James Skelly - Summer Festival Guide

They played the very first T in the Park back in 1994 in their former incarnation Glass Onion, headlined in 2000 and 2005, and now the mighty Travis are set to return to Kinross to play T in the Park’s 20^th year celebrations in what is set to be a poignant homecoming show for the band and audience alike. Festival organisers DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager have today added an array of top acts to the T in the Park bill, with the Glasgow four-piece plus Hurts, Johnny Marr, James Skelly, Jack Savoretti, Willy Mason, Foy Vance, Steve Mason, Milo Greene and DIIV joining the festival line-up over 12^th – 14^th July.

Festival organisers have also revealed today which days each act is playing, with the weekend of the year fast taking shape.

Travis are huge favourites with the T in the Park crowd, and their previous performances (including 2 showstopping headline sets) are widely regarded as some of the greatest moments of the festival’s 20 year history. After the top 10 success of their debut album Good Feeling, they achieved global success with the seminal, 9 x platinum-selling follow-up The Man Who, which hit the top of the UK album charts. Their much loved back catalogue is packed with classic hits, which have earned them BRIT Awards for Best Album (The Man Who), Best British Group (2000 and 2002) and Ivor Novellos for Best Contemporary Song (Why Does it Always Rain on Me?) and Best Songwriter (Fran Healy). After a temporary hiatus, they make their much anticipated return with their 7^th album later this year and are sure to receive a hero’s welcome when they make a long-awaited return to the festival in July.

Manchester Electro-pop duo Hurts were hailed by the BBC’s Sound of 2010 as ones to watch and since then have gone on to achieve global success. Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson have released two critically acclaimed albums, Happiness (2010) and Exile (2013) packed with melancholic 1980s-inspired electro-pop gems, and were a huge hit with the crowd when they played T in the Park in 2010 and 2011, and are set to make a welcome return this July.

Recently crowned NME’s Godlike Genius, Smiths legend Johnny Marr is also heading to Kinross forT in the Park’s 20^th year celebrations. As one half of one of the most influential British songwriting partnerships of all time, he challenged pop conventions with The Smiths’ giant, euphoric tunes, and his 30 year career has seen him perform with groups including The Cribs and Modest Mouse. Revered by music fans and critics alike, he has been bestowed with Q Magazine’s lifetime achievement award, Mojo’s Classic Songwriter Award, the Ivor Novello Inspiration Award, and of course, Godlike Genius by NME.

On his first solo-adventure since The Coral’s hiatus, James Skelly has enlisted the help of The Intenders and is due to release debut album Love Undercover this summer. The Coral have been a big favourite of T in the Parkers in years gone by, and their frontman is sure to thrill fans when he reprises some of their greatest hits in Kinross this July, as well as showcasing his new material.

English-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti released his third album Before the Storm last year to a raft of rave reviews. His catchy guitar tunes are sure to go down a storm with the T in the Park crowd when he makes his debut in Kinross this July.

US singer-songwriter Willy Mason’s debut album Where the Humans Eat, which featured the classic Oxygen, won him major critical acclaim and a legion of fans. Having recently toured with T in the Park headliners Mumford & Sons, he released his third studio album Carry On in December and is set to play the festival’s 20^th year celebrations this July.

Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance made a big impression with his 2012 release The Melrose EP, and is set to follow it up with his new album Joy of Nothing this summer. Celebrated for his thought-provoking, powerful lyrics and spine-tingling vocals, he’s been hailed as one of the finest song-writers to emerge from Northern Ireland in recent years.

Fife-born Steve Mason, formerly of The Beta Band is now a solo artist in his own right, with his 2013 release Monkey Minds in the Devil's Time winning critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian. It’s sure to be a special moment when he plays on home soil with his solo debut at T in the Park this July.

Also announced today are LA pop-outfit Milo Green, who bring their harmony-drenched, folk-tinged pop to Kinross. Describing their sound as cinematic-pop, they released their self-titled debut album earlier this year.

DIIV created instant vibrations in the blog-world with their impressionistic debut EP Sometime. With Zachary Cole Smith at the helm, the Brooklyn four-piece’s debut album Oshin blends classic kraut, Creation-records psychedelia, and late-80s Seattle influences to great effect.

Festival Director Geoff Ellis said: “Travis have given us some epic performances at T in the Park over the past 20 years, including at our very first outing back in 1994 and incredible headline sets in 2000 and in 2005. They’ve been there since day 1, and it really does feel like they are part of the fabric of T in the Park. We’re absolutely thrilled that they’ll be joining us for our 20^th year celebrations – it wouldn’t have felt quite right without them. They’re one of Scotland’s all-time greats with some massive tunes, and the sound of 85,000 voices singing along to their greatest hits in Kinross this July will be quite a poignant moment.

“Johnny Marr is a true legend and we’re honoured that he’ll be joining us for our 20^th year celebrations, alongside all the other great acts announced today. It’s going to be a great weekend.”

George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at Tennent’s Lager, said: “T in the Park’s 20^th year celebrations are shaping up to be very special indeed. Throughout the festival’s 20 year history, Travis have been firm favourites with the crowd – it’ll be fantastic to see them back on home soil, and I’m sure they’ll be a real highlight of the festival weekend.”

Over 85,000 festival-goers per day will descend on Kinross over 12^th – 14^th July for the 20^th year ofT in the Park, which will feature performances by some of the hottest acts on the planet, including headliners Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and The Killers, plus Stereophonics, Calvin Harris, Kraftwerk, Frank Ocean, Snoop Dogg, Foals, alt-J, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix, Jake Bugg, The Lumineers, Frightened Rabbit. My Bloody Valentine, Twin Atlantic, The View plus many more still to be announced.

T IN THE PARK 2013: ARTISTS ANNOUNCED SO FAR