Bragg to curate Glastonbury stage (From Crewe Guardian)

Bragg to curate Glastonbury stage

7:00pm Thursday 18th March 2010 in Entertainment News © Press Association 2011

Billy Bragg is to curate his own stage at this summer's Glastonbury Festival, it has been announced.

The singer-songwriter will be booking the bill for the Leftfield tent which returns this year after being axed in 2009.

The area is designed to add a political edge to the music and discussions at the festival, which takes place at the end of June.

Bragg - who launches his first theatrical show Pressure Drop in London next month - explained his role would be "a bit of everything: curator, MC, performer, guitar roadie, juggler".

He said it was important to bring back a political dimension to the event.

Bragg, a long-time supporter and frequent visitor to the festival, said: "Glastonbury is the original activist festival.

"It has always had that political edge since it's rebirth in the 1980s as a gathering for dissidents and dancers. Leftfield's mixture of red and green politics aims to reflect the way activism plays an important part in the festival as a whole."

He was unable to name guests but said he had started "sounding people out". He will be scheduling debates as well as performers who will take part in afternoon hootenannies until bands take over at 6pm each day.