We’re delighted to welcome @thefutureheads to Handmade 2019. Get your tickets to see them and 40+ other acts across Leicester on 5th May from https://t.co/boLhXh5jSjpic.twitter.com/qvIfdGMPLV

— Handmade Festival (@HandmadeTotally) January 30, 2019

Earlier this month Sunderland rockers The Futureheads announced they would be returning to touring this year. In a full statement the band said “The Futureheads breathe frantically once more. After our a cappella album ‘Rant!’ strapping the electric guitars back on seemed suddenly so alien. A hiatus was needed – around 2000 days it seems… Over the past 12 months we’ve been chipping away at recording a new album, which is almost ready for release. We’re also looking forward to playing some live shows this year”. The band also released this trailer video, teasing fans.

The Futureheads will be joined at Handmade Festival by over 40 different artists. Including 2011 Mercury Prize nominees Metronomy, Electronic Afro-Funk band Ibibio Sound Machine and Brighton Rockers Black Honey. Alongside a range of poets and artists across the city. The Festival is now in it’s 7th year and previous headliners have included Circa Waves, Twin Atlantic and Slaves.

Jamie Lenman, Martha, Blood Youth, Can’t Swim, Decade, Dream State, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Fresh, Doe, Orchards, Estrons, Superlove, Frauds, JOHN, LIFE, Parting Gift, Petrol Girls, Yr Poetry are just some of the names to be announced for Leicester’s @HandmadeTotally Festival. pic.twitter.com/dJL30IrEU4

— Already Heard (@AlreadyHeardUK) January 29, 2019

Handmade aims to combine music, art, comedy, film and photography to transform the city of Leicester. Tickets are available now for £38.50 for adults, £22 for children and £30.25 for students. The festival will be hosted in The Attenborough Arts Centre, The Cookie, Dryden Street Social, Firebug (Upstairs & Downstairs), O2 Academy Leicester 1 & 2, The Shed, The Soundhouse & The Y, across Leicester. 

We’ve updated our youtube playlist to reflect many of the bands we added today! Dig in and check out whats on offer and then pick up tickets if you haven’t already! https://t.co/dyYzXRDSkW Tickets: https://t.co/boLhXh5jSj — Handmade Festival (@HandmadeTotally) January 29, 2019

News of new material from The Futureheads, the first since 2012’s ‘Rant!’ has sent fans (and fellow bands) into hysterics. The band have amassed a huge following through their five studio albums, anthemic singles and incredible live shows. Their debut album, titled “The Futureheads” (2004) reached number 11 the UK album charts, and their cover of “The Hounds Of Love” as become almost as symbolic as the Kate Bush original. Expect to hear “Wo Ho Ho Ho Ho” bellowed out across festivals and venues all summer.

Yes yes yes awesome news that @thefutureheads are back!!! — Little Comets (@littlecomets) January 23, 2019

The Futureheads!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS you beauties. @thefutureheads — Andrew Willis (@andrewwillis87) January 23, 2019

Excellent news: @thefutureheads are back back back — Fleece (@iamfleece) January 23, 2019

Futureheads 2019 Tour Dates:

The festival will take place at the O2 Academy and the Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester on  the 29^th and 30^th of April next year but it might feel more like Edinburgh than the East Midlands, with both headliners hailing from north of the border. Twin Atlantic released their fourth album, ‘GLA’, back in September and finished the first leg of their UK Tour in October with a second leg that will take in Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow still to come in December. Frightened Rabbit have had an equally busy 2016, releasing ‘Painting of a Panic Attack’ as their fifth studio album in April of this year. They are currently mid-way through a UK Tour which will finish in Newcstle on the 12^th December so if you can’t wait until next year to see the band, or just love them so much you want to see them twice, then the remaining dates of their tour are shown below. In September, the band’s drummer Grant Hutchison announced he would be taking a break from the band as a result of a ‘minor wobble’, according to The Southern Reporter. The band commented on twitter that they are ‘delighted to be headlining’ the festival.

7/12 – Roundhouse – London

9/12 – Trinity – Bristol

10/12 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham

12/12 – Riverside – Newcastle

However, it’s not just these two headline acts which will entice music fans to head down to Leicester for the festival. Glaswegian rockers Honeyblood will join the Scottish contingent to play a set with the line-up completed by Yorkshiremen Pulled Apart By Horses, JAWS, British Sea Power, Muncie Girls, Tigercub, Puppy and Idles. Mxdwn.co.uk reported last month on the return of Pulled Apart By Horses with their new track, ‘The Big What If’, which will be followed by an album and a UK Tour scheduled for next Spring (March and April). Meanwhile, Bristolian indie outfit Idles easily take the crown for the best reaction to the news from among the bands; they took to Twitter following the announcement and wrote, ‘We’ve been accepted into the loving arms of Leicester for @HandmadeTotally. The lineup is littered with shit hotters. Don’t care, be there X.’ Well it’s a ringing endorsement for the rest of the bill and, frankly, if their online persona is anything like their stage persona, Idles sound like a fantastic live act. The band’s debut album, ‘Brutalism’ will be released on 10^th March with their extensive UK Tour to begin on the 6^th. JAWS, meanwhile, released their sophomore album, ‘Simplicity’ last month and will play a trio of other UK dates in 2017.

Festival co-organiser John Help noted his excitement while also looking ahead to future line-up news from the festival, saying, via Dork, ‘It feels so good to finally get this announcement out into the world. Handmade has grown every year since we started it in 2013, but this feels like our biggest step to date as we move into the main room of O2 Academy Leicester, as well as the many other spaces around the Academy and Attenborough Arts Centre. We could not be more excited about the line-up, and this is just a flavour of what you can expect across the two days.’

Weekend tickets for the event are available now and are priced at £44 inc. booking fee for adults; £33 for students and £22 for Under 18s.

Twin Atlantic

Frightened Rabbit

British Sea Power

Pulled Apart By Horses

Honeyblood

JAWS

Tigercub

Muncie Girls

Puppy

Idles