ORGANISERS of the country’s longest-running independent music festival have promised a few surprises after unveiling their line-up for next year’s event.

New folk acts Bellowhead and Show Of Hands have been announced as headliners for next summer’s Towersey Festival, which takes place at the festival’s new home, the Thame Showground, from August 28 to 31.

Sally Barker, a finalist on BBC TV’s The Voice, is lined up to play, joined on the running order by Manchester’s Travelling Band and Scottish supergroup The Treacherous Orchestra.

Folk star Martin Simpson, teaming up with fiddle player and singer Nancy Kerr and melodeon player Andy Cutting, also appears.

Festival director Joe Heap said: “Towersey is all about the people. We create a little community of our own and people say it’s like a whole other world they can escape to.

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“It’s a celebration of roots music. The foundation is folk music, but we have a wider range of music every year – all with a roots vibe.

“We’re very pleased to be welcoming back Bellowhead, who have become one of the UK’s biggest live bands since they first played Towersey in 2006. If our Golden Jubilee this year was our best festival yet, we want to make 2015 even better.

“We have some real surprises in store for festivalgoers this year, as well as retaining everything our regular visitors have told us they love so much about Towersey.”

The festival was set up by Mr Heap’s grandfather, Dennis Manners, and run for many years by his father, Steve Heap, a co-director.

Other acts include songwriter-guitarist John Smith and Australia’s The Spooky Men’s Chorale. Further headline acts are to be revealed in the New Year.

Starting 50 years ago as a gathering of villagers in a pub garden to raise funds to refurbish their village hall, Towersey Festival has grown into a four-day feast of bands. It also prides itself on being among the longest of festivals, with more than 200 bands and artists on 12 stages over four days.

This year the festival attracted more than 8,000 people with appearances from The Bootleg Beatles, Richard Thompson and Seth Lakeman.

The return of 11-piece contemporary folk act Bellowhead will cause most excitement. The band, which features melodeon and concertina player John Spiers, from Wootton, near Abingdon, played their debut at Oxford Town Hall in 2004.

Mr Heap added: “As a thanks to all those who booked early for our 50th festival we’ve reduced the price of our first release tickets, and also introduced an opportunity for ticket buyers to spread payment over several months.”

Ticket prices start from £90 (adults), £63 (youth: 12 to 17-year-olds), £45 (children: five-11yrs), with under-fives admitted free. Camping costs £25 per head

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