![Watch ICMP students and graduates at August music festivals](https://www.icmp.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/news_details/public/v_festival_0.jpg?itok=8ZqbY3S9)
August may be upon us, but ICMP students, graduates and alumni are showing no sign of slowing down when it comes to performing across the 2017 festival season.
Glastonbury has come and gone but there are still many events left in the festival locker for our bands and acts to impress at. Take a look below to see where our students and alumni from myriad different courses will be performing at the likes of Boardmasters, V and of course, the mighty Leeds and Reading Festivals over the August Bank Holiday.
If you want to join these acts on festival bills, then you should check out our list of tips from industry experts, ICMP tutors and bands on how you can best prepare to perform. And if you’re at any of the following events, then please show your support for our artists and bands.
Boardmasters (Cornwall) | 9-13 Aug
The Vaccines (featuring BMus Popular Music Performance Bass degree graduate Arni Hjorvar Arnason) formed in 2010 and have since been a huge UK success story.
BBCs Zane Lowe named ‘If You Wanna’ as his Hottest Record in the World in August 2010. In November that year, the band released their debut single ‘Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’/‘Blow It Up’, in the UK. They also performed live on Later with Jools Holland, becoming the first band ever to do so before releasing a single.
Signing with Columbia Records, they released their third and latest album ‘English Graffiti’ in 2015. They have toured extensively, previously playing with and opening for acts including the Rolling Stones, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys and Muse among others.
The Dub Pistols are well known for their exciting live shows blending dub, drum & bass, hip-hop punk and ska. BMus Popular Music Performance Drums graduate Jack Cowens is currently the touring and recording drummer for the band and has also played with thecocknbullkid, Marina and The Diamonds, Kase, Chasing Pluto and The Future Shape of Sound. Having just rocked Camp Bestival and Beat Herder at the end of July, you can catch Jack and the band at festivals and live shows across the UK and Europe over the rest of the summer.
Clean Bandit, featuring ICMP Drum graduate Luke Patterson, are continuing to go from strength to strength. Currently in the middle of a world tour across the UK, Malaysia, China, Europe and Russia, with performances at major festivals including Glastonbury, Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Isle of Wight, V, Y Not and Truck festivals and a headline slot at Standon Calling.
The band enjoyed a phenomenally successful 2016, culminating with their track ‘Rockabye’ (featuring rapper Sean Paul and singer Anne-Marie), their second UK Number 1, remaining in the top spot for nine weeks and becoming the Christmas Number 1 single for 2016.
That track also topped the charts internationally, reaching Number 1 in the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
Reading & Leed | 25-27th August
Judas (featuring current BMus student Todd Blackmore on guitar) are going from strength to strength topped by their main stage appearance at Reading & Leeds Festival this August.
They recently had their latest track ‘Some People’ selected by Virgin Radio’s Tim Cocker as his ‘Record of the Week’, having previously had numerous airplays on BBC Introducing and Radio X, as well as performing live for BBC Introducing. Judas have previously performed at major festivals including Isle of Wight, Kendal Calling, Y Not, Truck festival and the main stage at last year’s Leeds Festival. Currently in the middle of a headline UK tour, the band has already played at Live at Leeds Festival, The Great Escape and the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this year.
BMus Popular Music Performance degree drum student Gabi King has spent much of the year touring the UK and Europe as drummer for rising star Declan McKenna.
Over the rest of 2017, Gabi will be joining him on dates in the US and Canada as well as making appearances at Summer Sonic festival in Japan, Lollapalooza, Benicassim and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
As Declan’s drummer Gabi has supported Foals in Paris, headlined an NME Awards Show in London and toured the UK with Mystery Jets as well as played acclaimed gigs at SXSW and numerous festivals across Europe.
Singer-songwriter Declan previously won Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2015 and was quickly snapped up by Q Prime management (Muse, Metallica, Snow Patrol, Foals, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Sony Records.
As well as their Glastonbury slot, Bear’s Den (featuring ICMP graduate Andrew Davie performing on lead vocals and guitar) supported Kings of Leon at a major performance in Lithuania earlier this year.
The band released their latest album ‘Red Earth & Pouring Rain’ in 2016 and have toured in support of the record across the UK and Europe as well as the US and Canada. They sold out their headline gig at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London earlier this year and will be playing across a number of festivals this summer including performances at Haldern Pop Festival, Lollapalooza Paris and Lollapalooza Berlin as well as a host of other European festivals.
The band released their debut album, ‘Islands’, in October 2014 through Communion Records, co-founded by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons and producer Ian Grimble. The track ‘Above the Clouds of Pompeii’ earned them a nomination for an Ivor Novello award and the album gained nominations for the UK Americana Awards. In 2012 the band travelled across the United States of America in Volkswagen Campervans with Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Staves and was the subject of a 2014 documentary "Austin to Boston" by James Marcus Haney which premiered at the 58th BFI London Film Festival.
Since then, the band has toured the USA several times, in support of Mumford & Sons, fellow ICMP graduates Daughter and as headliners in their own right, including a huge headline show at London’s Roundhouse.
HAUS (featuring Higher Diploma graduates Ellis Mortimer, Sam Kelly, Daniel Hylton and Lyle Simpson) recently released their debut EP ‘ Say What You Say’. Signed last year to Atlas Artists Records, HAUS released two well-received tracks ‘Two Minds’ and ‘Blinded’ from their highly anticipated forthcoming EP and have followed this up in 2017 with the release of ‘Levels’ and ‘Gave It All’.
The band recently played at Live at Leeds festival and toured the UK this April playing dates including London, Manchester and Brighton. With positive press from the likes of Deezer, Wonderland Magazine and airplay from Radio 1 and BBC Introducing, they were recently added to Spotify’s ‘Hot New Bands’ and ‘The Indie List’ playlists and had the video for their latest track ‘Say What You Say’ premiered by NME.
HAUS will be playing across a wide range of festivals in the UK and internationally this summer including Y Not, Grape Festival (Slovakia), INMusic (Croatia) and slots at both Reading and Leeds.
Good luck to everyone playing!
If you’re looking to take your playing and performing to the next level by performing for huge festival crowds, then let us help you find the right course for you.
Our Admissions Team are on hand to help you, call them on 020 7328 0222 or email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk - we still have places available to start in September 2017!