DANCE music superstars Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers, and art-pop act Christine and The Queens are to headline a festival celebrating nature in the woods of West Oxfordshire.

The artists are among the first names revealed for Wilderness Festival, which takes place at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, next August.

Also lined-up for the four-day extravaganza are reformed pop idols Sugababes, Australian electro-indie quartet Confidence Man, soul singer-songwriter Pip Millett, indie-punk artist Nuha Ruby Ra, electronic music act Acid Klaus, Latin rhythm-fuelled band Los Bitchos and Brighton guitar heroes Lime Garden.

Fatboy Slim – real name Norman Cook – is one of the world’s best loved DJs and has a career stretching back over four decades. As well as mixing songs and samples specifically for his set, revellers will be treated to many of his hits with tunes like Right Here, Right Now, The Rockafella Skank, Weapon of Choice and Praise You.

A member of the Wilderness team said: “These are feel good songs and tracks that the whole world knows and can come together to listen to, dance to, fall in love to and pretty much anything else to. Fatboy Slim is a Grammy and Brit award-winning artist whose cutting edge videos are part of the fabric of British culture.”

Oxford Mail: Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers – Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons – also come armed with an expansive genre-defying catalogue of anthemic hits including Hey Boy Hey Girl, Galvanise, Go, and Block Rockin’ Beats. They will bring with them their powerful audio-visual production.

Christine and The Queens is the inventive French pop phenomenon fronted by Heloise Adelaide Letissier – now known as Redcar. The show follows the release of acclaimed new album Les Adorables Etoiles.

Oxford Mail: Christine and the Queens

Christine and the Queens

Returning to the festival is the late night Valley, hosting big name DJs in a wooded glade illuminated by lasers, and a dancefloor space called The Hustle.

Also returning is jazz venue Ronnie Scott’s which will present a tribute to soul queen Aretha Franklin with singer Vanessa Haynes, who has previously backed Chaka Khan and Van Morrison.

Oxford Mail: Sugababes

Sugababes

Contemporary classical pianist and composer Karim Kamar will also perform, while stand-up Sara Pascoe will get the crowd laughing on the opening night.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail in the summer, Wilderness Festival chief Rory Bett said his team were keen to continue pushing the boundaries. He said: “We don’t programme stages, we programme people. We create experiences on a big scale and intimate. We push every sense and sensibility so you can feel you’ve had a Wilderness just for you. Even if you come with 10 people, you can have an individual, unique experience.

“We try and get people to change their outlook as soon as they come through the door.”

  • Wilderness Festival is at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury from August 3-6
  • Tickets from wildernessfestival.com/tickets