SONISPHERE FESTIVAL KNEBWORTH has revealed the first batch of comedy acts forthe 2011 event.

Since its inception, SONISPHERE has proved that it is more than justyour average Rock Festival, putting Abba tribute act Bjorn Again alongside the top namesin rock and metal in its first year, and delivering a hugely successful comedy line upboasting the likes of Tim Minchin, who has since gone on to become a household name,in its second. This year, the comedy element at SONISPHERE expands, not just withsome of the most prolific comedians on the scene, but also with an extra day, withBOHEMIA hosting comedy from the Thursday through to Sunday. Comedy is becomingincreasingly more popular at music festivals and SONISPHERE is proud to be leading thecharge by delivering the biggest names and most exciting new talent ever to be seen at arock festival.

Headlining the SATURN Arena stage on the Sunday night is none other than awardwinningcomedy legend and multi-instrumentalist BILL BAILEY. Having started out onthe stand-up circuit before having his own show commissioned by the BBC and makingguest appearances in cult comedy series Spaced, BILL BAILEY was propelled into themainstream after being cast as Dylan Moran’s put-upon assistant Manny in Black Books,before taking over from Sean Hughes for a six year stint as team captain on long-runningmusic quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Numerous television and film appearanceshave followed, including regular participation in panel shows such as QI and Have I GotNews For You and casting in hit drama Skins and films such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide tothe Galaxy and Hot Fuzz and, most recently, a starring role in British comedy Chalet Girl.However it is in his live shows featuring surrealist humour and leftfield storytelling andset to a soundtrack that utilises an eclectic range of instruments, including the underappreciatedtheremin and the often-neglected kazoo, that BILL BAILEY’S uniquecomedy styling can truly shine. Having sold out multiple nights at the O2 Arena plusrecently completing a hugely successful ten week residency at London’s WyndhamTheatre earlier this year, addressing a broad spectrum of subject matter from currentaffairs to Kraftwerk, BILL BAILEY is set to bring his inimitable performance - whichhistorically has featured musical delights ranging from an Emo inspired song to his owninterpretation of SLAYER - for SONISPHERE’s first ever outdoor comedy set, and thelargest live comedy performance ever to be hosted at a Rock festival in the UK. Billcomments, “I am utterly stoked to be playing Sonisphere alongside some of my heroes ofmetal. Unleash the Wild Dogs of Rock!"

Jackass superstar STEVE-O chooses SONISPHERE to make his debut UK stand-upperformance where he will headline the day’s comedy in BOHEMIA. There are very fewpeople on this earth who have inflicted as much damage to themselves as STEVE-O: hishistory reads like a catalogue of insanity, with achievements including several arrests(including an obscenity charge for stapling his scrotum to his leg), encasing himself in a“fart mask”, hosting a fireworks display between his buttocks and being driven across abumpy desert road by Henry Rollins while a tattoo artist attempts to etch a smiley faceonto his arm. Given his CV, STEVE-O certainly has more than a few shocking yet highlyamusing stories to tell. Previous live shows have seen hilarious anecdotes from his pastmixed in with stunts including using himself as a human match, balancing knives on hisface and squeezing fresh lime juice into his eyes. What this Wizard of Pain has plannedfor his debut UK performance is yet to be seen, but one thing remains certain - it is notto be missed.

Comedian, actor and radio host JIM BREUER will show the UK why he is one of thebiggest names in American comedy as he flies in for his UK debut at SONISPHERE.Close friends with METALLICA, Breuer shot to superstardom after a four year run onSaturday Night Live and his appearance alongside Dave Chappelle in the cult classicmovie “Half Baked.” With many accolades including Comedy Central's "100 GreatestStand-Ups of All Time," Breuer is currently one of the top touring comedians in the US.As well as hosting his own Sirius program he has an enormous listenership, including aone hour special on Comedy Central, “Let’s Clear The Air,” one of the channel’s highestrated specials raking in over a million viewers. Breuer is a regular guest on the HowardStern show, and has his own podcast on iTunes top 20. His appearances include severalstints on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," as well as roles in numerous moviesincluding "Dick," "Once in the Life,” "Beer League," and "The Zookeeper" with KevinJames. Fans adoringly describe Breuer's multigenerational family comedy as “the modernday Bill Cosby, if he was wearing a METALLICA t-shirt.” A promising picture for what issure to be a historical debut.

Returning to SONISPHERE, Portsmouth-born vegan, anarchist, transvestite and occultheavy metal comedian-come-musician-writer extraordinaire ANDREW O’NEILL iswelcomed back after leaving BOHEMIA in stitches in 2010. Having been a stand-upcomedian for eight years, Andrew has performed in comedy clubs and theatresthroughout the UK and abroad, conducting comedy tours of Jack the Ripper murder sitesand regularly appearing on radio and television. In 2009 Andrew was nominated for theChortle Awards’ Breakthrough Act, and has received rave reviews across the press, andaccolades from some of comedy’s legends, including Steve Coogan, who consideredAndrew “so funny I put him in my new TV show” (Saxondale).

According to Metal Hammer Magazine - who are in a perfect place to judge, being bothexperts on Metal and having let him host their 2009 Golden Gods Awards - CanadianJASON ROUSE is “the most Metal comedian on the planet”. If BILL BAILEY is theMETALLICA of the comedy line up at SONISPHERE this summer, JASON ROUSE is theWATAIN - brutal, dark, twisted and hell-bent on turning the mainstream comedy worldupside down. Over the last decade this comedy outsider has sharpened his teeth in clubsand festivals all over the world and become the most celebrated 'odd-ball' in comedytoday. His stand-up comedy act is a clever combination of devilishly crafted jokes and'freak-show-like' theatrics, which will pit your sense of morals against your sense ofhumour as this jester from hell forces you to laugh at stuff you should not find funny.The perfect example of what happens when real rock, comedy and booze mix togetherBOB SLAYER should feel right at home when making his SONISPHERE debut thissummer. Bob’s comedy awakening came while working as tour manager for hedonistichellraisers The Bloodshound Gang, as they nipped out for a cigarette break mid-set whiletrying to adjust to the recently introduced UK smoking ban. Thrown in at the deep end,Bob was forced to learn on his feet as 1500 fans threw stuff at him (on the band’sinstruction) and after a few days, his survival instincts had formulated a hugely wellreceived routine. As a comedian he has toured all over the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands,France, and Hong Kong, Norway and appeared at numerous festivals as well asEdinburgh, Brighton, Bath & Swansea Fringes.

JASON JOHN WHITEHEAD has been performing his brand of stand up comedy all overthe world for 12 years now and it is with great excitement that SONISPHERE welcomeshim to this year’s comedy line up. A regular at international comedy festivals in Australia,New Zealand, Ireland, UK, Holland and his home country of Canada, as well as headlinetours on the British and international circuit, Jason has headlined prestigious clubs suchas The Comedy Store, Jongleurs, Highlight, The Glee Club, and Yuk Yuks. Described bythe Leicester Mercury as “an irresistibly loveable combination of freaked out pot head anda south park character, with a bit of Ozzy thrown in for good measure”, Jason’s set atSONISPHERE promises deadpan observational humour that will leave the bandsoutdoors competing over the decibel levels of the resulting laughter spilling out fromBOHEMIA.

A hugely successful stand-up in his own right, Kiwi comedian JARRED CHRISTMASreturns to SONISPHERE to compere the comedy on Saturday. His impressive list ofcredits include appearances on Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, BBC2 sitcom ThePersuasionists and Dave Channel’s Argumental, as well as dancing like Madonna forComic Relief. Having scooped a ‘Best Compere’ gong from last year’s Chortle Awards,Jarred’s dynamic onstage persona coupled with his ability to improvise and roll withanything that’s thrown at him make him the perfect candidate to MC for a lively festivalcrowd, as he proved last year and will no doubt do again this July.With this announcement, SONISPHERE 2011 is truly coming into its own, and has a fewmore surprises to come which will show just what a forward thinking festival this is.Boasting some of the biggest names in rock across the APOLLO and SATURN arenastages, which are considerately timed to ensure no clashes, and with an extended breakplanned between the end of BILL BAILEY’s set (to allow punters to recover from thestitches the comedy genius will inevitably leave them in) before the mighty SLIPKNOTtake the stage. With more stages still to be announced, including more comedy, fantasticbands and other alternative performances, SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH 2011 is goingto be simply unmissable, and with weekend tickets selling at an ever more rapid pace, isheading towards its first full sellout.

SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH takes place 8th - 10th July 2011 at KNEBWORTH HOUSE

Source: www.ideageneration.co.uk