Today Fusion Festival and 107.6 Capital FM Liverpool announced a stellar line-up of pop royalty to perform at Fusion Festival, Otterspool Promenade on the 3rd & 4th September.
Serial chart-topper Jason Derulo will headline Day One, along with Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, Craig David, Sigala, Fleur East and Krept & Konan. On Sunday the 4th of September an exclusive festival headline 90-minute performance from Olly Murs will bring the two day event to a close. Also performing on Sunday are Busted, The Vamps, Nathan Sykes, Lawson, Ella Henderson and Jamie Lawson.
The massive line-up was revealed this morning exclusively on the 107.6 Capital FM Liverpool Breakfast Show with Adam, Gemma and Imogen. There are many more acts still to be announced – listeners should keep it Capital to find out who else is going to be added to the stellar line-up.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 8th April via www.thefusionfestival.co.ukand Fusion’s official ticketing partner StubHub on www.stubhub.co.uk. StubHub will also serve as Fusion’s official Ticket Marketplace.
In an exclusive headline festival performance, Olly Murs and his band will close the show on Sunday night with a breathtaking 90 minute show featuring all his classic hits from ‘Troublemaker’ and ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ through to his recent hits ‘Wrapped Up’ and ‘Kiss me”. The six time BRIT Award nominated artist was catapulted into the limelight when he stole the hearts of the nation with his cheeky charms on the X Factor 2009. Murs can now boast 3 Number One albums and a sensational live show that sells out arenas all across the country.
Olly Murs says: “This is going to get crazy, Fusion Festival! I cannot wait to get out on that stage and get everybody moving. It’s going to be a send off to remember, you better be there!”
Jason Derulo has brought us mega-hits ‘Talk Dirty’, ‘Ridin Solo’ and ‘Whatcha Say’ and the massive number 1 single ‘Want to Want me”. The American singer, songwriter and dancer has sold over 50 million singles, with three singles going platinum in the UK. He is now hitting Liverpool’s Otterspool Promenade for Fusion Festival 2016 with all of the hits to headline the first night of the biggest pop event of the summer.
Derulo says: “I’m honoured to be headlining Fusion Festival 2016, it’s a great line up and I can’t wait to get out there to perform in Liverpool with Fusion Festival & Capital FM – it’s going to be amazing!”
Fusion Festival is teaming up with Liverpool’s number one hit music station, 107.6 Capital FM, continuing its long-term partnership with Global Radio to bring music fans the most exciting festival line up of the summer on the banks of the River Mersey.
Now in its 4th year, Fusion has grown into one of the UK’s most popular music festivals. The move to Liverpool coincides with the city being declared a UNESCO City of Music due to music’s place at the heart of Liverpool’s contemporary culture, education and the economy. Liverpool has a rich music heritage and the team at Fusion Festival are excited to become a part of that.
Damien Sanders, Event Director of Fusion Festival said “It’s great to reveal such an incredible line up with a few more surprises still to come. We have such a strong list of performers again this year and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Olly Murs 90 minute headline spectacular on the Sunday night, it will be a great way to wrap up the weekend and introduce Fusion to Liverpool.”
Graham Sarath, commercial director of Capital Liverpool, said: “It’s great for 107.6 Capital FM to be able to launch in Liverpool with such a huge local event and help bring it to the city of Liverpool – Fusion Festival will be fantastic for music fans and for the city. We know that for lots of listeners, Fusion will be one of the highlights of the Summer and we’re delighted to be a part of that.”
Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool said “We take great pride in the events we hold here in Liverpool. Each year we strive to offer something new and exciting, not only for our own residents but for those visiting the City too. That is why I am delighted to welcome such a distinguished music festival to Liverpool.”
Fusion are offering a massive 50% discount on a limited amount of General Admission and Gold Circle tickets to local residents of L17, L18 and L19. To redeem this offer residents need to visit tickets.thefusionfestival.co.uk/residentsand enter discount code RESIDENTS along with a valid L17, L18 or L19 billing address on checkout. Please note this is limited to 4 tickets per address.
On this morning's BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Scott Mills announced the line-up for Radio 1's Big Weekend 2015, taking place at Earlham Park, Norwich on 23 and 24 May – including Foo Fighters and Muse who will headline the event.
Some of the hottest UK and international acts will join them to perform at Europe’s biggest free ticketed festival which brings the whole nation together for one weekend of amazing live music.
Joining headliners Muse to perform on the Main Stage on Saturday 23 May alongside the already announced Florence + The Machine are 5 Seconds of Summer, David Guetta, Ben Howard, The Vaccines, Fall Out Boy and Charli XCX.
Alongside Foo Fighters, who will headline the Main Stage on Sunday 24 May and Taylor Swift who has already been announced, Sam Smith,Rita Ora, George Ezra, Clean Bandit, Olly Murs and Imagine Dragons will also perform.
Snoop Dogg, Rudimental, Jess Glynne, Hozier, Years & Years, Ella Eyre, Slaves, Mallory Knox and Circa Waves will all perform onSaturday 23 May on the event’s In New Music We Trust Stage.
On Sunday 24 May, the In New Music We Trust Stage will host performances from Jamie T, Alt-J, Sigma, Catfish & The Bottlemen,Jungle, James Bay, SOAK, Raury and Lower Than Atlantis.
Matt Bellamy from Muse said: “I’m very excited to play. The last time we played Big Weekend, for us it was a disaster, so I can’t wait to make up for it on this performance. I’m really looking forward to coming back and doing a great show. I’m pretty sure that we may unveil another new song that we will play for the first time which is pretty exciting.”
Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters said: “I’m really excited – I can’t wait to come out. I don’t really think we’ve ever played there before so I’m looking forward to it.”
Jess Glynne said: “My first Big Weekend in my own right and what a line up to be a part of. I can’t wait to play Norwich with my band and let you hear some of the songs from my new album. It’s going to be big.”
Ben Cooper, Controller, Radio 1 and 1Xtra said: “Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be fantastic – great music, great fun and a great location.”
The line-up for the BBC Introducing Stage will be announced in Huw Stephens’ show.
Global platinum-selling artist Calvin Harris and Iconic rockers Kasabian are today announced as the headliners for V Festival’s Virgin Media stage.
Taking place across the weekend of the 22ndand 23rd August 2015, the local lads from Leicester and the DJ from north of the border will be joined by a host of music heavyweights to ensure V Festival sees out its second decade in style.
Joining the headliners across the two festival sites in Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire will be a supporting cast of Britain’s finest talent and biggest names. Music lovers with this summer’s hottest ticket will also see performances from recent four-time Grammy and 2015 Brit winner Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding,The Script, Hozier, George Ezra, Stereophonics, Brit winners Paloma Faith and James Bay, Olly Murs, Tom Jones, Clean Bandit, Kodaline, Ella Henderson, Nero and Courteeners plus many more to be announced across four stages at the two festival sites.
Making his debut on top of the bill, Calvin Harris said:
“V Festival is always an incredible time and I can't wait to headline it this year. See you there!”
Kasabian’s Sergio Pizzorno, said:
“V is for victory, V is for voodoo, V is for vacuum cloud, V is for very very very very excited. See you in the fields!”
The hugely popular Glee Club Comedy Tent also returns as the festival’s fifth stage this year, with a hilarious line-up that will be announced in the coming months.
Over the festival weekend there’ll also be sets from The Kooks, Marina & The Diamonds, The Proclaimers, Jess Glynne, Andy C, Imelda May, Gregory Porter, Fuse ODG, Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, Jessie Ware, Ella Eyre, Hannah Wants, Reverend & the Makers, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Annie Mac.
The glamorous V Style camping will also return for its fifth year. V Style is now an established part of the V Festival family, giving music fans the chance to experience the best of both worlds – enjoying a mix of music and comedy and relaxing at pampering stations and in ready built bell tents, huts, and luxury yurts.
Tickets go on sale from March 6th at 9am with fans advised to visit www.vfestival.com, where all official outlets are detailed. V organisers again stress to fans that purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.
The full line up includes: Kasabian, Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Hozier, George Ezra, Stereophonics, Paloma Faith, James Bay, Olly Murs, Chvrches, Imelda May, Kodaline, Ella Henderson, Nero, Reverend & the Makers, The Courteeners, Marina & The Diamonds, The Proclaimers, Tom Jones, Jess Glynne, Andy C, The Kooks, Gregory Porter, Fuse ODG, Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, Jessie Ware, Ella Eyre, Hannah Wants, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Annie Mac.
This year’s V Festival came to a close this weekend, with the event displaying perfectly how to showcase some of the biggest chart stars in the world, as well as give some exciting up and coming artists a platform to shine.
The festival kicked off on Saturday afternoon and despite the unsettled weather, a buzz filled the air and the main stage began to fill up early with people eagerly awaiting the performance of a lady that goes by the name of Beyoncé.
First up on the main stage were The Fratellis, who played a triumphant set to seal their comeback to the music business. They helped set the tone for the day and had the crowd up on their feet and singing along to popular hit Chelsea Dagger amongst others.
After this I headed to the 4music stage, stopping along the way to grab a drink and meet a group of lads who were dressed as power rangers. Here I had a little wait before the next act, so I chatted to a pair of girls who had been watching Gabrielle Aplin serenade the crowd at the arena stage, with her “gentle tone and heart-warming lyrics.”
Finally, out came Maverick Sabre who provided the crowd with a laidback soulful sound to accompany some late afternoon sun. He was shortly followed by Of Monsters and Men who continued in the same fashion by mixing an inviting atmosphere with some uplifting melody’s to get the crowd going.
With about 40 minutes to spare before Labrinth took to the 4music stage I darted off to the arena stage where I saw Jessie Ware get lost in the moment as she delivered a faultless set. Then I was quickly back to the 4music stage to see the previously mentioned Earthquake singer bring down the house with an electric set that included hits Express Yourself and Sunshine. Not to mention some onstage flames which lit up the crowd as the sun slowly started to set.
I, like many other people then made my way to the main stage where a huge crowd gathered to see Jessie J do her thing. Rocking her recently famous short bleached blonde hair and dressed in a unique skimpy black and white ensemble, fitting of her personality, the singer delivered the only way she knows how, with a punch. Popular tracks Price Tag, Do It Like A Dude and Domino were accompanied by fist pumping and strutting from the 25-year-old as she got the crowd in the mood for the rest of the night.
The penultimate act to grace the main stage on Saturday evening was The Script. Despite the mellow rockers trying their best to hype up the crowd, many used this time to head to the bar and stock up on as many drinks as they could carry, or stuff their face with something from one of various food vans. However the crowd did all come together to sing along to The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, whilst frontman Danny O’Donoghue took the opportunity to connect with one of his many female fans by getting hold of her phone and singing to her ex-boyfriend, ‘Am I better off dead?’
As darkness descended on the Chelmsford site, it was finally time for what most people had been waiting for. The crowd, a mixture of Single Ladies and men too, were all there waiting to see the woman they adored, and wait they did. The delay of 25 minutes consisted mostly of fans chanting ‘Beyoncé Beyoncé’, as rain started to fall on the huge crowd. Leaving some wondering whether they should be over at the 4music stage watching as one of the world’s biggest DJ’s, Steve Angello, made an awesome replacement for Beady Eye.
The former Swedish House Mafia star absolutely smashed it with an amazing laser light show alongside dropping massive hits like, Don’t You Worry Child and Save The World,to get the respectable sized crowd raving the night away.
Back at the main stage and at last the music hit. Run The World (Girls) blasted out of the speakers and the crowd went crazy as out stepped Beyoncé. Dressed in a beaded leotard and sporting a new blonde bob hairstyle, Queen Bee dazzled the masses not only with her colossal hits but with her sophisticated video interludes, leaving them in awe. With the crowd all singing along to Love On Top, Irreplaceable and Halo, Beyoncé took the opportunity to show off a number of amazing outfits which just demonstrated that she really does know how to put on a show. All this combined with her fantastic all-female band and faultless dancers left people talking about the brilliant performance well into the early hours of the morning.
Sunday morning rolled around and with the sun shining in the sky, many people emerged from their tents looking a little worse for wear after last night’s antics. This however didn’t stop the lively atmosphere and many people were quickly back on the booze, including a large group of men spending the festival dressed as women.
I started off the day at the 4music stage where Lawson quickly got the crowd going with an excellent cover of Don’t You Worry Child. I then made the long trek to the arena stage to roll back the years and have a good ole sing-song with Five. A bigger crowd than was probably expected gathered to watch the 90’s boy band relive their youth with hits Keep On Moving and Everybody Get Up.
After stopping to grab a drink and an overpriced pizza, I headed to the main stage where I caught the end of the Jason Mraz set before getting amongst the crowd for Essex’s own Olly Murs. He provided the audience with plenty of opportunities to find their dancing feet, but it seemed like most were after a more exciting sound.
Luckily this came at the 4music stage as Rudimental’s late afternoon set attracted a large and energetic audience. Songs Waiting All Night and Feel the Love got the approval of the masses as most were going for it with their drinks being sent flying.
Later the early evening mellow atmosphere was accompanied by the elegant Emeli Sandé, who graced the main stage with her delicate vocals providing the crowd with the perfect opportunity to sit and take a break from the tiring day. Beneath Your Beautiful echoed amongst the audience as many joined in with the chart hit.
Having spent a couple of hours at the main stage, I once again made the long walk to the arena stage where I watched a very enthusiastic Ellie Goulding wow the crowd with not only her excellent voice but her ability to play multiple instruments.
With night fast approaching, it was left to two huge acts to fight out for the attention of the party-goers. Calvin Harris was in charge of headlining the 4music stage whilst Kings of Leon were given the same responsibility at the main stage, I was lucky enough to catch both.
The superstar DJ attracted a huge crowd as he closed the 4music stage in spectacular fashion, with a set of immense tunes including, Drinking From The Bottle, We Found Love and new song, Under Control. Combining this with lasers and an abundance of fireworks he was able to perfectly captured the spirit of the festival.
Meanwhile at the main stage Kings of Leon were keen to prove they were back on form ahead of their new album release, and they did just that. With new single Supersoaker and with a number of festival favourites like Sex On Fire and Use Somebody they had the crowd in raptures. With everybody singing at the top of the voices to the raw and exciting sound of the American rockers, the festival came to a close for yet another year.
All in all, V Festival again did what is does best, showcasing the best chart toppers in the business, and with its friendly vibrant atmosphere it is easy to see why the festival is so popular among a variety of age groups. The organisers yet again managed to attract some of the biggest stars in the music industry, all of whom delivered to put on one hell of a show.
So after a successful 2013, festival expectations for next year are high, and with confidence that V will deliver it will be a weekend you won’t want to be missing, I know I won’t be.
AN EXCLUSIVE NIGHT WITH BEYONCE HER ONLY EUROPEAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE OF 2013 PLUS AMERICAN ROCKERS KINGS OF LEON HEADLINING
STEREOPHONICS, THE SCRIPT, EMELI SANDÉ, CALVIN HARRIS, BEADY EYE, JESSIE J, TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, THE VACCINES, BASEMENT JAXX, OLLY MURS PALOMA FAITH, RITA ORA, THE COURTEENERS, FUN., LABRINTH, ELLIE GOULDING, KENDRICK LAMAR, JESSIE WARE, RUDIMENTAL, JAMES ARTHUR, LITTLE MIX AND MANY MORE ALSO CONFIRMED
TICKETS ON SALE AT 9AM FRIDAY 1 MARCH
This will be her one and only European festival appearance this year. Multi-million album selling American rockers Kings Of Leon are also confirmed as headliners. V Festival takes place across the weekend of August 17 & 18 at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire.
Tickets go on sale Friday March 1 at 9am, available at www.VFestival.com
V Festival, prides itself on the quality of artists that perform each year, more incredible acts announced today for 2013 are Stereophonics, The Script, Emeli Sandé, Calvin Harris, Beady Eye, Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, James, Rita Ora, The Courteeners, Jason Mraz, FUN., Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Kendrick Lamar, Of Monsters And Men, Maverick Sabre, Travis, DJ Fresh/LIVE, Jessie Ware, Maximo Park, Lianne La Havas, Rudimental, James Arthur, Scouting For Girls, Deacon Blue, Little Mix, Ocean Colour Scene, The Fratellis, Gabrielle Aplin and Laura Mvula. Many 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. Last year saw electric sets from headliners The Stone Roses and The Killers with other show stopping performances from the likes of David Guetta and Ed Sheeran. V Festival has an unrivalled music pedigree, previous headliners have included groundbreaking performances from Coldplay, Radiohead, Oasis, Eminem, Foo Fighters and The Arctic Monkeys. V Festival 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.
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.
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.
Festival Directors Bob Angus, Simon Moran and Dennis Desmond commented: We’ve worked hard to bring fans an exciting and diverse line-up, securing Beyonce for an exclusive European Festival appearance and Kings of Leon as headliners is a great achievement. These acts along with one of the strongest bills in V Festival's 18 year history is something we are very proud of. We have a reputation for bringing fans the best world class acts and breakthrough artists, 2013 is set to be another sensational year.”
With many more exciting V Festival announcements to come be sure to keep up to date with all the latest news at www.vfestival.com
Tickets go on sale on Friday 1 March at 9am fans should visit www.vfestival.com, for official outlets details. V Festival organisers stress to fans that purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.
VIP upgrades are available and include:
A relaxed and spacious environment offering a wider choice of exclusive food and drink outlets not available in the main festival arena.
Cash bar with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating areas.
Post-festival late bar with DJs on Saturday & Sunday nights.
This year, the event’s gates will be opened to ‘Weekenders’ on Friday 31 August to pitch tents ahead of the Main Stage festivities and enjoy a pre-event party with an exclusive, intimate set by renowned DJ, Jaguar Skills, later that night in the Warehouse
‘Weekenders’ will then be able to join the masses for the star-studded line-up on the Main Stage and Stage 2 on Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 September, before being treated to further exclusive after-show parties in the Warehouse, performed by B Traits and Breakage on the Saturday night, and RATPACK on the Sunday night
Jaguar Skills’ identity is one of the best kept secrets in clubland – opting to wear a ninja-mask at every performance – but his stock and profile have risen dramatically over the past 10 years. Revered for having entirely produced and edited a mix-CD on two mini-disk Walkmen back in 2002, Jag Skills went on to a residency at Jade Jagger’s Jezebel nights at Pacha in Ibiza and quickly progressed to DJ other Jezebel events across the globe. He now has a 10-minute mix slot on Trevor Nelson’s Saturday evening BBC Radio 1 show, having been a part of Radio 1’s ‘In New DJs We Trust’.
B Traits and Breakage are hard to categorise with a specific definition of their sound, both busting genres wide-open, with B Traits clearly influenced by old school rave, Jungle, hip hop, 90s house and UK Funky, with her recent UK Chart Single, Fever, also featuring garage vocals by Elisabeth Troy, whereas Breakage is a drum and bass/dubstep producer and DJ, evidently inspired by the original 90s Jungle Sound, Reggae and Dancehall. Both are highly respected on the club scene and both will be performing for ‘Weekenders’ only, on the Saturday night of the Sundown Festival
RATPACK are DJ Lipmaster Mark & MC Evenson Allen who joined forces back in 1985 at the birth of the warehouse/rave scene and are still standing strong 25 years later. Having worked together, with Mark doing beats over Evenson's sets, they quickly moved into the Acid House craze in 1989 which saw the Pack take a new direction
First by running their own local warehouse parties and then, when a DJ didn't turn up for his set Mark got on the decks and Evenson started to hype the crowd by singing and MCing – something which was a Taboo in those days- they unknowingly became the UK Rave Scene's first DJ/MC team, a combination which has taken them all over the World to tear up many a Dance Floor, bringing a collection of styles including House, Break-beat, Drum&Bass and Dub-step
With Olly Murs, Pixie Lott, Alexandra Stan, Stooshe, Katy B, Zane Lowe, Ms Dynamite, Sub Focus, Dot Rotten, Labrinth and headliners Chase & Status Live rocking the Main Stage over the two-day festival and with Stage 2 playing host to the likes of Feed Me Live, Radio 1/1Xtra’s Mista Jam, Funtcase, Zinc, Wilkinson and 16 Bit, presented by UKF on Saturday 1 September, it has now been announced that dance brand KISS will present headliner David Rodigan MBE, Sway Live, EZ, Shortee Blitz, MJ Cole and Charlie Hedges on Stage 2 for the Sunday night
Sundown Festival spokesman, Dion Clements comments: “For this year’s Sundown Festival we wanted to add extra incentive for people to come to Norfolk, spend the whole weekend and enjoy the full package of music on offer. I think we’ve over-achieved in that goal, with the After-Show Warehouse parties being more than just an incentive; they are events in their own rights. Jag Skills performs at almost every major festival in the UK, and now tours the global circuit… he’s club royalty! We’re also honoured to have B Traits, Breakage and RATPACK performing sets on subsequent nights. I would expect Weekenders to be prepared for very little sleep and some hardcore partying over the three days”
With Olly Murs, Pixie Lott, Alexandra Stan, Stooshe, Katy B, Zane Lowe, Ms Dynamite, Sub Focus, Dot Rotten, Labrinth and headliners Chase & Status Live rocking the Main Stage over the two-day festival and with Stage 2 playing host to the likes of Feed Me Live, Radio 1/1Xtra’s Mista Jam, Funtcase, Zinc, Wilkinson and 16 Bit, presented by UKF on Saturday 1 September, it has now been announced that dance brand KISS will present headliner David Rodigan MBE, Sway Live, EZ, Shortee Blitz, MJ Cole and Charlie Hedges on Stage 2 for the Sunday night
Sundown Festival spokesman, Dion Clements comments: “As we had previously announced, this year’s second stage, or Stage 2, is going to be much more dance led than last year. The Saturday night, as we know, will have a strong emphasis on Bass music, and now we’re able to announce that the Sunday night will focus on a mix of House, Garage and Reggae, with some of the biggest club DJs mixing it up under the KISS brand. Bringing the likes of David Rodigan MBE, EZ and MJ Cole to Norfolk just pushed the boundaries of the festival, and its appeal, even further“
It was also recently announced that the global NEXT Model Management will be sending scouts to the festival to search for ‘new faces’
The festival will take place at the Norfolk Showground on Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 September.
Top 10 recording artist, acclaimed Opera singer and recently the star of Les Miserables Alfie Boe with guest musical funnyman Tim Minchin
Sixties-songstress, Lulu and The London Community Gospel Choir
X-Factor finalist Olly Murs will close the Festival on 8 July.
The Henley Festival is the UK’s most glamorous summer party; five magical nights on the banks of the River Thames in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. Tickets go on sale to the public from 15 March or you can beat the wait and become a Friend of the Henley Festival to get your tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased at www.henley-festival.co.uk, or from the Festival box office: 01491 843404 Tickets priced from £35 per day. All Festival profits go to local charities [details below].
This year the Festival is celebrating 30 years at the heart of the English summer season and has announced a line up like never before.
Composer, singer, author, actor, activist – Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five albums, earned six Grammy awards, and in 2003 was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since 1985, Sting has released 13 solo albums. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of his solo career, 25 Years, the definitive box set collection, was recently released. The Best Of 25 Years is also available as a double disc. Sting has sold nearly 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist and has earned an additional 10 Grammy awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Oscar nominations. This summer, Sting will perform many of his most celebrated hits at the Henley Festival on July 4, 2012.
Aside from the headline acts, black tie revellers will enjoy candlelit dining at award winning chefs Albert and Michel Roux Jr’s riverside restaurant or have a more relaxed bite at one of the Festival’s six other restaurants. Along the riverbank world-class acts [full details below] from the worlds of jazz, opera, pop, theatre, comedy, cabaret and literature entertain while pop-up art boutiques and sculpture lawns bring major galleries and artists to the Festival – a unique ‘collectors’ concierge’ provides advice and introductions to those looking to buy.
The headline acts are closed each night by a dazzling firework display before partygoers dance into the night at the Festival’s resident nightclub.
Henley-on-Thames is 60 minutes from London by train, (or 10 minutes by helicopter to the Festival’s helipad). Many guests choose to make a weekend of it and stay in one of the many five star hotels in Henley or nearby [more details below].
Henley Festival 2012 acts:
Cabaret and performance: Among the stand-up comedy acts on offer are Have I got News for you! regular Dr Phil Hammond,Fascinating Aïda star Sarah-Louise Young, and charismatic Canadian comedic Craig Campbell.
The Festival’s signature cabaret acts, The Roving Company of Eccentrica, will amuse, entertain, surprise and shock guests with their unique brand of street performances, spread throughout the Festival’s grounds.
World-class dining: Revellers enjoy candlelit summer nights dining at Albert and Michelin Starred Michel Roux Jr’sFestival riverside Roux restaurant, try the Terrace Restaurant or Café du Soir, (no booking required) – or have a more relaxed bite to eat at one of the Festival’s street-food concessions.
FEAST! Contemporary arts programme Pop up art boutiques and sculpture lawns bring major galleries and artists to the Festival and a ‘collectors concierge’ provides advice and introductions to those looking to buy. The Festival’s Visual Arts Programme includes FEAST! – an exceptional range of selling exhibitions – including the Festival’s famous Sculpture gardens – that showcases major international established artists and emerging talent.
2012 highlights include:
The serious surrealism of Alexander Vorobyev
Abstract contemporary art by Jeffrey Kroll and Nicolas Ruston
The Festival’s annual sculpture garden featuring the work of British sculptor Roland Piche and Auguste Rodin’s iconic masterpiece The Thinker.
“Carbon Art” specialist Alastair Gibson
Aboriginal Art from Australia
Body painted optical illusions created live by Kiwi artist Emma Hack
All profits to charity The Henley Festival is a not for profit organisation. All profits raised go to local and national charities across the Thames Valley. This includes creating and funding the Henley Festival Orchestra which provides over 80 young people with a musical instrument, tuition and performance opportunities throughout the year. The Henley Festival Orchestra also enjoys the opportunity to work with outstanding international performers including Nigel Kennedy and Jon Lord. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/Avqze2
Stewart Collins, Henley Festival Artistic Director said: “To celebrate the Festival’s landmark birthday we’ve really pulled out all the stops. This year’s programme promises to be one of our most sensational to date – after all, 30 years is an achievement for any event and we wanted to see our guests celebrate in style. The Henley Festival is renowned for leaving our guests with magical memories and this will be an unmissable year for regulars and newcomers alike.’
The Henley Festival is sponsored by Invesco Perpetual, Westcoast, Lavazza Coffee, Goodhead and Courtiers, the Festival showcases some of the best loved artists and performers from the classical, jazz and contemporary music world, as well as talent drawn from the global cultural scene, from sculpture and street theatre acts to poetry and art.
