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ALT+LDN 2021 Preview

If there’s one thing London is not short of, it’s no-camp festivals taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Everywhere you look online, there’s a different house music and indie rock, or even mainstream pop, festival taking place in every borough – from Bromley to Brent.

Which is great, but it leaves hardcore hip-hop and rock fans out in the cold. That’s where ALT+LDN comes in. They seem to have done the impossible – they’ve found a hole in the no-camp festival market and filled it with straight-up-alt-hip-hop-and-ro ck vibes.

Taking full advantage of the three-day-weekend, ALT+LDN is a *brand new* festival taking over Clapham Common on Monday 30th August – so just in time to celebrate the last bank holiday of 2021 (*cry*). Bought to you by Event Horizon, Festival Republic, and Louder (so just some of the biggest names in the industry), the organisers have said that they wanted to create a ‘first of its kind’ festival, seamlessly blending alternative hip-hop and rock. Well, we think they’ve achieved that.

 

 

The line-up is absolutely lit - Machine Gun Kelly, Princess Nokia, Lil Yachty, Architects, Playboi Carti, The Slump God, Bexey, Smokepurpp, Mario Judah, Sleep Token, Bob Vylan and Benny Mails, the Kid Laroi , Ski Mask will all be making an appearance at this one-dayer. My only question is how they’re planning on fitting that all in.

Machine Gun Kelly is probably best known for his beef with Eminem. However, he’s actually been on the scene for wayyyy longer than you’d think if you’d listened to Em’s Kamikaze. His stage name was given for his rapid-fire lyrical flow and is a reference to notorious criminal George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes. He rose to fame after releasing his first four mix tapes, Stamp of Approval (2006), Homecoming (2008), 100 Words and Running (2010), and Lace Up (2010). Most recently he’s been releasing hit after hit – ‘my ex’s best friend (with blackbear)’ and ‘love race (feat. Kellin Quinn)’ to name but a few.

Known for singles such as "Broke Boi" and "Fetti, Playboi Carti became one of the biggest success stories of 2016, featuring on the A$AP Mob's single "Telephone Calls" from their album Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends. The same year, Carti signed to the A$AP Mob's AWGE imprint and Interscope Records. In April 2020, Carti released his first new music since 2018 with the song "@ Meh", which peaked at number 35 on the Hot 100. The following month, he was featured on the single "Pain 1993" by Drake, which debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Carti's first top-ten on the chart.

Architects are a metalcore band hailing from Brighton, West Sussex. They’ve been gradually building up a loyal following for years, and over the past five they’ve seen the payoff – they’re now playing venues as iconic as north London’s Ally Pally and the SSE Hydro in Glasgow. Earlier this year Architects scored their first UK No.1 album with For Those That Wish to Exist. Written mostly over lockdown, the album has expanded the band’s post-metalcore repertoire, adding orchestral strings, horns and even a choir! It also features guest spots from Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr, Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall, and Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil.

Princess Nokia is an absolute queen. Calling New York City their home, Princess Nokia is best known for their individualist style – they fight cultural norms in a confrontational, often humorous style. As Princess Nokia, they rose to fame for her 2017 studio album 1992 Deluxe. NME listed it as the 32nd best album of 2017. They released another mixtape, titled A Girl Cried Red, in 2018, followed by the release of two studio albums, Everything Sucks, and Everything Is Beautiful, in 2020. Most recently, they released their new single ‘It's Not My Fault’ in March of this year, and it’s done incredibly well so far.

We think ALT+LDN is poised to become the next big London fest. You can sign up to receive more deets as soon as they’re announced on their website – just follow this link.

(Credit: @ALT+LDN)

 

Words by Rebecca Clayton