TWO high-profile acts have been signed up to headline a massive music festival in Kendal next month.

Radio 1's Grooverider and the chart toppers Dirty Pretty Things (DPT) are set to play alongside some of Cumbria's best homegrown talent, at Kendal Calling 2007.

Poised to build on the success of last year's inaugural event - which was held at Abbot Hall Park and ranked in The Independent's top five Best Pop Gigs - the two-day festival has been organised by two South Lakeland twenty-somethings and this year is being staged at Grate Farm, on the outskirts of town, on July 27 and 28.

Legendary drum n' bass DJ and MOBO winner, Grooverider, has agreed to headline on Friday, when he will round off a day of dance with his trademark sound.

Meanwhile a more chilled-out Saturday is on the cards when Pete Doherty's former Libertines bandmate Carl Barât, tops the agenda with his critically acclaimed band Dirty Pretty Things - who, fresh from a gig at Wembley Stadium, will perform songs such as the band's top five launch single, Bang Bang You're Dead.

The packed line-up has been secured by two of the town's young promoters, Andy Smith (Evolved Addict) and Ben Robinson (Fugitive Sounds), and is expected to attract up to 1,600 visitors each day.

Of the local artists rubbing shoulders with the national favourites and hoping to get heard, will be Eden lads Amber292, who have been tasked with launching the second day.

The town's own Seven Seals will perform from their popular punk-prog catalogue on the Saturday too, while the Kendal-born, now Leeds-based, Wild Beasts - who have been hotly tipped by music magazine NME - will warm up for DPT.

Kendal Calling 2007 spokesperson Julie Cotton, who has helped Smith and Robinson pull the event together, said: "Last year was a huge success and a complete sell-out so we've increased overall capacity, added the option of camping and come up with a fantastic list of acts. Festival-goers have got the perfect excuse to stay up partying and listening to some great music and really make a weekend of it."

As well as a circus big-top for the main stage, there will be a second large stage, a chill-out stage and an intimate acoustic area. Entertainers, stalls, stands and a beer tent will also help to fill the farm's grounds.

Tickets range from £15 for a day ticket to £35 for a weekend pass plus camping. They are on sale now (from Circa Records in Kendal, Blue Tubes in Lancaster or online from www.seetickets.com) and people are being advised to buy early to avoid disappointment.