Five of the best breakthrough acts in festival season 2017

Familiarise yourself with the fresh, new and breakthrough bands guaranteed to set stages alight this Festival Season.

Last updated: 27th Mar 2017

Originally published: 22nd Mar 2017

Guitar music dominates festivals across the board year after year, and why shouldn't it as there are so many bands out there topping the charts and the bills with their take on how to utilise the most frequented instrument in the industry.

Legendary and timeless artists such as Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age have brought their unmistakable songs to main stages and newcomers like Circa Waves and Catfish and the Bottlemen that have stormed to fame at an alarmingly quick rate have also graced the mud-clad crowds.

With all of these guitar-wielding dons dominating the festival circuit, let's turn our attention to the breakthrough acts. The acts that deserve to be commandeering their rightful headline spot in a few years time with their impressive sounds and killer stage presence. Here's our pick of the top five to catch this festival season.

Fizzy Blood

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Retro-inspired rock meets ridiculously catchy hooks in the heavier noise of Leeds band Fizzy Blood. If you imagine the weirder and twisted brother of the indie genre, Fizzy Blood take that prime position and add to it with their screeching vocals and assault of distortion.

The band have already brought their fuzzy sound to festivals across the UK, including Liverpool Sound City. This year, they come to the likes of Camden Rocks, Download and Tramlines to showcase their meaty and monstrous caterwauls.

The Orielles

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Having toured with The Parrots and recently signed to the dreamy Heavenly Recordings (whose signings include The Wytches and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard), surf rock trio The Orielles are the definition of young blood. And whilst their average age clocks in at a dizzying nineteen, accentuating their undeniable talent, these aren't a bunch of wide-eyed novices.

Their jangly guitar and sweet and soft vocals have drawn attention from festival organisers, the newbies set to play both Liverpool's all dayer FestEvol Gardens as well as Salford's Sounds From the Other City.

Cabbage

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If you're into music and this band have managed to escape your radar, then you're doing something very wrong. Cabbage have already sold out numerous shows across the country, bringing rip-roaring chaos on every occasion. You can expect the unexpected with this group of lads, their live shows should come with content warnings as the frenzied drones of guitar are matched with a raw energy emitting from both the stage and crowd.

They're hammering the festival circuit this year, with FestEvol Gardens, Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Parklife, Tramlines and Leeds and Reading on the hitlist, so there's no excuse to miss them. We can guarantee in 2018 you'll see them on much bigger stages.

Flamingods

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Bahrainian multi-instrumentalist five piece Flamingods take influence from cultures all over the world in order to produce their own brand of experimental and extraordinary music. Live variations of their songs are another experience entirely, with outfits matching the obscurity of their sound and an impressive set up of instruments that originate from all four corners of the planet.

This year, you can catch Flamingods at a whole host of events, from the smaller scale affairs like Big Love Festival and Blissfields, to the bigger stages of Field Day and Bluedot.

Peaness

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Aside from having one of the best band names within the current music scene, indie pop trio Peaness also have one of the best attitudes towards performing live. They bring fun to any stage they grace with their quirky lyrics and equally as quirky guitar riffs.

Having already been well received by huge audiences, including listeners to BBC 6Music and BBC Radio One, they're more than ready to win over live audiences as they take the upcoming festival season in their stride. Peaness are set to play FestEvol Gardens this April.

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