April 11, 1999 17:32

CELEBRATION OF THE LIZARD

"This festival is about people coming together, respect for each other, respect for the environment and, ultimately, world peace," says [B]Crispian[/B]...

Kula Shaker are the first act to be confirmed as headliners for the Lizard eclipse festival in Cornwall this August.

The band, who are not playing any other UK festivals this year, have yet to confirm which day they will be performing, but they have already helped with the line-up for the 20,000-capacity event, which takes place from August 7-14 at the seaside venue of Rosuic Common on Goonhilly Downs. They have invited a host of classical and Indian folk musicians onto the bill to mark the fact that the eclipse will symbolically link the Western and Eastern worlds.

Singer Crispian Mills explained: "The vibe I get off this festival is that it's all about the experience that people have when they are there, which I think has been lacking from festival organisations recently.

"I'm interested in the eclipse because of its connections with the millennium. It's nature's celebration of it. This festival is about people coming together, respect for each other, respect for the environment and, ultimately, world peace," he said.

The band used archive photos of the 1926 eclipse, the last to be seen in the UK, on the cover of their 'Mystical Machine Gun' single.

"Basically, it's a good excuse to get together for a party for the right reasons. I'm just really excited about the whole thing," Crispian concluded.

The eclipse will pass from Cornwall over Europe, through the Holy Land and onto India, the reason why Crispian suggested that festival organisers included artists Talvin Singh, Hariprasad Chaurasia and The Dhol Foundation on the bill.

Other acts confirmed include Plastikman, Femi Kuti, Howie B, Juno Reactor and Sonic Mook Experiment. More will be announced over the next few weeks. Kula Shaker, who released their new single 'Shower Your Love' last week, are currently on their first European tour. Tickets are available from nme.com's 24-hour ticketline on 0870 121 0125 or click here to go to our online gig guide and ticket service.