Steve Hackett to headline Be Prog! My Friend 2018

Be Prog! My Friend organisers have confirmed that Steve Hackett will headline next year’s festival.

The event will take place at Poble Espanyol, Barcelona, on June 29-30, 2018, with A Perfect Circle the weekend’s other headline act. They’ll play on the Friday night, while Hackett will close out the festival on the Saturday.

Sons Of Apollo, Pain Of Salvation, Baroness, Plini, Gazpacho and Persefone were all previously confirmed.

Hackett will bring his Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett show to the festival and he’ll be joined by vocalist Nad Sylvan, bassist Nick Beggs, keyboardist Roger King, drummer Gary O’Toole and Rob Townsend on saxophone and flutes.

Organisers say: “Steve Hackett is coming to Be Prog! My Friend 2018 and will be playing a mix of tracks from the Genesis back catalogue as well as his solo material.

“Hackett has released more than 30 solo albums in addition to the 7 he did with Genesis. His set is not to be missed!”

It’s also been confirmed that Swedish outfit Burst, who split in 2009, will reunite for a special set at Be Prog! My Friend.

Festival bosses say: “We wanted to see Burst at Be Prog! We needed to see Burst in Poble Espanyol. Although they broke up in 2009, following their masterpiece Lazarus Bird we decided that this didn’t matter. Burst will join forces again to play for us.

“Despite their short life as a band, they have one of the finest discographies for fans of progressive music. You will love Burst. They are just the perfect band to complete 2018’s lineup and we could not be more happy and honoured for having Burst play such a special show for Be Prog! My Friend 2018.”

Tickets for Be Prog! My Friend are €130 and are available from the event website.

Be Prog! My Friend in Spain - live review

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.