bluedot has revealed the first wave of artists for this year with Björk, Groove Armada, and Mogwai headlining the fifth instalment of the award-winning music, science and culture event at Cheshire’s iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory taking place 21–24 July 2022.
One of the most influential and groundbreaking musicians of all time, Björk’s festival exclusive set will close bluedot with a uniquely commissioned performance alongside Manchester’s famed Halle Orchestra featuring incredible bespoke projections on the Lovell Telescope. This will be the first-time audiences at bluedot have seen the dish of the 76-metre-wide Lovell Telescope surface transformed into a gigantic digital artwork.
Confirmed for Friday night is one of the planet’s best-loved dance acts, Groove Armada. With a career spanning more than 20 years of chart-topping, their live show will open bluedot 2022’s Friday night with a party, on what is the band’s final live tour.
Legendary Scottish post-rockers Mogwai will headline Saturday night at bluedot 2022. Following the number 1 success of their Mercury Prize-nominated album As The Love Continues, the legendary Scottish post-rockers bring over two decades of extraordinary atmospheric soundscapes to close bluedot’s penultimate night. Metronomy co-headline Saturday with Mogwai, bringing their soon-to-be-released seventh album Small World to Cheshire for a special festival performance.
Bluedot’s now traditional Thursday Opening Concert is this year headlined with a special, collaborative performance between the Mercury-nominated Hannah Peel and Paraorchestra, of their The Unfolding project.
Other confirmed acts on the music bill include psychedelic space rockers Spiritualized, current chart-toppers Yard Act, Warp Records mainstay Squarepusher, multi-instrumentalist composer Anna Meredith, the legendary likes of A Certain Ratio and Tim Burgess, and techno producer and creator of the official theme for the 2023 Women’s World Cup Kelly Lee Owens. Other highlights include India Jordan, A Guy Called Gerald, Sofia Kourtesis and BBC Asian Network’s Manara.
bluedot has also announced the first headline names from its science programme for 2022. Key speakers include host of Radio 4’s The Life Scientific Professor Jim Al-Khalili, British historian and filmmaker David Olusoga, leading space scientist Monica Grady, and astrophysicist and host of BBC’s The Sky at Night Chris Lintott. Physicist Jess Wade will also be at Jodrell Bank with geoscientist Chris Jackson, Met Office’s Richard Betts, director of Tyndall Centre Carly McLachlan, ecotricity founder Dale Vince, immunologist Sheena Cruickshank, evolutionary psychologist Gilly Forrester, planetary scientist Sarah Crowther and the iconic cultural broadcaster and writer Jon Savage also appearing on the line-up.
Also revealed is a first taste of things of bluedot’s culture line-up. Comedian, writer and director Stewart Lee brings his critically acclaimed music documentary ‘King Rocker’ to the festival whilst podcaster and writer Adam Buxton will take to the stage with a live version of his hit comedy series BUG. There will also be stand-up performances from Desiree Burch, Olga Koch, star of This Time with Alan Partridge and Shrill Lolly Adefope, Cosmic Shambles creator Robin Ince, Rob Rouse and Ahir Shah, plus live podcasts including new Scientist and the bluedot podcast with Chris Hawkins.
For the young adventurers in the family, highlights include curations from Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman Animations and Clangers, and an enormous range of science-focused activities, workshops and live experiments across the Star Fields.
Festival director Ben Robinson said: “After two years away we are thrilled to be able to return with such a unique and diverse line up to the iconic Jodrell Bank for the fifth instalment of bluedot. We can’t wait for people to join us beneath the Lovell Telescope in July to experience four days of cosmic adventures which will close with a very special orchestral performance from Björk and The Hallé.”
bluedot 2022 is the fifth chapter of the unique festival, named Best Medium Festival at the UK Festival Awards, which has seen headline performances from the likes of Kraftwerk 3-D, New Order, The Chemical Brothers, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Underworld and Jean-Michel Jarre, plus high-profile talks from Brian Cox, Helen Sharman, Alice Roberts and Richard Dawkins.
