THE four-day EquiRocks music festival returns to Barrow this month, and the line-up has now been announced.

The seasonal festival at The Derby will see 16 bands take to the stage between Thursday March 16 and Sunday 19, featuring the best local names and some well-regarded out-of-town acts.

Featuring a line-up of highly-rated out-of-town acts and some of the best local names, this spring event is shaping up to be one of the venue's strongest events to date.

Opening the whole festival is Jonny Regan, of Furness rockers Wildfire, playing his stripped-back solo set.

Expect some acoustic renditions of some classic tracks and some self-penned originals.
Collie Stewart

Collie Stewart follows him - a regular at the Dalton Road venue, he played at the last EquiRocks event in 2016, as well as its late-summer incarnation, Before Sunset.

The singer-songwriter is known for both his accomplished originals and impeccable covers, having established himself as one of Barrow's top solo acts over the past eight years.

The event sees Among Giants in one of their most high-profile shows to date, as second-headliners on the night. Furness' youngest rock band, the teenage stars formed at the South Lakes Rock School, and made an impression with a number of pub gigs and support slots in 2016, as well as being selected for the upcoming final of Lakes Got Talent.

Headliners on day one are Natterjack, who have previously headlined the Before Sunset event at The Derby, as well as shining at at Millom's Dirty Dozen event.

The progressive rock four-piece formed around 18 months ago, they have put together a set featuring accomplished originals, with some of the tracks set to appear on their debut EP, Spawned, which is due out this spring.

Friday's confirmed acts are all highly-promising indie rock bands to look out for in 2017.

Grimsby-based The Brookes kick things off, with their punk-influenced take on the genre. Having supported major acts such as The Pigeon Detectives, Reverend And The Makers and Scouting For Girls, and gained airtime on BBC Radio 2, they are looking to make a big impact with their upcoming new single, which will feature in the set.
The Chadelics

Casey Lowry, a solo artist who has enjoyed airtime on BBC Radio One lately, making it onto its regular playlist, will provide one of the most anticipated sets of the festival.

The star-in-the-making has also made it as high as number two in Spotify's viral top 50 chart with his new single, Trampoline, is set for a big summer of festival dates, as he continues to pick up legions of fans for his 1975 and The Hunna-like indie pop.

Cumbrian favourites The Chadelics are back in town for the first time this year following a series of high-profile Manchester shows of late. They are in the midst of releasing a series of singles, all of which are likely to be included at this Barrow festival.

Following a big year, including their main stage debut at Kendal Calling, the local act are looking for similar success this year with more releases and major shows expected throughout 2017.

Heading up from Leeds, The Chessmen are another act that have established themselves quickly, and are well worthy of a headline slot.

Formed last year, they've received plenty of acclaim for their 60s-style garage rock, having played shows all over the country in their short time together.

Getting the weekend dates under way on Saturday evening will be Brighton-based rock band Brunt Poetry - potentially one of the stand-out acts of the entire event, with their frontman utilising a combination of rap and poetry.

With their obvious Rage Against The Machine and The Streets influences, they have performed across the UK, and released their three-track effort, CCTV EP, last summer.

Midlands outfit Construct provide something totally different, and will be looking to make an impression with their impressive technical metalcore.
Paloma Café

They have just launched their debut album, The Deity, and are set to make waves in 2017 with their polished and highly-accomplished sound.

By far the newest band appearing at EquiRocks are Liverpool's Vulture Cult - who aren't set to make their debut appearance until the week before the festival.

An indie and alternative four-piece, since announcing their arrival earlier this month, they've released a demo track in the vein of Royal Blood and Nothing But Thieves, hinting at a live set of original material.

Headlining the Saturday bill will be Paloma Cafe - a three-piece, indie-pop band, playing their own original material that brings together all the members' eclectic influences, such as REM, The Smiths, Teenage Fanclub, and Blur.

Formed more than a year ago, they have played events such as Ulverston's Another Fine Fest, and recently received radio play on Steve Lamacq's BBC 6Music show.

The Sunday starts with a visit from London-based, Berlin-raised pop duo Leisure Tank.

Pulling together art rock and indie influences, they have made a name for themselves with their looped guitars and danceable rhythms, which they are currently working into an album's worth of material for a debut release.

Folk rock trio Paddy Garrigan and the Stroller Priests have been part of the Lancashire live circuit for around five years, but their appearance in Barrow represents a rare foray into Furness.


Paddy Garrigan and The Stroller Priests Having released their debut album, I Jumped Ship, last year, they achieved airtime on BBC 6Music, and also played on the Melodrome stage at Solfest last autumn.

Their folk rock sound is complemented by the narrative lyrics, which include epic tales of sea monsters, James Joyce, Dad’s Army and the afterlife.

Ulverston shoegaze grunge trio Strangers To ourselves return to The Derby, having made their Barrow debut at the Dalton Road venue's Before Sunset festival just 18 months ago.

They released their self-titled EP last summer, and have been showcasing some of their newer tracks in recent months ahead of another recording session at some stage this spring.

Pop punk upstarts Fight For Friday will have the comfort of a hometown show as they fill the final slot of the weekend.

Now a four-piece, they continue to put on an energetic live show, which saw them head out on a series of dates across the UK last summer.

The young outfit have already played the Windermere Winter Jam this year, with a summer date at Cumbrian event EskFest coming up, so this local headline show will be among an array of highlights this year for the promising band.

Paul Coulton, of Still Frame Media, who organise the festivals, says: "These festivals have stemmed from me putting four nights of music on in a row over a bank holiday a couple of years ago to now one every three months - or one per 'season'.

"They keep growing and it's really my pleasure to try bring in more and more varied and interesting original music from around the world, where possible, as each event comes along.

"It's almost as if the audiences have synced into my psyche and want to be challenged more and more, which keeps me on my toes and pushes the quality of music ever higher. This time around is no exception with a lot of young, original bands, of all genres."

EquiRocks will run at The Derby from Thursday March 16 and Sunday 19, getting under way at 9pm each night. Entrance is free.