Lindisfarne Festival...

...is bringing a galaxy of local and world music talent to Northumberland in the form of the exciting new event, located at Beal Farm, in the foreground of the quaint and unspoilt Holy Island. The festival will run September 4 to 6 and promises to be a magical combination of music and creative arts. The mammoth line-up brings indie, funk, rock and folk in one almighty gathering.

Among the performers are upcoming home-grown folk/pop band Kosoti, who have previously graced The Sage in Gateshead before a sell-out crowd.

Frankie and the Heartstrings are Sunderland’s contribution – a five-piece indie-rock band who, having supported The Kaiser Chiefs and The Vaccines, are now about to entertain us in their own right, sporting a don’t-give-a-damn attitude and refreshing sense of humour which is reflected in their music, already having a long line of festivals in their back-catalogue of venues.

Alt-rock quintet Shields are another local breath of fresh air – eye candy with musical benefits, being well-known for their catchy pop riffs.

A more familiar figure is actor Craig Charles, now having the perfect opportunity showcase the flip-side of his talents as a funk and soul DJ.

Another blast-from-the-past you may remember is Adamski, a Michael Stipe look-a-like whose 1990 hit Killer and taste for electronic dance music led to him sexing up the waltz rhythm into something “sexy and groovy” – must be seen to be believed.

Then there is The Skints – a four-piece reggae ensemble who will be bringing the Caribbean to the Coastline after “bringing the house down” at last year’s Reading Festival.

Throwing an Irish flavour into the mix will be The Happy Cats – the brainchild of former Lindisfarne singer Marty Craggs. These old boys have the uncanny knack of taking years of rock-and-roll experience and giving it a salsa shake-up to maintain their street-cred, even giving the accordion a modern-day makeover while they’re about it.

Boasting a bigger selection than a box of Thorntons’ Continentals (I have even heard mutterings of a Silent Disco as part of the evening’s shenanigans) but whether it be a mudfest or a sun shower, we are guaranteed a weekend packed with fun, folk and feelgood, so come and let your hair down and jump on this eagerly-awaited bandwagon on it’s first outing.

Tickets available online at lindisfarnefestival.com

Linda Jobling