Pennfest announces 2024 line-up including Jess Glynne and Paul Weller

Jess Glynne, Richard Ashcroft, and Paul Weller, have been confirmed as the headliners for a popular Bucks festival, set to return this summer.

Pennfest has confirmed its headliners for its 2023 showcase, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Coral also performing over the three-day event.

For the first time the festival held in Penn, Amersham, is expanding from two days to three, running from 19 to 21 July.

A diverse list of performers includes television presenter and image consultant, Gok Wan, plus veteran dancehall DJ, David Rodigan.

Pennfest says it will be announcing more artists in the coming days and ticketing details can be found on the festival website here.

Launched in 2011, PennFest is held in the picturesque Chilterns countryside near the village of Penn Street.

Friday’s headliner is best known for being the frontman of unforgettable 1990s group The Verve. Ashcroft was the songwriter and lead vocalist on the multi-million selling and critically adored album, Urban Hymns. As well as claiming two Brit Awards with The Verve, he was named the Ivor Novello Songwriter Of The Year in 1998.

Since The Verve dispersed Ashcroft has enjoyed a fruitful solo career, which includes Top 3 single ‘A Song For The Lovers’. His latest album Acoustic Hymns,’ saw him revisit many of his seminal songs, including ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, ‘Lucky Man’ and ‘C’Mon People (We’re Making It Now)’, and it was re-recorded with Liam Gallagher joining him on vocals.

Pop superstar Glynne headlines the following day, she rose to prominence in 2014 as a featured artist on the hit singles ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit and ‘My Love’ by Route 94. Since then, she has become the first British female solo artist to achieve seven No.1 singles on the UK Singles Chart, while her two studio albums to date, 2015’s ‘I Cry When I Laugh’ and 2018’s ‘Always In Between’, both debuted at No.1. She was also considered one of the "Most Influential People Under 30" by Forbes magazine in 2019. Glynne recently released her first new material in five years with the single ‘Friends of Mine’.

Closing the festival will be the ‘Modfather’, Weller is still perhaps best known for his early success as a teenager with The Jam. He fronted the three-piece that achieved 18 consecutive Top 40 singles, including four No.1s. However, Weller’s success continued with another band, Style Council. Since going solo in 1992, the lifelong musician has continued to challenge himself to push forward musically. In 2006, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Organisers Nick Billinghurst and Matt Smith said: “We’re so excited to announce that there will be more of PennFest to enjoy next year when we expand to three days, taking in the whole weekend for the very first time. To attract such stellar headliners to this beautiful part of the Chilterns is such a thrill. Roll on next summer!”

Since its inception the festival has grown from attracting 2,000 punters, to getting crowds of 10,000 people.