![Liverpool Sound City: Once a year, every music fan in the city - and a good number from elsewhere - descend upon the docks of Liverpool to watch an eclectic bunch of acts across several stages. This year, beyond the bands at the top of the bill - The Coral, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Leftfield - there's also Shura, Novelist, Dilly Dally and Palma Violets.]()
Liverpool Sound City: Once a year, every music fan in the city - and a good number from elsewhere - descend upon the docks of Liverpool to watch an eclectic bunch of acts across several stages. This year, beyond the bands at the top of the bill - The Coral, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Leftfield - there's also Shura, Novelist, Dilly Dally and Palma Violets.
![The Great Escape: If you head down to Brighton for this one, brace yourself for a massive amount of walking, queueing and failing to get into the gigs you wanted. We're not really selling it, are we? It's also, without fail, the best showcase for new music in the UK, which means if you fail to see what you planned, you'll see some solid gold alternatives. This year, the likes of Songhoy Blues, Oh Wonder, Asrid S, Blossoms and about 500 more will be playing.]()
The Great Escape: If you head down to Brighton for this one, brace yourself for a massive amount of walking, queueing and failing to get into the gigs you wanted. We're not really selling it, are we? It's also, without fail, the best showcase for new music in the UK, which means if you fail to see what you planned, you'll see some solid gold alternatives. This year, the likes of Songhoy Blues, Oh Wonder, Asrid S, Blossoms and about 500 more will be playing.
![Citadel: This year, the festival (which takes place in Victoria Park) has secured the London exclusive from Sigur Ros. Need we say more? OK then, it was conceived by the people who brought you Wilderness Festival and Bonnaroo, and aims to combine music, food, theatre and arts.]()
Citadel: This year, the festival (which takes place in Victoria Park) has secured the London exclusive from Sigur Ros. Need we say more? OK then, it was conceived by the people who brought you Wilderness Festival and Bonnaroo, and aims to combine music, food, theatre and arts.
![6 Music Festival: If you can make it to Bristol between 12 and 14 February, we strongly urge you to do so. This year, the BBC radio station's very onw festival has outdone itself. Daughter, Primal Scream, Savages, Roots Manuva, Laura Marling, Foals, Everything Everything, Polica, Ezra Furman, Julia Holter... If there's not at least three bands you love in that list, then there's nothing we can do for you.]()
6 Music Festival: If you can make it to Bristol between 12 and 14 February, we strongly urge you to do so. This year, the BBC radio station's very onw festival has outdone itself. Daughter, Primal Scream, Savages, Roots Manuva, Laura Marling, Foals, Everything Everything, Polica, Ezra Furman, Julia Holter... If there's not at least three bands you love in that list, then there's nothing we can do for you.
![Slam Dunk: Wherever you are in the country, if you're a fan of metal / hard rock, you've no excuse not to go to Slam Dunk. It takes place in Leeds, Birmingham and Hatfield, and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Its line-up is appropriately momentous - Panic! At The Disco, Of Mice & Men, New Found Glory and Mallory Knox for starters.]()
Slam Dunk: Wherever you are in the country, if you're a fan of metal / hard rock, you've no excuse not to go to Slam Dunk. It takes place in Leeds, Birmingham and Hatfield, and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Its line-up is appropriately momentous - Panic! At The Disco, Of Mice & Men, New Found Glory and Mallory Knox for starters.
![Lovebox: Taking place over two days in London's Victoria Park, Lovebox was founded by Groove Armada back in 2002. There's only two acts announced so far this year - LCD Soundsystem and Major Lazer - but surely that's all the persuading you need.]()
Lovebox: Taking place over two days in London's Victoria Park, Lovebox was founded by Groove Armada back in 2002. There's only two acts announced so far this year - LCD Soundsystem and Major Lazer - but surely that's all the persuading you need.
![Liverpool International Festival: Liverpool should really stop showing up all other UK cities with its multitude of brilliant festivals. LIMF this year plays host to Lianne La Havas, Kwabs, Frances, Ms Dynamite(!), The Wombats and a load more. This year's theme is 'ReDefinition', whatever that means, and the event culminates in Europe's largest free music event, the LIMF Summer Jame.]()
Liverpool International Festival: Liverpool should really stop showing up all other UK cities with its multitude of brilliant festivals. LIMF this year plays host to Lianne La Havas, Kwabs, Frances, Ms Dynamite(!), The Wombats and a load more. This year's theme is 'ReDefinition', whatever that means, and the event culminates in Europe's largest free music event, the LIMF Summer Jame.
![Live At Leeds: Forget Leeds Festival - actually, don't, obviously, but give Live At Leeds a go too. We'll be honest, the line-up so far this year is fairly uninspiring - Jess Glynne, We Are Scientists, Circa Waves and Rat Boy - but we have faith that things will improve. Traditionally, it's been a brilliant way of catching massive acts before they make it big.]()
Live At Leeds: Forget Leeds Festival - actually, don't, obviously, but give Live At Leeds a go too. We'll be honest, the line-up so far this year is fairly uninspiring - Jess Glynne, We Are Scientists, Circa Waves and Rat Boy - but we have faith that things will improve. Traditionally, it's been a brilliant way of catching massive acts before they make it big.
![Love Saves The Day: Now in its fifth year at Bristol's Eastville Park, the two day festival will see the likes of Hot Chip, Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy, Everything Everything and Hudson Mohawke perform over the space of two days, and it'll also feature the only appearance of the Arcadia Afterburner - a 360 degree stage built around a central flaming spire with dance platforms radiating out to a ring of exploding lamp posts. No, we're not making that up.]()
Love Saves The Day: Now in its fifth year at Bristol's Eastville Park, the two day festival will see the likes of Hot Chip, Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy, Everything Everything and Hudson Mohawke perform over the space of two days, and it'll also feature the only appearance of the Arcadia Afterburner - a 360 degree stage built around a central flaming spire with dance platforms radiating out to a ring of exploding lamp posts. No, we're not making that up.
![SW4: In case you hadn't guessed by the name, this is another London one. Taking place in Clapham Common just as summer is in its final throes, there's going to be around 30 acts playing across four stages. They've not revealed many of those acts yet, but we do know Chemical Brothers are headlining, and that's good enough for us.]()
SW4: In case you hadn't guessed by the name, this is another London one. Taking place in Clapham Common just as summer is in its final throes, there's going to be around 30 acts playing across four stages. They've not revealed many of those acts yet, but we do know Chemical Brothers are headlining, and that's good enough for us.
![Dot To Dot Festival: As its name suggests, Dot To Dot carts its acts across the country in May, visiting Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the course of three days. No acts have been announced yet, but in the past it's featured Florence + The Machine, Mumford & Sons, The xx, London Grammar, The 1975, Years & Years and pretty much every breakout British star you can think of.]()
Dot To Dot Festival: As its name suggests, Dot To Dot carts its acts across the country in May, visiting Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over the course of three days. No acts have been announced yet, but in the past it's featured Florence + The Machine, Mumford & Sons, The xx, London Grammar, The 1975, Years & Years and pretty much every breakout British star you can think of.
![Tramlines: The Sheffield festival welcomes old school names from the world of rock and jazz, and new blood too - which this year comes in the form of Kate Tempest, Slaves and Duth Uncles. Headliners are Basement Jaxx, The Charlatans and De La Soul.]()
Tramlines: The Sheffield festival welcomes old school names from the world of rock and jazz, and new blood too - which this year comes in the form of Kate Tempest, Slaves and Duth Uncles. Headliners are Basement Jaxx, The Charlatans and De La Soul.
![Wireless Festival: Probably the most well-known London music festival, Wireless unapologetically specialises in hip hop and R&B when more and more festivals are trying to go genre-less. None of this year's acts have been announced yet, but last year Drake, Kendrick Lamar, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj descended upon Finsbury Park.]()
Wireless Festival: Probably the most well-known London music festival, Wireless unapologetically specialises in hip hop and R&B when more and more festivals are trying to go genre-less. None of this year's acts have been announced yet, but last year Drake, Kendrick Lamar, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj descended upon Finsbury Park.