A new festival dedicated to music discovery lands at Bootleg this September, with Adult DVD, TTSSFU, Silverwingkiller and more playing across eight hours of new music.
Bootleg will host its most ambitious line-up to date this September with the launch of Next Wave, a new all-day festival built around discovering the artists likely to shape the next few years of alternative music.
The first edition, on Saturday 12 September, brings together Adult DVD, TTSSFU, Silverwingkiller, Bathing Suits, Holly Head, Formal Sppeedwear and ladylike for eight hours of live music in Blackpool’s independent music venue.
The premise is simple – come open-minded, leave having discovered your new favourite artist.
Next Wave creator and promoter Milo McManus took inspiration from years spent at new-music festivals including Left Of The Dial in Rotterdam, Supersonic Block Party in Paris and The Great Escape in Brighton and wanted to bring that same sense of discovery to Blackpool – giving audiences in the North West the chance to see some of the country’s most exciting new artists together in one intimate venue.
Manchester electro-punk six-piece Adult DVD arrive less than two weeks before the release of their self-titled debut album on Fat Possum Records, off the back of a growing reputation for exhilarating live shows.
Stoke-on-Trent trio Formal Sppeedwear play just a day after releasing their debut album Punch Card, while Manchester’s TTSSFU, signed to Partisan Records, have emerged as one of the country’s most exciting shoegaze and dream-pop acts.
Salford duo Silverwingkiller have been drawing national attention for their intense collision of live drums, electronics and industrial dance music, recently picked out by The Guardian ahead of festival appearances including End of the Road.
Brighton’s ladylike bring a contrasting blend of folk, post-rock and atmospheric songwriting, having played Green Man, Left Of The Dial and The Great Escape and supported the likes of Mary in the Junkyard and Lime Garden.
Manchester’s politically charged Holly Head and fast-rising Bathing Suits round out a bill already flagged by BBC Introducing as one to watch.
“Some of the best gigs I’ve ever seen have been artists I’d never heard of when I walked into the room,” Milo says. “Festivals like Left Of The Dial, Supersonic and The Great Escape are brilliant because there’s a real sense that you could stumble across a band playing to 100 people and, a year or two later, they’re playing to thousands.
“That’s what we want Next Wave to feel like. There isn’t really a ‘headline act’ mentality behind it – we’ve chosen seven artists we genuinely believe people should see now. Come down early, stay for the day, take a chance on someone you don’t know and hopefully leave obsessed with a new band.”
Bootleg Social owner Stephen Skelly add that “Blackpool has an incredible history of live music, but too often people here are expected to travel to Manchester, Liverpool or further afield if they want to discover new artists at this stage of their careers.
“We want Bootleg Social to be a place where those artists come to Blackpool instead. Next Wave is probably the most ambitious line-up we’ve put together at the venue, and hopefully it’s the beginning of something we can build year after year.”
Next Wave takes place at Bootleg Social on Saturday 12 September 2026, 3pm–11pm. 18+.
Tickets: £25 advance / £30 on the door, available via DICE (click here), Skiddle and SEE Tickets.
