New festival Sunday Sessions is to draw thousands of music lovers to Earlham Park in Norwich today. Simon Parkin takes at look at who will be taking to the stage at Sunday Sessions.
Thousands of music lovers have descended on Norwich's Earlham Park this weekend as it plays host to sounds both retro and current at two music festivals.
Kaiser Chiefs will close new festival Sunday Sessions after a line-up that includes the likes Tom Odell, Circa Waves, The Bluetones, Gabrielle Aplin, Reverend and the Makers, British Sea Power and Lucy Spraggan.
There will also be beats from electronic acts Subfocus, SaSaSaS, Redlight and P Money.
The event will conclude a weekend of music with Let's Rock Norwich! boasting a line-up featuring synth-pop pioneers The Human League, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Heaven 17 and ABC.
The two events, which sees the Eastern Daily Press team up as a media partner, are expected to draw up to 30,000 people over the two days and build on the reputation of Earlham Park after previous big scale concerts The Big Weekend and Little Mix.
• Sunday Sessions Norwich, Earlham Park, May 27. Only remaining tickets £50-£45, For more information and to book tickets visit norwich.sundaysessions.netSUNDAY SESSIONS — 10 FACTS ON 10 ACTS
Tom Odell
The Brits Critics' Choice Award winning singer-songwriter of impassioned, piano-led ballads lend his tearjerking cover of The Beatles' Real life to the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert.
Circa Waves
Liverpool indie-rockers, who shot to fame with festival favourite T-Shirt Weather, saw guitarist Joe Falconer come up with the band name when it popped into his head when he uploaded their demo to Soundcloud.
British Sea Power
Idiosyncratic group, whose eccentric path has ranged from Echo and the Bunnymen-style indie to twisted folk, songs about flags and soundtracks to archive films, once played a gig at Norwich Puppet Theatre.
The Bluetones
Fronted by the enigmatic Mark Morriss, the Hounslow indie four-piece amassed 13 top 40 singles and their debut album, Expecting to Fly, knocked Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory? off the top of the UK album charts
Gabrielle Aplin
Bath singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin stumbled into the limelight when her delicate rendition of Frankie's The Power of Love, which graced the John Lewis' Christmas advert, surged to the number one spot.
Reverend and the Makers
The Sheffield band fronted by Jon McClure – aka The Reverend – best mates with the Arctic Monkeys, and whose brother Chris McClure was the smoking lad on the cover of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.
Lucy Spraggan
Former X Factor wannabe who has since carved out a successful niche as singer-songwriter mixing hip hop, folk, and acoustic, roped in This Is England actor Thomas Turgoose to star in the video for her single Dear You.
Goldie Lookin Chain Legends
Asked to perform before the 2005 match between Wales and England, the Welsh comedic rappers dedicated their track Your Missus Is a Nutter to David Beckham, prompting Welsh football authorities to apologise.
Sub Focus
DJ Nicolaas 'Nick' Douwma, purveyor of high tempo drum n bass beats, was originally obsessed with rock music, but switched to electronic sounds when he discovered he 'wasn't very good' at playing musical instruments
SaSaSaS
This 'jump-up' drum n bass supergroup comprises jungle-era MCs Skibadee and Shabba, former N.A.S.T.Y. crew member Stormin, Harry Shotta and DJ Phantasy.
WE PREDICT A RIOT
Having survived the departure of drummer and songwriter Nick Hodgson, Leeds indie-rockers Kaiser Chiefs returned in triumph with chart-topping last album, Education, Education, Education & War, and followed that with 2016's Stay Together.
They arrive at Sunday Sessions having signed back with their original label Polydor Records and currently in the process of recording their seventh album.
'Kaiser Chiefs have done rather well out of having ideas above our station,' says singer Ricky Wilson, reflecting on the multi-platinum pop crusade that began with their mega-successful 2005 debut Employment and its super catchy singles I Predict A Riot and Ruby.
The band by their own admission had a creative and commercial wobble, but Education, Education, Education & War, their first number one in seven years and their highest-charting in the US, rejuvenated the band
'Most sane people would have given up,' Ricky laughs. 'People tell you that you're only allowed one shot, but bands who get a second shot are the ones who fight as hard for their next chance as they did for their first.'
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