.jpg)
Legendary noughties indie band The Kooks, hip hop star Loyle Carner and 2019 Brits British Breakthrough artist Tom Walker have been added to the 2020 This is Tomorrow Line-up alongside some of the UK's brightest singer-songwriters.
Having already confirmed the news that Gerry Cinnamon and Sam Fender will lead the headlining charge at This is Tomorrow on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May respectively, organisers also have announced today that Liverpool indie rockers Circa Waves, singer-songwriter Declan McKenna, and North East born stars Nadine Shah and L Devine are all heading toTyneside next summer to take part in the event, alongside London newcomer Arlo Parks.
The Kooks, Circa Waves and Tom Walker - three high calibre crowd-pleasing acts will be high on the Saturday billing. The Kooks are one of British indie pop’s most consistent hitmakers. The band’s discography includes brilliant singles such as ‘Naive’, ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’, ‘Junk Of The Heart (Happy)’ to name only a few.
Tom Walker is another appealing addition to the lineup. In 2018, Walker became a hotly-tipped name thanks to heartfelt singles such as ‘Leave A Light On’ and ‘Just You and I’.
Circa Waves meanwhile, are one of the main Indie breakouts of the 2010s, having burst onto the scene with hit songs including ‘T-Shirt Weather’ and ‘Fossils’ from their debut album ‘Young Chasers’. They have subsequently released two further critically acclaimed albums; ‘Different Creatures’ and ‘What’s It Like Over There?’
Also on the lineup are an assembly of genre-spanning stars of the future including locals L Devine, Martha Hill and BigFatBig as well as touring acts The Dunts and Big Society.
Sam Fender will be joined by another bounty of fantastic artists at This Is Tomorrow on the Sunday billing. Directly under Sam is Loyle Carner. Carner’s laidback, intelligent brand of hip hop has made him one of the UK’s standout acts. His 2019 album ‘Not Waving, But Drowning’ was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from both the critics and the general public.
Also playing Sunday at This Is Tomorrow is insightful singer-songwriter Declan McKenna. McKenna’s songs tend to be upbeat indie-pop offerings which are politically charged content-wise but they avoid any sense of righteousness.
The Pale White, Brooke Bentham and Hector Gannet are three out of the four outstanding remaining Sunday acts confirmed as part of this initial announcement, all of which are North East based and have supported Sam Fender at some of his previous shows. Canadian artist Boniface, AKA Micah Visser, will also be descending on Newcastle next May.
Reacting to today's announcement, Festival Organiser, Steve Davis, said: ”We're delighted with this year's line up with many more big names still to come.
“It's amazing to have a local headliner in Sam Fender and we are excited to reveal the rest of the line up in due course.
“Tickets will fly out for this so we recommend people buy early.”
Stephen Savage, assistant director events and special projects at Newcastle City Council, continues: “After the success of the first This is Tomorrow festival we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better festival this time around.
“With local lad Sam Fender, fresh from doing the honours at the city’s Christmas lights switch-on, and the ever-popular Gerry Cinnamon, we’ve got an exciting start to the line-up and there’ll be many more big names to come.
“Newcastle knows how to put on an amazing show and I’m looking forward to a memorable weekend in May.”
James Cross, Chief Executive of Urban Green Newcastle – the independent charity responsible for the management, development and protection of Newcastle’s parks and allotments - adds: “Our parks are open to everyone so we’re delighted to be welcoming This is Tomorrow to Exhibition Park back, so music fans can enjoy three days of fantastic live acts in this special city centre location.
“This is Tomorrow forms part of Urban Green Newcastle’s year-long programme of events; helping bring communities together so they can discover our city’s amazing parks and green spaces.
“Events are an important part of securing the future of our parks and allotments too. The income we make from hosting This is Tomorrow in Exhibition Park will be reinvested across all the green spaces we manage so they continue to be vibrant, exciting, safe and welcoming places for people to visit and enjoy.”
Organisers have confirmed that yet more major announcements, including the Friday lineup, are on the way.
This Is Tomorrow Festival takes place on Friday 22nd May until Sunday 24th May 2020.
Published on 08 December 2019 by Ben Robinson
