“The Progster Presents ...” are delighted to announce a bigger and better Summer’s End Festival for 2006.

The inaugural festival, held in Gloucester last year, was a one-day event which was universally praised, both by those who attended and by those who played. This year, with a new venue and format, it will be even better. For 2006, the festival will take place over two days, Saturday September 30th and Sunday October 1st at the festival’s new home, The Robin 2, Bilston, one of the UK’s premier live music venues.

The line-up draws together some of the best progressive rock bands and performers from the UK and the wider European prog scene and  – at time of writing – is confirmed as:

Saturday 30th Sept, Afternoon: Ezra + Credo + White Willow (Norway)
Saturday 30th Sept, Evening:  TBC + Strangefish + Pendragon

Sunday 1st Oct, Afternoon: Darwin’s Radio + Pure Reason Revolution + Flamborough Head (Netherlands)
Sunday 1st Oct, Evening: Guy Manning + Also Eden + The Flower Kings (Sweden)

Ticket prices have been kept as low as possible and a weekend ticket, bought in advance, is just £40 (with six acts per day, that’s just £3.33 per act!).

Day tickets will also be available at £25 for each day. All prices will be higher ‘on the door’ and numbers are to be limited to 500, so early booking is recommended.

The change to the two-day format is a direct result of comments made during the recent “fantasy festival” audience survey posted on prog websites and forums. Indeed, most of the bands have been invited by request of the survey’s respondents.

Other format changes that have come from the survey include the provision of some seating and the admission of younger prog fans (14+, though under 18s must be accompanied by an adult).

Tickets will be available on-line through the Robin 2 box office ( http://www.therobin.co.uk/ - www.therobin.co.uk ) and the Sonicbond website ( http://www.sonicbond.com/ - www.sonicbond.com ) and by post or in person from the Robin box office. We hope to have tickets available for sale by 2nd June – to be confirmed.

A new festival website ( http://www.summersend.co.uk/ - www.summersend.co.uk ) will also be launched around the 3rd of June, alongside a Festival yahoo group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/summersendfestival - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/summersendfestival ) and  Myspace site ( http://www.myspace.com/summersendfestival - http://www.myspace.com/summersendfestival ).