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PONTY’S BIG WEEKEND 2013

Saturday and Sunday tickets are still available as more acts are added to the line-up

 

Limited tickets are still available for the hottest show in town this summer - Ponty’s Big Weekend - with more exciting acts announced onto the line-up.

Due to overwhelming demand for tickets for the sell-out event, organisers Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and its partners Orchard Entertainment, announced the sale of a further 5,000 tickets for the Saturday performances.

The Saturday line-up includes chart-topping boy-band JLS, who recently announced they are set to split up - but not before they headline Ponty’s Big Weekend on July 20, one of their final shows in South Wales.

Also on the bill are fellow chart-topping bands Little Mix and Union J.

The three major acts are being supported by The Voice contestant Ragsy, X Factor contestant John Adams, singer-songwriter Ed Drewett, and young up-and-coming Welsh singer Chloe Cook.

News that some of the biggest names in the entertainment world are performing at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s flagship event this summer is a massive boost for the County Borough.

It secures the place of Pontypridd, and indeed the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taf, as a magnificent venue for a summer music festival for fans of all ages and the envy of music promoters all across the country.

Gary Ryland (Ragsy) has become a household name this year as ‘The Rock-n-Roll Chef’ with his mentor Sir Tom Jones on the BBC TV talent show.

John Adams shot to fame on ITV’s X Factor after stunning the judges at the auditions stages with his rendition of Damien Rice’s Cannonball. He went on to become a popular contestant on the show.

Ed Drewett was a contestant on the BBC TV show Any Dream Will Do and went on to reach Number 3 in the music charts with I Need You Tonight - a collaboration with Professor Green.

He followed this up with Never Be A Right Time, again with Professor Green, which reached Number 34 in the charts. His first solo single Champagne Lemonade, also made the charts.

Ed Drewett also co-wrote The Wanted’s debut single All Time Low, which went straight to the Number One slot, as well as their hits Glad You Came and Lightning, as well as songs for Olly Murs’ third album Right Place Right Time in 2012.

But the star-studded line-up does not end there, with Ponty’s Big Weekend Sunday line-up starring The Overtones, Rhydian Roberts, Sophie Evans, The Siren Sisters, Tenors of Rock and James Williams.

They will be joined by home-grown talent Samantha Spragg and Annelies.

Samantha, aged 17, of Aberfan, has been performing since the age of eight, and says she cannot wait to perform with such big names at Ponty’s Big Weekend - ahead of her appearance at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Samantha, who has also performed at many major venues in Wales, as well as London’s West End and Trafalgar Square, said: “Two years ago I was stood watching JLS and last year watching Olly Murs and Alfie Boe at Ponty’s Big Weekend.

“To think that this year I will be up there performing is a dream come true, and the fact that it is the one of Wales' most important music events and loads of my family and friends have already got tickets just adds to that excitement.”

Annelies made her television debut at the age of three on Michael Barrymore's My Kind of People and by the age of seven had performed live on stage alongside the likes of Charlotte Church and Russell Watson.

In 2002, she made the finals of ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes and aged 10 she won a musical scholarship to the Cathedral School in Cardiff, going on to perform at the Millennium Stadium, St David’s Hall and Wembley Stadium.

Annelies first performed at Ponty’s Big Weekend in 2010, sharing the stage with Faryl Smith, Hayley Westenra and Jonathan Ansell.

She has recently returned from touring the UK with Rhydian Roberts and The Tenors of Rock and is currently working with Steve Balsamo and producer Ben Robbins on material for her debut album.

Cllr Maureen Webber, Cabinet Member for Council Business and Public Relations, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming JLS back to Ponty’s Big Weekend, especially as this is going to be their last-ever appearance at the event. Following the huge demand we experienced for tickets, we have done our very best to make sure that fans are not disappointed and managed to release a further 5,000 tickets for the Saturday show.

“We are also delighted to announce even more acts who will be performing at Ponty’s Big Weekend and who will no doubt receive a tremendous welcome from the thousands of music fans.”

Christian Hanagan, Head of Strategy, PR and Tourism at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “Ponty’s Big Weekend continues to go from strength to strength every year - and this year is going to be no exception with what looks like being yet another sell-out event.

“All our hard work is paying off as we continue to deliver an annual music festival that grabs the attention of the rest of the UK and, importantly, is supporting our on-going efforts to boost the local economy and establish Rhondda Cynon Taf as a major visitor destination.”

Ponty’s Big Weekend is organised by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, in partnership with Orchard Entertainment, Wales’ largest independent music promoter and communications’ company and is once again sponsored by Costain.

Ponty’s Big Weekend 2013 takes place at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, on July 20-21. For ticket information visit www.pontysbigweekend.co.uk

Tickets are also available at the Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare; Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd; Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy; or by calling the Box Office on 08000 147 111.