Following the news that from June 21, live music could be back in all its noisy, sweaty, euphoric glory, things are indeed looking brighter for music fans. With a long summer and all its possibilities ahead of us, festival organisers have already started to share their line ups, artists are announcing actual, real life gigs (sans social distancing!), and even the clubs are preparing for us to return to the dance floor in droves. Here are the best events to book now.
Festivals
Loud Women Fest 5
2021 will see the 5th edition of the unmissable Loud Women Fest, the largest female-led festival in the UK.
Location: 229 London
Date: Saturday September 18
Book tickets to Loud Women Fest 5 here.
Green Man
The cool, BBC Radio 6 Music-obsessed uncle of the UK festival scene, Green Man surprises and delights.
Location: Glanusk estate, Brecon Beacons.
Dates: Thursday August 19 – Sunday August 22
Buy tickets to Green Man here.
110 Above Festival
This fully independent fest annually plays host to a plethora of indie heroes and dreamboats.
Location: Gopsall Hall Farm, Leicester.
Dates: Friday August 12 – Sunday August 15
Buy tickets to 110 Above Festival here.
Truck
Make sure to don your bucket hats and stock up on tinnies for the ultimate indie Mecca.
Location: Steventon, Oxford.
Dates: Friday July 23 – Sunday July 25
Buy tickets here.
Wide Awake Festival
The capital’s indie-centric party boasts a line up replete with emerging underground talent and future alt stars.
Location: Brockwell Park, London.
Date: Friday September 3
Book tickets here.
Parklife
Pop, drum ‘n’ bass, indie-rock, R&B, house, dance… you’ll find it all at Manchester’s Parklife.
Location: Heaton Park, Manchester.
Dates: Saturday September 11 – Sunday September 12
Register for Parklife tickets here.
All Points East
London’s finest inner-city fest boasts a glittering roster of alternative acts to keep you dancing all day long.
Location: Victoria Park, London.
Date: Friday August 27 – Monday August 30
Buy tickets here.
Wide Eyed Festival
A one-day extravaganza for the left-field music lovers out there, Wide Eyed thrives on wacky eccentricity.
Location: O2 Academy, Leicester
Date: Saturday September 18
Book tickets here.
Bluedot Festival
Bluedot combines the worlds of music, technology and science under the Lovell, the UK’s largest radio telescope.
Location: Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield
Date: Thursday July 22 – Sunday July 25
Book tickets here.
Isle Of Wight Festival
Jam-packed with pop icons past and current, Isle Of Wight Festival will be the perfect way to see out the summer.
Location: Seaclose Park, Isle Of Wight
Date: Thursday September 16 – Sunday September 19
Book tickets here.
GIGS
Beabadoobee
Dirty Hit star Beabadoobee didn’t have the chance to tour her acclaimed debut album ‘Fake It Flowers’ last year, but she’s now set to take her lo-fi sound beyond the realm of bedroom pop.
Locations: Nottingham (waiting list), London, Bristol
Dates: September 10 – 24
Prices start from £15.40. Buy tickets here.
Bikini Kill
Riot Grrrl trailblazers Bikini Kill have no plans for new material yet but are reuniting to bring their signature feminist punk across the pond.
Locations: Glasgow (Barrowland Ballroom), London (Roundhouse)
Dates: May 31, June 2
Prices start from £33. Buy tickets via Dice here.
Black Country, New Road
Black Country, New Road’s experimental soundscape has already captured the imagination of rock and jazz fans alike. The London septet will tour their first record across the UK at the end of the year.
Locations: Brighton, Southampton, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff
Dates: November 29 – December 13
Prices start from £13.75. Buy tickets via Dice here.
Dream Wife
The London pop-punk outfit are renowned as one of the most invigorating live bands out there and their April tour is sure to live up to the hype.
Locations: Manchester (Academy 2), Brighton (CHALK), London (Electric Ballroom)
Dates: April 17 -25
Prices start from £15.40. Buy tickets via Dice here.
Foals
Nothing short of indie rock legends by now, Foals will huge outdoor shows in Cardiff and Swansea in August. A Foals mosh pit might be the first test for a post-lockdown UK.
Location: Cardiff Castle and Singleton Park, Swansea
Dates: August 12 and 14
Buy tickets here.
Goat Girl
Off-beat Goat Girl pair socially conscious lyrics with a kaleidoscope of sounds and influences, and with an excellent second album now in the bag, this UK tour is hotly anticipated.
Locations: Bristol, London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton, Southampton
Dates: September 14 – 25
Prices start from £15.40. Buy tickets via Dice here.
London Grammar
Following the release of third album ‘Californian Soil’ (April 9), the indie trio have a short UK tour set for this November.
Locations: Glasgow (O2 Academy), Birmingham (O2 Academy), Manchester (O2 Victoria Warehouse), London (Alexandra Palace)
Dates: November 5 – 13
Prices start from £36.60. Tickets go on sale March 5 here.
CLUB NIGHTS
Swiftogeddon
Haven’t we earned a few Champagne Problems? With ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ soundtracking our lockdown, it’s finally time to sing along at the top of our lungs with our mates.
Locations: Sheffield, Belfast, London, Nottingham, Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin, Newcastle, Leeds, Glasgow, Oxford, Brighton and Southampton
Dates: June 26 through to October 8
Price: Starting from £7.84
Buy tickets here
A Love Letter To…Daft Punk
Now that everyone’s favourite electropop robots have hung up their helmets, what better way to honour their memory and back catalogue than by losing yourself to dance in Hackney?
Location: The Shacklewell Arms, London
Date: June 26
Price: £5.50
Buy tickets here
