Wide Awake Festival have announced an additional strew of artists hitting their stages later this year. Joining the roster this year are Caroline Polachek, Alex G, Black Country New Road, Viagra Boys, and Shygirl. The independent day festival brings a lineup of indie, techno, post-punk and more. Previous years have seen headliners such as Primal Scream, IDLES and black midi. The festival will be held at Brockwell Park on the 27th May.
Polachek is set to release her upcoming album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You next month, from which she has released singles since 2021. Due to the pandemic, her European tour for 2019 album Pang was interrupted, leading her to start work on her next project. Since then, she has brought out several singles, including ‘Bunny Is A Rider’ and most recently ‘Welcome To My Island’, accompanied by a music video. After a long time away from the stage, fans can surely expect Polachek to bring her all this summer.
For Alex G, this will be a stop on his European tour. He will tour the UK from March before heading to Europe for a mix of headline shows and festival appearances. His ninth studio album God Save The Animals was released at the end of last year and was well-received by multiple publications.
Black Country New Road will be joining Wide Awake after a UK tour and a quick stint to Japan. At the beginning of 2022, lead singer Isaac Wood left the band after struggles with his mental health. Bassist Tyler Hyde stated in an NME interview that: “It’s taught us that it’s really important to relieve people of responsibility in order to keep everyone in check and to actually live up to this thing that we have been saying about everyone holding the same responsibilities“. Since his departure, the band have released another album, Ants From Up There. Last year, the band also released a limited edition exclusive vinyl EP of covers, one of which was a Caroline Polachek track (‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’).
Wide Awake Festival is advertised as a celebration of independent music and counterculture, and features not only established artists but a wide range of up-and-coming talent also. It is set to be a varied and eclectic mix of genres. The festival boasts seven stages, 40+ artists, a craft beer fair, street food, album signings and zine fairs. Los Bi7chos, Blondshell, Tirzah, CIVIC, CLAMM, JJUUJJUU, Nice Biscuit, and Wasted Youth will also be joining the line-up.
Tickets for Wide Awake are on sale now, and you can catch them here.
