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It's July, and we're back again with our picks of what you should be looking out for over the next month or so. Now firmly into the swing of summer and festival season, we've got a few picks that go through some staple fests as well as some more intimate shows! See you in the pit!
Better Lovers:
Better Lovers are playing some warmup shows in the UK before they play 2000Trees Festival, and if you've never seen them before then you're missing a trick! Sounding like Every Time I Die's slightly gnarlier cousin (because the band has three ex-ETID members), Better Lovers are a tour de force of a gripping live hardcore show. Expect pandemonium and moshing galore wherever you see them!
2000Trees Festival: Speaking of 2000Trees Festival, we couldn't mention it and then not tell you all about how wonderful this gem of a fest is. Situated in the Cotswolds, you can wake up surrounded by rolling hills under a clear sunny sky and crack a can open whilst camped 50 yards from the nearest stage - it truly is one of the most chilled out places on the planet. With acts like Burner, Guilt Trip, Crawlers, Blood Command, Unpeople and so many more, any fans of any strain of punk are gonna find something here to love.
Mangata Festival: A little smaller than Trees, Mangata Festival is a four stage fest held in Nottingham on July 13th. With a stellar lineup of national and local acts there is plenty to love (and it's also very reasonably priced)! Headlined by Hacktivist, the main stage is in Rescue Rooms along with the second stage, whilst next door in Ghost nightclub and just round the corner in the Tap N Tumbler pub are two more stages, and the TNT stage is even open to the public. Alongside the headliners, there will be sets from Boss Keloid, Pijn, Viscera, Burner, and some excellent local acts like Those Once Loyal, Hidden Mothers, and Blight Town!
Bastard Fest: On the same day once more, July 13th, is a brilliantly heavy lineup in Sheffield for Bastard Fest. The aforementioned Hidden Mothers are making a trip to Nottingham before returning right back to Sheffield to open Corporation up, before making way for an onslaught of British metal from Pupil Slicer, Conjurer, Heriot and Empire State Bastard. This ridiculous lineup should be in a far larger venue, so if you've somehow not grabbed a Mangata ticket and are near Nottingham or Sheffield then you don't have any excuse to not be busy on the 13th now!
Alkaline Trio:
Bringing their latest record out on the road, dark pop-punkers Alkaline Trio are making the trip across the pond to spend most of the back half of July with us in the UK. From the 16th to the 31st, with a couple days off, they're playing up and down across England and Scotland with special guests Slomosa and LOWLIVES, so if you're in the mood for a boogie and a singalong they're gonna be bringing the party!
RADAR Festival: One of the UK's newest heavy festivals, RADAR has a prog oriented lineup but with plenty of variation to keep everyone satiated. Held at Manchester's O2 Victoria Warehouse near Old Trafford, the world-leading sound system will make it even easier to enjoy awesome bands like TesseracT, Holding Absence, Ithaca, Car Bomb, and so many others! Alongside an excellent musical schedule, they also have a Masterclass lineup of Q&A sessions and industry insight for those interested, which makes for a valuable addition to what is already a great fest. Head over to Manchester on the last weekend of the month for this!
Words: Jake Longhurst
Cover Photo: Nic Howells
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