A new summer music festival is coming to the MAC at Cannon Hill Park - with indie stars & more

Birmingham’s best indie cowboy band - Independent Country - has teamed up with the MAC (Midland Arts Centre) - to present a new summer music festival called The Ryland Caravan.

There’s going to be non-stop live music - with Gerry Love from Teenage Fanclub topping the bill - DJs, food, craft beer from Attic Brewery, podcasting pop-ups, arty stalls and more. It’s being compared to an old-time travelling show - and is named after Cannon Hill Park’s Victorian benefactor Louisa Ryland.

Independent Country have been wowing music fans at festivals in Birmingham for many years with their unique country & western take on Indie classics from Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain, Radiohead and more. The Ryland Caravan is pulling into MAC’s unique Outdoor Theatre for a rollickin’ good time on Saturday, May 27.

Here’s the line up:

• Headliner Gerry Love (ex-Teenage Fanclub)reimagines his peerless songbook from his years as one of the main songwriters and vocalists with Scottish indie legends Teenage Fanclub and from his stunning solo album Electric Cables.

• Floppy fringes and baggy jeans are swapped for pedal steel guitars and four-part harmonies as Birmingham’s own Independent Country mash up UK and US indie classics with country stylings, delivering a sound that has won admirers on festival stages from Bournville to Nashville.

• Mercurial live performerLaura J Martin interweaves vocal loops, flute, mandolin and electronics to bewitching effect. The talented multi-instrumentalist has toured regularly across the UK and Europe and supported acts such as PJ Harvey, Teenage Fanclub and Cate Le Bon.

• Swampmeat Family Bandhave been described by Clash magazine as “blistering punk edge guitar energy, Americana-influenced but also deeply rebellious and intelligent to boot”.

• Joining the action is OneTrackMindsa live storytelling event exploring the transformative power of music, in an entertaining cross between Desert Island Discs and TED Talks, this live storytelling event explores the transformative power of music.

Jo Carr, Programmer at MAC says: “We’re crazily excited to be hitching our wagon to Independent Country this summer to kick off our outdoor season with The Ryland Caravan. Our Outdoor Theatre will be buzzing with live music, DJ sets, incredible craft stalls from local makers, delicious food and locally brewed beer – what’s not to (Gerry) love? Grab your tickets now and come along and enjoy this homegrown festival right on your doorstep.”

Craig Hamilton from Independent Country, added: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring together this line up at the MAC’s brilliant Outdoor Theatre. As local boys it’s exciting to bring a new festival to town, but as a band who reimagine indie classics in a country music style, to play with one of our absolute heroes Gerry Love is very special indeed. Put it this way, if we weren’t already getting in for free, we’d be first in line to buy a ticket for this one!”.

For more information and to book tickets, visit: MAC Birmingham, The Ryland Caravan