Devizes Street Festival Day 2

Devizes Street Festival 2023 came to a glorious close in the Market Place yesterday with the unique and dynamic brass, keys and guitar combo, Misha & His Merry Men, a collective of varying musicians on a theme of peace and love, which made for the perfect summary of the event as a whole; our waffle about the first day is HERE. 

With new DOCA coordinators Annabel and Ashley at the helm and the barrier set high by their predecessor Loz Samuals, there was no telling how this would go. Maybe there’s a few lessons learned by the new team, as this is no easy feat to pull off, but backed by the knowledgeable and ever-friendly volunteers I think they made an excellent team and carved a vision of how DOCA events will carry on the traditions set by previous coordinators, from Loz to Ian Hopkins, and of naturally, add their own stamp too.

It was an honour, even if last millisecond planned, to be on the stage to introduce the bands and see the mass of people flooding the Market Place with happy smiles and cheers; I’ve never done anything like this before and though like a rabbit in the spotlights, it gave me an insight into what it feels like for a band to be in front of a colossal crowd; nerve-wracking! So be it for me to say, the opening act on the main stage was also one Devizine had a hand in picking, with a want to introduce a local act amidst the national and international performers across this amazing street festival.

Now, you should note I’ve no intention of continuously getting all Royston Vasey on DOCA, for I fully support and love the fact that rather than hosting just local acts which can be seen on our pub and venue circuit, that they source these outside performers moreso. But I also feel room should be made to bring the crowds one thing specifically Devizes. So, I am hoping this will become an annual thing, when we can suggest a local act which we think has had a particularly good year, and present them on that main stage; not everyone there is able to attend our live music scene across the many pubs and venues.

The proof was in pudding; see the featured photographic evidence. With a fanbase predominantly teenage and unable to attend pubs so easily, the age demographic was so varied, the crowd had amassed to near full capacity. The fanbase stood at the front, the more curious further back, but just to wander through the crowds and see the same look of awe and admiration for a young local band on the pinnacle of greatness, was mind-blowingly epic. Nothing Rhymes With Orange smashed it out of the park, that being the Market Place, and to every surrounding village with an absolutely sublime performance to lodge a firm place in the history of Devizes Street Festival.

Gaps between bands on stage are so because you need to also focus your eyes on the various street theatre and circus acts happening all around, though slighter, it felt, this year, the quality of them was equal to previous years, and something about small acorns for the new coordinators to ponder through feedback. There will always be those few with a preference to hang around the bar and stage area, so perhaps some lower volume music could be added to entertain them while families explore the side-stalls and circus acts, or at least quarter-of-an-hour prior to the next band coming on, so the area in front of the stage can refill.

It is certainly how it seemed as crowds waned after NRWO’s spectacular set, regaining the momentum and their attention back to the stage was slighter, which was a tiddly shame, because I don’t know about you but Plymouth’s Cabarats were right up my street and knocking loudly at my door!

My favourite outside band bought in for our entertainment, by a long shot, The Cabarats were solid with the perfect balance of folk and reggae, so downtempo offbeat when building, and layers of uplifting folk once roused, it pushed my every button. If reviews are simply opinion-based, it’s my opinion they supplied the exact ingredients we want and need at the Street Festival, and did with gusto, zest and a unity of tightness musically which simply delighted.

And in a review, of kind, it is impossible to summarise every individual happening at such a special occasion, so I rest my case, I think it was slighter in content this year but only so to break the new DOCA team in gradually, but again, the whole shebang hinges on us bonding and helping out wherever we can, and the massive thanks has to go out to all individual organisations and volunteers which go into making this, annually, the best weekend in Devizes. Look, there’s a giant woman with a stage of devils and circus acrobats under her skirt where on any normal day you are just waiting for a bus with some hoody eating a Greggs sausage roll; what an utterly fantastic weekend, we love you DOCA!

---