Beautiful Days, Escot Park nr Ottery St Mary, Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd August

Beautiful Days, a family friendly festival organised by the 1980s legends The Levellers, is returns to Escot Park in Ottery St Mary near Exeter for its eighth year on Friday.

And this year Phonic.fm will endeavour to bring you regular updates, and possibly audio interviews with acts straight to you computer throughout the weekend. 

The festival boasts five stages, spectacular site art, a huge children’s area in the centre of the festival, comedy, theatre, family camping, licensed real ale bars from Otter Brewery, carefully selected food and craft stalls, a village shop, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen, a healing area and a firework finale on the Sunday night.

The Wailers, the greatest living exponents of Jamaica’s reggae tradition headline Friday night.  With Bob Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide and in England alone have notched up over twenty chart hits, including seven top 10 entries.

Saturday night sees rockers James taking centre stage. Best known for their hits Sit Down and Laid the band had their greatest success in the 90s before the departure of lead singer Tim booth in 2001. The band reformed in 2007 and since them have released a new album and toured internationally.

On Sunday night festival organisers the Levellers will be topping the bill with a show that will no doubt rival last year’s memorable performance. Followed by a stunning fireworks display to end the weekend.

The Big Top welcomes headline performances from singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, Fairport Acoustic Convention making their first appearance at the festival and acclaimed English folk band Bellowhead.

The bill promises plenty more highlights with the likes of US dub reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars, Westcountry favourites Show of Hands, New Model Army – celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, African Head Charge, The Slackers, The Alarm, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, The Aggrolites, Krafty Kuts, Citizen Fish, Dervish, Wilko Johnson, John Cooper Clarke, Shooglenifty, John Otway Big Band, The Destroyers, James Yorkston, 3 Daft Monkeys, Uiscedwr, Tankus The Henge and Ian King, to name but a few.

Embracing the Chinese Year of the Tiger, the festival theme for the Sunday this year is stripes. Whatever you’re wearing to the festival please make sure you including something stripy – clothes, hats, accessories, full outfits – the choice is yours!

Tickets have sold out do if you don’t have your already it is too late. But keep checking http://www.phonic.fm for regular updates during the weekend’s festivities.

For more information, log on to http://www.beautifuldays.org.

Full line up
MAIN STAGE
FRIDAY
The Wailers
Newton Faulkner
Easy Star All-Stars
Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs

SATURDAY
James
New Model Army
British Sea Power
Show of Hands
The Alarm
Peyoti For President
Tankus The Henge
The Last Republic
63High

SUNDAY
Levellers
Dreadzone
African Head Charge
The Popes
The Aggrolites
The Slackers
Citizen Fish
Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends

THE BIG TOP
FRIDAY
Fairport Acoustic Convention
Neds Atomic Dustbin
Duke Special
Thomas White
Nick Harper
Uiscedwr
Levellers Acoustic

SATURDAY
Bellowhead
Arthur Brown
3 Daft Monkeys
Babylon Circus
Wilko Johnson
Special Guest
Boppin B
Kathryn Williams
Lupen Crook
Gaz Brookfield

SUNDAY
Shooglenifty
Billy Bragg
Stornoway
Dervish
John Otway’s Big Band
The Destroyers
Kassidy
Ian King
The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys

THE LITTLE BIG TOP
FRIDAY
Krafty Kuts
Stereo MCs (DJ Set)
Foamo
Ben & Lex
DJ Andromeda
James Gill
DonJohnston

SATURDAY
Subfocus & MC ID
Adam F
Mr Nice
Maxxi P
Warrior One
Lewah
Fred V & Grafix
Attila the Stockbroker
Doozer
Brian Damage & Krystal
Woody Lee
Hils Barker
Liam Mullone
Pierre Hollins
Paddy Lennox

SUNDAY
Trash City Soundsystem
Howard Marks
Mitch Benn
Paul Pirie
Rich Allen
Gareth Berliner
Ian Cognito
Dan Cardwell
Debra Jane Appleby
Del Strain
Sully O’Sullivan
Don Letts (DJ Set)

DIRTY DAVEY’S BANDSTAND
FRIDAY
British Sea Power ‘Men of Arran’
Waiting for Bono
Jackie Juno
Hypnotique
Whitestar
Stars in the Making? Phoebe Peek & Oscar Hesmondhalgh
Red Dirt

SATURDAY
Murray Lachlan Young
Don Letts (DJ Set)
The Agitator
Thomas Truax
John Callaghan
Olly B
Whitestar
Jail House Doors
Open Mic
Q&A John Robb & Mark Chadwick
Q&A John Robb & Penny Rimbauld
Q&A John Robb & Don Letts
Murray Lachlan Young
Theremin Workshop

SUNDAY
DJ Herman Funkster
John Cooper Clarke
Laura Dockrill
Kagemusha Taiko
Fancy Dress Awards
Troubadour
Q&A John Robb & Kerry McCarthy
Q&A John Robb & Poly Styrene
Q&A John Robb & Guest TBA
Bike Shed Theatre Company

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