Underneath the Stars festival [Friday 29th – Sunday 31st July] has shared its final music lineup, with new artists announced for its 2022 edition, which takes place at Cinderhill Farm, Barnsley.

Underneath the Star’s fans can delight as the festival announces, An Audience with ADRIAN EDMONDSON, the acclaimed actor, comedian, musician, writer and much more. Adding to an already impressive roster, the music and arts festival will now host nearly 30 artists at this year’s event, ranging from soul and indie, to brass bands, ska, Americana, folk. The final names to be added to the musical bill include: THE HAGGIS HORNS, THE BAR STEWARD SONS OF VAL DOONICAN, FLATCAP CARNIVAL and further female artists, AZURE RYDER and IONA LANE.

Gender-balance in festival billings has been high on the music industry’s agenda in recent years, but many have missed the mark. Underneath the Stars has been pushing to include more female artists, working alongside The F List, a directory of UK Female+ Musicians to improve the diversity of its festival lineup. The festival also recently announced an all-female headline bill – one of the first festivals to do so.

Headlining the family favourite event on Friday is IMELDA MAY. One of Ireland’s most celebrated female artists, Imelda has performed with Bono, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison, and joins Underneath the Stars for 2022, performing favourite hits and songs from her extraordinary album, 11 Past the Hour.

Fan favourite and Barnsley’s own nightingale, KATE RUSBY will perform Saturday. Often hailed as the ‘first lady of folk’, and an Underneath the Stars festival figurehead, Kate celebrates 30 years of touring this year. With a back catalogue stretching over three decades, Kate will perform a selection of highlights, including those from her most recent albums, and from her forthcoming album 30: Many Happy Returns.  

Closing the weekend in spectacular fashion, SUZANNE VEGA will mark the final performance of Underneath the Stars 2022. Regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, her self-titled debut album sold 1 million copies with her follow-up Solitude Standing nominated for three Grammys, including Record of the Year.

Newly announced appearances are: An Audience WITH ADRIAN EDMONDSON. THE HAGGIS HORNS, an infamous funk extravaganza combining heavy breakbeat funk, soul, hip-hop & afrobeat with the virtuosity of trained jazz musicians. UTSf favourites, the greatest show on Earth, in tank-tops, THE BAR-STEWARD SONS OF VAL DOONICAN. Australian singer-songwriter AZURE RYDER, whose debut releases have received plaudits from the BBC, Sunday Times, Notion and BBC Radio 1, and who has now achieved 40m plus global streams. Leeds-based folk singer and songwriter, IONA LANE praised by the likes of Karine Polwart and Julie Fowlis. TROUSDALE a powerful female band from South California, whose melodic and heartfelt harmonies have been compared to The Chicks and The Staves. FLATCAP CARNIVAL, a bongo bashing, maraca shaking, trumpet tooting, dance inducing seven-piece Latin inspired ska band from York.

Further highlights of the action-packed weekend include: THIS IS THE KIT, revered for crafting music of great beauty, wonder and illumination. Mercury Prize nominated indie band, THE BIG MOON, rich in tight vocal harmonies and cinematic rolling grooves. Arthur Jeffes’ much-loved collective, PENGUIN CAFE, will perform their eclectic array of genre-defying evocative pieces, mixing Arthur’s beautiful compositions with some iconic Penguin Cafe Orchestra classics.

One of the most famous brass bands in the world, THE BRIGHOUSE & RASTRICK BAND AND THE YOUNG’UNS, an award-winning three-piece who capture hearts with a magical combination of acapella singing, heart-on-sleeve storytelling with an unashamedly political cry for social justice. Acclaimed singer-songwriter and acoustic based musician, BILLIE MARTEN, and DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS, renowned for their high energy shows filled with New Orleans charm and Memphis soul swagger also join the festival for 2022. Celebrated US folk and fun band, the joyful DUSTBOWL REVIVAL, and LANTERNS ON THE LAKE will be performing. Fusing the most fragile and graceful end of the folk music spectrum to the most luminous properties of cinemascope rock.

We’re thrilled to also be welcoming psychedelic, funk-fuelled groove machine TANKUS THE HENGE. With a reputation for unforgettable song writing, and hair-raising shows like no other, they need to be seen and heard to be believed. SAM KELLY & THE LOST BOYS, recognised as one of the best live acts on the UK folk scene, will also be performing at Underneath the Stars for 2022.

Playing uplifting traditional music from Scotland, Ireland and America with energy and drive, multi-award winning KINNARIS QUINTET, and the darlings of the international soul scene, HANNAH WILLIAMS AND THE AFFIRMATIONS. Underneath the Stars favourite, DAMIEN O’KANE will be joined by legendary banjo player RON BLOCK. With special guest MIKE MCGOLDRICK, the award-winning masters of instruments will be performing a ground-breaking crossover of traditional Irish and bluegrass banjo. Described by Frank Turner as ‘one of the best songwriters in the UK’, we’re thrilled to be welcoming WILL VARLEY, acclaimed instrumentalists and winners of Best Album at the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, THE TRIALS OF CATO, and master musician N’FAMADY KOUYATE, who plays an exciting mix of Mandingue African music with western jazz, pop, indie and funk.

Closing the weekend in spectacular fashion, 12-piece super group INTERGALACTIC BRASSTRONAUTS, known for their brass, global rhythms, reggae and sci-fi, and feel-good music from South Africa, wrapped in rhythmic soul from STONE JETS.