TODAY Metal announce that number one pop hit makers Busted will be the headlining act for this year’s Village Green festival.

The Brit Award winning band who hail from Southend are among the first acts to be revealed, in what is looking to be a jam-packed line up for the festival’s tenth weekend.

Echo:

Only ten years ago Village Green was a small scale celebration of the arts and music of Southend attracting, 8,000 visitors.

Now, it regularly attracts over 20,000 festival goers and acts have included Rag N Bone Man, Nitin Sawhney, Beth Orton, Kate Nash, Nothing But Thieves, The Selecter, Billy Bragg, Dan le Sac v Scroobius Pip, Eddi Reader, Roland Gift, Wilko Johnson and more.

Sean McLoughlin, Village Green festival director, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Busted for the first time at Village Green, marking our tenth edition of the festival.

“Whilst being internationally acclaimed as a band, Busted continue to have strong roots in Southend, and we can’t wait for a homecoming show.

“Village Green has always been focussed on showcasing home-grown talent alongside international stars.

“Busted (and past headliners Nothing But Thieves) help us to continue celebrating what a creative place Southend is, in which to work and live”

Another home grown-turned-internationally acclaimed talent confirmed for the 2019 programme is Snowboy, who will be appearing at the festival with his band the Latin Section.

Brand new stages and areas for 2019 include: the N-Act Theatre Stage, run by Southend based theatre group, N-Act; The Space In-Between stage – which will have a varied programme throughout the day, featuring International beatbox artist Shlomo (who headlined the very first Village Green in 2008), Liverpool artist Ashleigh Owen who brings her new theatre show Hip Hip I’m Gay and Southend based comedian Pope Lonergan who will showcase his popular Addiction Clinic.

Returning for Village Green 2019 is the popular Artist Village, a programme of new contemporary artworks created especially for the festival.

Organised by Jon Kipps, an artist and curator from Southend, a group of four artists have been invited to spend time in Chalkwell Hall this spring, getting to know the area, before returning in the summer with their finished pieces.

Also back this year is the Village Green main stage, the Global Village stage, the Oak Stage for young performers and run by young people, Mini Green (the under 11’s stage), Idea13 stage for emerging bands and promoting the regional music industry, the Grrrlzine Stage, (at tent full of zines, bands, workshops and talks celebrating DIY creativity by women, LGBTQI and non-binary people).

Village Green takes place in Chalkwell Park, Westcliff, on Saturday July 13, from 11am until 9pm, bringing thousands of people ten hours of arts, music and performance for all ages.

More acts, including co-headliners are yet to be announced.

Tickets are now on sale.

Early Bird tickets are available until May 31 – adults £15 / 11-17yrs £10 / 0-10yrs free.

Full price tickets there after will be adults £20/11-17yrs £15/ 0-10yrs free.

Keep your eye on What’s On in Wednesday’s Echo, for more details and interviews on the Village Green highlights.

More local acts to look out for:

The Village Green Main Stage

Asylums

Building on gigs at Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds, and with lots of radio support, Southend based Asylums are ready, with album three, “to reach out to the world in a bigger way than ever before”.

Beckie Margaret

As a result of huge support from Steve Lamacq at BBC 6 Music (who made Cars and Catacombs one of his songs of 2017 ) and John Kennedy at Radio X, Beckie’s music has begun to seep into the psyche of the discerning listener. With her haunting melodies and her personal, sometimes brutally honest lyrics, delivered in the style reminiscent of Kate Bush & Liz Frazer, Beckie is giving a voice to the heartbroken and troubled minds of the misunderstood millennials.

Killatrix

Killatrix are pop, metal, hip-hop, and dance slammed together to produce a unique hybrid of party-rock-electronica that you can dance, fight and bang your head to.

Idea13 Stage

Selected through an industry panel made up of: Focal Point Gallery, Chinnerys, The Railway Hotel, Cool Thing Records and South Essex College:

Bad Nerves

Bad Nerves produce powerpop punk at break neck speeds, cramming as much melody and infectious garage-rock into every two-minute ripper they spit out.

Usselman

Signed to Blow Up Records Usselman present a big fuzzy warm slab of heavy, dreamy alt-pop.

F\GUREHEAD

Musicians meet machines to create hypnotic hooks and rhythmic grooves, meshed with poetical lyrics and vocal melodies.

Ghosts Of Men

Powerhouse performers with a feel for the brilliant music

The Whom by Fire Ensemble

Heavy, haunting “fairy-tale blues”. A whisper to a roar.

Rooskin

Rooskin are a band who focus on ‘summery’ sounds, warm synths and hooky vocals. Fun to watch live and easy to get involved with!

The Spank Wednesdays

Rugby club ricki and roll which sounds like post punk greats Magazine, Buzzcocks and Jilted John.

Suspects

Suspects are a two man riot from Southend signed to Cool Thing Records.

The Collier

On Coda Agency’s roster The Collier produce high energy up-beat indie rock, along the lines of early Radiohead.

The Waterfalls

A modern reimagining of the early Cure with a raw DIY edge and strong songwriting.