bluedot are thrilled to announce a meeting of great music and science minds as Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne will be In Conversation with Professor Tim O’ Brien, Associate Director Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, and avid explorer of exploding stars.
The Flaming Lips headlined the first major music event at Jodrell Bank back in 2011. Wayne was given a personal tour of the Control Room before performing a landmark show beneath the iconic Lovell Telescope, declaring it was “the greatest place to be on Planet Earth”. During the tour, Tim and Wayne discussed our understanding of the Universe, the search for extra-terrestrial life, and the possibility of alternative dimensions. This coming together of the worlds of music, space exploration and creativity is what now lies at the heart of the bluedot festival.
These key themes and more will be explored at this exclusive In Conversation. This and the return of The Flaming Lips is set to be a momentous occasion in the bluedot cosmos.
MUSIC
NEW: Today the team also announces the brand new Roots Stage, produced in partnership with Arts Council England and legendary Manchester venue Band on the Wall. Over three days, the Roots stage will feature stunning music from South Asia, some of the most exciting emerging urban jazz talents, and a programme of afro-caribbean grooves.
Friday’s lineup is a celebration of South Asian music, and features some of India’s finest musical exports – a number of whom performed across Manchester recently as part of the recent New North and South programme. An unmissable performance will be the British-Asian supergroup Electronic Empires who were formed specially for New North and South, and perform only their second ever show, after a sold-out debut at Band on the Wall.
Saturday will be a focus on some of the most exciting names in modern jazz, soul and global R&B, including Band on the Wall favourite XamVolo, Columbian pop sensation Lao Ra and Aaliyah Esprit, a young jazz-inspired R&B vocalist recently hyped by Gilles Peterson and Brownswood’s Future Bubblers programme.
On Sunday the lineup features artists from across Africa and the Caribbean, including a performance from one of the finest Kora masters in the world, Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh, celebrated reggae musician Golty Farabeau coming all the way from the Seychelles, and djembe maestro Sidiki Dembele who previously performed with the much-renowned Afrika! Afrika!
Full Roots Stage Lineup:
Friday: Electronic Empires / Dr Gayathri Ganapathy / Anu Madhu Nambiar / Vijay Venkat / John Ball / Louise Atkinson
Saturday: XamVolo / Lao Ra / Tiana Major9 / S4U / Cold Callers / Jerome Thomas / AaIiyah Espirit
Sunday: DJ Mayeva / El Condor / Golty Farabeau / Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh / July Julay / Calypso George / Sam Maitland (PapaSam Alafia) / Sidiki Dembele
The Roots Stage joins bluedot’s already stellar line up, spanning all corners of music, cosmic culture, comedy and more, with a ground-breaking programme of live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks for one of the most unique festival experiences in Europe.