Our Humber Street Sesh programmer, local promoter, The Sesh and Polar Bear powerhouse, and all-round music legend Daniel Mawer (Low Hummer, La Bête Blooms) gives us his top picks and artists you must see this year at Humber Street Sesh 2023.
CHIEDU ORAKA
University of Hull Main Stage, 22:15
Championing Hull is something that comes naturally to this year’s Main Stage headliner, Chiedu.
Raised on a North Hull Estate, the rapper has raised the city’s profile across the country thanks to songs like ‘Men Behaving Badly’ and ‘Darcy, which have not only received millions of plays on Spotify but have been staple songs for those in the know within UK rap and grime.
Chiedu’s live performances are full of controlled tenacity, conveying unique tales and stories of Hull, a must-see.
COLE LC
University of Hull Main Stage, 21:15
We believe this year’s Main Stage programme offers a host of acts with big futures that will attract mass audiences. COLE LC is a 19-year-old Leeds lad with a great future, thanks to his inquisitive ear for making great R&B and pop, we hear the Mike Skinner and Lil Baby influences! Making his debut performance at the festival.
ELLUR
University of Hull Main Stage, 19:15
It’s always a special moment for us as Sesh promoters, to witness an act we’ve worked with countless times in Hull play at an industry festival like Great Escape.That’s exactly what happened with Ellur in 2023, having played our weekly Sesh night, the Halifax-born indie singer smashed her set at the Brighton festival in front of a packed audience. Recent years have been crucial to the band’s development, and Ellur has a knack for writing pop bangers that wear her Yorkshire accent and attitude with pride.
CASINO
Dead Bod Stage, 18:20
Social’s impact has been crucial for the city of Hull, the 300-capacity multipurpose venue has brought us some incredible touring acts, alongside their Humber Street Live Saturdays, which was the Liverpool four-piece Casino’s first performance in the city.
Classic Northern Soul is the band’s unique perspective, influences such as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett are evident in one of our favourite Sesh imports in recent years.
IMOGEN HART
University of Hull Main Stage, 13:15
Having regularly played Hull’s prestigious venue’s open mics, Imogen has developed a powerful songwriting craft that merges contemporary pop with elements of folk and indie, she truly is one of the city’s brightest talents, with the potential to find a mass audience.
Her performances have captured the imagination of Sesh regulars and earned her festival slots across the country, including last year’s Live at Leeds Festival.
Possessing a voice that can stop an audience in its tracks, she rightly opens this year’s Main Stage.
YOUTH SECTOR
Hull Cars Alternative Stage, 19:45
A powerhouse of 80s nostalgia, Youth Sector merge Talking Heads fun with DEVO, with snazzy suits galore, the band is, quite frankly, one of the most outstanding acts we’ve had at the weekly Sesh night.
Brighton-based, this is a rare chance to see one of England’s most hard-working and exciting touring acts.
The band’s releases to date have received critical praise from the likes of DIY Magazine, DORK, So Young, Gigwise, Line Of Best Fit, Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), and we’re keen believers in the art-rock five-piece too.
FEVER
BBC Music Introducing Humberside Stage, 22:15
Not many bands from Hull can boast the pedigree of Fever’s CV.
Having supported Indie darling’s Blossoms across the country in sold-out arenas, the Hull five-piece recently performed at the prestigious Maida Vale for BBC Introducing and have toured the UK numerous times, playing the venues that really matter to eager audiences.Possessing one of the city’s finest songwriters certainly helps, James Taylor’s vocals and lyrical wit combine beautifully with the band’s indie sensibilities; no greater example than their 2019 single ‘Jungle Man’ which has hundreds of thousands of streams. Headlining the Introducing Stage.
THE BLACK DELTA MOVEMENT
Dead Bod Stage, 22:20
Most bands’ lifespans don’t last longer than a couple of years. So it feels especially special to have The Black Delta Movement headlining the Deadbod Stage, over 10 years after making their Humber Street Sesh debut!
The band immediately found form across Europe, touring with the likes of Bo Ningen, with their lasting local legacy still well intact thanks to the tenacity of much-loved frontman, Matt Burr, the band’s lead singer.
Their new album, full of psychedelic rock bangers, ‘Recovery Effects’ is well worth a listen, and if you’re visiting the festival, their headline slot will no doubt be memorable.
OPUS KINK
Dead Bod Stage, 21:20
Brought to the city thanks to local promoter legends Lucia and Jack, Opus Kink has been one of the most engaging live acts to play at emerging music festivals over the past year.
NME Magazine describes them as “Horn-fueled filth-funk, where punk and jazz combine in grimy circumstances.”
Touring the UK this winter, catch them at the festival before their Polar Bear performance at the end of the year!
DILETTANTE
Dead Bod Stage, 17:20
If touring with the genius BC Camplight isn’t enough, Leeds/Manchester act Dilettante has amassed critical acclaim from those in the know in recent years, thanks to live sessions on Radio 6, and an incredible album, ‘Tantrum’ that has brought comparisons to St Vincent and Fiona Apple. Headed by Francesca, who gained her stripes busking in York, Leeds and Manchester.
We believe Dilettante is a must-see live, purely for the four-piece’s capability to loop instruments and merge genres and textures with Kate Bush-esque vocals.