Daniel Johnston - Dry the River – The Low Anthem

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Ian Goldin

Mark Stevenson - Factory Theatre

Robert Rowland Smith - Julian Baggini

David McCandless  

Wilderness today announces a host of exciting new acts and speakers who are set to appear at the inaugural multi-arts festival of music, food, theatre, literary debate and outdoor pursuits at the spectacular setting of Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire.

Antony and the Johnsons will perform with the Heritage Orchestra at their only UK appearance of the summer. The Mercury Music Prize winner’s performance will feature songs from their most recent release, ‘Swanlights’, and its predecessor, ‘The Crying Light’. In what promises to be a spectacular performance, the stage show will also feature the renowned light artist Chris Levine as well as symphonic arrangements by the group and the New York composer, Nico Muhly.

The Heritage Orchestra is a 21st century orchestra that collaborates with world renowned musicians such as Massive Attack and UNKLE creating new works with some of the great arts institutions of the world and, taking orchestral adventures into the experimental sides of music and art. 

Antony will also take on a role as ‘artist in residence’ at Wilderness, taking to the stage to introduce a screening of Chiaki Nagano's film, ‘Mr O’s Book of the Dead’. The film, starring Kazuo Ohno, sees the Japanese dancer becoming a guru and inspirational figure in dance. 

Antony says: "Kazuo and his life, work and aesthetic has been a huge inspiration to my work in the last two albums." The screening will be an introduction to the Death and Beauty talk given by Antony featuring author/philosophers.

Antony and the Johnsons will release the ‘Swanlights’ EP digitally and on 10” via Secretly Canadian and Rough Trade on April 26. Antony has described the concept of ‘Swanlights’ as “the reflection of light on the surface of the water at night and the moment when a spirit jumps out of a body and turns into a violet ghost.”

A CD version is forthcoming. The 10” vinyl will be available on Record Store Day, April 16. The EP includes a remix of the title track by Oneohtrix Point Never as well as two exclusive B-sides.  Antony’s sister, Sara Hegarty, directed the ‘Swanlights’ video.

Wilderness is also proud to announce the only UK appearance of Cult singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. Daniel spent the last 20 years revealing heartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps and existential torment to an ever-growing international audience. Daniel gained his widest exposure when Nirvana singer, Kurt Cobain wore a Johnston t-shirt on stage for the 1992 MTV Awards. Next year will see the release of a biopic film on the artist with Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing Johnston.

American indie folk band The Low Anthem will also bring their theatrical live experience to the main stage where the Rhode Island four-piece will play tracks from their fourth-album ‘Smart Flesh’ – a series of melancholic reflections on lives half-lived and loves lost.

In addition to their own shows this year will witness a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between these two phenomenal artist. They will together undertake a special performance of ‘the songs of Daniel Johnston’. In addition to the collaboration with The Low Anthem, Daniel Johnston will also be appearing with further special guests, which will be announced soon.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are eight brothers from the south side of Chicago. Taking their influence from jazz and hip-hop, the American ensemble will be looking to hypnotise the Wilderness crowd, just as they have done for Mos Def and Erykah Badu on recent gigs. 

London alternative folk band, Dry The River, will bring their much talked about mixture of Americana, gospel and indie to Cornbury Park. Likened to Mumford and Sons, Dry the River have been the subject of a furious label bidding war in recent months. 

Other exciting additions to the festival line-up include new announcements for the debates and discussions program.

On Saturday afternoon, Director of the Oxford Martin School, Ian Goldin will speak at the festival on ‘The World in 2050’ in what promises to be a fascinating insight into society’s future. Widely recognized for his contributions to development and research, Goldin has been knighted by the French Government and nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. He has also served as advisor to President Nelson Mandela, and Vice President of The World Bank.

Celebrated Author, comedian and futurologist Mark Stevenson will put the trends of tomorrow into perspective, offering a balanced take on everything from nanotech ‘grey goo’ to pandemics and climate change, with a talk around his new book, ‘An Optimists Tour of the Future’. Mark is probably the only comic you’ll hear reference Kurt Godel and Harry Potter’s anus in the same routine and certainly the only one to have his own scientific advisory board…

Renowned theatrical impresarios, The Factory Theatre will be performing a short play created especially for Wilderness exploring the themes the day’s discussions.

Robert Rowland Smith, seven years a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and a member at The School of Life, will take festival-goers on a mind-expanding journey into some of the greatest figures in the history of ideas, from Descartes to Derrida.

Award-winning writer, designer and author, David McCandless, will give a talk on his new book ‘Information is Beautiful’ which explores the potential of data visualisation as a new direction for journalism and story-telling.

And lastly, philosopher and author of ‘The Pig that Wants to be Eaten & 99 Other Thought Experiments’, Julian Baggini will be using thought-experiments and other audience interactions to explore the philosophy of personal identity.

They all join the previously announced line-up that includes:

• Theatre: The Old Vic, The Tax Deductable Theatre
• Food: Skye Gyngell & Petersham Nurseries Café, Sam and Sam Clark & Moro Restaurant
• Music: Anthony and the Johnsons, Laura Marling, Gogol Bordello, Toots and the Maytals, Guillemots, Hayseed Dixie
• Learning: Intelligence Squared, The Idler, Headspace
• Family: Boutique Babysitting, Bristol Institute of Natural History
• The Wilderness Spa 

Wilderness tickets can be purchased from the following outlets or visit www.wildernessfestival.com for further information.

ENDS

For more information and interview requests contact:

 Nicola Rutledge

nicola@thisisinkling.com 

07931 717415