The Sheffield Fake Festival is only three weeks away, and has now sold out for the second year in a row.
The popular event will see tribute bands for Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Pink, Green Day, Pulp and Kings of Leon descend on Endcliffe Park on 13th May.
Antarctic Monkeys, Arctic Monkeys tribute band return to the festival for the second year in a row as headliners.
Ian Fletcher, 44, lead guitarist, said: “We did Sheffield Fake Festival last year, it’s always amazing. What a privilege.
“When we play the songs they feel like our own because we’ve done it for so long. There’s a real honesty to it and I think that comes across. It’s Mecca for an Arctic Monkeys fan to go to Sheffield and be in an Arctic Monkeys tribute band.”
Antarctic Monkeys have been performing since the Arctic Monkeys first grew in popularity in the UK and regularly sell out arenas around the UK.
Ian said: “Playing lead guitar on something like Mardy Bum and the audience is so loud. I’ve got in-ears in and I still can’t hear anything I’m playing because the audience is so loud. That’s really very very special and that happens night after night. You think how lucky am I to be here. It’s a very strange situation and a lovely one to find yourself in as a musician.
“It is with the greatest of respect that we play. We are proper fans.”
Fake festivals run all around the country for the duration of summer, including events in Swansea and Harrogate.
The bands playing are all touring-grade groups, many of which started up as original artists.
Kings of Lyon will be the third ‘fake’ band of the day to play following on Vicky Jackson is Pink and Ultimate Green Day in the morning.
Christian Dawson, 46, Kings of Lyon frontman said: “People seem to be less cynical about the tribute thing, they are happy to go along. There’s a lot of medium sized venues that rely on the tribute scene to keep afloat.
“In the last two years we’ve grown in size and grown to a five piece. We need that extra for the big stadium sound.”
The Sheffield Fake Festival returned to Endcliffe Park last year after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic.
Fully licensed bars and food stools will be located in and around the performance marquee for the festival-goers to enjoy.