Hardwick Festival headline acts announced

The line-up for the 11th Hardwick Festival in August can be exclusively revealed by Bdaily.

And the major announcement is that ‘80s and ‘90s pop sensations Pet Shop Boys will appear on the Saturday of the weekend-long festival at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, on Saturday, August 16.

Pet Shop Boys’ appearance is part of their Dreamworld Greatest Hits Live world tour.

Headliners on the Friday night are Scissor Sisters, who will be making their first appearance at the festival, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 music fans from across the country.

The weekend will close on Sunday night with Olly Murs.

More acts are still to be announced, but those confirmed so far include The Lathums, Sam Ryder, The Wailers, Scouting for Girls, Toploader and the Brand New Heavies. 

Hardwick Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, and has now expanded to six venues – Main Stage, Treehouse Arena, Courtyard, Into The Woods, Summit Stage and Boogie Wonderland – which have attracted top acts and DJs from across the world, as well as giving air time to local bands.

On top of the huge selection of food and drink locations across the hotel’s 120-acre site, which is part of Ramside Estates, Hardwick Festival has also upped its stay-over offerings, and the festival site now includes a camping, glamping and motorhome area within walking distance of the stages, which can cater for thousands of visitors across the whole weekend.

The festival, which originates from Hardwick’s famous Manor House nights, has attracted big names since its formation as a one-day festival in 2013 with Texas as headliners.

Since then, legendary musicians, ranging from Noel Gallagher to Nile Rodgers, Stereophonics to The Specials – in one of Terry Hall’s last performances before his death in 2022 – have performed at the event. 

And this summer will be no different, with Pet Shop Boys delivering their first performance at Hardwick.

It will be a return to the region for North Shields-born, St Cuthbert’s Grammar School old boy Neil Tennant, the lead singer, now 70, who formed the band with Chris Lowe in 1981 while editing Smash Hits and writing songs in his spare time. 

Their hit ‘It’s A Sin’ is based on his strict Catholic education, and is certain to be on the set list for the final performance of the festival, along with their other Number One hits West End Girls, Always On My Mind and Heart.

Organisers have opted for Olly Murs to close the event on Sunday night, while Scouting For Girls will return in the same slot in the Treehouse Arena after their popular performance last year.

As ever, the Hardwick Festival includes a host of well-known and popular DJs across the three days and nights, and Kenny Dope, Dan Shake and Horse Meat Disco will all be part of the weekend entertainment.

The festival will also mark the end of the ongoing local battle of the bands competition ‘The Road To Hardwick’, at The WonderBar in Newcastle, to win a slot on the main stage before the established acts.

Further details of ticket packages for the festival and camping areas are available at www.hardwickfestival.co.uk 

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