James announced as festival headliners

All nine members of the rock band James sit and stand in a stairwell looking into the camera.Image source, James / Press
Image caption,

James are the first of three headliners to be announced

  • Published

Indie heavyweights James have been announced as the Saturday night headliners of a family festival.

Wychwood Festival will take place at Cheltenham Racecourse from May 30 to June 1 2025.

The nine-piece band from Manchester are the first act announced for next year.

The festival's director, Iain Game has told fans to expect "much more to be announced" before an "unforgettable weekend together in the fields”.

Image source, Wychwood Festival
Image caption,

Wychwood Festival has been praised for its family-friendly ethos

James released their first album in 1986 and have gone on to release 18 in a career that spans over three decades.

They have over 2.2 million monthly Spotify listeners with songs such as Sit Down, Laid and Say Something among their hits.

Their 2024 album Yummy marked the band's first UK number one in the album charts.

"We’re so excited to welcome James to the racecourse next summer, now armed with incredible new music to add to the classics we all know and love," Mr Game said.

Now in its 19th year, Wychwood Festival has been described as the UK's fastest-growing family festival and has regularly been nominated as the Best Family Festival by the UK Festival Awards.

Tickets for children under 10 are free and it features dozens of child-friendly workshops, comedy sets and a cinema.