Manchester’s biggest music festival Parklife returns this coming weekend, with a cracking line-up set to perform in Heaton Park. The event promises its usual mix of big-name rappers, contemporary pop and DJs from across the globe – not to mention the outfits, which are often brilliantly bizarre and pay absolutely no regard to Manchester’s climate.
With so many great acts to choose from, it’s hard to select a few highlights. Still, there are some standouts we’re particularly excited about this year – so here are our top five acts to watch out for if you’re heading to Prestwich on the 11th and 12th.
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50 Cent
50 Cent might seem like an odd headliner for Parklife. It’s a festival that prides itself on relevance, while the 46-year-old rapper hasn’t released an album in almost a decade and never really topped the success of his mid-00s hits ('In Da Club', '21 Questions', 'Candy Shop'). But much of his early music’s had a second life recently, sampled and reworked by UK drill artists from Digga D to M1llionz.
His set’s a must-see if only for the nostalgia value, and if his surprise performance at the Super Bowl in February is anything to go by, it ought to be a lot of fun.
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Megan Thee Stallion
The miseries of 2020 drew us to escapist pleasures: Dua Lipa’s pop masterpiece 'Future Nostalgia', Jessie Ware and Kylie’s takes on disco, the return of Lady Gaga.
Boldest and brashest of all was 'WAP', the sex-positive anthem that meant we’d never look at macaroni in the same way again. Megan Thee Stallion’s tour this year is both a victory lap and a chance to tease some new tracks off her upcoming second album, including 'Plan B', a scathing fuck-you to an ex.
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PinkPantheress
PinkPantheress is testament to how contingent the TikTok hype machine is: a bedroom producer from Kent, she layers witchy vocals over old-school garage and drum and bass beats to create a sound that’s both retro and totally new.
It’s hard to predict what her performance will be like, not least because her intimate, slightly gothic music doesn’t seem a natural match for the grand scale of Parklife. But that unpredictability is part and parcel of her charm, and this will be a good opportunity to see a really innovative artist at the start of her career.
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Caroline Polachek
At some point between her fidgety, melodic music with Chairlift and her collaboration with Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens on this year’s 'New Shapes', Caroline Polachek became an unlikely gay icon. The trigger point was probably 'So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings', but every track on her debut album 'Pang' was a high-quality showcase for her innovative production and swooping, literate vocals.
Her output hasn’t wavered since, and we can expect to hear some dazzling new tracks showcased alongside gems from 'Pang', with Polachek’s approach to fashion sure to offer a visual treat.
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Jamie xx
Jamie xx’s DJ set was one of the highlights of the festival last year, an irresistible mélange of disco, garage and – briefly and confusingly – Bruce Springsteen’s 'I’m On Fire'.
Fans hungry for a follow-up to 2015 album 'In Colour' might have a little longer to wait, but going by his performance at Coachella earlier this year, Jamie xx’s unique approach to British dance music isn’t getting old any time soon. Not to mention that he’s the only person who can carry off drinking red wine while he DJs.
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Parklife 2022 takes place in Manchester’s Heaton Park from Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th June 2022. Tickets are available here.
Words: Tom Kingsley
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