poppedmusic

 110 Above 2018

Gopsall, Leicestershire, 25th August 2018

Words: Joe Cockburn

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Growing a reputation as one of festival season’s best-kept secrets, 110 Above returns to Gopsall Hall Farm in the first week of August, sharing the sounds of some of the best new artists around in a glorious Leicestershire setting.

“Unpretentious and undeniably fun” is how the festival describes itself, and with tickets almost sold out, it looks to be a perfect festival for fans of infectious, enjoyable, new indie music.

Sundara Karma headlined the festival as it stepped up a gear in 2017, and this year the organisers have taken it one step further, as Circa Waves, Fickle Friends and Peace head the bill.

But alongside the sprinkling of top names sit some of the top talents coming through the ranks at the moment, and 110 Above is the place to be to discover your new favourite feel-good artist.

Part of the charm of the three-staged festival is the dedication to developing artists, with a number returning to 110, from Nottingham newbies Deco right through to indie icons Blaenavon.

Our Picks

Friday

Jerry Williams

Portsmouth singer-songwriter Jerry Williams brings her cheerful brand of acoustic-led indie pop to the idyllic Old Town Hall stage on Friday in a reduced line-up for the festival’s opening day. Backed by an excellent voice and uplifting lyrics, 2016 single Mother has over 5,000,000 streams on Spotify and is just a glimpse of her summery, infectious vibes. Williams’ wide range of releases drift seamlessly between beautiful acoustic numbers and the more upbeat tunes backed by her full band. Following the excellent Bloxx onto the festival’s second stage, there is no better way to start your weekend.

Listen to Mother here: 

Saturday

Airways

From Peterborough via Chicago, indie four-piece Airways have supported the likes of Sunset Sons, The Hunna and Nothing But Thieves, while embarking on successful headline tours in the UK and America. They have played at SXSW as well as the likes of Reading and Leeds – which they appeared at within a year of becoming a band. Airways have had radio play on BBC Radio One as well as Radio X and Amazing Radio, and have an air of something different about them, with the group describing their style as “groovy rock”. They play the Old Town Hall stage on Saturday at 110 Above.

Listen to One Foot:

Rascalton

Glasgow rockers Rascalton cite The Clash and Slaves among their main influences, and their noisy, high-energy yet polished sets make those marks clear to see. The punk rockers have been around for two years now, and their progress is evident from supporting the likes of Baby Strange to joining well-connected booking agent 13 Artists’ roster. Rascalton will kick the main stage energy up to another level on Saturday afternoon.

Listen to Lust: 

Sunday

Marsicans

Popped favourites Marsicans are back for 110 Above, taking to the main stage on Sunday, immediately before Blaenavon and Peace. The Leeds four-piece have kicked things up a gear with impressive new single Pop Ups (Sunny At The Weekend), a perfect, upbeat tune to dance along to at a sun-kissed festival. It is almost a shame that a short festival set will mean Marsicans simply cannot get through the entirety of their impressive catalogue of releases, though keep an eye out for new song Suburbs, which is typically infectious.

Listen to Throw Ourselves In:

Sea Girls

With an enormous UK tour on the horizon, Sea Girls continue their impressive rise with a number of festival appearances this summer, also taking to the stage at Reading & Leeds and Bingley Music Live, as well as 110 Above. Having received plenty of support from the likes of Huw Stephens and Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, the London band continue to release guitar-pop singalong anthems and are equally excellent live.

Listen to Lost:

Anteros

Female-fronted four-piece Anteros describe their sound as “bitter dream-pop”, lead singer Laura Hayden proclaims she simply wants to “make people dance and have a good time”. She certainly does just that with Anteros’ anthemic lyrics in tunes such as Breakfast and Bonnie, during which Hayden will often invite all the girls in the audience for a dance with her. Often likened to Blondie – certainly not a bad comparison – Anteros would not sound out of place in the 80s or 90s, but bring a modern feel to their old-school influences.

Listen to Bonnie: