GUILFEST 2007

• 26th May 2007

GuilFest, the UK's Best Family Festival (UK Festival Awards 2006) rolls confidently into its 16th year, with an as vibrant and eclectic a line up as ever. Established legends are joined by rising stars and bands of the moment as more names are added to the three day, Unison sponsored event, held in Stoke Park, Guildford over the 13th, 14th and 15th of July.

Supporting Friday headliners Supergrass on the BBC Radio Two Main Stage will be Indie rock leading lights The Ordinary Boys, fronted by Sam Preston, whose recent infamous appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks reflected the punk attitude and confidence that has helped make this band such an energising live act.

And, not only is there an eclectic line-up, but Glasswerk faves Ghosts and Fortune Drive will both be appearing at the festival. This is great news.

Fresh from a sell out US tour will be the critically acclaimed Dublin based Mexican duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela, who will display their unique talent at playing unbelievably fast, rhythmic electro acoustic guitar – something that has already made them a major festival attraction throughout Europe and given them a number 1 album.

Saturday's BBC Radio Two Main Stage, headlined by the reunited Squeeze, sees the category defying, globally successful Morcheeba take the penultimate slot with their unique blend of soul, hip hop, blues, country and electronica. Their million plus selling 'Big Calm' album started a string of gold selling albums in the UK and set the precedence for a whole new genre in the late 1990's. Festival organisers are sure that the ambient musical dreamscapes they weave will be perfect for GuilFest's rich mix of followers.

Bringing the BBC Radio Two Main Stage to a close on Sunday will be Madness, who are back with their unique brand of nutty boy ska for a welcome return. Supporting is undoubtedly one of today's most successful acts The Magic Numbers. Having won a string of musical accolades, including Best New Act award in 2005 (MOJO), this tight knit quartet hasn't put a commercial or artistic foot wrong since bursting on the scene and GuilFest are very pleased to have them for one of only a few UK dates this summer.

Perennial favourites The Saw Doctors make a welcome return to headline the Ents24 Stage on Friday while folk legend Richard Thompson, founder member of Fairport Convention tops the bill Saturday. There will be a former Spider From Mars on stage when Prog-rock legends Uriah Heep make a rare UK festival appearance, to close proceedings on the Ents24 Stage on Sunday evening.

GuilFest prides itself on rediscovering lost gems, this year that act is the utterly unique, three times Grammy nominated soul reggae rock steady stars Toots and The Maytals. Led by Toots Hibbert, one of the great voices of Jamaica, this group, formed in 1962, is cited by an endless list of famous peers, young and old, including Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and No Doubt – all of whom have collaborated on the latest album True Love – as a hugely important and influential outfit in the history of funk, roots, reggae, rave, disco and gospel music. With no less than 31 number 1 hits under their belt in their homeland, GuilFest tips this group to be one of the festival’s highlights. Toots and The Maytals will perform on the BBC Radio Two Main Stage on Sunday the 15th.

The line up over GuilFest’s seven music stages will continue to grow over the next few weeks and along with top performers for both the comedy and theatre tent, great facilities across the board including the Kidzone, mammoth bar, clean toilets and huge variety of stalls selling everything you could ever hope to find at a festival, organisers are determined to make this year’s festival the best GuilFest-ival ever.

GuilFest will be setting the precedent yet again for a family event with its relaxed vibe and friendly atmosphere. Tickets are now on sale and are available on-line at link or by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0871 424 0050.