FESTIVAL LIVE TICKETS

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HOWTHELIGHTGETSIN OPENING PARTY

All evening pass for live and night sessions.

Richard Strange

Founder of seminal ArtPunk band Doctors of Madness, Richard ‘Kid’ Strange enthralls with his electrifying performance, striking visuals and engaging stories.

'A seminal figure at the crossroads of art, music, film and counter-culture' The Independent

Roots Union

Every once in a while, a band comes along who don't need to rely on a barrage of hyperbole to get your attention - their music speaks plainly and compellingly for itself. Roots Union’s rousing vibrant complex folk does just that. If you’re not convinced, check out the BBC barrage below.

‘Anthemic and infectiously danceable’ BBC Radio 3

Little Fish

Sometimes a band is more than just a band – it’s a force of nature. Garage rock duo Little Fish sweep you up in their vortex of melodic, punky, stripped down sounds. Their sensual  on-stage thunder has seen them play everywhere from the Viper Rooms in LA to  Glastonbury with Courtney Love, Alice in Chains, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and  Juliette Lewis.

‘Outstanding’ BBC

Pato Vidal DJ set

Femme Fatale Pato Vidal boasts an impressive musical CV. She's played bass guitar for the likes of Courtney Love, Cathy Dennis Sexcassettes and Paloma Faith. The turntable goddess currently holds a DJ residency at Zigfrids, London's sexiest decadent cabaret private club 'Die Freche Muse' and Dalston Superstore.

'Raw and exciting' Resident Advisor

Howard Smith

Incorrigible electro legend takes to the decks , serving up a  selection of disco, dance and electro

Being Human in the 21st Century

Ted Honderich, Robert Skidelsky, Oliver Kamm.
Paul Moss chairs.

Is the modern world making us less rational, less autonomous, and ultimately less human?

Times columnist and author of Anti-Totalitarianism Oliver Kamm, prize-winning economic historian Lord Skidelsky and outspoken philosopher Ted Honderich examine the impact  of global capitalism on our nature and our future.

Saying the Unsayable

Barry C. Smith, Nicholas Ostler, Hilary Lawson.
Simon Blackburn chairs.

Heidegger argued that language was the house of being.  Wittgenstein that the limits of language are the limits of our world.  Were they right?  Is language at the heart of what it is to be human or a 20th century philosophical obsession that we need to overcome?

Simon Blackburn challenges author of Empires of the Word and master of twenty-six languages Nicholas Ostler, post-postmodern philosopher and author of Closure Hilary Lawson, and philosopher of mind and language Barry C Smith to say what some have claimed cannot be said.

Lunchtime Special

ED VAIZEY  - A Change of Culture

A new coalition government is in place and with it a new policy for culture and the arts.  Rising star and minister with responsibility for arts and broadcasting in Cameron's government, Ed Vaizey, gives his vision of the future of culture in Britain.  And you have your chance to call the new coalition to account. 

The Chosen Species?

Raymond Tallis, Christopher Hamilton, Mary Midgley.
David Malone chairs.

From our earliest myths and theologies to modern liberal humanism, humankind has clung to the view that we are somehow special: a chosen species. But are we? If we have no unique place or purpose in the universe what will become of us, and our notions of progress and truth?

Leading polymath Raymond Tallis, postmodern thinker Christopher Hamilton and eminent philosopher Mary Midgley talk to filmmaker David Malone on what it might mean to be human after the end of humanism.

The Trouble With the God Wars

Julian Baggini

From Epicurius to The God Delusion, what are the philosophical issues lurking under the surface of the God Wars? Author of Atheism: a Very Short Introduction Julian Baggini  takes a look behind the certainties of the God Squad and the New Atheists to get at the big ideas.

‘Hugely entertaining’ Publishers Weekly

Engines of Emotion

Simon Blackburn,  Christopher Hamilton, Mary Warnock.

Peter Goldie chairs.

For centuries, western philosophy has dismissed emotion as peripheral. But could it be that rationality is the illusion and our emotions the truth? 

Philosopher of emotion Peter Goldie, asks renowned ethicist Mary Warnock, Cambridge philosopher Simon Blackburn and philosopher of religion Christopher Hamilton whether we govern our emotions or they govern us.

Philosophy and Music

Christopher Norris

What makes human beings creative, and why is music in particular such a universal part of culture? Celebrated critic and theorist Christopher Norris asks what music does for us, and why we do what we do for music.

‘Clear and jargon-free’ University of California

The Truth About Everything

Mary Midgley, Hilary Lawson, Marcus du Sautoy, Christopher Norris.

Angie Hobbs chairs.

Whether in the form of religion or science, humans have sought an overall account of the world  to explain life and the universe. But is an account of everything a plausible goal? Can we  ever know the answers to the biggest questions? And if not, what is left to us?

Renowned moral  philosopher Mary Midgley and post-postmodernist Hilary Lawson collide with mathematician  Marcus Du Sautoy and philosopher and critic Christopher Norris.

Mythinformation: Why the Mind is Not a Computer

Raymond Tallis

Physician, poet and philosopher Raymond Tallis queries new theories of the mind, and explores whether we can explain the brain without reducing it to mere machinery.

‘Possessed of a brilliant wit’ Standpoint

The Carnival Party

All evening pass to live and night sessions  

HowTheLightGetsIn joins forces with Giffords Circus, branded ‘the nation’s most glamorous troupe’ by The Independent.

Kieron Johnson

Illusionist Kieron Johnson makes Yuri Geller look like an amateur and turns magic into performance art with a unique mixture of the strange, the bizarre and the beautiful. See him close  up and you, like everyone who sees him for the first time, will be stunned into silent amazement.

Plaster of Paris

Plaster of Paris deliver syncopated songs of love, lust and loss. Be charmed by mesmerising lyrics, thrilled by haunting vocals and surprised by a bizarre and brilliant self-styled Kazoomaphone.

‘Fantastic emerging talents’ Saatchi Magazine

Lulu & the Lampshades

From ukuleles, violins and drums to dancing lampshades, pyjamas and plastic cartons, pop-folk doesn’t get more uplifting than this.

‘Music so cheery, it could advertise fun’ The Guardian

Man Like Me

Unofficial cool kids about town Man Like Me are best known for crossing musical boundaries. Fresh from supporting Hot Chip and Lady Sovereign with a full brass section, the carnavalesque kings’ brazen lyrics revel in the realities, perks and calamities of life as a young Londoner. With a full brass section included in their live shows, the boys have played everywhere from Glastonbury to Bestival.

‘The men of the moment’   NME

Love and Mercy

The Berlin based DJ collective returns home for its annual assault on the festival season. From Afrobeat to Chicago house, expect deep bass and emotional early hours.

‘Do. Not. Miss.’ Time Out

Philosophy Breakfast

Get a shot of inspiration with your espresso. Hosted by Mark Vernon, the School of Life’s Breakfast Club is a high impact early morning session designed to offer stimulation for those keen to get the most out of the day ahead. Price includes breakfast.

In association with The School of Life

Reclaiming the Body

Michèle Dœuff, Raymond Tallis, Andy Clark.

Harry Eyres chairs.

Tabloid culture aside, the body gets a bad press. The mind often seems to hold all the higher ground.  Through thought we understand the world and behave responsibly while the body connects us with our animal past. But have we got this wrong? Is being human really about being physically human? Is the intellect a mere distraction from the important stuff of bodily sensation?

Radical French philosopher and playwright Michèle Le Dœuff, leading polymath Raymond Tallis, and philosopher of mind Andy Clark rethink the physical.

In association with The Wellcome Trust's Identity Project

Being Human, Being Humanist

Caspar Melville

How do humanists look at the value of life? Is living well without the comfort of a personal God and a transcendental worldview terrifying, or liberating? Editor of the combative New Humanist magazine Caspar Melville looks for answers without illusion.

‘Intellectual fireworks’ The Guardian

Mortality and Immortality

Aubrey de Grey, Mary Warnock, Phillip Blond.

Julian Baggini chairs.

Modern science promises to eradicate death as though it were just another disease. Is this plausible or is knowledge of our mortality essential to being human? Would immortality, or a lifespan of many hundreds of years, usher in a new golden age, or strip us of our humanity?

Scientist and author of Ending Ageing Aubrey de Grey, influential ethicist and policymaker Baroness Mary Warnock, and ‘Red Tory’ and theologian Phillip Blond question whether we should want to live forever.

In association with The Wellcome Trust's Identity Project

Humanity, Terrorisms, Terrorist War

Ted Honderich

Intellectual firebrand Ted Honderich brings his righteous ire to bear on the rhetoric of warlike politicians and the justifications of terrorists alike, unfolding his own distinctive vision of humanity.

‘A courageous swim against the current’ The Times

After Sanity

Richard Bentall, Angie Hobbs, Lewis Wolpert.
David Malone chairs.

We built our ‘civilized’ culture inspired by those who heard the voices of God. Now those who hear voices are more likely to be stigmatised than sanctified. Do our shifting definitions of madness say more about us than they do about those who’ve flown the cuckoo’s nest?

Leading researcher in clinical psychology and critic of the biomedical model of mental illness, Richard Bentall, is joined by classical philosopher, writer and In Our Time stalwart Angie Hobbs and developmental biologist and author of Malignant Sadness Lewis Wolpert, in asking if mental illness might just be a very strange kind of fiction.

Everybody’s Body

Christopher Hamilton

What would humans be if they never caressed each other, or sweated, or felt hunger? Christopher Hamilton offers a discussion of the body, not as something we have, but as something we are.

‘A quite original intelligence’ Raymond Gaita

Sex Machines

Mark Vernon, Simon Blackburn, Michèle le Doeuff, Catherine Hakim.

Some would say we live in a sex obsessed age, but just how important is sexuality to our being?   Should we along with Darwin and Freud see sex as central to our lives, or is it a passing hedonistic activity?  And if it is central to what extent does our sexuality determine how we think and how we influence others?

LSE sociologist and 'Erotic Capital' theorist Catherine Hakim, author of Lust and Cambridge philosopher Simon Blackburn, leading French postmodernist Michèle le Doeuff and journalist and former priest Mark Vernon get serious about sex. 

Confucius Returns

Rana Mitter

Broadcaster and historian Rana Mitter explores how the ancient sage Confucius, is now being embraced by the new China. What do Confucian values tell us about where China came from, and where it might be headed?

‘Imaginative and interesting’ New York Sun

Genetics in the Dock

Lewis Wolpert, Robert Winston, Mary Midgley, John Dupré.

The biological sciences have irrevocably altered the way we think of human life in the last century. But is genetics the whole story of who we are?  Are we simply vehicles for our genes or is there more to being human than genetics would propose?  

Outspoken biologist Lewis Wolpert and prominent fertility expert Lord Robert Winston are held to account by John Dupré, author of Humans and Other Animals’ and  philosopher Mary Midgley, ‘the foremost scourge of scientific pretension in the country’ (The Guardian).

Plato and Erotic Love

Angie Hobbs

Many would argue that ‘Platonic Love’ has a lot to answer for. But they would be ignoring the true Plato, whose conception of erotic love is not for the faint hearted! Warwick Professor Angie Hobbs takes us on a tour of the Republic of lurve.

‘Superb’ Nigel Warburton

SUNDAY SPECIAL

All evening pass to live and night sessions.

Rhymes,reggae and rave. Dust off your glad rags for a good old fashioned knees-up.

Beats and Being

Ewan Pearson in conversation with Caspar Melville

Rave academic and editor of New Humanist Caspar Melville talks to intellectual DJ Ewan Pearson about beats and being, records and reason, ecstasy and existentialism, before Pearson’s highly anticipated DJ set.

Jonny Blamey & The Experiment

Singer, pianist, comedian and philosopher-about-town Blamey once gave a talk on knowledge and love to an audience of all ages from a treehouse in Regents Park. We pin down the brilliant bohemian for a night of music, laughter and more.

The Heebie Jeebies

Hot boy trio The Heebie Jeebies fuse reggae beats, calypso rhythms and  jangling guitar riffs. Their lyrically engaging songs are jam packed with cryptic rhymes and raucous social commentary.

‘Beyond great’ Jarvis Cocker

Beth Jeans Houghton

With the style of Lady Gaga and the sound of a glam folk pixie, Beth Jeans Houghton ‘joins the dots between Gwen Stefani and Vashti Bunyan’ (The Guardian). Her infectious energy and delicious vocals have seen her support Mumford & Sons, Mystery Jets and Bon Iver. MOJO calls her a ‘triumph’, NME brands her ‘a legend in the making’ and The Guardian hails her as a ‘rising star’. And she’s only 19.

‘Impressive’ The Independent

Ewan Pearson

Berlin, Ibiza, Hay-on-Wye: the wildly brilliant academic turned- superstar DJ and author of Discographies takes to the decks.

‘The Venus Williams of the DJ world’ The Guardian

Philosophy Breakfast

Get a shot of inspiration with your espresso. Hosted by Mark Vernon, the School of Life’s Breakfast Club is a high impact early morning session designed to offer stimulation for those keen to get the most out of the day ahead. Price includes breakfast.

In association with The School of Life

Work: The Meaning or Emptiness of Life?

Will Hutton, Tom Hodgkinson, Douglas Murray.
Julian Baggini chairs.

Technology promised a world of freedom and leisure. Yet many of us define ourselves through the nature and success of our working lives. Is this a symptom of modernity  and capitalism or is work fundamental to us? Does work provide meaning and purpose or is it a distraction from the real business of life?

Eminent economist Will Hutton,  founder and editor of The Idler Tom Hodgkinson, and bestselling author and award-winning journalist Douglas Murray get to work.

Erotic Capital and Women’s Advantage

Catherine Hakim

Several factors give women the edge in comparisons of sex appeal and erotic power : the huge male sex deficit, especially among older people; the fact that women take more trouble with their appearance, and work harder at social skills and emotional intelligence. We explore the consequences, in the increasingly sexualized cultures of western society.

History's Children

Rana Mitter, Alex Callinicos, Robert Eaglestone.

Toby Young chairs.

History is part of us: it is one of the grand narratives by which cultures and individuals understand themselves.  But why is the past so important to us?  Does history have a direction or is progress an illusion?  And can there be any ultimate truth to our histories, or are we at the mercy of cultural myths, political spin, and leaders with a purpose in mind?  

Journalist and author Toby Young maintains order as three leading historians, Oxford's Rana Mitter, leading Marxist Alex Callinicos, and postmodernist Robert Eaglestone, take issue with history.

Songs of Love, Liberty and Idleness

Tom Hodgkinson

The Idler editor and lover of freedom Tom Hodgkinson discusses and plays six classic anti-work songs, from John Hartford to John Lennon. Witness the introduction of the ukelele into philosophical discourse, and rediscover how to revel in leisure.

‘A modern-day god of lazy pleasures and idle pursuits’ Port Eliot

After the Storm: a new economics?

Will Hutton, Richard Bronk, William Cash, Jesse Norman.

Is greed still good? Adam Smith famously argued that the self-interest of individuals can be harnessed for the benefit of all.  In the wake of recent events the argument looks rather less convincing. How might a new and more just idea of human nature might feed into a more versatile economics?

With former Observer editor and best-selling economist Will Hutton, editor of Spear’s WMS, William Cash, Conservative Party rising star and author of Compassionate Economics Jesse Norman and author of The Romantic Economist, LSE’s Richard Bronk.

In association with Spear's WMS

The Red Tory: The Future of Politics?

Phillip Blond

Conservative thinker and influential Cameron adviser Phillip Blond sets out the stall for Red Toryism, his vision for the future of the political centre-ground. Which way forward now that Left and Right have become one?

‘Intrigues and infuriates in equal measure’ The Guardian

The Dogs of War

Jon Cruddas, Douglas Murray, Alex Callinicos.

Paul Moss chairs.

Is violence a part of human nature? The last century saw more bloodshed and warfare than any before it. Could this horror have been avoided, or are we condemned to live out never-ending cycles of violence? If so, is our brutality a dangerous remnant of our predatory past, or a crucial tool for building civilisation? If not, just what it is that thwarts our dreams of peace?

Influential Labour politician Jon Cruddas MP, Britain’s foremost neo-conservative commentator, Douglas Murray, and leading Marxist theorist Alex Callinicos, take up arms.

The Promise and Perils of Friendship

Mark Vernon

Friendship is key to the good life, without which riches and success count for nothing. Mark Vernon, author of The Meaning of Friendship argues that it deserves to be as celebrated and supported as marriage.

‘Thoughtful, accessible, lucid’ Julian Baggini

The Individual - An endangered species?

Geoff Mulgan, Phillip Blond, Simon Glendinning, Oliver Kamm.

Rana Mitter chairs.

In the current economic climate there are widespread calls to limit individual excess, but where might a renewed focus on community lead and how might it change our culture? Are we individuals that need to be contained for the benefit of society, or herd animals that should be encouraged to venture forth?

Provocative Times columnist and leader writer Oliver Kamm, founder of the ‘Red Tory’  project Phillip Blond, former Director of Strategy to Tony Blair Geoff Mulgan, and LSE philosopher Simon Glendinning go in search of a new politics.

In association with the Forum for European Philosophy.

The Return of the Eton Mob

Toby Young

How is it that Britain finds itself once again with an Old Etonian Prime Minister? Toby Young looks back at his own time at Oxford as a contemporary of David Cameron's and tries to understand why the English class system has proved so robust in spite of 13 years of Labour rule.

Look Back in Angst

Lembit Opik

Former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik bares all about his years in office, including a behind-the-scenes look at the general election and his predictions for the new coalition government. Expect humour and the melancholic sounds of his trusty harmonica.

THE MONDAY CABARET

All evening pass to live and night sessions    

Brilliant live performances to chase away the Monday blues.

Laura Dockrill

The Times calls sensational spoken-word poet Laura Dockrill, aka Dockers MC, one of the UK’s top literary talents. The 22-year old, raised by arty parents in south London, is the first performance poet to graduate from London’s Brit School, famous for spawning chart-toppers Amy Winehouse, Adele and Kate Nash. She has wowed audiences from Latitude to Edinburgh, Glastonbury to Reading.

‘Everyone’s falling for Laura Dockrill’ Vogue

Robin Ince

Following a sell-out UK tour, multi-award winning comedian Robin Ince returns to the globe for another dose of philosophical musing and wickedly biting invective.

‘A brilliant comic with a genius for improvisation ’ TimeOut
‘Glorious, political and philosophically informed’ The Scotsman

Philip Jeays

If you haven’t heard of him, don’t miss it. If you have, you’ll be there. Romantic and cynical, comic and at the same time deeply melancholic, Philip Jeays’ intense philosophical lyrics and dramatic operatic delivery create a unique and mesmerizing impact on his audience.

‘The sort of discovery you’re always hoping to make and rarely do’ The Telegraph

The Book Club Boutique Band & Friends

Blending music, poetry and performance, the much loved Salena Godden & special guests bring bookish delights and reading revelry to the globe.

‘Salena Godden — The Mae West madam of the salon’ The Sunday Times

Alan McGee (Death Disco)

Music legend McGee – the man behind Oasis and Primal Scream – presents some seriously delicious, dirty disco to get the crowd dancing.

‘One of the architects of Cool Britannia’ The  Telegraph

Owllo

Returns to the globe with his signature filthy basslines and pounding rhythms taking us into the early hours.

Interior Traces

Radio drama meets video work and musical score in this series of live multi-media events that look at how our images and imaginings of the brain have radically changed medicine, law, and our sense of self. Come immerse yourself and join in a discussion with author Dr Louise Whiteley and neuroimaging expert Dr Oliver Hulmes.

Chameleon

In this new video installation, artist Tina Gonsalves explores human emotion, intimacy and vulnerability. Focusing on emotional contagion, she uncovers how we innately and continuously  synchronise with the facial expressions, voices and postures of others by unconsciously infecting each other with our emotions. The artist joins us to discuss her work.

Martino Unstrung

A great jazz musician suffers total amnesia, and cannot even recall that he ever played the guitar. In this powerful film, based on the life of jazz legend Pat Martino, we explore the nature of memory, self, creativity and the mysterious brain mechanisms underlying the construction of personal identity. Described as ‘the finest documentary about a jazz musician ever made’, the
screening is accompanied by a talk and discussion with award-winning director Ian Knox.

R&R AT THE GLOBE

Double bill all evening pass

After the bank holiday madness, enjoy an evening of mellow sounds and dulcet tones.

Babel Fish

Jazzy duo Brigitte Beraha and Barry Green, aka Babel Fish, join us for a special live session.  Regulars at Ronnie Scott's, their set mixes beautiful songs from the classical and  contemporary repertoires and original material.

‘One of the best kept secrets on the British jazz scene’ The Guardian

Ana Silvera

The Liberal calls Silvera epic and intimate, with songs that offer us a landscape of the human heart. Hers is a tapestry carefully crafted, often woven with the fabric of mythic tales, told with tender insight and in wry, seductive tones.

‘A songsmith whose music simply aches beauty’ Time Out

Star Trekking

What does it mean to be you? From travelling through time and robots to cloning ourselves, The Philosophy Shop untangles the story of personal identity with our budding philosophers. Each session will look at a different aspect of what makes us who we are.

In association with The Philosophy Shop

Age 8+

What sort of vegetable are you?

In this playful storytelling workshop Seed City comes to life, the land where a radish plays the bongos, a mungbean rides a bike and an okra runs City Hall. Kick back, join in and discover your inner vegetable.

In association with the Secret Seed Society

All Ages Welcome

Animated Minds

Exhibition screening of the BAFTA award-winning short animated films, offering a refreshing insight into the minds of mental health sufferers.

Patients: Portraits and Psychiatrists

Artist Gemma Anderson and psychiatrist Dr Tim McInerney, collaborators on the innovative exhibition reveal the stories behind the portraits, and discuss the power of art to communicate aspects of the human condition.

WICKED WEDNESDAY

All evening pass to live and night sessions.

Talk, think, dance, play.

Gaynor O’Flynn & band

Gaynor O’Flynn did time on legendary music show The Tube before travelling to the Himalayas. Here she discovered her voice, which continues to inspire.

‘A cathartic, conscious voice’ BBCi

Comedy at the Globe presents Josie long

In 1999, Josie Long won the BBC New Comedy Award at the age of just 17 - making her too young to drink the prize champagne. Since then, she’s gone on to work with Stewart Lee, write for Channel 4’s Skins and wow the crowds at Edinburgh.

‘Fresh, original and gleefully absurd’ The Guardian

Richard Walters

The singer songwriter has worked with the production team behind Madonna and Bat for Lashes and earned comparisons to Jeff Buckley.

‘Dazzlingly Beautiful, Fragile And Mesmeric’ Clash Magazine

Martha Tilston

Enchanting singer-songwriter Martha Tilston weaves her magic spell from the concert hall to the campfire, from folk clubs to opening the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury.

‘Performed with a sprinkling of magic’ Time Out

Aubrey Fry

A regular on the party scene in London, Brighton and Ibiza, Aubrey Fry spins upbeat continental electro and not-quite-minimal techno.

‘World class’ Mix Mag

What sort of vegetable are you?

In this playful storytelling workshop Seed City comes to life, the land where a radish plays the bongos, a mungbean rides a bike and an okra runs City Hall. Kick back, join in and discover your inner vegetable.

In association with the Secret Seed Society

All Ages Welcome

Star Trekking

What does it mean to be you? From travelling through time and robots to cloning ourselves, The Philosophy Shop untangles the story of personal identity with our budding philosophers. Each session will look at a different aspect of what makes us who we are.

In association with The Philosophy Shop

Age 8+

The Dancing Girl

A dance choreographed and performed by Jessie Brett. One girl dances through her life, remembering the innocence she felt as a child and reflecting on how she feels now. A melancholic soundtrack of old and young voices accompanies a playful solo dance full of energy.

Get Dancing!

Ignite your imagination with an energetic and fundance workshop with choreographer Jessie Brett from the National Youth Dance Wales.

Fear and Loathing in Frankenstein’s Garden

Noel Kingsbury, Dr Denis Murphy, Robert Hilton and Gerald Miles.

David Christie chairs.

The ability to transform our natural environment is vital for human survival and progress. But have we amassed more power than we dare to use? Are we right to be suspicious of those who meddle with nature? Is it ethically responsible to go organic, if it means failing to feed an ever more-crowded world?

Acclaimed landscape theorist Noel Kingsbury, Professor of Biotechnology, Denis Murphy, organic farmer and activist Gerald Miles and local environmentalist Robert Hilton are joined by historian David Christie.

THURSDAY EXTRAVAGNZA

Curtains up. A theatrical evening of spectacle and surprise.
All evening pass to live and night sessions.

Comedy at the Globe presents ‘Golden Lizard’

Hot foot from their rave success at the Comedy Festival 2010 where they won Best new Show, comedians Mike Wozniak & Henry Paker deliver a clutch of bizarre characters, bogus science and scrambled mystery in a play directed by Matt Peover.

‘Infinitely pleasurable’  The Independent

Jonathan Powell & band

Genre-defying musician and general over-achiever Jonathan Powell has written for Charlotte Church, studied the viola at the Royal Academy of Music, and won the National chamber competition 5 times.

‘Genius’ BBC Radio Wales

Trilobytzes & DJ Overtones

This three-piece psychedelic dance band mixes synthesisers, computers, drum machines, violins and vocals with video backdrops, colourful lighting and special effects.

‘The best collection of vintage synthesisers you’re ever likely to see on stage’ Broadsheep

Festival Live Tickets - 2 Days

Festival Live Tickets give you two days unlimited free access to all live and night sessions.  You can choose any two days that you wish by completing the date of arrival when you buy the tickets.  

Star Trekking

What does it mean to be you? From travelling through time and robots to cloning ourselves, The Philosophy Shop untangles the story of personal identity with our budding philosophers. Each session will look at a different aspect of what makes us who we are.

In association with The Philosophy Shop

Age 8+

Joe Craig: Superpowers and Storytelling

Action heroes, get ready! Best-selling author of the Jimmy Coates action novels takes us on a thrilling adventure through the world of storytelling.

Erasing David

In an exclusive screening of this ‘brilliant new documentary’ (Observer), film-maker David Bond makes a ‘fascinating call to arms’ (Independent) against the database state, forcing us to contemplate the meaning of privacy and the loss of it.

The End of Privacy?

Frank Furedi, David Bond, Helena Kennedy, David Aaronovitch.

Cameras watch our every move, internet databases hold the most private of information about us. But do we care, and does it matter?

Times columnist and author of Voodoo Histories David Aaronovitch, author of Politics of Fear Frank Furedi, civil liberties champion Helena Kennedy QC, and filmmaker David Bond contemplate a world where nothing is entirely private.

THE FRIDAY SHINDIG

Bethan Elyfn & Friends Present

Cate Le Bon | Islet | Man Without Country

All evening pass to live and night sessions

Cate Le Bon

The Independent calls Cate Le Bon a strikingly different prospect to the recent run of new female singers. Blessed with a unique line in imagery and a ramshackle innocence to her musical approach, she’s one to watch this year.

‘A singular talent’ MOJO

Islet

Shunning all forms of online promotion and networking, Islet is quietly revolutionizing the music scene. Through a stream of outstanding gigs, the band reached the upper echelons of Radio 1 and inspired two grown men to start a fan blog.

‘A phenomenon’ NME

Man Without Country

Branding themselves as shoegaze meets electronica, Cardiff trio Ryan, Tom & Gareth, aka Man Without Country, are crossing musical borders. With songs that travel from cute and quirky to dark and dangerous, you’ll want to join them.

‘This is a band you want to smoke’ Tunited

Bethan Elfyn & The Vinyl Vendettas

Growing up in Welsh wilderness, Bethan latched onto lyrics and dreamed of one day becoming a superstar DJ. The Radio 1 pin-up takes to the globe stage with  her all girl DJ collective to show us how it’s done.

‘Ones to watch’ Elle Magazine

Philosophy Breakfast

Get a shot of inspiration with your espresso. Hosted by Robert Rowland Smith, the School of Life’s Breakfast Club is a high impact early morning session designed to offer stimulation for those keen to get the most out of the day ahead. Price includes breakfast.

In association with The School of Life

An Immaterial World

Don Cupitt, Susan Neiman, Miguel Beistegui, Hilary Lawson.
Nigel Warburton chairs.

Is the world of physical things, of atoms and molecules, all we’ve got or is there more to being human than the purely material? Do we have one foot, or one mind, in an immaterial world?

American philosopher and Director of the Einstein Forum, Susan Neiman, post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson, radical theologian and author of The Sea of Faith Don Cupitt, and  Heidegger specialist Miguel Beistegui apply rationality to the immaterial.

Mankind and Misanthropy

Frank Furedi

When we ask what it is to be human, do our answers tell us more about modernity than they do about humanity? Sociologist Frank Furedi asks whether humans ‘are’ anything at all, turning his critical gaze on the recent anti-humanist trend in philosophy.

‘Thought-provoking’ The Times

Being Conscious

Roger Penrose, Iain McGilchrist, Steve Fuller, Bonnie Greer.

No mystery has puzzled scientists and philosophers more deeply than the problem of how the brain transcends its physical origins. What is consciousness and how is it possible? Can we ever understand the workings of our own minds?

Mathematician and author of The Emperor’s New Mind Sir Roger Penrose, psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist, controversial postmodern sociologist Steve Fuller and playwright, novelist and  critic Bonnie Greer ask what it means to be conscious. 

Joe Craig: Superpowers and Storytelling

Action heroes, get ready! Best-selling author of the Jimmy Coates action novels takes us on a thrilling adventure through the world of storytelling.

The Good Delusion

Steve Fuller, Susan Neiman, Don Cupitt, Amber Carpenter.

Mary Ann Sieghart chairs.

The values and beliefs that have sustained us for millennia have been swept up in the whirlwinds of relativism and postmodernism. In response there is a clamour for fundamental values and  beliefs. But can we give any meaning to ‘the good’ or ‘the moral’ that is not culturally relative? Is the good a fiction we like to believe in?

Author of Evil in Modern Thought Susan Neiman, moral philosopher Amber Carpenter, outspoken sociologist Steve Fuller and radical theologian Don Cupitt ask whether a foundation for human values is possible.

Abstraction and Wit

Bonnie Greer

Author, playwright and commentator Bonnie Greer explores the uses of abstraction and wit as artistic tools of political liberation. Are laughter, joke-telling, irony, and the escapism of dream states essential to human survival and transcendence?

‘Humorous, sexy, and always very sharp’ TLS

To the Ends of the Earth?

Johann Hari, Anna Stanford, Frank Furedi, Marek Kohn.
Mary Ann Sieghart chairs.

What motivates our attempts to protect the environment? We are part of the natural world but does this also provide us with a transcendental basis for ethics? Or are we seeking a meaningless catharsis to fulfil the human desire to value something beyond ourselves?

Broadcaster and journalist Mary Ann Sieghart is joined by columnist and award-winning reporter, Johann Hari, renewable energy expert Anna Stanford, renowned sociologist Frank Furedi and science writer Marek Kohn.

In association with RES

Philosophy 2.0

Nigel Warburton

How is technology changing philosophy? Could the spoken word take precedence over the written? How important is face to face discussion? Academic and host of Philosophy Bites Nigel Warburton explores new ways of doing philosophy.

‘Expert, concise and with admirable clarity’ The Independent

The Right to be Human?

Helena Kennedy, Robert Rowland Smith, Jesse Norman.
Mary Ann Craig chairs.

We’ve come to see human rights as sacred and unquestionable, to be defended at every step. Are these rights the accidental outcome of a particular culture or are they an essential part of what it is to be human? And how do we determine what they are?

Leading human rights lawyer, author, commentator and broadcaster Baroness Helena Kennedy joins philosopher and author of Breakfast with Socrates Robert Rowland Smith and author of Churchill’s Legacy Jesse Norman.

The Death of Neoliberalism

Miguel Beistegui

Continental philosopher Miguel Beistegui brings the biggest idea of the late 20th century to bear on the biggest problem of the 21st, offering a postmodern proposal for economic renewal.

‘Engaging and philosophically provocative’ Philosophical Review

Shooting Star Party

Sŵn Presents

King Creosote | Muchuu | Evening Chorus | Johnny Flynn

All evening pass to live and night sessions.

The duo behind the wildly successful Sŵn Festival curate a night of the UK's best new music.

Evening Chorus

Evening Chorus was brought together by a love of tea, biscuits and folk music. Infusing hand-made CDs and merchandise with exciting yet thoughtful music and lively stage performance, the band has garnered praise for its powerful vocal harmonies and inventive use of the instrumentation. 

Muchuu

Sibling duo George and Milky make up the much-lauded Muchuu. Their haunting harmonies and arresting melodies echo the likes of Ellie Goulding and the Ting Tings.

‘Enchanting, exquisite, an ethereal delight’ The Guardian

Johnny Flynn

He’s recorded with Laura Marling, hangs round with Lily Allen and reads John Gray. Playing everything from the guitar and mandolin to the violin and organ, his new album is out in June.

‘The next poster boy of the nu-folk scene’ The Times

King Creosote

Offbeat loveable Scotsman King Creosote headlines the evening. The chic geek has wowed international audiences with a style as versatile as it is vivacious.

‘The original zany nerd’ BBC

Huw Stephens & John Rostron

At 18, Huw Stephens became Radio 1’s youngest ever DJ. Since then, he’s toured from Sonar to Bestival, Latitude to Leeds. His Sŵn Festival co-founder pal John Rostron joins him for an explosive dj set.

‘The best new music under the radar’ BBC

States of Play

Bonnie Greer, Tom Chatfield, Iain McGilchrist, Jonathan Ree.
Nigel Warburton chairs.

We associate play with children and sport but is play something far more central to being human? Could playfulness be at the heart of human creativity and interaction? Is play an empty hedonistic activity or are we at our most human when we are playful?

Playwright and novelist Bonnie Greer, author of Fun Inc. Tom Chatfield, psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist, and philosopher Jonathan Ree, find themselves at play with play.

In association with Prospect.

Humanity 2.0 – Bridging the Carbon-Silicon Divide

Steve Fuller

In more religious times, the Human was where the Animal met the Divine. In the 21st Century these two aspects find their expression in the philosophies of neodarwinism and of human enhancement. Between our animal roots and a silicon-based future, can our species remain one?

‘Putting social epistemology on the map’ The Guardian

Awake in the Universe

Roger Penrose and Bonnie Greer on Imagination

What allows mankind to confront the universe? Is imagination more important than knowledge? Join renowned physicist Sir Roger Penrose and author, playwright and commentator Bonnie Greer, as they explore how that most elusive of faculties – creativity – has helped us unlock the undiscovered country of the mind and the mysteries of the cosmos. Chaired by Andrew Copson.

For reasons of ill-health, Philip Pullman is unfortunately unable join us for this event. ‘Awake in the Universe’ will instead be going ahead with author, playwright and commentator Bonnie Greer in conversation with Sir Roger Penrose.  

In association with the British Humanist Association.

Struggling to be Human

Zygmunt Bauman on utopias and dystopias

Eminent sociologist Zygmunt Bauman talks to Richard Sennett about the transformation of our dreams of progress into a lust for escape and survival.

Described by The Guardian as ‘the most influential sociologist working in Europe’, Zygmunt Bauman has a talent for speaking differently. A major inspiration to the anti-globalisation movement, he is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Leeds. 

The Master and his Emissary

Iain McGilchrist

Philosopher and Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist argues that the precise, short-termist left brain has usurped the role of the holistic, integrative right brain with devastating consequences for modern society. Your brain will never feel the same again.

‘A story you need to hear’ Sunday Times

The City and the Sublime

Richard Sennett, Peter Dews, Joanna Kavenna. Mary Ann Sieghart chairs.

The city has become the backdrop to the modern human drama. But does this separation from nature in a habitat of our own design bring us closer together, allowing us to play more creatively and socialise more satisfyingly? Or does the urban experience isolate us beyond measure? Is the city a rational paradise, or the backdrop to our collective madness?

Sociologist Richard Sennett, philosopher Peter Dews and prize-winning novelist Joanna Kavenna embrace the intricacies of the urban with Mary Ann Sieghart.

Blaenavon Male Voice Choir

As Wales’ leading singing group, the brilliant Blaenavon Male Voice Choir was recently featured on the BBC series Coal House. They’ve toured from Norway and Hungary to France and Canada, and celebrate their 100-year anniversary with an uplifting Sunday set to close the festival in style.

‘Light shining in their eyes’ Los Angeles Times