Napton Festival will set tone for future events

ORGANISERS of the Napton Festival have pulled off a major coup by signing Britpop rockers the Bluetones as the headline act for this year’s event.

The indie band, who found fame in the 1990s with their number one debut album Expecting to Fly and three Top 20 hit singles, will top the bill of 15 musicians and bands who will perform at the event on Friday July 8 and Saturday July 9.

Their appearance will be one of just a handful of festival gigs they play this summer before they start their final tour.

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Bluetones frontman Mark Morriss said: “After 17 years and six albums we have decided that the time has arrived to call it a day and move on to other challenges.

“Before disappearing forever though we will be heading out for out last tour as a chance to say farewell and thank you to all the fans who have sustained us over these years with a career-spanning ‘greatest hits-best of’ style set of songs.

“It’s going to be emotional.”

Other artists on the line-up include tribute band The Total Stone Roses, alternative pop punk act The Ripps, up-and-coming electro fidget group Junkstar, and Leamington’s very own Noke.

Half of the bands come from the Coventry or Warwickshire area.

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The festival is organised by the Napton Festival Music Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting and raising the profile of bands in Warwickshire, and has been sponsored by Stratford District Council in recognition of its ability to promote businesses and services in the area to a wider audience.

Now in its fifth year, the event has increased in size and organisers are aiming to attract between 1,500 and 2,500 people.

A professional stage, pa and lighting system will be used for the first time as the trust aims to move the event forward.

Festival chairman Greg Harris said: “We have been really lucky in that we have had a lot of help from the guys at the Assembly in Leamington who have been absolutely brilliant putting us in touch with the bands,

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“Getting the Bluetones is just brilliant for us, unfortunately they have decided to stop at the end of this year so it’s obviously quite a coup for us to have them playing.

“We were keen to move the music into more alternative rock and we have lots of different bands including a folk rock band and a ska band.

“It’s going to be more diverse and more everyone’s cup of tea.

“If we can get 1,500 people it will be a success, if we can get 2,500 it will be stunning.”

Tickets for the festival including camping and car parking are available online.

www.naptonfestival.co.uk