About The Festival
As Edinburgh gears up for another bumper summer of music, comedy, dance and theatre, Mika, Dizzee Rascal and Plan B are just some of the headline acts confirmed for this year’s Edge Festival by promoters DF Concerts.
This year’s festival, which runs from 5 – 31 August, features a host of #1 artists and marks more than a decade of dedicated popular music programming at the Edinburgh Festival.
With an amazing four UK #1 singles under his belt in the last nine months alone, Dizzee Rascal visits Edinburgh to play the Corn Exchange on 26 August at the very top of his game, while multi-million selling pop star Mika takes to the HMV Picture House stage just a few days before on 23 August. Currently one of the hottest properties in UK hip hop, chart-topper Plan B performs at the HMV Picture House on 20 August.
They’ll be joined by the enduringly-popular Eels, US alt-rock luminaries Modest Mouse and indie-folk darlings Beirut. Fans can also look forward to swirling psychedelia from The Coral and intelligent chamber pop from The Divine Comedy, while established favourites Doves and Feeder are also due to appear.
Urban music plays a central role in the 2010 line-up as US R&B high-flier Jason Derulo, Hip-house wunderkind Professor Green and UK grime star Tinchy Stryder join Dizzee and Plan B in Edinburgh.
Yet again, the brightest in Scottish talent is represented at The Edge Festival. Boundary-breaking stalwarts Steve Mason and Colin McIntyre aka Mull Historical Society are both scheduled to play alongside some of the country’s hottest acts like The Phantom Band, Pearl & The Puppets, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Kassidy and Broken Records.
Music buffs will also be treated to gigs from Rhode Island folk-rock trio The Low Anthem, the soulful sound of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll from Eli Paperboy Reed, country and blues legends Little Feat, indie-pop upstarts General Fiasco and Gomez multi-instrumentalist Tom Gray. French synth-rockers Phoenix bring a touch of Gallic flair to proceedings, while electroacoustic marvels Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. and the gloriously low-tech Kitty, Daisy and Lewis will figure too, along with husky-voiced songstress Lauren Pritchard and alt-pop sensations Stornoway.
Completing the launch line-up is the return of the perennially-popular SOMA Night featuring Slam and Funk Da Void, trip-hop beatmasters Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, and there’s also a very special treat from Hallogallo 2010 as Krautrock composer Michael Rother and friends perform the songs of Neu! More additions are set to follow in the coming months.
This year’s Edge Festival also welcomes a new addition to the venue roster, in the shape of the 250-capacity Electric Circus, while the much-loved Liquid Room is welcomed back into the fold after missing last year because of fire damage.
The Edge Festival promoter Dave Corbet says “This year’s line-up continues The Edge Festival’s ethos of reflecting the eclectic spirit of the Fringe by bringing together current chart-toppers, established favourites, leftfield acts and ones-to-watch on one diverse bill.”
After picking up from where T on the Fringe left off, this year’s Edge Festival marks the 11th anniversary of a dedicated popular music programme at the Edinburgh Festival, and promises a storming month-long series of gigs throughout August featuring the very best in established favourites, leftfield acts and ones-to-watch.
Since its inception as T on the Fringe in 2000, DF Concerts has been committed to bringing together an astounding mix of international and home-grown talent to Scotland each August, providing the soundtrack to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Over the years the event has played host to the likes of Pixies, Muse, Kanye West, Radiohead, Morrissey, Nancy Sinatra, Franz Ferdinand and Arcade Fire.
From the commercially successful to cult acts and the best in alternative talent, the calibre and diversity of the artists playing this year's festival, along with the dedication and passion of its fans, maintains The Edge Festival's position at the musical heart of the Fringe Festival.
