Heavenly Planet, Reading’s brand new festival for 2009, today announces its decision to make the festival a free of charge event, for all to attend and enjoy in its inaugural year.

The family friendly festival takes place on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th July at The Thames Promenade, Reading and hopes to attract up to 15,000 visitors. The decision to make Heavenly Planet free further cements the ethos of the festival – bringing the community together to celebrate music and optimism. The recommendation for Heavenly Planet to be a free event will be considered by Reading Borough Council’s Cabinet members on 16 March.

Festival Republic, Thomas Brooman and Reading Borough Council, the three partners behind this new festival, believe that the decision for a free event in the first year will help to establish Heavenly Planet as a festival favourite and a staple part of Reading’s culture for many years to come. The aim is to provide a festival that everyone can enjoy, with inclusion for all at its heart, offering as many people as possible the opportunity to attend and experience what Heavenly Planet has to offer.

The Heavenly Planet Festival will be ticketless and open to all. Further details will be available in the run up to the festival. For further information and all the latest news, check out www.heavenlyplanetfestival.co.uk

Sharon Shannon Big Band

The accordionist from Ireland has achieved legendary status throughout the world and has made the much-maligned accordion ‘cool’ in her home country.  Renowned for her collaborations, not just in Irish traditional music, but through all musical genres, Hip-Hop, Cajun, Country, Classical and Rap.

Sharon has recorded and toured with a who’s who of the Irish and Global Music Industry, including Bono, Adam Clayton, Sinead O’Connor, Jackson Browne, John Prine ,Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, The RTE Concert Orchestra, The Chieftains, The Waterboys, Willie Nelson, Nigel Kennedy, Alisson Krauss and Shane MacGowan – a list that is testament to Sharon’s versatility as well as talent.

A prolific composer, Sharon is currently writing an album of traditional tunes for full Concert Orchestra arrangement. She is also working on a new album with guest singers to be released in 2009.  The genre-defying star has had multi-platinum album sales and has had several number one albums, singles and DVDs in her home country.  Her recent success is a collaboration with Irish rock singer Mundy on the Steve Earle penned The Galway Girl has been in the top 5 in the Irish charts for over three months, and is currently being used by Magners Cider for their latest TV commercial and her current album THE GALWAY GIRL has attained triple platinum status in Ireland.  Sharon played festivals all over Europe including the Glastonbury Festival in 2008 and has recently completed a sell-out UK tour.

The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain

See the universe in the grain of a Ukulele.

Few people know that Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett started out playing a ukulele. It’s a mystical thing, says band-leader George Hinchcliffe: “If God has a string instrument, I’m sure it’s a ukulele.”

The Ukulele Orchestra is an all-singing, all-strumming, awesome, funny, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll.

This is a band who use instruments bought with loose change, and who believe that all genres of music are available for re-interpretation; as long as they are played on the Ukulele.

Expect a collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies – you may never think about music in the same way once you’ve been exposed to this band’s depraved musicology. From Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Redding, the Orchestra takes you on a world tour with hand luggage only: “One Plucking Thing After Another”.

The Wonder Stuff

The Wonder Stuff are an ever-green groove machine in the classic mould of
‘English band as a cherished institution’ and their career continues now with
a real renaissance of their popularity.

The band’s music is passionate and celebratory, as it always has been, and
amazingly next year will mark twenty one years since the release of their
debut album, ‘The Eight Legged Groove Machine’. The Wonder Stuff will be
celebrating life, love and long-distance-running with a number of full-on
Greatest Hits festival appearances during the summer of 2009.

As lead singer Miles Hunt puts it “It doesn’t matter how many legs your
groove machine has, just so long as it grooves.” Groovy, Miles…The Wonder
Stuff will be bringing some of their finest moments to Heavenly Planet, along
with a few groovy surprises, too.

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba

“Both ancient and utterly contemporary …. like some African answer to Hendrix.”  The Guardian

Taj Mahal describes him as a genius, a living proof that the blues comes from West Africa.

Following generations of his family’s tradition, Bassekou Kouyate started playing Mali’s oldest string instrument – the Ngoni – as a boy. He has since taken his instrument and genius around the world, introducing this precursor of the banjo and source of the blues to international audiences, rising to become Mali’s best-known Ngoni player. He has collaborated with many important traditional musicians of his country as well as with international artists including Carlos Santana and U2 among many others.

Oyster Ceilidh Band

Once the bad boys of English folk and rock, Oyster Ceilidh Band have grown
over the past five years to become musical custodians of a new and vibrant
national folk scene.

Their collaborative tours, and a glorious balance between their own traditions and a very modern kind of rock, have turned them into veritable godfathers of a new and very English style of roots rock.

Influenced by all manner of music, culture and attitude, the heartbeat of this
band is their deep-rooted love of the traditional music of Britain – a tradition
that deals with integrity, passion, human experience and emotion.
They originally collided in and around Canterbury, and at every turn of their
long career they have steadfastly followed their own instincts, gloriously
disregarding ideas of image, make-believe musical boundaries and media
flavours of the month.

And after all these years, the most exciting time in Oyster Ceilidh Band’s
considerable history could be right now and their appearance at Heavenly
Planet will be a highlight.

The band will play a ninety-minute Friday night Ceilidh set in the Rivermead
Centre and this will be a full-on dance opportunity for all-comers, young and young-at-heart.

“No other folk-rock band has the magnetism and verve of the Oysters live”
DAILY TELEGRAPH

“Their energetic, joyful performances capture that anything-could-happen
session vibe.” TIME OUT

Toto La Momposina

Described by The Guardian as “a majestic, powerful and versatile singer” Toto la Momposina is one of the world’s great divas.

Her singing career began more than fifty years ago in Colombia and her music expresses an essence of three distinct cultures – the delicate indigenous melodies of northern Colombia, powerful rhythms of the African diaspora and a real soul of Spain.

“Toto has the purest voice of all” said The Times. In a long and distinguished career, Toto has been honoured with many awards in recognition of her dedication to the Afro-Caribbean roots of her music, including the 2006 WOMEX Award.

She comes to the UK in 2009 for an exclusive festival appearance at Heavenly Planet, singing both solo and together with three generations of her family who form Colores de Colombia.

Boban & Marko Markovic Gypsy Orkestar ft special guests Frank London & Roy Paci

Boban Markovic  is the undisputed King of Balkan Brass music and together  with his son Marko,  plus guests Roy Paci, Frank London and the Markovic Orkestar itself, these are the hottest trumpets in the world!

Joining Boban and Marko onstage at Heavenly Planet will be Sicilian trumpeter Roy Paci, and the Grammy Award-winning klezmer musician from New York,  Frank London.

Together, this formidable line-up offers the greatest classics of tradition from Sicily, Jewish melodies steeped in history and Serbian upbeat dances  guaranteed to sweep you off any audience off its feet.

Everywhere they play, from Sicily to New York City, this explosion of energy and musical mania stuns and delights its audiences and critics reach for their superlatives in praise of the band.

“…a stunning blast of exuberance & virtuosity.”   New York Times

Frank London

Trumpeter and composer Frank London is a member of New York City’s sensational klezmer band The Klezmatics. Part of the Hasidic New Wave, he has also performed with  John Zorn,  LL Cool J,  Mel Torme, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, LaMonte Young, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne, Jane Siberry, Ben Folds 5, Mark Ribot, Maurice El Medioni and Gal Costa, and is featured on over 100 CD’s.

Frank was music director for David Byrne and Robert Wilson’s THE KNEE PLAYS, he has collaborated with Palestinian violinist Simon Shaheen, taught Jewish music in Canada, Crimea and the Catskills, and produced CD’s for Gypsy Legend Esma Redzepova, and Algerian Pianist Maurice el Medioni.

Frank is an outstanding player and soloist with a rare eclecticism in his musical outlook and collaborative attitude.

Eliza Carthy

The young heiress to England’s folk music crown and a national treasure in the making, Eliza Carthy is a truly inventive and innovative singer and fiddleplayer; arguably, the most impressive and engaging performer of a
generation.

Eliza combines her family’s traditional music heritage with a deep creative
originality and she continues to explore new musical paths with a confidence
and love that mark her apart from any singer of her generation.
Yorkshire-born and now Nottinghamshire based, Eliza Carthy grew up
immersed in the world of traditional music. She divides her time between
touring and recording with her legendary parents, Martin Carthy and Norma
Waterson, and numerous pioneering solo and band projects.

Describing herself simply as a ‘modern British musician’, Eliza Carthy is only just beginning to reach the height of her musical powers. During a 16-year career she has become one of the most dazzling and recognised folk musicians of a generation. She has revitalised and made folk music relevant to new audiences and has captured the most hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-crossing performance.

‘A gloriously natural singer’ – Q magazine

Chase & Status featuring Plan B & Takura

The London duo have enjoyed a spectacular ascent to the A list of drum &
bass. Their career in the scene only stretches back as far as 2004, yet their
extensive catalogue reads like a hit parade of the last few years.

Signed exclusively with Andy C’s legendary Ram Records they have firmly
established themselves with one of the scene’s powerhouse labels, confirming their status as one of the hottest talents in drum & bass.

They have had previous success with their 12″ releases Iron Fist/Zulu King,
Love’s Theme/Wise Up (Remix), Dumpling Riddim/Disco and their 2006 release The Druids EP, of which the ‘C’ track ‘Come Back’ had extensive Radio 1 airplay. The track featured vocals from the rapper Top Cat. A track entitled ‘Brazil’ has been released on Ram Records as part of the Dimensions EP Part 3.

They have had three number ones on the UK Dance Chart. In 2007 with the
double a-side Hurt You/Sell Me Your Soul, and in 2008 with Take Me
Away/Judgement (Informer). On 5th October 2008, they made number 70 on
the national singles chart and number one on the UK Dance Chart again with their single Pieces featuring vocals by Plan B.

Chase & Status’ first album, More Than Alot debuted in the UK album charts at number 49 on the 19th October 2008 and entered the UK dance album chart at number 2.

The Bays

The Bays are a musical phenomenon. They exist as a group purely in the
context of their improvising performances. They don’t rehearse, they don’t
record and their music is a constantly evolving language of instrumental
creativity and dialogue.

Featured in the group are Andy Gangadeen, arguably the UK’s best
drummer, Simon Richmond on electronics (the Science Department!) and
Chris Taylor on bass.

The Bays have just completed a highly successful UK tour, including a packedout London show at the Royal Festival Hall, collaborating with The Heritage Orchestra.

Their appearance at Heavenly Planet will be a special festival event and
details of this two-hour extravaganza will be released in the new year.

Bloco Electro

Bloco Electro’s journey to Heavenly Planet may be the shortest as the crow flies – they are based at PlugnPlay studios, just over the road from the the festival site. They have taken a few detours on the way, though, including drumming in Brazil and Ghana and recording the street sounds of Cuba and Gambia.

Bloco Electro is a live percussion group who make high energy dance music mixing live electronic beats with real drums. The live show combines the raw power of an acoustic drumming group with cutting edge electronica sounds.

Bloco Electro is led by Reading based musician and producer Gavin Lombos playing a mind-boggling collection of electronic and acoustic percussion. Gavin also leads Reading’s samba drumming bateria ‘Beatroots’ as well as recording and touring the world with the UK’s leading Punjabi bhangra drumming group The Dhol Foundation. The band features fellow drummers David Ponsford, (Latin percussion) Lucy Lombos (v-drums/percussion) and Stuart Roberts on drum kit. They are occasionally joined by Sumeet Chopra (from trailblazing bhangra band Alaap and The Dhol Foundation) on Indian percussion and Mike Jacob (African percussion, drum synths).

Billy Cobham in The Big Bang

One of the world’s very best drummers and a man whose career spans the
world in every sense. Born in Panama and raised in New York City, Bill’s early musical steps included lessons from Buddy Rich, rehearsing with Aretha Franklyn, recording with Miles Davis, Quincy Jones; you name them, Bill has played with the very best throughout his life and for good reason.

Bill Cobham’s precision in rhythm and the detailed accuracy of his playing
are unparalleled in modern drumming and he transcends any categorisation
of what his music is.

At Heavenly Planet Bill will bring together a wholly experimental line-up, The
Big Bang, presenting 45 minutes of pure improvisation and musical inspiration.

The Fence Collective featuring The Three Craws – King Creosote, James Yorkston, The Pictish Trail

The sleepy fishing-village of Anstruther, in Scotland’s East Neuk of Fife, is home to FENCE RECORDS – a micro-indie music label, with a resolutely D.I.Y. work ethic, and healthy assortment of musical-styles/facial-hair. The label’s output is reserved exclusively for members of THE FENCE COLLECTIVE – a loose-knit amalgam of singer-songwriters, musicians, bands and electronic artists, who collaborate with one another on record, as well as on stage. Although their music isn’t strictly ‘folk’ in the traditional sense, the Collective’s tendency to hand-down and share songs with one another is very much in the folk spirit. Following the example set by label/collective founder, Kenny Anderson (aka KING CREOSOTE), prolificacy is encouraged and ego is wrist-slapped – with most Collective members choosing to hide behind a pseudonym (as well as substantial beard growth, in the case of males of the species!).

Rozi Plain Band

ROZI PLAIN was born Rosalind Leyden, in the leafy-greens of Winchester, 22 years ago. Since moving to Bristol she’s been working on the ferries that bob in and out of the city, along the Avon, whilst creating her own beautifully intimate music that captures life slowly floating by.  With her older brother Sam (aka Romanhead), and her pal Rachael Dadd, she is a founding member of the Cleaner Records collective – a loose assortment of singer-songwriters from the Bristol area.

Through her output on Cleaner Records, and at various live shows, Rozi’s songs reached the ears of Fife Fence Records label bosses – Kenny Anderson and Johnny Lynch (aka King Creosote and The Pictish Trail).  She’s subsequently played at many Fence Records events, including their annual Homegame Festival, in Anstruther, and supported The Pictish Trail when they played South Street Arts Centre, Reading in September 2008.
Her stunning debut album, ‘Inside. Over Here’ was released on Fence Records Autumn 2008.

The Three Craws – featuring James Yorkston, King Creosote & The Pictish Trail

In keeping with the spirit of collective collaboration – and the necessity to fill a slot at their annual HOMEGAME festival (due to a sudden withdrawal) – The Three Craws were born to celebrate the song-writing depth across the broad spectrum of Fence artists. Made up of three of the best known artists, James Yorkston (Domino Records), King Creosote (679) and The Pictish Trail (Fence label manager), the trio play acoustically songs by their fence collective colleagues, so expect to hear songs by Lone Pigeon, HMS Ginafore, Pip Dylan and more, as well as songs from the Three Craws themselves.

Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra

The Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra is founded and led by the composers and musicians Kuljit Bhamra and David Braun-White.

They met on the London West End Production of The Far Pavilions, bringing
with them distinct backgrounds of musical experience. Kuljit’s CV includes film soundtrack composition for Bend It Like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach and Bombay Dreams. David has worked as Musical Director on top musicals including Les Miserables, Sunset Boulevard and Porgy & Bess.
Together, last year they formed Ku-Da-Mix, a new multicultural orchestra,
composing original work that hopes both to surprise and entertain its
audiences fully.

The Orchestra introduces a new world of sounds, from both familiar and littleknown instruments and cultures, exploring environmental, visual and
theatrical possibilities.

The current members of the Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra form a breathtaking mix of
world talent:

Kuljit Bhamra – Indian tabla, percussion
David Braun-White – Piano
Abdullah Chhaddeh – Syrian qanun
Kike Pederson – Paraguayan harp
Carolina Herrera – Spanish guitar, voice
Nicky Holland – Oboe, cor anglais
Marcus Bates – French horn
Tigran Aleksanyan – Armenian duduk
Sonia Slany – Violin
Liz Liew – Violin
Hazel Correa – Violin
Sarah Liew – Chinese violins and lutes
Shan Chana – Cajon, percussion
Ameet Jugnauth – African percussion
Anna Mudeka – Zimbabwean thumb harp, voice
Shahid Khan – Indian voice
Gayatri Iyer – Indian voice
Alex Housego – Indian bansuri, flute
Davide Mantovani – Double bass, evi

The orchestra is organic and evolving, with musical input from new members changing the palette as individual cultures and experiences are brought into the mix of the whole.

The Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra seeks to represent and celebrate diversity and harmony through musical and theatrical expression.

Glass Half Full

Not a band, more of a theme, much of a feeling;  Glass Half Full will be a series of events and ideas running through the Heavenly Planet weekend,   celebrating optimism, cheery thoughts …and lots of  laughs.

For one thing, Glass Half Full will be a light-hearted talent competition, harsh but fair, in the classic mould. Our panel of expert judges and the crucial audience vote will decide whether the glass is half full or, gulp, half empty, for each of our brave festival contestants. Open to all festival-goers on a first-to-register, first-to-play basis.

Glass Half Full is a question we’ll be asking the audience in many ways. Feeling cheerful, well, are ya, punk?!

9Bach

Fusing tales from Welsh  folk’s dark heritage with melodies  that conjure memories of long forgotten childhood songs,  9Bach’s musical journey has taken them far beyond their roots in the mountains of North Wales and the backstreets of North London.

Inspired by the rich history of folk music in Wales,  9bach breathe new life into some of its buried treasures, distilling a heritage of traditional songs that go back 200 years or more.

9bach create a honey-dipped sound of stunning vocal melodies, angelic harp, crossed with a rhythm driven groove. Their music is beguiling, original and delicately beautiful.

Lisa Jen – Vocals, Glockenspiel, Harmonium
Esyllt Glyn Jones – Harp, Vocals
Martin Hoyland – Guitars
Ali Byworth – Drums and Percussion
Dan Swain – Bass

Patrick Duff

Patrick Duff will be releasing his second solo album in the Spring of 2009 and his appearance at Heavenly Planet will be one of several special summer appearances in 2009 to showcase his new material.
Patrick comes from Bristol and is one of the UK’s most individual and creative songwriters. He writes with an acute awareness of narrative, pathos, humour and melodic impact. Patrick’s songs are highly original and effective at many levels.

Patrick Duff’s musical career began in the early 1990’s when he led and sang with his band Strangelove. After five albums and ongoing critical acclaim, as well as the passionate support of a loyal and engaged audience, Strangelove disbanded in 1996. Since then, Patrick has travelled extensively, extending his musical boundaries.

His first solo album, Luxury Problems, was released on the EMI Harvest label in 2005 and the follow-up release, The Mad Straight Road, is eagerly-awaited.

Spiro

“Unsettling, exhilarating and highly impressive…Fascinating and unique.”
Roots.

Spiro are four Bristol-based acoustic instrumentalists who wrap their own
intriguing, uplifting and unsettling contemporary sound around the bold
traditional tunes of Northern England. The immensity of Spiro’s sound belies the simplicity of the line-up of violin, accordion, mandolin and acoustic guitar.
Their latest album, on Real World Records, will be released early in 2009,
recorded at Real World with production by Simon Emmerson (The Imagined
Village, Afro Celt Sound System). The recent BBC2 series “Johnny’s New
Kingdom” features music from their first two albums “Lost in Fishponds” and
“Pole Star” including the main theme tune from the programme, “The White
Hart”.

Spiro have performed at venues and festivals across Europe, including The
Barbican’s ‘English Originals’ and ‘Evolving Tradition’ festivals, The Royal
Opera House, Sidmouth International Festival and Glastonbury, with
residencies at the Royal Albert Hall ‘Ignite’ concerts and the Royal Festival
Hall.

This is a fast-rising quartet of brilliant musicians and 2009 will introduce Spiro to an international audience.

TC & Jakes

TC is a super-talented, outrageously young and handsome drum’n’bass DJ from Bristol. His music is driving, inventive,  witty and fairly insane. TC and MC Jakes tear it up on dance floors all over the world and something very special will be on the cards for his set at Heavenly Planet.

“His beats are so advanced that they make rookie producers want to give up,  his record sales continue to confound ‘vinyl  is dead’ doomsayers, and with a live act that’s touring the world – TC is just irresistible in drum & bass right now.” K Mag, 2007

TC feels very strongly that despite his successes his work is far from over,  he’s going to carry on spending nights “in the lab” until everything is just right. In his own words… “The minute you get lazy, the whole thing falls apart around your ears! Sound is something that  never  stands still, it’s a vibration,  if you want to work with sound,  you’ve got to keep moving on.”

TC feels very strongly that despite his successes his work is far from over,  he’s going to carry on spending nights “in the lab” until everything is just right. In his own words… “The minute you get lazy, the whole thing falls apart around your ears! Sound is something that  never  stands still, it’s a vibration,  if you want to work with sound,  you’ve got to keep moving on.”

~.~

Jakes is many things to many people, to some he is the voice of TC’s smash hits ‘Deep’, ‘Drink’ and ‘Mindkiller’, to others he is the Daddy of Bristolian Dubstep crew H.E.N.C.H and to musical historians he is one of the most interesting vocalists that underground British music can lay claim to. Never afraid to break from tradition and roll with his own flow, Jakes’ voice has become one of the most recognisable in the game and his energetic live performances see him travelling across the globe and smacking down raves from Bristol to Boston with his inimitable style.