For 2025 Woodbridge Festival is bringing Brit Soul music home with founding father Geno Washington playing the town for the first time since 1965. Pioneer of punk and post punk, Colin Newman, frontman of Wire, presents his Immersion project with Malka Spigel. Plus chart topping electroclash act Spektrum, Seventies UK funk pioneer Les Spaine and a plethora of live acts, DJs, Spin art, Super Fly. workshops, activities, sauna and more.
This year Woodbridge's original festival celebrates pioneers in UK music with the original artists that influenced everything from Brit Soul to Funk, Punk and new electronic music. The festival features something for everyone, with chart topping dance acts, jazz, emerging alt. pop talent, Spin art, all ages art workshops, a pop-up sauna in the park, make and do sessions, skate board half pipe, yoga, eco area, kids zone, craft ale, wine and cocktail bars and a street food village.
Geno Washington, the original Brit Soul star celebrated in Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ hit 'Geno', is playing Woodbridge for the first time since he was based at USAF Woodbridge in the early 1960s.
American-born singer Geno started singing while he was posted in Suffolk and became the biggest UK based soul artist of the era. This performance sees him bring his upbeat brand of Brit soul back to Woodbridge, where it all started, for the first time in 60 years - 1965 to 2025. Geno appears as part of Noise of Art's ‘Super Fly’ project.
Also appearing as part of Super Fly is pioneering Liverpool funk DJ Les Spaine, who appears at New Streer Market and Marlowe's on Festival Friday. At the time one of the UK's star funk DJs, Les played Suffolk's Airforce bases in the 1970s. Super Fly, a project created by DJ Ben Osborne, for the first time researches the role Suffolk's US air bases played in bringing American black music into the UK.
Joint headliner in the park is Immersion. The side project from punk legend Colin Newman - front man of seminal punk and post punk act Wire. Immersion is a collaboration between Colin and Minimal Compact's Malka Spigel. They perform live at Woodbridge in advance of releasing their new album and the first gig in their national UK tour.
Another headliner is electroclash era club act Spektrum. An expolsive live act, their Number 1 Dance Chart track 'Kinda New' is an era-defining club hit.
Celebrated film, stage and TV star Ben Miles returns to play Woodbridge Festival, going back to back with long term friend, DJ, writer and festival founder Ben Osborne.
New alt. electro pop acts Foley Street, fronted by German singer and actor Clarissa Ravens, make their first full festival appearance.
Also on this year's huge line-up are East Angles, JS and The Lockerbillies, Sid Le Sarge, Girl In A T-Shirt, The Pangs, Eliza Gold and more.
Spin, Wooodbridge Festival's other theme for 2025, launched in mid June with a series of interactive workshops and audio visual events being held in schools, colleges and community events across Suffolk. The project explores the continuous role spinning has played in history. It has been generously supported by local councillors in East Suffolk District Council.
In its 14th year, Woodbridge's original festival has attracted increased national attention this year, recently featuring on BBC Radio 4s Today programme and BBC Radio6 Music, reaching audiences of over 5 million.
The festival weekend in Elmhurst Park and venues across town, features bands and acts playing everything from dance music to folk, jazz and rock, along with all ages art workshops, street food village, craft ale, wine and cocktail bars, local crafts and vendors, kids zone, two Two Toed skate pipe, the return of Anchors Aweigh, Make and Do workshops, Caribbean BBQ, Roti, Gourmet Burgers, Pan Asian and bars from Hopsters, Mr Bees, Tipsy Bubbles craft beer, natural wine and cocktail bars, Kids Areas, Eco zones and more.
Geno Washington says of his return to Woodbridge: "Man! That is something! To be back in Woodbridge after 60 years - Come on down, we're going to party!"
Les Spaine says: "I spent a lot of time in the 70s on American bases in the UK dropping tunes and making good friends and then watching them get sent off to Vietnam and not coming back. So it did make a massive imprint on me. I’m happy and proud to be part of this celebration."
Get tickets to the park on Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1305026552549?aff=oddtdtcreator