The Vale Earth Fair is back for 2022

This year’s festival will be held on Sunday 28th August and will be showcasing tonnes of local talent as well as acts from across the UK.

The Vale Earth Fair is the Channel Islands’ longest running music and arts festival and has established itself as a regular fixture on the UK Festival circuit, attracting some big-name festival acts such as Skindred, Roots Manuva, Buzzcocks, The King Blues, The Nextmen and Neville Staple in previous years.

This year, the headliners are an exciting combination. The first is none other than the delightful Hollie Cook. Cook combines her unique vocal talent with charming charisma to craft her own dynamic strand of lover’s rock with tropical vibes, weaving a path from her West London roots to an arena of diverse collaborations with big hitters Prince Fatty and Jah Wobble (a previous VEF headliner).

Cook’s music career commenced early when family friend and punk trailblazer Ari Up asked Cook, age 19 at the time, to join the raucous ’70s feminist UK post-punk outfit The Slits for their reformation in 2006. She thrived on being thrown into the deep end and quickly cut her teeth with four years of back-to-back shows around the globe. Since then, Cook has released three solo albums and a string of well received singles, with her ravishing new fourth studio album ‘Happy Hour’ due for release on 24th June. Cook’s ability to continually surprise, delight, and progress solidifies her position as one of the most exciting voices of modern reggae.

The second headliners for the main stage are the legendary Scratch Perverts. Traversing all styles, the Scratch Perverts cross over genre lines with ease in a way that’s pleasing on the ears but similarly entertaining on the eyes. Their skills have taken them round the world and back, touring with the likes of the Beastie Boys and The Sex Pistols and even seeing them involved with the computer game DJ Hero. Let’s face it… you don’t get asked personally by the legendary John Peel (R.I.P) to play his 60th birthday unless you’re pretty damn good. Joining the Scratch Perverts on stage for the finale to this year’s Vale Earth Fair is Beatboxer Killa Kela – expect drum and bass, electro and hip hop styles.

This year’s festival will once again take place across three stages of live music, two DJ stages and the Sneakaway spoken word stage throughout the castle and its surrounding area.

As well as Hollie Cook and the Scratch Perverts, the main stage within the castle walls will feature incredible UK acts like FEET, CLT DRP and Millie Manders and the Shutup.

FEET are described by the band as “It’s taking the pop music formula – hooky choruses, nothing too self-indulgent – but it’s still got a bit of edge…a bit gritter”. This London-based quintet have honed their indie sound throughout lockdown by living in a flat together “like a hive mind”. Their first record gained them support from the likes of NME, DIY and Radio One and their latest EP and comeback record have shown they are more than willing to throw in a liberal smattering of humour whilst showing their ambition to make their mark as musicians.

Brighton-based feminist electropunk trio CLT DRP are already being hailed as one of the most abrasive, innovative new artists in the UK. Their latest single “TORX” landed on the Radio X Xposure Evening Playlist and sees a further evolution of their eclectic, experimental approach to fusing electronic and punk music in boundary breaking fashion.

Millie Manders and The Shutup create cross-genre punk that is hard to ignore. With lyricism that pokes fun, draws you in or leaves you questioning social norms teamed with incredible vocal dexterity, grinding guitars, irresistible horn hooks and a pumping rhythm section, the Millie Manders Music Machine churns out more raw punk fusion than you can shake a stick at, with a huge amount of Pop appeal.

It doesn’t stop there as we have lined up some huge Channel Island based acts such as Honest Crooks, Tantale, Benny the Moth, Its Own Animal, Russell and the French Boys, Howl and so many more.

Profits from the Vale Earth Fair are split between humanitarian organisations.