Friendly Fires to headline Camp Bestival

Kicking off on July 30th and running until August 1st, Camp Bestival, winner of the 2009 Family Festival Award, is set to surpass the dizzy heights of last year's festival as they continue their pursuit of the perfect Great British holiday vibe, with a multitude of amusements for all the family to relish for a whole wondrous weekend.

Friendly Fires will be headlining the main Castle Stage on Sunday night of this year's event. Having already been nominated for two BRIT Awards in 2010, the much lauded three-piece will put the icing on the cake at Camp Bestival with a sublime set of anthemic, disco-flecked dream-pop that is sure to illuminate their sheer mind-blowing greatness for all to see.  

Musical manoeuvres continue with timeless troubadour Marc Almond who will be digging deep to give us all his solo and Soft Cell favourites. Dorset resident and quintessentially English firebrand Billy Bragg whose previous Camp Bestival outing was staggeringly good will return for a rematch.

The irrepressible Blockheads are chomping at the bit to ramp up the pub-funk for the Lulworth crowd, Chicago's incredible Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are set to blow you away and Icebreaker featuring BJ Cole will perform Brian Eno's Apollo.

Playing all the greatest hits from his much-missed previous duo, Chas and his Band are going to Rock, Rabbit and Roll, Example's breezy summer hip-pop is sure to beguile, the incomparable Wurzels come back to Camp Bestival for their second cider-fueled excursion, enigmatic Mancunians Hurts will be revealing their glacial cool, and indie-rockers Field Music will showcase tracks from their brand-new third album.

There's also going to be the sunshine vibes of Sunday Best's Lucky Elephant, some kiddy-disco-punk from Kid Carpet, Leeds 9-piece Gentleman's Dub Club, the effervescent Pete and The Pirates, Israeli funksters The Apples, bluegrass tainted jazz from Nell Bryden, Gallic electro-swingers Caravan Palace, live jive from The J-Cats, alt-folk with The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, the exquisite Laura J Martin, Irish acoustic duo The Lost Brothers, the euphoric Colourmusic and BBC Radio 2's Folk Singer Of The Year, Chris Wood.

The queen of Radio 1's Friday night output, Annie Mac, brings her outstanding Annie Mac Presents night to Dorset's picturesque surrounds.  

Other selectors lining up behind the ones and twos across the weekend will include the tea-loving eclecticism of the inimitable Mr Scruff, Grammy Award winning uber-producer and all-round maverick William Orbit, bass-wobbling deck technicians Jack Beats, God's Jukebox genius Mark Lamarr, another Grammy winning producer this time in the form of Nigel Godrich, sub-bliss merchant Joy Orbison, the epic Jakwob, original jammer Mistajam and the effortlessly sultry sinewave siren Cooly G.

Cerebral indulgences are also well and truly catered for in the East Lulworth Literary Institute with The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company ('THSC').

Founded by MOBO-award winning hip-hop artist Akala, THSC explores the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and that of modern day rappers.

Hip Hop Shakespeare Live will feature undiscovered young talent and big names from music, theatre and film, all performing a medley of songs inspired by reinterpreted scenes, themes and quotes from famous Shakespeare plays.

Having already launched the project with special guest co-host Sir Ian Mckellen, it's anybody's guess who will join Akala for this fantastic display of deft performance and audience participation. There will also be OperaUpClose presenting an exclusive festival performance of their fantastic version of La Boheme.

Transporting Giacomo Puccini's famous opera from the Bohemian Paris of the 1830s to a vibrant modern day North London, OperasUpClose's inaugural production has been conceived to make La Boheme a ceral, funny, accessible and emotionally engaging for audiences now as at its first performance in 1896.

The East Lulworth Literary Institute programme of enlightenment is also taking shape nicely with its How To interview sessions that will lay bare the mysterious world of the arts for all to see.

Joining Andrea Arnold (who has just announced she will be directing a new version of Wuthering Heights) discussing How To Be A Film Director and DJ Derek who will expand upon How To Be DJ Derek, will be erstwhile Cocteau Twin and Bella Union big cheese Simon Raymonde who will be discussing How To Run A Record Label, whilst Nigel Godrich, often credited unofficially as the sixth member of Radiohead, and William Orbit will both be discussing just How To Be A Record Producer.

If you fancy yourself as the next Megan Fox or Robert Pattison then you're in luck because the Videopia crew are bringing their makeshift movie set to Camp Bestival, where they'll be recruiting Camp B revellers - you! -  to star in live remakes of Hollywood classics.

The miniature masterpieces will then be uploaded onto the Videopia website so you can show off your new found fame to your friends and your newly acquired adoring fan-base. There is currently a vote going on for which film you'd most like to be remade.

Tickets are still available for Camp Bestival 2010 at www.ticketline.co.uk, or by calling 0844 888 4410.

PICTURE: Friendly Fires are amongst the headliners at this year's Camp Bestival

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