The Flaming Lips and Robert Plant to headline Wilderness Festival 2016

The Flaming Lips and Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant have been announced as headline acts for Wilderness Festival 2016.

The Lips – led by frontman Wayne Coyne – have been tipped to play their album, ‘The Soft Bulletin’, in full at the festival, while Robert Plant and his band, The Sensational Space Shifters, are also tipped to headline the three day festival, which runs August 4-7.

In an official press release statement, Led Zeppelin vocalist and rock legend Robert Plant said: “In recent times The Space Shifters and I have found a natural home for our music in beautiful places that often carry their own unique resonance… I know the Wilderness Festival is one of those places and I’m really looking forward to summoning our madness there…”.

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Other acts to have been announced in the first wave of names are Glass Animals, Crystal Fighters, Rosie Lowe, Shura, Tourist, Goldie, Parov Stellar, Lianne La Havas, Matt Corby, Andrew Weatherall and Jackmaster. Michelin star chef Raymond Blanc will also be serving up banquet food. The full line up is at the bottom of the page.

Returning for a sixth year, Wilderness Festival features a wide range of attractions alongside its musical acts. The arts programme includes talks, debates, family magic and games plus theatre. Outdoor pursuits available at the festival include horse riding, wild swimming, fly fishing, low bow archery, secret adventures, philosophy walks, croquet east, hunter gather cook foraging and butchery, boating and wild medicine walks.

Last year, in 2015, Bjork, Ben Howard and funk legend George Clinton headlined the Oxfordshire based country-side festival.

The Flaming Lips paid tribute to David Bowie by covering a number of his songs during a recent concert.

The Oklahoma rock band performed ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Fame’, ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Golden Years’, ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Five Years’, ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ and Ashes to Ashes’ last night during their show at Belly Up Ashen.

It’s not the first time that the Lips have covered Bowie, having performed ‘Heroes’ on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon back in 2013. The late musician’s songs have also been a staple of the band’s sets since the 1990s.

In a 2012 interview, Bowie listed The Flaming Lips as one of a number of American bands that he admires (he mentions the band at the 8-minute mark in the below clip).

Wilderness 2016 – first line up additions.

Long-Table Banquets
RAYMOND BLANC, SKYE GYNGELL & VIRGILIO MARTINEZ
The Chef’s Table