A GRASSROOTS music festival has unveiled Brit-Award nominated singer-songwriter and chart-topper Newton Faulkner as its headliner this year.

The Devauden Festival, which switched from the village to TV star Kate Humble's 'Humble By Nature' farm at Penallt last year, will be taking place there again from Friday to Sunday, May 22-24.

First launched 16 years ago, the volunteer-run not-for-proft community event has become a favourite fixture on the Welsh festival circuit, and has already announced more than 60 bands and acts this time around, with more to be added.

Artistic director Scott McKeon, who is a member of festival fixtures and Caldicot’s returning Saturday headliners Rusty Shackle, said: "This is a huge year for Devauden Festival, and our headliners reflect everything we stand for.

"Friday night headliner Newton Faulkner represents the ambition behind the festival – welcoming a multi-platinum, Brit Award-nominated artist to a grassroots, volunteer-run event shows just how far Devauden has come.

"On Sunday, Tankus bring their renowned, high-energy live show., and as a mainstay of the UK festival circuit, their eagerness to return after playing here in 2019 speaks volumes about the unique atmosphere Devauden creates.

"And I’m of course thrilled to be playing with Rusty Shackle on the Saturday.

"Having played every year since the very first festival in 2010, our journey is closely intertwined with Devauden, and the atmosphere when we play here is always really special."

With four stages and the Glastonbury Big Top set in the picturesque Wye Valley, it promises "a unique experience".

Other acts booked this year, with a bill that is three-quarters Welsh-based, include Rogora Khart, Graveyard Jonnys, MWSOG and Amairgin the Gael.

Headliners will be playing in the Big Top, while the Merry Mari stage hosts electronic and dance music, Tangerine Trees will welcome emerging artists to the woods, and the House of Roots will be the place for intimate and stripped-back music.

Known for his percussive style of guitar playing, Newton Faulkner's debut studio album Hand Built by Robots topped the UK charts in 2007.

Follow-up albums Rebuilt by Humans (No 3), Write It On Your Skin (No 1), and Studio Zoo (No 10) also proved huge hits, while he also starred in the West End in the musical American idiot, based on the songs of Green Day.

What began as a small village event, organised around the village hall in Devauden by a handful of local residents, was built on a simple idea: bring people together through music and shared experience.

In its earliest days, the festival was modest in scale but rich in spirit - familiar faces, borrowed equipment and a lot of goodwill.

The word spread and numbers grew year on year, as the festival went from six hours on a Saturday to three days.

The Welsh Government recognised the festival as a growth event for Wales in 2023, and provided a grant to improve the experience for artists and attendees and to market it to a wider audience.

See https://www.devaudenfestival.com/ for tickets and more information.