Norman Jay, Spiritualized, Sea Power Among Brighton Festival's Music Acts

Brighton Festival 2024 has announced it is set to welcome a wealth of musicians from across the world and closer to home across next month's events.

They range from the legendary Orchestra Baobab and Roberto Fonseca to home-grown indie heroes Sea Power, plus theatre show No Love Songs from The View’s Kyle Falconer.

With 24 Hour Party People screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce as Guest Director, everyone is invited to experience shared musical experiences from May 4th to May 26th.

West African outfit Orchestra Baobab bring their trademark fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, pop hooks and oral storytelling tradition to Brighton Dome’s Concert Hall on 7 May, to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Ahead of a new album release later this year, the nine-piece group have developed a unique style based around their own cultural mix since forming in a Dakar nightclub.

Now, original members are joined by a younger generation of musicians as the band continue to develop their joyous fusion of intense polyrhythms, infectious brass arrangements and captivating melodies.

Famed Cuban jazz pianist and Grammy nominee Roberto Fonseca will be playing music from his latest album La Gran Diversion with an 8-piece band on 26 May.

Taking inspiration from 1930s Paris, La Gran Diversion travels back to La Cabane Cubaine, once the French capital's hottest cabaret club, where audiences first danced to Cuba's sultry, sensual beats.

Support is courtesy of the Latin UK Awards 2019 Best Act winner Alvorada’s lively melodies and Brazilian grooves.

After honing their sound in Brighton over 20 years ago, multi-award-winning indie veterans Sea Power will be performing a one-off homecoming show on 23 May, in Brighton Dome’s newly refurbished Corn Exchange.

Sea Power are known for their experimental live performances at exceptional venues, befitting the 200-year-old Corn Exchange’s restored heritage features and state of the art sound and lighting technology.

Pioneers of British space rock, Spiritualized bring their psychedelic and experimental sounds to Brighton Festival on 18 May.

Performing music from their Grammy nominated album, Everything Was Beautiful, which was created in collaboration with more than 30 musicians and using 16 different instruments, Spiritualized will create an intense celestial soundscape live.

Theatre and live music collide in No Love Songs (17-18 May), a show about the emotions and challenges of parenthood inspired by the real-life experiences of Kyle Falconer, frontman of the NME Award-winning band The View, and his partner Laura Wilde.

Co-written by award-winning writer and director Johnny McKnight, No Love Songs explores the weight of postnatal depression through a powerful blend of music, tears and laughter.

Songs are taken from Falconer’s hit second solo album, No Love Songs for Laura and reimagined live on stage.

Garnering 5-star reviews on its debut in Scotland, this innovative, moving production makes its English Premiere at Brighton Festival, before moving onto London later this summer.

Performer, artist and writer Brook Tate also takes inspiration from his own life in his extraordinary concept gig Birthmarked (9 May), telling the story of a young Jehovah's Witness coming to terms with his sexuality and finding his feet.

Featuring a live band and original music written and performed by Tate and his band reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell, Birthmarked is a ‘joyful, life-affirming show’ that explores what it’s like to feel different.

On 24 May, club and dance music pioneer James Lavelle presents his Rōnin:Live show under his UNKLE moniker, performing a bespoke live selection of recent recordings, remixes, reinterpretations and classics.

Lavelle’s place at the heart of alternative club culture has seen him found influential label Mo'Wax, curate London's Meltdown festival, and remix tracks for artists such as Beck, Wu-Tang Clan and Radiohead.

Support comes from Brighton-based contemporary jazz band Ebi Soda.

On his first ever Norman Soul UK tour, legendary DJ Norman Jay MBE stops off at Brighton Festival on 3 May.

Co-founder of Notting Hill Carnival’s famous Good Times Sound System and dance music station KISS FM, Jay was awarded his MBE for services to deejaying and music in 2002.

Norman Soul is his deeply personal take on Northern Soul; a thrilling musical journey and a unique blend of Black music styles from the 1960s to the present day.

Widely known as the south coast’s loudest and liveliest party band, Brighton institution Carnival Collective celebrate their 30th anniversary at Brighton Festival on 12 May.

With community, creativity and fun at the heart of their performances, Carnival Collective deliver a tidal wave of musical flavours, including Latin, samba, drum ’n’ bass, jungle, ska, hip-hop, swing and funk.

Brighton's own tropical outfit, Lakuta, will also bring their signature mix of afrobeat, funk and Latino grooves to the party.

Also, on May 8th, celebrated musician and actor Johnny Flynn joins forces with acclaimed nature writer Robert Macfarlane in a show that weaves music with storytelling.

Accompanied by a full band, the pair draw on their two albums, Lost in the Cedar Woods and last year's The Moon Also Rises, the latter inspired by walks on the nearby South Downs.

On June 1st, the Stockton-on-Tees trio of Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle are part of a new generation of musicians making folk relevant for today.

Current album Tiny Notes finds hope and humanity in places of grief and despair, from London Bridge to Lockerbie, Derry to Aleppo.

Established in 1967, Brighton Festival is the largest annual curated multi-arts festival in England, featuring a broad international programme of events that reflects the city’s belief in and commitment to the arts.