COUNTDOWN TO FREE MUSIC FESTIVAL

• 7th Aug 2006

Interest from the UK music festival circuit is soaring as Eclectica ’06 approaches. This month, one of the North West’s most innovative and up-and-coming free music festivals is taking place in St.Helens, situated midway between Liverpool and Manchester.

Sunday 13 August will see revellers flock to Victoria Square in St.Helens Town Centre, to dance the day away from 1 – 9pm. From rock and reggae to
folk and roots, and headlined by festival heavyweights Michael Franti and Spearhead, the line-up will feature an eclectic mix of music types that’s sure to excite music-lovers everywhere.

The event is not exclusively for dedicated music fans though – with an
outdoor bar and food stalls, a lively party atmosphere and energetic live
performances, Eclectica guarantees a different and fun day out for
everyone.

The opening performance at 1.00pm will be from up-and-coming local band The Loungs. Their unique pop and indie fusion is guaranteed to get the festival off to a lively start and will have the crowd up and dancing.

As part of their busy summer festival schedule, Tiny Tin Lady, will follow the Loungs at 2.00pm The girls have an extra special treat in store for their fans on the day, as Eclectica will mark the debut performance of new band member Kat on fiddle and vocals.

Its then time to crank things up a notch with Liverpool-born Ian McNabb at 3.30pm, former lead singer of cult 1980’s band the Icicle Works, set to impress with his remarkable vocal and guitarist talent as he plays a mixture of rock and ballads.

Folk festival legends Oysterband will provide the penultimate performance at 5.15pm, with their distinctive fusion of punk and folk music.

The climax of the festival will see the mighty Michael Franti and
Spearhead take to the stage at 7.30pm inspiring the crowd with their pop and reggae style and conscious lyrics. Just two weeks after the UK release of their latest album, Yell Fire! the group’s performance at
Eclectica will form part of the UK leg of their world tour, having already
gone down a storm in their native North America.

Gary Maddock, Tourism Development Manager at St.Helens Council comments; “Eclectica is a top quality music festival, featuring a diverse range of musical talent from local to global acts. It is also completely free and does not require tickets, so people can just turn up and enjoy the music and atmosphere. Hits on the www.visitsthelens.com website have rocketed since the line-up was announced as people visit the Eclectica web-page in anticipation, suggesting that this year’s festival will be a busy and popular event”.

He continues; “The highly accessible, town centre location just outside
St.Helens Town Hall and plentiful parking means that it is easy to get to
Eclectica – there really is every reason to come along and enjoy what
promises to be the musical highlight of the ever-growing St.Helens event
calendar”.

For more information please visit www.visitsthelens.com