Nile Rodgers & CHIC and Jess Glynne to headline Summer Sessions Music Festival in Bedford Park

Nile Rodgers and Jess Glynne are to headline concerts which will feature as part of the Summer Sessions Music festival in Bedford Park.

Summer Sessions replaces the long-running Bedford Park Concerts with Nile Rodgers & CHIC headlining on Sunday, July 7 alongside special guests, Brit singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor and 80s-inspired contemporary pop band Deco.

Jess Glynne will be performing on Friday, June 28, courtesy of Live Nation, DF Concerts and leading live music and event promoter Cuffe & Taylor.

Tickets to both shows go on sale at 9am this Friday (October 27).

Bedford Summer Sessions will take place across two weekends in June and July. The events will continue the town’s legacy of live music after 23 years of shows, which has seen Bedford Park previously host performances from the likes of Tom Jones, Dizzee Rascal and The Shires.

Nile Rodgers & CHIC is one of the first headliners to be announced for Bedford Summer Sessions.

Nile Rodgers is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist. 2023 saw him become the first creator to be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his legacy in the same year as being awarded a Grammy for his new work with Beyoncé on the smash hit "Cuff It". As the Co-founder of CHIC, Nile pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like "Le Freak", the biggest-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records.

Nile Rodgers said: “The UK is my home from home so despite the fact that it’s not even winter yet I’m excited to be announcing that we will be bringing you ‘good times” this summer.”

He will be joined by chart-topping pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor who will be bringing her glossy, disco-infused dance hits to the proceedings at Bedford Park. Fans can expect a set full of massive songs including “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)” and “Murder on the Dancefloor”. Good mood music melody makers, Deco will also join the party, delivering their 80s synth-speckled contemporary pop hits.

Headlining her own show on Friday, June 28 is Jess Glynne, Grammy and Ivor Novello Award-winning singer/songwriter who catapulted to stardom in the early 2010s.

Hailing from North London, her entrancing vocals graced hit tracks like "My Love" alongside Route 94, which soared to the top of the UK charts. Glynne’s career also boasts dancefloor filling chart-toppers like "These Days" with Rudimental, Macklemore & Dan Caplen and "I'll Be There," claiming the impressive title of her seventh number one hit.

Jess Glynne added: "Can’t wait to get back on stage and go live for all my people! It’s gonna be a good year... Let’s go."

Founded back in 2013 by DF Concerts, Summer Sessions has become a popular live music series in Scotland with events taking place in cities including Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Renowned for regularly showcasing a diverse roster of world-leading talent, previous headliners include Eminem, Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine and David Guetta.

Today’s announcement sees plans for the events to expand into England for the very first time, with Summer Sessions shows announced at Bedford Park and Guildhall Square in Southampton.