Words originally for Vapour Trail Blog
During the long hot summer of 2006, Lee Denny’s
parents left him alone in the house whilst they went on a well-deserved
holiday. Aged 16, Lee thought an ingenious solution would be to have a festival
in the garden. Ten years later, LeeFest is going strong, returning this year for a summer celebration like no other. Ahead of the festivities, here are our
top 10 picks from the fantastic musical line-up.
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| “The ultimate party” – NME |
Everything
Everything
Last year Get To Heaven saw this Manchester
quartet propelled to new heights, heading out an extensive headline tour (when
they weren’t hitting up arenas with Foals). Catch them on the Thursday night at
LeeFest for what promises to be an eccentric and exciting performance.
From landing a spot in the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2015’
poll to hitting up festie stages at the likes of Latitude and Glastonbury, this rising
electro-pop star has gone from strength to strength since she landed on the
scene nearly two years ago. Now, with a fantastic debut album Nothing's Real in the shops,
she’s not one to miss this festival season.
Skinny
Girl Diet
This London trio make punky, in-your-face music
and are sure to pack a punch live when they take to LeeFest on Saturday
afternoon. Get these self described ‘badass scream-queens’ in your life ASAP.
Girli
Continuing the girl power theme is neon pink
shit-stirrer Girli, who can hop from bashing gender inequality to riffing about
‘drinking booze from Costa cups’ in a matter of seconds. Her hip-hop-meets-90s-pop
whirlwind of a live show improves with every performance – an absolute must see
for an injection of teen party fever.
Little Simz
If hip-hop is your bag then Little Simz, real
name Simbi Ajikawo, should be top of your list as well. Counting Zane Lowe,
Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah as fans, her shows are fast and furious, mixing
rap, R&B and more in an exciting and experimental mix that’s not to be missed.
Circa Waves
Upbeat, indie anthems can make or break a
weekend. With Liverpool lads Circa Waves topping the bill on Friday, we think
this festival is in good hands. Insert pun here about t-shirt weather, anyone?
Come on, you know Spring King. No? Where have you
been living? Well, brace yourself for when Tarek and company descend on LeeFest
with their fantastic arsenal of percussion driven belters, freshly restocked
with the release of their debut album ‘Tell Me If You Like To’.
VANT
Expect sweat-dripping madness from Brighton
rockers VANT who make their LeeFest debut this month. Frontman Mattie Vant is
effortlessly cool and leads each garage rock number with a fierce energy, his
candid lyrics that heavily address social politics adding substance to this
rising quartet's fantastic music.
Hannah
Lou Clark
On her latest release It’s Your Love, Hannah
Lou Clark jumps skilfully from vintage rock melodies to jaunty St
Vincent-esque jerks. The London based singer songwriter has a delightfully
dusky aesthetic, a winning choice for a lazy Saturday evening at the festival.
Lianne
LaHavas
Closing LeeFest will be Lianne LaHavas,
fresh from opening for Coldplay on their European tour. But leaving the stadiums behind,
her performance promises to be a sweltering and intimate experience. Cuts from
the lush Blood and Mercury Prize/Ivor Novello nominated Is Your Love Big
Enough? are sure to bring a stunning end to a spectacular three-day programme
of music.
Honourable mentions go to Formation, Clean Cut Kid,
We Are Scientists, Demob Happy, Loyle Carner, The Big Moon, Oscar, Nimmo and
Dinosaur Pile Up who will all perform across multiple stages over the three days.
Elsewhere at the festival, there will be cabaret, cinema, wrestling, parties,
hot tubs, hidden venues and much, much more!
LeeFest: The Neverland takes place on July 28th
– 30th near Edenbridge, Kent (about an hour south-east of London). Tickets are still available.
leefest.org
leefest.org
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