Organisers of This is Tomorrow Festival have confirmed that indie rock giants Foals will be the second heavyweight headliner on the huge outdoor Exhibition Park 2019 line-up.
In another major coup for the North East, Foals will lead the charge at next year's late May Bank Holiday festival on Friday 24th May and will be joined on the bill by Surrey rockers You Me at Six and Essex fivesome Nothing But Thieves. The Friday line-up, organised by SSD Concerts, will also see Newcastle's indie band The Pale White, Bad Sounds, Anteros, Kawala and Wild Front take centre stage.
This follows last week's announcement that ex-Oasis star Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Vaccines, Editors, Glasvegas, RedFaces and FEVA will perform on Saturday 25th May.
From sweaty house shows to festival headline slots, Foals’ rise to the top of the British indie pack is a story for the ages. With every release, they’ve fine-tuned their assault.
From the spasmodic math-rock of debut album ‘Antidotes’, through to the more danceable textures of ‘Total Life Forever’, onto the anthemic juggernauts of ‘Holy Fire’ and ‘What Went Down’, theirs has been a confident, fired-up progression from record-to-record.
With a fifth album now confirmed for 2019 release – and the band having taken a decidedly out-of-character break from the spotlight after wrapping up the ‘What Went Down’ tour, all eyes will be on them as they take to the stage at This is Tomorrow Festival in 2019.
Speaking about today's announcement, SSD Concert's Steve Davis, said: “When we said this will be biggest and most ambitious festival the North East has ever seen we meant it and we're super excited about this second announcement.
“Foals are one of the most forward-thinking and groundbreaking bands out there and the fact that they've been filling out arenas regularly for years now and are about to release their fifth album, makes them one of the UK's most prolific outfits. They're a perfect headliner for the Friday show.
“They've come along way since they burst onto the scene over ten years ago now and we can't wait to see the band at the peak of their powers at This is Tomorrow Festival.”
Meanwhile, You Me At Six are one of only a handful of UK rock bands out there that consistently smash the UK charts at a time when pop is often seen as the priority on mainstream radio.
Since releasing their second breakthrough album, Hold Me Down, followed by 2014's Cavalier Youth, the Surrey five-piece - led by the charismatic frontman Josh Franceschi - have achieved a top five position on every record release and will be a welcome addition to This is Tomorrow Festival 2019.
Nothing but Thieves also make a welcome return to the North East next year as part of the huge outdoor gathering on Exhibition Park. The melodic hard rockers from Southend on Sea have earned a loud and loyal following having released two critically acclaimed albums, 2015's self-titled debut and 2017's Broken Machine, which peaked at number two in the UK album charts.
Their rousing live shows and high octane performances combined with hits such as Sorry and Amsterdam make them a firm festival favourite, with the band set for global stardom in 2019.
This is Tomorrow Festival - which last year welcomed over 30,000 music fans through its gates at Spillers Wharf to take in performances from the likes of Catfish and The Bottlemen - is back once again, this time taking place at its new home of Exhibition Park on Newcastle's Town Moor.
SSD Concerts have said the event, a first of its kind on Exhibition Park, promises to be the largest and most forward-thinking live musical gathering the city has ever witnessed and will take place across the late May Bank Holiday Weekend next year.
The name This Is Tomorrow has its roots placed firmly in the region and was born out of the cutting edge legacy of Newcastle's ‘Father of Pop Art’ Richard Hamilton and his vision of pushing the boundaries of what is expected.
SSD Concerts have said the event will have a strong ethos of experimentation in defiance of the norm, and there are plans to host alternative art exhibitions alongside a full weekend of expansive and exhilarating live music.
Published on 04 December 2018 by Ben Robinson
