Lovebox Festival 2013

Despite its growing stature in recent years, Lovebox still counts as a relatively small festival in the grand scheme of things. But it’s precisely the Groove Armada-helmed jaunt’s ability to draw huge names to a field which isn’t so grand in size that you lose all your mates at the same time as losing your shit to the music that has seen it cement its place as one of the most anticipated fixtures on the London summer calendar.

The headline names this year – Azealia Banks, Plan B, Goldfrapp – will once again be familiar to millions, but the wealth of talent lower down the bill is also formidable. In anticipation of our sojourn in Victoria Park this weekend, we’ve picked out five acts who’ve managed to win our affection despite their names not appearing in the biggest letters on the poster, in the hope that they’ll have the same effect on you lot too.

Fear of Men

It’s safe to say that Brighton’s Fear Of Men probably won’t be appearing on many bills with Lil’ Kim, but that’s precisely Lovebox’s charm – amongst all the glitter and rude words, you get far subtler, equally precious gems like this. The gritty yet classy indie-pop crafted by this four-piece runs the gambit from gorgeous to desolate, and will make a welcome change from the day-glo spectacle available across much of the rest of the site.

Mykki Blanco

One of the most startling artists to emerge in 2013 thus far, there seems little that performance artist Michael Quattlebaum Jr. won’t turn his hand to. His CV lists poet, author and actor amongst his skills, but it’s his on stage alter ego as rapper Mykki Blanco who’ll be treating the Lovebox crowd to music inspired by an equal mixture of queer theory, riot grrl and Lauryn Hill.

Prins Thomas

Prins Thomas DJ sets sound like the mind of an easily bored man with a very broad record collection, and are all the better for their genre hopping, wide-eyed approach to getting people dancing. Expect classic Balearic bliss mixed in with plenty of ‘he didn’t just play that, did he?’ moments and a signature tune of his own or two from the head of the neo-house label Full Pupp.

MS MR

First rearing their heads back in 2012, Brooklyn-London duo MS MR unleased an album their self described “Tumblr Glitch Pop, Soul Fuzz and Electroshock” back in May. That’s a knowingly self-deprecating summation, though – Secondhand Rapture was a welcome addition of wit and soul to a scene that could use much more of it, with the duo at its helm fleshed out to a full band for their formidable live show.

Chlöe Howl

It’s entirely possible that by the time she steps on to the Lovebox stage in a few days, Chlöe Howl will be the biggest pop star in the country. Such has been her meteoric rise over the past few months, people seem to have stopped merely comparing the wildly engaging young lady to Lily Allen and Kate Nash, and started talking about her as a contemporary. There’s one sure way to see if the hype’s justified…