Last Shadow Puppets join BBC Proms

The Last Shadow Puppets, The Streets and Nitin Sawhney are amongst the first names confirmed to play at the BBC Electric Proms 2008, which takes place in London and Liverpool from 22nd – 26th October.

The Last Shadow Puppets – Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner and Miles Kane of The Rascals – will play Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, while Mike Skinner's The Streets and Mercury Music Prize nominee Nitin Sawhney are to perform in London's Roundhouse.

The festival – dedicated to creating new moments in music – will kick off in Liverpool with legendary singer Tony Christie playing on the Royal Daffodil Ferry. BBC Radio Merseyside's Dave Monks will introduce sets from local bands Wave Machines and The Maybes in the station's performance space, while rising stars XX Teens and Wild Beasts will perform in London. More acts will be announced for both cities in coming weeks.

Liverpool – the European Capital of Culture – is to co-host the BBC Electric Proms for the first time at venues including the Philharmonic Hall, Barfly and BBC Radio Merseyside. In London, shows will return to venues across Camden including the Roundhouse, Barfly, KOKO, Dingwalls and the Electric Ballroom. The festival will feature separate line ups in the two cities.

Festival Director Lorna Clarke commented, "The BBC Electric Proms is centred on new moments in music, and we are delighted to be able to join the celebrations of the European Capital of Culture by bringing the festival to Liverpool for the first time. Hosting a dual city event is completely new to the BBC Electric Proms and will help us reach an even wider audience with an extended line up."

More than 80 artists are to appear at the BBC Electric Proms 2008 and each performance will aim to create a new musical experience. Whether collaborations between new and established acts or new material performed for the first time, audiences are guaranteed to see and hear something truly memorable whether at the venue, watching and listening on the BBC, interacting with red button technology or on mobile.

The BBC Electric Proms has also commissioned three new BBC New Music Shorts for 2008. Film makers were invited to submit ideas for inventive and original short films inspired by tracks from Roots Manuva, XX Teens and Wild Beasts earlier this year. The three successful commissions will be premiered at the BBC Electric Proms with performances from both XX Teens and Wild Beasts.

Tickets will go on sale in mid September. There will also be further additions to the line up revealed then.