Festivals
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Rockstar Energy presents Parklife 2024 – line-up deep dive
Unpacking the busiest festival poster of the season for your ultimate guide to Parklife 24
Manchester’s biggest festival (as well as the largest metropolitan festival in the UK thank you very much) is returning to Heaton Park in June, and this year the dedication towards a line-up packed with homegrown talent and women is commendable. “Male, pale and stale” Parklife is not. The two day festival is returning for the 13th time on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June, and its line-up is essentially a big ribbon waiting to be cut declaring summer is open.
With electronic faves like Disclosure sharing the bill with pop’s most powerful and promising artists as well as plenty of DJs to make sure the vibes remain sky high, there’s something to carry you from dusk to dawn… or at least until turfing out time.
Parklife is here in a mere matter of weeks, so in order to give you time to make your pre-festival playlists and fight with your friends about clashes, we’ve curated the ultimate guide to the festival. From new acts that will give you bragging rights and social status to certified hits, here’s who to check out at Parklife 2024…
The headliners
Disclosure
Saturday, The Valley
The Lawrence brothers, aka Disclosure, aren’t shy about bringing the house (or electronic, or dance, or dubstep, or garage) down at a festival. If they’re not perched inside Glastonbury’s fire-shooting spider DJing for the hardcore post-headline ravers, they’re curating their next live show, which means they’re more than a safe pair of hands to bring day one of Parklife to a close. Expect all the bangers, from mainstream pop hits like ‘Latch’ and ‘Talk’ to deliciously dirty mixes perfect for when the sun goes down. And better yet it will all be live – no lazy USB stick, head-nodding shortcuts here thank you very much. Disclosure are no strangers to Parklife, so it will be interesting to see what they bring to the stage with their first performance in the prized headline slot. Bells, whistles and more please lads.
Doja Cat
Sunday, The Valley
Famously, you can play with her pussy but can’t play with her emotions… But Doja Cat is playing with all of our emotions in Parklife’s stellar booking of her first UK festival headline show. With five albums under her belt and just as many personas, choreographies and vocals to flex, this show could go in a million different directions. Over the years, Doja has shown that she’s an incredible performer with a sleeve full of tricks, the ability to rap and sing live just as well if not better than on record, and a playful persona that can swing between trolling and partying. Cry, laugh, enjoy the theatre, throw it back – wherever you are on the scale of knowing and/or appreciating Doja, chances are you won’t be bored when the star closes Parklife on Sunday. The only question that remains is how the hell you whittle down so many bangers into a tight setlist? Somehow we think she’ll manage it.
The pop parade
Ella Henderson
Sunday, The Valley
Parklife is known to throw a few curveballs and surprises into the mix when it comes to its line-up, but this year one thing that’s assured is the hearty presence of popstars to get your ears around. Take Ella Henderson for example, the former X Factor star has since become a regular on our radios as well as a favourite feature of DJs and producers like David Guetta, Nathan Dawe, Jax Jones and Joel Corry. Patiently waiting for Chico’s booking…
Sugababes
Saturday, Parklife Stage
After a roaring renaissance which saw them come out of hibernation for a number of wildly successful festival appearances in 2022, Sugababes haven’t stopped gracing our fields. It only follows then that the original line-up of Keisha, Mutya and Siobhán will take to the Parklife Stage on Saturday to tear up the crowd with a nostalgic blend of some of the best British pop songs of the noughties to warm up the crowd before Becky Hill’s headline set. We can’t think of three people more suited to the job. Which leads us on to…
Becky Hill
Saturday, Parklife Stage
Even if you think you don’t know any Becky Hill songs, you do. Show us a Love Island party scene and chances are the power pop vocals you’re hearing as men in tight white trousers raise their warm glass of prosecco are from the Brit Award winner. As well as her string of features on chart-cradling electronic pop bangers, by the time Parklife rolls around she’ll be fresh from releasing her second album Believe Me Now? which features team-ups from the likes of Self Esteem and Chase & Status.
Anne-Marie
Sunday, The Valley
Third from the top of the bill on the main stage, aka The Valley, on Sunday is Anne-Marie. The Essex singer-songwriter rose to prominence as Rudimental’s vocalist back in 2014 before gaining her solo credentials with the likes of ‘Ciao Adios’, ‘2002’ and ‘FRIENDS’. Picking between her trio of top 10 albums, collaborations (fingers crossed for a Shania Twain appearance), and themes of self-acceptance, figurative middle fingers, and celebration will be no mean feat for Anne-Marie, but she’ll be sure to draw in the crowds.
The vibiest DJs
HorsegiirL
Sunday, Magic Sky
Yes, vibiest is an official and very real adjective for the purposes of describing the 10/10 DJs Parklife have secured this year. If you fear anthropomorphised horses, steer clear of this act. Otherwise, German DJ HorsegiirL’s half-horse half-human persona and her blend of happy hardcore, eurotrance and country techno is impossibly fun and guaranteed to have the crowds dancing and questioning what’s in their beer.
Nia Archives
Saturday, The Valley
Bradford producer, DJ, singer and songwriter Nia Archives is living life hard at the moment. Not only did she open for Beyoncé at her London shows last year, she’s just released her debut album Silence Is Loud, and has been playing a heap of live shows all the while single-handedly giving jungle music the most important refresh in years. Fair to say this will go down very well indeed on Saturday as people begin to flock to the main stage for the big names of the festival.
Jyoty
Saturday, The Valley
Early 00s pop, reggaeton, funk, hip-hop and garage are just some of the genres you might be treated to during a Jyoty set. Then again, the Amsterdam-born, London-based DJ has a penchant for deciding on her set on the same day, meaning you never really know what you’re going to get other than a stream of wall-to-wall tunes. There’s a reason her Boiler Room set went viral (other than that Nelly ‘Hot in Herre’ drop), and it should bring you to The Valley on Saturday.
The London boys
Strandz
Saturday, The Valley
We may be in Manchester, but that hasn’t stopped Parklife from bringing a bit of London to the north. Strandz is a young London rapper on a mission to spread love with lyrics that go against the grain of a lot of UK rap and the environment it stems from. In fact, he’s helmed his own ‘Fully Lidge’ (fully legitimate) movement to endorse just that. Expect 90s East Coast influenced sounds and laid back bars perfect for a day in the park to open The Valley on Sunday.
Digga D
Saturday, Parklife Stage
A key player in the drill scene, Digga D isn’t just one dimensional. As well as courting controversy with his lyrics, which have wildly been literally policed, the rapper is pushing the boundaries of UK rap and bringing his own specific genre to a wider audience. Last year he became the youngest rapper ever to headline the Royal Albert Hall, and his unique take of choreographed chaos on stage is bound to bring big crowds to the Parklife Stage on Saturday.
The unmissables
J Hus
Sunday, The Valley
In the extremely privileged position of being both a London boy and one of the weekend’s unmissable acts is J Hus. Last year the rapper sadly cancelled his UK shows due to unforeseen circumstances after a three year hiatus, so fans will be chomping at the bit to see his first live show in years, especially after the commercial and critical success of his latest album Beautiful And Brutal Yard. J Hus is one of those artists who just is summer and there’s no better man to warm up the crowd for Doja Cat on Saturday.
Four Tet
Saturday, The Valley
“Spiritual”, “relentlessly engaging”, and “thrillingly tangible” are just a few ways critics have described Four Tet’s live shows, which is why you should probably dig your heels in and make sure your crew get to The Valley on Saturday. No excuses. The electronic musician released his 12th album earlier this year, and will be demonstrating exactly why he holds such a respected place in the genre when he pops up at Parklife this year.
KAYTRANADA
Sunday, Parklife Stage
Joining Doja as a rare international appearance on the line-up is Canadian producer and rapper KAYTRANADA. Having worked with US rap stalwarts like Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg as well as off-centre vocalists like Kali Uchis and H.E.R, the musician is a king of experimentation and brings house groove together with soft, interesting melodies. Dance if you want to, have a Mr Whippy and regroup as the music washes over you if that’s what you need, just don’t miss Kaytranada.
The ones you’ll recognise from TikTok
Kenya Grace
Saturday, Parklife Stage
Say what you want about TikTok and its cheeky tendency to ravage a whole generation’s attention span/bring the whole model of the music industry into question, it has given us some gems we may not have discovered otherwise. One such artist is South African-born British singer, songwriter, and producer Kenya Grace who managed to notch up millions upon millions of views with her track ‘Strangers’. Catch her on the Parklife Stage on Saturday for an IRL experience.
Peggy Gou
Saturday, The Valley
Peggy Gou has been around a while, but it was the recent viral TikTok that featured her track “(It Goes Like) Nanana” that propelled her into the mainstream. The DJ, singer, songwriter and producer has described the track as embodying that “feeling of love, warmth and excitement when you’re surrounded by friends and loved ones.” What better choice for a festival?
