A WHOLE host of legendary names will be appearing at this weekend’s Abbey Fest.
Taking place in the Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds, organisers  have a line-up to suit all musical tastes for the three-day festival.
Friday will be headlined by folk supergroup Bellowhead. The English contemporary folk band were originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden.
Playing traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences, the band have 11 members, which includes a brass section.
Bellowhead’s musicians rather impressively play more than 20 instruments between them, with six members providing vocals.
Supporting them on the night will be a very unusual supergroup with some very familiar names.
That’s the Idiot B*****d Band, consisting of Adrian Edmondson, Phill Jupitus, Rowland Rivron and Neil Innes.
They formed out of Adrian and Phill’s love of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, of which Neil Innes is a member, and have already played a number of warm-up gigs, including one at the High Barn in Great Bardfield.
For Saturday night you’ve got to have soul and if you wished for anyone better to headline the Midsummer Soul Jam then you would be hard pressed to beat Gwen Dickey, lead singer of the legendary Motown band, Rose Royce.
The group had huge hits in the Seventies with Car Wash and Wishing on a Star, with Gwen reprising her vocals on the latter with rap star Jay-Z on his hip hop cover of the song.
She will be joined on stage by top British soul outfit, the Real Thing, the masters of funk, Odyssey and tribute group Ultimate Earth, Wind and Fire.
Rounding off the event will be Jack Bruce and his Big Blues Band.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of the first great supergroup, Cream, he continues to be prolific musically, recording and playing concerts all over the globe.
In 2009 Jack released the Seven Moons CD and live DVD with guitar legend Robin Trower, as well as the six CD box set entitled Can You Follow?, which traces his career from the age of 19 until the present day.
Last year Jack formed his new band, the Big Blues Band and had a sell-out tour of the UK.
Since then, he has been playing major summer festivals all over Europe with his Big Blues Band, as well as having been invited to play in Australia and Brazil with them.
Also on Sunday’s bill will be Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and his band as well as Paul Carrack and his band as well as the Wattisham Military Wives Choir.
Jack told the Gazette earlier this year: “I’m really looking forward to playing the Bury St Edmunds festival. I’ve lived around here for years.  Great people and great places.”
l Abbey Fest, Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds. Friday to Sunday. Gates open at 4pm each day  Some tickets are still available from the box office on 01603 508050 or at www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk