Ticket Deadline Countdown – Last Day
Each day this week we've made an announcement about this year's lineup to encourage you to buy your tickets before tonight's early bird deadline. If you've not done so already, be sure to buy your tickets today. It's your last opportunity to save 15% on onsite prices.
Today we unveil a little more of our music lineup and in particular some of what is in store in the Performance Cafe and Underground. Some highlights are below, but you can see more on the music lineup page.
Thomas Truax
New York City's Thomas Truax (pronounced troo-aks) is a left field troubadour and inventor/player of strange self-made instruments like his now legendary 'Hornicator' and a motorized mechanical drum machine called 'Sister Spinster'. He employs these and other contraptions as well as traditional instruments in exceptionally crafted, witty and often touching songs. Splendid magazine called him "one of the five or ten best singer/songwriters in the world that you've never heard of...an exceptional talent, unique and resistant to comparison, yet fairly accessible even to casual listeners."
Ellie Williams
Ellie Williams first came to the attention of the record industry and public after uploading some bedroom-recorded demos to the website of fan-funded label Sellaband. Catching the imagination of listeners across the globe, Ellie achieved her goal of raising $50,000 to fund her first studio album in just 50 days - a record that still stands today. From an enviable choice of top record producers, Ellie chose Tony Platt, best known for his work with Bob Marley and AC/DC, to oversee production of her debut LP, and together they recorded Unseen at Angelic Union in Buckinghamshire and Deep Blue Sound in Devon.
Jon Gomm
Even the most seasoned musos will watch Jon Gomm with their mouths uncontrollably hanging open. Gomm uses one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and sparkling melodies all at the same time. It's a bit like watching someone pat their head, rub their stomach and type a novel with their feet. He manages to sing on top of all this, with material that draws inspiration from sources as diverse as Robert Johnson, Radiohead, Roni Size and Prince. Acoustic Magazine called him 'one of the world's most successful, gifted and inspirational guitar players' and you can't say fairer than that. He started on the ukulele aged two and soon graduated to the guitar. Turning down a place to read English at Oxford he instead chose The Guitar Institute in London. You can sense a sharp parental intake of breath. But academia's loss was rock 'n' roll's gain.
Michael McDermott
Rolling Stone Magazine labelled him a very hot prospect. He's gone from coffee house hero to critically acclaimed troubadour, and Michael McDermott continues to captivate audiences on both sides of the pond.
Imagine a triangle described by Dylan, Springsteen and Waits, and McDermott will be sitting in the middle of it. He writes observational songs of a brutal honesty about himself and those he encounters. He's shared a stage with Van Morrison and The Cowboy Junkies, and we're glad to welcome him back to Greenbelt where he'll be playing songs from his new release Noise From Words.
Luke Leighfield
Over the past three years Luke Leighfield has released three albums on his own label Got Got Need Records, played 550 gigs in twelve countries from the UK to Russia, Sweden to China and everywhere in between (all of which were arranged himself without the help of a booking agent), entered the top five of the UK indie singles chart with his debut single If You Haven’t Got Anything to Say and won plaudits from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Xfm and Prince Charles, amongst others.
Extra Curricular
9-piece LIVE Hip Hop/Soul/Pop act fronted by the amazingly talented Jack Flash, Ruby Wood, and Thabo Mkwananzi. The band have a unique combination of instruments with a horn section, decks and samplers, alongside guitar, bass and drums. The EC live show is something to be witnessed, they involve the whole crowd from start to finish taking the listener on a journey through hip hop grooves, soulful vocals and huge anthemic choruses.
Quick links: MySpace
The Standards
Showcasing their mastery of the finely crafted pop song is what ‘The Standards’ are all about. Instant pop classics performed with energy, vitality and bare-faced cheek.
After appearing along-side such great acts as ... Sparks, The Wombats, The Cribs, Friendly Fires and The Rakes to name a few, the band are now making their own mark and were recently crowned band of the week by the Independent.
The Floe
With a name evoking images of frozen landscapes and endless blue skies, Essex-based quartet The Floe have produced a debut album of stark beauty.
Within the group there is an alchemy that makes their sound both distinctive and compelling. Brimming with tales of love, heartache, longing and hope, The Floe's album ‘No Looking Back’ (released 1st Feb 2010) is built on a solid foundation of delicate melodies, soaring vocals & passionate lyrics that melt the heart.
