The team behind Swindon's all-day music extravaganza My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad Festival have revealed the first of their line-up for this year's event.
Organised in association with South Swindon Parish Council, the festival is to be held at The Old Town Bowl on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
It will again take place over two stages with acts performing on the Old Town Bandstand acoustic stage and the main stage in the Old Town Bowl.
This will be the third year of the festival which was organised in tribute to Dave Young, the former landlord of The Victoria and 12 Bar, who died in early June 2021 at Prospect Hospice after a hard-fought battle against cancer.
First to be announced is the festival’s headline act, Imperial Leisure, a party band born out of school friendships, forever evolving their style but sticking true to their reputation for delivering fun and high energy live performances.
Festival specialists, the music in part is a fun-loving throwback to the British 2-tone ska era delivered with 90s punk and hip-hop attitude.
The band played for Dave Young at The Victoria back in 2012, when they were supported by local ska-punk legends, Slagerij, who played My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad festival in 2021.
Also confirmed as joining them on the day are Wiltshire’s self-described “purveyors of nonsense, top-quality rubbish and the finest wallop of cods”, The Real Cheesemakers.
Long-time friends and songwriters Joseph James and James Cameron with their band True Strays bring a heady dose of Americana Roots Rock and Roll to the stage.
Co-organiser Ed Dyer said: “We are beyond excited to be bringing Imperial Leisure back to Swindon. They are one of the best festival bands around and will close out the night with a bang.
"We are also excited to continue our tradition of bringing the best the local music scene has to offer and are looking forward to Wiltshire acts like True Strays and The Real Cheesemakers joining the party. We can’t wait to reveal more of the local acts we will be working with.”
The festival will also see plenty of activities for all the family, including the return of the popular indie market, as well as food and drink from a variety of locally based vendors.
Prospect Hospice, based in Wroughton, provides palliative and end of life care for people across the region and has to raise the majority of its costs through fundraising.
If you would like to find out more, you can find the festival’s website here.
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