Stone Valley South music festival returns to East Herts for third weekender with The Boomtown Rats, The Undertones and Happy Mondays as headliners

Stone Valley South, the weekender for ska, mod, indie, punk and northern soul fans, returns to East Herts this summer.

Organisers originally hoped to host the three-day music festival for a third time in May, but with Covid-19 restrictions on events not expected to be lifted before June 21, they have rescheduled to August 13-15.

The Stone Valley brand was established in Stanhope, County Durham, where it has grown into a sell-out annual celebration.

The bands originally billed to play have all agreed to perform on the new dates, so fans can look forward to sets from headliners The Boomtown Rats, The Undertones and Happy Mondays with stellar support from crowd-pleasers like Bruce Foxton's From the Jam, The Selecter, Neville Staple Band and The Dualers.

Other blasts from the past performing at Hillside Farm, Great Amwell, include Secret Affair, The Skids, Big Country, Sham 69, Bad Manners, The Farm, former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell and the late Ian Dury's band, The Blockheads.

Last month, the Stone Valley South organisers made their case for a new event licence to East Herts Council to accommodate the date change and convinced councillors they had the right plans in place to run a Covid-secure festival.

A spokesman said: "All the bands are returning, and with a legendary line-up like that, we can't wait to party this summer with some of the best live music there is.

"As considerate and ethical event organisers, we will ensure that we will be fully Covid-safe and will go the extra mile to ensure all safety and hygiene requirements will be in place.

"The return to live music this summer will help keep the invaluable live music industry in business, which is responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"Small independent festivals like SVF and many others, and their survival for the future, are a vital part of this industry."

As well as the outdoor stage and video screens for the bands and DJ sets, SVF South will feature trade stalls, "value for money" food and drink and secure camping facilities for those who want to stay on site.

For more details and tickets see https://www.stonevalleyfestival.co.uk/stone-valley-south-home/.