FESTIVAL favourite and local legend John Illsley, the founding member and bass guitarist of Dire Straits, will be performing as a guest vocalist at Curious Arts Festival in the New Forest this weekend.

John, who runs the East End Arms close to the festival site at Pylewell Park near Lymington, is a late addition to the line-up for the quirky shindig, performing with the London Whoredogs on Saturday.

Mark Knopfler and John are the only founding members of Dire Straits to remain in the line up from 1977 to 1995, during which time they sold over 120 million albums.

John Illsley also has four solo albums and two live albums to his credit since then.

He joins musical headliners Tom Odell and Izzy Bizu on the bill, alongside literary luminaries and comedy legends.

Curious Arts Festival, which offers a glittering array of the cultural, creative and curious, arrives at Pylewell Park near Lymington in the heart of the New Forest today.

From life drawing, midnight bat walks and cocktail masterclasses to snail racing, poetry workshops, pop-up fine dining and even a cricket match, expect comedy, music, literature and a packed children’s programme from the fourth outing of Hampshire’s quirkiest festival.

Tickets for the festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, are on sale at curiousartsfestival.com.