When: 11-13 July 2025
Where: Moseley Park, Birmingham, England
Following a hugely successful 2024, Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival will return for its 16th annual edition next year and has just announced its first headliner for 2025 who will be WAR, the legendary American funk/rock/soul/Latin band from Long Beach, California.
Formed in 1969 with a stated mission “to spread a message of brotherhood and harmony’ WAR initially backed Eric Burdon, the former lead singer of The Animals. Burdon was to leave the band the following year but WAR quickly forged their own identity, refining their sound through a series of tremendous releases including ‘Slippin’ Into Darkness’, ‘Low Rider’, ‘Don’t Let No One Get You Down’, ‘The Cisco Kid’, and great albums throughout the ‘70s, including The World Is A Ghetto, Why Can’t We Be Friends?! and Platinum Jazz, which became seminal jazz label Blue Note’s first platinum record.
Another name to be announced is that of the actor, poet, broadcaster and DJ, Craig Charles, a Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival favourite for many years now whose late afternoon DJ slots are the stuff of Mostly legend.
John Fell, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival’s Manager, said: “Blurring the boundaries between jazz, funk, rock and Latin, War is one of the defining voices of the late-60s/ early-70s, a group whose music perfectly soundtracked an era of great social change. We can’t wait to welcome them to the festival”.
“And Craig is one of our most consistently popular guests. Such a huge music fan, he never fails to get the Mostly Jazz crowd on their feet.”
With Tier 1 tickets having quickly sold out, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival Tier 2 tickets will be on sale from 10am, Friday 27 September 2024.
For tickets and more information, see: mostlyjazz.co.uk
