Sleeper, The Christians, Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band headline The Eyes Have It festival in Derbyshire

The Eyes Have It will bring 23 live acts to Duffield where music to suit all ages and tastes will be rolled out during the weekend of July 5 to 7.

Held in the picturesque Eyes Meadow, this year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Soul outfit The Christians, who had international hits such as Ideal World, Harvest for the World and Words in the Eighties and Nineties, headline the Friday night show. Support acts include The Korgis who charted in 1979 with If I Had You and in 1980 with Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime, festival favourites Littlefield and up and coming Derby band The Mease.

There will be no chance of dozing off when Sleeper take to the stage in the headline spot on the Saturday. The group have racked up eight UK top 40 singles including Sale of the Century, Nice Guy Eddie, What Do I Do Now, Inbetweener and Statuesque. Saturday’s line-up includes The Blow Monkeys whose hits include Digging Your Scene and It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way and the Eric Bell Trio featuring Thin Lizzy’s founding guitarist. Bring your dance shoes as Kismet and local ska reggae band The Skarantinos will defy you not to jig to their beat.

Surianne and the Fusion, who hail from the mighty Rock of Gibraltar, join the Saturday line-up having impressed festival organiser Simon Clark with their performance in 2023. The ever popular Telsen will be performing as will The Endings who bring Celtic punky fusion sounds to the stage.

Sunday might be the last day of the festival, but it will be every bit as action packed as Saturday with the legendary Geno Washington and the Ram Jam

Band headlining. During the Sixties the soul band released a string of hit singles including Water, Hi Hi Hazel, Que Sera Sera and Michael (the Lover). The Climax Blues Band, famous for the UK hit Couldn’t Get It Right, will be among the support acts. The Collide, who have appeared on BBC Introducing are also on the bill as it guitarist Dave Onions who plays his own songs with an infectious driving style and Mandelbrot Shakes, a garage punk trash blues duo who have garnered rave reviews. Local punk outift The Lengthmen will be showcasing their talents in the beer tent.

Live music will run on the main stage from 7pm until midnight on Friday, 2pm until midnight on Saturday and 2pm until 8.30pm on Sunday.

The beer tent with its improved stage and sound system will be the focus for some of the acts and will be certain to be a popular place in which to sample a range of real beers at reasonable prices while enjoying the music. Yummy food outlets will cater for all tastes. Free art and circus workshops and free yoga classes for adults and children will underline the family-friendly feel to the festival.

Craft and gift stalls will be on site for festival goers to browse and buy bespoke items.

Weekend tickets for The Eyes Have It cost £75, Friday tickets £35, Saturday tickets £40, Sunday tickets £30 and are half-price for under 18s. There is free admission for under 10s with a ticket-holding adult and free parking. Book tickets online at www.theeyeshaveit.co.uk/tickets.

If you want to camp, contact Simon on 07707562981 to check availability.