Towards the end of June (24th till the 26th), some 75,000 people will descend upon Scheeßel for one of the biggest festival’s Germany has to offer – Hurricane Festival. Taking place near the city of Bremen, Hurricane boasts a line-up so strong that it can make even the worthiest European festival jealous (hint hint, Glastonbury). This year, Rammstein, The Prodigy and Mumford & Sons will top a bill which consists of nearly 100 acts. In anticipation of the full weekend, we’ve lined up a selection of acts who we think you ought to check out at the festival this year.
EDITORS
British alternative rockers Editors are a formidable live collective whose recorded output keeps on surprising the public. Debut album The Back Room was full-on indie rock, with last year’s In Dream bordering on the spiritual, ethereal sounds of modern day synth-heavy pop. Pulsating opener No Harm encompasses enthralling arpeggios, with the anthemic Forgiveness and new wave-heavy Life is a Fear both making for instant fan favourites. Editors’ German following isn’t as big as their fanbase just across the border in Holland, but don’t let that take away from the fact that they’ll put on a massive show in Scheeßel. If there’s one show you can’t miss, then it’s this one.
FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS
Does Frank Turner ever stop touring? In August he’ll perform at Reading & Leeds for the tenth consecutive year, with the rest of 2016 consisting of a constant stream of tours. Having just completed two European runs and one US jaunt, Turner will be returning to the stage in Scheeßel this June for yet another show in Germany. Recent album Positive Songs for Negative People may well be his best yet, encompassing the likes of Get Better’s forceful folk punk and Josephine’s anthemic flourishes. Frank Turner is a cult hero, and his show at Hurricane will prove exactly why he’s still got such a big following after so many years in the game.
ROYAL REPUBLIC
Swedish garage rockers Royal Republic have a somewhat varied following throughout Europe. In their home country they’re able to sell out venues twice as big as the rest of the continent, with Germany proving to follow this trend. Last year’s fantastic set at Rock am Ring was just one small example of their German successes, with their Hurricane show set to repeat this feat yet again. New album Weekend Man is a general blend of everything they do best – fierce rock ‘n roll swagger, uptempo punk grooves and Adam Grahn’s instantly recognizable vocal drawl. Get ready to rock out, because Royal Republic are ready to literally knock you off your feet. Whether that’s because of the inevitable pits or not remains to be seen, however you should probably get down to their show in June to see for yourself.
BØRNS
“Baby, you’re like lightning in a bottle”. That’s what Garrett Borns sings on his project’s standout track Electric Love. Having emerged onto the scene at the start of 2015, Borns has proven himself to be a prolific songwriter with the ability to put out slick, tightly produced pop music with a slight rocker edge. Debut album Dopamine came out last October, with its release really propelling the band further into public consciousness. Now, some seven months after its release, Borns has also proven himself to have a winning record on his hands with plenty of potential. He’s come a long way since his humble beginnings, and now the hard work is starting to reward him in huge dividends. Make sure you’re there.
HO99O9
There probably aren’t too many words which you can use to accurately describe the rapping punks in Ho99o9, so we’re going to leave you with the below video as a precursor of Hurricane’s undoubtedly most chaotic show of the weekend.
Check back later this month for our second set of recommendations. Hurricane Festival takes place from 24-26 June, and you can buy tickets here.
(Featured image: Frank Embacher)
