Van Morrison to headline festival finale
Bath will sing along to the sounds of Van Morrison after he was announced as one of the headline acts of this summer’s Bath Festival. The legendary singer-songwriter will headline the finale weekend on June 1 and 2 on the Rec alongside chart-toppers Clean Bandit. A musical finale to the multi-arts festival was held for the first time last year and it proved a huge hit. Festival-goers enjoyed performances from stars including Paloma Faith, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Sophie Ellis-bextor and Midge Ure. This year’s Bath Festival begins on Friday, May 17 with the annual ‘Party in the City’ event when venues across Bath throw their doors open to the public with live music. It will run until Sunday, May 26 – and then pause during the week before returning for a finale weekend. The weekend has been billed as an “extravaganza of music, fun and great food and drink, with something for everyone”. “There will be two music stages, a spoken word stage and a funfilled family zone with craft, workshops, music and storytelling,” organisers said. In a career that spans five decades, Morrison has produced classics such as Gloria, Here Comes the Night and Brown Eyed Girl, along with a string of enduring albums. This international music titan has a successful track record on both sides of the Atlantic. He has been entered into The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres and his 40th studio album The Prophet Speaks is out now. Morrison’s Bath appearance comes hot on the heels of a series of shows in the US. Clean Bandit have consistently pushed the boundaries of modern pop with their diverse blend of electronic, dancehall, classical, R&B and pop. Their breakthrough success came in 2014 with Rather Be, featuring Jess Glynne. In 2016, they released their 10 million-selling single Rockabye featuring Sean Paul and Anne-marie, which hit the top of the charts in more than 40 countries. There are a range of different tickets available, which will be available from the Bath Festivals website, Ticket Master and from the Bath Box Office on 01225 463362.