Feeling good about Oakwell Festival

The five-strong group, whose second album Join With Us (2008) made number one in the UK, will appear at the three-staged event at Oakwell Hall, in Nutter Lane.

And festival organiser Paul Fisher, 46, of Dewsbury Road, Gomersal, is delighted to have the Fill My Little World writers on board – believing they appeal to the audience’s big age-range.

“It’s huge to be honest. We try to pick and choose really carefully the style of music,” he said.

“What we really aim for is the family feel. The Hoosiers were brilliant last year and we knew that’s where we wanted to continue going.”

But Paul maintains the festival was designed for local bands and people, with home-grown crowd-pleasers like Jade Helliwell and The Hijacked on this year’s roster.

“Leeds and Bradford have got their festivals and we’ve got nothing in Kirklees, so it’s nice to have something we can call our own and build up.

“There’re fewer and fewer places now where local acts can get a good start. Lots and lots of pubs and venues have closed. An event like this is mainly for local unsigned bands.

“We hope to have a long-running festival that Kirklees can be proud of.”

Paul and his dedicated team of about five others at Working Chimp Productions graft for a whole year to put the £100,000 event on. This time he is keeping his fingers crossed for a crowd of 5,000 – more than 3,000 flocked to last year’s event.

Tickets for Oakwell Festival, held on Sunday July 12, cost £20 or £10 for children (under-11s go free).

Visit www.oakwellfestival.co.uk.