TheVoice finalists headlining at festival

Velvet Coalmine, Blackwood

THE Voice finalists Into The Ark have been unveiled as the headliners of this year’s Velvet Coalmine Festival.

The Blackwood festival of writing, rock ’n’ roll and coal will be held in the Valleys town from September 7 to 16.

Into the Ark – Taylor Jones and Dane Lloyd, who were born and brought up in Blackwood – will perform alongside Mynyddislwyn Male Voice Choir at the Methodist Church in the town on Friday, September 8.

Also taking part in Velvet Coalmine are one of the UK’s leading spoken word performers, Tongue Fu, double Olympic taekwondo champion and Wales Sports Personality of the Year Jade Jones, The One Show’s science presenter Marty Jopson and comedian Mike Wozniak.

With literature at the heart of the festival, there will be appearances from Young People’s Laureate Wales Sophie McKeand and National Poet of Wales Ifor ap Glyn. A new playwriting and one-act play competition allows theatre groups and aspiring writers to embrace the event.

Africa Writes, the annual celebration of African contemporary literature in London, will bring poetry performances, workshops for teachers, book club discussions and creative writing sessions as part of their tour of Africa and the UK. This will be their first ever visit to Wales.

And the Children’s Literature Festival, which launched last year, will return. It was created by Velvet Coalmine with backing from Blackwood Town Council to inspire, stimulate and engage schoolchildren through creative workshops with some of the best writers in Wales.

Taylor from Into the Ark said: “There was nothing like Velvet Coalmine when we were growing up in Blackwood. It is definitely something that has been missing so we are delighted to be involved. We can’t wait to play at the festival surrounded by people who have supported us throughout our music career.”

Tickets for Velvet Coalmine events are now on sale apart from Into the Ark which go on sale tomorrow at 9am and Jade Jones on Tuesday, August 1, at 9am. Visit velvetcoalmine.com