Award winning festival bluedot returns to the incredible Jodrell Bank Observatory, home of the iconic Lovell telescope for a weekend of deep space discovery and superlative sounds.
A truly stellar line-up of music featuring 2018 headliners The Chemical Brothers , The Flaming Lips and Future Islands compliments a ground-breaking programme of live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks for one of the most unique festival experiences in Europe.
The Chemical Brothers have soundtracked countless euphoric nights for nearly three decades and play a very special UK show at bluedot. Born out of the late-80s Manchester scene, their arsenal of hits is unparalleled – from ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’, ‘Block Rockin Beats’, ‘Galvanize’, and ‘Do It Again’, ‘Go’ and ‘C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L’, Tom and Ed continue to lead the way in progressive electronica. With one of the most potent live shows on the planet with a truly spectacular visual element, their return to the live stage is destined to be out of this world.
Needing no introduction, American champions of psychedelic pop The Flaming Lips join the bluedot line-up and return to Jodrell Bank, having performed a landmark show at the observatory seven years ago. They return with their acclaimed, euphoric live show and their huge catalogue of weirdo anthems.
Festival Director, Ben Robinson says:
“Heading into our third year we really wanted to go above and beyond and we’re absolutely delighted to announce Blue Planet in Concert for our new Thursday night opening. Our mission is to not only erode the boundaries between science, culture, art and technology but to also highlight the beauty and fragility of our planet Earth, and what a better way to achieve this by opening proceedings with such a remarkable and enlightening spectacle. It’s going to be truly incredible and a real festival highlight.
The full line up of musical acts for this year is truly spectacular with so many innovators and diverse sounds and shows throughout the weekend.”
Since bursting into the public consciousness with a landmark performance of standout hit ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ on US television, Future Islands have established themselves as nothing short of one of the most incendiary live acts on the planet with one of the most animated frontmen in the universe. They’ll be bringing their incredible latest album ‘The Far Afield’ to bluedot for a simply unmissable set.
The award winning bluedot festival will be opening its doors for the first time with Blue Planet in Concert , performed by the Halle to kick off a brand new family four-day format*. The show combines live music against a backdrop of remarkable footage from the original Blue Planet 2001 television series produced by the acclaimed BBC Natural History Unit.
Conducted by renowned composer George Fenton, the Halle Orchestra will perform the internationally, critically acclaimed concert version of the original Blue Planet, promising a unique and awe-inspiring spectacle in HD, exploring the vast oceans on our pale blue dot, and the challenges we face for the future.
Elsewhere Public Service Broadcasting, Gary Numan, Little Dragon, Roni Size: New Forms Live, Gilles Peterson, Unkle, Booka Shade, The Orb, Adrian Sherwood, Mad Professor, Alexis Taylor, Nadine Shah, Hookworms, Baloji, Vessels, Lost Horizons, Langham Research Centre, Andy Smith’s Reach Up Disco Wonderland, Human After All (A Tribute To Daft Punk), Will Tramp, To Kill A King, Warm Digits, Snapped Ankles, Park Hotel, Akdk, Henge, Future Get Down, Husky Loops, Pink Kink, Jw Ridley, Pearl City, FEHM, Speakmansound, Space Cassette Takeover, Age Of Glass, Barberos and Talos 400 join the biggest bluedot musical lineup to date.
With the full lineup still to be announced, this year’s rich culture programme includes talks, screenings and Q&As from the likes of Michael Cumming, A.C Grayling, Jana Winderen, Jez Riley French, Dawn Scarfe, Sonia Levy, Jo Langton, Heather Ross, Emily Richardson, Phoebe Riley Law and Greta Santagata.There will also be exceptional comedy from David O’Doherty, Cassette Boy, Simon Munnery, Gary Delaney, Jess Fostekew and more to come.
The full bluedot programme will be announced in the coming months. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit : discoverthebluedot.com