Full line-up for Darlington's Mish Mash festival

The event, held in the town's market square, is organised by Tracks and takes place on Saturday and Sunday.

It is taking place alongside the town's food and drink festival, which starts on Friday.

READ MORE: Darlington food festival and Mish Mash music to return

Sarah Wilson, co-founder of Tracks, a Darlington-based music and community interest organisation, said: “It was heart-breaking last year to not be able to bring Mish Mash back to the town due to Covid restrictions after such a wonderful debut in 2019, so it is doubly wonderful that we can return this year, bringing not one but two days of brilliant, free live music to the town centre.

"Saturday will focus more on local and regional artists, who have been so hard hit by the last 12 months.”

READ MORE: Look inside Darlington's NEW street food market

The event is going ahead with support from Darlington Borough Council and Tees Valley Festivals 2021 Recovery Fund.

Saturday’s headliners will be Weekend Sun filling the market square with funky dance tunes.

The line-up includes Darlington artists ETHR playing indie pop and The Skapones who’ve hit the top of the UK Reggae charts twice with their ska and reggae tunes.

Also performing is Cortney Dixon, from South Shields, who was featured as part of  ‘BBC Music Introducing in the North East Top Ten Tips.’

Moon Wax, Middlesbrough’s own RnB, 90s funk and house influenced six piece band, will also be playing, as well as local favourites Los Capitanes, who are no stranger to Darlington’s music scene and who headlined the online ‘Mini Mish Mash’ last year.

Sarah said: “Saturday will be a day full of local and regional talent, we hope everyone will come along to experience and support the amazing music scene we have right here on our doorstep.”

On Sunday, there will be a true "mish mash" of sounds and different genres.

Many of the bands will have a family feel to them and have been programmed in conjunction with BIG Little Gigs, which has been running family music events in Darlington for five years.

Sunday’s headliners are K.O.G. and the Zongo Brigade.

Rob Irish, from Tracks, said: “Their explosive energy and impossibly catchy rhythms are sure to set Darlington’s Market Square ablaze with unstoppable African hip-hop fusions.

"Our main support is gutsy folk rocksters Blackbeard’s Tea Party, who take sea shanties and crank them into overdrive for high octane rock n roll show.

"They’d maybe even win best band name of the bill were it not for Leeds based ‘Biscuit Head and The Biscuit Badgers’.

"The band are regular features of family festivals across the UK and will bring their silly songs about cheese, David Attenborough and dinosaurs will give you all something to smile about.”

Sunday’s line-up is completed with classic funk and soul sounds from Groove Nite, Darlington’s own foot stomping blues masters The Dead Seat, and Bubamara playing folk-punk with a Sicilian edge to open the show.

The festival music will run from 12pm-8pm on both days.

There will also be workshops with break dancers The Wreckheadz Krew, Voices Of Darlington and BIG Little Gigs will be running musical crafts across the weekend.

For more details visit tracksdarlington.co.uk and follow Love Darlo on Facebook to stay up to date.  

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