OTLEY Live music festival will be back this summer and will celebrate its second year with a larger and more diverse range of acts.

The festival will take place from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31 with over 50 bands and artists playing at ten venues in the centre of town.

It will have a mixture of daytime events which are free to attend and ticketed events in the evening. The ticketed events will take place at Otley Courthouse, The Black Horse, The Rookery, The Labour Rooms, and Otley Social Club (Weston Lane), as well as at three new venues in the shape of TNT (Tapas and Tunes), the Horse and Farrier, and Otley Rugby Club.

The free events will take place at The Woolpack Music Studios on Saturday, at Otley Tap House on Saturday/Sunday, and at a big stage on the Market Square on Sunday, which will be supported by the closure of Boroughgate between the Market Square and Wesley Street/Crossgate. There will also be buskers playing around the town throughout the day.

The Otley Music Alliance is promoting the festival with support from Otley Town Council and the Otley BID and has worked hard to increase the mix of music styles to ensure there is something for all tastes. This year there will be a range of rock, indie, folk, electronica, ska/reggae and punk music on offer. The festival’s line-up is now almost complete, with some tickets already on sale via the venues and others to go on sale shortly. Details about the line-ups and how to buy tickets can be found by following Otley Live on social media and via https://linktr.ee/otleylive

Indie-folk/Americana legends, The Dunwells, will be performing a three-night residency at the Rookery hot on the heels of the release of the new album, Tell me what you want.

Highlights for Friday evening include local Oasis cover band Fakermaker at the Courthouse supported by the Paul Weller Movement, local legend Mik Artistik at The Black Horse, punks Nosebleed at the Labour Rooms, and Salsa with Napps and popular Latino Band Carioca Soul playing a mix of Sergio Mendes Brasil 66 to dance to into the early hours at TNT. There will be a night of Folk at the Farrier with Jon Palmer and Dave Vermond as well a showcase of talented local young bands for the under 18s at Otley Social Club.

On Saturday afternoon, there will be a number of acts playing on the outdoor stage at The Woolpack Music Studios, including The Gulls, Jaayns, Sarah Carey, Sleepkick, and the Ale Marys. On Saturday evening, the Courthouse is hosting political songsters The Commoners Choir, with reggae band Trenchtown UK playing at the Rugby Club, White Ribbons and The Dead Hamster Society at the Labour Rooms, Black Bear Bones at Otley Tap House, and a mix of several ‘electric mayhem’ bands at Tapas and Tunes.

Following the close of the Farmer’s Market, there will be live music on the outdoor stage in the Market Place from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday. Guiseley band, The Elephant Trees, will open proceedings and be followed by Kinaara, Premaura, Rubber Rose. The 8-piece funk-soul outfit, Haggis Horns, will bring the afternoon’s proceedings to a suitable climax. The Dunwells will continue their residency at the Rookery, but there will be a final serving of music that evening at Otley Rugby Club from local bands, Summercross and The Names, to close the festival. Stealing Tamar will also play at Otley Tap House on Sunday evening.

Further additions to the line-up will also be announced shortly for the Black Horse, Otley Tap House and other venues.

Richard Davies, Chair of OMA, said, “It is fantastic to see the Festival back for a second year with a bigger and better line-up which offers something for everyone. We want to give local music lovers something to celebrate and enjoy after a tough couple of years, but also to draw new faces into the town to promote our beautiful town and its venues. We really appreciate the support of Otley Town Council and the Otley BID and would love to hear from any local businesses who would like to sponsor the Festival or its stages”.