The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and Sure have again teamed up to sponsor next month’s one-day TinkerMann music festival.

TinkerMann takes place at the Villa Marina on Saturday, August 15th and is organised by experienced local promoter Mark Armstrong of TalisMann Promotions. The Steam Packet Company and Sure both sponsored the inaugural festival in 2014 and it is supported by Isle of Man Arts Council.

This year’s festival will see four local bands play outdoors in the Villa Marina Gardens on the Saturday afternoon along with a DJ, with a further eight acts performing in the evening, with two of those being Island-based acts - the Alex Harris Band and Chris Gray.

Mark explained: ‘The headline act for this year is the Martin Turner Band. Martin was the original lead singer and creative talent of Wishbone Ash, so expect a vintage rock set to close the evening. Wishbone Ash effectively created the sound of twin lead guitars, which many bands have since followed, but there can only be one 'first'. Leddra Chapman returns to the island for the fourth time, having played on the main stage at the Garden Party and having headlined the Peel Centenary Centre earlier this year. Alex Hulme, who is an expert proponent of the loop station, also returns and the evening line-up is completed by Swallow & The Wolf, Ailbhe Reddy and Callum Orr.

‘The afternoon action starts in the Villa Marina Gardens at midday, with lots of family-friendly fun, and with the bands performing under cover. The afternoon section of the festival is once again free for everyone.

‘At night, the action moves inside to the Promenade and Colonnade Suites from 7pm, with two separate stages.’

Tickets for the night’s music are on sale now, priced at ?19.75 and ?15.00 for concessions, and available from the Villa Gaiety website, the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal or by calling 600555. Discounts of ?5 a ticket are available to customers of the Steam Packet Company and Sure - to receive your ?5 discount, please simply quote either of the promotion codes ‘SPC’ or ‘SURE’ when purchasing your tickets.

Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ‘It’s always great to see new festivals establishing themselves on the Island and we are delighted to play our part in making TinkerMann happen. Mark has pulled together a superb line-up to serve up a real treat for music fans.’

Sure Marketing Manager Sarah Jarvis added: ‘Sure is delighted to support the TinkerMann festival once again; Mark has a truly excellent reputation when it comes to promoting music on the Isle of Man and it’s his passion and love for a variety of genres which will make this event another great success. TinkerMann is a must for music lovers and a great chance to see several bands and artists under one banner. I’m really looking forward to being there – I was at Alex Hulme’s local gig at Jabberwocky a few months ago and I cannot wait to see him play again!’

For anyone who hasn’t had their fill of live music on the Saturday, TinkerMann Too will take place at Laxey Working Men's Institute the following night from 7pm. Leddra Chapman, Alex Hulme and Swallow & The Wolf are all staying the extra day to perform again, with tickets priced at ?15 and available via www.etickets.im/talismann.