Field Day 2017: Ten acts to see

Aphex Twin
Ah, the mighty windowlicker himself, Mr Twin! Who knows what his Field Day set will be like, or if he'll even play anything recognisable?! "But it's a festival slot!" we hear you cry! Well, don't let that fool you – if there's one thing you can expect, this will be heavy and most likely massively experimental. You'll kick yourself if you miss it, so do yourself a favour and go dance your nut off to a bit of Aphex Twin; at least you can say you were there.

Arab Strap
One of Scotland's most miserable and much loved outfits, Arab Strap are Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat. A central part of Glasgow's vibrant music scene in the late nineties/early noughties, the pair made a much-welcomed comeback last year to celebrate their 20th anniversary, and guarantee to make this your first big weekend of the summer. 

Death Grips
'Get get get get got got got got,' is what you'll be singing for days after catching one of the most unique and forward-thinking hip-hop acts currently on the circuit. Live drums, experimental beats with a strong industrial feel, and a frontman like no other, Death Grips are a force to be reckoned with and will leave you feeling equal parts overwhelmed and invigorated. Get close enough, and MC Ride will give you a show you won't forget in a very long time. They're in your face and we love them.

Julia Jacklin
From Death Grips to Julia Jacklin, Field Day has all your musical bases covered. If you like your music floaty, a bit country, and you're a sucker for a beautiful voice, then look no further than this Aussie-based singer-songwriter. She wowed us last year with her 2016 debut, Don't Let the Kids Win and we think listening to her live on a lovely sunny afternoon in London is going to be bloody lovely.   

Kite Base
Kite Base is the project of Savages bassist Ayse Hassan, and fellow bassist Kendra Frost – their set-up includes vocals, electronics and, you guessed it, two basses. With only a handful of singles released to date – their debut album Latent Whispers arrives on 26 May – so if you treat yourself to that on payday, you'll have just about enough time to learn all of the words ahead of their appearance on the Crack Magazine stage.

Manuela
Manuela are a lovely summery outfit comprised of Manuela Gernedel and her husband, ex-Franz Ferdinand guitarist, Nick McCarthy. They recently signed to the Isle of Eigg-based Lost Map Records label through which they released their self-titled debut earlier this year. Read our interview with the pair here. 

Pictish Trail
From one Lost Mapper to another; Pictish Trail is the moniker of the label's head honcho Johnny Lynch. Last year he released his Future Echoes album, the follow-up to 2013's Secret Soundz Vol 2. Pictish Trail is one act you don't want to miss live – Lynch will no doubt be wearing his trademark Technicolor Dreamcoat and dancing about like a fanny. His band will most likely consist of Tuff Love bassist Suse Bear and The Phantom Band's drummer Iain Stewart, and we're 99.9% sure there will be a decent amount of glitter to boot. The perfect way to kick off your day in a field. #fieldday

Run the Jewels
'Run them jewels fast, run them, run them jewels fast!' Please, whatever you do, promise us you'll go and check out Run the Jewels – we don't want to ruin their rep, but they're probably two of the nicest men in hip-hop. Not that we've met them, but when we saw them a couple of years back touring their RTJ2 record, they were running late for their Glasgow Garage show and tweeted all the way to the venue apologising, keeping us up-to-date on their every move. Then when they played, they made sure everyone at the front was okay; not getting squashed or dehydrated. And the music is mega. Lyrically rich and bass-heavy, plus Killer Mike and El-P's chemistry is second-to-none. Read our five star review of RTJ3, released at the start of the year.

S U R V I V E
The Texas-based, electronic synth quartet S U R V I V E are perhaps best known for their involvement on the soundtrack for Netflix show Stranger Things, but there's so much more to this four-piece than that. They released their third long player RR7349 towards the end of last year, and it's a pleasure to listen to from start to end. We caught them live at Glasgow's Art School earlier in the year and were blown away by the whole experience: the sounds, the bass, the lights. It was all perfect. Envelop yourself in the bass and wonder of S U R V I V E at this year's Field Day.

Thee Oh Sees
This Californian psyche/grunge band have been on the go for 20 years now as OCS, The Oh Sees and now as Thee Oh Sees, presumably opting for the latter as their most Google-friendly name. They're probably one of the best live bands on the planet right now and will make you want to rip off your shirt and get right up there on that stage with them. Moshing, pogoing and crowd surfing are inevitable. Don't get involved if you don't want to lose all your belongs. Do get involved if you want to have the best fun of your life. 

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Field Day, Victoria Park, London, 3 Jun – tickets on sale now