FROM THE PRODUCERS OF THE SECRET GARDEN PARTY & LOVEBOX…

Mercury Rev perform ‘Deserter’s Songs’

The Secret Garden Partypresent Where The Wild Things Are 

The Last Tuesday Societyhost a Midnight Masked Ball

Daniel Johnston’s Sunday Night Collaborators

The Low Anthem, Mercury Rev, Fyfe Dangerfield all confirm The Idler Academy & Intelligence Squared announce an extraordinary line-up of speakers and debates 

Wilderness today announces a host of unique additions to its groundbreaking new festival of music, food, theatre, literary debate and outdoor pursuits at the spectacular setting of Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire on August 12-14.


American rock band, Mercury Rev, will make their only UK festival appearance of the summer, performing their seminal masterpiece ‘Deserter’s Songs’ for the very last time on this sell-out tour. A concept album which NME named it’s ‘album of the year’ in 1998 captured the pre-millennial mood with a feeling of child-like wonder, merging Disney-esque orchestral ballads, female sopranos, flugelhorns and the eerie whine of a bowed saw. It was an acclaimed success that heralded Mercury Rev’s rebirth as purveyors of a cosmic brand of Americana not yet seen before... 

The Secret Garden Party, the award-winning festival which last week sold out of all tickets for this year’s event, will be presiding over a late-night concept party on the Friday night. Aptly titled ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, this will be the only www.becks.co.uk/fusion other opportunity to catch the antics of the Secret Garden crew this summer.

Jim Whewell, Secret Garden’s Creative Director says, “We spent a couple of days up at Cornbury picking the exact spot for this party – it’s an absolute gem and we can’t wait to roll over to Wilderness and finish the summer in style.”

Renowned for their radical, magical and wild style of entertainments, they promise to transform an ancient forest clearing into a theatrical landscape of make-believe with the help of resident performers Tax Deductible, The Artful Badger and The Feast of Fools.

The Last Tuesday Society, London’s undisputed purveyors of eccentricity, host their first ever headline show at a UK festival with a Midnight Masked Ball on Saturday night. Following Gogol Bordello’s closing main stage show on Saturday Night, the festival site will be turned over to Viktor Wynd and his accomplices who will oversee a multi-tented extravaganza of weird and wonderful entertainments including ballroom dancing, late night story-telling, puppet theatre, processional bands, séances and life drawing classes.

Including headline shows from The Urban Voodoo Machine, a second performance from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and aerial displays from the amazing Empress Stah, the Ball promises to be a spectacular Balkan boogie carousal into the early hours of Sunday morning…

Mercury Rev, Fyfe Dangerfield of Guillemots, The Low Anthem and the previously announced Robyn Hitchcock will all be collaborating in a very special Sunday Night Songbook Finale with cult singer-songwriter and Wilderness Artist-in-Residence 2011, Daniel Johnston. Without any fear of hyperbole, Daniel’s ensemble late-night show under canvas is a truly unique happening and illustrates Wilderness’ innovative, adventurous and altogether new approach to festival programming. 

Wilderness today announces it’s full line-up of debates, discussions, comedy and spoken word. London’s popular Intelligence Squared and Idler Academy organisations will be the headline partners in a four-tent marathon of thought-provoking experiences, lectures and seminary.

Including two daily panels debates which feature such luminaries as the Executive Director of Greenpeace, Kumi Naidoo, and the editor of the New Scientist, Roger Highfield, Intelligence Squared play host to other speakers including Harry Eyres (Financial Times Slow Lane columnist), Brendan O’Neill (Editor of Spiked online) Rory Sutherland (VP of Ogilvy), James Dellingpole (Daily Telegraph), and Viscount Monckton of Brenchley.

The Idler, the British magazine devoted to the ethos of 'idling', founded by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretnor Pinney, will bring their renowned Idler Academy to Wilderness for the weekend. On the bill will be a brilliantly inspired and vast range of talks over the three days. Highlights include Gavin’s own ‘Adventures In Cloud Spotting’, Dr David Bramwell’s talk on modern utopias and Ben Moor who will lead a Frisbee Tree Golf session.

As well as performing on the main stage, Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert from Toots and the Maytals will also be doing a special Q&A with David Katz about 50 years of reggae.

The new names join a line-up including Antony and the Johnsons (and The Heritage Orchestra), Laura Marling, Daniel Johnston, Gogol Bordello, The Low Anthem, Dry The River, Guillemots, Toots & The Maytals, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Hayseed Dixie, chefs Skye Gyngell and Sam and Sam Clark from Moro, The Old Vic Tunnels, Tax Deductible Theatre Company, Factory Theatre, Bristol Natural History Consortium, Headspace and Boutique Babysitting  Tickets: http://bit.ly/k2Gyat