Bushstock is fast becoming one of the most popular London music festivals, returning for its third edition in June. Taking over four venues in the Shepherd's Bush area, the festival has previously seen the likes of BASTILLE and Daughter play in intimate settings before gaining huge audiences. Indeed, Daughter returned last year to headline, providing a mesmerising performance at St Stephens Church.
The festival is run by the good people at Communion Records, often giving the line-up a suitably folk-heavy feel. This year, there's arguably more variety, with many of the bigger names on the festival (including headliners Theme Park) fitting more into the "guitar band" mould. Not that the folk side is particularly neglected, with Scott Matthews and fellow headliner Willy Mason perhaps the most well-known acts on the bill.
Of the folkier outfits, we're particularly interested in Marika Hackman and her captivating sound. Other solo artists such as Sivu and FYFE (the new guise of David's Lyre) are two of the more buzzier acts on offer, and we're intrigued to see whether they live upto the hype. Similarly, we've heard exciting murmurings about As Elephants Are and Pixel Fix, while we hope to finally catch Duologue.
We've already had the pleasure of seeing Dutch Uncles and Thumpers live but really at festivals like Bushstock, the thrill often comes in seeing bands that you're less familiar with - often to small audiences that they may never grace again. Better still, there's a wonderfully jovial atmosphere at Bushstock so we heartily recommend making a pleasant jaunt over to West London on 1 June.
Find more info and purchase tickets at bushstock.co.uk.
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