MORE big hitters have been announced for this year’s WOMAD festival, bringing together artists from across the globe at Charlton Park.

Highlights of the latest announcement include solo artist Mr Jukes, electronic group Leftfield, Meklit, and Caribbean group Havana Meets Kingston.

WOMAD co-founder and singer Peter Gabriel said the festival offered: “The best music you’ve never heard.”

Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman will be bringing his new solo-collaborative project, Mr Jukes, to the Wiltshire festival as part of his first solo tour.

Steadman is on a hiatus from his band and came up with the idea for Mr Jukes while on a round-the-world trip without flying. He is touring in support of his first solo album, God First.

Leftfield’s Neil Barnes will be making his way to Wilshire’s countryside to play the band’s 1995 album Leftism live with a backing band, to celebrate its reissue 23 years on.

The new additions join Django Django, Camille, Ken Boothe, and Sharon Shannon, who will headline the 36th year of the self-described “global party” festival.

Artists representing a total of 27 countries will perform over the three-day event, coming from as far as Australia, Malawi and Venezuela.

Other artists include rising star American singer Meklit, who will be heading to the WOMAD Stage to sing her collection of “soulful” jazz and folk songs.

Caribbean group Havana Meets Kingston, who offer a collaborative mix of Cuban salsa and Jamaican reggae and dancehall, will be performing their debut album. The 15-piece are just finishing a tour of Australia, before heading to the UK in the summer.

Also booked are Washington DC outfit Thievery Corporation broke new ground in the 1990s as an electronic duo that mixed elements of acid jazz, reggae and Brazilian themes into their songs.

They have previously collaborated with David Byrne of Talking Heads, Anoushka Shankar, and The Flaming Lips.

The festival runners also want to encourage their 45,000 revellers to watch the emerging international artists given the opportunity to perform at the festival just outside Malmesbury.

Emerging acts set to perform include Daniel Haaksman (Germany), Hanggai (Turkey), The Bollywood Brass Band and Jyotsna Srikanth (UK/India) and Whiskey Shivers (USA).

In normal WOMAD style, the festival is filled with a range of alternatives to the five music stages, with a literary hub called World of Words, a wellbeing spa, a cookery stage, and a whole other world for children which will feature a cornucopia of fun and games.

More acts are still to be announced before the four-day festival starts on July 26.