Indie favourites James and electronic music duo Basement Jaxx will headline Knebworth festival Cool Britannia 2019 this summer.
The line-up has been announced for Knebworth’s 1990s music festival Cool Britannia.
After a successful debut at Knebworth Park last summer, Cool Britannia will return to the Hertfordshire stately home from Friday, August 30 to Sunday, September 1.
Promoters confirmed the first acts appearing at the Britpop-inspired festival this morning (Wednesday) with Sit Down favourites James and electronic dance music masters Basement Jaxx headlining the main stage over the weekend.
Celebrating the best of indie and dance music, this year’s Knebworth festival sees an epic line-up on both the main stage as well as the Ministry of Sound Stage.
Saturday’s main stage is curated by BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley, who will also perform a DJ set of 1990s anthems.
The stage will feature sets by Liverpool’s Groovy Train indie stars The Farm and the Mark Morriss fronted The Bluetones, who enjoyed a number two hit in 1996 with Slight Return.
The Farm’s frontman, Peter Hooton, appeared at Knebworth last summer as part of the Britpop Classical collective, performing top five hit single All Together Now.
Cool Britannia will also feature a rare UK festival appearance by The It Girl indie-rockers Sleeper.
Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener, the Inbetweener and Sale of the Century Britpop band reformed in 2017 and will release a new album this year.
Embrace, most famous for chart-topping 1998 debut album The Good Will Out and singles All You Good Good People and the Chris Martin-penned Gravity, are also back by popular demand after last year’s stunning Knebworth performance.
The anthemic West Yorkshire rockers held their own ‘secret’ festival in the grounds of Knebworth House in 2014 before storming the Cool Britannia main stage last year.
The stage will also see the return of two other performers from last year’s inaugural Cool Britannia.
After performing a DJ set in the Ministry of Sound tent in 2018, Jazzie B brings Soul II Soul to the main stage at Knebworth this summer.
Happy Mondays headlined the first Cool Britannia Festival and lead singer Shaun Ryder returns with Kermit and his other group, Black Grape.
They will be playing new songs from album Pop Voodoo and some old favourites.
Headlining Cool Britannia 2019 on the Saturday night are indie faves James.
Formed in Manchester in the early 1980s, James are best known for hits Laid, She’s A Star, Come Home, Born of Frustration and indie disco staple Sit Down.
There is another top line-up of acts from the era on the Sunday.
You’re Gorgeous hit makers Babybird and Staying Out for the Summer stars Dodgy will both perform, while Huey Morgan’s Fun Lovin’ Criminals will bring the Scooby Snacks to the Cool Britannia party.
Like Embrace, Dodgy also played Cool Britannia in 2018.
Dreams singer Gabrielle, Alcoholic and Good Souls post-Britpop band Starsailor, and The Coral are also on the Cool Britannia Sunday line-up.
Merseyside’s Mercury Music Prize-nominated indie rockers The Coral are best known for hits Dreaming Of You and Pass It On.
Rounding off the weekend will be a DJ set from Romeo, Jus 1 Kiss and Where’s Your Head At duo Basement Jaxx, aka Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, with an explosive pyrotechnic finale specially designed for the Knebworth festival.
The Ministry of Sound Stage is also back, bigger and better than ever with a packed line-up of DJs and club classics.
Appearing behind the decks in the MoS arena will be legendary Balearic beat and house DJ Danny Rampling, Seb Fontaine, Norman Jay MBE, Graeme Park, who was one of the leading figures at The Haçienda club in Manchester, and Phil Hartnoll of Orbital.
There will also be club PAs from Let Me Be Your Fantasy chart-toppers Baby D, Livin’ Joy and Shades of Rhythm.
The festival will also see a return of Faithless’ Maxi Jazz after his storming DJ set on the main stage in 2018.
The God Is a DJ and Insomnia star will this year appear on the Ministry of Sound Stage on the Saturday with a party DJ set.
The Knebworth festival will open on the Friday with a ‘Welcome Party’ for camping and weekend ticket holders, with an acoustic performance from Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls of The Wonder Stuff.
Cool Britannia also tends to the needs of festival-goers with camping, glamping, campervan and caravan parks, street food, street entertainers, The Barn Stage, funfair, kid-zone, trade stands, karaoke, and even a freak show in a Victorian palace of entertainment.
• Tickets for this electrifying festival will go back on sale at 9am on Friday, February 1 via the official festival website at www.coolbritanniafest.com
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