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Press Releases
BBC Electric Proms 2008: More acts announced
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 Burt Bacharach and Razorlight to headline London and Liverpool respectively
Saturday Night Fever evening sees Robin Gibb collaborate with Sam Sparro and Sharleen Spiteri
Keane, Chaka Khan, Goldfrapp and Maddy Prior also confirmed to perform
Peel Night debuts in Liverpool
Over 60 artists to perform
The BBC Electric Proms today announced the line up for this year's festival taking place in London and Liverpool from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 October 2008.
Over 60 acts will perform at the event, which is bigger than ever before and now in its third year.
Tickets went on sale at 10.00am on Wednesday 17 September.
The festival – dedicated to creating new moments in music – will see legendary American songwriter and performer Burt Bacharach open proceedings at the Roundhouse in London on Wednesday 22 October when he performs with the BBC Concert Orchestra accompanied by three guest vocalists, Adele, Beth Rowley and Jamie Cullum.
Razorlight will treat audiences to the first play of their new material in Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall on Saturday 25 October.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever topping the charts in the UK, Robin Gibb will perform alongside guests including Sam Sparro and Sharleen Spiteri with the BBC Concert Orchestra in London's Roundhouse.
The show will be musically directed by Anne Dudley, the Oscar-winning composer, arranger and producer.
John Peel Night will debut in the legendary DJ's spiritual hometown of Liverpool, featuring punk electronica outfit 2 Hot 2 Sweat, experimental grime producer Milanese and Sheffield-based quintet Rolo Tomassi.
Steve Lamacq will also host an afternoon dedicated to exploring the rich musical heritage of the city by presenting his BBC 6 Music show from BBC Radio Merseyside with special guests.
Festival Director Lorna Clarke said: "This is the third year of the BBC Electric Proms and it is great to be able to celebrate by bringing the event to Liverpool, making it a dual city event for the first time.
"The BBC Electric Proms is committed to new moments in music, and we are delighted to be hosting an increased line-up of unique collaborators and inimitable performances which will be very memorable to audiences, whether they are live in the venue or watching or listening via the BBC."
Elsewhere in Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture, the BBC Electric Proms will host their first show dedicated to under-18s, featuring artists including Esser, Thomas Tantrum and Kitty Daisy and Lewis.
The BBC Electric Proms will also extend its commitment to new music by hosting two nights of new and cutting edge artists in London's Barfly including Red Light Company, Amazing Baby, Micachu, Bashy, Ny and Chase & Status.
The Pool with Dave Monks will also see Howard Eliott Payne and his sister Candie Payne perform a unique set at Radio Merseyside to complement performances from acts already announced, Wave Machines and The Maybes with highlights from the BBC Electric Proms in Liverpool.
Keane will introduce their new edgier, harder sound to an intimate crowd in London at KOKO where the three-piece will be joined by extra musicians and a string quartet, while Chaka Khan will take to the stage at London soul and jazz venue Dingwalls for an exclusive intimate performance.
Cecil Sharp House, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, will be the scene for a stripped down Goldfrapp show accompanied by strings and choir in a unique set built for the one-off performance.
Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior will also play Cecil Sharp House alongside friends and collaborators June Tabor and Tim Hart.
More than 60 artists will appear at the BBC Electric Proms 2008 and each performance will aim to create a new music experience.
Today's announcement adds to artists already confirmed including The Last Shadow Puppets, The Streets, Nitin Sawhney and Tony Christie.
Performers at the BBC Electric Proms are challenged to come up with new and original material or arrangements of their music to reflect the central theme of the festival, that of creating new moments in music.
All of this can be accessed either at the venues, watching and listening on the BBC, or by interacting with red button technology and on mobile.
Tickets went sale at 10.00am on Wednesday 17 September.
Go to bbc.co.uk/electricproms for details.
Electric Proms on the BBC
Further artists and performances will be announced over the
coming weeks. The festival can be viewed and watched via a
number of different platforms on the BBC.
Radio: there will be live and recorded broadcasts from all
areas of the festival on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, 1Xtra, BBC 6 Music, BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio Merseyside.
TV: highlights from this year's Electric Proms will be
screened on BBC Two and BBC Four with additional performances
available to digital television viewers via
the red button.
Online: Complete performances will be available to watch for
a week after the festival along with photos and interviews at
bbc.co.uk/electricproms.
Full listings information will be available on the Electric
Proms website at bbc.co.uk/electricproms.
BBC Electric Proms information hotline: 03703 333 432.
Notes to Editors
BBC Electric Proms is a five-day multi-venue festival
featuring music and film taking place in London and
Liverpool.
Venues in London include The Roundhouse, The Barfly,
KOKO, The Electric Ballroom, Dingwalls, Freedom Studio and
Cecil Sharp House.
Venues in Liverpool include the Philharmonic Hall,
Barfly, Royal Daffodil ferry and BBC Merseyside.
There will be a very restricted number of reduced
price tickets (£5) that will be made available in the week of
the festival.
Last year more than 250,000 people visited the Electric
Proms website with more than 850,000 requests to watch
performances.
JA
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