This is a simplified version of the bluedot 2022 line-up. To buy tickets please visit bluedot.ticketline.co.uk. To view the standard version of the bluedot 2022 line-up please visit discoverthebluedot.com/lineup
The full line-up for bluedot 2022 is as follows:
Björk Orchestral With the Hallé Orchestra
Groove Armada
Mogwai
Metronomy
Plus Thursday Headliner Hannah Peel and Paraorchestra
Spiritualized
Squarepusher
Kelly Lee Owens
Working Mens Club
Anna Meredith
Orlando Weeks
Bcuc
Porridge Radio
Yard Act
Tim Burgess
Henge
Lonelady
Jane Weaver
Jockstrap
A Certain Ratio
India Jordan
Lanterns on the Lake
Sofia Kourtesis
Alewya
Lido Pimienta
W. H Lung
Sad Night Dynamite
A Guy Called Gerald
Los Bitchos
Stealing Sheep & Radiophonic Workshop Present La Planete Sauvage
Manara
Balraj Singh Samrai & Farah Ahmed Khan
The Eccentronic Research Council Featuring Maxine Peake
Katy J Pearson
Secret Night Gang
Peaness
Nuha Ruby Ra
Morgan Harper-jones
Mandy, Indiana
Mewn
The Science and Cosmic Culture Line-up Is as Follows:
Jim Al-khalili
David Olusoga
Monica Grady
Chris Lintott
Richard Betts
Dan Davis
Jon Savage
Chris Jackson
Carly Mclachlan
Dale Vince
Sheena Cruickshank
Gilly Forrester
Jess Wade
Sarah Crowther
Christopher Jones
Kat Coyte
Martha Hilton
John Ilee
Plus
The University of Manchester
Met Office
Tyndall Centre
Blackwells
Me, Human
Creative Manchester
Nan Shepherd Prize
The Culture Line-up Is as Follows:
Stewart Lee Presents King Rocker
Adam Buxton’s Best of Bug!
Desiree Burch
Olga Koch
Rob Rouse
Robin Ince
Ahir Shah
Lolly Adefope
Ignacio Lopez
Andrew O’neill’s History of Heavy Metal
Snjólaug Lúðvíksdóttir
Kiri Pritchard-mclean
Garrett Millerick
Matthew Winning
Damian Clark
Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties
Rough Trade Books
Centre for New Writing
Plus
Live Podcasts Including a Problem Squared, New Scientist and the Bluedot Podcast With Chris Hawkins
Art Experiences Include
Origins Fire Garden – New for 2022
Global Grooves Twilight Parades
Cloudscapes on Mars
Luminarium
The Nectary by Alison Smith
Gaia by Luke Jerram
Family Encounters
Bedtime Stories With Secret Special Guests
Aardman Animations
Clangers
Mother and Baby Space
Kids Cinema
Craft Area
The Space Shed
Nature Walks
Stargazing
One of the most influential and ground-breaking 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 With over two decades of extraordinary albums, they will close bluedot’s penultimate night with of melodic and beautiful soundscapes to drift into the evening. 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.