We Out Here 2023: First Line up announced!

We Out Here announces the first artists on the bill for 2023, leading with a proudly eclectic programme of live artists set to perform in their new Dorset home.

We Out Here is a festival for everyone, with this ethos reflected in the bold and wild-spanning programme which extends from spiritual jazz to live drum and bass, bossa nova to British funk, all represented by true pioneers and exciting emerging talent alike.

Astral jazz legends Sun Ra Arkestra, led by the visionary Marshall Allen, lead the programme highlights, alongside seminal British funk band Cymande, the enigmatic Black Midi, renowned for their mind-bending live show and Marcos Valle who has remained on the cutting edge of Brazilian music for generations.

A leading light of the UK Jazz scene, Nubya Garcia, makes a very welcome homecoming trip to the festival, alongside fellow return visitors Alabaster dePlume, the ever-soulful Yazmin Lacey and South London’s punk-spirited Wu-Lu. Meanwhile festival debuts are set for highly-acclaimed American vocalist Meshell Ndegeocello, prolific hybrid drummer Makaya McCraven, and community-based choir led by a LA mainstay: Jimetta Rose and The Voices of Creation. The eclecticism further extends with Gil Scott Heron’s frequent collaborator Brian Jackson joining the line up, crossover jazz/electronic project Kyoto Jazz Massive and Mauskovic Dance Band’s unique blend of cumbia, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, & space disco.

On the electronic tip of the programme, Drum and Bass pioneer Goldie will present a special live show, Japan’s Soichi Terada serves up his trademark melodic house sound alongside subversive ambient/techno outfit Space Afrika and the shadowy electronics of London’s Moin. Rounding off Part 1 of We Out Here’s far-reaching live selection is gospel artist Alogte Oho accompanied by a powerful female choir - the Sounds of Joy, critically-acclaimed David Okumu performing with The Seven Generations and experimental Bristol-based band, the Tara Clerkin Trio.

Founder & curator Gilles Peterson says of the announcement:

“We are so excited to be sharing the first handful of names for the 4th edition of We Out Here! For now we've focused on some of the incredible live performances we’ll have - with some true legends in our midst we simply can’t wait to see - and we also have a huge DJ line up and even more live artists to follow in the new year. It’s set to be one of our most wide-spanning and exciting programmes yet, the perfect way to help us settle into our new home!”

Today’s diverse live programme will be joined by an equally extensive DJ line up (to be announced in the new year), reflecting the festival’s core ethos of celebrating live music collectively with club culture. The full music offering will be expanded by partners, wellness, talks and family activities, all to be announced in the coming months.

We Out Here’s fourth edition spans 10th–14th August in their idyllic new home of Wimborne St Giles. Having previously taken place in Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire for the last three editions, the festival is excited to embark on a new chapter in an idyllic new site; unfurling within 400 acres of lush parkland in the South-West of England.

Enveloped by towering trees, the new site offers We Out Here’s positive and passionate community a unique opportunity to switch off from the outside world and, together, fully immerse in what’s fast become We Out Here’s trademark offering: outstanding live music, some of the best record collections in the world, high-end sound and production, family, wellness & cultural activities and above all, uniting a worldwide family of conscious music-loving people.

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