Town prepares for music festival

Northbound and southbound sections of the A1 serving Biggleswade and Sandy are likely to be affected as the popular music festival gets into full swing on Friday (August 26).

Roads in and around Old Warden are also likely to be busy, while festival goers who want to travel by rail are advised to use train services to Biggleswade station for onward travel.

The event, which will run on Friday, Saturday (August 27) and Sunday (August 28) is expected to be the biggest yet.

Legendary punk band The Buzzcocks and 1990s power pop trio Dodgy will be headlining on Friday, while former Cream bass guitarist Jack Bruce and the Norman Beaker Band will perform on Saturday, along with Irish vocalist and musician Imelda May.

Ska and reggae group Toots and the Maytals will play on Sunday, with support from Steve Cropper and the Animals.

The headline acts will be supported by scores of others and today there will be live music and comedy on five stages.

Festival director Jim Driver believes the 2011 event could boast the strongest line-up yet.

He said: “This year sees a subtle change in direction in that we’re going for bigger and better headline acts as well as even more emphasis on new talent.

“We are still featuring the best classic acts like 9 Below Zero and The Blockheads – who are both superb live –but there are some brilliant new acts out there and I’ve added as many as I can to the Rhythm Festival bill this year.”

The Rhythm Festival was founded in 2006 by veteran music promoter and writer Jim Driver and until 2010 the event was held at Twinwood Arena in Clapham.

It is designed to be a small, friendly festival which is good for families.

For more information about the festival, see our music guide on page 30.

You can also check out the official website at www.rhythmfestival.com