Chris Lockie

Brand New Festival Brings Goldfrapp To Greenwich

London's own international superstars Goldfrapp return to their hometown for one single show in 2014, at the top of the bill of a new festival called Greenwich Music Time.

The event will take place over four balmy nights in mid-August within the glorious setting of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, with Goldfrapp playing both old and new material on Thursday 21 August. The electropop outfit have enjoyed huge global success, notably with their platinum-selling third album Supernature in 2005. They were most recently back in the upper echelons of the UK charts with their latest LP, Tales of Us, released last year, from which you can see the video for Drew below.

The Friday night (22 August) of the new festival brings multi-million selling English tenor Russell Watson to London backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and special guests are promised. Blackheath-boy Jools Holland and his ever popular Rhythm and Blues Orchestra will headline the closing night of the festival (23 August) with special guest stars Melanie C and Marc Almond. The headliners are yet to be announced for the opening night (20 August), though clearly the bar is set quite high.

The festival's organisers have pulled off quite a coup in securing the Old Royal Naval College for the event. Greenwich Music Time’s stage will be situated in the heart of Christopher Wren's iconic twin-domed riverside masterpiece, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the UK.

The concert series will also showcase Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, with students and recent graduates performing an opening set each night before the headline show. "We are delighted to welcome the inaugural Greenwich Music Festival to the Old Royal Naval College this summer," says Brendan McCarthy, CEO of the ORNC Foundation. "Sir Christopher Wren’s architecture will provide a stunning backdrop for the concerts. We are particularly pleased that musicians from Trinity Laban, one of our site partners here at the ORNC, will be performing along with the great artists lined up for the Festival – it promises to be a fantastic four days of music," adds McCarthy. The Mayor has also given hearty backing to the festival.

There is a priority booking period for local Greenwich residents which runs from this Wednesday (26 February) to 2 March 2014; details can be found at the event's website. Tickets go on general sale from 3 March. An optional £2 donation to the ORNC Foundation will be applied to each ticket, to help provide a financial boost for Wren's venerable old institution.