BESTIVAL 2018 PREVIEW

Bestival returns to its relatively new home of Dorset on 2-5 August, with headline appearances from London Grammar, M.I.A. and Silk City, the new project from Mark Ronson and Diplo.

Other big names on the bill include Plan B, Grace Jones and Sundara Karma, as well as nostalgia acts like We Are Scientists, So Solid Crew and East 17, and what will apparently be the world’s biggest confetti cannon.

There’s a silly amount of stages at Bestival and loads to see – if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed then here’s five smaller acts that we at the Tipping Point think will be worth your time. 

 

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Shame

OK so they’re not exactly unknown, but this might be the last time you get to see Shame down the bill at a festival. The current darlings of South London punk, their January debut album Songs of Praise has caught everyone’s attention and is likely to be on lots of those fancy albums-of-the-year lists.

They’ve recently said that they’ll be taking a break from touring soon to work on their sophomore effort, so catch them while you can.

 

whenyoung

Esteemed tipper Charlotte Holroyd wrote about whenyoung last October, praising their single Actor for its “perfect punk attitude” and being “ferocious without losing any precious melody”.

Since then the Irish-London threepiece have been getting bigger and bigger, including a deal with Yala! Records, appearances at Latitude and All Points East and support slots with The Vaccines, Dream Wife and more. They’ll be on at the Big Top stage as part of Phil Taggart’s Slacker show, alongside Shame.

 

Youth of the Apocalypse

Do you like Gorillaz? Or Klaxons? Or maybe MF Doom? Then you might want to check out Youth of the Apocalypse at the House of Vans stage, a “supergroup” made up of members of – you guessed it – Gorillaz, Klaxons and a few friends. They’ve collaborated with MF Doom for their first single, Drop the Bomb (although it’s very unlikely he’ll be there!)

As you’d probably expect, Drop the Bomb is a bit of a mash of styles – a serious song about war but with happy, jangly melodies, and an infuriatingly catchy chorus. They’ve barely played any gigs but it promises to be a special show.

 

Grace Carter

Despite being just 20, Grace Carter could be ready to take off. Last year’s Silence has accrued over a million views on YouTube, while recent EP Saving Grace marks her out as a potential star.

DJ and presenter Harriet Rose tipped Carter in June, saying “her music is really honest and emotional, cuts to the core and you can really see that her music really connects with people”. If you’re into powerful, emotional pop then check her out at the Big Top.

 

Anteros

At the Tipping Point we’ve been fans of Anteros for a while now, writing about them way back in the heady days of January 2015 – before Trump was elected, before the Brexit vote, before the Arctic Circle set on fire.

At the time we wrote that they “won’t be remaining anonymous for long” and, while it’s fair to say that the fourpiece haven’t exactly exploded, they’ve steadily been picking up the plaudits for their catchy indie-pop sound. They’ve also appeared on Glastonbury’s Other Stage and supported those other masters of the indie-pop hook Two Door Cinema Club, so are worth catching at the House of Vans stage.

Words by Tom Worley