Cumbria’s biggest, brightest and best music and arts festival, Solfest is delighted to announce our second wave of headline bookings for Solfest 2013. Solfest has endeavoured to compile a richly varied and superb line-up that includes both the contemporary and the classic of the music world and runs that gamut from rock to roots and folk to dance.

Just added to the Solfest line up and booked to appear on the mainstage this year are New Model Army, Deaf School, The Joy Formidable, Twisted Wheel, our ‘Very Special Guests’, Alabama 3, plus Jakarta Club, Ahab, Delhi 2 Dublin, N.U.M.B, By The Rivers and Victorian Trout Conspiracy,

New Model Army played their first gig in Bradford on October 1980, after deciding to form a stripped-down three-piece. Their music draws on a wide collection of influences and is fuelled by their passion for punk, northern soul and the incendiary atmosphere of the times. Their first recording to reach a wider audience was the powerful ‘Great Expectations’, and as the band enjoyed considerable late night airplay on Radio 1 via John Peel their fan base began to grow rapidly.

Early in 1984, the producer of The Tube, the most important live music show on TV at the time, invited New Model Army to appear on the programme. Having originally asked the band to perform their provocative anti-anthem, ‘Vengeance’, Channel 4 suddenly got cold feet about the song’s lyrics minutes before broadcast and asked the band to change songs. It made no difference. Somehow twenty to thirty followers had managed to get into the TV studio and when NMA began with ‘Christian Militia’ the audience went wild and the electric atmosphere was transmitted around the country. Consequently their first mini-album, Vengeance knocked the debut album by The Smiths from the top of the Independent Charts.

Soon after the band were signed by EMI with a contract that stipulated complete artist control. Their debut album, No Rest For The Wicked and the single ‘No Rest’ both reached the UK top 40, but this success did little to soften NMA's confrontational attitude. They appeared on Top Of The Pops wearing T-shirts with a motif reading ‘Only Stupid Bastards Use Heroin’ (a reaction against the fashionable drug of the time) and were never subsequently invited back.

Since then New Model Army have left EMI, signed to Epic, left Epic and started their own management and label Attack Attack, lost their manager suddenly, had several line-up changes, fought illnesses, survived devastating fires and the theft of all their equipment. Throughout it all they have sustained the interest of tens of thousands of devoted fans in the UK, Europe, North and South America and the Far East with album after album of critically and commercially successful albums and intensive touring of their dynamic live show.

A new album, Between Dog And Wolf mixed in the Los Angeles studio of Joe Barresi, best known for work with Tool, Queens Of The Stoneage, Bad Religion and Soundgarden will appear soon.

Deaf School formed in Liverpool in 1973. Between 1976 and 1978 they recorded three albums for the Warner Brothers label, in an art rock style that had its roots in cabaret, moving towards a harder punk rock sound. The band split in 1978 but have since been recognised as an important influence on many British musicians. According to Frankie Goes To Hollywood singer Holly Johnson: “They revived Liverpool music for a generation.”  The journalist, author and co-founder of Mojo magazine, Paul Du Noyer, went further: “In the whole history of Liverpool music two bands matter most, one is The Beatles and the other is Deaf School.” Nearly all its members went on to enjoy successful careers afterwards, notably guitarist Clive Langer, who would produce Madness and Dexys Midnight Runners (two non-Liverpool acts who cite Deaf School as an influence). He would also co-write (with Elvis Costello) the song ‘Shipbuilding’. Frontwoman Bette Bright married Suggs frontman of Madness!

Reformed for a legendary series of gigs in 1988 (recorded and released on CD and DVD), Deaf School also played two series of concerts in 2006 and 2007 when they showed how great a live act they still are.  They played ten gigs in 2009, a number in 2010 and the demand has been such that they’ve continued to gig ever since.

The Joy Formidable formed in 2007 in the Welsh town of Mold. The three-piece released their debut single in July 2008, ‘Austere’ and through continuous hard touring and their explosive live shows the band have continued to build an audience with their own brand of big and noisy alternative rock that falls somewhere between the work of The Breeders and UK bands like Echobelly and Catatonia. Basically what they produce is high octane pop-rock fired by great hooks and riotous choruses

In 2010, the band signed to Canvasback Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic. Their debut album The Big Roar was released in January 2011, with their song ‘Endtapes’ featuring on the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn film soundtrack later that year.

A new album,Wolf’s Law, written on the road during their 12-month tour in support of their previous record, was released in January 2013 in the UK and on the following day in the US

Famed for their incendiary live performances, a cutting edge fusion of acid house, country, blues and radical politics and penning the title track for Channel 4’s The Sopranos, Solfest is delighted to welcome back to Solfest, due to popular demand and as our ‘Very Special Guests’, Brixton based nine-piece Alabama 3.

Twisted Wheel hail from Greater Manchester and since coming together in early 2007 have been booked as one of the support acts for Oasis's 2009 Heaton Park concerts, supported heavyweight rock bands like Kasabian and The View and played Reading, Leeds, T In The Park, Glastonbury and other large UK festivals. Embraced for their strong melodies, psychedelic themes and Brown's irreverent poignant lyrics, Twisted Wheel cite Bob Dylan, The Stooges The Small Faces, The Who, The Rolling Stones and Oasis among their main influences.

Described as “a breath of fresh air” by Liam Gallagher. They also have a fan in Paul Weller, who came to see them at London's 100 Club, Twisted Wheel are classic Britrock for today.

Also appearing on the mainstage are the Kings of UK Americana, Ahab, the superb Canadian Celtic/bhangra fusion act, Delhi 2 Dublin, and the fascinatingly titled alt-hip hop four-piece Never Underestimate Musical Belief, known simply as NUMB. We’ve also By The Rivers, the much praised six-piece contemporary reggae band from Leicester, the gloriously over the top combination of ska, funk and urban ghetto attitude that is Edinburgh ten-piece, Victorian Trout Conspiracy plus Cumbrian indie four-piece, Jakarta Club.

2013 promises to deliver the best festival experience in Solfest’s decade long-history. Whatever your particular musical taste Solfest 2013 has something guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Don’t forget our other mainstage attractions including, Los Angeles based Celtic-punk band, Flogging Molly, UK indie-rock giants, Maximo Park, the perfect Celtic and dance musical storm of Afro Celt Sound System and UK folk-rock institution, Oysterband.

And of course that’s just the mainstage!

Since its inception in 2004, tickets for Solfest have sold out completely each year. We expect Solfest 2013 to do the same. We recommend getting your tickets early.

Early Bird tickets are an online exclusive and won't be available from the over-the-counter outlets so make sure you get yours right away

All our tickets are for the full weekend. Day tickets are not available.

Young Person tickets can only be purchased with at least one Adult ticket. Children five years old and under will get their tickets for FREE but you must still order them.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday night camping is included in your ticket price and there's no extra charge for live-in vehicles, caravans, campervans or trailer tents unless you intend to arrive on Thursday. If so, you will need to purchase one advance Thursday Camping Pass per vehicle (not per person). This is a £15 vehicle permit that applies for any vehicle with 2 or more axles. It does not apply to motorcycles.

Tickets for Solfest 2013 are priced as follows:

  • Adult Online Early bird - £99 (Limited to the first 1000)Adult Standard - £109
  • Young People (age 12-16) Early bird - £65 (Limited Number)
  • Young People Standard (age 12-16)- £70
  • Child Tickets (age 6-11) - £30
  • Babies & Toddlers (age 0-5) – FREE but still need a ticket.
  • Thursday Camping (per vehicle) - £15

All online sales are subject to postage and packaging charges. £2.00 for Standard first class and £7.85 for Special Delivery.

More Details HERE.