Organisers of Nottingham’s Splendour Festival have confirmed that the event will go ahead as planned this year, with The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, Supergrass, Rick Astley and Becky Hill set to top the bill. The one-day festival will take place on Saturday 24th July at the city’s Wollaton Park.
SPLENDOUR LINE UP ANNOUNCED
We’re thrilled to announce @richardashcroft & @SupergrassHQ as our headliners, joining a bill full of incredible artists & much more yet to be announced!
Nottingham’s biggest summer party is back, get your tickets now: https://t.co/c4JAvwqwNk pic.twitter.com/mWiC8ju2US
— Splendour Festival (@splendourfest) March 5, 2021
The Splendour Festival dates back to 2008 when it kicked off as a two-day event with performances from the likes of Ocean Colour Scene, Kate Nash, Rufus Wainwright and Paolo Nutini. The festival has grown exponentially since then, and the last Splendour in 2019 was the biggest to date, with 25,000 in attendance to see headliners Manic Street Preachers, The Specials, Rag’n’Bone Man and All Saints.
In an interview with the Nottingham Post, Splendour organiser Anton Lockwood explained that the festival would comply with the most up-to-date public health guidance. He said “We are working on the best information we have. Obviously there will be more detailed work on guidelines and protocol for events like Splendour. We are monitoring that and contributing to that and as those guidelines come out we’ll obviously follow those and abide by the legislation and all the guidelines. We are able to go ahead thanks to the amazing work of everyone getting the vaccine out there and a shout out to Nottingham Professor Jonathan Van-Tam (Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England) – I think he is brilliant – we will listen to his advice but we want to have a big party.”
Lockwood added “We want people to come out and see some great live music – that is what we are trying to achieve. I am really excited to be going to a gig to be honest and go and see some live music. We obviously want it to be safe, obviously we are going to follow the legislation and the guidelines that are in place that people far more expert than us are developing.”
Richard Ashcroft‘s headline set at Splendour was set to follow two sold-out comeback gigs at the London Palladium in May. The Wigan vocalist – who is currently working on an acoustic greatest hits album – returned to action last month with a cover of John Lennon’s 1973 track Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple).
Fellow Splendour headliners Supergrass, who reformed in 2019 after a nine-year hiatus, will eagerly await a return to the stage this year. The indie veterans had been due to tour the United States, Australia and Europe last year – topped off by a fifth scheduled appearance at Glastonbury – before all their live commitments were scuppered by the pandemic. The Oxford rockers, who produced one of the defining singles of the 1990s in Alright, last released an album in 2008 (Diamond Hoo Ha).
1980s pop icon Rick Astley continues to defy expectations (most recently by covering Slipknot and The Strokes on his TikTok account) and has enjoyed a steady period of critical success ever since his well-received 2016 comeback LP 50. The Lancastrian singer’s appearance at Splendour will compliment seventeen separate UK tour dates scheduled for this year, culminating in a gig at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on November 12th.
Becky Hill‘s performance at Splendour should coincide with the release of her as-yet-untitled debut studio album this summer. The former The Voice UK contestant, who scored a 2014 number #1 single with Gecko (Overdrive), most recently provided vocals for Bruno Martini and Magnificence’s January release Wake Up With You.
Other acts confirmed for Splendour 2021 include British pop-rockers The Vamps, Heaven Is A Place on Earth singer Belinda Carlisle, London indie outfit Sleeper and up-and-coming Nottinghamshire artist Tori Sheard. Tickets for Splendour are available through the festival website.
