Featuring the vocal line-up of Pauline Black and Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson that catapulted them to success, Nibley is in for another foot-stomping treat this year! Along with fellow Coventry two-tone legends, The Specials, The Selecter were at the forefront of the British ska revival. Classics like “On My Radio”, “Three Minute Hero” and “Missing Words” were pumped out with the backbone of the Hammond Organ and Pauline’s distinctive rude-girl delivery. As with many of their contemporaries, the instinctively danceable tunes belied a number of political messages – not least that of multi-cultural inclusivity at a time of disharmony in many British cities. As the front-person it could be argued that Pauline also became one of the first exponents of “girl power” in a male dominated industry (although this was always inferred at the time). As with most bands the inevitable split was followed by several reunions. The band has been back with Pauline and Gaps at the helm for a few years now and they have graced the stages of many of our much larger summer festivals, as crowds have flocked to remind themselves of the sheer energy, urgency and fun that The Selecter have always delivered.

The Christians came to prominence at the back end of the 80′s and carved out a unique place in popular music. Once described in “Rock, The Rough Guide” as “The Temptations in ripped jeans, producing gritty-centred songs in a sugary vocal shell”, it was front-man Garry Christian’s effortlessly cool voice and imposing appearance that became synonymous with the band. Never afraid to tackle social issues, their haunting, yet hypnotic melodies and beautiful harmonies put a modern, British angle on Soul. Closely tied to their home town of Liverpool they stayed at No.1 for several weeks in the UK with “Ferry Across the Mersey” in conjunction with Paul McCartney and other acts – a song in aid of the victims of The Hillsborough disaster. It is probably their own material that they are best known for with classics like “Hooverville” and “Ideal World” doing exceptionally well both here and abroad. In all the band notched up 10 top 40 singles and had, amongst others, both a No.1 and No.2 Album. The band are still very much in demand playing major festivals across Europe. Nibley is proud to have one of the classiest acts to grace the music scene in recent times - a big Nibley welcome for The Christians!

If Britpop was for many, the irritating spats between Damon and Noel, then Dodgy was the antidote to all of that. Sometimes described as Power Pop Rock, this Indie trio hailing from Redditch originally put a smile back on the nation’s face. NME once said of them that festival promoters would leave a slot open in the sure knowledge that Dodgy would turn up and steal the show. For the 90′s generation they symbolised an innocent form of hedonism – festivals, summer sun and good times. The band seemed to have found the perfect recipe for a rock song – great guitar riffs and choruses demanding to be sung along to, all put together with a genuinely happy vibe. They associated themselves with a wide variety of good causes and charities, something which is often forgotten amidst the joyful tunes. Festival crowds loved them and people went out and bought their records in their droves (they reached the top 40 singles chart 9 times) and yet at their height the band dissolved. Luckily for us the lads reformed back in 2008 to the delight of many. They have since played the likes of Glastonbury and have an eagerly awaited new album due out in February 2012 – perhaps we will be listening to a string of new hits come July 7th?

The first band ever that Noel Gallagher signed to his music label were Proud Mary – we trust his judgement! A genuine stadium rock band, these boys have toured with Oasis, Neil Young, The Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Ryan Adams and The Black Crowes, and countless others. They have played on some of the biggest stages to enormous crowds. Here are some of their plaudits:

“A Classic Rock and Roll band” – Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon)

“When Proud Mary let loose they really bite” – Q Magazine

“If you like swaggering scarf-waver tunes with vast choruses and singers who sound like they swallow red-hot pokers, you’ve found your Holy Grail” – The Guardian

“A lesson in song-writing” – Noel Gallagher

Gallagher has described their musical influences as a “cross between The Stones, Neil Young and The Band” but you can also hear a nod to Dylan, and The Faces in their material. They mix their incredibly cultured sound with a degree of showmanship on stage that you would expect from the rock legends – a swagger to delight any arena, no matter how big.

They are one of the classiest live rock acts you will be lucky enough to see. They are the real deal, and we cannot wait to let them rock you till you drop!

If you want a fun, high energy festival band then Imperial Leisure must be the most up to date version of it. Ska mixed with Punk, mixed with Hip-Hop, mixed with an occasional nod to rock, it should be a musical mess, yet it works, brilliantly. A large collection of ridiculously catchy choruses, this young band deliver entertainment in bucket-loads. Everything is brought to the crowd with cheeky smiles and a determination to enjoy themselves – it’s infectious! Musically they are super talented with a booming brass section, tight rhythm and the most jumping about on stage you’ve ever seen from a front man (genuinely). This London based band can be seen at festivals all over Europe – we are lucky enough to have them at Nibley so be prepared to stomp it large.

Just won The 2012 Irish Music Awards for best Celtic Rock Band and best Fiddle Player!! The Roving Crows are the real deal when it comes to getting a crowd going Celtic style. With Irish roots, the band are now West Country based. Their act can move between relentless reels and uplifting, soulful tunes, but in the main they deliver up-tempo crowd pleasing, original numbers – if you are not up and dancing to the Crows then you’ve lost your lust for life somewhere along the way. Fantastically talented musicians they might be but The Roving Crows capture the true essence of Irish folk music – a group of people having fun and letting their hair down. We know that the Nibley crowd will love this band and we are thrilled to have on board one of the very best Celtic Rock bands around.

This is a group from the West Midlands that are going places. Their classy brand of upbeat Northern Soul lead them to supporting The Specials on their recent sell-out tour.  The tour took in some of the biggest venue’s in the UK and brought with it some fantastic reviews. Their new album, “The Three Shades of Stone Foundation”  features US Soul singer’s Nolan Porter famed in Northern Soul circles here in the UK for songs such as “Keep on Keepin’ On” and “If I could only be sure” (later covered by Paul Weller), and grammy award winner Joe Harris, lead singer of Motown’s The Undisputed Truth.  The tour and subsequent album have proved a huge success for the 7 piece band, with review’s in the national press (The Daily Mirror - ”4 out of 5 stars, imbued with the velvety magic and driving intensity of classic US soul”) to national tv and radio, with a recent session on the BBC Craig Charles funk and soul show. 
The band are set to begin their own tour of the UK in spring 2012. If you missed them playing with The Specials at the end of last year now’s your chance to catch one of the best live bands of the moment.

When you have band members who go by the names of Grandmaster Gareth and Erotic Volvo you know you are dealing with an act that can see the funnier side of life. Misty’s songs typically consist of Grandmaster Gareth singing in a deadpan, maudlin style accompanied by lively guitar, keyboards and brass players. They occasionally include samples and toy instruments in their songs. Contrasting with Gareth’s dour lounge-singer act is the dancer Erotic Volvo. Dressed in a loose full-body red sack with numerous stuffed blue gloves attached, and his face painted blue, he dances continuously and in an exhaustingly frenetic manner, often moving around the audience. He occasionally also performs as a human beat box. Musical style has been described as an eclectic mix of  jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two-tone, pop and punk so let’s not try and pigeon-hole them shall we! Misty’s are an all-out fun band to watch and are much loved on the festival circuit. Amongst their many admirers is Dave Gorman, the famous comedian and humorist - the DVD “The Dave Gorman Collection” features a special song and video as an extra. The song is titled “54 Dave Gormans”. The band also provided the theme tune to his TV series “Genius”. They have recorded sessions for the likes of  Stuart Maconie, Tom Roninson and Rob Da Bank as well as being featured many times on Radios 1, 2 and 6. Gryff Rhys Jones, Noddy Holder and Sir Patrick Moore have all featured in their work – what can we say – everybody likes Misty’s! We’ve been thinking about having them at Nibley for a few years now so we are delighted that they have the chance to put a smile on all our faces in 2012.

About 10 years ago a young guy from a tiny town out in The West was summoned by the executives at Atlantic records to a meeting in New York. He was asked to play to 200 staff in the foyer of Atlantic whilst Armet Ertegun (the man that discovered Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles) cast his eye over him. He was signed up immediately, and not long after had a song featured in a Hollywood Movie starring Colin Firth. Sadly Atlantic got into severe internal difficulties and the album was put on hold. He had to get himself out of his contract and it took a full six years to eventually release the album! Sadly the moment had passed and he had to get on with making a living outside of music (although he carried on gigging and producing more work).

The small town in the West was our very own and the guys name is Gavin Thorpe! Gavin has one of the sweetest natural voices you will ever hear, a style not dissimilar to David Gray (a contemporary back in the day) and a genuine down to earth approach to his music. He is a breath of fresh air and he is here at Nibley on the road back to building the massive career he always deserved.

Lauren Laverne of  BBC6Music and The Culture Show said of them “Bloody Lush… a new band we love”. The Independent hailed them as “Life Affirming” and Stuff Magazine wrote “Gorgeous harmonies and warm ’60s melodies – the result is quite lovely”. So nuff said – we might as well stop right there! Well we won’t because we absolutely adore this group down to their lovely Welsh toes!!!!

Their debut album was also titled “Howl Griff” and was sung in the Welsh language. It caused quite a stir in Wales – rather than being pigeon-holed, the fantastic melodies brought it to wider attention so that their second album “The Hum”  (this time sung in English) brought them the even greater recognition and plaudits they deserve.The music is a beautiful blend of warm sounding voices, that jingly-jangly guitar sound of yesteryear, nice tight, simple toe-tapping rhythm and chorus hooks to die for. They’ve been played extensively on 6Music and Radio 1 - they’ve even made it over the airwaves in California and we can see why with their lovely sunny sound. If Howl Griff can’t put a smile on your face, a spring in your step and reaffirm the very essence of what enjoying music is all about then we will eat our collective hat!

We figured that you might want some unabashed fun at Nibley, and so when we had a bundle of recommendations for Thrill Collins and their very own brand of musical japery we just had to ask them along. The word Skiffle seems to polarise opinions. Some associate it warmly with that mysterious period of youth culture before the emergence of rock and roll, whilst others just view it as well, “unplugged”. There is however a growing awareness that this raw musical style gets back to the very essence of what live music should be – vital and fun! Thrill Collins marry the rudiments of old school Skiffle with the most unlikely of modern classics to produce foot-stomping, hand-clapping, crowd-pleasers.

Having toured extensively in America and Europe three times already, Thrill Collins are a band in demand. Their 3 EPs to date have been produced by George Shilling (having worked with Blur, Texas and James Brown he tends to only work with genuine talent). We just know you are going to have a hoot dancing and singing along to this trio – just make sure you don’t spill your beer!

An acoustic guitar duo that formed in 2008 these lads from Liverpool are a delight on the ears. Radio 2′s famously respected “Whispering” Bob Harris said of them “Beautiful harmonies and superb guitar playing”. Rarely can a review be so succinct and so accurate. They have featured many times on BBC radio stations and have had extensive European tours. Anybody that seems them perform live will be captivated by their sound – the crispest guitar, and voices that meld together sublimely.

Original singer-songwriter George Montague plays piano from the heart – his music is an eclectic array of genres combined into a completely unique sound. Delivering energetic rock, pop, soul and blues, underpinned with vintage R&B, funk and jazz mixed with an alternative edge… George delivers a great live act.

Within 5 days of posting his new single on You Tube George had 34,000 unique views placing him as one of the most watched UK musicians on You Tube at that time – luckily we are going to be able to watch him live at Nibley (no broadband connection required!)

“Delightfully Strong, distinctive, High quality compositions & music” – Acoustic Magazine. In fact Cole has had rave reviews from all over the place including Steve Knightley from “Show of Hands” and we think he knows a thing our two about music. Devon based, Cole  is an out and out performer – his warm,engaging style means that he creates an immedite rapport with any audience. About to start his UK tour in February alongside Joseph O’Keefe make sure you don’t miss him on July 7th.

Named after the lead singer everything about this 4 piece pop combo is catchy (even their name). The band met whilst studying for a music degree, and the Cheltenham based quartet are therefore understandably all accomplished musicians. Don’t expect Wagnerian operatic worthiness though – this lot are very much pop, pop, pop! They have a wonderfully fresh sound – Saskia’s smooth voice is complemented by upbeat, sometimes funky rhythm from guitar, bass and drums. The tunes are frustratingly catchy – you will still be hearing them in your head days later so be warned. As the band say they provide “smiles all round” – perfect music for a sunny afternoon in July we think.

Over the years our ability to attract established names and seasoned festival acts has increased dramatically – we are proud of that fact. That said we haven’t lost sight of our desire to unearth new or hidden talent and that is what we use our ever popular Renishaw Stage for – a showcase.

Jasmin is a 17 year old from Devon with a voice full of the depth and texture of somebody much older. She has already been likened to Joss Stone though she is determined not to be pigeon-holed. When we saw her playing live she left the crowd spell-bound (we hope she has the same effect at Nibley!)

Comprised of a Drum n Bass M.C., a drummer and acoustic guitarist/vocalist, Arankas Cackle quite accurately describe themselves as a blend of West Country ragga hip-hop. If that sounds like The Wurzels on something stronger than Scrumpy then don’t be alarmed – this local band are bags of fun. They have a fabulously catchy rhythm to their upbeat numbers and the obvious ska influence ensures that you just can’t help but want to dance. The ska sounds might be explained by the fact that the lead singer is the son of a member of The Beat – now where have we heard of that band before….

Some videos from this year’s bands…