Keane founders to perform in aid of festival?

As the Battle Festival prepares to launch it’s 2015 programme this month, there is speculation Tim Rice-Oxley and Tom Chaplin, of the internationally successful band may perform to help boost the festival’s coffers.

It would be the first time since 2013 the two have performed live together.

It is widely anticipated the duo will play together at a fundraising concert for the festival in their home town.

The musicians leapt to fame, along with drummer Richard Hughes, in 2004 when Keane hit the international charts with their debut album Hopes & Fears.

They were later joined by bassist Jesse Quin and with a career spanning ten years achieved five number one albums, with their latest release being The Best Of Keane in 2013.

The 2014 festival was a success and with next year seeing the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the festival committee is gearing up to ensure this year’s event establishes Battle as a top-rate annual arts festival.

Tim Rice-Oxley, a patron of the festival said: “Last year’s festival was a huge success and the programme this year is even more vibrant and broad-based.

“It’s not just a music festival – it’s theatre and spoken word, visual arts, dance, comedy – and it’s great to have diverse people like Anton Lesser (Wolf Hall’s Thomas More )and celebrity chef Valentina Harris on the programme as well as emerging artists across all disciplines.”

There is a strong educational thread running through the festival with workshops and talks in several disciplines planned while Tim will repeat the hugely successful mentoring sessions for young musicians which he ran last year.

Last year, eight acts were personally picked by Tim for the hour-long sessions.

The one-to-ones took place at the Almonry, in Battle High Street, and featured young artists including Elise Brontosaurus and Will Pollard.

Speaking last year, Tim said that there were ‘great young songwriters working away in every corner of 1066 Country,’ and added he was ‘genuinely excited’ to see how the young artists will develop.

Full details of the 2015 festival programme will be released in early June at facebook.com/BattleFestival and twitter.com/BattleFestival

For more, email info@BattleFestival.co.uk or visit www.BattleFestival.co.uk

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