Madness to headline festival

Madness — one of the UK’s best loved bands — will be the headline act at Newark Festival 2013, the Advertiser can reveal.

The band, whose hits include House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Our House and It Must Be Love, will be the main event at Newark Festival on Saturday, June 15, at the Riverside Park.

Madness are renowned for their high-energy live shows.

The band last year completed their biggest tour to date, playing arenas nationwide, including two sell-out nights at London’s O2.

They performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert, played to a television audience of millions at the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony, and released their tenth studio album.

Newark Festival 2013 will be over the weekend of June 14-16.

The town council has again teamed up with the Liz Hobbs Group to stage the event.

The chairman of the council’s environment and leisure committee, Mr Dennis Jones, said: “I am thrilled we have been able to attract such a high-profile group to headline this year’s festival.

“Newark is one of only nine outdoor concerts Madness will be performing in 2013 — it is a real coup for us and the town of Newark.”

The council leader, Mrs Gill Dawn, said: “The 2013 Newark Festival is an ambitious project that will build on last year’s event.

“I would urge the communities in and around Newark to support the festival and hopefully secure its long-term future.”

There will be 8,000 tickets for the Madness concert — 4,000 will be sold online, and 4,000 allocated for purchase in person from Newark Town Hall.

There will a limited allocation of 500 family tickets, only available from the Town Hall.

Tickets are £35 each. There will be no concessions. Family tickets, which cover two adults and two children under 16, are £100.

Online tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9am at www.newarkfestival.co.uk

Tickets will be available from the Town Hall from a week tomorrow, from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

The Town Hall will be open for ticket sales on Saturdays between 9.30am and 2.30pm from January 26 to February 23, and will be open late on Wednesdays up to 6.30pm from January 30 to February 27.

l For more on the festival see next week’s Advertiser.