Sly move by Lovebox chiefs

We last saw him in a cape with an outlandish Mohican at the 2006 Grammy Awards, but now, the innovator of psychedelic soul and funk, Sly Stone (aka Sylvester Stewart), is returning to the live arena for the first time in two decades.

Sly & The Family Stone will be headlining the Saturday at Lovebox Festival, taking place in London's Victoria Park on the weekend of 21st and 22nd July, with Sly playing alongside most of the original band members. It will be the first time the legendary multi-ethnic act will have played in the UK since 1987.

They join an already stunning line-up, with Blondie, The B-52s, The Rapture, Hot Chip, Junior Boys, Tiga, Scratch Perverts, Felix Da Housecat, Toots and the Maytals, Rub 'n' Tug, Joey Negro and Bonde Do Role representing only a fraction of the leviathan bill.

Off the radar for many years, Sly & The Family Stone first came to prominence as part of the Californian counter-cultural acid rock scene in the late 1960s, but transcended the sound of their contemporaries with a style that mixed soul, funk and psychedelia to electrifying effect.
The band scored big with epoch-defining albums like 'Stand' and the considerably darker political funker 'There's a Riot Going On', which spawned the evergreen classic 'It's A Family Affair'.

With hit albums through the '70s, their star began to fade as Stone's drug use spiralled out of control. But now they're back for what will surely be a legendary performance.

Lovebox tickets, priced at £35 per day or £60 for a weekend pass, are available from www.loveboxweekender.com