This September, Float Along Festival makes a welcome return to the streets of Sheffield. Festival goers can expect an encompassing mix of post-punk and electronic rock, as well as the best in indie and alternative. Float Along Festival takes place on 28 September and spans venues across the heart of the city centre, including iconic Sheffield venue The Leadmill, Sidney & Matilda and Corporation.
The line up for this years festival was announced in a unique way earlier this year with a line up announcement show that had previous festival performers W. H. Lung play an intimate show on Sidney & Matilda’s Gallery Stage. This was followed by ticket holders engaging in what has become the design and identity of the festival by tearing at artwork to reveal this years first wave of bands.
The first headliners to be announced are the UK’s post-punk quintet Shame, who released their third album, “Food For Worms” in 2023. With full power live shows described as being fast and furious, it promises to be an unforgettable headline performance. An outlier of the off-kilter, fans of electronic music will be delighted to see Snapped Ankles will be bringing their performance art to the festival this year. Having descended from the trees, the band bring an aural onslaught played out on homemade log synths, electrified guitars and sticks beating hell on taut animal skin.
Float Along continues to champion rising acts including Manchester’s Antony Szmierek who has been lauded as “one of the leading lights of a new generation of truly captivating British songwriters” ~ The Line Of Best Fit, while one of the most exciting breakthrough artists of the last few years, Fat Dog will bring their frenzied and wild live shows to this years festival, in what will be one of your first opportunities to hear tracks from the bands’ debut album “WOOF”, which is released on 6 September.
Bridging the gap between electronica and guitar based music sees Scaler (fka Scalping) bring their danceable instrumental mixes of psych and metal to proceedings this year, while hotly tipped newcomers Van Houten will be showing us why festivals up and down the country are lining them up to play.
Event organiser Mark Dunn said, “Last year was the second Float Along Festival and we have been blown away by its reception so far. It feels great to be welcoming people back to Sheffield’s vibrant culture quarter this September for a day of carefully curated live music across numerous stages and venues. The close proximity of the venues and careful programming are really important to us to ensure attendees have the optimum experience. Discovering your new favourite band while supporting independent venues is what drives us in the music industry, we hope you enjoy this year as much as we did last year!”
Complementing the acts, the festival will also feature DJ sets and independent street food traders, with a whole host of other artists still to be announced! The live music element of the event will run from 1pm until 11pm (14+) with DJ’s from 11pm until 2am (18+).
Organised by one-half of the Strange Days team (promoters who have brought bands such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Squid, Viagra Boys, Black Country, New Road and Black Midi to the North), Float Along Festival has been dubbed an “unreal day of alternative music bliss”.
Get your tickets here
