THE first headliners for the Ealing Summer Festival series are announced today, with Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen headlining Ealing Jazz Festival and the AC/DC-inspired rock grass band Hayseed Dixie topping the bill for the Blues Festival.

Tony Allen was one of the defining figures in the Afrobeat movement, establishing himself with Fela Kuti and Africa 70. Since then, he has had a prolific career working with Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Flea, Charlotte Gainsborough, and Damon Albarn, as well as influencing the likes of Brian Eno and Talking Heads.

Hot on the heels of his 2017 critically-acclaimed Jazz LP, The Source, he should deliver a set to remember.

Hayseed Dixie will be bringing their brand of blues, country, and rock to the Blues Festival. No stranger to experimentation and originality, the group have recorded albums in Norwegian, covered AC/DC to critical acclaim and feature the fastest banjo player in the world.

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With an impressive catalogue of 15 albums, their latest Free Your Mind…And Your Grass Will Follow was released last year.

Ealing Jazz Festival and Ealing Blues Festival are two of 2018’s Ealing Summer Festivals, a series of eight separate events produced by the Event Umbrella on behalf of Ealing Council.

Set in some of Ealing’s most beautiful parks, the festivals bring people together in a collective appreciation of  local and international talent across a range of artistic disciplines. 

Tickets for the festivals will go on sale in March.