Kelburn Garden Party 2022: First acts announced

We take a closer look at Kelburn Garden Party's first announcement for 2022 featuring Max Cooper, HENGE, DJ Kampire, Nova, Optimo, Free Love and more

Preview by Tallah Brash | 11 Feb 2022

At the start of 2020 we were very much looking forward to returning to the Kelburn Garden Party that summer, especially after how much fun we had at their 10th anniversary celebrations in 2019. Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped that from happening, and a decision was made early on in 2021 to postpone the festival once again.

With festival announcements starting to come in thick and fast for the year ahead, we find ourselves once again looking forward to returning to Kelburn Castle this summer from 1-4 July as the 2022 lineup has just been announced. Originally booked for 2020, it's great to see that the amazing sounds and sights of electronic and techno producer Max Cooper, whose new album Unspoken Words is out next month, will still be able to thrill the Kelburn crowd with his live AV show. Manchester's HENGE are set to bring their cosmic energy to Kelburn too, as are Skye's trad/electronic fusioneers Niteworks.

The Skinny at Kelburn Garden Party

After programming the Pyramid Stage’s Saturday line-up in 2018 and 2019, The Skinny are back in 2022 for round three. This time we're curating the Pyramid line-up for not one, not two, but all three days of the festival, which seems fitting given the fact we've been forced to take a couple of years off.

A man in a pink and orange superhero outfit stands on a hill overlooking a city skyline; he is pointing directly at the viewer.
Image: Squiggles by Richie Morgan

We're delighted to be welcoming 2020 Scottish Album of the Year Award winner Nova to The Skinny stage this year. We absolutely loved her Re-Up record and since then she's only gone from strength to strength, picking up the DJ Mag Award for Breakthrough MC in 2021. With four SAY Award nominations under their belt (two in their former guise as Happy Meals), our November 2019 cover stars Free Love will be bringing their euphoric energy to Kelburn this summer too, as will Glasgow-based rapper Bemz, whose Saint of Lost Causes record was longlisted for the award in 2021.

We're also thrilled to have the exceptional talent of musical polymath Kapil Seshasayee and his band joining us for the 2022 festival, as well as recent Alcopop! Records signee and former Spook School drummer-turned-mental health fighting superhero, Squiggles. After catching him at Hidden Door last autumn, we also can't wait to experience the unequivocal joy of Tupper Werewolf, Scotland's answer to Dan Deacon. We also caught Edinburgh purveyors of danceable bangers Maranta at Hidden Door, and just couldn't resist inviting them back for another round of fun at Kelburn after they played our stage in 2019.

Noisy band of Michaels (all members are genuinely called Michael), Slime City, who count a shoe amongst their instruments, will be bringing their dry wit and Weezer-indebted chaos to the Pyramid Stage for us this year too, as will Olive Grove’s incredibly talented Moonsoup. With song titles like Soup Soup Soup, Indecisive Slut-bitch and I Don’t Like Rocket Unless It’s In Small Portions, we’re sure they’ll go down well with the Kelburn crowd.

You'll also find the jangly guitars of Upset the Rhythm's quirky Buffet Lunch, synth-pop from Dundee's Echo Machine, vital avant-pop from Katherine Aly, riot grrrl catharsis from Edinburgh gang Fistymuffs and gorgeous lo-fi bedroom swoons from Swiss Portrait on our stage over the course of the weekend, with more acts still to be announced.

DJ Paulette, standing in front of a wall with patches of paint and graffiti.
DJ Paulette. Photo: Annapurna Mellor

Elsewhere, the line-up includes Haçienda resident DJ Paulette, the saxophone-toting, free-spirit that is Lost Map Records affiliate Alabaster dePlume, Derry-born DJ and producer Or:la, and 24hr Garage Girls, who got their break at Boomtown festival, who are set to bring their 140BPM UKG and bass to the party. Kelburn's 2022 line-up also beckons the return of one of East Africa’s most exciting artists, DJ Kampire – check out her incredible performance at the 2018 Nyege Nyege festival for Boiler Room here.  

There are a whole host of local acts rounding out the first wave too, with OptimoStanley Odd, Vaj.Power, Austin Ato, Corto.alto, Butho the Warrior and the Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra all set to bring the party.


Kelburn Garden Party 2022 runs from 1-4 Jul at Kelburn Castle, near Largs 

kelburngardenparty.com