Summer Sundae


Summer Sundae was an annual music festival held in Leicester, England which initially focused on indie, alternative, and local music. The festival began as a one-dayer in 2001 and grew year on year since then, adding first one and then two campsites, and later involved five stages running over three days.
It was hosted by the city's De Montfort Hall, both in the hall itself, and over four outdoor stages in the hall's grounds, and including part of Victoria Park. A section of the park was fenced off for camping during the weekend of the festival. The festival was for a time sponsored in part by the digital radio station BBC 6 Music, which in return had exclusive broadcasting rights. The festival usually took place in August and grew from two stages to five over the course of six years. In 2005 the festival welcomed over 70 artists, both well-known and established bands, and local bands from around the East Midlands. This extended to over 100 bands, and the first ever sold-out festival in 2006.
The festival in later years was run over five stages: The Outside Stage was by far the largest and hosted the bigger bands, in conjunction with the Indoor Stage, the main auditorium of the De Montfort Hall. In addition, The Musician Stage was a tent featuring mainly acoustic and roots music at times when the Outside stage is quiet, and The Rising Stage featured new and local talent. In 2006 the eFESTIVALS Cabaret Stage was added, and these were added to in 2008 by the Phrased & Confused/Bathysphere tent, offering spoken word performances during the day and electronica artists later on. In 2012, the Musician Stage and the Rising Stage were replaced by two new performance spaces in The Village, named the Into the Wild stage and the Watering Hole following the festival's safari theme.
From 2006 the festival was preceded the night before it began by an official warm up party, hosted by Pineapster to provide entertainment to those campers arriving in the City on the Thursday night and raise money for LOROS, a local hospice. From 2007 it became a full Fringe festival event entitled the Summer Sundae Fringe Festival occurring in the week or fortnight up to the festival curated by local arts bodies across Leicester and Leicestershire, culminating in a series of warm-up parties. In March 2008 the festival put on a Taste of Summer Sundae gig to provide a flavour of the bands expected to play the main festival.

2012 line-up

The 2012 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place 17–19 August. The main festival line-up was as follows:
;;Main stage
FridaySaturdaySunday

  • Dark Dark Horse
  • Clock Opera
  • Uncle Frank
  • Asian Dub Foundation
  • Katy B
  • The Daydream Club
  • Little Night Terrors
  • Dog Is Dead
  • Molotov Jukebox
  • Friends
  • Lianne La Havas
  • Adam Ant
  • Ocean Colour Scene
  • Cowboy
  • Jersey Budd
  • Deer Tick
  • Team Me
  • The Black Seeds
  • Reverend and the Makers
  • Public Image Ltd
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Vows
    • Kyte
    • Loney, Dear
    • Datarock
    • Ghostpoet
    • Patrick Wolf
    • Olugbenga
    • Jack Beats
  • Goodnight Lenin
  • Savages
  • Lucy Rose
  • Agnes Obel
  • Micachu and the Shapes
  • Jonathan Richman
  • Tune-Yards
  • Death in Vegas
  • Her Name Is Calla
  • Maybeshewill
  • Hey Sholay
  • Japandroids
  • The Twilight Sad
  • Django Django
  • Ed Harcourt
  • Stay+
  • Gold Panda
    • ;;Into the Wild stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Y Niwl
    • Bowerbirds
    • Dan Mangan
    • François & the Atlas Mountains
    • Willy Mason
    • Sway
  • Hip Hop Shakespeare Company
  • Tim Edey & Brendan Power
  • Rachel Sermanni
  • Cashier No. 9
  • Thepetebox
  • Speech Debelle
  • Akala
  • Man Like Me
  • Midnight Wire
  • The Staves
  • Lazy Lester
  • Juan Zelada
  • Billy Bragg
  • Leicester All Ska's Reggae Big Band
    • ;;The Watering Hole stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Charlee Drew
    • Walter Bottle
    • Kappa Gamma
    • Elizabeth Cornish
    • Tiny Ruins
    • Clean Bandit
    • Bastille
  • Nancy Dawkins
  • Park Bench Society
  • Mahalia
  • Buenos Aires
  • Jake Bugg
  • Kenworthy
  • These Furrows
  • Prash Gor
  • The Skunk-Boy Project
  • Siobhan Mazzei
  • The Simpletones
  • Bellawave
  • Furies
  • Grace Petrie
  • Beth Rowley
  • King Charles
  • Lewis Floyd Henry
  • The Magic Tombolinos
    • The comedy stage features Rich Fulcher, Toby, Carly Smallman, David Morgan, Joey Page, Joe Bor, Richard Garaghty, Goronwy Thom and Jon Hicks.

    2011 line-up

    The 2011 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place 12–14 August 2011. The main festival line-up was as follows:
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • The Maccabees
    • Graham Coxon
    • The Bees
    • Givers
    • Fists
  • Newton Faulkner
  • Reef
  • Bellowhead
  • Kissmet
  • Beth Jeans Houghton
  • Showaddywaddy
  • I Am in Love
  • Hhymn
  • McFly
  • Example
  • The Cuban Brothers
  • The Young Knives
  • The Leisure Society
  • Maniere Des Bohemians
  • My First Tooth
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Toots & the Maytals
    • Portico Quartet
    • King Creosote & John Hopkins
    • The Agitator
    • Admiral Fallow
    • Elliott Morris
  • I Am Kloot
  • Chapel Club
  • The Jim Jones Revue
  • Wilko Johnson
  • Benjamin Francis Leftwich
  • The Heartbreaks
  • Flashguns
  • Blood Red Shoes
  • Everything Everything
  • Warpaint
  • Factory Floor
  • The Phantom Band
  • The Antlers
  • Dark Dark Horse
  • Silent Devices
    • ;;Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Shonen Knife
    • Born Ruffians
    • Wolf People
    *
    • Other Lives
  • Pete & the Pirates
  • Little Comets
  • Yaaks
  • Dionne Bromfield
  • Lysergic Suite
  • We Three & The Death Rattle
  • Dry the River
  • Ben Howard
  • Dutch Uncles
  • The Black Atlantic
  • Kyla La Grange
  • Tom Williams & the Boat
  • The Swiines
    • ;;Musician stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Uncle Frank
    • Raghu Dixit
    • By the Rivers
    • The Whybirds
    • Citizen Smith
    • Elizabeth Cornish
    • Martin Brown
    • Kieran Hebden
    • Rhett Barrow
  • Teddy Thompson
  • Dizraeli & the Gears
  • Mama Rosin
  • The Paradimes
  • Gallery 47
  • The Rassoodocks
  • Kirkland Turn
  • The Daydream Club
  • HumbleHe
  • Davenport Folk
  • Kitty Daisy & Lewis
  • C.W. Stoneking
  • Skinny Lister
  • Joel Owen & the Antoine Band
  • Delta Maid
  • Kenworthy
  • Austin Francis Connection
  • Martha Bean
  • Calder McLaughlin
    • The comedy stage featured Simon Evans, Gary Delaney, Jon Richardson, and John Cooper Clarke.

    2010 line-up

    The 2010 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place 13–15 August 2010. The main festival line-up was as follows:
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Seasick Steve
    • Teenage Fanclub
    • The Sunshine Underground
    • Fionn Regan
    • Charlie & the Martyrs
    • Kyte
  • Tinchy Stryder
  • The Go! Team
  • Stornoway
  • Turin Brakes
  • Diana Vickers
  • The Moulettes
  • Autohype
  • Gaggle
  • Mumford & Sons
  • Local Natives
  • The Low Anthem
  • Junip
  • Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit
  • Pete Molinari
  • These Furrows
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Roots Manuva
    • Slow Club
    • Lou Rhodes
    • Swimming
    • Spotlight Kid
  • The Whip
  • The Fall
  • Caribou
  • Tunng
  • Laura Veirs
  • The Woodentops
  • Liam Frost
  • Dog Is Dead
  • Karma Suite
  • The Futureheads
  • Frightened Rabbit
  • Los Campesinos!
  • Errors
  • The Besnard Lakes
  • Summercamp
  • Catherine A.D.
  • Little Night Terrors
    • ;;Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Steve Mason
    • Eliza Doolittle
    • Lissie
    • Erland & the Carnival
    • Megaphonic Thrift
    • Rugosa Nevada
  • The Invisible
  • Fool's Gold
  • Kid Adrift
  • A Genuine Freakshow
  • Isbells
  • We Show up on Radar
  • Black Carrot
  • The Souvenirs
  • Skepta
  • Devlin
  • Riz MC
  • Ellen and the Escapades
  • The Crookes
  • DM Stith
  • Matthew P
  • Red Shoe Diaries
  • David Gibb
    • ;;Musician stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Jason & the Scorchers
    • Danny and the Champions of the World
    • By the Rivers
    • Gadjos
    • Peggy Sue
    • Kirsty Almeida
    • The Rag & Bone Shop of the Heart
    • Kristyna Myles
    • The Orchard
    • James Lewis Band
    • Kristy Gallacher
  • Frankie & the Heartstrings
  • Tiffany Page
  • Goldheart Assembly
  • Harper Simon
  • The Leisure Society
  • John Butler
  • The Stiggz
  • Andi Griffiths & the Steel Orchestra
  • Stuart O'Connor
  • Alex Highton
  • Stevie Jones & the Wildfires
  • El Pussycat
  • David Ford
  • Pokey Lafarge & the South City Three
  • Megafun
  • The Guthlaxtones
  • Ashdowne
  • Andy White
  • The Abrahams
  • The Blues Demons
  • Peter Wyeth

    • 2009 line-up

    The 2009 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place 14–16 August 2009. The main festival line-up was as follows:
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Idlewild
    • Mystery Jets
    • Oi Va Voi
    • Kid British
    • Razmataz
  • The Charlatans
  • Saint Etienne
  • Bombay Bicycle Club
  • Broken Records
  • The Joy Formidable
  • Minnaars
  • Frontiers
  • Mr. Plow
  • The Zutons
  • Bon Iver
  • Easy Star All Stars
  • Devon Sproule
  • Port O'Brien
  • Maybeshewill
  • Shortwave Fade
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Ranking Roger's "The Beat"
    • Filthy Dukes
    • Dan Black
    • Beardyman
    • Qemists
    • The Breakdowns
  • Chipmunk
  • Mr Hudson
  • The Airborne Toxic Event
  • 65daysofstatic
  • Emmy the Great
  • Sonic Boom Six
  • The Yellow Moon Band
  • David Thomas Broughton
  • Yunioshi
  • Her Name is Calla
  • New Beautiful South
  • The Lightning Seeds
  • Chairlift
  • Micachu and the Shapes
  • Monotonix
  • Woodpigeon
  • Kevin Hewick
  • Abi Moore Band
    • ;;Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • múm
    • Wild Beasts
    • Gold Panda
    • My Latest Novel
    • Blk Jks
  • Frank Turner
  • Future of the Left
  • James Yuill
  • The Kabeedies
  • The Domino State
  • Kav
  • Missing People
  • Dumbfound
  • The Dykeenies
  • Baddies
  • First Aid Kit
  • The Cheek
  • Flashguns
  • Ou Est Le Swimming Pool
  • You Fellows of All Souls
  • Abi Moore
    • ;;Musician stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Cantaloop
    • Out Of Karma
    • Ash Grunwald
    • The Deap People
    • David Wyatt Band
    • These Furrows
    • Echolocation
    • The Legion
    • Great Imitation
    • Gadjos
    • Sally Hossack
    • Natalie Squance
    • Joel Owen
  • Hugh Cornwell
  • The Jim Jones Revue
  • Golden Animals
  • Morph
  • The Heroes
  • Martin Harley Band
  • John Smith
  • Jake Flowers
  • Woodstock
  • Daryl Kirkland
  • Refuge
  • Imelda May
  • Teitur
  • Kingsize
  • Tommy Womack & the Dissenters
  • Kami Thompson
  • Megadub
  • Gren Bartley
  • Giles Likes Tea
  • Hopscotch Boulevard
  • Becky Syson
    • The Streets were due to headline the main stage on Friday but pulled out earlier the same day due to illness. Skint & Demoralised, Beth Jeans Houghton and Jeremy Warmsley played sets in the Phrased & Confused tent.

    2008 line-up

    The 2008 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place between the 8 and 10 August 2008. The main festival line-up was follows:
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Supergrass
    • The Coral
    • King Creosote
    • Royworld
    • Fight Like Apes
    • The Heroes!
  • Macy Gray
  • Róisín Murphy
  • Dodgy
  • Camera Obscura
  • Dengue Fever
  • Danny and the Champions of the World
  • Jersey Budd
  • The Chairmen
  • Simian Mobile Disco
  • Reverend and The Makers
  • Cold War Kids
  • José González
  • Wild Beasts
  • The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir
  • Rook & the Ravens
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • The Count & Sinden
    • Benga
    • Nina Nastasia
    • Emma Pollock
    • Errors
    • Love Ends Disaster!
  • The Whitest Boy Alive
  • Tom Baxter
  • Henry Rollins spoken word set
  • Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
  • Zombie Zombie
  • Kyte
  • Tired Irie
  • The Screening
  • Maybeshewill
  • Lightspeed Champion
  • Joan As Police Woman
  • of Montreal
  • Efterklang
  • Jeffrey Lewis
  • Hamell on Trial
  • Swaggar
  • Our Broken Garden
    • ;;Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Howling Bells
    • Fuck Buttons
    • Noah and the Whale
    • The Mae Shi
    • Youthmovies
  • Natty
  • Dawn Landes
  • Frightened Rabbit
  • Envy & Other Sins
  • Rod Thomas
  • Gary Go
  • Project Notion
  • New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack
  • Lykke Li
  • James Yorkston
  • Those Dancing Days
  • Alela Diane
  • The Voom Blooms
  • Charlie Jones
    • ;;Musician stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • The Heavy
    • John Power
    • Ictus
    • Catherine Tran
    • M48
    • Dead Slow
    • Chris Warner
    • Calder
    • Steve Jones & Mark Gill
    • Joel Owen
  • El Mahico
  • Uncle Frank
  • Foy Vance
  • The Travelling Band
  • Leicester Ska Jazz Ensemble
  • Dan Arborise
  • Maximum Danger Project
  • Chris Helme
  • The Hi & Lo
  • Ann Duggan
  • Dan Raza
  • Chloe Vaughan
  • Mr. Plow
  • Special Ed and the Shortbus
  • Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl
  • The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir
  • The Codes
  • Dawson Smith & The Dissenters
  • James Maddock
  • John Budding
  • Greg Gent
  • Andy Whittle
  • Small Bear

    • 2007 line-up

    The 2007 Summer Sundae Weekender festival took place between the 10 and 12 August 2007. The line-up was as follows:
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • The Divine Comedy
    • The Concretes
    • The Aliens
    • Kate Nash
    • Fazed
  • The Magic Numbers
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor
  • The Rumble Strips
  • Malcolm Middleton
  • Jazz Jamaica
  • Kitty Daisy & Lewis
  • The Displacements
  • Spiritualized Acoustic Mainlines
  • Echo & the Bunnymen
  • The Pigeon Detectives
  • Koop
  • Cherry Ghost
  • Vetiver
  • Pacific Ocean Fire
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • DJ Yoda
    • Candie Payne
    • Soweto Kinch
    • Findlay Brown
    • Palladium
  • !!!
  • Low
  • Martha Wainwright
  • Maps
  • Cud
  • Jeremy Warmsley
  • The Falling Leaves
  • The Screening
  • Matt Andasun
  • Duke Special
  • Broken Family Band
  • Gruff Rhys
  • Spoon
  • Tiny Dancers
  • Ben Taylor
  • The Lea Shores
  • Nuru Kane
    • ;;Firebug Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Pole
    • Kangding Ray
    • Modified Toy Orchestra
    • The Buoys
    • Badun
    • kReepa Vs ASMO
    • Saab 900i
  • Simple Kid
  • The Whip
  • Wild Beasts
  • zZz
  • Fatal Star
  • Bruises
  • Seasick Steve
  • Polytechnic
  • Alberta Cross
  • Fujiya & Miyagi
  • Stephanie Dosen
  • The Strange Death of Liberal England
  • Toy Heroes
  • Dandilions
    • ;;The Musician Stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Richmond Fontaine
    • John Cooper Clarke
    • The Dirty Backbeats
    • The Chairmen
    • Vijay Kishore
    • Collum Regan
    • Daisy B
  • Dr. Robert & P.P. Arnold
  • Sam Kelly's Station House
  • Indigo Moss
  • Acoustic Vibronics
  • Andy Griffiths Band
  • Jill Barber
  • Butterflypolite
  • Kevin Hewick
  • Gren Bartley
  • David Wyatt
  • Chuck Prophet
  • Aynsley Lister
  • Tom Russell
  • Seasick Steve
  • El Pussycat
  • Sonny Monk's Jazz Band
  • Outside Track
  • Southern Tenant Folk Reunion
  • Andy Stirton
  • Heartland Roots Band
  • Steve Cartwright

    • 2006 Lineup

    The 2006 Summer Sundae took place between 11 and 13 August 2006. The line-up was as follows
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Elbow
    • Delays
    • Richard Hawley
    • Liam Frost and the Slowdown Family
    • James Morrison
  • Gomez
  • Calexico
  • Nouvelle Vague
  • ¡Forward, Russia!
  • the Young Knives
  • Tunng
  • Kissmet
  • Don's Mobile Barbers
  • Belle & Sebastian
  • Stephen Fretwell
  • Guillemots
  • José González
  • Morning Runner
  • The Long Blondes
  • Redcarsgofaster
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Michael Franti And Spearhead
    • DJ Format
    • Seth Lakeman
    • Baxter Dury
    • Zil
    • Merla
  • The Blockheads
  • The Proclaimers
  • Vashti Bunyan
  • Isobel Campbell
  • Brakes
  • Howling Bells
  • El Mahico
  • Onion
  • Coldcut
  • The Buzzcocks
  • The Boy Least Likely To
  • Adem
  • Captain
  • M.Craft
  • Misterlee
  • New Cassettes
  • Firebrand
    • ;;Jim Beam Rising stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

  • The Voom Blooms
  • Little Man Tate
  • Gravenhurst
  • Mr Hudson & The Library
  • Joan As Policewoman
  • Gem
  • Djune
  • Just Norris
  • Larrikin Love
  • Jamie T
  • Absentee
  • Camera Obscura
  • Sophie Solomon
  • Token of My Affection
  • William Hut
    • ;;The Musician Stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • The Blockheads
    • Kingsize
    • Great Blind Degree
    • Shana Morrison
    • ButterflyPolite
    • Andy Griffiths Band
    • Storm Thieve
    • David Wyatt Band
  • Kim Richey
  • Simon Honeyboy Hickling
  • Derrin Nauendorf
  • William Elliott Whitmore
  • The Junipers
  • Rob McCulloch
  • Joel Owen
  • Paula Driver
  • BR549S
  • Rise Kagona and Champion Doug Veitch Band
  • Steel State Circus
  • Gary Potter
  • Waking the Witch
  • Mike West and Truckstop Honeymoon
  • Hayley Hutchinson
  • Ego Armalade
  • The Displacements
  • Giovana Olivera
  • Oli Dickinson
  • Paul Lamb & the King Snakes
  • Elaine Croft

    • 2005 Lineup

    The 2005 Summer Sundae took place between 12 and 14 August 2005. The bill was as follows
    ;;Outdoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Idlewild
    • British Sea Power
    • Sons and Daughters
  • Lemon Jelly
  • The Bees
  • Thirteen Senses
  • The Magic Numbers
  • Tom Vek
  • Art Brut
  • Editors
  • The Traces
  • Patti Smith And Her Band
  • Yo La Tengo
  • The Duke Spirit
  • The Earlies
  • Sierra Maestra
  • Sondre Lerche
  • Bellowhead
    • ;;Indoor stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Scratch Perverts feat. Dynamite MC
    • Infadels
    • Malcolm Middleton
    • Acoustic Ladyland
  • Mylo
  • KT Tunstall
  • The Bays
  • Devendra Banhart
  • Engineers
  • Emiliana Torrini
  • Clor
  • Hot Chip
  • Leon
  • The Wedding Present
  • King Creosote
  • Alfie
  • Patrick Wolf
  • Alasdair Roberts
  • The Havenots
  • The Dirty Backbeats
    • ;;The Musician acoustic stage
    FridaySaturdaySunday

    • Trashcan Sinatras
    • Bap Kennedy
    • Pacific Ocean Fire
    • Post War Years
  • The Duhks
  • The Redland Palomino Co
  • Mojo Hand
  • Circulus
  • Corb Lund
  • Sally Barker
  • Rico Rodriguez and the Pressure Tenants featuring Tan Tan
  • Jason Ringenberg
  • Ethan Daniel Davidson Band
  • Jackie Leven
  • Jill Sobule
  • Tony Alles Bluesville
    • ;;Rising stage
    Friday Bathysphere – Lo Tempo Hi Fi ArenaSaturdaySunday

    • Four Tet
    • Minotaur Shock
    • Arovane
    • Flotel
    • Cyan
  • South San Gabriel
  • Amusement Parks on Fire
  • The Chalets
  • Vibronics
  • Espers
  • Vincent Vincent and the Villains
  • Redcarsgofaster
  • Sarah Spade Band
  • Kissmet
  • Luke Haines
  • Battle
  • Love Ends Disaster!
  • Ist
  • Owsley Sunshine
  • Auburn
    • at the 2005 Summer Sundae

    2004 Lineup

    The 2004 Summer Sundae Weekender took place between 13 and 15 August 2004
    Highlights of this festival included Kings of Convenience, Super Furry Animals, Ed Harcourt, Air, Amy Winehouse, The Beta Band, Kasabian and Adem.

    2003 Lineup

    The 2003 Summer Sundae Festival saw the introduction of a dance music to Friday night, and took place over three days between the 8th and 10 August 2003
    Saturday's line-up included Alabama 3, Chumbawamba, Laura Cantrell, British Sea Power, Kathryn Williams and The Herbaliser with Gotan project Headlining. Sunday's bill included Ian McCulloch, Aqualung, Durutti Column, Pernice Brothers, Cosmic Rough Riders and Richard Hawley. The finale was a Concert for a Landmine Free World featuring Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, Joan Baez and Chrissie Hynde sharing the stage.

    2002 Lineup

    The 2002 Summer Sundae Festival took place between the 6th and 7 July 2002
    Highlights of the festival included I Am Kloot, Beth Orton and local favourites Cornershop. There was a strong Americana influence including the Be Good Tanyas, Calexico and The Handsome Family. David Byrne headlined.

    2001 Lineup

    The inaugural event was held on one day in July on two stages with 14 acts including Morcheeba on the outdoor stage and Lambchop on the indoor stage, with Howard Smith and the Diplomats as the opening act.