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Shangri-La today revealed their ambitious plan for this year’s Glastonbury Festival, bringing new venues, acts including the Africa Express Sound System, Thursday night music, and an eclectic array of performance artists, all under Shangri-La's 2009 theme 'DYSCOTOPIA'.

The HUB, a new central feature of the area, will include a distorted version of an information centre, with "propaganda bursts" from people who "seem to drift in and out of reality".

Daytime entertainment at The HUB is provided by the Trans Siberian March Band from Russia, French outfit Le Fanfare en Petard, Orkestra Del Sol, Masters Of The Kazooniverse, DJ Russ Jones, Jason Mayal, Stoke Newington International Airport, and circus performers including big beat percussion, wall runners, tightwire acts and witch doctors.

The Continental Drifts team again bring Club Dada, with the Africa Express Sound System in a top Saturday night slot.

The original Africa Express - formed by Damon Albarn in response to the lack of African artists at the Live 8 event - first appeared, as a live act, at the festival in The Park area in 2007. For many, the performance was the musical highlight of the festival. Musicians from across Africa, including Malia, Senegal and Algeria were joined by western acts such as Billy Bragg, Norman Cook and Albarn himself. 

Elsewhere in the Dada line up, there’s a mystery slot cheekily slipped in on Friday night, billed as "Someone amazing but we would be sacked if we told you who", which will no doubt set tongues wagging in the run up to the event.

Club Dada's entertainment begins late afternoon Thursday, and on Saturday afternoon – supported by the Arts Council of Great Britain – it hosts Club Attitude for the first time at the festival, with performances from top disabled artists including Deaf Rave and punk band Heavy Load.

Bassline Circus is back too. By day, expect a performance arts centre and cinema, with interactive installations, films, and fun and games, hosted by Glasgow’s Lowsalt and Autonomous Arts from Manchester.

In the evening, Bassline moves up a gear and onto the beats, with a mix up of DJs and performance acts. ”Top underground DJs, MCs, bands and the best of the New School circus crews connect the threads of the UK and European scene. DIY Smokescreen ATG crew London City Soldiers, Mr Psik Jstar plus more” say the Bassline crew.

By night, the music and performance theme continues. The line up will include Daddy Freddy, Jungle Drummer vs DJ Fu Wax, Inferno Bobby Friction and The Insiders.

New in Shangri-La this year is the Snake Pit, with a no-tattoo no-entry policy (and yep, if you lack the requisite skin job, there'll be a tattoo parlour ready to sort you out.). The Snake Pit will have stage shows and exotic cabaret. The organisers say it's a "glam dress code" thing, too. So bring your glad rags, and hope the sun shines on a mud free Pilton, just like the Met Office has said it will. Probably.

Also fresh for 2009 is the The Bodyshop. Detail is scant at the time of writing, but Shangri-La talks of an outfit specialising in body alterations and upgrades. (On Monday morning, can we all have full body replacements?)

Slumbarave reappears, with four-poster beds, an indoor spa and the Jacuzzi Lounge. Slippers and dressing gowns will be laid on, and guests can expect game weirdness such as "Mono Slipper Racing" (no, me neither) as well as late disco action from Absinthia and the Laundrettas.

Old hands of the Glastonbury late night area - Phil's Deluxe Diner – will be in Shangri-La again, with round the clock food, cocktails and DJs.

And if that lot isn’t enough, there’s a myriad of other attractions, rounding out the largest of the late night areas at the festival. Places include Come and Play, Area 51’s Underwater Lounge, Madame Nazreens Fortune Telling Booth, Gramophon Salon, Peoples Front Room, Smash and Grab, Temporary Autonomous Artists and Igloo.

Look forward to some strange days, and stranger nights.

23.00 - 00.00 Deathray Trebuchay – Frank Zappa on acid meets a East European film set.

FRIDAY 

Afternoon: Magpies Nest – Absolute masters of the new UK folk and acoustic and bring us their best .

12.00 - 13.00 DJ Crowe Club 
13.00 - 14.00 Run – Celtic Jump
14.15 - 15.00 Katy Carr – The UK’s most intellectual and fascinating song writer 
15:20 - 16.20 The Long Notes - Folk traditionalists with a dynamite twist. 

16:40 - 17.30 Ruth Theodore – Incredible soulful singer song writer 
17:50 - 18.40 Johnny Flynn – The famous young troubadour on a solo outing 
18.55 - 19.55 Lazy Habit – Hip hop pioneers 
20.00 - 22.00 The Pyramid Audio - DJ Massive
22.00 - 23.20 DJ Head Gardener and friends – bizonkers DJ special 
23.20 - 00.10 The Delegators – Superb and crisp rocksteady from Spain 
00.20 - 01.10 Surprise Superstar Guest - Someone amazing but we would be sacked if we told you who. 
01.30 - 02.40 The Dynamics – Absolutely amazing French act that remixes everything from Zeppelin to White Stripes in a ragga stylee 
03.00 - 03.45 Blackberry Wood – From Canada a Bonzo dog. 
04.10 - 05.00 Warlords Of Pez – They are simply insane, from Ireland, something very surreal and punky. 

05.00 - 06.00 DJ Head Gardener – Captain of the Secret Garden Festival and top enigmatic DJ. 

SATURDAY

Day: CLUB ATITUDE: Attitude is Everything have been at the forefront of disabled access to festivals for years, here a whole afternoon of the coolest bands from their community. 

14.00 - 14.20 DJ Chinaman (Deaf Rave) – Deaf DJ plays the coolest tunes 
14.20 - 15.10 Spaceships Are Cool - Using cool sci-fi toys, samplers, making bizarre music 
15.30 - 16.30 Al Cool ands Stranger Wines – Bizarre mash ups and new acoustic sounds

16.30 - 16.45 Jamie Renton (Chilli Fried) – World famous worldbeat DJ
16.45 - 17.40 Heavy Load – Brighton’s Buzzcocks goes bonkers. Film star band of heavy players 
18.00 – 19.00 Peyoti For President - Latin Manu Chou-like conquistadors of political punk. 
19.00 – 23.00 Killa Dilla – DJ’s – Natty Bo and Sizzle are the coolest old 78 and 45 DJs with Ska, Swing and Calypso

Night: Dada Spectacular
23.15 - 24.15 No.1 Station – Top ska and rocksteady Outfit ~
24.30 - 1.15 Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Chicago)
01.30 - 03.30 Africa Express Sound System
03.30 - 04.00 DJ Jason Mayall – The Eavis of Fuji Rock Festival, Japan 

04.00 - 05.00 Fat 45 – A dirty great big Soul Revue from Brighton’s 45s
05.00 - 06.00 DJ Jason Mayall 

SUNDAY 
14.00 - 14.30 DJ Lee – Soul and funk super DJ from Abu Dhabi 
15.00 - 16.00 Kim Lone – An amazing women who puts the Winehouses of this world in the shade 
16.20 - 17.20 Tarantism – Glastonbury heroes, UK’s finest singer songwriters and festi geniuses
17.40 - 18.30 Monty Casino – Funky dunky groovemerchants 
18.50 - 19.40 Brothers Bab – Jumping ska and Latin funksters. 
19.40 - 21.40 Jah Free and friends – Reggae veteran dubs it out 

21.40 - 23.20 Le Vagabond Boogaloo Club – Gypsy dance and cumbria DJ s from Hackney.
23.20 - 00.20 Trans Siberian March Band - 10 piece Gypsy Brass champs… 
00.40 - 01.40 Orkestra Del Sol – Scotland’s answer to a Serbian Speed Brass band. 
02.00 - 03.10 Les Fanfare Petard - Jumping French Hip Hop Brass maniacs
03.30 - 04.15 Polka Madre – Mexicos Gogol Bordello and welcome revolutionaries 
04.15 - 05.00 DJ Tofowski – Tofu was born and bred in the mud of this field. Gypsy beats.

Comperes include Des Occonor, Chris Tofu and Mandy’s Cousin.