This year was my first visit to Humber Street Sesh, an inner-city music festival taking place at Hull’s marina, for an event that charges between £10 and £20 for a ticket (depending on how early you book), the day is host to an impressive line-up of emerging artists, workshops and art.
The main reason for my visit was to see both Youth Sector and Bungalow, two bands that I have seen before, and alone would be worth the journey from Leeds to watch perform, but upon checking out the multi-stage line-up, I was pleasantly surprised to see many a familiar name, and knew I would be in for a great day of music.
As expected, the majority of the line up consists of bands Local to Hull itself, and it was great to see the amount of talent the city and surrounding area has to offer. The BBC Introducing Humberside Stage hosted at Social was a great example of this. As most people will already know, BBC Introducing is an integral platform for many emerging artists, but one that is currently under threat with a considerable amount of local introducing programming being axed/merged with other regions, with Humberside being among them, with the last radio show scheduled for October of this year.
With exceptional sets from acts such as Bungalow, Candid Faces, and Max Leo, all of whom have received support in one way or another from the Introducing platform, it shows how terrible of a decision it is to lose such a vital thing for many bands and artists.
Although this is a massive shame for the region, having a festival such as Humber Street Sesh slightly softens the blow. The team behind the festival Sesh Events, who also run other events, such as the weekly showcases “Sesh” and “Trinity Live”, do a great job at championing local music.
The first band I saw during my time at the festival was Plain Devilments. Frontman Jimmy Lutkin has a great stage presence and knew exactly how to get the Hull crowd going, and with an impressive lineup of 90s Britpop-influenced songs, it was a brilliant way for many to start their day.
Another highlight for me was Yorkshire-based singer/songwriter, Imogen Hart, who performed a very captivating set on the festival's main stage. Imogen has very deservedly received a lot of love from the regions BBC Introducing team. It was definitely one of my stand-out performances of the day.
Another stand-out performance came from Australian outfit Floodlights. A band I had been hoping to see for a while, and somehow didn’t realise where playing until further inspecting the lineup upon my arrival. Their latest album “Painting of My Time” is up there with one of my favourite releases of the year, and their live performance exceeded my expectations.
My final set of the day came from Youth Sector. I first saw Youth Sector opening for Darwin Deez during his Debut Anniversary tour Last year, and was instantly blown away! They command an amazing stage presence, and play together spectacularly, and even after a single listen, their songs become instantly ingrained in your mind. Youth Sectors' latest EP, “Quarrels” has only increased my love for them.
Having only just seen the band perform a headline show the night previous in Halifax, I knew I’d be in for a treat. Although their set at on the Humber Street Sesh’s Alternative Main Stage was significantly shorter than one may had liked, it still packed an impressive punch, consisted of all the hits, and left everyone wanting more. I don’t think it can get much better than that.
Overall, the festival was undoubtedly one of the best I’ve attended this year, and should definitely be on everyone’s list for its return. An incredibly well-organised event, filled with amazing talent, at an impressive price point that makes it accessible to most. It’s a great introduction for many into the world of live music and really is proof that you don’t need all the “big names” to host an enjoyable event.
A huge thanks to Mark and the rest of the team for inviting me down to experience it for myself. See you next year!
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