Maverick Sabre will be joining the Guernsey Festival line-up as the final Main Stage headliner at The Rabbit Warren in Guernsey on Saturday 23 June.
Hackney-born Maverick Sabre (Matthew Stafford) relocated to Ireland at a young age where he developed an interest in music.
Performing on the Irish hip hop scene in his teenage years, he eventually earned support slots with rappers such as Lloyd Banks and Plan B. It was Plan B, after hearing Sabre’s haunting and soulful voice, who convinced him to move back to London and pursue a music career.
Maverick Sabre has since gone from strength to strength; his vocals feature on Professor Green’s top 40 single ‘Jungle’ and Chase & Status’ top three charting album No More Idols.
Signed as a solo artist to Mercury, his debut album, Lonely Are the Brave, reached number two in the UK charts earlier this year and spawned hits ‘I Need’ and ‘Let Me Go.’
Guernsey Festival organiser Paul Stephen sees Maverick Sabre’s unique style - a bold blend which includes R&B, hip hop, folk and reggae - as a great addition to the eclectic line-up for this year’s two day event.
‘We couldn’t be more excited about having him round-off the Saturday. Our overall aim is that there is something for everybody and we feel Maverick Sabre is a huge step towards this goal.’
Also gracing Saturday’s Main Stage will be I am Tich, an upcoming pop singer-songwriter sensation who has performed at many major festivals and is currently working on her debut album with acclaimed songwriters such as Nick Jonas.
Meanwhile, the Second Stage on Sunday will now include British girl group Vida (currently touring with JLS) and on Saturday will showcase Guernsey’s own Last of the Light Brigade and China Aster.
Additions to Saturday’s VIP stage include Thai deep house and techno DJ Nakadia along with Funhouse DJs (Stu Mair and Killa) and Guernsey’s own Amelia. Sunday will host Jersey’s Boogaloo DJs (Paul Shoer and Keith Robinson) along with Guernsey acts Soups (AKA Christopher Souplet), Manzur, Andy Newman and Simon Veron.
Legendary drum ‘n’ bass/jungle DJ and producer Shy FX (featuring MC Stamina) has been announced for the Fusion Nightclub Dance Arena on the Sunday. More announcements for Saturday will showcase Guernsey talent with appearances from Infectious Rhythm DJs Tom Brock, Leon Robertson & Gezzie along with Karl Cicmic, while Sunday will also see D-Bridge (featuring SP:MC), Hydro & Pressure and Killa perform.
These acts will now join the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Macy Gray and The Charlatans on the diverse list of artists appearing at the event.
‘We are overwhelmed with the versatility of artists on this year’s line-up and hope music fans will go away fulfilled. Maverick Sabre and Shy FX are both great names in their genres and really seal the deal for us,’ said Mr Stephen.
With just 38 days to go until the event, the only performers that now remain a mystery are those that will fill slots left for winners of the Live & Unsigned and Studio Jam competitions.
The Guernsey Festival will take place on 23 and 24 June and tickets are available online now at www.guernseyfestival.gg.