Actor Damian Lewis tunes up for 'biggest' gig

Damian Lewis has described his band's first album as a "rootsy, jazzy, rock’n’rolly, singer-songwritery-type"

The TV and stage actor Damian Lewis has revealed he had already booked tickets for camping at Latitude Festival when he was later asked to perform.

The 53-year-old and his band have been announced for the Second Stage at the festival in Henham Park near Halesworth, Suffolk, on 25-28 July.

He will join Duran Duran, Kasabian, London Grammar, Keane and Rick Astley in the line-up.

Lewis said Latitude would be his "biggest" gig and he was "really excited".

Damian Lewis (second left) with two of BBC Introducing's local picks - Loome (left) and Samfire

"I was already booked to come and camp here with my kids and then I got asked to come and play," said Lewis, whose TV credits include the US series Billions and Band of Brothers.

"It's a huge privilege, I feel really grateful.

"We're on the Second Stage, which is a big stage.

"There are potentially going to be up to 8,000 people there, that's the biggest gig I will have played, so I'm really excited."

Damian Lewis said he had booked a camping ticket for himself and his children, before he got the call-up

Lewis said music had "always been in the background".

"I used to hop on my motorbike and go around Europe and busk in the summers when I was starting out as an actor," he said.

"We've been putting bands together for wrap parties and things at the end of films, TV shows, that sort of thing.

"I was approached... I was singing on the radio, something a few years back, and got approached - 'would you be interested in doing something?'"

"Before I knew what was happening I was writing a record and then I had a band and was going on tour.

"It's been a happy series of accidents.

"I'm loving it so much that I've started taking it quite seriously because why not? It's really fun."

Damian Lewis played King Henry VIII in the BBC drama Wolf Hall, and is due to appear in the forthcoming sequel The Mirror and the Light

In an interview with The Guardian in 2022, Lewis described his band's debut album, Mission Creep, as a "rootsy, jazzy, rock’n’rolly, singer-songwritery-type" record.

Latitude director Melvin Benn said he almost felt like he was watching Bruce Springsteen when he saw Lewis the musician on stage.

"It was like can he actually play?" Mr Benn told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It was absolutely amazing."

He said he first heard Lewis perform at the Wilderness festival, which is staged at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, Oxfordshire.