Bowled Over

We predict a riot as Kaiser Chiefs headline the first On The Pitch music festival at Glamorgan Cricket’s SSE Swalec ground

Ticket info:

On the Pitch Saturday and Sunday are separately ticketed events. £45.00 plus booking fee each. Tickets are available from the Glamorgan County Cricket Club box office (029 20419311 or www.thesseswalec.com), as well as ticketmaster.co.uk, See Tickets, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Box Office and TicketLine.

“We always enjoy

playing in Wales;

we’re looking forward

to this show.”

Chart-topping acts Kaiser Chiefs, Dizzee Rascal, Everything Everything, Nature and Tibet will take centre stage at the On The Pitch summer extravaganza of live music on Saturday July 16. While Simply Red, Ben Montague and Nathan Ball will perform on Sunday July 17 at SSE SWALEC, home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club in Sophia Gardens.

Headlining On The Pitch – Saturday will be the Kaiser Chiefs. They’ll be performing a crowd-pleasing set of hits including Oh My God, I Predict A Riot, Coming Home, Everyday I Love You Less And Less, Ruby and Never Miss A Beat, which have formed the backbone of Kaiser Chiefs’ live shows in recent years.

Fronted by Ricky Wilson, who has become a household name as winning coach on The Voice, Kaiser Chiefs’ planned outdoor gigs for summer 2016 have sold-out in record time. Having delighted viewers, and raised his profile no-end, Ricky has recently announced he’ll be “bowing out gracefully” from The Voice to get back on the road with the Kaiser Chiefs.

“We always love playing outdoors and we’ve played pields, parks, farms, rooftops, beaches and back gardens, but an international cricket pitch is a first for us,” said Ricky. “We always enjoy playing in Wales; we’re looking forward to this show.”

The multi-million record selling, Brit Award winning, band are currently working on their sixth studio album, so expect to hear some new, uplifting and, rumour has it, more danceable material along with their classic anthems.

“This album is about sticking together and making it work – longevity and loyalty. It’s a celebration of monogamy, which might sound uncool – I’m putting myself out there by doing that – but it’s how I feel,” said Ricky.

Dizzee Rascal will bring his crowd-pleasing brand of rap, pop and grime into the early evening slot with an extensive hit list that includes Bonkers, Dance Wiv Me, Fix Up Look Sharp and Holiday. A past-winner of the Mercury Music Prize, his critically acclaimed debut album Boy In The Corner paved the way for mainstream stardom in collaborations with Armand Van Helden and Calvin Harris. Indie-rock band Everything Everything are also on the bill with further acts to be added to the celebration of music.

Headlining On the Pitch – Sunday will be the legendary Simply Red. The only back-to-back winners of the Brit Award for Best British Act, Simply Red have sold more than 60 million records and are celebrating 30 years in music with a world tour that now includes the Welsh capital.

“Our manager asked us what we were going to do to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it seemed like a wonderful thing to do to celebrate it with live

performances,” said lead singer Mick Hucknall.

“We want to play all the big hits and I’ve always enjoyed singing live. We’ve put a great tour together and we’re looking forward to performing in front of our Welsh fans.”

As the band enters its fourth decade, buoyed by the excellent new album Big Love, their reputation as one of the great British groups is set for some timely enhancement as they perform their greatest hits, Money’s Too Tight (To Mention), Holding Back The Years, If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Something Got Me Started, The Right Thing, Stars, Fairground, Angel and Sunrise.

Venue Chief Executive Hugh Morris hopes the bill offers exceptional value for ticket buyers and further strengthens the credentials of the historic home of Welsh cricket as a concert venue. Speaking of On The Pitch, Hugh said: “Our vision was to secure a bill of top talent and provide a festival feel for a summer Saturday crowd - we’re delighted to have secured such prestigious acts to play at the SSE SWALEC and we look forward to welcoming them to Wales.”