Stendhal 2023: The Wailers and Bell X1 among headline acts

The Wailers will play the festival on Friday 7 July

Bob Marley's band The Wailers, Newton Faulkner and Bell X1 will play this year's Stendhal Festival, organisers have announced.

Fun Lovin' Criminals frontman Huey Morgan, ex-Portishead DJ Andy Smith, Cara Dillon and Yazz Ahmed will also star at the three-day festival.

It runs from 6 to 8 July on Ballymully Cottage Farm near Limavady.

Organisers say there will be a fantastic mix of genres and more acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We have legends like The Wailers and Bell X1, some of the hottest up-and-coming acts from all throughout Ireland, Ivor Novello Award winners, NI Music Prize winners and there is still plenty more to come," festival director Ross Parkhill said.

The Wailers, who headlined Stendhal in 2018, come back to County Derry as the most requested act to return, he added.

Northern Ireland's Roe Valley provides the backdrop for the annual Stendhal Festival near Limavady

Turin Brakes also make a return having played Stendhal previously 13 years ago.

Others are festival first-timers.

"Bell X1 will be performing an exclusive all-electric show for us this summer having spent quite a while touring acoustically with a string quartet so that is really exciting," Mr Parkhill said.

"And of course then having the Roe Valley's very own songbird in Cara Dillon, finally playing her home festival, will be something special indeed".

About 10,000 people attended events last year

Stendhal has grown from humble beginnings in 2011 into one of the biggest independent music and arts festivals in Northern Ireland, and draws a crowd of around 10,000 to the Roe Valley.

As well as music it also features comedy, poetry readings, craft classes and art installations over its run.

This year will also see a host of emerging musical acts play the festival including Joshua Burnside, Roe, Sasha Samara, Fya Fox, Winnie Ama, No Oil Paintings, Red Eye Pariah, Manukahunney, Pinkslips, Clare Sands and Invaderband.

Last year Sister Sledge headlined the festival on its post Covid-19 pandemic return.