Wychwood Festivals announces BBC Introducing Stage

Wychwood Festival has announced that the third stage at this year's family friendly event will be partnered with BBC Introducing to provide a unique platform for emerging artists at the festival.

Wychwood Festival which takes place from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th June 2010 at Cheltenham Racecourse, the partnership will see Wychwood's third stage rebranded as the BBC Introducing... in Gloucestershire stage and have invited the six counties that border Gloucestershire to submit bands from their Introducing shows on BBC Radios Oxford, Bristol, Wales, Warwick & Coventry, Wiltshire, Hereford & Worcester and, of course, Gloucester.

The shows have each submit ten bands to a judging panel consisting of BBC 6Music's Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 1's Bethan Elfin, The Independent newspaper's music critic Elisa Bray and Wychwood's Festival Director Graeme Merrifield who will pick the final line-up of 28 bands from the 70 submitted.

The partnership is the first time that a number of regional BBC Introducing outlets have joined forces to provide through the judging panel a direct route for emerging artists to BBC Introducing at a national level – and alongside that an opportunity to be included in the line-up at the festival.

BBC Radio Gloucester's Introducing presenter Rob Champion said, "We're so happy to be working with the Wychwood Festival as well as our colleagues from the six bordering BBC regions on such an innovative partnership. I can't think of a better opportunity, not only for our up and coming artists in Gloucestershire, but for those in the wider area. Wychwood is a big deal for local bands here, it represents a major achievement to play at such a prestigious, vibrant and eclectic festival and I can't wait to be there!"

The 70 bands selected by each region are broken down by BBC region as follows:

BBC Hereford & Worcester Introducing

1. Zang Tang	2. Barbarix
3. Da Vinci	4. Dastards
5. Frantik	6. Rhondda
7. Roundstone	8. The Transcendence Experience
9. We Killed Rasputin	10. Wes Dance

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Introducing

1. Castillo	2. Century Man
3. Czech Cheque Checkers	4. Echo Empire
5. Garfield Mayor	6. Les Cadets
7. Lloyds McGrath	8. Shakletons
9. Thom Kirkpatrick	10. Voodoo Kings

BBC Bristol Introducing

1. The Fairies	2. Adelaide's Cape
3. Cat Green Bike	4. Daisy Chapman
5. Deadlegs	6. Kill It Kid
7. Out Like A Lion	8. Phantom Limb
9. Severn Sleepers	10. The Bronze Medal

BBC Gloucester Introducing

1. Zen Elephant	2. Aspen Sails
3. Charlie Baxter	4. Divine Secret
5. Elliot Withers	6. Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun
7. Lounge Fly	8. Roving Crows
9. The Echoes	10. Young Vinyls

BBC Wiltshire Introducing

1. Zoe Mead	2. Matthew Kilford
3. Napolean In Rags	4. One Two Three and In
5. Sailors	6. DJ Para
7. Sunset On Madrid	8. The Costellos
9. The Dacoits	10. The Jon Trowbridge Band

BBC Wales Introducing

1. The School	2. Cate Le Bon
3. Cuba Cuba	4. Islet
5. Ivan Moult	6. Lucky Delucci
7. Man Without Country	8. Mechanical Owl
9. Oui Messy	10. Race Horses

BBC Oxford Introducing

1. We Aeronauts	2. Charley Coombs & The New Breed
3. Dead Jerichos	4. Family Machine
5. Fixers	6. Mr. Fogg
7. Spring Offensive	8. The Evenings
9. The Scholars	10. Ute

The final line-up of 28 bands over the three days as decided by the judging panel will be announced in due course along with further details of BBC Introducing activity onsite over the course of the weekend.

Wychwood Festival is a very family-friendly, intimate and inclusive for audience and musician alike, blending world, roots and contemporary music, and encouraging new collaborations. There's also comedy, workshops, and more.

Levellers will headline on Friday, Happy Mondays on Saturday, with Seth Lakeman taking the headline spot on Sunday evening. Joining them are Dreadzone, The South, Kila, Goldheart Assembly, 6 Day Riot, Beth Jeans Houghton, Toumani Diabate, King Creosote, 12 Stone Toddler, One String Loose, Pauline Black, The Travelling Band, The Leisure Society, John Smith, and Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds, and more. For the line-up details as available please click here.

Day tickets are now on sale: Adult tickets are priced at £35 (Friday), £50 (Saturday) and £40 (Sunday). There are also Youth concessions (16 - 18 years) available at £22 (Friday) £37 (Saturday) and £27 (Sunday) and 10 – 15 year olds tickets are priced at £20 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Under 10's go for free with each adult ticket allowing two free under 10's. Adult weekend tickets are priced at £110.

This year Wychwood will be introducing a small charge for camping for the concession and adult tickets. A weekend camping pass is priced at £20, a concession/youth weekend camping pass is available at a price of £10. Children under 15 can camp for free, live in vehicle/campervan passes are priced at £40 (in addition to a camping pass for each person).

To buy tickets click here.

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