Summer at the Festivals: A Field in Scotland (or England)

Over the last three months, we've taken a look at some of the highlights from the European and international festival circuit, chatting to the likes of Warpaint and St. Vincent; and last month, we asked Factory Floor, Daniel Avery and others to talk us through the best of the UK's showcase and 'in the city' festivals. This month, we come to the motherlode – the UK field festival calendar is more packed than ever, with events ranging from tiny, boutique shindigs tucked away in the grounds of country homes and farmers' fields, to the spectacle of the big event festivals like Glastonbury and T in the Park, offering star-packed, sprawling bills and epic, hedonistic tent-based adventures. 

In the past it was more than possible do do a round of the entire circuit, taking in Glasto and Reading down south before heading north for T. Attempting that now would leave most festival punters with empty wallets and sore heads – so the smart thing to do is pick which kind of festival experience you want. Small and intimate, with new bands to discover and quirky experiences to be had? Or gigantic and memorable, with once-in-a-lifetime sets from the world's biggest bands? It's all there for the taking, and The Skinny has narrowed down the options for you with the final part of our guide to this summer's festival madness.

We begin with some festivals on our Scottish doorstep – relative newcomer Brew at the Bog (3 May, Bogbain Farm, Inverness) is a boutique, one-day festival up in the spectacular Highlands, with indie from the likes of Admiral Fallow, Kid Canaveral and King Creosote, hip-hop from Stanley Odd, and electro-rock and synth-pop from Miaoux Miaoux and Machines In Heaven. Later in the year, there's the excellent Solas Festival (20-22 Jun, near Perth), which also features Stanley Odd and fellow hip-hop firebrands Hector Bizerk, indie-folk maestros Woodenbox, and a comedy strand featuring Josie Long. It's family-friendly, and in a location with a scenic charm all its own.

Similarly worth a swatch in Scotland in May is the annual Knockengorroch World Ceilidh (22-25 May, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway), which features a wealth of roots, dub, folk and world music, as well as techno and other electronic party fodder, and live showcases from Ninja Tune mainstays Coldcut, Glasgow dub collective Mungo's Hi-Fi, and art rockers How To Swim. Eden (12-15 Jun, Raehills, near Moffat) is another smaller-scale Scottish affair, but growing each year, with a spectacular headliner this summer in the form of Daisy Age hip-hop legends De La Soul. They're joined by UK garage revivalists Artful Dodger, The Nextmen, Mungo's Hi-Fi and The Black Diamond Express, amongst others. Bizarrely, celebrity fitness coach Mr. Motivator is also on the bill.

The only festival which culminates in the ritual sacrifice of a pagan icon, Wickerman (25-26 Jul) have pulled some big names out as headliners this year, relying on the boundless energy and attitude of Dizzee Rascal and the patriotic swell of drunken appreciation that will no doubt greet Del Amitri to head up the main stage. But it's the Solus Tent we recommend, where for the first time, Scottish hip-hop takes centre stage with Young Fathers and Hector Bizerk headlining, plus rising hip-hop/R & B star LAW, and a lyrical showdown from Gasp's Badmouth Battles, plus the cream of Scottish indie and rock including The Amazing Snakeheads, Tuff Love, Cairn String Quartet and others. This is another family-friendly event, with a pop-up cinema, a spoken word tent and other attractions apart from the bands.

A new addition to this year's festival calendar in Scotland is Electric Fields (30 Aug, Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries) – this one-day affair, set in a seventeenth-century castle, and featuring performances from Fatherson, The Lafontaines, Prides, and many more up-and-coming and established Scottish bands, should be a real treat. Also returning is the warm, friendly, boutique experience that is Kelburn Garden Party (4-6 Jul, Kelburn Castle, North Ayrshire), which goes from strength to strength, and last year featured spoken word, a wandering brass band, and that rarest of festival treats, reasonably-priced craft beer. This year's highlights include Red Snapper, Soom T, Dolphin Boy, Ubre Blanca, and a who's who of underground, roots and experimental music.  

The Pulse Festival (23-25 May, Sunnyfields Farm, Ipswich) promises a family-friendly festival, with pop-up restaurants, local ciders and beers and two stages of bands, with crowd-pleasing stuff from the likes of Fun Lovin' Criminals, The Correspondents and Mr. Scruff. The Parklife Weekender (7-8 Jun, Heaton Park, Manchester) boasts one of the best bills for a small festival in the UK this year. Big name headliners include Snoop Dogg, Foals, Rudimental and Kendrick Lamar, while a little further down the bill you'll find the likes of Warpaint and Jon Hopkins. One of the undoubted highlights is a double-feature from Flying Lotus, playing as FlyLo and also as his hip-hop alter-ego Captain Murphy.

Download (13-15 Jun, Donington Park, Derby), the UK's biggest celebration of all things metal, has a curiously retro slant to its bill this year, with Twisted Sister and Aerosmith leading the charge, presumably with the aid of zimmer frames. There's commerical fare from Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold; straight-up darkness and gory excess from the likes of Rob Zombie and Opeth; hardcore from Dillinger Escape Plan. Even Status-bloody-Quo are playing. All yer rock needs, um, catered for? Alternatively, there's the smaller but arguably slicker Sonisphere (4-6 Jul, Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire) who welcome The Prodigy, Iron Maiden, Deftones and Metallica, as well as Mastodon, 65daysofstatic, and Therapy? playing their classic Infernal Love. 

On an experimental tip, Birmingham's Supersonic (30-31 May, Custard Factory, Birmingham) sees the city's Custard Factory venue taken over for a super-limited, 400-ticket showcase festival. Although not strictly fitting this article's remit of field-based festivals, we would be remiss not to mention Supersonic due to its killer bill, this year featuring Swans, Matmos, Wolf Eyes and the KLF's Bill Drummond, among others. 

The big daddy of the UK festival scene is, and probably shall remain, Glastonbury (25-29 Jun, Worthy Farm, Pilton). It's safe to say Glasto is the ultimate 'experience' festival, at least by reputation, with its sheer scale, its after-hours entertainment and community spirit making the place a pilgrimage for music fans, regardless of who is playing. Nonetheless, this year's bill offers an embarrassment of riches, including high-profile slots for the likes of CHVRCHES and Mogwai, alongside everyone from Four Tet to Jurassic 5, and ESG to Interpol; from Kasabian to Skrillex, and from The Sun Ra Arkestra to Massive Attack. If you're lucky enough to have a ticket, enjoy it, ya bam!

Unmatched in Scotland, at least in terms of scale, is T in the Park (11-13 Jul). The main stage plays it safe this year, as has become its custom, with sets from Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris, Paolo Nutini, Pharrell Williams, Elbow and the Arctic Monkeys. But as always, there are some real treats lurking in amongst the bill, with the return of Soul II Soul, a bigger stage for CHVRCHES, DFA analogue techno trio Factory Floor, Odd Future phenom Earl Sweatshirt, and the always-excellent Slam Tent, which this year promises Dave Clarke, Carl Craig, Alex Smoke, Sven Väth, Julio Bashmore and others.

The other enormo-festival worth checking out is the twin-headed hydra that is Reading & Leeds (22-24 Aug, Little John's Farm, Reading, and Bramham Park, Leeds). Like T in the Park, the main stages are dominated by commercial pop, rock and indie, with the likes of Paramore, Blink 182 and Arctic Monkeys heading up the bill, but with a packed line-up, there's something for everyone here, with sets from Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend, CHVRCHES, Temples, and a few choice electronic and hip-hop acts including Die Antwoord, SBTRKT, Andy C and Danny Brown.

In London's Victoria Park, the two-day, dance-oriented Lovebox (18-19 Jul, Victoria Park, London) offers some exciting highlights – alongside big-hitters like Chase & Status, M.I.A., Nas performing the classic Illmatic and Moderat, you can catch sets from Ninja Tune beatsmith Bonobo, LuckyMe's Joy Orbison, post-dubstep pioneers Mount Kimbie, and Brainfeeder mentalist The Gaslamp Killer. Mount Kimibie also pop up at Farr Festival (18-20 July, near London) along with Hercules & Love Affair, Scuba, Daniel Avery, Andrew Weatherall and others, providing a more boutique alternative to the relatively commercial setting of Lovebox. Jabberwocky (15-16 Aug, The Excel Centre, London) is a new venture from the folk behind All Tomorrow's Parties, Pitchfork and Primavera – it's bound to be an eclectic highlight of the calendar, with Tri-Angle's Forest Swords, Warp's Patten and James Blake providing electronic highlights, with Neutral Milk Hotel, Pissed Jeans, Liars and Kurt Vile representing the guitar-slingers.

Happening at the same time, Beat-Herder (18-20 Jul, Ribble Valley, Lancashire) offer a similarly beats and bleeps-focused experience, with headline sets from 2manydjs, Mr. Scruff, Eats Everything and Happy Mondays. The increasingly popular Latitude (17-20 Jul, Henham Park, Suffolk) is headlined by Damon Albarn, Two Door Cinema Club and The Black Keys, alongside Mogwai, Lykke Li, Tame Impala, Julia Holter, and reformed shoegaze pioneers Slowdive, amongst others. Like the Parklife Weekender, the Latitude bill is pretty monumental, so check online for details of who else is playing. Another excellent mid-sized outing is Beacons (7-10 Aug, Heslaker Farm, Skipton) with a line-up of searing quality, including Darkside, Action Bronson, The Fall, Hookworms, King Creosote, Girl Band, Golden Teacher and many others. Quite apart from that, Beacons has a tempting array of craft burgers, beer and coffee, and a diverse programme of arts installations and workshops and other creative pursuits on the go, making it a very tempting prospect. 

One of the UK's best boutique festivals, the Secret Garden Party (24-27 Jul, Mill Hill Field, Huntingdon) features a paint fight, theatre, art, and 'guerilla science' – as well as an amazing bill headed up by Public Enemy, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and Morcheeba, and also featuring Honeyblood and The Amazing Snaleheads. The Hop Farm Festival (4-6 Jul, Hop Farm, Kent) have an eclectic bill, with My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and Dinosaur Jr. leading the bill – elsewhere you'll find DFA-signed Afrobeat, hip-hop and soul wunderkind Sinkane, The Presidents of the United States of America, and Glasgow punk collective PAWS. Truck Fest (18-19 Jul, Hill Farm, Oxford) offer sets from White Lies, The Cribs and Peace, as well as party-starter Andrew W.K., Los Campesinos!, Dan Croll and Deap Vally.  

Kendal Calling (1-3 Aug, Lowther Deer Park, Lake District) is another growing event which has managed to maintain its authentic, free party roots, features a few re-formed 90s stars like Suede and the Happy Mondays, as well as De La Soul, Frightened Rabbit, Augustines and others. BoomTown (7-10 Aug, Matterley Estate, Winchester), a four-day affair returning for its sixth year, divided into 'districts' with areas for kids, a specially built pirate ship, and many more weird and wonderful attractions, also features a decent line-up, with The Cat Empire, NOFX, Tinariwen, Eats Everything, and a wealth of indie, punk, dub, bass music and techno spread across its stages.