Rochdale Feel Good Festival announces first acts on line-up

Date published: 07 March 2020

The first acts on the line-up for this summer’s Rochdale Feel Good Festival have been revealed.

Leading northern soul band The Northern Soultrain will be returning to the main stage on Saturday 22 August, after a crowd pleasing debut last year. The Lancashire nine piece have been filling dance floors and ballrooms for over a decade, playing iconic Northern Soul anthems from the likes of Wigan Casino, Twisted Wheel and Blackpool Mecca. Fronted by David John Jaggs, the band have played sold out shows at iconic venues including Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Manchester’s Band on The Wall and Ascot Race Course.

They’ll be joined by hot new Manchester singer/songwriter Abbie Ozard. Supported by BBC Introducing in Manchester and 6 Music she’s already received national airplay on Radio 1 as well as slots at major UK festivals.  Her indie pop edge, vocals and infectious hooks have generated a growing fan base. Nominated as one of the UKs top new artists by the Indie Central Music Awards, Abbie’s debut EP ‘Growing Pains’ was released last year - streamed over 500,000 times so far.    

Another act confirmed is alternative dance band ENTT. The London trio draw inspiration from 80s electronic pioneers Depeche Mode and New Order as well as alt-rock such as Artic Monkeys and The White Stripes. Mixing analogue synths, dance beats and alt-rock, their latest EP ‘Coepio’ was released last month, described as ‘a bombastic, euphoric project, soaring to symphonic heights’. They’ve had tracks played on BBC London and performed at Islington’s O2 Academy2 in recent months.

Also making their Rochdale main stage debut are Firewoodisland. The indie/folk duo is the alias of Bristol based Norwegian/Welsh multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Stian Vedoy and Abi Eleri. With emotive and dynamic vocal harmonies and a mix of acoustic and digital instruments their music is atmospheric and euphoric. Supported by BBC Introducing and 6 Music, the super talented pair have received a stack of glowing praise from the national music press and follow up their 2018 album ‘Chaos is the State of Heart’ with their second album in spring 2020.

Rochdale favourite Dave Sweetmore will be hosting and DJ’ing on the main stage. The club, radio, concert and festival DJ is stadium announcer at the Crown Oil Arena and renowned for his indie tunes. He’s spent over two decades DJ-ing at venues across the country and is a regular commentator on the north-west music scene, always championing new bands and live music and presents his own weekly show on Revolution 96.2. 

He’s won many accolades from the likes of Sky Sports and the BBC and plays a broad range of music including classic Indie, 90s Britpop, Manchester classics – in his words “the best and coolest records ever made”.

Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture at Rochdale Borough Council said: “The Northern Soultrain got an amazing response last time and we’re very pleased to be able to welcome them back to the main stage. With Abbie Ozard we have a superb up and coming Manchester talent. We’ve worked hard to put together another great line-up and there will be more announcements very soon and a hugely popular headliner which we can reveal in April. Working with our partners we’re determined to deliver another quality bill of great music, entertainment, tasty food and drink this August.”

Rochdale Feel Good Festival returns on Saturday 22 August, for another showcase of top class entertainment, food and culture and tickets go on sale on Thursday 19 March. There will be live music across indoor venues, a main stage against the backdrop of the town hall sponsored by The Flying Horse Hotel, plus quality food and drink.  

The festival is organised by the council in partnership with local businesses, including The Flying Horse Hotel and the Royal Toby Hotel.