Bands to roll out the hits for garden festival

The line-up for this year's music festival in the Botanical Gardens has been confirmed '“ with two rock bands and a reggae group topping the bill.
The Last Night in the Gardens concert in full swing at Sheffield's Botanical GardensThe Last Night in the Gardens concert in full swing at Sheffield's Botanical Gardens
The Last Night in the Gardens concert in full swing at Sheffield's Botanical Gardens

Music In The Gardens returns for its 11th year this summer, when thousands of people are once again expected to flock to the venue armed with picnic baskets and rugs to hear live performances.

Manchester band James – who first found fame in the late 1980s, notching up hits such as Sit Down and She’s A Star – will headline the first night on Thursday, June 30, while The Feeling, who play in a pop-rock melodic style, similar to previous festival guests 10cc, will appear on July 1.

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Meanwhile the top slot on Saturday night is being taken by UB40, featuring five original members of the classic line-up and promising renditions of their most popular songs, including Red Red Wine and Kingston Town.

And, as is traditional, the final evening on July 3 will be a Last Night in the Gardens spectacular, with The Unite the Union Brass Band, the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra and fireworks.

The festival, run by the Rotary Clubs of South Yorkshire, started as a single night of jazz in a marquee and has grown into a major fundraiser, collecting over £250,000 since it began. Last year around 7,000 people headed to the gardens for concerts by Paul Carrack, Lindisfarne and The Proclaimers.

Organiser Andrew Bates said that, in particular, securing James for 2016 was a ‘major deal’, adding: “We have staged some great acts over the years but James has to be our best catch to date.”

Tickets on sale now, visit www.sivtickets.com to book.