Celebrating the types who love their DIY individuality over pandering to mainstream acceptance, the likes of Leeds hardcore group Eagulls rub shoulders with headliners Dutch punk outfit Savages, and grunge rockers Arrows of Love share a stage with noisesmiths Iceage, with a plethora of musical styles on show.
Indie dancers Coastal Cities bring a spot of sun-drenched shape-throwing to the show, along with pop saviours Citizens! and indie rockers The Neat.
Perennial oddball and prolific workman Steve Morell joins the bill, with The Duke Spirit (above) sure to be received like returning champs, and the Buzzcocks occupying the prestigious original innovators slot.
Public Service Broadcasting, whom we championed in these pages back in March, embodies the festival’s spirit as live and sampled beats clash, set to old public service broadcasts, with instrumentation laid over the top (everything from a mandolin to crunching guitar riffs), yet without sacrificing a pop sensibility.
It’s music that’s confident of its place and purpose, with something to say, yet shorn of any nonsensical, style-first posing.
If you want to see some of the hippest acts and artists working out there right now, or want to see someone you’ve never even heard of before (and probably won’t see again anytime soon) this unpredictable line-up is a sure bet.
There’s also a host of local after parties (Shacklewell Arms, Underbelly) to choose from, too.
Sat, Sept 1 | Doors at 12.30 | £20+
Shoreditch Park
Tube | Old Street
the1234shoreditch.com
