ROCK band The Darkness will headline this year’s Godiva Festival – taking its Sunday headline slot on July 9.
The British band are best known for their hit song, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, which peaked at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart.
Their debut album ’Permission To Land’ went straight to number two on release in 2003 and sold 1.5million copies in the UK.
Councillor Abdul Khan, Coventry City Council deputy leader and cabinet member for events, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to announce our first headline act for 2017 as The Darkness, who will play on Sunday afternoon.”
“We’re working hard to help secure more bands and programme in our other two headline slots, so we’ll be making more announcements as soon as we can.”
Coventry Godiva Festival is billed as the UK’s biggest free music festival.
It takes place on July 7-9 this year in its annual War Memorial Park venue.
The Darkness are expected to release their fifth studio album this year.
Previous Godiva headline acts have included The Enemy, Happy Mondays, Kasabian, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Human League.Boomtown Rats and Scouting for Girls last year.
The festival began in 1997, and this year could be the last in its present free form – amid public sector funding cuts – unless more commercial revenues are obtained.
The annual net cost to council taxpayers has been around £300,000 – the difference between the council’s costs of delivering the festival in the War Memorial Park each summer, and income from sponsors and other commercial activities.
The Godiva Festival has long been considered a ‘jewel in the city’s crown’, not least with the city bidding to become UK Capital of Culture. The festival has attracted up to 148,000 visitors each year.
