ROXY Music lead guitarist Phil Manzanera will join a stellar line up of authors, musicians, poets and comedians at the Curious Arts Festival.

Playing as part of “The Great Brain Robbery” – a night of bands DJs and performance artists curated by Gus Robertson of Razorlight, Phil will join Johnny Borrell of Razorlight among others.

Back for a second year in the stunning grounds of Pylewell Park, one of the most beautiful, privately owned, houses in England, The Curious Arts Festival runs from July 17-19.

This is a rare chance to see the lead guitarist of the pioneering art rock band who stopped touring in 2011 play live and follows the release of his newsolo albumThe Sound of Blue on Monday.

The music line up announced today also includes heartthrob RSC actor and musician Orlando Seale (films include Sleepy Hollow and Kenneth Brannagh’s Hamlet) who will be playing with his ten-strong, string heavy baroque pop collective The Swell.

The Saturday night features a rare chance to see John Illsley of Dire Straits perform new material and an hour-long set of classic Dire Straits hits with his band. Saturday also features up and coming artist, Shaefri, and Hampshire band, Flyte.

Sunday night sees hotly tipped rapper George the Poet on stage bringing streetsavvy verse to the New Forest. George Mpanga, who has worked with Paolo Nutini, and appeared on BBC’s Later with Jools Holland, tops the BBC Sound of 2015 list and releases his first poetry collection this year.

The Curious Arts Festival offers an interactive programme of events for all ages, including an Alice in Wonderland tea party, night bat walks, tea leaf reading, fortune telling, garden walks, life drawing and breathing lessons.

For bookworms some of Britain’s most remarkable contemporary writers are involved, including David Nicholls, author of One Day and Us, and JojoMoyes, author of Me Before You and The One Plus One.

Bestselling author of Before I Go To Sleep, S.J. Watson, talks about his new novel Second Life.

Other star authors include: Lynn Barber, Damian Barr, Anita Anand, Esther Freud, Polly Samson, Matt Haig, Sarah Hall, Tom Holland and Patrick Gale.

A children’s tent will host dawn to dusk art activities and guest author readings with Piers Torday (winner of the 2014 Guardian children’s fiction award), John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury.

Nicky Singer (author of acclaimed Featherboy) will be running a writing workshop for nine-12 year olds and the popular Bedtime Stories with author Paul Blezard will be back at 7pm nightly.

BBC Radio 4 Front Row presenter Kirsty Lang will be hosting a ‘News and Views’ breakfast club for early birds with author Misha Glenny and Simon Nixon.

Curious Opera (Thursday, July 16) debuts this year with a curious performance of Puccini’s Tosca. An exclusive but not elitist experience, guests will be seated at dining tables in Pylewell Park’s magnificent grounds for an ‘up close’ opera experience and can book deluxe dining packages in advance or bring their own picnics.