* After last week’s announcements that Tom The Voice Jones and Martha Heatwave Reeves are on their way to Cornbury Festival, we didn’t think the county’s roster of festival bills could get any better. That was until those nice people at Truck festival got in touch to tell us they’d added a few more names to their line-up... topped by The Charlatans.

Tim Burgess’s indie-rock darlings are among the best bands the UK has produced, remaining on the boil over the course of 12 albums, since their 1990 debut.

The Cheshire band, who recently released top 10 album Modern Nature, are among 23 additions to the line-up, which also includes Augustines, Darwin Deez, Fat White Family, Ghostpoet, Lucy Rose, Eagulls, The Wytches and Bo Ningen.

They join previously announced acts Basement Jaxx, Saint Raymond, Slaves and Peter Hook & The Light.

The festival takes place at Hill Farm, Steventon, from July 17 to 18.

Weekend tickets cost £79.50 and are available online now from Truckfestival.com

* We were equally excited and alarmed to hear that the self-styled ‘God of Hellfire’, Arthur Brown, was bringing his show to Oxford.

Nerves were briefly settled by news that the Fire star would not be playing one of his traditional high-octane gigs, but would instead be hosting an all-seater An Evening With... night of anecdotes.

Don’t bank on a cosy session of tour tales, though. Arthur has promised a multi-media performance of his life and times, starting with this, the first instalment.

“It is based on a hitch-hiking journey undertaken by Arthur at the beginning of his 17th year,” The Cellar’s Vez Hoper tells us. “In it, he encounters demons, the Goddess, shaven-headed soldiers, military police, beatniks, boozing bishops and great musicians.

“It is a true story, where events from the past and future are interwoven, populated with figures from different realms.”

He will be joined by his extravagant dancer/ singer/narrator Angel Fallon and has promised to keep things lively with performance theatre, dance, shadow puppetry, projections and animation.

Just be sure to smile and clap. One unfortunate night at the French Mafia’s club in Spain went so badly Arthur torched it.

See Highlights for booking details.