Including but not limited to…
Dorset’s Teddy Rocks festival takes place this weekend (May 4 – 6) and sees a host of Kerrang! favourites playing in support of a great cause. All proceeds from the event – which takes place at Blandford’s Charisworth Farm – go to Teddy20, a charity which provides financial and emotional support to the families of children undergoing treatment for cancer. It’s an awesome concept for a festival, and it just so happens that this year’s line-up is bloody brilliant, with rock heavyweights, newcomers and even a few amusingly-named tribute bands (Stereoironics, anyone?) appearing across the three days.
It looks set to be a fantastic weekend, and below you’ll find the nine bands we reckon you can’t afford to miss at Teddy Rocks 2018.
DEAD!
One of Kerrang!’s Hottest Bands of 2018 and veterans of our Band Practice series, London rockers Dead! will bring their raucous live show to the Vocalzone Second Stage on Sunday. Back in January, frontman Alex Mountford told K! that Dead! are “about the feeling and the moment” and that the quartet’s latest album The Golden Age Of Not Even Trying makes him “want to kick shit.” If kicking shit to the sound of some youthful rock'n'roll sounds like fun to you (it does to us), then Dead! are definitely ones to check out.
NERVUS
Signed to one of the UK’s finest indie labels, Big Scary Monsters, Watford natives Nervus deal in an emotive and expansive punk sound. New record Everything Dies dropped back in March, with vocalist Em Foster’s cathartic exploration of subjects such as addiction and gender dysphoria making for a deeply affecting listen. Nervus are for fans of punk rock with heart, and they play Teddy Rocks’ second stage on Sunday.
DREAM STATE
Another fledgling band we christened as one of the Hottest of 2018 back in K!1706, Swansea’s Dream State are taking post-hardcore to territory previously unexplored. The five-piece have been compared to acts as diverse as Architects and Sleeping With Sirens, and in singer CJ, this lot have got a star in the making. If you fancy seeing what just might be the UK’s best new band before they blast off into the stratosphere, Dream State play Teddy Rocks’ Checkatrade.com Main Stage on Saturday.
BLACK PEAKS
Fresh from an appearance handling saxophone duties on The Xcerts’ stunning fourth album Hold On To Your Heart, Will Gardener and the rest of his Black Peaks cohorts have just dropped a corker in new single Can’t Sleep. The prog rockers are one of Britain’s most ambitious and technically astute bands, and we can’t wait until the follow-up to their brilliant debut album Statues drops (hopefully soon). Black Peaks’ monstrous sound will obliterate Teddy Rocks on Saturday, where they play below Devil Sold His Soul on the second stage.
PALM READER
They’ve just put out a stellar album in Braille, and now is surely the time for underground hardcore heroes Palm Reader to emerge from the shadows and become full-fledged stars of the UK’s rock scene. Face-melting riffs, hard-hitting vocals and a captivating presence almost always add up to a scorching live show courtesy of the Nottingham five-piece. If you’re in need of warming-up before Black Peaks level the place, then you’re in luck, because Palm Reader are on right before them. It’s always nice when things work out like that….
FUNERAL SHAKES
Comprising members of Gallows, Nervus and The Smoking Hearts, Funeral Shakes will satisfy your craving for that heartland punk vibe of Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers. Having only put out their debut single last year, this quartet have quickly garnered a strong reputation. But when you’ve got wicked songs and members of some of the country’s best punk bands among your ranks, that was probably always going to happen. It’s Sunday on the main stage for this lovely lot.
WOES
Hurray for a new pop-punk band that aren’t afraid to experiment with the genre’s formula! Scotland’s Woes look set to be U.K. pop-punk’s next break-out act, and best of all, they’re doing it their own way, bringing new sounds and ideas to the pop-punk game. Throwing elements of emo and indie into their musical melting pot, Woes are a vibrant and very welcome addition to pop-punks’ ranks. Catch them bringing the good vibes to Teddy Rocks’ second stage on Friday.
LOATHE
Heavy. Reeeeeally fucking heavy. Liverpool’s Loathe are one of the shining lights in an uprising of new heavy bands from the UK that’s seen the likes of Employed To Serve and Conjurer pick up critical acclaim. Fronted by the mesmeric presence of Kadeem France, this band’s latest effort The Cold Sun is earth-shattering stuff. It’s the second stage on Saturday for these guys if you fancy giving your ears a beating (in a really good way, of course).
PRESS TO MECO
Fans of very funny man and former teacher Romesh Ranganathan might be familiar with Press To MECO – the TV comedian tweeted back in February of his joy at seeing ex-pupil Adam Roffey become a rock star. Roffey forms one third of this genre-bending trio, who deal in a prog-tastic sound akin to that of Coheed And Cambria. Second album Here’s To The Fatigue saw Press To MECO bring the bangers, none more so than single Familiar Ground, which will no doubt ensure everyone present at Teddy Rocks’ second stage on Friday has a thoroughly lovely time.
For tickets and more info on Teddy Rocks, hit up teddyrocks.co.uk
Words: Jake Richardson
And here's the full line-up this weekend…
