Return For The Most Refined Of Music Festivals

If you’re more a glamper than a camper, if your idea of roughing it is shopping at Waitrose rather than Fortnum’s, then Kew the Music is the festival for you. Set in the glorious surrounds of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the first three headline artists for Kew the Music 2018 have just been confirmed as The Gipsy Kings, The Human League, and Jools Holland.

Tickets are on sale now, so music-lovers can book ahead for the unmissable summer evenings at the iconic, atmospheric venue.

Having immersed ourselves in the incredible atmosphere at iconic band James’s showstopping set last July, Belle can wholeheartedly endorse the delightful week-long annual event. The 2018 concerts return from Tuesday 10 July – Sunday 15 July with a fantastic line up that as always offers something for everyone. Proving to be a hit amongst all generations of music lovers, the popular concerts are the perfect evening out for all the family to enjoy. You can take your own picnic stuffed full of treats, or enjoy the hospitality of the bustling open-air bars and various street food stalls.

More acts will be announced soon, so watch this space. But for now the lineup looks something like this:

Jools Holland is just one of the acts lined up to play Kew the Music next summer

The Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonnino Baliardo

Wednesday 11 July

The legendary Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonnino Baliardo achieved world-wide recognition in 1988 with the release of their eponymous album which featured the global smash hits Bamboleo, Un Amor and Djoba Djoba. They won a Grammy in 2014 for their album Savor Flamenco. The band are all members of two related families from France and are credited for pioneering the sound of progressive flamenco worldwide

The Human League
Saturday 14 July

Electro-pioneers and influential ground-breakers, The Human League are so credible it’s incredible. In fact they’re probably more highly regarded now than they were in 1981 when they released their landmark album Dare. With four Top 10 albums and eight Top 10 singles in the UK as well as two US Number 1 singles and over 30 million records sold worldwide; they are a sublimely peculiar and heady cocktail of pop, dance, glamour and electronics.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Sunday 15 July

Jools Holland, whose musical credits are both countless and stellar, returns to Kew the Music with another crowd-pleasing show. A musical leviathan, Jools has been touring with his veritable musical army, the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring Gilson Lavis for more than 20 years and, once again, he will be joined by regular guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall.

If packing a picnic seems like too much hard work, ready-made picnic hampers are available to collect on the night. Or you can indulge in an exclusive BBQ/ VIP Hospitality dining experience in The Hive. See kewthemusic.org for more information.

Emily Cleary

After almost a decade chasing ambulances, and celebrities, for Fleet Street's finest, Emily has taken it down a gear and settled for a (slightly!) slower pace of life in the suburbs. With a love of cheese and fine wine, Emily is more likely to be found chasing her toddlers round Kew Gardens than sipping champagne at a showbiz launch nowadays, or grabbing an hour out of her hectic freelancer's life to chill out in a spa while hubby holds the babies. If only!

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