Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls to Headline Cambridge Rock Festival

Acclaimed English indie-folk singer songwriter, Frank Turner joins the bill to headline Saturday night with his band The Sleeping Souls. He made his Cambridge debut in 2008, with a completely new take on English folk, fuelled by the intense energy that marked him out as frontman of his post-punk band Million Dead. The creative force of his ever-evolving material has made Frank Turner a hugely popular name at Cambridge, as he makes a timely return following his last appearance in 2015 where he performed a solo set.

Jake Bugg and twin sisters, Ward Thomas were only 18 and 21 respectively when they first played Cambridge’s now famed emerging talent stage, The Den. Still only 23, both acts subsequently enjoyed meteoric career success as they return this summer to perform as Festival headliners on the Main Stage; two artists proving once again how Cambridge leads the way, divining new talent and ensuring the right exposure.

As a development stage specifically for emerging artists under 30, Cambridge has now been investing in The Den for several years. Set within a beautiful Indian marquee and decorated to create a quirky, welcoming and intimate space, 15-minute slots are also set aside each day for younger artists attending the Festival to perform alongside those booked. To help cement further Cambridge’s reputation as a hot bed for new and developing talent the Festival has launched The 1965 Club which enables Festival attendees to actively contribute to artist development projects like The Den and directly help create the next generation of headliners.

This year’s programme of exciting new talent for The Den is; Wooden Arms Sleepy Folk, Noble Jacks, Old Sea Brigade, Honey and the Bear, Lucy Farrel, The Lake Poets, Hattie Whitehead, Kerrie Devine, Ailbhe Reddy, Phil King, The Buffalo Skinners, Laucan, Ceilidh Liberation Front, Laura Oakes, Emma McGrath, Sam Gleavez, Nina Harries, Young Waters, Kizzi Crawford, Thom Ashworth, Danni Nicolls, The Wandering Hearts, Samana.

Full main stage line-up below, including other new additions: Daphne’s Flight, recently reunited and returning to the Festival after forming in the Club Tent in 1995, double BBC Folk Award winner Daoiri Farrell, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Josie & Pablo, Charlie Grey & Joseph Peach, Darren Eedens & The Slim Pickin’s, Kate in the Kettle, Jon Cleary and Threepenny Bit.

(*new names)

Thursday

*BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH -*DAOIRI FARRELL - THE FURROW COLLECTIVE

TALISK - MAWKIN -*DARREN EEDENS & THE SLIM PICKIN’S - MIDNIGHT SKYRACER

RIVER MATTHEWS - NIKHIL D’SOUZA

Friday

INDIGO GIRLS - SHIRLEY COLLINS - LISA HANNIGAN - WARD THOMAS - BOKANTE

CARA DILLON - COVEN - WILDWOOD KIN - RACHEL NEWTON

THE RHEINGANS SISTERS - AMYTHYST KIAH - TALISK - WORRY DOLLS

ROBERT VINCENT - TANNARA - AMELIA COBURN - SHE SHANTIES

THE URBAN FOLK THEORY CEILIDH -*THREEPENNY BIT

Saturday

*FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS - JON BODEN & THE REMNANT KINGS

SHARON SHANNON - FANTASTIC NEGRITO - LAU - TAMIKREST - CC SMUGGLERS - MOXIE

JAMIE SMITH’S MABON - FARA - BEOGA -*DAPHNE’S FLIGHT – NITEWORKS - BELSHAZZARS FEAST - MAWKIN - ROXANNE DE BASTION

BRIAN McNEILL - JUANITA STEIN - MICHAEL BERNARD FITZGERALD - FEIS ROIS -*CHARLIE GREY & JOSEPH PEACH - ALLURI

Sunday

JAKE BUGG (acoustic) - LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III – OYSTERBAND - MARTIN SIMPSON - HAYSEED DIXIE -*JON CLEARY

FAY HIELD AND THE HURRICANE PARTY - ADMIRAL FALLOW - SKERRYVORE - BLUE ROSE CODE - JAKE ISAAC - WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

*KATE IN THE KETTLE - ORPHAN COLOURS - LEWIS & LEIGH - THE ESKIES - SHE DREW THE GUN - THE FURROW COLLECTIVE - HO-RO

ROSIE HOOD - *JOSIE & PABLO - CHRIS T-T SINGS A.A. MILNE

For further artist information, please see www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk