• WITH the festive season upon us, it is time for that mid-winter tradition — the first flurry of summer festival announcements. First out of the starting blocks is Reading, who this week revealed rapper Eminem as one of their three main stage headliners. The presence of hip hop star ‘Slim Shady’ is a coup. Others revealed include Deftones, Alt-J and Boy Better Know.

Now on sale for 2013 at 2012 prices, weekend tickets are £197.50 from www.readingfestival.com.

  • Also quick of the mark has been the rather more civilised Cropredy festival, which has announced the return of the Levellers, 10CC, Nik Kershaw, Edward II, Martin Barre’s New Day, Lúnasa, Moulettes and The Dunwells. Saturday’s headliners will again be hosts Fairport Convention.

Tickets are £105 for the three days (August 8-10). Go to www.fairport convention.com.

  • Leading lights of the electronic dance music scene, Orbital are more familiar with huge festival fields and arenas than small clubs. Talking to Weekend ahead of tonight’s show at the O2 Academy Oxford, to promote their new album Wonky, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll revealed that while their sets were as lively as ever, the pair now prefer to have a quiet cuppa afterwards, rather than partying through the night.

“I don’t like to drink too much,” Paul revealed. “These days I am happy spending time after shows talking about software.” Tickets are £27 from ticketweb.co.uk.

  • Senegalese musician Jali Fily Cissokho is a world-class artist and master of the Kora — an African harp made of gourd and goat skin. Few who have heard his lilting melodies, however, would suspect that he lives not in Dakar, but in Witney. He is the star turn at a night of music to raise money for the African-Caribbean Kultural Heritage Initiative (Ackhi) at the East Oxford Community Centre tomorrow. He will be joined by the fabulous Nairobi, featuring Oxford Times journalist Pete Hughes, and Duchess.
  • “I miss Senegal,” Jali told us this week. “But Witney is a great place to live, although cold.” Tickets are £5 from wegottickets.com