Float Along returns to Sheffield this September for its fifth and finest edition yet, a festival now well-known amongst music fans in the city for showcasing high quality bands in high quality venues. You’ll be hard pushed to find another festival nearly as good at one-day indie programming, so it’s refreshing to see such a young and alternative festival thriving in today’s live music landscape.
One look at the lineup explains the success. Alongside heavy-hitting headliners White Lies and Sprints are magazine favourites aplenty, such as jazz-punk sub-headliners Opus Kink who have just released their groovy, grimy debut album ‘The Sweet Goodbye’ and boast one of the best live shows in the country.
Their closest competitors might be south London six-piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw who, like Opus Kink, featured in our recent print issue and have recently released a debut album, theirs being the art-pop masterpiece ‘Cannonball’. On the topic of great live shows, Wigan-born TTSSFU is another artist not to miss at this year’s festival, with her bratty alt-rock gaining national acclaim as of late.
Across six stages, the bill retains the forward-thinking identity that defined Float Along from the start. Previous editions have seen acts like Dove Ellis, English Teacher and Ugly long before they became regular festival names, and this year is no different. Most notably, Little Grandad make their Sheffield debut after an extraordinary first year, having only formed only last summer and since becoming the most talked about new band in the country (we were the first to interview them btw).
Elsewhere are the slightly heavier “math-rock pop” three-piece Cowboyy, alongside buzzy Manchester post-rockers Shaking Hand whose magnetic debut album has been widely acclaimed this year. Magazine favourites Spanish Horses also appear further down the bill: a modern rock n roll five-piece hailing from Paris and featuring Jarvis Cocker’s son – Sheffield eat your heart out.
Unlike Reading & Leeds, Float Along have wisely enlisted BBC Introducing to help curate part of the lineup, with a stage featuring brilliant Leeds garage-pop four-piece, Vehicle – we highly recommend taking a ride. Original organisers Strange Days have moved programming to cult venue Sidney & Matilda, leaving it to promoters who better understand Sheffield’s scene and who have certainly delivered on the lineup front.
Float Along is a rare chance to catch exciting new alternative acts from across the country that either skip Sheffield on their tours or aren’t yet big enough to justify the trip. There’s even a post-show party featuring Flowdan, who’s apparently a Grammy-winning MC known for collaborations with Skrillex and Fred again, if you’re into that.
Tickets are already on their third release, so move quickly if you’re looking to attend. Which you should, because for £50 they’re decent value for the bands you get to experience. On that note, we’ll see you in the Opus Kink pit X
Donovan Livesey
