IT may currently be the depths of winter, but the first wave of acts for Tynedale’s biggest summer music festival have already been announced – and there’s some big names to look forward to.

Corbridge Festival was launched by Cheryl Durkin, a resident of the village, in 2011.

Since then, it’s quickly become a firm favourite for music fans in the Tyne Valley and beyond, thanks to its blend of top stars and the best of local talent.

Over the years, the festival, which is held at Tynedale Rugby Club, has attracted some huge musical names, with punk legends The Undertones, rock band Reef and dance icon Panjabi MC taking to the stage in the past.

For 2020, among the star names will be Welsh rock band Feeder, famous for their hit song Buck Rogers.

Feeder will headline the festival on Friday. The band, fronted by Grant Nicolas on vocals and guitar and Taka Hirose on bass, were formed in Newport in 1994.

They will be joined at the top of the billing by British alt-rock group Shed Seven, one of the groups who contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s – although not quite as successful as some of their contemporaries.

Formed in York and currently consisting of Rick Witter, Paul Banks, Thomas Gladwin, Alan Leach and Joe Johnson, Shed Seven will headline the festival on Saturday.

Grammy winners Soul II Soul, the group remembered for hits including their 1989 UK number one Back To Life and top five hit Keep On Movin’ will also take to the stage on the Saturday.

Founded by DJ Jazzie B, the group have won two Grammys and been nominated for five Brit awards.

Other acts already booked to play across Corbridge’s three stages are Beatles tribute band The Bootleg Beatles; former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan; German Eurodance group Snap!; Teeside-based band Cattle & Cane; Newcastle-based soul and funk band Smoove & Turrell; Queen tribute band We Are Champion; Zeb and Newcastle’s rising star Cortney Dixon.

More acts will be announced in due course, although tickets are already on sale for those already tempted by the impressive initial release of acts.

The family-friendly festival returned in style this summer following a fallow year in 2018.

A new expanded format that saw it held over two days for the first time.

Organiser Cheryl Durkin confirmed in November that this year’s festival would follow a similar blueprint, after a successful pilot.

As well as being known for bringing huge stars to the Tyne Valley, the festival also provides a platform for up-and-coming musicians.

The likes of Amy Ridley and Haydon Bridge’s Stratosphonic have performed in the past, and last year continued to showcase the excellent talent on offer in Tynedale.

Hexham’s Lauren Simms opened the festival’s music last summer, and she was joined in the line-up by Ovingham’s rising star Sam Shields.

Bellingham’s Jason Arnup, the 16-year-old country singer, has made two appearances at the festival.

The festival has grown in stature rapidly since its inception in 2011.

Starting with just one stage, the demand for more music soon led to the introduction of both an acoustic and an academy stage for budding musicians.

In 2017, Corbridge Festival was shortlisted in the best small festival, best family festival and the top grassroots event at the UK Festival Awards, facing up against national competition.

Early bird tickets are currently available at a discounted price from the festival’s website.