Cornwall’s weird and wonderful celebration of music, culture, and eccentricity, is set to elevate the summer festival experience. 

The Great Estate, which is taking place at Scorrier House between May 31 and June 2, has lined up headline acts including iconic rockers The Darkness, legendary punk rockers The Stranglers, and the soulful grooves of Soul II Soul and a plethora of offbeat attractions. 

The Darkness, an electrifying British rock band, exploded from their Lowestoft roots to global success when they released their debut album Permission to Land to almost overnight success.  

Catapulting them to international stardom, it topped the charts and sold more than one-and-a-half million copies in the UK alone whilst also becoming a huge success around the world from the USA to Australia, Germany to Japan. The album spawned a series of hit singles including ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, ‘Growing On Me’, ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’.  

The Stranglers, first formed in 1974 and were embraced by the punk movement of the late 70s but their musicianship and menace transcended the genre.  

With their first three albums (Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes and Black and White) being released within an astonishing 13 months of each other, scoring hit singles with ‘Peaches’, ‘No More Heroes’ and ‘Walk On By’.  

Further success was to follow with ‘Always The Sun’, ‘Strange Little Girl’ and the mercurial ‘Golden Brown’, amongst many others, in a career spanning six different decades. 

Soul II Soul, an iconic band that emerged from the vibrant UK soundsystem culture epitomises determination, resourcefulness, and an unwavering passion for music. In the mid-1980s, against the backdrop of the underground warehouse scene, Soul II Soul’s creative expression flourished. With chart-topping hits like ‘Keep On Movin’ and ‘Back To Life’, Soul II Soul became household names, solidifying their iconic status.  

There will also be performances by Huey Morgan, The Beatles Dub Club, Bez’s Acid House Party, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, The Barefoot Bandit, and Junior Jungle in addition to the BBC Introducing Stage for those who love discovering new sounds, and after-hours DJ sets in the woodland.  

The Great Estate continues to push the boundaries of the traditional festival experience by curating a programme that goes beyond music, producing an immersive environment, which will include Madame Wong’s Drag Race, The Great Lantern Parade and a supersized Silent Disco.