Hop Farm Music Festival: 10 unmissable acts

Hop Farm Music Festival

4-6 July, Paddock Wood, Kent.

After last year´s cancellation, the festival that defends no sponsorship/no branding and embraces musical diversity is back with an eclectic line-up and some unmissable acts. Here are our ten acts you must not miss this weekend:

Ray Davies & Band: What else can we say about this legend? If the Holy Trinity of British classic rock is composed by The Beatles, The Stones and The Who, certainly we can´t skip The Kinks. And here´s his frontman to remind us that The Kinks’ catalogue is one of the most eloquent and essential of all time.

Brian Wilson: The Beach Boys´ mastermind. One of the most brilliant and perverted minds of American pop music. An undefeatable genius, an artist obsessed with perfection and harmonies and a mad precursor of surf, psychedelia and the Californian cliché. The man behind Pet Sounds. Do I need to say more?

Tony Joe White: A white man who´s been rollin´between the Afro-American legacy, country and southern rock since the late 60s. A man whose songs were performed by the likes of Elvis Presley or Tom Jones. Certainly a must see in the Jazz & Blues Lounge.

Squeeze: Inconsistency and a constant line-up is probably what defines the career of this new wave pioneers, but also a catalogue of classics in the British rockola. ‘Up the junction’, ‘Cool for cats’ or ‘Black Coffee in Bed’?

Peter Hook & The Light: The dispute with the other members of New Order brought Peter Hook´s pride, talent and courage to do it by himself. Accompanied by his son and with a handful of good musicians, the iconic bass player´s back. First he paid his tributes to Joy Division´s legacy and now, he´s celebrating New Order´s discography. Hopefully he will compile a tight setlist including both.

10cc: A controversial band that transited between commercial snobbery and experimental art during its career. Led by founding member and pop music obsessed, Graham Gouldman, 10cc is certainly more than ‘I’ m not in love’.

Bellowhead: If the weather is nice and the alcohol is flowing properly in industrial quantities, then this will become a mad party of traditional English folk. If the pouring rain falls upon us, then it will get better.

Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott: “Working with Jacqui again was like going into your garage and discovering a beautiful, covered up Rolls Royce that hadn´t been started in years.” From the ashes of the extinct band, The Beautiful South, here we have our favourite pub´s devotee with Jacqui´s delicate voice promoting their latest release, What Have We Become.

Echo & The Bunnymen: A brand new album and a setlist full of classics is the current menu of Liverpool´s darkest sons. When the sun goes down, Ian McCulloch a co. will bring one of the most memorable and beautifully disturbing moments of the festival.

Nick Lowe: The man who wrote and humbly gave ‘Peace, love and understanding’ to Elvis Costello. The man who´s output was invaluable for the development of punk and new wave in the UK. From producing The Damned and Costello´s best albums to an impressive and underrated solo career.

Alejandro De Luna

@TheSenseOfDoubt

Alejandro De Luna

Alejandro De Luna

Founder & Editor @ TSOD (thesenseofdoubt.com) and obsessed with the possibilities of recorded noise as a tool to squeeze your skull. Wish we were in 1977...