US funk/disco legends KC and The Sunshine Band are the latest big-name act set for this year’s Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival (Friday 7 to Sunday 9 July 2023).
Formed by Harry Wayne Casey in Florida, in 1973, the band scored 10 UK Top 40 hits, including dancefloor classics Queen of Clubs, Get Down Tonight, That’s The Way (I Like It), (Shake Shake Shake) Your Booty, Boogie Shoes, ballad Please Don’t Go, and the 1983 number one, Give It Up.
The Sunday night headliners have also had their music featured in countless movies too, from the iconic Saturday Night Fever and Forrest Gump, to 2022’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
Also just-added to the Birmingham festival’s line-up are London Afrobeat and highlife influenced eight-piece Kokoroko (Friday), whose debut album for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, Could We Be More, was recently greeted with universal acclaim; long-standing Mostly favourites Smoove and Turrell (Saturday), making their fourth appearance at the festival; and musician and BBC 6Music host Huey Morgan (Sunday). Huey will be presenting a DJ set just before KC and The Sunshine Band, and last visited Mostly in 2014, when his band, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, headlined opening night.
They join an already packed line-up that includes Fat Freddy’s Drop, Goldie (Live) and Jungle DJ Set (Friday); Ezra Collective, Mr Scruff and Young Gun Silver Fox (Saturday); and Incognito, Norman Jay and Jamz Supernova (Sunday), plus many more.
Alongside unveiling the full music bill, the festival has also announced a tempting line-up of award-winning street food vendors, including Bonehead; Original Patty Men; East Asian specialists Brúm Mì; The English Indian, famed for their award-winning Indian take on fish’n’chips; Ba-Ha Vegan; and Gyoza Gyoza (Japanese). Plus Cleopatra’s Kitchen, Good Food Cartel (Mexican), That’s Amore (pizzas), Zindiya (Indian), West Midlands Jerk Centre, Carnival Coffee, Bournville Waffle Company, and Shepherds Ices.
John Fell, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival Manager, said: “We can’t wait to welcome KC and The Sunshine Band to Mostly. Their infectious ‘Sunshine Sound’ changed the course of funk and disco in the 1970s, and 50 years later, is still packing dancefloors the world over.
“They’re such a great addition to an already strong and varied line-up which also includes so many exciting contemporary acts too, like Kokoroko, and Smoove and Turrell – who are one of the most consistently popular acts we’ve ever booked.”
Tickets for the festival are on sale now from £57 per day or £155 for the full festival (plus booking fee). For more details, including the complete line-up, see: mostlyjazz.co.uk
LISTINGS
Friday 7 to Sunday 9 July 2023
Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival
Moseley Park and Pool, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8DD
Website: mostlyjazz.co.uk
Social media:
– Friday 7 July 2023 –
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Kokoroko
Jungle DJ Set
Goldie (Live)
Crazy P Soundsystem
Eva Lazarus – Jasmine Myra – Lynks – TrueMendous – Emma jean Thackray (DJ set) – Leftfoot DJs – Reli.ah – Nikhil Beats
– Saturday 8 July 2023 –
Ezra Collective
Smoove and Turrell
Mr Scruff
Boca 45
Young Gun Silver Fox
Alogte Oho And His Sounds Of Joy – Mafalda – Leftfoot DJs – Toni – – Heavy Beat Brass Band – The Notebenders – Lara Jones – Gabriella Liandu – Lucas D & The Ghetto Grove – B Music Ensemble
– Sunday 9 July 2023 –
KC & The Sunshine Band
Incognito
Norman Jay MBE
Jamz Supernova
Huey Morgan
Mica Millar – Leftfoot DJs – VC Pines – Freekind – Mychelle – The Coalminers – Soul Grenades – O. – Ella More – Island T
Tickets: Adult Day Tickets – £57 (+ booking fee); Adult Weekend (3 days) – £145 (+ booking fee). See festival website for all ticket options.
ABOUT MOSTLY JAZZ FUNK AND SOUL FESTIVAL
Debuting in 2010, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival is a diverse, vibrant festival, celebrating ground-breaking, innovative UK music alongside international trailblazers. Held in Moseley Park, a stunning 11-acre woodland glade in the heart of Moseley Village, the festival is just two miles from the centre of Birmingham, yet is a world away from city life. With sloping grounds, creating a natural amphitheatre in front of the beautiful lake, it’s the perfect setting for a festival. Each year Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul brings incredible artists, workshops, arts, crafts, and a selection of Birmingham’s most loved street food and drinks vendors to Moseley, for one epic party weekend.
Previous headliners include Chic feat. Nile Rodgers, Public Enemy, Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, De La Soul, Bonobo, The Specials, and The Wailers.