Humber Street Sesh, the region’s biggest festival of independent music, is set to attract audiences nationwide with a line-up featuring some top industry bands from across the country.
This year will be the 13th iteration of the award-winning, annual music festival. It will takes place in the Hull Marina area on Saturday, August 2.
Humber Street Sesh continues to provide a platform for regional emerging musicians and artists, but this year festival organisers have deliberately included more emerging bands from across the country, currently grabbing music industry attention, to perform among the 100-plus acts at the festival. Mark Page, festival artistic director, said: “While we want to maintain the festival’s community feel and will always showcase the best regional emerging artists, we’ve shifted the balance to include more UK industry bands in the line-up this year.
“This’ll be beneficial on all levels – it will help inspire the local music scene; help us reach new audiences and stimulate music tourism to the city; ultimately helping our ambition to establish Humber Street Sesh as a recognised UK festival.” Just a few of the standout industry bands tipped to pull in the crowds from outside the area include festival headliner, The Howl and The Hum, an alternative indie band from York, characterised by their lyrical vulnerability, and a genre defying sound that encompasses folk, indie, country and electronica – a Main Stage must-see.
Nottingham’s contemporary alt-indie band, Divorce, have been captivating audiences across the UK and Europe with their trademark theatricality and musicality at live shows and are championed by press and radio as one of the most exciting artists to watch out for. Festival goers can catch them at James Legal Sesh Stage.
(Image: humberstreetsesh.co.uk)
DEAFDEAFDEAF, a five-piece, post-punk band from Manchester, will undoubtedly ignite audiences at the James Legal Sesh Stage. Their live set has been lauded by VOICE as a performance that ‘… exhibits chaos and intensity that has to be experienced first-hand to truly appreciate the immense talents of DEAFDEAFDEAF”.
Avalanche Party, the critically acclaimed garage-punk band hail from the North Yorkshire Moors, will be one of the hottest bands to grace the Hull Trains Dead Bod Stage. They have garnered some superlative accolades from the music industry.
BBC Radio 1 called them “the most exciting rock & roll band in the UK right now”, while LOUDER THAN WAR said: “An absolute tour de force, their boundless energy and breathtaking performance truly sets them apart. By far one of the most thrilling bands, you will see in the UK.”
As Hull hopes to be recognised as a UNESCO Creative City of Music on resubmission of the bid in 2027, it is timely that Humber Street Sesh, after suffering some bruising years with the pandemic, and withstanding constant urban developments, now feels steadier on its feet and has raised its game for 2025 with a line-up to rival any UK grassroots emerging festival, the organisers said.
Cllr Rob Pritchard, portfolio holder for culture and leisure at Hull City Council, commented on the festival’s 2025 programme and the significance of Humber Street Sesh in Hull’s next bid to become a UNESCO Creative City of Music. He said: “Humber Street Sesh is a significant date in Hull’s event calendar, with this year’s line-up shaping up to be the best yet. As we move forward and look to our next bid to UNESCO, its events like Sesh that really help to elevate the city and ensure we are firmly on the UK music scene map.”
Hull Trains, long-term festival partner and sponsor of the Dead Bod Stage, has again pledged support with an offer of free travel for festival goers to boost music tourism to the city. The details will be released soon.
(Image: humberstreetsesh.co.uk)
Louise Mendham, service delivery director at Hull Trains, said: “We’re thrilled to once again be proud partners of this brilliant event. We’re passionate about being an active part of the local communities that we serve and it’s great to see the Humber Street Sesh going from strength to strength every year.
“Our offer of free travel for those heading to the festival is our way of supporting the team in making it an even greener event. Rail travel is the greenest mode of long-distance transport, with just one train removing hundreds of cars from the road.”
Mark was enthusiastic about the festival’s future direction. He said: “With the exceptional line-up of industry bands from across the UK and the best in regional emerging music this year, we hope to raise the festival’s profile, and move it further along the path to national recognition.”
For more information on stage line-ups visit humberstreetsesh.co.uk (with further line-ups to be released soon). Humber Street Sesh 2025 takes place at Hull Marina, Saturday, August 2, midday-11 pm.
Tickets can be purchased via humberstreetsesh.co.uk and seetickets.com with general admission advance tickets £20 (+booking fees) until August 1. Festival entrance wristbands are £30, August 2.
Free entrance for children 12yrs and under, when accompanied by an 18yrs+ fee-paying adult. Wristband exchange locations TBC