Humber Street Sesh set to draw 30,000 music lovers to Hull

On Saturday August 5, bands and artists from all over the country will be taking to the stage, hoping to announce themselves as the next big thing in front of crowds of over 30,000 people at the Humber Street Sesh.

The politically-charged punk noisemakers and “thick-skinned DIY” band LIFE, who earlier this year played SXSW in the USA and released their debut album, will headline a line-up of over 200 acts.

The line-up includes exciting talent from Leeds, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Scotland, and even as far as Northern Ireland.

Humber Street Sesh is in its sixth year after growing from a weekly music night in Hull to one of the country’s most unique and exciting festivals.

This year is extra special for the festival with Hull being the UK City of Culture for 2017.

Such is its growing reputation, Humber Street Sesh was shortlisted in the Best Medium Sized Festival and the Best Metropolitan Festival categories at the high-profile UK Festival Awards last year.

The man responsible for this spectacular evolution is Sesh founder Mak Page. “What’s been achieved off the back of a long-standing original live music night is quite incredible,” he said.

“In the last five years, we’ve captivated the heart and soul of the city, provided a powerful platform for the best emerging bands and acts from the region and helped create a sense of cultural wellbeing in Hull.

“This year, in line with Hull 2017, we have invited some special friends to join us as we showcase the brilliance of our City of Culture. This is our year in the spotlight, and Humber Street Sesh will truly shine this August.”

In the past the festival has given a platform for local bands and artists, but this year it is branching out and giving bands from further afield the opportunity to play in front of crowds of thousands.

Headlining the festival is Hull punk band LIFE who recently performed at SXSW in America and supported Slaves on their European tour.

LIFE frontman Mez Green said: “It’s an honour to headline what we consider the most exciting and vital Hull event.

“The Sesh isn’t just a celebration of music but it’s a celebration of the diverse and powerful community we have in our city of culture! We can’t wait.”

LIFE’s eagerly awaited debut album Popular Music was released on May 26.

This year 200 bands will perform on 20 stages spread out on Hull Marina.

The line-up includes artists from all over the UK including Kagoule (Nottingham), Post War Glamour Girls and Chambers (both from Leeds), Indigo Velvet (Edinburgh), Black Waters (Surry), Fatherson (Glasgow), Strange Bones (Blackpool), Polo (York) and Kid Trench (Newry, Northern Ireland).

Also performing are King No-One, The Hubbards, Bud Sugar, Chiedu Oraka, La Bete Blooms, Vulgarians, Counting Coins, Endoflevelbaddie, Fonda 500, Black Delta Movement and DJ James Orvis who recently performed at John Grant’s North Atlantic Flux, and Revenu who appeared as part of The Basil Kirchin Story.

With music and community at the heart of the festival, they’ll also be an engaging arts programme featuring street art, graffiti, photo exhibitions and installations.

There will also be a designated family area with a youth stage, skate park, kids scrapstore and face painting with under-12s invited along for free.

Also on site among celebrated street food stalls and markets, there will be a funfair, silent disco and a 50s & 60s funk & soul vinyl experience courtesy of Original Brew.

Martin Green, Director of Hull 2017, said: “Humber Street Sesh has grown dramatically from being an important festival for Hull and the region, to one of the most important events nationally for unsigned and emerging talent.

“In a year of brilliant music, this will definitely be one of the highlights and shouldn’t be missed.

“You never know, you might be spotting the next big thing.”

Advance tickets can be purchased until August 4 for £10.

To view the full line-up or buy tickets for this year’s Humber Street Sesh visit www.humberstreetsesh.co.uk