely describe it to you without gushing. It’s a well-oiled machine and you don’t get this kind of bang for your buck anywhere else, I have witnessed a host of the best in rock and metal, in a field with my friends. Does it get better than that?
Read our full Ozzy Osbourne review HERE
© Image courtesy of Download Festival: Kyle McLoughlin
Download Festival, the world’s premier rock event, has announced some of the biggest rock acts in the world including Marilyn Manson, Parkway Drive, Rise Against, BODY COUNT ft. ICE T and more. The three-day festival takes place 8-10 June 2018 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets are on sale now at downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets
Download is proud to welcome back the Antichrist Superstar himself Marilyn Manson, fresh off the release of critically acclaimed new album Heaven Upside Down. The goth rock veteran is more energised than ever and set to bring his renowned live show to Donington next year.
Since 2003 Aussie rock titans Parkway Drive have gone from strength-to-strength, pushing boundaries with their epic live performances. Having ascended to the forefront of modern metal with their latest critically acclaimed album Ire, their ferocious crushing breakdowns and stadium-sized choruses have them high on people’s lists for future headliner contenders.
Parkway Drive said:
“Parkway Drive are super stoked to be returning to Download for 2018. It's always a highlight for us to play Download and this time around we're aiming to top it all. We can't wait!”
British modern metal institution Bullet for My Valentine have also been confirmed to perform at Download Festival next year. The Welsh powerhouse have conquered the heights of Wembley Arena along with fellow UK torchbearers Asking Alexandria who will be taking to the stage with a hero’s return of their original infamous vocalist Danny Worsnop.
Matt Tuck of Bullet For My Valentine said:
“We're so excited to be playing next year's Download Festival!! It's been 5 long years now since we last performed at Donington Park, so we're more than ready to get back on that legendary stage and do what we do best. See you there!”
Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria said:
“We have been waiting for half a decade to say this again, “DOWNLOAD WE ARE COMING FOR YA!”. Download festival is hands down one of the most exciting festivals in the world to play and so we have decided to bring our biggest show to date over with us. We cannot wait to see you all there. In the words of this year’s legendary headliner, Mama I’m coming home”
Pivotal punk rock heroes Rise Against will have fists thrown in the air, with their ferocious socio-political rock. Expect a high energy, kinetic performance from one of the world’s biggest authentic punk bands, who’ve proved their lasting worth to the genre. Joining the line up are LA Glam Rockers Black Veil Brides, Swedish extreme tech-metal trail blazers Meshuggah, and post hardcore legends Alexisonfire whose performance will be a long-awaited return to Download Festival.
Mind-blowing “metal phenomenon on a mission” BABYMETAL are confirmed to make their second official Download performance. This UK exclusive appearance will see the return of their thunderous metal, mixed with infectious J-pop that’s taken the world by storm. With figurehead Ice T at the helm, Body Count’s mix of harsh political messages and powerful hard-core sensibilities have made the rap metal icons unmissable, as well as In This Moment who are led by the entrancing Maria Brink and ready to bring a gothic, industrial, metal spectacle to make Download proud.
BABYMETAL said:
“We are so happy to announce that we will be playing at Download UK!! We were last there in 2016 and it is an absolute honour to be returning to this prestigious festival next year. Can’t wait to go back and see everyone there!”
Purveyors of garage-punk noise The Hives are confirmed, with frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist guaranteed to leave no stone unturned with a set of frantic non-stop rock n’ roll. Making their Download Festival debut are pop punks scousers WSTR who have propelled themselves throughout the last year, as well as emo pop favourites Mayday Parade who are hot off the back of a successful ten-year anniversary tour.
Selling out Brixton Academy and making massive waves as the break out luminaries of UK pop-punk, Wrexham five-piece Neck Deep are returning to Download Festival along with Seattle’s The Pink Slips with their fusion of “synth-pop, punk, dance and vintage rock ‘n’ roll”, fronted by the ferocious GRAVE, daughter of Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan. Last but no means least are rising stars Dream State with their no-nonsense, melodic emo rock which has earned them their debut Download appearance.
Download Festival is the home of rock music and takes place on the sacred grounds of Donington Park, which have been associated with rock since the eighties. The festival attracts icons of rock to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.
A boutique festival with major musical ambition, Standon Calling has once again secured some of the best talent around for what will be a truly unforgettable weekend. Joining the festival's 11th edition will be the legendary Suede, set to deliver a headline performance of old school favourites and tracks from their recent critically acclaimed album Night Thoughts. Also heading up the bill are the Grammy-winning vocals of Jess Glynne, fresh from a stellar performance at last week's Brit Awards.
Renowned for her incredible live performances, the multi-talented musician and part-time chef Kelis will be bringing all the boys (and girls) to the yard. Swedish quintet The Hives famed for their famous brand of garage rock are also confirmed, as is Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine supergroup The Thurston Moore Band. Mercury Prize-nominees Everything Everything will no doubt have revellers in the party spirit with their genre-defying musical prowess. Further perfomances come courtesy of fellow Mercury Prize-nominee Anna Calviand winner Ghostpoet along with anti-folk singer-songwriter Adam Green, nine-piece hip-hop groupThe Mouse Outfit and rising Stockport rockers Blossoms who recently jumped to the top of the iTunes album chart.
Flying the flag for electronic music is house pioneer and legendary DJ, Theo Parrish. GOLDIE who was recently awarded an MBE for his contribution to UK music also joins the fray along with Dan Deacon, Gold Panda, Luke Abbott. Standon Calling's own night club, the Cowshed, returns to keep the party going well into the early hours. Seminal label Hospitality are onboard behind the decks for a special one night takeover and Sink The Pink's naughty little sister Savage Disco will take the helm for another night that promises plenty of camp hilarity.
Indie fans are well catered for as Standon adds Teleman, Meilyr Jones, Declan McKenna, Clean Cut Kid, Pins and Swim Deep. Honne bring their futuristic soul and Natty, Tiggs Da Author, Hot 8 Brass Band, United Vibrations, Kiko Bun and Rag'n'bone Man inject a welcome mix of jazz, funk, reggae & r&b to the party. Also on hand to keep crowds entertained will be comedic superstars The Cuban Brothers.
Standon Calling has become renowned for offering a great platform for rising musicians to cut their teeth and over the years Standon has hosted early performances from Florence and the Machine, Friendly Fires, Mumford and Sons, Bastille, Metronome, London Grammar, Clean Bandit, The Maccabees, Paloma Faith and more. This year the festival continues to support rising talent and welcomes Rationale, Loyle Carner, Billie Marten, Jones, Flyte, Charlie Cunningham, Tangerines
What started as a birthday BBQ and DJs with a handful of friends has become the perfect overgrown house party, offering renowned and upcoming acts, immersive theatre, a host of weird and wonderful workshops, talks, the annual dog show, a fancy dress parade and of course its own heated outdoor swimming pool. 2016 is already shaping up to be a special year with plenty more to be announced soon.
The theme for this year's festival will be announced this Saturday when Standon Calling takes over Vault Festival in London for a special Saturday night party on 5th March. Past themes have included ‘Murder on the Standon Express’, ‘Running Away from the Circus’ and ‘A Town of Two Faces’ and this year's theme is set to be even more ambitious.
Mike Posner, Natalia Kills and StooShe join the sensational line-up on Friday 1 July, headlined by global superstars The Black Eyed Peas (this will be their only UK festival performance), with other acts including Plan B, Tinie Tempah, David Guetta and Bruno Mars. Michigan born and raised Mike Posner is part of a new breed of male solo artists who candidly blend pop, R&B and dance. His debut single ‘Cooler Than Me’ was a massive hit worldwide. It crashed straight into the top five here in the UK, whilst new single ‘Bow Chicka Wow Wow’ sees Posner collaborate with Lil Wayne. UK singer-songwriter Natalia Kills first arrived on the music scene under the stage name Verbalicious. The fierce 23 year old became an online sensation with her hit ‘Don’t Play Nice’. After relocating to Hollywood, she grabbed the attention of Wireless headliner Will.i.am, whom she worked closely with on her debut album Perfectionist. South East London trio StooShe are one of the hottest new girl acts this year and are sure to give a storming performance at their first ever Wireless With Barclaycard.
Alex Metric, Alpines and Luke Bingham will join dance pioneers The Chemical Brothers on Saturday 2 July, a day which also boasts Chase & Status, Aphex Twin, The Streets and Janelle Monáe. Voted ‘Best Remixer of the Year’ by London’s XFM and Number two in Clash Magazine’s ‘Best DJ’s’ of 2010, Alex Metric’s explosive DJ sets encompass an incredible repertoire of original productions and stellar remixes. Hailing from South London, Alpines describe their sound as ‘night pop’ music. The duo released their debut EP ‘Night Drive’ in March and are currently working with Arcade Fire producer Craig Silvey on their debut album, due later this year. Leicester’s newest soul singing sensation Luke Bingham is also added to Saturday’s stunning line up.
The Hives, Yuck and Vintage Trouble will join headliners Pulp along with the likes of Grace Jones, TV On The Radio and Foals on Sunday 3 July. Swedish garage rock group The Hives first garnered attention in the early 2000’s as leaders of the garage rock revival. With hits including the infectious ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’ and ‘Main Offender’ they’re guaranteed to give a must-see performance. Buzzing with the youthful glow of early Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr., indie quintet Yuck are tipped as spearheads of the new grunge revival. Kicking off 2011 in ferocious fashion, they breezed into the BBC Sound of 2011 longlist and have just released their self-titled debut album. California soul rockers Vintage Trouble are one of the hottest new sounds to reach the UK airways this year. The band have quickly gained a reputation as a high energy and truly mesmerizing live act, so much so that their recent performance on Later…with Jools Holland resulted in them becoming the 6th trending topic of the day on Twitter Worldwide! Debut album ‘The Bomb Shelter Sessions’ takes you back to the days of vinyl records, sweaty juke joints and the feel and essence of the original soul movement.