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Mini festival of playful pop announced for bank holiday weekend

Organised by the team behind Macho Music Is Stupid, the Sheffield Pop Weekender will feature Helen Love, Chemtrails, Soup Review and MJ Hibbett across two city centre venues.

The team behind gig series Macho Music Is Stupid have announced a new mini-festival for the August bank holiday weekend, with acts representing "an expansive spread of DIY pop, punk-pop and indie-pop, quirk, drone, bleep and noise."

The Sheffield Pop Weekender takes place on 28 and 29 August at Shakespeares in Kelham Island and the Sidney & Matilda gallery in town, with tickets starting from £10.

Headliners include Welsh power-pop veterans Helen Love, Manchester garage punk outfit Chemtrails and oddball guitarist MJ Hibbett.

"The line-up is crazy exciting! Chemtrails released probably our favourite track of last year in 'Uncanny Valley' and the Nervous Twitch album is brilliant," organiser and musician Pete Green told Now Then.

"100% Rabbit thrilled everyone at the online Wales Goes Pop! weekender this year so we're very chuffed to host their first performance outside Cardiff."

"It's also great that we can give a stage to ace Sheffield acts like Soup Review, Duck, My Lo-fi Heart, Avital Raz and Slacks (ex-Darlings of the Splitscreen)."

The festival is split into a louder Saturday lineup at Sidney & Matilda and a more hangover-friendly Sunday session at Shakespeares, with the possibility of a disco on Friday night.

Completing the Saturday lineup are Dignan Porch and Searching For Sylvia, with Tugboat Captain, Keep Back Ivy and a solo set from Pete Green on the Sunday.

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The full festival lineup.

Macho Music Is Stupid.

Weekend tickets cost £20, with day tickets at £14 for the Saturday and £10 for the Sunday, plus a booking fee.

Green said that they're looking forward to singer-songwriter Lilith Ai after seeing her play a "gorgeously sad and defiant set" in 2017, as well as getting back onstage themselves to play new songs.

"But most of all it's just about putting a thing on, isn't it?" they said. "Bringing people together. A few beers and a natter, some life-changingly joyous pop music, and a lot of love in the room."

"It is guaranteed free of dull, loutish rock sung by northern lads through their noses," they added. "It will be absolutely joyful."

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