Express & Star

Brewood Music Festival main event to take place in new location - for first time since start 14 years ago

Brewood Music Festival, which has top acts The Osmonds and Big Country headlining, will this year move to Brewood Middle School sports field after taking place at the same location for 14 years.

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Jay and Merrill Osmond will headline the Saturday evening show at the village event

The festival, which runs every two years, had previously held its Saturday afternoon and evening shows at St Dominic's High School For Girls, with Sunday entertainment taking place in the village square, since the event began in 2004.

All the major Saturday and Sunday performances and attractions will now take place at the school field, with Thursday night entertainment being held at St Mary and St Chad's Church, and live music performed at pubs around the village on Friday night and early Saturday afternoon, leading up to the main event.

Big Country performing at the Oakengates Theatre in Telford

Organiser Jason Bate says the move will enable the festival to accommodate up to three times their usual capacity, with the previous limit at St Dominic's being around 1,200.

"These are definitely exciting times for Brewood Music Festival," said Jason.

"The move to a new venue opens up a wealth of new opportunities for us, as well as a greatly increased capacity.

"It's proving to be a lot of extra work for a small organising committee but it just shows how far the event has come.

"It's going to be the best festival yet."

Brewood Music Festival runs from Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15.

Sugarthief. Pic: www.facebook.com/sugarthiefuk/

On Saturday night, Jay and Merrill Osmond will headline the main show on the middle school sports field.

This afternoon and evening live music event, for which tickets are priced at £25 each, will run from 4.30pm till late and star four live acts.

Other bands on the bill for the Saturday include Big Country, Rainbreakers and Sugarthief.

The Osmonds group is best known for a range of songs including Crazy Horses, Love Me For A Reason, One Bad Apple, Down By The Lazy River, Hold Her Tight and more. The group, which primarily consisted of seven Osmond siblings - including Donny and Marie - first started out in 1958 as a barbershop-style quartet starring Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay Osmond.

Big Country, meanwhile, is a Scottish rock band formed in 1981. Songs they are known for include In A Big Country, Chance, Look Away, and Fields Of Fire.

Rainbreakers. Pic: John Bull/ Rockrpix

Sugarthief is a Penkridge-based four-piece band. They have recently supported The Twang on tour and have enjoyed radio exposure as an up-and-coming act.

Finally, Rainbreakers is a four-member group from Shrewsbury which plays blues, rock and soul.

Tickets for the main Saturday event are available from The Mess and Village Flowers in Brewood.

More attractions on this day will include touring Birmingham-based street food attraction Digbeth Dining Club, with Hobgoblin and Morton Brewery selling drinks.

There will be a free-to-enter event on Sunday at the sports field, with live bands, a craft fair, music workshops and entertainment for children. Digbeth Dining Club and the brewery will also be at the field on this day.

Digbeth Dining Club

Groups playing on the Sunday will include Fat Man Alley from Bishops Wood, The Icon from Penkridge, The Heavy Beat Brass Band from Birmingham, The Darker My Horizon from Hampshire, and The Lagan from London.

The four days of entertainment kick off on Thursday with Birmingham Community Gospel Choir performing at St. Mary and St Chad's Church. The act won BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year in 2015 and has been featured on numerous radio shows including those presented by Ed Doolan and Jeremy Vine, and TV shows including BBC Songs Of Praise, The One Show and BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

On the Friday night, meanwhile, live music will be at Brewood Cricket Club, The Three Stirrups pub, The British Legion, The Lion Hotel, The Mess, The Swan Hotel, Brewood Jubilee Hall, The Bridge Inn, and The Oakley Arms.

With acts such as a Gary Barlow tribute; blues, gospel and R 'n' B singer Judy Blu; ska band Ricky Cool and The In Crowd; and more, this is set to be 'probably the most diverse Friday line-up ever', added Jason.

"It's a really exciting line-up," said Jason.

"This promises to be another great night around the many pubs in the village."

For more information on Brewood Music Festival, click here