These are the top UK events in August 2019

Bound for hell in a homemade vessel the UK may be, but at least this month gives us plenty of opportunities to go out dancing. 

If festival season has passed you by so far fear not, the fat lady has yet to sing with some of the country’s finest outdoor offerings waiting in the wings. Houghton is back— check No.1 for London and the South— and so is the wonderfully intimate Field Maneuvers. This year’s line-up is probably the best yet, and for more reasons than Nick Hoppner playing garage and Mark Archer b2b Hectick on a jungle tip. 

Less frantic, 51st State Festival marks five years of US and UK house vibes in the capital, with Chicago MVP Terry Hunter among the highlights. DJ Mag Best of British Awards-winner Ellie Cocks is also involved, with PAs from legends like Robert Owens. More soul than you can shake a stick at. 

R&S Records is in town and clearly means business. Founder Renaat Vandepapeliere, Irish IDM-ers Lakker and Romanian techno type Ada Kaleh are just a few reasons to attend. Meanwhile Printworks hosts The Hydra with a strong North American contingency including electro funk pioneer DāM Funk. 

In the northern regions, Hide & Seek debuts at a stately home in Cheshire with minimal high on the agenda; we’re so excited we gave it pole position. Creamfields is back again, too, and bigger than ever— barely a non-headliner in sight. Outside England’s borders, Platform 18 is that Glasgow rave under a train bridge, local lads Ivan Kutz and Frazer Campbell shouldn’t be missed. 

Jika Jika! returns to Derry, with two Irish names joining forces b2b‚ Brame & Hamo and Sally C. In terms of small parties, Sheffield wins out thanks to Control x Mizik Nou bringing in European electro godfather, Italo king and Indian flute fan Alexander Robotnick, where esteemed Manchester stalwart Annabel Fraser offers support. 

Elsewhere, Gilles Peterson brings Worldwide home for his first domestic festival— We Out Here takes the top spot. Lost Village is here again, the Moda Black-founded theatrical and surrealist weekender has some heavyweights confirmed. Little Dragon should be awesome in those woods, and you've got a full Studio Barnhus entourage which doesn't happen every day. 

Less established, but equally exciting, Headroom looks set to celebrate the Welsh free party spirit while showcasing top-drawer underground names; from esteemed producer Duckett to techno crew Meat Free and tech-y curveball purveyor, Gwenan. It’s also worth noting Rush Hour co-founder Antal is at treasured Birmingham spot Hare & Hounds on behalf of Leftfoot and Fight Night. And razor sharp techno sophisticate DJ Masda makes a very rare appearance in the same city. For the love of all we have left, try not to miss out. 

More complete listings are out now in DJ Mag Issue 596, August 2019, fronted by faces from the groundbreaking Hyperdub label. 

LONDON / SOUTH

1. HOUGHTON FESTIVAL 
THURSDAY 8TH - SUNDAY 11TH AUGUST 
HOUGHTON HALL, NORFOLK 
Since inception in 2017 Houghton has been amongst the most hyped weekenders on the UK circuit. Thankfully, reports back have always been triumphant, combining one of England’s greenest quarters, 24-hour music, and the attention to detail expected from the crew responsible— team Gottwood. There’s also the small matter of a music programme curated by Craig Richards; hardly a man for afterthoughts. 

Top tips for episode three include live stuff from Karen Gwyer, Pole, Harvey Sutherland, Howie B and Akufen, while fellow Canadian The Mole will also be wielding kit combined with his renowned DJ skills. Throw in everyone else— from techno hero Billy Nasty to jungle don Randall, minimalist Vera to bass pioneer Peverelist, UK hero Carl Finlow (Silicone Scally) to rising stars like Bobby and global names Ricardo Villalobos, Seth Troxler and Raresh, and all that big talk starts to sound like an undersell. 
4PM - 2AM / £187 

2. FIELD MANEUVERS 
FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST - SUNDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
TBA, SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
Nick Hoppner, Mark Archer b2b Hectick, Giant Swan, The Black Madonna, Sandrien, Kiara Scuro, Umfang, more. 
12PM - 12AM / £139 

3. THE HYDRA 
SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST
PRINTWORKS, LONDON 
Carl Craig, DāM Funk, Moodymann is bound to sound like a soulful smoke-out. Larry Heard feat. Fatima and Paul Cut, Lefto, Joe Armon-Jones. 
12PM - 11PM / £22.50 - £27.50 

4. R&S RECORDS: IN ORDER TO DANCE
SATURDAY 24TH AUGUST
STUDIO 338, LONDON
Surgeon, Actress, Shed, Space Dimension Controller, Machine Woman, Renaat Vandepapeliere, Ada Kaleh, Lakker, Illum Sphere. 
2PM - 6AM / £15 - £25 

5. 51ST STATE FESTIVAL 5TH BIRTHDAY
SATURDAY 3RD AUGUST
TRENT PARK, LONDON
Kerri Chandler, Louie Vega, David Morales, Julie McKnight, Joyce Sims, Robert Owens, Session Victim, Terry Hunter, Ellie Cocks, more. 
11AM - 11PM / £45 

NORTH / SCOTLAND / NORTHERN IRELAND

1. HIDE & SEEK FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 31ST AUGUST
CAPESTHORNE HALL, CHESHIRE 
Just 30 minutes from Manchester, and not too far from the rest of the Northern Powerhouse, Hide & Seek favours a more stripped down, detailed techno compared with many parties in this region right now. And, in its first year, the line-up packs enough talent to suggest those responsible should pull this off. 

Mathew Johnson plays live, with Nicolas Lutz, Francesco Del Garda, Margaret Dygas, Praslea, Shonky, Ingi Visions (AKA Julian Alexander and Samuel Deep), Spokenn (Ferro and Reiss of Amsterdam’s VBX crew) and new fabric resident Voigtmann basically make  this a meeting of crisp, clean, punchy minds. Throwing caution to the wind, or rather vocals and handclaps into the foray, there’s also an impressive disco contingency heading down, which looks more than decent. Jamie 3:26, a veritable edit king, joins Jeremy Underground and Dan Shake. Enough vibes to ensure you’ll be wanting that afterparty back in Manc. 
11AM - 11PM / £45 

2. CREAMFIELDS 
THURSDAY 22ND - SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST 
DARESBURY, CHESHIRE 
Carl Cox, Helena Hauff, Cirez D, Bicep, B.Traits, Bicep, Swedish House Mafia, Martin Garrix, Tiesto, more.  
12PM - 12AM / £185 - £230 

3. PLATFORM 18 STREET FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 3RD & SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST
WEST STREET, GLASGOW 
Derrick May, Carl Craig, Derrick Carter, Ivan Kutz, Frazer Campbell, Octave One, Ben Sims, Amelie Lens, Frazier. 
12PM - 10PM / £75 

4. JIKA JIKA! FESTIVAL 
SATURDAY 24TH & SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST 
EBRINGTON SQUARE, DERRY 
Mall Grab, Nite Fleit, Special Request, Brame & Hamo b2b Sally C, Green Velvet, Eats Everything, Layton Giordani, Alisha. 
2PM - 11PM / £60  

5. CONTROL x MIZIK NOU 
SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST
THE NIGHT KITCHEN, SHEFFIELD 
Alexander Robotnick, Annabel Fraser, Katiusha, DAR DISKU.
2PM - 6AM / £14 - £16

MIDLANDS / WEST & WALES

1. WE OUT HERE FESTIVAL 
THURSDAY 15TH - MONDAY 19TH AUGUST 
ABBOTS RIPTON, HUNTINGDON 
Gilles Peterson has a strong outdoor record— Worldwide draws its loyal following to Sète in France, year-on-year. As such we trust the Brownswood honcho to do the business with his inaugural venture into UK festival action. Leaning heavily towards nu-jazz, afro and global house, nevertheless there’s more than enough left-techno, disco and dnb to mean you’re not going to get bored over the four days. 

The biggest on the bill come in the form of the curator and host himself, Theo Parrish and Francois K, with Objekt, Skee Mask, Randall, Jumping Jack Frost, Matthew Herbert’s Big Band and soul legend Lee Fields representing a fraction of the scope. Mike Dunn, HAAi, Eliphino, Dele Sosimi x Medlar, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Nancy Noise, Il Bosco, DJ Paulette, Addison Groove & DJ Die provide further evidence of just how deep this rabbit hole goes. And don’t get us started on an admirably sized programme of emergents, from Nottingham bass duo Congi to Sheffield’s Poet Laureate Otis Mensah. 
12PM - 12AM / £145 - £155

2. LOST VILLAGE 
THURSDAY 22ND - MONDAY 26TH AUGUST 
NORTON DISNEY, LINCOLNSHIRE
Modeselektor, Little Dragon, Courtesy, Jennifer Cardini, Studio Barnhus, Nabihah Iqbal, Or:la, Young Marco, more. 
2PM - 12PM / £190 

3. LEFTFOOT & FIGHT NIGHT 
SATURDAY 10TH AUGUST 
HARE & HOUNDS, BIRMINGHAM 
Antal. 
10PM - 3AM / £15

4. HEADROOM 
FRIDAY 2ND — SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST
ABERGAVENNY, WALES 
Anina, October, Gwenan, Tom Ellis, Dan Wild, Dr Banana, Facta, Duckett, Banoffee Pies, Meat Free, NOODS, People Like Us, more. 
12PM - 3PM / £75 

5. EVOLVE 4TH BIRTHDAY 
SATURDAY 3RD AUGUST 
TWENTY2, BIRMINGHAM 
DJ Masda, Bruno Schmidt, more. 
2PM - 2AM / £14

Martin Guttridge-Hewitt is DJ Mag's Clubs Listings editor. He's also on Twitter.