The Charlatans have today confirmed they will headline the Saturday night bill at the Forest Of Galtres Festival at Crayke, near Easingwold, over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The announcement follows three months of negotiations with the Northwich band and at last the deal has been done. “This is fantastic,” says festival director James Houston, looking forward to welcoming Tim Burgess and co on August 27.

“We’re all really excited that this is really happening now. They’re a brilliant band and have been on our wish list for years. Just can’t wait.

“For more than two decades The Charlatans have been an inspirational force in British rock. They remain as exciting and relevant now as when they first broke through to the immortal strains of The Only One I Know – if not, more so, as a new generation of young bands and fans today hail them as lifelong heroes.”

Now in its seventh year, the Galtres Festival will feature 100 bands on five stages, with headline appearances by British Sea Power on August 26 and Levellers on August 28. Puressence, John Otway, Sunday Driver, The Men They Couldn’t Hang and York musicians Chris Helme, Blackbeard’s Tea Party and Mostly Autumn will be performing too.

“It’s an amazing line-up for our lovely little festival,” says James, who started the event at the back of the Durham Ox pub in 2005.

Attendance has grown tenfold from 500 in year one to an expected 5,000 this summer. “Our growth has enabled us to book some fantastic bands and we’re privileged to have them. But often the real surprises come from the smaller bands people discover at Galtres, and there’ll be some real quality this year,” says James.

“Our selection team has been touring acoustic and open-mic nights in York and Leeds for months, as well as scouting for bands at bigger venues throughout the region.”

A new feature for 2011 will be a comedy night, run by Toby Clouston-Jones of the Hyena Lounge Comedy Club, and the ArtsBarge Cabaret, from York, will return.

“Oodles of theatre and storytelling are planned, as are hundreds of workshops and activities for families and children,” says James.

Within the festival will be a Yorkshire beer and cider festival with more than 100 different varieties.

Tickets and further information on the line-up are available at galtresfestival.org.uk, with weekend adult tickets priced at £60.