The Shoreditch multi-venue festival back with a huge first wave.

East London Block Party is back! After three sold-out years, the festival continues to build its reputation as a go-to for anyone looking to catch the best new acts on the live scene. Previous editions have featured marquee sets from the likes of The Orchestra (For Now), Butch Kassidy, Moreish Idols and Y, often proving the last opportunity to catch such acts on an intimate scale. Once more, the festival takes place across four Shoreditch all within a quick walk of each other: Colours, The Old Blue Last, Strongroom and Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, and this year runs on 25^th July.

This week, the festival announced a strong first nine acts and seems to have been curated primarily on the strength of its acts’ live shows. Among them are Blue Bendy and casual smart, who were both exceptional at last week’s Great Escape launch night at the Old Blue. We are of course delighted to see Wing! on the list after they blew away our TGE stage last year and released one of the best EPs of last year. cruush are down from Manchester, making up for lost time after having to pull out of last year’s edition of Block Party, and we’re excited to catch their fellow Mancunians Truthpaste, who are generating a lot of excitement right now. Canned Pineapple are always an instant hit in this kind of setting, and completing this initial bill is the strong trio of Alphabet, Ashnymph and Adore.

Early Bird and Super Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but official First Release is now on sale at £14. With the lineup set to swell beyond this outstanding first selection and panel talks, artist Q&As, secret sets and acoustic popups promised, the festival is set to reassert its claim to being perhaps the essential multi-venue festival in London. Tickets and more info here.