The Pigeon Detectives

WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL REVEALS BUMPER LINEUP FOR 20TH EDITION

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Wychwood Festival has today revealed the main body of artists set to perform at the landmark 20th anniversary edition, as the much-loved family-friendly festival returns to Cheltenham Racecourse from 29th to 31st May 2026.

With chart-topping indie icons Kaiser Chiefs headlining Saturday night, they will be joined by an eclectic and celebratory lineup led by Sunday night headliners Levellers, and a packed weekend of live music marking Wychwood’s biggest evolution to date. Among today’s announcement are a host of acclaimed artists including Feeder, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Boney M, The Pigeon Detectives, Newton Faulkner and Chesney Hawkes, alongside an expertly curated mix of festival favourites, rising talent and joyful curveballs that have become synonymous with the Wychwood experience. 

Plus, for the first time in the festival’s history, Wychwood will open its gates on Thursday for those looking to expand their weekend to four days of live music and camping, and will increase the overall capacity of the festival in line with growing demand in recent years. Thursday night at the racecourse will be headlined by Dutty Moonshine Big Band and signals the start of an extended anniversary celebration. With the Friday night headliner and more names still to be revealed, this year is already shaping up to be one for the books.

Sunday night headliners Levellers bring four decades of genre-defying folk punk anthems to the Prestbury Hills, promising a powerful and unifying close to the weekend. Across the bill, Feeder return with their era-defining catalogue of alternative classics, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivers her signature disco-pop euphoria. Disco legends Boney M are set to bring pure party energy, with crowd favourites The Pigeon Detectives, Newton Faulkner and Chesney Hawkes adding unique singalong moments across the weekend.

Elsewhere a wide array of some of the most respected groups come together, with the likes of The South, The Subways, Dub Pistols, The Wedding Present and Tankus, coupled alongside a hand-picked roster of the most exciting newcomers, including Adult DVD, Elles Bailey, Pale Blue Eyes, Bloodworm, Hunny Buzz, Pia Rose and more. Always championing local talent, this year Wychwood welcomes a Cheltenham-based modern alternative rock band, Nuns of the Tundra. Firmly on the rise right now, the band’s debut album rocketed into the top 10 of the Official UK Album Chart, and they were interviewed on stage by Justin Hawkins of The Darkness during his recent show at Cheltenham Town Hall.

Adding to the celebratory edition of the UK’s fast-growing family-friendly weekender will be a selection of festival favourite moments. The UK’s #1 Shrek musical tribute The Ogretones, Shaun Williamson’s Barrioke, and Taskmaster creator Alex Horne’s The Horne Section are all confirmed for Wychwood 2026, alongside James B Partridge Primary School Bangers, Hip Hop Karaoke, 3 Daft Monkeys, Mr B Gentleman Rhymer, The X & Y, Witney Soul Club and of course local Wychwood stalwarts Thrill Collins, keeping festival spirits suitably high from start to finish.

Renowned for its popular Comedy tent, Wychwood unveils close to 20 of the best stand up talents today, guaranteeing laugh out loud moments a plenty. The unofficial German Comedy Ambassador to the UK Henning Wehn leads the charge, as seen regularly on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and QI, alongside seasoned performers Patrick Monahan, Javier Jarquin, Jonny Awsum, Duncan Oakley and many more.

Fresh from being crowned Family Festival of the Year at the UK Festival Awards 2025, Wychwood continues to set the standard for inclusive festival experiences. Thousands flock from around the UK in growing numbers each year, and it’s no wonder with the hundreds of family-friendly activities, arts, comedy, children’s literature and workshops laid out across the weekend at The Village Green and beyond – plus it’s free for under 10’s! 

Taking place beneath the beautiful Prestbury Hills at Cheltenham Racecourse, Wychwood marks the very first weekend of the summer festival season and has become a treasured tradition for families and music lovers alike.

Festival Director Graeme Merifield said: “Reaching our 20th anniversary is a huge moment for Wychwood, and this lineup reflects everything we love about the festival. Opening on Thursday for the first time and expanding to four days feels like the perfect way to extend the good times and offer more to our incredible community. This year we wanted to bring some big names to the bill to show the ambition of where we’re heading, whilst also marking this momentous anniversary year with some friends who have played an important part of our journey from the start, and will ignite those cherished memories in the crowd for so many. From Kaiser Chiefs’ anticipated debut to one of our most-loved and requested headliners of all time, Levellers, 2026 is shaping up to be our most exciting year yet – and there’s even more still to come!”

With the Friday night headliner and more artists, comedy, arts and family programming being revealed soon, Wychwood Festival 2026 promises a truly special anniversary celebration.

The 20th edition of Wychwood Festival takes place 29th to 31st May 2026 at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire. Thursday entry tickets are available for £30. Pre-sale opens Monday 9th February at 6pm, with general tickets on sale Tuesday 10th February at 10am via www.wychwoodfestival.com

Levellers said: “Great to be back at Wychwood! We’ve played here many times before – many memorable, high energy shows. Good old school festival vibes … It’s Levs first festival of 2026 – so of course we can’t wait!”

Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson said: “Really looking forward to playing Wychwood next summer. Any festival that puts us top of the bill must have excellent taste so it bodes well. The summer is when we thrive, we are good at festivals and if you haven’t seen us before it’s a strong recommend. If you have seen us before then we hope to see you”

The Pigeon Detectives said: “We’re buzzing to be playing Wychwood Festival this year! Bring on Summer 2026!”

The Wedding Present’s David Gedge said: “The Wedding Present will be making their first-ever appearance at the Wychwood Festival this year, and that’s always very exciting. We are, first and foremost, a live band, so we love visiting new festival locations and having the opportunity to perform in them”

Barry from Eastenders said: “Hi everyone, we’re back at Wychwood Friday the 29th May at the Cheltenham Racecourse. We love it there, it must be our third or fourth time, it’s always an absolutely brilliant evening so come along and join us. You can join me on stage for a little ‘Mustang Sally’ or ‘Something Inside So Strong’. Whatever happens, come and join us at Cheltenham Racecourse, Wychwood Festival, Friday 29th May. I’ll see you there”

3 Daft Monkeys said: “We are super excited to tell you that we will be playing at the 20th Wychwood festival in 2026. We will be playing on the Friday night in May and we’re very excited because we haven’t played there for 15 years, I can’t believe it. They were one of the first festivals to book us as a young band when we first started out and we’re celebrating 25 years this year so lots of stories to tell you. We’re really excited to see you all”

James B Partridge said: “I’m extremely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing on the main stage at Wychwood Festival on its 20th Anniversary on May 30th 2026. We will be bringing all of the Primary School Bangers and all the nostalgic vibes to Wychwood so hopefully see you there”

Elles Bailey said: “I’m delighted to be heading to Wychwood Festival. It’s a festival I’ve always dreamed of playing and I’m looking forward to bringing songs from my brand-new album and favourites from previous records – it’s gonna be so fun”

The line-up so far
Kaiser Chiefs, Levellers, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Feeder, The Pigeon Detectives, Boney M, The Horne Section, The Subways, The Twang, Newton Faulkner, The South, The Wedding Present, Chesney Hawkes, James B Partridge Primary School Bangers, Elles Bailey, Dub Pistols, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, Adult DVD, Pale Blue Eyes, Nuns Of The Tundra, Bloodworm, Hunny Buzz, 3 Daft Monkeys, Tankus, The Standard, Barrioke, Fleetmac Wood, Vote Pedro, The Ogretones, Vibe Roulette, Hip Hop Karaoke, The In-Here Brothers, Taylor Swift Lauren’s Version, Thrill Collins, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, Elvis Lesley, The X & Y, Witney Soul Club, K-Pop Demon Hunters V Swifty Disco, Reet Stranger Things Disco 

Comedy: Henning Wehn, Jonny Awsum, Card Ninja, Angie Mack, Mabel Read, Edi Johnston, Louise Leigh, Patrick Monahan, Howard Read, Andrew White, Bella Humphries, Darryl Carrington, Joe Wells, Javier Jarquin, Amelia Hamilton, Dani Johns, Sunjai Arif, Kate Martin, Duncan Oakley

Plus more to be announced!

Truck Festival 2020 Lineup Announcement

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Truck Festival have announced their 2020 lineup. The festival takes place at Hill Farm in Didcot, Oxfordshire on 31st July-2nd August.

Bombay Bicycle Club, The Kooks and Catfish & The Bottlemen are headlining the event with Blossoms as the Thursday night headliners.

You can buy tickets for the festival at  https://truckfestival.com/tickets/

Brownstock Festival announce band competition winners!

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Brownstock Festival has held a competition through their Facebook App for unsigned bands, giving them the chance to promote themselves and win a set at the festival, which is held in Essex on the weekend of 30 August to 1 September. Brit Award winners, The Fratellis andThe Pigeon Detectives, who are headlining the festival, were part of the panel to choose the band they want to see.

Brownstock Festival had over 1000 bands apply to play for the 2013 festival. For The Brown Family, who run the music and arts festival on their farm near Chelmsford in Essex, supporting smaller unsigned bands has been a big part of the festival's ethos since the festival began in 2005. The family personally listened to every band that applied and selected 100 acts. Then, to select the final winners of 13 available slots these were put to the vote.

Brit Award winning band The Fratellis and The Pigeon Detectives who are both playing at the festival have picked their band. Other judges were Festival site Festivals for All www.festivalsforall.com, record label Noise Kitten and the public, who were all asked to pick their favourite acts from the 100 strong shortlist.

The Pigeon Detectives

The Fratellis have chosen London Band Disemboweled By Sharks. Barry Fratelli said "I'm a big fan of Bristol-esque trip hop and acid jazz and this is the sort of thing I'd like to discover if I was walking round at a festival… bonus points for the double bass."

The Pigeon Detectives have picked duo from Essex, Frett, as their band to play in September.

The Pigeon Detectives said "I like their intricate yet low key sound. It's mechanical but there's real warmth to it. There's something very promising here…"

The competition was all run through Brownstock's Facebook Band App. This meant that all the Brownstock audience could easily explore and listen to the music of the bands that had applied to play at the festival.  Meanwhile all the bands that applied, even the ones that weren't picked, had an easy way to promote themselves to a new audience. 5000 people took part in the public vote for their winner.

Adam Brown director of Brownstock Festival said "We have been looking for better ways to help unsigned bands who work hard get noticed. We were overwhelmed this year by the support for the bands and the number of people who have taken part in the vote on our app. We can't wait to hear these acts play as there really is some amazing talent from Essex and beyond".  

The full list of the bands that have won the competition is here:

Disemboweled By Sharks – Picked by The Fratellis

Frett – picked by The Pigeon Detectives  

Josephine and The Artizans, Hamptons and Ordinary Noise – from the public vote

27 Strings, Frankie The Gambler, Rabbit Foot – Picked by  Festivals for All  

Kaleidophone, Apple Rabbits –  Picked by Noise Kitten

Ellekaye, Killatrix, Glenn Godfrey – Picked by The Brown Family

About the festival

New acts for V Festival 2013 – Steve Angello, 5ive, The Saturdays

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V Festival 2013, sponsored by Virgin Media, has announced a host of amazing new acts set to join the weekend line-up. Former Swedish House Mafia star Steve Angello is confirmed to headline the Arena stage whilst The Saturdays, Katy B, Mark Owen, Lissie, Conor Maynard, The Pigeon Detectives, Jaguar Skills, McFly, Everything Everything, 5ive, The Eels, The Heavy, Netsky Live!, The Original Rudeboys, Nina Nesbit and K-Koke have also been confirmed to play across the weekend.  V Festival have also announced The Futures stage, headlined by Jamie Cullum and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, V Festival takes place across the weekend of August 17 & 18 at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire.

 
The Futures stage will showcase the very best in upcoming talent alongside a very special performance by Jamie Cullum, other acts confirmed to play the stage across the weekend are as follows:
Benjamin Francis Leftwich – The singer songwriter from York released his critically acclaimed debut album in 2011, he is currently working on his eagerly awaited follow up.
Monsta – Described as having the melodic synth of Flux Pavilion, the tech-soul vocal drops of Moby and the reverberant snares of trip hop act U.N.K.L.E, Monsta have become a popular regular on the club and festival circuit.
James Skelly & The Intenders – Having just finished writing with Paul Weller, James Skelly, former front man for The Coral, is back with his debut album ‘Love Undercover’.
Lewis Watson – Oxford’s twenty-year-old singer songwriter, will be bringing his guitar folk rock to the festival after successfully topping the iTunes singer songwriter chart with his EP ‘It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW’.
 
Misha B – Her debut album will be out in July and features the recent hit singles ‘Home Run’ and ‘Do You Think of Me’.
Hoffmaestro – The Swedish electronic act have built up a fantastic reputation for their sensational live shows.
Sam Smith – The British singer-songwriter recently featured on Naughty Boy’s massive UK number one single ‘La La La’.
A*M*E – Nominated for the BBC Sound of 2013 poll in January A*M*E has already had an amazing year, she featured on the recent number one single ‘Need U (100%)’ by DJ Duke Dumont and will release her debut album later this year.
Goldie Lookin Chain – The Welsh rappers have been creating sensational comedic rap since 2004.
The Skints – Fresh off their UK tour, The Skints will be showcasing their unique mix of reggae, ska, dub, punk & hip-hop to the stage, along with a little of their self dubbed ‘East London Reggae’ sounds.
Lucy Spraggan – Her debut album which mixes acoustic, folk and hip hop will be out later this year, she recently confirmed that her first single will be ‘Lighthouse’.
Nell Bryden – US singer-songwriter Nell Bryden has received high praise in the UK for her latest album ‘Shake The Tree’, lead single ‘Buildings and Treetops’ was A –listed at Radio 2.
Ed Drewett – Best known for his collaboration with Professor Green on ‘I Need You Tonight’ Ed is currently preparing to unleash his debut album.
Diana Vickers – Her debut album ‘Songs From the Tainted Cherry Tree’ was out in 2010 and reached the number one spot on the UK album charts.  Follow up album ‘Music to Make Boys Cry’ will be out in July.
Moya – The London based singer songwriter has recently toured with Rod Stewart, Andy Burrows and Mick Hucknall.
John Newman – The British soul singer is best known as being a featured artist for Rudimental's number one single "Feel the Love" and top 20 single "Not Giving In", his debut single ‘Not Giving In’ will be out in June.
Exit Calm – The south Yorkshire four piece are renowned for their epic indie-rock.
Silouette – They will be bringing their high energy alternative pop laced with flavours of darkness, hope and desire to the stage.
 
V Festival, prides itself on the quality of artists that perform each year, aside from headliners Beyonce and Kings of Leon other incredible acts already on the line-up include Stereophonics, The Script, Emeli Sandé, Calvin Harris, Beady Eye, Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, Jesse Ware, James, Rita Ora, The Courteeners, FUN., Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Rudimental, James Arthur, Little Mix, and Laura Mvula.  More acts will be announced in the coming weeks across the stages at the two festival sites.

V Festival is now in its 18th year and is renowned for bringing the very best in popular music together for one epic summer weekend. It is now established as the biggest festival in the UK with over 170,000 fans attending across the two sites and was the first festival to establish rotating acts across two sites.
 
V Festival is one of the hottest dates on the UK cultural calendar.  From the moment the gates open each area of the festival comes alive and a truly remarkable weekend of music and enjoyment ensues. V Style camping is set to return this year giving festival fans the chance to get the best of both worlds. They can dance the days away with their favourite artists and then chill out in luxury in ready built Pod Pads, Cloud Yurts, Hearthworks Tipis and pop-up hotel rooms.

2013 once again sees a wide spectrum of acts playing across the stages, guaranteeing yet another year of unforgettable appearances.  The popular Glee Club Comedy Tent will also makes a return this year, with side-splitting performers to be announced in the coming weeks.  With many more great artists to be announced, there is something for everyone at V Festival.

Keep up to date with all the latest news and ticket outlet information at www.vfestival.com
 

OsFest 2013 Shropshire’s biggest Music Festival

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OsFest is now in its 3rd year, with previous acts like Goldie Looking Chain, Tinnie Tempah, Razorlight and many more this up and coming festival always delivers. This year for May bank holiday we had another great line up. JLS were to headline along with James Arthur, The Enemy, Lawson, The Pigeon Detectives, Lucy Spraggan and many more to come. 

*With short notice James Arthur had to drop out with commitments made in the US which regrettably meant he couldn’t be at Osfest this year. To fill the main stage spotlights  Britain’s got talent finalists  – The Lovable Rogues took up the arena. Fridays DJ set from Monki Radio 1’s 1XTRA DJ set the crowd right from the start. The crowd at this point was only small due to most people arriving Saturday, as with the crowds the weather was the same. When waking up Saturday I was amazed to see perfect blue sky and sunshine! unlike previous years where the weather had dominated this set up the weekend perfectly and added so much atmosphere to the main arena. 

Leading to Saturdays main acts I was delighted to see TICH and A*M*E perform who gave a great performance and with the amazing lighting setup on the main stage. This gave me the opportunity to snap away and get some really amazing images. With the crowd starting to really build heading into the afternoon, along with the drinks flowing and the sounds of the Mega Spin and bumper cars in the background Wiley took the stage. With Wiley’s great line up of songs such as ‘Rolex‘ and ‘Can You Hear Me?‘ the crowd were so reactive to his words, jumping down from the stage at one point to meet his fans security had to pull him back from being eaten by the front rows of the crowd. The side of the area had a cut-out section for people to walk in and out, near the side of the main stage and the with the sun starting to set projected beams of orange and amber light hit the crowds hands as they sang along to Wiley’s chants; This really highlighted the incredible success of this festival and was a very euphoric experience!

As the sun was about to set, the next performance was from Lawson, a true success in the music industry over the past few years their fan and crowd numbers have shot up with their success and great vocals performed by Andy Brown. Singing songs from their very popular  2012 album Chapman Square, the crowds were at their peak! My favorite song performed by them I think had to be their Swedish House Mafia cover of ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ the crowds reacting singing along with them Andy really pushed the crowd to sing their hearts out. 

OsFest

With a short break it was time for the undoubtably the crowds number one act at this point, JLS had arrived and were backstage waiting to come on. Peoples camera phones were out and the crowd from the back of the arena was a sea of mobile LCD screens. I think I even saw an iPad involved! Starting their performance with ‘Beat Again’ you could hear the younger girls screaming! I thought that Wiley’s performance would be hard to beat due to his off stage performance and energy with the crowds, I think by the end of JLS performance it was a level pegging. The lights from the main stage were being hammered and the strobes and house lights were being switched around to illuminate the crowds. I know many of the younger crowds had gone to sleep easy that night after having such an exciting hot day in Oswestry. 

Sunday

Another sunny day to come at OsFest 2013 acts the Enemy, Pigeon Detectives, The Lovable Rogues and Lucy Spraggan to play main stage along with many more, with the sun shining the main arena area was the only shade the amusements surrounding the main tent became busy once again. Lucy Spraggan was a great favorite of mine from the  Sunday at OsFest, she had risen from the Live and unsigned category at the age of 20 to being a very good competitor in X-Factor and due to illness she didn’t get chance to perform all the way through the show as she was forced to quit the X-Factor due to illness. 

She references all of her songs from real world experiences and it was like listening to her telling multiple stories as she sang, her song about Jeremy Kyle as she wakes up was a great one for me, the crowds again loving her great on stage performance of singing and story telling. 

With the Lovable Rogues performance, the crowd really started to get involved and more and more people from the surrounding amusements started to make their way into the tent area. Performing their great new single ‘What a Night’ the main arena was pounding! The speakers and acoustics from the main tent were really impressive! wherever you were inside the tent you got a great sound and even form the back of the crowd you could still enjoy the performance of any of the acts due to the high stage and great lighting setup, perfect for the little ones who found them selves being hoisted onto their parents shoulders to get the perfect view. I saw a grown women on someones shoulders who wanted an even better view from the back of the arena area. 

Though the day different acts performing at OsFest had been interviewing in the Specialized Media Tent and were scattered around the VIP area for those with the right wrist bands was a perfect way to see some of the acts up close. I saw The Pigeon Detectives interviewing along with The Enemy and Lewis Watson who performed in between Lucy Spraggan and The Lovable Rogues. 

Heading towards the close of the festival this year, we were just waiting on The Pigeon Detectives and The Enemy I have to say OsFest ended on such a high after watching The Pigeon Detectives perform. The lead singer for The Detectives Matt Bowman had more energy and control of the crowd than I had ever seen from an artist on stage before! His command of the crowd due to his energy was presented as pure respect from the crowds in the main arena. He was poring water of his head while performing ‘Im Not Sorry’ from their 2007 album ‘Wait For Me’ I think they set the mark for the entire festival at that point. Matt was squirting water all over the front of the crowd, jumping from the drum kits and bouncing around in the press pit! I think these guys should have been last on at OsFest as it was very difficult for The Enemy to top such an energetic performance. They did very well and I really enjoyed their performance! I got some great shots and while watching them interview they really seemed to be a really down to earth group of guys. While performing they played my all time favorite cover ‘sit down’ and ‘Away From Here’ They were great to see live and some of their guitar work was awesome! I remember being below Tom Clark (Lead Singer) as he thrust his guitar up with one hand and slammed down a chord on a few areas of the stage. 

OsFest

Overall I had a great great time this year and will be heading back up next year with no  doubt in my mind. With the great reception from all staff, security and for the line up this year. Im hoping with the continued publicity of this little (Big) festival they will grow and grow on the map. 

SATURDAY PHOTOS

SUNDAY PHOTOS

Bingley Music Live announce Razorlight

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Taking to two of our three stages in Myrtle Park from 31st August to 2nd September, they’ll be joining: Nero, DJ Fresh, The Pigeon Detectives, Hard-Fi, The Charlatans,Maverick Sabre, Delilah, Kids in Glass Houses, Katzenjammer, The Idiot B*stard Band, StooShe, Yes Sir Boss, Miles & Erica, Skinny Lister, Citizens, King Charles,The Chevin, Sadie and the Hotheads, Ellen and the Escapades and The Lancashire Hot Pots.

Razorlight

Razorlight secured their headine status shortly after the release of debut album Up all night in 2004. Since then Johnny Borrell’s band continue to make an impact on the indie rock scene with their brilliant pop songs, exceptional live performances and confident swagger. Expect Razorlight to tear the place up with a stream of massive hit singles including America, In the morning, Golden Touch and many more that are guaranteed to get the Bingley Music Live audience fired up.

Next up, we have one of the world’s truly great performers, Detroit’s finest diva and Motown legend Martha Reeves. A sensational vocalist with undeniable star quality, Martha continues to delight audiences with an incredible back catalogue consisting of some of the 60’s most enduring hits including Nowhere to Run, Jimmy Mack and Dancing in the Street.  Her live appearances during 2010 earned her two nominations for the UK Festival Awards, as ‘Best Headliner’ and ‘Feel Good Act of the Summer’. Come to this year’s Bingley Music Live and catch some of that feel good vibe for yourself.

Recently reunited after a 6 year break, Liverpool’s Space are set to make a triumphant return to the stage at BML. Bringing their unique brand of darkly humorous pop to the proceedings you can expect all your favourite 90’s hits such as Female of the Species,Neighbourhood, Avenging Angels and The Ballad of Tom Jones as well as new material from their new album Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab. Brilliantly bizarre!

For those looking for a much rock-ier tip there’s the Sheffield based Black Spiders.  Their debut album Sons of the North released in 2011 received plaudits across the board, with Rock Sound Magazine proclaiming “their apocalyptic… axe assault is awe-inspiring.” They’re busy thrilling audiences across the UK and mainland Europe and have up coming gigs at Sweden Rock festival, Download as well as BML. One of their tour highlights so far was being selected to open for Ozzy Osbourne.  We look forward to some serious moshpit action.

New kid on the block, Jake Bugg, has had an already impressive musical adventure since his appearance at Glastonbury last year at the tender age of 17. A confident singer-songwriter, Jake recently featured on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ performing his new singleLightening Bolt. We highly recommend you check out Jake’s distinctive voice and mature lyrical content. 

Also confirmed for the Raise the Roof stage we have We Were Evergreen. This Parisian, alternative folk-tinged, indie-electro-pop trio are currently creating a huge buzz in the UKwith The Evening Standard hailing them as “the rarest of things: a band with something new and brilliant to offer.” Listen out for new single, Baby Blue, which is due for release on 4 June.

Nero, Kids in Glass Houses and more set for Bingley Music Live

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Taking to two of our three stages in Myrtle Park between August 31st and 2nd September these latest additions join: DJ Fresh, The Pigeon Detectives, Hard-Fi, The Charlatans, Maverick Sabre, Delilah, The Idiot B*stard Band, StooShe, Yes Sir Boss, Miles & Erica and The Lancashire Hot Pots.

NeroGuaranteed to instill some full-tilt revelry, Nero bring their expansive electronic soundscapes to proceedings on the Main Stage.  With three successive singles selected as the ‘Hottest Record in the World’ by Radio 1's Zane Lowe, the London dubstep pioneers are enjoying a meteoric rise. Having recently told the Wall Street Journal that dubstep is, “almost the new rock… we sort of feel like rockstars now,” you can expect nothing less than a blindingly awesome performance.

Also on the Main Stage, energetic Welsh rock band, Kids in Glass Houses bring their blazing guitars to Bingley. Having charted three top 30 albums in four years, this relentless five-piece serve up a heady mix of monster riffs, hook-laden anthems and sing-along choruses; all delivered at maximum volume.

Delivering sets on both the Main and the Raise the Roof stages are the all-female Norwegian four-piece, Katzenjammer.  Famed for mixing musical genres and switching instruments at a frenzied pace, their sets includes as many as 25 different instruments. Their latest album A Kiss Before You Go follows three years on the road and is shaped by multiple influences all wrapped up with Katzenjammer’s distinct character.

Bolstering the folkie vibe on the Raise the Roof stage are Skinny Lister. This eclectic, earthy sounding five-piece group has truly blossomed into something exceptional after a period of extensive touring. Their live performances deliver a galvanized, singular sound. Fronted by Yorkshire-born songwriter Dan Heptinstall and saucy female vocalist Lorna Thomas, gigs are a riot of sound and fun. So prepare to be infected by their jovial, foot stomping, high kicking free for all.

Vibrant psyche-inflected folk-popster King Charles has been proclaimed ‘too cool for the charts’ by the Guardian. Having toured with Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons, the classically trained cellist, chorister and winner of an International Songwriting Competition, is set to release his debut album Loveblood on 7th May. We’re waiting in eager anticipation to see what all the fuss is about.

Big Heart, Big Sounds

Now in its 6th year, Bingley Music Live has firmly established itself on the festival circuit; consistently impressing audiences and performers alike with its intimate, friendly atmosphere and professional organisation. The chance to really get up close and personal to your favourite bands is one of the event’s stand-out features and means that festival goers can eagerly anticipate getting to the heart of the action.

The newly improved Raise the Roof stage will include a bigger tent, beefed-up production and a new musical policy to provide a point of difference to the main stage while maintaining a high calibre of bands. This year also see the introduction of a new third stage. Organised in association with the Musician’s Centre the new stage is dedicated to local talent and will focus all its attention on uncovering the latest unsigned talent. Details of how to apply will be revealed soon.

BML also benefits from its amazing venue, Myrtle Park, the perfect festival location. Set in a natural amphitheatre and bordered by stunning mature woodland near the pretty river Aire, first timers are always blown away by the beauty of this hidden gem.

With its picturesque backdrop BML is a great destination for families of all ages wanting to share the festival experience. Not only is there space to chill out under the shade of a tree there are also a whole host of specially organised kids activities in a dedicated family area which are being further improved for 2012.

For those looking for a little luxury or an alternative destination to celebrate a special birthday or hen-do then BML VIP ticket is a must for you! Receive exclusive treatment including; priority parking, jump the queues into the VIP area including bar and luxury loos. There’s an escorted back stage tour + a delicious festival hamper including wine per person and a goodie bag all for £250 per person per day.

Throwing its gates open to over 15,000 happy revellers per day for three glorious days of diverse music, Bingley Music Live not only delivers ‘Big Heart, Big Sounds’ but also has a reputation for offering real value for money. At just for £45 for a three day ticket Bingley Music Live is a must for celebrating the end of summer in style.

RockNess adds Jeff Mills, Rob Da Bank and more!

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As one of the biggest names in techno, it is impossible to love the genre and not be familiar with the name JEFF MILLS. And if there wasn’t a word like “Wizard” to describe him it would be necessary to invent one. A founding member of the noted Detroit techno collective Underground Resistance, along with “Mad” Mike Banks and Robert “Noise” Hood, as well as past resident of New York’s legendary Limelight, signed artist on Berlin’s acclaimed Tresor label and creator of Chicago’s Axis Recordings, plus countless other groundbreaking achievements of note, JEFF MILLS is revered as a demi-God by electro purists the world over.

Jeff Mills

Now in a very special appearance, an absolute must for techno connoisseurs, RockNess is thoroughly delighted to announce the maestro will join the exceptional line up of this year’s SUB CLUB SOUND SYSTEM 25 Years celebrations. Expect an unforgettable set as JEFF MILLS, under the moniker of ‘The Wizard’, whips up a storm of unparalleled ferocious intensity playing a set of funk, soul and extremely rare early electro classics.
 
Inspired at the outset by the likes of Nirvana, Mudhoney and The Pixies, Irish rock group ASH have notched up five studio albums (and a mini album) and countless top 40 hits. ‘Girl From Mars’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Burn Baby Burn’…ASH make great pop songs. Heralded as the ultimate singles band, the 3-piece turned their back on the traditional route of recording an album every couple of years and set up their own studio and label, Atomic Heart Records. This newfound freedom enabled the band to record and release songs at will. Thus was born the A-Z Series – a collection of 26 songs released fortnightly for an entire year. 2011 saw Charlotte Hatherley return to join the band for a one-off tour to much acclaim. 2012 sees the 20th anniversary of ASH with an appropriate celebration stop off at Dores.
 
RockNess favourite ROB DA BANK is Highlands-bound again this year too, back to thrill as always no doubt with a big heaving box of stupendously tasty audio delights. ROB DA BANK’s shows are a colourful corner of the musical universe where you're as likely to stumble into stripped down techno as you are woozy weird folk, bootleg covers, brand new dubstep to oddball electronic so expect the unexpected!

The rise of Yorkshire indie rockers THE PIGEON DETECTIVES is one based on strength of tunes – launched with hit drenched debut Wait For Me, and a relentless approach to touring. Feted by the likes of Steve Lamacq and Jo Wiley, three albums in and with a fourth scheduled for an autumn 2012 release, the platinum selling five piece are set to bring their sound of sculpting guitars and scudding choruses to the festival following a highly successful European tour.

Pigeon Detectives

ERRORS is a four piece band from Glasgow with a unique take on dance music. Signed to the brilliant Mogwai’s Rock Action label, they have to date released a series of singles, EPs and their debut album “It’s Not Something But It Is Like Whatever” and these releases have brought them acclaim across the board from MTV, Zane Lowe and Vic Galloway along with sessions at Maida Vale for Mary Anne Hobbs, Rob Da Bank and Huw Stephens, magazines such as NME, Dazed and Confused and Rock Sound as well as tours and live dates with bands as varied as Underworld, Franz Ferdinand, Explosions In The Sky, Gary Numan and Mogwai. NME has hailed them as “one of the most interesting bands in the country”. Don’t miss ERRORS at RockNess this June.
 
SOUND OF GUNS return to RockNess once again with their sure-fire power and raw energy. Hailing from Liverpool, SOUND OF GUNS have blazed a trail since they formed in 2008 cementing their deserved reputation for delivering searing rock with their second album, Angels and Enemies picking up support  from Zane Low and Xfm along the way.
 
THE CORRESPONDENTS take a large helping a swing, jazz, cha-cha-cha and much more from the history of music and add a large helping of fat drum and bass and electro beats to create something that’s unique in the current musical landscape. And with frontman Mr Bruce’s high voltage performance depicting the trials and errors of love, lust and loss they have consistently destroyed crowds on the festival circuit marking them out as a must see act.
 
A plethora of exciting new breakthrough talent is announced for the line up too. Young Scottish singer songwriter NINA NESBITT has been generating much interest after being spotted by ED SHEERAN and Example (both of whom she subsequently supported on tour). With comparisons to Laura Marling and Kate Nash, check out her set to see just why all the fuss.
 
Former Groove Armada collaborator Becky Jones AKA SAINT SAVIOUR has a captivating vocal style that has seen her compared to Kate Bush and Sinead O’Connor. Having recently toured with Hurts, she has her debut album ‘Union’ due for release a fortnight after her appearance at RockNess.
 
ALL THE YOUNG are Britrock revivalists whose sounds ooze the feel good factor of classic 90s indie. Mixing brains and brawn the band have come to smash 2012 into a brave new frontier of indie rock n roll, honing their craft with a series of support slots for the likes of Morrissey, Kaiser Chiefs, The Courteneers, The Wombats, Hard-Fi and The Pigeon Detectives.
 
Brooklyn rapper THEOPHILUS LONDON built his reputation with a series of must-have mixtapes making him one of the biggest buzz acts on the planet.  His debut album Timez Are Weird These Days was critically acclaimed when it was released last summer and Theophilus is sure to rock the crowds with his take an alternative hip-hop.
 
Commenting on these latest announcements, Festival Director Jim King said: “We're delighted with this announcement. Jeff Mills closing his stage on the Sunday night is going to be something special”

Final lineup’s announced for this years Play Fest

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Roots ManuvaJust added to the bill are UK Garage legend and Kiss FM stalwart DJ EZ on Saturday, and drum’n’bass supremeo Sub Focus on Sunday. The latest additions join an already full to bursting bill of acts that include Ash, The Pigeon Detectives, Reverend and the Makers, Roots Manuva, The Correspondents, Shy FX, Zinc, Toddla T, and Jaymo & Andy George.  This means the full line ups for Saturday and Sunday have now been revealed, so it’s nearly time to don the Play-suits, dust off the wellies and get on down to Play Fest!

Kick starting Saturday night in the POW! Dance Arena, is a DJ widely considered to be one of UK Garage’s greatest talents, DJ EZ! Honing his craft on London’s pirate radio stations in the early 90s, DJ EZ rose to prominence in the late 1990’s when he was offered a permanent show on Kiss 100. Over the years, DJ EZ has hosted a variety of different radio shows, mixed a bucket load of Pure Garage compilation albums that have sold over 1.7 million copies, and won a sack full of accolades and awards; including ‘Best Radio Show’, ‘Best Old Skool DJ’ and ‘Best DJ’ at the People’s Choice Awards. Play Fest revellers will be taken on a trip through the archives of UK Garage by one the best tour guides there is!

Sunday in the POW! Dance Arena welcomes even more shining lights of the electronic scene and Play Fest can now reveal that supporting Toddla T at the top of the bill for Sunday night will be Sub Focus. Having been on the scene for nearly a decade, Sub Focus is somewhat of a boy wonder of drum’n’bass. He became one of the leading practitioners within only two years of his emergence whilst his debut single ‘X-Ray’ was awarded Single of the Week on Zane Lowe’s Radio One show. In 2010 he produced the track "Kickstarts" for British singer/rapper Example, which peaked at number three on the U.K. singles chart, and last year he signed a deal with Mercury and has a new album due for release at the end of 2012. With so many strings to his bow and a sack full of heavy tunes to delight the party animals out there, Play Fest are ecstatic to have such a D’n’B heavyweight overseeing the run up to the final hours of this year’s festival!

Other additions to the Sunday POW! Dance Arena include: the musical knowledge and surefire selections of Numbers co-founderSpencer, the contrasting styles of Foamo and Bondax, while Oli D.A.B and Robin will be on hand with their particular breed of house. Rounding off the bill will be hometown hero Joshua Roberts and the techno and house vibes of Josh 2084 and BoaBoa & Fazhands.

Over in the Asylum Stage additions include the mega brass extravaganza of Gypsy Hill and Norwich home-grown reggae talent Jah Head, with Murphys Lore on Sunday and Saturday welcomes Kodeta and Woodland Creatures to the lunatic bill of the Asylum Stage!

A limited number of tickets are still on sale via the Play Fest website: www.playfest.co.uk

LINE UP SO FAR:

MAIN STAGE:

Saturday: Ash, The Pigeon Detectives, Reverend and the Makers, The Big Pink, Little Comets, Tellison, Tripwires, Solko,

Sunday: Feeder, Delilah, Scroobius Pip, Natty, Spector, Lonsdale Boys Club, Ria Ritchie, Dumbfoundus, Lee Vann

Big Top: 

Saturday: Roots Manuva, Sonic Boom Six, Killamonjambo, Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun, Alloy Ark, Kamilla Lovett, The B Goodes, Eyes, Under The Influence, Dingus Khan

Sunday: The Correspondents, Federation of the Disco Pimp, Juan Zelada, Boat To Row, Deers, Rory Mcvicar,  Model Staggs, The Soft, Underline The Sky, Ill Murray

POW! Presents: Dance Arena

Saturday:

Zinc, Shy FX, Melé, DJ EZ, B.Traits, Urban Nerds, DJ Cable, Get Low Cartel, POW! Party Boys

Sunday:

Toddla T, Sub Focus, Jaymo & Andy George, Spencer (Numbers), Foamo, Bondax, POW! Party Boys, Joshua Roberts, Oli DAB & Robin, Josh 2084, Boa Boa & Fazhands,

Asylum Stage

Friday

Double Drop, Cabaret show – Chantelles Wedding

Saturday

Sam & the Womp, The Vagabond, New Town Kings, Swingball,  Kodeta, Feral Mouth, Woodland Creatures, The Harvs, Mc chrome + Illinspired, Cielo, Gael, Julia Jenkins, Inlay.

Sunday

Gypsy Hill, Jah Head, Nimmo and the Gauntlets, Murphys Lore, Project Multivitamin, Eliza Shaddad, Josh Doughty, Askala Selasse, Slightly Off Steve, The Proposition, Scott Wright, Andy Kirkham

 

Y Not Festival lineup

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The WombatsThe Wombats
The Pigeon Detectives
The Subways
Summer Camp
Juan Zelada
Masters In France
Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun 
Boat To Row
Son Of Eagle
 
The theme so far is indie, rock, alternative, folk with elements of electronica. We will be in touch to let you know what the other kinds of music will be on offer.

About Y Not:
 
The Y Not Festival is a small, intimate three-day music festival held in the heart of the Peak District countryside in August. It is moving into its seventh year now.
 
Y Not is a showcase for all that is fresh and exciting in global music. From emerging talent and breaking bands to established acts, if you want to catch a band on the cusp of success this is your chance. Many of the acts across the weekend will be camping right there with everyone else, giving the whole weekend a sense of intimacy hard to find anywhere else. www.ynotfestivals.com