11 incredible things to do at DIY Alive

Over the past half a decade, Shame have become one of our favourite live acts on the planet. From sweaty clubs to festival main stages, they bring a consistently brilliant energy and crowdsurfing-a-plenty. It’s been just over a year since the band dropped their fantastic second album ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, and DIY Alive comes ahead of a huge summer of festivals and tours for the five-piece. With new single ‘This Side Of The Sun’ out late last year, you can expect more new music and to throw yourself about to the old classics. For a raucous Saturday night out, it’s pretty much perfect.

If you’ve listened to her new album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, follow her constantly on-the-money social media presence, or dove into her 2021 cover feature in DIY, you’ll know that Rebecca Lucy Taylor – aka Self Esteem – is an endless well of wisdom and wit. Many of you, we’re sure, will have wished at some point that you could go for a pint with her, and now you can! (Well, almost – you can bring your own pint to the sesh…) Head over to Canvas on Sunday afternoon when we’ll be shooting the shit with RLT - discussing her whirlwind past year, digging into the ideas behind her breakthrough album and maybe, just maybe, having a collective epiphany.

Last time we saw Isaac, he was topless, sweating and screaming behind a drum kit as one half of Slaves. Now, though, he’s back with new solo project Baby Dave, and his set at DIY Alive will be one of the returning fave’s earliest live shows. Having just announced debut LP ‘Monkey Brain’ - complete with production credits from Damon Albarn no less! - we’ve only had precious few tasters of Baby Dave’s more lo-fi, slightly Mike Skinner-y sounds so far but he’s clearly been keeping in fine company. Join the gang on Saturday at Space 289.

While obviously we’re super excited for all the brilliant artists playing live across DIY Alive, we’re also really looking forward to letting you a little further inside our own world. Across the weekend, we’ll be hosting a handful of workshops designed to give our audience a bit more of an insight into exactly what goes into creating a music magazine like DIY. We’ll be inviting experts from across the industry - along with a couple of our own team, obv - to chat about their own careers and offer some key advice, before giving you a chance to get stuck into some more hands-on experiences. So if you’re interested in music journalism, photography, design and more, this is the perfect opp!

In a year or two, we’ll likely look back at Master Peace playing the tiny Pickle Factory and realise how lucky we were. Blending indie and rap and landing collaborations with The Streets and more, Master Peace is a ball of energy on stage, and has the charisma and – vitally – the tunes to take him a long, long way. Avoid any future regrets and catch a superstar in the making on Sunday. Nice’n’easy.

Ever since they blew the Old Blue Last to pieces with their fantastic set at DIY’s Hello 2020 two years ago, Lynks has been one of our favourite new artists. On stage, they mix humour with club-ready beats and important queer messaging, all while sporting a fabulous range of - you guessed it! - gimp masks. At DIY Alive, they’ll host a wholesome(ish) aside to the chaos, demonstrating how you can make your very own gimp mask while also answering your questions and generally spreading some pearls of Lynks wisdom. There really is everything you could wish for at this festival.

At DIY Alive, we’ve aimed to craft the perfect weekend for you. While festivities will be in full swing on Saturday night when Shame bring their energetic punk to the stage, by Sunday night, we reckon you’ll be needing a lovely gentle sway instead. Right? Good, because Matt Maltese’s swooning, romantic gems will be served up on Sunday night ahead of Lily Moore’s headline set, to send you into the week ahead feeling good as new. Don’t say we don’t treat you.

We love a raffle, you love a raffle; everyone loves a raffle! So we’re planning to channel the nostalgia of all good school fairs by getting our tombola on! We’ll be offering up an array of DIY-related goodies - think vinyl, festival tickets, subscriptions to DIY and loads more - all to raise money for some important music-related charities. Get involved and help a good cause for us all!

Every month, we pack DIY full of the best and most exciting new artists around, and we’re delighted to bring a host of them to DIY Alive. From the brilliantly inventive queer rap of Grove to Fräulein’s gritty post-punk and the superbly fun indie bangers of Lime Garden and Do Nothing, you’re bound to find your new favourite band around every corner. Don’t miss a second of it.

One of the best things about Baxter Dury’s music is its conversational tone, and how it often feels like he’s speaking directly to you through his words. What if, then, we brought him to DIY Alive for an In Conversation chat where he… speaks directly to you?! Sounds great, doesn’t it. One of the most enigmatic and marvellous songwriters around will be in attendance to regale you with stories, pearls of wisdom and more general brilliance.

It’s Saturday night. You’ve just had your mind blown and your body slightly bruised by Shame’s riotous set. So what, are you just gonna… go home!? Well duh, obviously not. Instead, head overt to the Pickle Factory afterparty, where drag queen extraordinaire Ash Kenazi will be presenting Popperz: a club night set filled with bangers, performance, maybe even a little opera (Ash’s speciality) and outfits - oh lawd, the OUTFITS! It’s the only way to see out Saturday, trust us.

DIY Alive takes place on 23rd-24th April. Head to diyalive.com to get your tickets.