Björk, Groove Armada and Metronomy to headline Bluedot 2020 festival

Bluedot, the award-winning music, science and culture event held annually at Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Observatory, has announced the first wave of artists for this summer’s festival.

Much-loved dance act Groove Armada will headline the Friday night. With a career spanning more than 20 years and featuring chart-topping hits such as Superstylin and I See You Baby, fans can expect a party atmosphere to open the festival.

Topping the bill on the Saturday night are indie-electro giants, Metronomy. Following rave reviews for their latest studio album Metronomy Forever the electropop pioneers will take to the main stage on Saturday to deliver set full of dancefloor masterpieces and crowd pleasers.

And superstar Björk will close the festival with an exclusive set with a uniquely commissioned performance alongside Manchester’s Halle Orchestra, with bespoke projections on the Lovell Telescope.

Other confirmed acts include psychedelic space rockers Spiritualized, disco diva Roisin Murphy, techno fusionist Squarepusher, electronic/ambient originals Tangerine Dream, reborn indie experimentalists Ride, Daniel Avery, EOB (the new solo project of Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien), Seth Troxler’s new Lost Souls of Saturn project, Pussy Riot, Tim Burgess, A Certain Ratio, Lanterns On The Lake, Rosie Lowe, Homoelectric  Nihiloxica, All We Are and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

Elsewhere on the line-up are electronic legends 808 State, deep house specialists Crazy P, A Guy Called Gerald, AIF Award nominated Oh My God! It’s The Church, Liz Lawrence, Just Mustard, Julia Bardo, Black Futures, Mark Radcliffe’s UNE, Intergalactic republic of Kongo, Plastic Mermaids, Lazarus Kane, Holodrum,  Sinead O’Brien, Ttrruuces, The Goa Express, Otis Mensah, Robin Richards, The Starlight Magic Hour and Indian Queens.

And don’t forget the late night parties, with DJ Yoda presents Stranger Things leading the bill. Stranger Things fans can expect favourites from 1983 laced with samples from the Netflix original series from Dolly Parton and Toto to The Clash and Joy Division.

Also announced today is Manchester based four-piece Henge (DJ set), Too Many Man,  DJ Acid Rephlux,  Regal Disco, DJ Riv, Princess Leia & Han Solo’s Wedding Disco, Discolypso,  Good Afternoon DJ’s, and DJ Fallback bringing some deep space disco to the festival.

And science fans will want to head to the Dot Talks, with themes including futurology, consciousness, artificial intelligence and the depths of space via astrophysics and astronomy.

Other highlights include Celebrating 42: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Live, a stage show featuring series performers and producers, written especially for Bluedot; Is David Bowie a God? a comedic, musical exploration of the legend’s messianic status; and the Pankhurst Sessions, a programme of talks, panels and screening curated by the great grand-daughter of the Suffragettes leader, Helen Pankhurst.

There’ll also be performances by Phil Jupitus and British comedian, actor and director Adam Buxton, known for his appearances in films such as Hot Fuzz and more recently the Adam Buxton Podcast.

And for the little ones, entertainment includes the Intergalactic Planetary kids rave with Big Fish Little Fish, Jedi Training, the Luminarium, a dedicated Big Bang Stage for kids, and science-focused activities, workshops and live experiments.

It’s the fifth year of the festival, which has previously has seen headline performances from the likes of Kraftwerk 3-D, New Order, The Chemical Brothers, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Underworld and Jean-Michel Jarre, plus high-profile talks from Brian Cox, Helen Sharman, Alice Roberts and Richard Dawkins.

Bluedot 2020 takes place at Jodrell Bank Observatory 23rd-26th July 2020. Tickets go on sale on Friday 14th February at 10am.

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