First acts revealed for Mostly Jazz 2025

War and Craig Charles to perform in the park.

Following a hugely successful 2024, Birmingham’s annual Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival has announced US funk/ jazz/ jam legends War and DJ Craig Charles as their first artists for 2025.

Formed in 1969, initially to back Eric Burdon (former frontman of The Animals), War quickly forged their own path, refining their sound through a series of exemplary releases including Slippin’ Into Darkness, Low Rider, Don’t Let No One Get You Down, The Cisco Kid, and albums such as The World Is A Ghetto (1972), Why Can’t We Be Friends? (1975), and 1977’s Platinum Jazz (which became seminal jazz label Blue Note’s first platinum seller!).

War’s influence spans generations, with their catalogue sampled by such acts as The Beastie Boys, Kanye West, Public Enemy, Portishead, De La Soul, A$AP Mob, Janet Jackson, Ice-T, Fatboy Slim, Snoop Dogg and 2Pac.

Fresh from wowing audiences at London’s Southbank Centre as part of Chaka Khan’s Meltdown, in June – War’s first UK appearance in 16 years – the Southern Californian band have recently revealed they’re set to be awarded their own star on Los Angeles’ prestigious Hollywood Walk Of Fame (due 2025).

Craig Charles is a long-time guest (and champion) of Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival, with his regular late afternoon DJ sets guaranteed to lift spirits and unite the audience, thanks to a canny mix of dancefloor bangers and crate-digging curios.

An actor, poet, broadcaster and DJ, Craig’s BBC Radio 6 Music Funk and Soul Show has been an integral part of 6 Music’s schedules for over 20 years.

John Fell, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival’s Manager, said: “Blurring the boundaries between jazz, funk, rock and Latin, War is one of the defining voices of the late-60s/ early-70s, a group whose music perfectly soundtracked an era of great social change. We can’t wait to welcome them to the festival.

“And Craig is one of our most consistently popular guests. Such a huge music fan, her never fails to get the Mostly Jazz crowd on their feet.”

Based at Moseley Park and Pool, in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival runs from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 July 2025. Since debuting in 2010, the festival has persistently boasted a diverse line-up that combines trailblazing A-list international artists with innovative and emerging Brit acts.

Further 2025 line-up additions will be announced over the coming months.

Moseley, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival Tier 2 tickets are on sale from 10 am, Friday 27th September. For tickets and more information, see mostlyjazz.co.uk.