Lots of familiar faces, and some new ones, will be taking to the Kunst!Rasen stage next Summer. Local rock favourites BAP and Brings will be sure of a big turn-out of fans, and since Steven Wilson’s solo appearance was a highlight of the 2018 Kunstrasen season, expect the appearance of his band Porcupine Tree to be a highlight in 2023. Another highlight will I’m sure be Mick Hucknall’s Manchester veterans Simply Red who have been a major force in Rock music for going on forty years now, but Cologne’s BAP go back even further. The band’s title for the coming season of ‘The Schliesslich Unendlich (ultimately endless) Tour’ is a welcome sign that frontman Wolfgang Niedecken doesn’t plan to hang up his guitars anytime soon. Expect a good three hours of BAP classics on 12 August.

The well-established Classic Rock Night and Classic Picnic concerts are planned as always, and it’s great to see that last year’s Folk Picnic was a big enough success for it to return for a second year. The Beethoven Orchestra Bonn will be onstage of course for the Classic Picnic, but who will be playing at the Rock and Folk events? Stay tuned for more news as and when it’s announced!