Organised by DJ Rob Da Bank as the annual festival season’s last hurrah, the Isle of Wight’s Bestival is set to be bigger and better than ever. Celebrating its thirteenth birthday, the indie/dance music festival will return to the Isle of Wight on September 10-13 with Diplo’s Major Lazer headlining alongside The Cure and Hot Chip. This year’s theme is “The Future is Here”, and organisers hope to send 
festival-goers on a “an odyssey of cosmic colonisation and nanotech clothing, forging a new collective consciousness.” Whether you like it or not, with all the New Age stuff aside, this year’s Bestival lineup is truly impressive, also boasting Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Bastille, Years & Years, Skepta, Katy B, Krept & Konan and Craig David. Of course there’s also the big one, Major Lazer. With quite a few months to go until the autumnal festival, here are a few of the acts to get excited about in the meantime…
Who Not To Miss…
Major Lazer
The trio of Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire, will be headlining on the Friday night. The lively EDM group are sure to ignite a carnival atmosphere with their vibrant sound. Hits such as ‘Lean On’, ‘Watch Out For This’ and ‘Get Free’ are sure-fire crowd pleasers not to be missed. “We started at Bestival five years ago, and it was one of our favourite shows to date”, the group said.
Bastille
The punchy indie rock band are hoping to build on the phenomenal success they achieved with their debut album, Bad Blood, in 2013 with a second album imminent. The band say they have been working on the album for a year and have cryptically hinted at the release in online videos. Those who have not seen them live before can expect flawless renditions of the hits you love as well as some brilliant mash ups and covers that will make you forget all about the originals. The band are also promising a “bigger, more cinematic sound” this year. With their new release set to drop at the start of the summer, expect Bastille to be one of the biggest draws of the festival.
Hot Chip
Playing at Bestival more times than almost any other act, Hot Chip has been described as the house band for the festival. Headlining the first night on the Thursday, the Mercury Prize nominated electronic band are set to kickstart the weekend.
The Chuckle Brothers
Honestly, this is probably your last chance to see the resurgent duo perform ‘To Me To You Bruv!’ live, before they finally return to the depths of irrelevance. It’s worth going to so you can say you saw The Chuckle Brothers live, or at the very least get a decent Snapchat story.
Who To Discover…
Kurupt FM
Stars of BBC Three’s comedy People Just Do Nothing, the blundering UK Garage gang are increasing their reputation as live performers. Expect hilarity and old skool bangers as MC Grindah, DJ Beats, Decoy, Chabuddy G and Steves whip up a bass intensive frenzy. With a new series on the horizon, there is plenty more to come from Kurupt FM in the future.
Aled Jones (MC) & Rob da Bank (DJ)
Famed for ‘Walking in the Air’ and anchor of BBC’s Song’s of Praise, Aled Jones has ditched his usual repertoire in favour of old skool jungle. Jones has teamed up with Bestival co-founder Rob da Bank for a special historic tour of all things drum and bass. The duo are sure to provide one of the most unique experiences this year.
