Grace Jones bluedot
Grace Jones will headline bluedot

Grace Jones has been announced as the headliner of the next bluedot festival.

The singer, who curated London’s Meltdown Festival in 2022, will top the bill at July’s event, playing at Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Observatory.

A bluedot representative said that as “one of the most influential musicians of her generation”, Jones needed no introduction.

“Her influence has made her a towering figure of pop for over six decades,” they said. “From the classic beats of Slave To The Rhythm and Pull Up To The Bumper to her gold-selling most recent album Hurricane, [she] has become synonymous with a unique fusion of music, art and fashion that has inspired a new generation of artists.”

Also confirmed for the festival are former Moloko frontwoman Róisín Murphy and dance duo Leftfield.

Outside of music, the event will once again host talks from big names in the science world, including BBC Sky At Night‘s Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, climate change researcher and How Bad Are Bananas? author Mike Berners-Lee, the UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson and the Open University’s Professor of Planetary & Space Science Monica Grady.

Festival-goers can also expect a David Bowie edition of Adam Buxton’s Bug! and a screening of Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream, with an on-stage interview with writer and producer Brett Morgan.

Festival director Ben Robinson said the festival had always been “ambitious in its programming and mission”.

“Looking at the scale of iconic talent, breadth of genres and one-off moments, it really has matured into a very special event,” he explained. “We look forward to gathering together again beneath the telescope.”

bluedot will take place at the Observatory from 20 to 23 July.

Tickets for bluedot 2023 go on sale 10am Friday 27 January.

To find out more and register for pre-sale access visit discoverthebluedot.com.