Wow this is a stacked July, eh? Let’s take a look at some of our favourites — note, though, that the clashes might give you sleepless nights!
Biffy Clyro at Finsbury Park — 3rd July
If there’s one UK rock show that feels unmissable next month, it’s Biffy Clyro’s biggest headline show to date at London’s Finsbury Park. The trio spent January conquering arenas across the UK and Europe after releasing their phenomenal tenth studio album Futique last year— yet another UK number one — and now step up to a 45,000-capacity outdoor headline event, supported by an absurdly strong undercard of Nothing But Thieves, Don Broco, Marmozets and Wavves. The thought of singing Many Of Horror, Bubbles, The Captain or any of their other fan favourites with such a huge chorus of voices? Glorious… not to mention there’s always the hope of some deep cuts, rarities, or even tracks yet to be played from Futique. Given that Simon Neil and James and Ben Johnston can truly just do whatever they want, seeing as it’s their biggest ever show. Can’t wait.
It also marks the only London show of the year for the Bedford Boys™, and thus the only chance to catch Don Broco playing tracks in the Capital from Nightmare Tripping, while Marmozets are riding the momentum of their first new record (CO.WAR.DICE) in years, and Nothing But Thieves might even debut something new from the upcoming Stray Dogs — who knows? For rock fans, this is essentially a mini-festival in its own right.
BST Hyde Park — 3rd July: Maroon 5
The same day across London, BST Hyde Park welcomes Maroon 5 for their festival debut, joined by OneRepublic, Jess Glynne, Ella Eyre and a whole host of other pop stand outs. If you’re after giant radio hits and singalong choruses rather than riffs and circle pits, Hyde Park has you covered.
BST Hyde Park — 4th July: Mumford & Sons
The following evening sees Mumford & Sons headline alongside The War on Drugs, Holly Humberstone, Caamp and Cliffords, amongst plenty of others. It’s one of the strongest songwriter-focused bills of the summer and should make for a considerably different atmosphere from the day before.
BST Hyde Park — 5th July: Duran Duran
A day later, Hyde Park pivots again with a bill built around pure celebration. Duran Duran headline with support from Scissor Sisters, Nile Rodgers & CHIC plus a DJ set from Groove Armada — and yet more acts, if that’s not enough. If you’re looking for the biggest collection of dancefloor anthems in one place this summer, you’ll struggle to do much better.
Their Wembley residency remains one of the year’s biggest rock events. With supports across the three days including Skunk Anansie, Joan Jett and Sunny Day Real Estate, it feels as much like a celebration of alternative music history as it does a monumental moment in the band’s UK history.
2000trees Festival 8th – 11th July
As always, 2000trees looks set to be one of the UK’s best festivals pound-for-pound. This year’s headline trio of Alkaline Trio, Funeral For a Friend and Neck Deep is perhaps a little more one-note in terms of pop-punk, but they’re all comfortably bonafide favourites and the undercard is as always ridiculously stacked with future stars and underground favourites — and the return of Arcane Roots!
If Download is the giant, 2000trees remains the festival most likely to introduce you to your next favourite band.
System of a Down at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – 13th July
A genuine rarity. System’s appearances are infrequent enough that every show feels like an event, and bringing Queens of the Stone Age and reunited sludge-metal cult heroes Acid Bath along for the ride only makes the package more ridiculous. They haven’t played the UK since Download 2017 — and a non-Download show since 2015 — so it’ll essentially be over 11 years since their last UK headline show, a fact almost as ridiculous as the band themselves. But they’re brilliant, and you’d be a fool not to fight for resale tickets.
RADAR Festival 31st July – 2nd Aug
For progressive, technical and alternative music fans, RADAR continues to carve out its own niche. Headliners Thy Art Is Murder, Skindred and Animals As Leaders make for a typically adventurous bill, backed by a line-up packed with djent, prog and genre-bending heavy music. If your ideal festival involves odd time signatures and guitarists doing things that probably shouldn’t be physically possible, RADAR remains essential.
Written By: James O’Sullivan
