LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts/ Electric Garden Progressive Rock Festival) Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull who grew up in Blackpool commented: "British music is a very powerful thing and the Blackpool era is important in all of that. It played host to lots of visiting musicians. I saw the
Rolling Stones and The High Numbers (The Who) in Blackpool at the very start of their careers.
There were a number of Blackpool bands (including Jethro Tull) who were inspired by the music of the visiting bands and went on to become successful.
Our album Thick as a Brick was certainly a progressive rock album but it's good to see a festival in Blackpool supporting a wide range of styles under the progressive rock banner."
Journalist and Musician John Robb (also from Blackpool) added "Prog rock was a massive genre when I was growing up in the seventies and it's a really cool idea to have a festival in Blackpool which has great facilities and accommodation"
The event called The Electric Garden Progressive Rock Festival sees prog heavyweights The Tangent, The Watch and Credo perform to a global audience with tickets being sold to fans as far afield as the USA, Hungary, Sweden, Italy and Germany. The festival also has a European flavour with two of the bands The Watch and Dropshard visiting from Italy. The Watch will be performing their own material as well as the complete Selling England By The Pound album by Genesis which was a seminal 70's prog release. There are 12 bands in total performing throughout the 3 days of the festival.
The Tangent who headline on the Saturday, take influences from the legendary Canterbury scene which spawned artists such as Soft Machine, Camel and Gong.
Their album 'Down and Out in Paris and London' won the majority of 'prog album of the year polls' and they are among the leading exponents on the contemporary prog scene.
Yes fans are also catered for with the appearance of the SeYes tribute band who specialise in performing classic Yes tracks including Close to the Edge and The Gates of Delirium.
The festival takes place at Beat on Corporation Street on May 19th, 20th and 21st, 2011. Discount advance tickets are still available at https://www.electricgardenfestival.com and the HMV store in Blackpool also have a limited number of festival passes for sale.
Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England https://www.artscouncil.org.uk
