Bluedot, Cheshire’s multi award-winning carnival of music, science and cosmic culture, has revealed the first wave of artists for this year’s festival, with Grace Jones, Pavement, Róisín Murphy and Leftfield. The artists join the already announced Max Richter and the BBC Concert Orchestra, who will all be performing at the iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory this July.
Taking place between July 20 and 23, lo-fi pioneers Pavement headline Saturday at bluedot festival with their only UK performance of 2023. Having headlined Primavera 2022 before embarking on a completely sold-out UK tour that took in four nights at London’s Roundhouse, Pavement are now firmly established as one of indie’s most legendary groups.
A cultural icon and one of the most influential musicians of her generation, Grace Jones needs no introduction. Following her curation of London’s Meltdown Festival last year, her influence has made her a towering figure of pop for over six decades. From the classic beats of Slave To The Rhythm and Pull Up To The Bumper to her gold-selling most recent album Hurricane, Grace Jones has become synonymous with a unique fusion of music, art and fashion that has inspired a new generation of artists. This will be Grace’s only northern show of the summer.
bluedot is delighted to host the incredible Róisín Murphy in her first ever festival headline slot. Since achieving international acclaim as one half of Moloko, the defacto queen of electropop has delivered five solo albums, mesmerised audiences across clubland and is now set to open the weekend, with a cosmic dance party to usher in a new era following the success of her Roisin Machine album and tour.
Having been at the cutting-edge of UK electronic music since the mid-90s, Leftfield returned last month with the critically acclaimed This Is What We Do, featuring Lemn Sissay and Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten. The multiple Mercury Prize nominees have become one of dance music’s most enduring and thrilling live acts, and their headline performance in bluedot’s Orbit arena will be an all out assault of live electronica and AV.
Also announced are Mercury prize winners Young Fathers, art rockers Django Django, feted post-punk four piece Dry Cleaning, Malian desert blues pioneers Tinariwen and experimental rockers Black Country, New Road, plus a Sunday Closing Party headlined by the iconic Annie Mac. Nubya Garcia, Georgia, Max Cooper (3D AV), David Holmes, Beak>, Gwenno, Teleman, CMAT, Lava La Rue, Big Joanie, Skinny Pelembe, Scalping, Westerman, Belief, Pictish Trail, Divorce, Madmadmad and Radiophonic Workshop also join the first wave of the festival’s music line-up.
bluedot has also revealed the first science names visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jodrell Bank Observatory, including BBC Sky at Night’s Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Brainiac Live and renowned climate change researcher and author of sustainability book How Bad Are Bananas? Mike Berners-Lee. UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson OBE and The Open University’s Professor of Planetary and Space Science Monica Grady CBE will also return to the festival.
There is also a first taste of the culture and comedy line-up including a David Bowie special edition of Adam Buxton’s Bug!, a screening and in-conversation with Moonage Daydream director, writer and producer Brett Morgan and an afternoon with White Rabbit Books featuring talks with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family, and 90’s icon Miki Berenyi, whose book Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success was named Rough Trade’s book of the year for 2022.
Families are well catered for with a host of exciting and interactive entertainment from Our Kids Social Silent Disco, Pop-Up Puppet Cinema and the ever popular Jedi Lightsaber Training and gourmets will delight in the VIP Village curated by Manchester-based food charity Eatwell and featuring some of the very best food and drink brands in the region including Dishoom, Caroline Martins, Where the Light Gets In, Another Hand and more.
Tickets for bluedot festival 2023 go on sale on Friday 27th January at 10am. To find out more and register for pre-sale access visit the festival website here.