Words: Sophie Jones
There’s a new name on the festival map and it’s close to our home in Bristol! This May Bank Holiday, Show of Hands lands in Bruton, bringing people together for three days of UK soul, underground club culture, and genre-fluid weirdness to a farm.
From jazz punks and broken-beat heads to acid house veterans and rising selectors, the curation reads less like a festival algorithm and more like someone’s very well-loved record shelf.
Here are 10 acts you’ll want to be front and centre for.
Oscar Jerome
There’s no faking it with Oscar. His live sets feel like protest and poetry wrapped in groove – soul, jazz and hip-hop flowing into each other. His latest album ‘The Spoon’ hits hard and is not one to be missed.
Charlotte Dos Santos
Charlotte’s voice doesn’t so much fill a space as stretch it into something cinematic. Her songs walk the line between softness and scale – jazz-inflected soul, delicate orchestration and proper emotional weight.
Lamisi
Ghanaian singer Lamisi threads together Afro-soul, funk, highlife and pure sunshine. Her voice is all warmth, her sound is all movement. If you want a live set that reminds you of summer and beach, don’t miss it.
Dargz
Lo-fi with intent. Dargz builds beats that feel lived-in – MPC-heavy, jazz-flecked and layered with just the right amount of tape hiss. If you’re the type to wander away from the main stage and end up locked into a deep instrumental set mid-afternoon, this one’s for you.
Somewhere Soul
Somewhere Soul has been quietly amplifying the next wave of UK neo-soul, R&B and future jazz for a while now. Expect a handful of criminally underrated artists ready to steal the weekend, and maybe a few who’ll be headlining in two years.
Dan Shake
There’s something slightly unhinged about a Dan Shake set – and that’s a compliment. MPC-led grooves, raw disco edits, dusty house records, maybe a bit of broken beat if the mood’s right. It’s not polite, it’s not polished – it’s dancefloor joy in its purest form.
General Levy ft. TC & The Groove Family
Yes, it’s a festival exclusive. No, you shouldn’t miss it. This is Levy in full voice backed by the big-band-meets-breaks energy of TC & The Groove Family. Think brass stabs, rolling subs and the kind of energy spike that reminds you why you still love festivals.
Eglo
Eglo isn’t just a label – it’s a whole ecosystem. Born out of London’s underground, the collective has long been a home for soulful, leftfield club music that sits somewhere between jazz, broken beat, house and dancefloor weirdness. Perfect for dancing with a bit of space to breathe and a crowd that’s properly locked in.
Jamz Supernova
Jamz Supernova is one of those DJs who just gets it. Her sets are fun, fast-moving and full of warmth – jumping between soulful grooves, bassy club tracks and leftfield dance sounds without ever losing the crowd. Whether you know her from BBC 6 Music or you’re discovering her for the first time, this is the kind of set that pulls everyone in and keeps the energy high from the first record to the last.
Lily London
Lily London brings the kind of energy that feels effortless but hits every time. Her sets move smoothly between soulful house, UK club sounds and feel-good dancefloor moments, always with a sense of fun at the centre.
//Words: Sophie Jones//