Zutons announced to headline popular annual festival

Stendhal Festival has announced 40 more musical acts who will be performing at the 14th annual music and arts extravaganza, in Limavady, including headliners, The Zutons.

The Liverpool rockers, most famous for writing the song, ‘Valerie’ which was a number one hit for Amy Winehouse, will be joined by co-headliners Hot Chip, Heather Small, The Orb and a Gomez two-piece performance.

A hugely-popular festival act since the early 2000s, The Zutons bring a vivacious energy to their live performances and infuse their brilliant, vibrant indie guitar tunes with a hefty dose of soulful blues, culminating in a sound which takes as much inspiration from Motown, disco and great Northern Soul rhythms as it does from the psychedelic guitar pop bands of the ‘60s.

Stendhal is well-known for its support and showcasing of indigenous acts from the North of Ireland acts and 2024 is no different, with no fewer than 30 homegrown acts involved in this second wave of programme announcements.

Conchúr White, The Woodburning Savages, Cherym, The String Ninjas, Andy White, The Breeze, Doghouse, Esmarelda Road, Rory Nellis, Rachael O’Connor, Red Eye Pariah, Tessio, Boy M5, Balcony Sunrise, Drew Makes Noise, MÚLÚ, John Derry and the Heads, Parker, Hypnik Jerk, Polar Bolero, The Suite, Roll the Dice, Klyda, Cathal Francis, Renegade Zoo, Cellofella, Tomcat, Cooke, Elixir Hip-hop Showcase, Antidote Emcees DJ’s and Busted Seals will all be representing our brilliant home grown talent this summer.

Stendhal Festival director, Ross Parkhill, said he is ‘looking forward to welcoming all the acts’, many of whom will be attending for the first time, to the event this year.

“We are obviously delighted to add The Zutons to our list of headliners for this year,” he said. “They are a phenomenal live acts and have loads of brilliant tunes that will radiate wonderfully around the fields.”

He continued, “For us, the big excitement really comes with the indigenous acts.

“We have around 20 home grown acts making their Stendhal debuts this year, and being able to provide them with a platform to showcase their talent to a wider audience is really what is at the heart of the festival.

“We really hope that people can come along this year and find a brand-new, home-grown act that they really resonate with and support going forward.

“We still have a few more musical acts to announce and we will also very shortly be announcing all our family, comedy and other artistic programmes,” Ross concluded. “The overall programme is taking shape very nicely and everything is looking very positive this year.

“We might even get our first pre-weekend sell-out with the way tickets are going; a milestone we have been trying to reach for years.

“It is a real possibility this year.”

l For tickets and information visit: www.stendhalfestival.com