Love Saves the Day 2024: A comprehensive line-up review for Bristol students

I think we all thought Love Saves the Day was going to have a hard time topping last year’s legendary headliners (all I have to say is Fatboy Slim) but lo and behold they’ve done it again. Now the much-anticipated 2024 sesh is nigh, the fields of Ashton Court will soon be full of music enthusiasts welcoming in the summer.

Bristol’s biggest music festival falls on the last weekend of May this year, perfect timing for the students wanting to blow away the cobwebs after exam season…I have a sneaky feeling I won’t be the only one packing up a heavy week in the ASS and heading straight to Ashton Court.

Not bought your ticket yet? No need to fret, sales are still live. Now, let’s take a look at who will be getting the crowds going from that legendary heart-shaped stage this year…

Saturday

Attention techno and house lovers! For you will be pleased to hear CamelPhat are taking to the spotlight headlining the Saturday. Known for their unique spin on the traditional EDM sound, I for one can’t wait to hear Breathe belted live from the main stage. They even performed at Coachella in 2019 and 2023 so it’s safe to say they’re used to big crowds and high stakes.

Rumour has it they’ll be accompanied by the legendary Rudimental. Are you ready to relive your school days? Rudimental are one of the biggest names in the UK’s dance music scene; they rising to fame in the mid-2010s.

With a mere 12.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, they are certainly one of the biggest acts in the line-up. No doubt appearing on every Gen Z’s throwback playlist, I am sure the crowds will be positively surging once the iconic base of Feel the Love starts drumming…

And that’s just the headliners, there are some real gems within the rest of the line-up too. Garage go-ers will be thrilled at the likes of Sammy Virji and Girls Don’t Sync featuring on the Saturday list. I doubt Virji needs much of an introduction in front of a Bristol crowd but those who haven’t heard of GDS should check them out.

These girls can match beats and are proudly annihilating the stereotype associated with female DJs – plus they’re oozing swagger whilst doing so. Wilkinson is back again for another year of strobe lights and nostalgic sounds. The Crofters crowd will be satisfied I’m sure by the attendance of 4am Kru.

More returning favourites include Shy FX, and Katy B – it’s gearing up to be a weekend of banger upon banger. Whenever Katy on a Mission starts playing, I’m always transported back to the golden age of first year when puffing on a red apple ice vape in the Brass Pig smoking area was the only way to pass a Wednesday evening.

However, if Katy doesn’t quite pique your fancy and you much prefer to spend your Friday’s romanticising Turbo Island, then Interplanetary Criminal is for you. It looks like Badger and Clipz will be proudly representing the Bristol scene, after all, we are in the birthplace of the genre.

Sunday

With SubFocus’s Desire being one of the biggest anthems of our generation, the Sunday headliners are not letting us down either. The genius that is SubFocus will take centre stage and present his new album Evolve. He’s bound to get you grooving on the dancefloor with his euphoric DnB.

Straying slightly from the trajectory of drum and bass, The Streets will share the Sunday spotlight. The man behind the magic, Mike Skinner, surprised his fanbase in 2017 when he announced (thank goodness) that he was coming out of retirement.

One of the most influential rappers from the early noughties and a definitive lyrical prodigy, Skinner changed the game for musicians in Britain. Probably best known for Fit but You Know it, this hilarious classic crowd favourite will get all the girlies in their parachute pants and bikini tops grooving (I am girlies).

If these two massive acts aren’t enough to excite you, the smaller stages feature Hedex and Bou. DJ Soc, I’m looking at you here. If you’re not a fan of such dutty drums, Sigma, Kilimanjaro, and Eliza Rose will also be raving behind the decks on the Sunday.

If you feel like getting a sneak peek at some of the headliners ahead of the big weekend, the Love Inn is running Love Saves Wednesdays in advance of the festival. They are cleverly “bringing festival-sized bookings to an intimate space”. Check it out this Wednesday (8^th May) for Eliza Rose + Safiye live.

Shoutout to my friend Flo who was obviously having too good a time at the Love Inn to take the ‘cute artsy pic’ I requested. So here is a blurry one instead.

I’d now like to take the time to (humbly) admire my own handiwork. I’ve had the unequivocally original idea of curating a LSTD 2024 playlist where you can find all the bangers in one place. It’s perfect for those early summer BBQs on the Downs- playing a little liquid in the background never harmed anybody.

If you’ve already got your tickets then this playlist will do nothing but excite you. If you haven’t, I’m afraid it’ll only persuade you to drop those precious pennies.

My dear friend Heidi falling at the first peer pressure hurdle I flung her way.

Thankfully, it’s not long now until exams are over and we strap on a bumbag for a weekend to remember (or not as the case may be).

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