All set for an outbreak of music festival fever (From Ledbury Reporter)

All set for an outbreak of music festival fever

12:00pm Saturday 18th August 2012 in News

THE third year of the Upton-upon-Severn International Music Festival is fast approaching with a line-up from the 1960s right through to the present day.

The town’s Fish Meadow will be awash with family-friendly music and activities from August 24 to 26.

Among the many highlights will be a performance from the reformed 1970s British rockers Saxon complete with original members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson performing as Oliver and Dawson’s Saxon.

Racey will hurtle through their smash hits from the 1970s and 80s with songs including Some Girls, Lay Your Love On Me and Boy Oh Boy. The Selecter and the Beat bring their 2-tone sensibilities to the festival and Mr Zip and the Jive Aces come fresh from success on ITV’s Brit-ain’s Got Talent.

The second stage is new for 2012 and will offer local and fringe acts the chance to show off their talents to a packed crowd. Once again local tradesmen and charities are being offered free space to trade at the festival in an attempt to further boost business in the riverside town.

A festival spokesman said: “We are over the moon with the high profile acts we have managed to book. It feels like the festival is really going forward and more big artists are wanting to be involved, which is very promising for the future. It can only get bigger and better.”

Other household names taking a place on the bill include Hazel O'Connor, Alvin Stardust, Doctor and the Medics, Mungo Jerry, the Mindbenders, Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young, the Union Gap UK, the American Four Tops, the Fabulous Boogie Boys, Strange Doors, the Move, the Tygers of Pan Tang, the Ultimate Beatles, the Bravo Boys and Ray Lewis’ Drifters.

For more information, go to uptonfestival.co.uk.