Following the recent government announcement and roadmap detailing plans to lift limits on social contact by 21 June, Splendour organisers are delighted to confirm plans for this year’s Splendour Festival, taking place on Saturday 24 July 2021. Brit-pop legend Richard Ashcroft will join Supergrass as a festival headliner, joining a line-up already packed full of amazing artists, carried over from 2020’s postponed festival.
Richard Ashcroft is an accomplished solo artist, who first shot to acclaim as the singer in The Verve, one of the most innovative and spellbinding bands on the British pop scene. After two successful records, ‘A Storm in Heaven’ and ‘A Northern Soul’, the band truly captured the nation’s hearts with their all-conquering third album ‘Urban Hymns’, which spawned classic hits such as ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ and ‘Lucky Man.’ The album led to Ashcroft winning The Ivor Novello Songwriter Of The Year Award and earned the band two Brit Awards and a front cover for Rolling Stone Magazine. Since then, Ashcroft has carved out an illustrious solo career, starting with 2000’s ‘Alone with Everybody’ and hit single ‘A Song For The Lovers.’ His most recent record, 2018’s ‘Natural Rebel’ is an uplifting, melodious record, demonstrating that Richard Ashcroft’s music is more powerful than ever.
Supergrass have been described as one of the most important bands from the 1990s. Made up of members Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn, Danny Goffey and Rob Coombes, the award-winning Britpop Oxford outfit have achieved an unbroken run of five Top 10 albums, including three platinum sellers – ‘I Should Coco’ (1995), ‘In It for the Money’ (1997), and ‘Supergrass’ (1991) – generated millions of worldwide sales and spawned 10 Top 20 singles, including NME and Melody Maker Single Of The Week ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ and the international hit ‘Alright’.
Throughout the band’s career they have scored the biggest-selling debut for Parlophone since The Beatles, helicoptered into Glastonbury, toured the world and supported everyone from Blur and Arctic Monkeys to Foo Fighters, Radiohead and The Cure. Superfans will remember their multiple gigs at Rock City throughout the nineties and early noughties.
Elsewhere on the main stage will be everyone’s favourite 80s troubadour Rick Astley whose era-defining classic ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ topped charts the world over; Becky Hill, the second most listened to British female artist on Spotify in the UK, having notched up over a billion streams and more than 19 million monthly listeners; and local upcoming folk-pop singer songwriter Tori Sheard. As always, opening the main stage will be the winner of the Future Sound of Nottingham, the annual search to find the best new unsigned talent in Nottinghamshire.
Over on the Confetti stage, there will be a headline set from The Vamps, one of the most successful pop bands to come out of the UK in recent years, having become the first band ever to headline the O2 Arena five years in a row, the four-piece certainly know how to get a crowd excited. The boys will no doubt be performing much loved hit singles ‘Can We Dance’, ‘Wild Heart’ and ‘Last Night’ amongst material from this year’s album ‘Cherry Blossom’. Joining them will be American singer Belinda Carlisle, who gained worldwide fame as co-founder and lead vocalist of groundbreaking all-female new wave rock band The Go-Go’s. Belinda went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist regularly selling out stadiums across the UK. With an acclaimed catalogue of timeless pop hits, the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter is sure to have everyone singing along to songs such as ‘Mad About You’, ‘I Get Weak’, ‘Circle in the Sand’, ‘Leave a Light On’ and the global smash ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, which turned Belinda into a superstar. Finalising the current line-up are Britpop favourites Sleeper. Original members Louise Wener, Jon Stewart and Andy Maclure are joined by Kieron Pepper, previously of The Prodigy.
Alongside a great programme of music, the festival will once again play host to a range of activities for all the family, including the much loved fringe and comedy stages.
George Akins, DHP Family owner, says: “Richard Ashcroft is an icon of British rock, and we’re thrilled he’ll be joining us for Splendour 2021. With Supergrass, Rick Astley, The Vamps, Belinda Carlisle, Becky Hill and more, 2021’s line-up might be our most ambitious yet! We’ve still got so much more to be announced across all stages, and we can’t wait to deliver a Splendour that we think will be the best yet.”
Craig Chettle MBE, Chief Executive of Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, adds: “Confetti is thrilled to be supporting the Splendour Festival once again, for what will be an eagerly-awaited return in 2021. It offers a fantastic chance to come together and enjoy world-class acts, alongside up-and-coming talent within the beautiful grounds of Wollaton Hall.”
Tickets can be purchased from splendourfestival.com.
Splendour 2021 will continue to follow government guidelines and are working hard to ensure they can deliver a fun, safe and enjoyable event for all. However, should there be any changes to the government roadmap dates which cause Splendour to reschedule or postpone the festival, rest assured tickets will be valid for the new date or refunds will be available.
To stay in touch with festival news, follow Splendour on social media:
Facebook: @splendourfestivalUK
Twitter: @splendourfest
Instagram: @splendourfest
#SplendourFest.
MAIN STAGE
Richard Ashcroft
Supergrass
Rick Astley
Becky Hill
Tori Sheard
NUSIC competition winner
CONFETTI STAGE
The Vamps
Belinda Carlisle
Sleeper
+ More to be announced
