Month: May 2024

LilyPetals Debut EP

One of many young indie bands which impressed me at Bradford Roots Festival, and proof thereโ€™s more than the name suggests at The Wiltshire Music Centreโ€™s winter convention of local music, Bristol-based LilyPetals released their debut EP this weekโ€ฆ.

Firing on all cylinders, thereโ€™s five three minute heroes and one slightly longer tune on this impressive introduction to an equally-gendered and equally promising four-piece. Contemporary themes imploded by two fierce opening tracks, Currently Unavailable and, particularly, We Want More, arch a punk flavour of punkโ€™s heyday; and I like that a lot! Thereโ€™s wailing guitars, echoing chorus lines, and emotion pouring out.

If weโ€™re talking emotion though, the tempo lessens for the third tune, Thatโ€™s What You Said to Me, proving LilyPetals is no one trick pony. Itโ€™s a rolling ballad, with a euphoric element akin to a rock classic. If this tune will raise your eyebrow, note, Playwright reverbs with passion and fire, thereโ€™s almost shards of glam rock meeting gothic in there too. But LilyPetals have mastered the hook, leading to a bridge via a finger click, is clever and beguiling stuff.

The four minute tune is the penultimate one, and it just drives from the intro. Break Your Mind is perhaps a magnum opus to date for this band, though I highly suspect from the concentrated and tight compositions of all these tunes, weโ€™re going to be moving onto even better stuff from them in the near future. In principle then, this is encouraging, and it feels like punk is saved for a new generation in their indie passion. This is to Bowling For Soup what Reef is to The Rolling Stones, but the potential for improvement is gapping in their hands; the canvas here is ripped and ready to rock!

It finishes with Spaceman, mate, check this out, the hook is a sinker, it has all the elements of a classic, and, as weโ€™ve seen with bands like The Radio Makers, punk rock can evoke modern generations, and punk can live on through them. LilyPetals, arguably ironic namesake, yet the fervour is at a blossoming point, and this is a great and lengthy EP, verging on an album, and album worthy of your perusal.ย ย 

LilyPetals LinkTree

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Ha! Let’s Laugh at Hunt Supporters!

Christmas has come early for foxes and normal humans with any slither of compassion remaining, as the government announced the righteous move to ban trailโ€ฆ

Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โ€œEโ€) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโ€ฆ

Burning the Midday Oil at The Muck

Highest season of goodwill praises must go to Chrissy Chapman today, who raised over ยฃ500 (at the last count) for His Grace Childrenโ€™s Centre inโ€ฆ

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Courting Ghosts Debut Album: Falling My Friend

Images used with kind permission of Pacific Curd Photography

West Wilts and Somerset folk-rock collective Courting Ghosts are about to release their debut album, Falling my Friend in Juneโ€ฆ..

If the name Courting Ghosts conveys something twisted and gothic, the band name may be a smidgen deceiving to their style. Subjective though, what’s in a name; if I was courting a ghost Iโ€™d imagine sheโ€™d be the scariest, like The Lady in White, mysteriously motionless with unkempt hair over her face; creepy stuff like that. Whereas if Lindisfarne were courting a ghost itโ€™d likely be Casper!

Iโ€™m thinking thereโ€™s more Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze shenanigans going on here than either The lady in White or the friendly ghost, because, whilst Lindisfarne can be rather quirky seventies, yet are undeniably an accolade to UK folk-rock, Courting Ghost’s Falling my Friend is earnest and steadfast, feelgood folk integrity; no messing about. The narrative is amorous and the ambience refreshingly strolling along the sunny side of the street. Your pottery is going to be smooth listening to this at the wheel, Demi!

Iโ€™m getting more the romanticism of Springsteen, the breeze of Tom Petty, and the drift of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Still, the Americana component is subtle at best, in sound the balance tips largely on the UK folk scene, particularly of their roots in the West Country. So let’s lob in the honesty of Hothouse Flowers too, for good measure. It’s a gentle flow rather than all twangy banjos and knee-slapping, for sure.

Image: Pacific Curd Photography

Frontman and guitarist Chris Hoar and Marcel Rose on acoustic guitar hail from Trowbridge, and they make the original duo. The five-piece was formed a little under two years ago by networking via open mics. Dave Turner on keys and backing vocals from Frome, bassist Andy Maggs from Bath. Drummer Tim Watts, while skiving off the photoshoot, provides the Devizes connection. Combined it’s a force of professionalism.ย Additions to the line-up includes Holly Carter, a marvel on the peddle steel, and a rather splendid guest vocalist who will be revealed shortly!

Courting Ghosts are not trying to bedazzle you with daring experimentation or cryptic wordplay, itโ€™s an elementary formula. This is walking back to your festival tent after a mellowed afternoon music. Itโ€™s unassuming, tranquil. Itโ€™s dew on the grass precipitating under a spring sunrise.ย 

They kick it off with the luxuriate title track, nine others succeed and follow suit. Every Time, the third song in, raises the bar with a particularly beguiling hook. Following this Close my Eyes ups the sentimental notch a level. A ballad with delicate keys, vocally harmonised to perfection with the fantastic Lorna, one half of the duo Fly Yeti Fly.

Image: Pacific Curd Photography

Sheโ€™s Alright, some eight tunes along this beautiful journey is as uptempo as it gets, at least it rolls on the strings. Itโ€™s an unspecified ode to that one person who will always cheer you up. Sentiments abound is a running theme, as it cools to a close with an air of feelgood ambience. 

If you catch them gigging, the CD will be available to buy in June, I suggest you treat yourself and your drive home through our rolling downs will be complemented with an apt soundtrack. Courting Ghosts are going to drop a track per month on Spotify starting from the end of May, with the whole album becoming available for streaming planned for September or October. Keep up-to-date on this album by checking the bandโ€™s socials, Facebook. Instagram.ย 

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Become part of a movement calling for Affordable School Costs for all

We’ve been chatting with the Community Organiser and Campaigns Manager of Devizes and District Foodbank, Alex Montegriffo, about an important free community conversation on Monday 3rd June, on the subject of the rising costs of school uniform……

A local campaign group of parents, guardians and carers in and around Devizes has been speaking to schools about how to make sure their uniform is affordable over the past year, and their campaign has now branched out to include support for a Wiltshire Council strategy that schools can join to make all aspects of the school day affordable. ย 

The original campaign arose during the height of the Cost of Living Crisis in 2022 when the impact of school uniform cost was discussed in Devizes and surrounding areas. In 2020, The Childrenโ€™s Society found that the average annual cost at state-maintained schools per child was ยฃ337 at secondary schools, and ยฃ315 at primary schools. Families in Devizes reported spending between ยฃ200 and ยฃ300 a year on all items of clothing and footwear needed for school.

Research shows that these costs can cause families to struggle with other essentials, such as food or bills, or can even contribute to debt if money has to be borrowed to buy school uniform. This affects families both in and out of work. For example, one person involved in the campaign had to borrow money from a family member to afford uniform, and another had to take a Universal Credit advance which they then paid back. This is especially the case where there are multiple items of logoed uniform that can only be bought from a specialist supplier, as these tend to be more expensive.

In response to research revealing the high cost of school uniform in the UK, the UK Government passed a law in 2021 stating that schools need to consider affordability when setting uniform policies. Locally, the campaigns team engaged with schools on the topic of affordable school uniform and invited schools to sign an Affordable Uniform Pledge. Local schools were able to work with parents and guardians to make changes to their school uniform to increase affordability to the benefit of every family. The campaign also received media coverage.

After speaking to Wiltshire Council about affordable uniform and the impact it has on families, the Council launched their Affordable Schools Strategy in September 2023. This is much wider than uniform, as it covers topics such as accessible school trips and activities, the provision of free school meals, and making changes towards affordability to benefit both schools and families. These come under the headings of Resourcing the School Day, Enrichment and Opportunities, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, and Securing Positive Partnership. Schools can join the strategy each year, and will get accredited as they take steps toward affordability. They receive resources, handbooks, case studies and networking opportunities. One of the resources is the Affordable Uniform Pledge, and there is a section on affordable school uniform.

As part of the final phase of the campaign around school costs, any family in and around Devizes can add their support to this strategy, and engage with their school to encourage them to become a member in the next launch on 26th September 2024. This strategy benefits all families, and engagement can be made by families working with schools in person or in writing to encourage them to sign up, with guidance.

To learn more, please come along to a free community conversation from 6:30-7:30pm on Monday 3rd June at the St James Centre, Devizes, SN10 1LR. This phase of the campaign is being organised by Alex, the Community Organiser and Campaigns Manager at Devizes and District Foodbank. Tea, coffee and a wide range of snacks will be provided, and please let Alex know if youโ€™re thinking of attending by email, phone call, text or WhatsApp: T: 07483 377346E: alex@devizesanddistrict.foodbank.org.uk

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โ€œSister Actโ€ at St. Augustineโ€™s, Trowbridge May 29th-June 1st

By Ian Diddams
Photos by Gail Foster

In 1971 Ken Russell enchanted film audiences with โ€œThe Devilsโ€, which incorporated nuns in the story โ€“ somewhat controversially. This was six years after Julie Andrews, aided and abetted by yet more nuns, thwarted the Nazis in โ€œThe Sound of Musicโ€.  By 1980 nuns had become less controversial, less politically motivated, as instead the object of scorn and fear by โ€œThe Blues Brothersโ€. So, by the time 1992 rolled around, nuns were old hat in the film industry and especially the musical genre. Nothing was left to use them for, surely. Enter Whoopi Goldberg, stage left in 1992, and โ€œSister Actโ€ with a general plotline of โ€œhow do you solve a problem like Deloris?โ€


In the intervening decades the film was transferred to a stage musical in the West End then to Broadway, and subsequently via the auspices of community theatre groups to a stage somewhere very near you. The basic plotline is simple enough โ€“ naughty wannabe girl singer hanging with a hood witnesses a murder, goes on the run, hides in a convent, transforms its choir and the convent’s financial future, is discovered by ex-boyfriend, and is protected by the sisters before being saved by her teenage admirer now a policeman. Who overcomes his fear of guns by shooting said gangster boyfriend โ€“ how very P.C.!

The whole show of course is strung along by those foot tapping songs by Menken and Slater providing opportunities for vast quantities of choreography by nuns. And its these scenes of twenty-one nuns (I counted them all out, and I counted them all back) cavorting joyfully across St. Augustineโ€™s Catholic Collegeโ€™s stage (where else better for a musical set in a convent? Unless maybe in a convent I supposeโ€ฆ) that will linger in the mindโ€™s eye for a while yet to come.

This is Trowbridge Musical Theatreโ€™s second nun based show in just over a year now, following on from thwarting Austrian Nazis in 2023. Perhaps it is becoming a habit for them? There would be nun better to do so letโ€™s face it.  (*Ahem* – less puns please โ€“ Ed.) Sarah Davies makes her directorial debut and her touch is seen throughout the show with little, perfect moments. Choreography by Anna Mazan in true โ€œSister Actโ€ style fills the stage with synchronised movements throughout the show, no better personified by the nunsโ€™ ensembleโ€™s activity โ€ฆ  the stage isnโ€™t the largest and thereโ€™s a LOT of nuns strutting their wimples but a blend of sways, grinds and hand jive leaves at times a breathtaking display before your eyes.

This is a large cast and so โ€œI havenโ€™t got a prayerโ€ of covering everybody โ€“ but rest assured though that EVERYBODY was โ€œFabulous baby!โ€
Frankie Walker leads from  the front as Deloris Van Cartier (โ€œYou know, like Cartiersโ€). Her stage presence is immense, and she captures the initial sassy character of Deloris that shifts to a later caring communal love to perfection. Tim Hobbs wades in as the grand master of chaos and nastiness as Curtis, with his unlikely trio of useless henchmen โ€“ well done with the Spanish Paul West! โ€“ including the irrepressible TJ played by Noah Heard with the slickest of moves on the dance floor.

Eddie was wonderfully portrayed by Davey Evans compete (of course) with sweaty armpits and โ€“ with some help naturally โ€“ a stunning double clothes rip change. The three โ€œSisters of Mercyโ€ โ€“ Marys Robert, Patrick and Lazurus โ€“ were more than ably carried by respectively Carisma Dolphin, Daisy Woodruffe and Dani Fuke. Carismaโ€™s vocals more than rose to the occasion, soaring over the band, while Daisyโ€™s portrayal of the goofy nun was slapstick at its finest, and full kudos goes to Daniโ€™s comedic timing and delivery as the straight-laced but wonderfully sardonic ex choir leader. Finally in this mini round-up is last but by no means least, the showโ€™s Mother Superior Michelle Hole. Clear as a bell and with wonderful projection, her every line and note were delivered perfectly. A truly bravissimo performance.



Now โ€“ no musical is complete without its ensemble, its chorus. And what a chorus! If anything, and if this is not an unfair thing to say in a community theatre review, they collectively stole the show. Take a bow all twenty nuns for your rousing singing, harmonies, choreography akin to the red arrows at times, hand jive, swaying and a swinging and a grinding. As well as tiny cameos amongst it all, including (my favourite) an homage to the Dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake at one stage (and hats off to choreographer Anna too of course!). And a special mention is needed for all of the cast that had multiple costume changes in the show stretching between a nun, fantasy dancer, bar patron, street singer, hooker and goodness knows what else in their blur of appearances. You all made it look as if you were indeed finding it โ€œGood to be a Nunโ€!

The set was simple but well presented, with effective use of corners for office scenes etc. No musical of course is possible without its band and the ten piece orchestra led by Musical Director Helen Heaton with a GREAT horn section delivered all the right notes AND in the right order ๐Ÿ˜Š

There is one real star of the show not mentioned yet. Top music, top singing, top performances, top choreography all lead to a top show but there was one thing that really set this entire thing off brilliantly. By far and away the dazzling STAR of the show were the costumes, so take a bow Sandra Tucker, Karen Grant, Kirstie Blackwall and Sarah Davies.



โ€œSister Actโ€ by Trowbridge Muciscal theatre is showing at St. Augustineโ€™s, Trowbridge nightly from May 29th to Saturday 1st June at 7.30pm plus a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

So โ€œSpread The Love aroundโ€, grab a friend or ten and get thee to the show โ€“ tickets available from the Ticket Source box office.

No recorders were harmed in the making of this production.

Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 29th May 4th June 2024

Hereโ€™s what weโ€™ve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming week, heading in June, just like Terry!

Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go there for links and more info. It may be updated, so check in later in the week.

Ongoing: A Wiltshire Thatcher: A Photographic Journey Through Victorian Wessex runs at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, until the end of August; review here.

Wednesday 29th

Acoustic Jam at The Southgate, Devizes.

Lunchtime Recital: Charlotte Spruit at Pound Arts, Corsham. Followed by Chris Wood.

Les Misรฉrables โ€“ School Edition at the Athenรฆum, Warminster.

Tim Arnold โ€“ Super Connected at Chapel Arts, Bath. Edinburgh Previews, Pierre Novellie & Nic Sampson at The Rondo Theatre. Stone Cold Hustle at the Bell, Bath.

Toby Lee at Swindon Arts Centre. Seven Drunken Nights at The Wyvern Theatre.

Thursday 30th

Royal Bath & West Show opens.

Vintage Nostalgia Festival at Stockton Park opens.

Jam Night at The Boathouse, Bradford-on-Avon.

The Invisible Creature Club, and Avalon Comedy Network: Glenn Moore, Eleanor Tiernan, Ben Pope & Farah Sharp at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Gary Stewart at Chapel Arts. SparkFest continues with A Midsummer Nightโ€™s Dream at the Mission.

Letโ€™s Swim, Get Swimming & Seneca at The Vic, Swindon. Steve Ferbrache at The Tuppenny. The Diana Ross Story at The Wyvern Theatre.

Friday 31st

A Cider & Mead Festival opens for the weekend at the Barge on HoneyStreet.

And so does the Devizes Arts Festival! Running from 31st May to 16th June, weโ€™re looking at a busy month ahead with lots of entertaining events. The fun starts with Jolly Roger at the Corn Exchange. Trash Panda are at the Three Crowns.

All Floyd The Division Bell at Melksham Assembly Hall. Muuttley & Wet Franc play King George Park. 

Gemโ€™s Pirate Party at the Civic, Trowbridge. The Exact Opposite, Ignotis and Bottle of Dog at the Pump, Trowbridge. Martyโ€™s Fake Family at The Red Admiral. 

Bradford-on-Avon Music Festival all weekend in the park and various locations. Sad Dad Club at The Three Horseshoes. Manhattan Nights at The Boathouse. Bach Week: Quartetto di Cremona The Art of Fugue at Wiltshire Music Centre.

Blue Badge Bunch, and Ria Lina: Riawakening at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Untamed Burlesque at Chapel Arts, Bath.

Retro Electro at The Vic, Swindon. One Chord Wonders at The Queenโ€™s Tap. Johannes Radebe 2024 โ€“ House of Jojo at The Wyvern Theatre.

Subgiant Weekender at The Baa, Salisbury.

Zion Train at the Tree House, Frome. Charlie Simpson from Busted DJโ€™s at the Cheese & Grain.

Saturday 1st

Rowde Summer Festival. 

Potterne Fete.

Top Secret: The Magic of Science at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes. Devizes Arts Festival has Lady Nade at the Corn Exchange, Edโ€™s pick of the week! The Duskers at The Southgate. 

Shambles Festival at King George V Park, Melksham.

Elcot Festival at Marlborough Town FC.

Open Mic at the Lamb, Trowbridge. The Future Sound of Trowbridge 10 at The Pump. NOASIS at the Civic.

Dennis Rollinsโ€™ Funky Funk at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon. Day two of the Bradford Music Festival, with an amazing lineup there.

Fraser Anderson Trio at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Diversity at the Vic, Swindon. The Beatles by Candlelight at The Wyvern Theatre.The Naughties at the Queenโ€™s Tap.

John Bramwell & The Full Harmonic Trio at Rondo Theatre, Bath.

Lucas Hardy at The Kings Arms, Amesbury.

Sunday 2nd

Devizes Arts Festival has a Festival Walk: From Romans to Kangaroos. Adam Alexander โ€“ Seed Detective FREE FRINGE at the Peppermill. Eddy Allen โ€“ Solo Loop Show FREE FRINGE at the Cellar Bar. Jon Amor Trio with guest Tony Remy at The Southgate, Devizes.

Open mic at the Bell, Great Cheverell.

Open Mic at the Red Lion, Lacock.

A Strange New Space at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Louise Parker at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon.

Speaking of Witch by Jack Lambert (Bath Fringe Festival 2024) at The Mission, Bath.

Tom Davis: Underdog at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. Darren Hunt at the Queenโ€™s Tap.

Monday 3rd

Thereโ€™s a Food Bank movement to affordable school costs meeting in Devizes, see poster.

Dr. Phil Hammond โ€“ โ€˜How to Fix the NHSโ€™ and โ€˜The Ins and Outs of Pleasureโ€™ at the Corn Exchange, part of Devizes Arts Festival. 

Memory Cafรฉ at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon.

Tuesday 4th

Edward Cross Quintet at The Town Hall, part of Devizes Arts Festival. Mrs Churchill : My life with Winston ~ Liz Grand at the Corn Exchange.

Six The Musical opens at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, running until the 8th June.

Open Mic at The Royal Oak, Bath. The Valentine Letters by Steve Darlow (Bath Fringe Festival 2024) at The Mission, Bath.

And thatโ€™s all weโ€™ve got for now; fill your boots! Events listed here are subject to change, we are not responsible for cancellations, errors or postponements in anything listed.

Do check ahead with our every-changing events diary. Isnโ€™t it high time you snapped up some tickets for the Devizes Arts Festival?

Important note: events which come to our attention from now on, will be updated on the Event Calendar and NOT HERE. So, be sure to check in from time to time, use the Event Calendar to find more info on everything listed on here, and for ticket links, etc. Use the Event Calendar to check for updates and planning ahead.

Did we miss you out? Did you tell us about your event? Itโ€™s not that we donโ€™t like you, itโ€™s because Devizine uses many sources to collate these listings, and sometimes we miss a few things. Listing your event here is free, but please make it easier for me by messaging or emailing the info, and then, and this is the really important part, make sure Iโ€™ve added it and let me know if not!

Have a good week!

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Homecoming Gig for Nothing Rhymes With Orange at the Three Crowns Devizes

Friday evening in the liveliest of Devizes pubs, The Three Crowns, with Devizes best upcoming band, Nothing Rhymes With Orange pulling a two hour set out of the hat like a magician pulls a rabbit out of theirs. Surely a perfect match and an unmissable occasion; but, ah, shoot, did I do a cidered-up speech? Thereโ€™s vague recollections of it this morning. Please accept my apologies!!

Something of a homecoming for the boys, with recent gigs at Bristolโ€™s Louisiana, Bathโ€™s Komedia, and the Gunners in London, and forthcoming dates ranging from the New Forest Rag-City Festival to Trowbridge Festival, only returning here for FullTone. Theyโ€™re getting the bookings, gig bunnies of Devizes know why.

Changing from Saturdayโ€™s usual live music slot for the Three Crowns to a Friday mayโ€™ve reduced footfall a smidgen, but just as my arm was twisted, many sought the rare opportunity to see how theyโ€™re fairing in the fame, for free. Their devoted Gen Z fan base front and centre, millennial regulars taking up the support trench and anyone older in reserve, save for a few breaking rank, illustrating to those younger how it was done in their day; it was a mixed bunch but plentiful and hospitable, there only to enjoy themselves, and you know NRWO will deliver this.

The date change was to fit in an audition gig on Saturday for the Pilton Stage, a subsidiary of Glastonbury Festival, of which we wish them the very best of luck. In fact, I did wish them such while they were tuning, whereupon frontman Elijah Easton acknowledged precautions to preserve his voice for tomorrowโ€™s big day, and I looked doubtful at him replying, โ€œyeah, right, thatโ€™s not going to happen, is it?!โ€ This contest today is one tough cookie, crossing fingers and toes may not be enough, but come what may, as I believe I said in my slobbering speech, this hometown loves and supports these lads, ergo, they wouldnโ€™t halfheartedly perform to them least anyone. 

Because, and hereโ€™s the deal breaker; with over a year on a pedestal, this youthful quartet of indie-punk-pop still revels in the spotlight and this jubilant enthusiasm reflects onto an audience and reverberates throughout. It makes for a positive atmosphere, a benchmark for a memorable gig. And that is exactly what happened last night at the Three Crowns, a pub usually encouraging acts to perform covers but neednโ€™t for this gig, as the passion these boys deliver has their fans here singing back their originals to them as if they were classic covers. Especially when the Greggs steak bake falls apart. 

It was a glorious occasion, the tremendous night I never doubted. Nothing Rhymes With Orange open a two-hour set, time was on their hands to play through every single theyโ€™ve produced to date, maybe try some new ones, and covers made the remainder. Blink 182, Kings of Leon, and particularly Arctic Monkeys got the Orange makeover, and there were some especially interesting smooth ambient breaks teetering on prog-rock. Yet it is rare even with a two hour set, for these boys to lower the bpm; itโ€™s uptempo yet paced, but nonchalant rather than all out fury, therefore of universal appeal.

A telltale sign of said passion for their labour came at the finale, when the band didnโ€™t want it to end anymore than the fans screaming for more. It was lead guitarist Fin Anderson-Farquhar who looked at me as I tried to fanboy my way to the microphone, that they had run out of songs to play. Therefore it was up the band to, tongue-in-cheek, knock up the archetypal Oasis cover.  

I donโ€™t know what I needed to say so desperately, but I felt I needed to say something about wishing them the best of luck for todayโ€™s audition, to rouse the crowd and let them hear how the local fans support them, because they thoroughly deserve it in my book. Then, probably due to fatigue at an exhausting show of epic proportions, they idiotically left me alone on the microphone!! It was there where I thought Iโ€™d convey my compassion to local blues heroes the Hoax over thirty years ago, because I believe that was a Devizes phenomenon then, and we are witnessing the next right now.

Elijah, Fin, bassist Sam Briggs, drummer Lui Venables, are tighter as a band than ever before, as they journey to college together, they take with them a comradeship, and they take a shared passion for their music, and it is something which continues to improve; last night proved that on their hometurf, superbly.

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Steatopygous go Septic

If you believe AI, TikTok and the rest of it all suppress Gen Zโ€™s outlets to convey anger and rage, resulting in a generation ofโ€ฆ

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St James Devizes Vicar Keith Brindle Honoured as a Canon of Salisbury Cathedral

In recognition of his selfless ministry and leadership of St James Church, where the community and residents are at the core of everything, birthday boy Keith Brindle was honoured on Thursday as a Canon of Salisbury Cathedral, double whammy! I caught up with Keith to find out why, what it means for St James, and to unexpectedly throw down a gauntlet for a backgammon tournamentโ€ฆ.

Iโ€™ve been prewarned of Keithโ€™s bashfulness by Councillor Jonathan Hunter, who told me, โ€œIn typical Keith style he has bestowed this honour on the church as opposed to himself.โ€ As a team were tiding the church after a toddler group, Keith excused himself, and we trundled to the courtyard of this landmark church, and amidst the headstones of yore with the Crammer as a backdrop. I asked Keith about the honour and what it signifies for him and Saint James. The volunteers tiding would not be left out of his musings though.

โ€œSo it’s a kind of honour, thing, that the Church of England do,โ€ the modest vicar explained. โ€œA recognition of the work thatโ€ฆ I mean, they say it’s for me, but actually in reality it’s for the church. We’ve got lots of volunteers. Thereโ€™s a team of people involved in everything we do. So even though I’m the one that gets this, you know, acknowledgement and the Canon of the cathedral, itโ€™s very much all the different things that the church does, and all the volunteers, a huge number of people.โ€

Referring to the toddler club, he continued, โ€œall are volunteers and we’ve had about thirty families in there, and it’s one of the things that we do. So it’s that kind of thing. It’s about being a church involved in talking about, Christianity and faith. Talking about what it means to live as a follower of Jesus and being out there in the community, doing things like the youth action groups gig night, you know, and everything in between.โ€

One significant element which St James earned this honour for, was its welcoming of Ukraine families, but between the church and the St James Centre, thereโ€™s too much going on to cover in detail. Keith was keen to tell me about the Centre, across the road from the Church.

โ€œThis used to be the Saint James’s School,โ€ he clarified, โ€œwhich was owned by the diocese and for years and rented out to Wiltshire Council who used to do a lot of youth work out of there. And then it was empty.โ€ Unable to gain permission to sell and renovate into flats, St James bought it from the diocese, โ€œand we’ve turned it into our community centre,โ€ Keith delightfully expressed. โ€œItโ€™s the focus of a lot of the youth work that we do, the Food Bank operate out of there, and our old parish is where OpenDoors operates out of, our CAP debt centre, the Money Debt Centre that supports people and helps them out of out of out of trouble financially. Citizens Advice operate out there too.โ€

My attention was recently drawn to the fact they had showers, aimed at boaters or rough sleepers unable to bathe.  

โ€œYeah,โ€ Keith said, โ€œall those sorts of things, the honour of being a cannon, it’s recognising all that sort of stuff. We have a shower Tuesday, a fully accessible shower downstairs on the ground floor, and we’ve got waterways, chaplains that operate along the Kennet & Avon, pastorally just checking in and supporting people. But it’s not just that, it’s an opportunity to meet up with other people.โ€

We spoke about the importance of community hubs, post lockdown; larger towns have great facilities, St James is ours.

โ€œSt James’s Church has always been a church, it’s part of its DNA, to get out there and be in the community. I’ve been here eight years and we’ve built on, getting the St James Centre has really, really helped. You know, we were involved in getting the COVID support grouped together quickly.  And that was like, three-hundred volunteers registered over a weekend before the first lockdown. And when the first lockdown came, Devizes was ready to go because of that. And that actually came from my son. That was Joseph’s idea. He said, why don’t we do something. And he set up the processes, the WhatsApp group, and how people could register. And then there’s loads of other people like at the town council; Simon Fisher is brilliant. St James has been really good at working with other partners and other people.โ€

Keith reeled off nearly every organisation doing good in Devizes, and St Jamesโ€™ connection to them, and through all this we can see why the honour was worthy. We spoke of DOCA, Sustainable Devizes, and he foretold of a second youth gig at the Corn Exchange after the success of the last one.  โ€œWe’re gonna have the whole of the downstairs this time. But, I think we’ll fill it. I mean, the first one sold out and that was good thing. We had so many young people say, oh, this is what Devizes needs.โ€

But what more will the honour of being a canon of Salisbury Cathedral mean for St James, what more can they possibly do to help in the community which they are not already doing so?!

โ€œIt’s a recognition of what Saint James has done,โ€ Keith said, โ€œan opportunity to see what the Cathedral has and how the Cathedral operates, and they do magnificent work in the community in Salisbury. Theyโ€™re a massive tourist attraction, but they also try and do loads of outreach stuff to connect different kinds of groups. The kinds of groups that you wouldn’t always expect to relate to the Cathedral.โ€

โ€œThe nice thing about Devizes is there’s a lot of good people that want to see people flourish, but at the same time what you don’t see are levels of poverty and levels of isolation. We saw that a lot during COVID. Isolation still exists, and weโ€™ve groups that come together to support that. So, we have a games night on the Thursday. It’s not a massive number of people, but for those that come itโ€™s absolutely brilliant and great fun.โ€ It was at this point, we found our mutual love of backgammon, and I laid my cards on the table. It serves to illustrate what a charismatic and approachable chap Keith is, and now I understand why heโ€™s been so aptly honoured.

โ€œMy leadership of the church in doing what the church does but I do feel very much like a small part of it. This is what God’s love looks like, in real practical terms, there’s a group of this church that have been making meals for years before I came here. They’ll make homemade meals, stick them in the freezer and then and then distribute them to people. Like if you’ve just had a baby, they’ll go around and dump a load of really nice homemade meals, just so that you can cope. And theyโ€™ve been doing that for years, you know, quietly getting on with it. So, it’s in recognition for my leadership but it’s for the community.โ€

Well done to all St James. Keith’s support and practical help for marginalised communities in Devizes have inspired many people and continue to do the outstanding work they do; what a guy, still I reckon I could take him at backgammon!

Trending……

Jol Roseโ€™s Ragged Stories

Thereโ€™s albums Iโ€™ll go in blind and either be pleasantly surprised, or not. Then thereโ€™s ones which I know Iโ€™m going to love before theโ€ฆ

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Professor Elemental in Session with Madam Misfit and the Real Cheesemakers at The Barge on Honeystreet; 2nd August

Itโ€™s going to be all strawberries and cheese baps in pith helmets swinging in trouserland bedlam, with chap-hop shenanigans galore at the Barge on Honeystreet when Brightonโ€™s whimsical rapper Professor Elemental arrives at the legendary mooring, campsite, and crop circle centre of the world, on Friday 2nd August; expect unpretentious hip hop, expect silly costumes, expect nonsensical rhymesโ€ฆ.

Ah, we love that bobby-dazzler, whoโ€™s colourful suits alone are worth the ticket price. But alongside his crazy capers arrives a new one on me, the chic Madam Misfit, who could only be described as the dame of UK comedy hip hop, a mesh of retrospective gamer, burlesque beauty and jazz queen of any hullabaloo. If chap hop is a thing, so too must there be, erm, flap hop, is it, maybe, I dunno?!  

The pair are joined by Calneโ€™s heavy comical heathens, The Real Cheesemakers. Obsessed with Swindonโ€™s magic roundabout, tortoises and skulls of doom, theyโ€™re a man down so will be scattering acoustic vibes into their loud and proud chants. Look, the comic poster is inciting enough to make Jack Kirby quiver; need I waffle on, darlings?ย 

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CrownFest is Back!

Yay! You read it right. After a two year break, CrownFest is back at the Crown in Bishop’s Cannings. So put a big tick ontoโ€ฆ

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Potterne Vicar Faces Soaking “Baptism!”

by Geoff Baker

Itโ€™s going to be a wet weekend whatever the weather for Wiltshire rector Gerry Lynch – as heโ€™s volunteered for a soaking at the Potterne village fete on Saturday June 1st…..

It will be the first church fete for Gerry since he was inducted in January as the new Rector of the Wellsprings Benefice, which covers the parishes of Potterne, Poulshot, Seend, Worton and Bulkington, and he is hoping to make a splash as the star of the Soak The Vicar sideshow.

Gerry is aiming to raise funds for the community and the villageโ€™s St. Maryโ€™s Church by inviting fete-goers to throw wet sponges at him at the afternoon event and heโ€™s putting a brave face on his โ€œbaptismโ€.

โ€œIโ€™m game for a bit of ritual humiliation as itโ€™s all in aid of a good cause,โ€ said Gerry, for whom the weathermen are forecasting a warm day with sunny intervals.

Potterne feteโ€™s wet sponge sideshow will be childโ€™s play. Image: Jill Newton.

Organisers have made the wet sponge stall double-sided so that children can have fun soaking their dads while Gerry takes a break to be towelled down.

โ€œYou can soak the vicar, soak your dad or soak your husband and we think that last option may be popular with a lot of wives,โ€ said a fete spokesman.

The fete, at Little Mill Field, Mill Road, Potterne [SN10 5ND], will run from 1pm to 4pm and will also feature the popular plastic duck races in the adjoining stream, a dog show, barbecue, licensed bar, tea and cakes, a bottle tombola, a luxury food hamper draw and a variety of other stalls, games and sideshows.

Potterne Rector the Rev. Gerry Lynch prepares to get drenched at the village fete. Image: Jill Newton.

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Oh Danny Boy!

Oh Danny Boy, oh, Danny Boy, they loved your boyish Eton looks so, but when ye was voted in, an all democracy wasnโ€™t quite dying,โ€ฆ

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A Quick Shuffle to Swindon

Milkman hours with grandkids visiting it was inevitable a five hour day shift was all I was physically able to put into this year’s Swindonโ€ฆ

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Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 22nd- 28th May 2024

Hereโ€™s what weโ€™ve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming week, with a bank holiday in the mix!

Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go there for links and more info. It may be updated, so check in later in the week.

Ongoing: A Wiltshire Thatcher: A Photographic Journey Through Victorian Wessex runs at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, until the end of August; review here.

Ongoing: Bath International Music Festival: 17th – 26th May

Wednesday 22nd

Acoustic Jam at The Southgate, Devizes.

The Wizard of Oz at Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-onAvon.

Starting a run until the 25th May, I Love You Because at The Rondo Theatre, Bath. The Barefoot Bandit at the Bell, Bath. And the Mission Theatre begins SparkFest with two shows, The Sofa and Dead End.

Big Jam Sessions at The Vic, Swindon. Irish House Party at Swindon Arts Centre.

Thursday 23rd

Runny Snotts Acoustic Sessions at The Neeld, Chippenham.

Nick Helmโ€™s Super Fun Good Time Show at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Here Come the Crows at The Vic, Swindon. Luke Combs at The Wyvern Theatre. Confessions Of Sweeney Todd at Swindon Arts Centre.

SparkFestโ€™s Independent Digital Screenings at The Mission, Bath.

And the last Shindig Festival opens at Dillington Park, have a great time if youโ€™re going to that.

Friday 24th

Chippenham Folk Festival opens and runs until 27th May.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange at Devizes Street Festival

Nothing Rhymes With Orange are back on their home turf, playing The Three Crowns, Devizes, which we make Edโ€™s pick of the week. Full on Fridays at the Exchange in with resident DJ Stevie Mc in the mix.

Shilts & Friends at the Civic, Trowbridge.

Jessica Fostekewโ€™s Mettle at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Capโ€™N Rustyโ€™s Skiffle City Rockers at The New Inn, Amesbury.

Hatepenny at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon. Call The Shots at The Boathouse.Bach Week: at Wiltshire Music Centre, with Quartetto di Cremona The Art of Fugue.

Biggles Sound System is at St James Wine Vaults, Bath. Fleetwood Mad at Chapel Arts. MacPlebs is the SparkFest show at The Mission.

Tyrants at The Vic, Swindon. Nick Helmโ€™s Super Fun Good Time Show at Swindon Arts Centre. Rock It at The Queenโ€™s Tap. And thereโ€™s a Beer and Cider Festival at Swindon & Cricklade Railway.

Be Like Will at Tuckers Grave Inn, Faulkland.

Carsick are at The Tree House, Frome.

Cursus Festival opens in Dorset.

Saturday 25th

Chris Free at The Southgate, Devizes. Sam Briggs joins Stevie MC in the mix at the Exchange.

Capโ€™N Rustyโ€™s Skiffle City Rockers at the Crown, Bishops Cannings.

Mick Jogger and The Stones Experience at Edington Charity Ball at the Three Daggers.

Family Fun Day at Spencerโ€™s Club Melksham from 11am-4pm.

80s Disco at the Talbot, Calne.

Lonely Road Band at Gloucester Road Cons Club, Trowbridge.

Molly Chambers at Hawkeridge Village Hall near Westbury.

The Reason at Prestbury Sports Club, Warminster.

D-State at Tuckers Grave Inn, Faulkland.

aKa Dance: A Real Fiction at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Larkhall at Kington Langley Village Hall.

Steve Backshall begins a few dates at Longleat running until 2nd June.

Biaritz at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon.

Chris Moyles 90s Hangover Festival at Swindon Town FC Rockabilly Rumble at the Vic. The BeatRoutes at The Queenโ€™s Tap. Sonic Alert at Woodlands Edge. Daliso Chaponda โ€“ Feed This Black Man Again at Swindon Arts Centre. Daniel Oโ€™Reilly: Out Of Character at The Wyvern Theatre.

The Ciderhouse Rebellion at Chapel Arts, Bath. SparkFest at The Mission has Stage Fright, CYCLOPS: More Than Meets The Eye, and The Chipping Norton Incident.

Love Saves the Day at Bristol.

Jeremy Healy at The Cheese & Grain, Frome. The Hammervilles at the Tree House.

Sunday 26th

Muddy Manninen & Pasty Gabble at The Southgate, Devizes from 5pm. People Like Us at The Three Crowns.

Open Mic at the Red Lion, Lacock.

Pete Lane and the Sailing Stones at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon.

Luke Philbrick & the Solid Gone Skiffle Invasion at the Bell, Bath. Bath Fringe Festival shows
The Demeter by Lewis Cook at The Mission.

Could Be Real Tribute Festival at Swindon Town FC. Lonely Road Band at the Richard Jefferies Museum, free entry. Mrs Smith โ€“ See Me! at Swindon Arts Centre. Punt and Dennis at The Wyvern Theatre.

Bank Holiday Monday 27th

The Popup Youth Cafe will be on the Green in Devizes from 2-4pm. Funked Up at The Three Crowns, Devizes.

Tom Odell โ€œBlack Fridayโ€ at The Memorial Hall, Marlborough, check ahead I think this may be cancelled.

Open Mic at The Old Road Tavern, Chippenham.

Wonder Gigs: Sky at Pound Arts, Corsham, followed by John Robbโ€™s Do You Believe in the Power of Rock n Roll.

Bruton Packhorse Fair.

Car Show at Tuckers Grave Inn, Faulkland.

Big Chimney Barn Dance at the Bell, Bath.

Tuesday 28th

Half Term Reduction Linocut Workshop at Hannah Cantellow Studio, Devizes.

Exhibition on Screen โ€“ Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matis at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Pop Princesses at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. Fleur Stevenson Quartet at Jazz Knights in the Royal Oak, Swindon.

And thatโ€™s all weโ€™ve got for now; fill your boots! Events listed here are subject to change, we are not responsible for cancellations, errors or postponements in anything listed.

Do check ahead with our ever-changing events diary. Isnโ€™t it high time you snapped up some tickets for the Devizes Arts Festival at the end of the month running into June?

Important note: events which come to our attention from now on, will be updated on the Event Calendar and NOT HERE. So, be sure to check in from time to time, use the Event Calendar to find more info on everything listed on here, and for ticket links, etc. Use the Event Calendar to check for updates and planning ahead.

Did we miss you out? Did you tell us about your event? Itโ€™s not that we donโ€™t like you, itโ€™s because Devizine uses many sources to collate these listings, and sometimes we miss a few things. Listing your event here is free, but please make it easier for me by messaging or emailing the info, and then, and this is the really important part, make sure Iโ€™ve added it and let me know if not!

Have a good week!

Trending……

Talk in Code Down The Gate!

What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย  Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch themโ€ฆ

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Dirt Roads, A Plastic Army, and a Ruby; Saturday Evenings in Devizes Still Rock!

A joint effort of Darren Worrow and Andy Fawthrop

Buses, huh? Last time I strolled to the dual carriageway to catch one it was four minutes early and didnโ€™t hang around for listless fogies with an appetite for entertainment. I glumly watched it blur past from fifty yards down the lane. This time I hotfooted it, my ageing heart pushed to its limits, and the delayed bus left me standing there for fifteen minutes! Once in Devizes, although far from Broadway, options for quality music and drink still overpowers those of neighbouring market towns; something we should be proud ofโ€ฆ.ย ย 

Post vegan market and a craft fair at the Corn Exchange, as evening sets in The Pelican prepares for its beloved karaoke, a couple of hobos strum a ditty by the fountain, and the amazingly talented Adam Woodhouse arrives at The Three Crowns. Yet I must bypass such significant options, itโ€™s over to Long Street Blues Club, because when Ruby Darbyshire is in town, thereโ€™s no compromise from me.

I give a nod to Joe Hicks, likely the best support act Iโ€™ve witnessed at Long Street to date, yet at seventeen-years old, Ruby Darbyshire, I believe mayโ€™ve topped it. Her first time at the legendary club, she practised two blues songs to play them, one by Beth Orton, another more classic, although by subject her own composition Insomnia could be perceived as blues, and her overwhelming vocals blessed the club with these and a sprinkling of popular covers.

Thereโ€™s a double-whammy of congratulations to organisers of Long Street, councillor Ian Hopkins who this week became Mayor, and his now wife, Liz, for their marriage in the same week. We wish them many happy years together. But dilemma dawns for me; though keen to hear a group composed of legends Horace Panter, Steve Walwyn and Ted Duggan, by name alone itโ€™s fair to suggest accolades as standard, whereas itโ€™s the first time Swindonโ€™s gypsy-folk Canuteโ€™s Plastic Army are in town. Theyโ€™re down our trusty Southgate, and since hearing a handful of their most impressive singles, and our ethos of supporting local acts, I must depart the club with haste.

Much as I would love to pretend this was all part of careful planning, it wasnโ€™t! Believing our fantastic regular reviewer and part of the furniture at Long Street, Andy Fawthrop was still on his holibobs, I endeavoured to stay as long as possible in order to give fair praise to The Dirt Road Band, when all the time he was hiding behind me! So, it gives us an opportunity to merge our words and be comprehensive about a typically great Saturday night in Devizes.

After Ruby did her thing, which never fails to leave me suspended in awe, I stayed for two songs from The Dirt Road Band. Ruby rinsed beautiful versions of Joni Mitchellโ€™s Big Yellow Taxi, and Princeโ€™s Nothing Compares 2U, as regulars in her set, yet again, itโ€™s in jazz renditions such as Erroll Garnerโ€™s Misty and Nina Simoneโ€™s Feeling Good, where her sublime vocal range is let loose, is something to behold, and the very reason Iโ€™m here at the club. Crowds flock this shy prodigy during the interval with congratulations, clearly itโ€™s not just me who thinks this.ย 

The Dirt Road Band came on all guns blazing, in an impressive electric blues-rock fashion. I favour my blues rootsy, though tip my hat for their aptness to the Clubโ€™s favoured mode. Here below, is Andyโ€™s take on them; I salute plus thank him for his expert thoughts, as ever.ย 

A recently-formed modern (super-)group, consisting of gig stalwarts Horace Panter (The Specials) on guitar and vocals, Steve Walwyn (DR. Feelgood) on bass, and Ted Duggan (Badfinger) on drums, these guys had all been around the block a few times. They knew how to play, how to drive a set-list and how to work the audience. 

They took a couple of numbers to really get going, but once they hit their groove there was nothing stopping them. Playing a single ninety-minute set they ripped through both original material and a few great covers. It was rock, it was blues, it was boogie-woogie, and they shifted these styles around with seemingly no effort.

Keeping the audience to a chit-chat to a minimum, they frequently segued from one number to another. There were some great riffs on the new songs, and there was a definite Feelgood vibe going on at times. It was no-nonsense, professional stuff, highly enjoyable. A cheering, standing ovation was rewarded with Get Your Kicks on Route 66.  By comparison to Beaux Gris Grisโ€™ near three-hour performance the other week, ninety minutes felt very short, but it was quality not quantity that was on offer here. Good gig, good value. Definitely a band worth checking out.

Eyes back on me, then; thanks Andy! Without cloning technology I missed this, hot footing it again, this time to the Southgate. Dirt Road Band originally asked to play here, landlady Deborah thought theyโ€™d be better suited to Long Street, and so we are blessed with the presence of Canuteโ€™s Plastic Army, I understand itโ€™s their inaugural visit tour trusty answer to a Devizesโ€™ O2, though the guitarist plays also with welcomed regulars Sโ€™GO.

Based upon both the Army part of their name, and the strength of a few singles Iโ€™ve heard from them, such as the incredible Wild, I was first surprised to see they were but a duo! Nevertheless, through Anish Harrisonโ€™s intense and consuming vocals and the intricate guitarwork of Neil Mercer, they build layers through loop pedals and sheer expertise, to produce the euphoric gothic folk one would expect a full band to have produced.

There were a few technical hiccups with the PA, yet through warts and all, the duo gifted us with an inspiring, beautifully accomplished and unique sound. Whimsically gliding like fairies in mist, ringing out choral from just one voice, or bittersweet, they were reciting influences in subject from folklore and mythical prehistory in breathtaking splendour. I changed my mind, they are indeed an army, armed with allegory and an elated passion to deliver it.   

Itโ€™s Anglo-Saxon, or Celtic Pagan, reverberations of times of yore, wrapped punk and pirate-like. At times I likened them to Strange Folk, at others The Horses of the Gods, but mostly it was individual expression, and thatโ€™s the icing on their cake worthy of our perusal.

And thatโ€™s a wrap with dirty roads, a plastic army, and a gemstone. Through unforgettable acoustic goodness to an exclusive gothic folk duo, via a legendary supergroup of blues, you have to award Devizes, weโ€™re still punching above our weight when it comes to valid options for a great night of live music, and, sadly, I didnโ€™t even get the opportunity to head over to The Three Crowns for Adam; cloning technology, see? Get to it scientists, now!

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All Catโ€™s Eyes for Nothing Rhymes With Orangeโ€™s New Single

Firstly, to clear up any confusion, as I know I was, a little, and I also accept it doesnโ€™t take much these days, Devizesโ€™ finest musical export since The Hoax, Nothing Rhymes With Orange will play a homecoming gig at The Three Crowns on the Friday 24th June, and not as previously advertised on the Saturdayโ€ฆ.

Reason being is symbolic of the monumental progress this young band is making nationally; on the Saturday theyโ€™re at the third heat of this yearโ€™s Pilton Stage party in Glastonbury, the winners of which will go on to share the stage with a major headliner in front of 8,000 people on Worthy Farm in September, thatโ€™s all!

Here at Devizine Towers weโ€™ve got all fingers and toes crossed for the guys, itโ€™s a tough cookie, but we look forward to catching up with them on Friday. If you need confirmation of my claims of their blossoming progress, check out the latest single, Cats Eyes, which they launched today, and you will realise Iโ€™m not making this up; shits got real.

If eyes are a window to the soul, and cats are sly, this bountifully bodacious banger is the wild romantic ride of Born to Run, with an nonchalant and stylised ring of youth. The narrative is elementary though noteworthy, the post-festival blues of confusing mental bedlam over a fleeting romance, and coming to terms with it all when homebound; itโ€™s convincing, I get the inkling theyโ€™ve been there.

Yet itโ€™s the professionalism of a lively style defined here which impresses, having watched these Devizes lads progress from the levels of fun yet amateur punky knockouts like Chow For Now. And itโ€™s all contained within a relatively short space of time whereby each single is a moonwalk to initiating a universal style.

If the early singles like Chow and Manipulation fuelled a local fanbase of peers, Cats Eyes will play the same part in enthusing the big kahunas of the music industry, and if not, I want an inquiry as to why not. These songs theyโ€™ll undoubtedly look back on as stepping stones, yet while thereโ€™s a modification to a growing professional trend which sounds to me retrospective eighties indie-pop, the like I hail bands like Talk in Code for reverbating, their rawer punker influences arenโ€™t completely saturated here. It doesnโ€™t feel like selling out, it feels like a natural progression to a permeating and accomplished sound, which will equally not disappoint fans but amass newer ones too.

If weโ€™ve always been impressed with Nothing Rhymes With Orangeโ€™s insatiable ability to energetically harmonise, itโ€™s evident here in abundance too. Theyโ€™ve mastered the hook, and taking it to a bridge, they detonate the pop formula with indie goodness, something which only gets better each time; Catโ€™s Eyes makes another positive leap forward.

The band have been consistently gigging across the South West at festivals and niche music venues since they met in a secondary school, and have been championed by many local radio stations including BBC Introducing who have featured two of their tracks. With a summer tour announced they’ll be playing a range of headline and support gigs right across Wiltshire and on to Hampshire, Bristol, Reading and London. 

But while itโ€™s great to see them heading out, you know when they arrive back in Devizes, the party is on, and fans will be chanting their lyrics back to them; the highest accolade aside a blinding review from me, naturally!!

LinkTree HERE

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Devizes International Street Festival is Cancelled

Iโ€™ll never forget local photographer Gail Foster some years ago, pulling down her camera from a shot, turning to me with an expression of joy, telling me this was โ€œmy favourite day in Devizes.โ€ And last year, I was so overwhelmed as I got on stage to introduce the bands, to see smiling faces crammed the entire Market Place and bottlenecked through the Little Brittox, I understood how much the festival meant to us all and how it brings us all together for one weekendโ€ฆ.ย 

It rings home for us all, DOCAโ€™s International Street Festival was that one time when the people of this town could gather freely, and it has been loved by us all, and now Iโ€™m nearly driven to tears to have to put that in the past tense. Sadly, it looks like that date will pass us by this year, as due to loss of financial support from the Arts Council of England, this year, the festival has been cancelled.

DOCA have said, โ€œit is with sadness that we announce the cancellation of the International Street Festival 2024 due to loss of funding from the Arts Council. For over twenty years the DOCA team have worked hard to secure funding from the Arts Council England in order to run our extensive programme of community events and keep them free for everyone to enjoy. As a result of the change in the funding landscape nationwide, we will be looking for more local support to enable our other events to go ahead.โ€

โ€œThe loss of the International Street Festival as part of Devizesโ€™ free cultural event calendar is very upsetting, but here at DOCA we hope that by removing the largest and most expensive event to deliver, we can concentrate time and resources on making Picnic in the Park, Carnival, Confetti Battle and Colour Rush go ahead, whilst also looking ahead to secure funding for the Winter Festival.โ€

โ€œAlongside the ACE funding, we have always been very grateful for the community support we receive from our Festival Makers, local businesses, and beyond. We will soon launch new ways for you to support these events – keep an eye on our social media and website over the next few weeks to see how you can help either financially or with your time.โ€

My personal gut reaction is one of great annoyance and sadness, knowing how hard everyone worked to stage this colossal event for Devizes. The Arts Council has obviously been cut by the government, and I genuinely fear life in general in this country is being ground down to the commercial level of a third world state where nothing is given with heart.

Entertainment is going the same way as sport has for the past decade, only those who can afford to have fun will have fun. Staging free community-driven events like this will be confined to history books; they donโ€™t want you to enjoy life unless you pay, even for a day; work, eat, sleep, repeat.

Yet we seem to have the cash to construct a completely unnecessary and destructive tunnel under Stonehenge, we still find the money for Royal celebrations and a subsidised restaurant in Westminster, to hoist an old oil rig into Weston and put a waterfall on it for a temporary art installation, and we still find the cash to bail out politicians like Michelle Donelan for her slanderous personal Tweets. But we havenโ€™t got the money to feed children during a pandemic, we havenโ€™t got money for state education, healthcare, so we certainly havenโ€™t got the money for a party in a small town; use your head, and show them at the polling booths, it is the only way now, please.

Sigh, I know, I know, Iโ€™m tetchy and a huff. At least the rest of DOCAโ€™s Summer Programme will proceed as planned, but for now, this is blow to the town. You could always express your concerns directly to the supposed Arts Council HERE.

Frome Festival Presents a Bumper Programme for All

From the 5th to the 14th July 2024, Frome Festival plans to up the game of this wonderful and lively town with a bumper programme for allโ€ฆ..ย 

In over sixty-one venues across Frome and surrounding villages, Frome Festival is gearing up for its biggest ever programme, with 250 events taking place over 10 days. This yearโ€™s theme celebrates 60 years of Roald Dahlโ€™s โ€˜Charlie & the Chocolate Factoryโ€™, featuring artwork by illustrator Sholto Walker depicting Willy Wonka striding down the streets of Frome. To celebrate this theme, five Golden Tickets will be hidden at various Festival events with winners receiving a scrumdiddlyumptious spending spree at Fromeโ€™s local chocolatier and cafรฉ, Choc et al.

The community arts festival has been a popular fixture in the town since 2001 and aims to offer something for everyone, young and old, including different types of music, theatre, comedy, spoken word, art, dance, film, workshops, childrenโ€™s events, and food or drink experiences. Expect a dash of Fromeโ€™s signature quirkiness!

Children can enjoy bouldering workshops, comic art masterclasses, science exploration of pondlife, theatre productions, a Willy Wonka Rave, outdoor shows and so much more.

And Frome Festival is teaming up with the popular Frome Independent Market on Sunday 7th July, taking over their entertainment stages with music, street theatre, and dance.

Sir Willard White

Headliners for 2024 include internationally acclaimed bass-baritone, Sir Willard White, Jenny Eclair, Richard Herring, Paul Mason, Old Time Sailors, Swinging at the Cotton Club, Alberta Cross, Raghu Dixit, Peatbog Faeries. Alongside one of Fromeโ€™s favourite free events, the Festival Food Feast, returning for a celebration of amazing international street food, live music and entertainment. Sponsored by local Frome company Lilleyโ€™s Cider.

Other highlights include hilarious stand-up comic Jenny Eclair at the Merlin Theatre, the first woman to win the coveted Perrier Award at Edinburgh Festival in 1995 and hasnโ€™t stopped banging on about it since. Indiaโ€™s biggest cultural & musical export, Raghu Dixit is returning to the Cheese & Grain for the Frome Festival after his triumphant debut last year. 

Jenny Eclair

The spectacular Swinging at the Cotton Club is a visual and musical feast paying homage to legends such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie with breathtaking dance routines. In the atmospheric setting of Holy Trinity Church, renowned organ virtuoso David Bednall will provide an improvised soundtrack to the classic 1922 horror movie, Nosferatu.

Thereโ€™s raucous Old Time Sailors, former economics editor of Newsnight and Channel 4 and a regular Guardian contributor, Paul Mason presenting this yearโ€™s Bob Morris Lecture, a keynote speech that is an annual highlight of the Festival programme. Legendary stand-up comic Richard Herring presents his brand-new tour show where he talks bollocks about his recent experience with testicular cancer, at the Cheese & Grain, and Scottish trailblazers Peatbog Faeries also appear at the big Cheese, with a glorious mixture of traditional sounds and dance-floor grooves creating a hypnotic sound that no-one can resist dancing to.

Tickets go on sale from Sunday 19th May at 10am through www.fromefestival.co.ukย 

BROCHURES detailing all events are available to pick up from the Cheese & Grain, local libraries, information points and many other locations across Frome and the surrounding area. An online version of the brochure is available here.

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Tonka Bean, Devizes Only Caribbean Cafe & Bar to Close

ย Abrilli, sole Director and owner of Tonka Bean Cafe Bar in Devizes announced today, due to โ€œsignificant changes in personal and financial circumstances due to unfortunately slow and inconsistent trade over the past few months,โ€ the cafe is to closeโ€ฆ.

Tonka Bean will cease trading and close its doors on Sunday 26th May 2024. Abrilli thanked her customers and supporters, and said, โ€œI have loved every minute of bringing my Caribbean flavour and vibes to Devizes, our second home, and who knows maybe now was just not the right time.โ€ย 

Just a month short of a year ago I dropped in to see Abrilliโ€™s newly opened Tonka Bean, and publishing the news was one of our highest hitting articles of 2023. There was an air of optimism in the meeting, the idea of bringing Devizes something unique, and huge support for the cafe-bar was felt. It is very sad to hear it will go, I guess in this current economic climate this is a gloomy sign of the times.

Abrilli invites all to join them over the next fortnight, for great coffee and drinks, as they clear their stock. Regular opening hours apply. We wish her and the staff at Tonka Bean all the best for the future.

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Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 15th-21st May 2024

Hereโ€™s what weโ€™ve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming weekโ€ฆ

Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go there for links and more info. It may be updated, so check in later in the week.

Ongoing: A Wiltshire Thatcher: A Photographic Journey Through Victorian Wessex runs at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, until the end of August; review here. 

The Thrill of Love is currently running at the Wharf Theatre until Saturday, hereโ€™s a review.

Wednesday 15th

Acoustic Jam at The Southgate, Devizes.

Patsy Gamble Jazz Trio at St Nicholas Church in Bromham, preview here.

Jonathan Leibovitz at the Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon.

Mohamed Errebbaa at the Bell, Bath

Memory Cinema at Swindon Arts Centre, for those suffering with dementia and their carers, screening The Lavender Hill Mob (U). Latin funk jazz with Starlings at Jazz Knights in The Royal Oak, Swindon.

Thursday 16th

Royal Wootton Bassett Carnival & Fun Fair starts and finishes at the weekend.

Courting Ghosts at The Tuppenny, Swindon. Rusty Goatโ€™s Poetry All-Stars at Twigs Community Gardens. Memory Sing at Swindon Arts Centre. Pete Allenโ€™s Jazz Band at Swindon Arts Centre. Antiques and a Little Bit of Nonsense at The Wyvern Theatre.

Friday 17th

Full On Fridays at the Exchange, Devizes, with DJ Stevie MC.

Medium Nikki Kitt is at Melksham Assembly Hall .

Mosquito at the Aldbourne Social Club.

Pat Sharp Party Night at the Civic, Trowbridge.

Ion Maiden at The Vic, Swindon. Simplicity at the Queenโ€™s Tap. Ashley Blaker at Swindon Arts Centre. Julian Clary โ€“ A Fistful Of Clary at The Wyvern Theatre.

Ruzz Guitar Trio at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon. Karport Collective at The Boathouse.

Bath International Music Festival begins today, running until 26th May. Bootleg Bee Gees at Chapel Arts. Daliso Chapondaโ€™s Feed this Black Man Again at The Rondo Theatre, Bath.

Dutty Moonshine DJ Set at The Tree House, Frome.

The Chilled Out Motorhome and Camper Weekender in Cirencester opens.

Saturday 18th

Devizes Vegan Market at The Market Place from 10am-3pm. Mynt Image Craft Fair in the Corn Exchange. The Dirt Road Band at Long Street Blues Club. Canuteโ€™s Plastic Army at The Southgate, Edโ€™s pick of the week this one. Adam Woodhouse at The Three Crowns. Caztro is in the mix at the Exchange.

White Horse Soapbox Derby in Westbury.

Mosaic Dogs at The Lamb, Trowbridge.

Talk in Code at The Kings Arms, Amesbury.

Rachel Newton at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Black Wendy at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon. Vocal Works Gospel Choir โ€“ live at 21 at the Wiltshire Music Centre.

Shelf is at the Rondo Theatre, Bath, with a kids version, then teenage men version. Roxy Magic at Chapel Arts.

The Bowie Experience at The Vic, Swindon. Awakening Savannah at The Queenโ€™s Tap. 

The Soul Strutters at the Woodlands Edge. Drew Bryant at the New Inn. The Blackheart Orchestra at Swindon Arts Centre. eMotion Dance Competition at The Wyvern Theatre.

Frome Memorial Theatre Open Day followed by Jive Talkinโ€™. John Lydon is at the Cheese & Grain. ZZ Toppd at the Tree House.

Sunday 19th

The Hoodoos at The Southgate, Devizes from 5pm.

Open Mic at the Red Lion, Lacock.

Shot by Both Sides at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon.

Eddie Martin at the Bell, Bath.

Lee Hurst โ€“ Sweet Sorted Lovely at Swindon Arts Centre.

The Frome International Climate Film Festival at the Cheese & Grain.

Monday 20th

Tony Remy, James Morton & Anders Olinder at the Bell, Bath.

Steeleye Span at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon.

Tuesday 21st

Letโ€™s Walk โ€“ Caen Hill & Jubilee Wood

Crazy Bird Comedy Night at The Piggy Bank Micropub, Calne.

Gareth Williams Trio for Jazz Knights at The Royal Oak, Swindon.

Ash Mandrake & Jenny Bliss at the Bell, Bath.

And thatโ€™s all weโ€™ve got for now; fill your boots! Events listed here are subject to change, we are not responsible for cancellations, errors or postponements in anything listed.

Do check ahead with our every-changing events diary. 

Shindig Festival at Dillington Park begins next week, the last Shindig festival, have a good one from me.Also find upcoming Chippenham Folk Festival 24th-27th May. Love Saves the Day in Bristol. Beer and Cider Festival at Swindon & Cricklade Railway. Cursus Festival 2024 Dorset. Chris Moyles 90s Hangover Festival at Swindon Town FC. 

In Devizes Nothing Rhymes With Orange makes a homecoming at The Three Crowns on Friday 24th. And isnโ€™t it high time you snapped up some tickets for the Devizes Arts Festival at the end of the month running into June? 

Important note: events which come to our attention from now on, will be updated on the Event Calendar and NOT HERE. So, be sure to check in from time to time, use the Event Calendar to find more info on everything listed on here, and for ticket links, etc. Use the Event Calendar to check for updates and planning ahead.

Did we miss you out? Did you tell us about your event? Itโ€™s not that we donโ€™t like you, itโ€™s because Devizine uses many sources to collate these listings, and sometimes we miss a few things. Listing your event here is free, but please make it easier for me by messaging or emailing the info, and then, and this is the really important part, make sure Iโ€™ve added it and let me know if not!

Have a good week!

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IDLES’ at Block Party

With their only UK shows of the year quickly approaching, the 1st and 2nd August will see IDLESโ€™ and music festival Block Party take overโ€ฆ

Keep reading

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Poppy Rose, Ready Nowโ€ฆ.

Not being able to hold a note myself, I tip my hat to any musician in a band. Yet thereโ€™s something so much more valiant, rudimentary, and intrinsically honest about the solo singer-songwriter, the personal touch of an acoustic performer; as the title of her debut album suggests, Poppy Rose has thisโ€ฆ..

The key to a good singer-songwriter lies in the proximity of thoughts between the artist and their audience, and how they relate. If done well, the listener feels they know a little something about the singer. Iโ€™ve never met Poppy. I came across her music via a Facebook chat. But Iโ€™ve come away after one sitting of her new album, Iโ€™m Ready Now, thinking that I know her, and thatโ€™s the goal rather than the benchmark of an amazing acoustic singer-songwriterโ€ฆ.. 

The album opens with No In Between, elucidating Poppy doesnโ€™t do moderation, she is an all-or-nothing girl, and weโ€™re off, getting to know the innermost thoughts of this twenty-five-year-old creative soul from Bath.ย 

Itโ€™s thoughtfully played out prose, with intelligent metaphors which build throughout the ten tracks, but more importantly, itโ€™s dreamily unique and divinely expressed. The metaphors of the intimacy in the second tune are rinsed in personal observations, the third tune, more dejected in romantic theme; Fool is her first single released from the album. If these are characters in her narrative they appear to bear her own crosses and devotions equally, either this or Poppy can write classic fiction akin to Jane Austen!

Similar to what Chippenhamโ€™s Meg is putting out in both content and delivery, itโ€™s first-hand folk, idiosyncratic reflection, and we love what Meg is putting out, itโ€™s impossible not too, in my honest opinion. The confusion, trickery and learning of it within the game of love never wanes with age, but thereโ€™s something coming of age in Poppyโ€™s subjects, perhaps none more so than The Wrong One, which even states her naivety in the words. If youโ€™re not young (like me!) you still relate, because you lived it, and survived to tell the tale, though, Poppy tells it expressively in haunting songs, and itโ€™s something to behold.

Poppy poses in Resolution Records in Bath, looking deservedly chuffed! You can find limited edition gold glitter cassettes of “I’m Ready Now” in there!

Five tunes in and weโ€™ve swapped guitar for piano, complimenting her heart-clenching and soulful vocals better may be debatable, either instrument works, but piano always rewards it a more europic ambience, as the songs tend to sit in the more dejected moods of Poppy. Seven songs in now, Fragile suggests this honesty, the title track following this lifts the pessimism.โ€ฆslightly, but whatever the mood, Poppy sets it sublimely and evocatively.

If โ€˜body shamingโ€™ is a Gen Z construct, it is so only by modern terminology. If you think mocking people for their body shape or size is a new thing youโ€™ll be sadly mistaken. But it is something highlighted as harassment far less abstract and taboo nowadays, and dealing with such bullying inspires Poppyโ€™s penultimate song on Iโ€™m Ready Now. I Love my Body is a poignant reflection of wellbeing, a calling to anyone suffering misgivings about themselves physically. Whilst still a solitary deliberation, this track is perhaps the standout as it contains a universal message.

What surprises me most is Spotify has this tune, I Love my Body, listed as a previous single, dated 2019. I know Iโ€™m not so good at maths, but if this places Poppy aged twenty when she wrote this, she is truly a prodigy. As I said at the beginning, I donโ€™t know Poppy, but to express such a sentiment and deliver it so profoundly as a message to others at any young age, is nothing short of magical.

So to not leave us downhearted, Poppyโ€™s final tune, Joy, is brimful of romantic optimism, including a geographical reference akin to Springsteenโ€™s The River. This album is homemade lemonade, moreish, yet in recording oneโ€™s thoughts so young I believe, and hope weโ€™re only skimming the surface of what is to come from this skilled wordsmith and performer. Have a listen, see what you think, because I’m blown away!

Find Poppy’s Music on Facebook or Instagram

LinkTree HERE

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Help DOCA Win Funding for the Confetti Battle

From carnival to the Winter Festival, DOCA stages so many great events in Devizes, most of them for free, but the most unique is the Confetti Battle. This year itโ€™s coupled again with the Colour Rush, on Saturday 14th September. TicketSource are offering ยฃ1,000 to help fund a winning community event, all you have to do is click on this link, and vote for DOCAโ€ฆ.

Devizes Confetti Battle has been happening since 1955, it is free to attend but not free to put on. People of all ages come and participate in a mock battle, throwing tons of confetti at each other, leading to a firework finale. It’s a lot of fun!

There are a lot of costs that come with this event. The cost of road closures and the big clean up afterwards. DOCA would use the money to help buy confetti supplies. It’s hard to get the event funded as it isn’t a traditional art or heritage event so this award would be a great help.

So, please click on this LINK to vote for them, it will take you seconds and costs nothing, ta!

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White Horse Opera Mathieson Trust Fundraiser with Anup Biswas

White Horse Opera members, Soprano Barbara Gompels, Mezzo Soprano Paula Boyagis, Tenor Carlos Alonso together with pianist Tony James join forces with international cellist Anup Biswasย for a special musical concert to raise money for the Mathieson Trust in Kolkata India which celebrates itsย  30thย Anniversary…

The evening will take place on 15thย June at Market Lavington Community Hall starting at 6pm with a home cooked Indian meal followed by a range of musical delights from opera to songs from the shows.

The Mathieson Music Trust โ€“ The Mathieson Mission School was established in 1994, by Maestro Anup Kumar Biswas, it is a registered charity and was set up in memory of his guru, Father Theodore Mathieson, an Anglican priest from England. Father Mathieson of the Oxford Mission dedicated his entire life to the poor children of Bengal. After Mathiesonโ€™s death in 1994, Mr Biswas became his torchbearer, aiming to emulate his work and morals by helping children from the poorest families.

Mr Biswas wanted to give the opportunities he received through Father Mathiesonโ€™s generosity, to other children coming from impoverished backgrounds like his own. For 30 years, Mr Biswas has singlehandedly fundraised globally for the trust through concerts, classes, workshops, and other such events. Some key performances were in the presence of the late Queen Elizabeth II of England and King Charles III; the venues Mr Biswas has performed in range from the Royal Albert Hall (UK), The Carnegie Hall (USA), Commonwealth Institute (UK) and the Bayreuth Opera House (Germany) to name a few. The funds raised from these events have paid for the construction of the school buildings and their maintenance, resources, and teaching of the children.ย 

White Horse Opera warmly invite you to join them in celebrating the anniversary of The Mathieson Music Trust and all its accomplishments in the last 30 years .

Donations will be gratefully accepted on the night but tickets are needed for numbers for catering purposes, they are available fromย  Devizes Books. For more information on White Horse Opera, Here.

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Clock Radio Turf Out The Maniacs

The first full album by Wiltshireโ€™s finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโ€™s calledโ€ฆ

Thieves Debut EP

Adam Woodhouse, Rory Coleman-Smith, Jo Deacon and Matt Hughes, aka Thieves, the wonderful local folk vocal harmony quartet of uplifting bluegrass into country-blues has aโ€ฆ

โ€œThe Thrill of Loveโ€ at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes, May 13th-18th 2024

By Ian Diddams
Images by Chris Watkins

Ruth Ellis was hanged aged 28 years old, by Albert Pierrepoint the official executioner in the UK, at Holloway prison on July 13th 1955. Her trial had taken a little over just one day โ€“ the jury took only twenty-three minutes to find her guilty. She made no defence of her own actions though there is much to indicate she was at least coerced into shooting David Blakely and was likely acting under duress and was certainly easily influenced. Court investigations found her not to be insane โ€“ again there are indications that this was not as clear cut a scenario.

Her story is portrayed in โ€œThe Thrill of Loveโ€, by Amanda Whittington, showing soon at The Wharf Theatre.



This is not an easy play to watch.ย  Its subject matter is of course an indication of that, but itโ€™s the underlying stories that the plot reveals and hints at that are the disturbing aspects.ย  The sexual, physical and psychological abuse by multiple men throughout her life, from her childhood right up until her execution. Her low self-esteem, desperation for attention, acceptance, and love. Clearly self-delusional, gas lighting herself, a neurotic personality,Ruth Ellis was doomed from a young age and the play brings all of these into a stark expose of life in Britain at the time. As her character opines she was โ€œnever part of societyโ€.



Debby Wilkinson, Director of this quite superb piece of theatre, explained that it
has been a challenge to bring together, not just because of the subject matter
itself, but that as a historical record in many ways it is vital to reflect the
truth. Debby and the cast spent the first three weeks of rehearsal immersing
themselves into their characters, motivations and the social mores surrounding
that time, before starting to build the show. Their intensive preparation has clearly worked to perfection. All the characters are wholly believable, whether they be the real life characters of Ruth Ellis and Vickie Martin, or the fictional ones designed to reflect aspects of the work relationships and public thought.

Freddie Underwood plays Ruth Ellis. Hers is a staggering portrayal. From bumptious party queen, to mentally downtrodden and crushed, spurned, and beaten lover, Freddie encapsulates the vast array of emotions and reactions to perfection,sometimes just mere seconds apart as scenes develop. Words do not do justice to the depth of her skill. On top of that, she also has nine costume changes in the two hours of the show, one even onstage as she transforms from Ruth Ellis to prisoner.

Vickie Martin, Ellisโ€™ friend, is played by Jessica Whiley. Carefree party girl
with a plan, Jessโ€™s characterisation is spot on.ย  Entering cat-walk model like, to dancing with Ruth, her coquettishness shines through, lithely and gracefully. Jess also doubles up as prison warder and prosecution barrister. The relationship between Ellis and Martin is strong โ€“ catty, then supportive, then loving, then bitchy. Both actors excel at this relationship. Their scene where Ellis โ€œteachesโ€ Martin to flirt provocatively with the Gentlemenโ€™s Clubโ€™s patrons is also cleverly choreographed and performed; they are both so childlike โ€“ whilst existing on the sleazier edges of life.

Overseeing them both is Sylvia Shaw, the Court Clubโ€™s manageress.ย  The Court Club is central to the entire play โ€“its is where we are introduced to all the women characters, the club where they work. Mari Webster plays Sylvia, again to perfection. While Martin is coquettish and bright, Ellis focussed yet vulnerable, Sylvia has been there, done that, got the badge. She runs a tight ship, knows the score but is sliding into her fifties with a drink problem and failing health. She is also a mother hen to the girls in her club albeit one with a hard edge โ€ฆย  though it is revealed that this is really a trait of self-protection.

The final female part is that of Doris Judd, the char. Mitzi Baehr (who you
may even recognise from some TV appearances) is the calm, collected, caring big sister character that will have nothing to do with the real business of the
club, but delights in supporting those that work there.ย  From cups of tea to sympathy, to post abortion care and a few plainly put admonishments, Doris is, if not the power behind the throne, certainly the grease that smooths the paths of their lives. She loses her husband over her all night devotion to the club, to Sylvia and to Ruth in particular.



That leaves D.I. Jack Gale, representing in many ways, the folks that vociferously opposed Ellisโ€™ sentence and execution. He gets the conviction – but knows it isnโ€™t the full truth, and he is fighting for that truth the entire time, despite the accusedโ€™s own blocks to his attempts. He is a decent man, dedicated to his job, to finding the truth. Sean Andrews finds Galeโ€™s inner turmoil and even angst, amongst a sardonic turn of phrase. โ€œLondonโ€™s a market โ€“ and this [The Court Club] is the trading floorโ€ he almost shrugs โ€ฆย  before later spending hours going over and over notes, papers, cuttings, photographs of evidence. Sean completes this quintet of superb actors.

The set is a simple one yet effective. The โ€œCourt Clubโ€ โ€“ then later the โ€œLittle
Clubโ€ that Ruth ends up running โ€“ with tables, chairs, a record player, a bar.
Stage left and right empty for police cell, interrogation room, the street, a bedsit. Downstage for a crematorium. Costumes are a delight – aside from Ruth’s dazzling array everything is fitting for the period. Lighting is at times quite brilliant โ€“ the last we see of Ruth, hidden in shadow except for a blinding almost halo like shine of her blond hair is a stunning visual.


And surrounding all of this is Billie Holidayโ€™s voice โ€ฆย  a soundtrack of her singing washing in, over, around the scenes.


Ultimately, itโ€™s a play about loss.


Of dignity. Of husbands. Of lovers. Of hope.

Of life.

โ€œThe Thrill of Loveโ€ plays at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, from May 13th
to 18th at 1930 every night.

Tickets are available from the Wharf website atย https://www.wharftheatre.co.uk/show/the-thrill-of-love, or from Devizes Library.


Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 8th-14th May 2024

Itโ€™s beginning to look a lot more like spring now; you are officially cleared to go outside! Hereโ€™s what weโ€™ve found to do outside, in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming weekโ€ฆ

Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go there for links and more info. It may be updated with even more things to do than listed here, so check in later in the week.

Ongoing: A Wiltshire Thatcher: A Photographic Journey Through Victorian Wessex runs at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, until the end of August; review here.ย 

Wednesday 8th

Acoustic Jam at The Southgate, Devizes

Trowbridge Job Fair.

Nick Helmโ€™s Super Fun Good Time Show at The Rondo Theatre, Bath. O. Love & The Affair at the Bell, Bath. Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0 at Komedia.

Big Jam Session at The Vic, Swindon. And the Swindon Festival Of Literature opens with Anne-Marie Oโ€™Dwyer at Swindon Arts Centre,  and Jessica Fostekew: Mettle.

Thursday 9th

Devizes Film Club at the Wharf Theatre, screening The Quiet Girl.

Comedy Loft 9 at the Civic, Trowbridge.

Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage at Pound Arts, Corsham.

The TigerFace Show at The Rondo Theatre, Bath. Hayseed Dixie and The Zipheads at Komedia.

Butcombe Festival Of Laughs At The White Hart, Wroughton. Coopers Creek at The Beehive, Swindon. Swindon Festival Of Literature: Elizabeth Oldfield and Mark Rutterford at Swindon Arts Centre, followed by The Metamorphosis at Swindon Arts Centre.

Friday 10th

People Like Us at The Condado Lounge, Devizes. Palooza are back at the Exchange nightclub, great night of house music, great vibe, last time. 

The Future Sound of Trowbridge #9 at The Pump, with FLAM and Artoid. TrowFest at Trowbridge RFC. 

Miss Kill at the Old Road Tavern, Chippenham.

Counterโ€™s Creek at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Warming up for the Green Man Festival on Saturday, I Smell Burning at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon. The Full Motley at The Boathouse. Lindisfarne at Wiltshire Music Centre.

Benji Kirkpatrick at Chapel Arts, Bath. My Secret Sister at The Rondo Theatre. Craig Charles Funk & Soul House Party at Komedia.

Jordan Red, Webb and Boss Cass at The Vic, Swindon. Peloton at the Queenโ€™s Tap.

Swindon Festival Of Literature at Swindon Arts Centre โ€“has Marcus Du Sautoy, Hilary Bradt, and Felice Hardy.

New Purple Celebration โ€“ The Music of Prince at the Cheese & Grain, Frome. Gary Stringer of Reef at The Tree House.

Saturday 11th

The Stert Country House Collectables and Car Boot Sale in aid of Cancer Research at Stert near Devizes. Kirris Riviere & The Delta Du Bruit at The Southgate. 

Five Lanes Summer Fete in Worton. The Unpredictables at Potterne Social Club.

The Famous Hangover Sessions atThe New Lamb Inn, Marlborough. Open Mic at The Barge on HoneyStreet.

Martyโ€™s Fake Family at Gloucester Road Club, Trowbridge. Rural France, Ravetank, Clock Radio and Fela Dekota all at The Pump.

The Fureys at The Neeld, Chippenham.

Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival, Preview HERE. Also find Strange Folk at The Three Horseshoes. Be Like Will at The Boathouse.

Westbury Food & Drink Festival

โ€˜The Mystery Guest Tour Featuring Lady Nade, Daisy Chute, and Izzue Yardley at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Talk in Code at The Castle, Swindon with KGB and The Racket. Here Comes the Crows at the Queenโ€™s Tap. Rush Hour at the Woodlands Edge. Faux Fighters at The Vic. Swindon Festival Of Literature at Swindon Arts Centre has Tony Hawks and a Flash Fiction Slam!

A rally for Palestine in Bath. Sherlockโ€™s Excellent Adventure at The Rondo Theatre. Ma Bessie and her Pigfoot Band at Chapel Arts.

Kings of Lyon and The UK-Strokes at the Cheese & Grain, Frome.

Sunday 12th

Devizes Lions Sponsored Walk. Jack Grace at The Southgate, from 5pm.

Open Mic at the Red Lion, Lacock.

Melksham Record Fair at Melksham Assembly Hall.

The Ultimate Commitments and Blues Brothers Experience at The Neeld, Chippenham.

Mustard Allegro at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon. Cantamus Chamber Choir Chichester Psalms at Wiltshire Music Centre.

Schtumm presents AQABA at The Queenโ€™s Head in Box. Mambo Jambo at the Bell, Bath.

Legacy at The Kings Arms, Old Town, Swindon. Swindon Festival Of Literature has a Children & Families Day at Swindon Arts Centre, and the Festival Finale.

Tellison at The Tree House, Frome.

Monday 13th

The Thrill of Love opens at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes. Preview HERE. It runs until 18th May.

Rock The Tots: Movies at Pound Arts, Corsham.

Jack Grace at the Bell, Bath.

Teenage Sequence at The Tree House, Frome.

Tuesday 14th

The Black Feathers at The Piggy Bank Micropub, Calne.

Pale Blue Eyes at the Tree House, Frome.

And thatโ€™s all weโ€™ve got for now. Events listed here are subject to change, we are not responsible for cancellations, errors or postponements in anything listed.

Snap up tickets time: we recommend on Wednesday 15th, the Patsy Gamble Jazz Trio in Bromham, preview HERE. Jonathan Leibovitz at Wiltshire Music Centre.

And the weekend sees Bath International Music Festival begin, The Chilled Out Motorhome and Camper Weekender in Cirencester, Devizes Vegan Market at The Market Place, Dirt Road Band at Long Street Blues Club, with Ruby Darbyshire in support, and Canuteโ€™s Plastic Army are at The Southgate. White Horse Soapbox Derby, Westbury and Talk in Code make their debut at The Kings Arms, Amesbury. John Lydon, yes, John Lydon is at the Cheese & Grain, and thereโ€™s lots more on our event calendar to boot!

Important note: events which come to our attention from now on, will be updated on the Event Calendar and NOT HERE. So, be sure to check in from time to time, use the Event Calendar to find more info on everything listed on here, and for ticket links, etc. Use the Event Calendar to check for updates and planning ahead.

Did we miss you out? Did you tell us about your event? Itโ€™s not that we donโ€™t like you, itโ€™s because Devizine uses many sources to collate these listings, and sometimes we miss a few things. Listing your event here is free, but please make it easier for me by messaging or emailing the info, and then, and this is the really important part, make sure Iโ€™ve added it and let me know if not!

Have a good week, and don’t forget, the Devizes Arts Festival box office is open and waiting for you!

Trending…..

You; Lucas Hardy Teams With Rosie Jay

One of Salisburyโ€™s most celebrated acoustic folk-rock singer-songwriters Lucas Hardy teams up with the Wiltshire cityโ€™s upcoming talent who’s name is on everyoneโ€™s lips, Rosieโ€ฆ

Ooh La La Ya Beaux Gris Gris in Devizes!

Ben Niamor

A triumphant album release party last night for one of the hottest, rapidly growing talents in the blues/rock scene; Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypseโ€ฆ..

Guitarist supreme Robin Davey hails from the shire, and was once in The Hoax, a genre-defining UK blues band with Jon Amor, one of the guests we witnessed absolutely blow the roof of the Corn Exchange last night.. so, no stranger to our town. Louisiana-born powerhouse Greta Valenti, also married to Robin, brings the most incredible energy and voice to this band.

They always handpick the most amazing musicians; with this lineup of Sam on keys, Tom on drums joined by additional keys from the incredible Emma Johnson, a horny brass section (as introduced!) and two more local musicians, Jon Amor and Ruzz Evans, bringing some more incredible sounds of their own to the proceedings.

No surprise thereโ€™s an intuitive connection with the band, always playing with the most incredible musicians, these guys are among the most professional outfits you could ever hope to see. Whether raising the roof, running straight out onto stage with Whatโ€™s my Name? a fan favourite anthem, and getting all singing within the first song, or winding down the tempo to captivate the audience with the soul quenching Bungalow Paradise, whether itโ€™s the Queen herself or the musicians doing the talking, they have new and old fans alike eating out of their hands.

New material like Mama Cray, written from Gretaโ€™s childhood family memories including accordion accompaniment from Sam to sound like the true Cajun singalong anthem it isโ€ฆ 

Or from previous records like Thrill Me, a track that has the previously indoctrinated singing at the top of the voice and in silent deference to the whims of Robinโ€™s guitar inside one song!

Donโ€™t take my word for it, friends have taken to social media today having experienced their first full band stage show spreading superlatives stating โ€˜absolute classโ€™ , โ€˜ AMAZING!โ€™ These are from seasoned gig-goers having experienced something much more powerful than anyone could generally expect from a town gig.

The Corn Exchange was filled with over three hundred people, from the seasoned music addict (one notable and passionate couple Pat & Maria marking this gig a milestone of 50 Beaux Gris Gris gigs!) to first timersโ€ฆ Many of them have declared an instant connection, this was nearly double the crowd of the previous outing in the Corn Exchange, some two years ago, which shows the growth of the band and the desire of potential fans to connect with such a talented ensemble.

The new album, Hot Nostalgia Radio, has an even wider spectrum of material and influences than ever before, and is very much more radio friendly , and even more accessible without genre pigeonholing.

The incredible thing being this is nothing to do with record labels, etc, as is sadly all too common, it’s a drive from a band who are truly independent, to widen their appeal, to explore more ideas from their own life stories, and above all have a ball!

I confess to being of the opinion this band are truly amongst the best live bands anywhere right now, they have a fanatical following, which can only grow.

No matter what you think your bag is rock and roll, blues, whatever give this band a few minutes, if you like something you hear go seek out their records, or better yet feel the force of a gigโ€ฆ truly the same quality runs through everything they do.

Totally incredible performance, and for me I am proud that our town showed them so much love, we are blessed with incredible venues like the Southgate, Long Street Blues Club, etc, that are so well respected in the wider music community, that Devizes can punch so massively above its weight bringing these opportunities to our door.

I think I can safely speak for the vast majority of that hall last night in thanking the promoters, the band and their incredible team, and of course their guests for one of the very best gigs of my life, right here in my hometown! For many thatโ€™s something appreciated as being truly amazing to get involved with. 
Hot Nostalgia Radio by Beaux Gris Gris is out now, search any platform you care to mention  and go hit them up; letโ€™s keep them touring and do this again soon!

Trending…..

Bands At The Bridge

Organised by Kingston Media – to raise money for Dorothy House and Wiltshire Air Ambulance – the 3rd of May saw Bands At The Bridgeโ€ฆ

Phil Cooper is Playing Solitaire

Trowbridge singer-songwriter and one third of The Lost Trades, Phil Cooper has actually been doing more than playing solitaire, heโ€™s released a new solo albumโ€ฆ

No Alarms No Devizes, Aptly in Devizes!

If I’ve been galavanting recently, gorging on other local townโ€™s live music scenes, what better way to return to Devizes than a visit to theโ€ฆ

Illingworth & George Wilding Crowned in Bishops Cannings

Must confess, Iโ€™m envious of the good folk of Bishops Cannings, perched here on a bench in an idyllic beer garden with spring sunshine setting, and shadowed by the striking spire church, where tasty, generously portioned yet comparatively priced bar food is served to punters awaiting some live music arranged by Wiltshire Music Eventsโ€ฆ.

Jazzy and Gary, landlords of The Crown at Bishops Cannings give me a warm welcome. Considering the contrast to our now bolted village pub, where staff would barely raise an eyebrow from gazing at Eastenders on the big screen to serve you; to debate whether our pubโ€™s closure is a sad sign of the times, opens a Pandora’s box into what landlords did to prevent it.

Here at the Crown they’re catering for all, with smiles throughout. It’s a wonderful village hub; the kettle is on if you favour a cuppa, young children wander over with their dad from the campers in the adjacent field, the atmosphere is chilled, hospitable, and nothing seems problematic. Regulars join only a sprinkling of gig seekers in a modest heated marquee. I’m here primarily for Avebury phenomenon George Wilding, on shore leave from entertaining cruisers. Illingworth as headline is a bounteous bonus ball.

I’m fully aware, amidst many choicest options being Beltane, back in Devizes tonight is the night electric blues aficionados raise the roof of the Corn Exchange, but our best writers are on the case. Though he messaged me last Sunday, I missed the prodigal son of our live circuitโ€™s unexpected return to the Southgate, so catching up with George was overdue.

A learned, matured version of his former self told me of his travels, the ins, outs, ups and downs of performing on cruise ships; he has flourished in skill without pretension, but with the same heart. In turn I explained my pride in not only featuring upcoming young acts, but youths like our Flo reporting on their own circuit. George smiled his approval, expressing how he was once one. And at the dawn of Devizine, when it would be a regular thing to publish reviews on that generation, musicians like Tamsin Quin, Jordan Whatley, Mike Barham, and many others, all blossomed into amazing acts, and George’s were among the best received.

I first met him at Saddleback’s Battle of the Bands in 2018, which he won, but insisted he’d only accept the prize of playing the festival if the others had a chance to too. It’s this gracious benignancy which he greeted me with, and which, coupled with exceptional talent for singing and guitar, always made George stand out. Unpretentious is his show still, nurtured talent, yet the same simplicity of man and guitar is gold. He needs no setlist, nothing is prearranged. He considers himself no better than his audience, and engages with them as if they are lifelong besties. What songs will he cover? Itโ€™s interactive, you decide, but whatever is chosen you know George will pull it off, charm and entertain the audience with equal gusto.

Optimistic of the weather, he kicks off with The Kinksโ€™ in the Summertime, runs it into the Jamโ€™s Town Called Malice, but is already asking for input. I sat closer, to take a snap or two, and heโ€™s tongue-in-cheek pulled Madnessโ€™s Baggy Trousers out of nowhere! George will tackle anything, yes, he cooked a fine American Pie, awakened me to the greatness of The Fratellisโ€™ Whistle For The Choir, and we were back onto the Kinks with a backstory of Lola. Yet, Iโ€™d not recommend anyone taking on Otis Redding, or Freddie, but he does, spins it with convincing originality, making it his own, and delivers with such proficient expression, its joy to absorb, and memorable of so many great occasions to see him perform again.

The clues were all there, but Iโ€™m not Poirot; now that I see them for the first time on the same bill itโ€™s obvious, John, frontman of the Illingworth duo is Georgeโ€™s uncle. Though I cannot recall the first time I saw Illingworth play, through seeing them umpteen times since, it was much later than discovering George, and wasnโ€™t until later on John told me who his nephew was. Family connection clicked into place, seemingly, because equal to Georgeโ€™s talent, I never tire of watching Illingworth perform.

John and the curiously talented Jolyn Dixonโ€™s repertoire is more structured than Georgeโ€™s, all sing-along, taking in country rock classics and floating from prog-rock to new wave covers. Still they raise any roof with Pink Floyd, Beatles, to The Cure adaptations, nestle some fine originals, and come up for air with John Denverโ€™s Country Roads. Their show is one to suddenly arise from your seat and dance, without consideration as to how they obtain such a sound with just the two of them, a few guitars and cajon; they do what would take a full band, and what every pub landlord hosting live music really wants, a highly entertained and satisfied crowd.

The memorable night settles in Bishops Cannings; Iโ€™m sorry if I promised to freewheel between gigs, but the rare combination of George and Illingworth, the wonderful pub and great atmosphere had me grounded there. It doesnโ€™t matter if Wiltshire Music Events are presentingย  large scale events, such as last monthโ€™s Marley Experience tribute in Devizes, or simply a free pub gig, thereโ€™s a professionalism, in sound and talent-spotting, which will guarantee a good gig. The fact the big chief Eddie is keen to trek up to stage events here we should consider ourselves very lucky; maybe it’s the spire church of BC which makes this Salisbury bunch feel at home?!

Trending……

Wiltshire Music Awards Website Goes Live

Last month we were pleased to announce our involvement with the new Wiltshire Music Awards in conjunction with Wiltshire Events UK, details of which areโ€ฆ

Soupchick in the Park

And there was me thinking nothing good comes out of a Monday! Today local bistro Soupchick, popular in the Devizesโ€™ Shambles opened their second branch,โ€ฆ

Family Easter Holiday Events

Devizine isn’t only about music and gigs for grownups, y’know? It’s about events for everyone. This Easter we’ve lots of things to do over theโ€ฆ

REVIEW โ€“ Peter Knightโ€™s Gigspanner @ Pound Arts Centre, Corsham โ€“ Friday 3rd May 2024

A Knight To Remember

Andy Fawthrop

Gigspanner are in the middle of their UK Spring Tour 2024, and the Pound in Corsham has becomeย one of their regular stopping points….

I last saw them here in November 2022, but I also caught themย several times over the last twelve months at other venues and festivals around the country. ย And ย plenty of musical water has flowed under the bridge during that time. ย Apart from forays with theirย GBB (Gigspanner Big Band) format, which includes the Edgelarks duo of Philip Henry and Hannahย Martin, and the wonderful Saltlines tour, Peter Knight has been fully occupied with a wide range ofย solo and duo side projects with other artists. ย The man never seems to stop working.

But, last night, we were back in the old familiar and original trio format.  Gigspanner, if you werenโ€™t already aware, is the full-time musical project of ex-Steeleye Spanโ€™s violin genius, Peter Knight.  Having gradually become slightly exasperated with the repetitive nature of Steeleyeโ€™s musical repertoire, despite the occasional new album, Peter left in order to pursue his own musical interests.  His trio, which includes guitar and technical wizard Roger Flack, and percussionist Sacha Trochet, can now only be described as being at the very top of their game.  The trio format gives the three musicians the time and the space to explore the themes in their music more deeply, to extemporise with flowing solos, and to make even the regular material sound fresh every time they deliver it.

Last night was no exception.  I was perched right at the front, almost on the stage itself, in front of more than a hundred fans, and it was more than obvious that there has developed between these three guys a deep personal harmony, and an almost telepathic musical understanding.  Their two sets were based deep, deep in the heart of the most traditional of folk music standards, and yet developed and explored in a way that took you a very long way indeed from the โ€œoriginalsโ€.  Thereโ€™s an almost jazz-like feel to the way the three guys take these songs and tunes, and move them along into an almost completely different genre.

We had the folkie-based classics of their repertoire like โ€œShe Moved Through The Fairโ€, โ€œThe Bows of Londonโ€, โ€œThe Bonnie Birdieโ€ and (as a grand and sweeping finale) โ€œThe King Of The Fairiesโ€, but leavened and interleaved with other old favourites such as โ€œSeagullโ€, โ€œThe Butterflyโ€, the spell-binding โ€œSharp Goes Walkaboutโ€ and the stunning party-piece of โ€œLouisiana Flackโ€.  

The latter has to be seen to be believed: whilst Peter plays the basic tune on his violin, Roger simultaneously plays a fast staccato rhythm on the frets of the same instrument using drumsticks. The two guys have to absolutely trust each other in terms of timing and movement in order to carry out this difficult trick, and their joint concentration, staring into each otherโ€™s eyes as they knock out the rapid tune, is really something to behold.  Iโ€™ve seen them do this a dozen times or more over the years, but it never ceases to capture the imagination, and (as always) elicited a huge cheer from the audience as they finished it. Itโ€™s a breath-holding moment, and watching them carry it off from just a few metres away was even more amazing.

Peter interspersed the tunes with his usual laconic, comical style, talking to the audience as if they were old friends.  And I guess a lot of them were.  There was a lot of love in the room, and just the same warmth later as the three guys manned the merch table and chatted away to the fans.

Theyโ€™re a band, and a grouping of superb individual musicians, who are continuing to explore the boundaries of their music, developing even standard numbers in their repertoire with every new performance.  They never seem to stand still, and they never seem to stop working.  Theyโ€™ve reached a stage now where Iโ€™d say that they are very difficult to categorise or to pigeon-hole.  Their musical interpretations continue to evolve, and long may it be so.  If youโ€™ve never seen or heard them, Iโ€™d urge you to rectify that omission as soon as possible.

Absolutely top night of entertainment.

Their future gigs are listed on www.gigspanner.com/.  Next chance to catch them locally, in the Saltlines format, would be in Marlborough on 30th May.  Definitely worth the trip up the A4 Iโ€™d say.

And, finally, just a word about Corshamโ€™sย The Pound Arts Centre. ย Itโ€™s a small, but beautifully-formedย venue with a complete programme of events across drama, film, music, comedy, childrenโ€™s activities,ย art exhibitions, workshops, and classes. ย It also has an excellent cafรฉ & bar just off the foyer. ย Look onย their website for future music artists and online ticket information.

Trending….

Situationships With Chloe Hepburn

A second single from Swindon Diva Chloe Hepburn, Situationships was released this week. With a deep rolling bassline, finger-click rhythm and silky soulful vocals, thisโ€ฆ

Devizes to Host New County-Wide Music Awards

I’m delighted to announce Devizine will be actively assisting to organise a new county-wide music awards administration, in conjunction with Wiltshire Music Events UK. Theโ€ฆ

Ruby, Sunday at the Gate

It’s a rarity that I should drag myself off the sofa on a Sunday these days, one usually reserved for the monthly Jon Amor Trioโ€ฆ

Labour Party Could Change Star Wars Day to โ€˜Sci-Fiโ€™ Day so to Not Offend Trekkies

If the Labour Party wins this next general election, they could change the name of Star Wars Day to โ€˜Sci-Fiโ€™ Day so as not to offend Trekkies. Although they’ve not said they would or made any mention of it at all, it’s just the kind of woke idiocy you’d expect from them...


It’s high time the Jedi and Sith of this country stand united and use the force against Starfleet; coming into OUR Star Wars universe in their D-class escape pods, getting put up in five-star Holodecks, and now demanding we change OUR traditions of May 4thโ€ฆ..

May 4th is, and always has been a sacred day for Star Wars fans worldwide, and thus it should remain so. We will not stand for spotty Star Trek geeks, with their pointy ears and phasers set to spoil OUR fun.

So, remember, when you tuck into your roasted Ewok, and Porgs in blankets this afternoon, how Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and many others of the rebel alliance perished on Scarif. Spare a prayer for Obi-Wan Kenobi, who sacrificed himself so we can live without fear of the Empire.

The cancel culture of our dark side values and traditions must be stopped too, for the sake of the New Order, and Kylo Ren should see to it himself that Keir Starmer is put before Sheev Palpatine for a ruddy good Force lightning strike, boldly going where no man has gone before; right up his Trekkie-obsessed bottom. Let’s see Diane Abbott, in her sixties knee-high boots, tricorder and miniskirt beam him out of that one!

In a reading from the Jedi scriptures, Yoda told of the moment Obi-Wan was reunited with Anakin as Darth Vader, and I believe there’s an important message here to not allow ourselves to succumb to the Starfleet Federation of woke liberals, and that includes allowing Trekkies to interfere with our faith. Do not forget how Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated by the Borgg. It is highly likely Keir Starmer was too, though as of yet, this has not been proven:

โ€œAnd, was it so, that the evil Lord Vader unto said to Obi-Wan โ€˜We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner, but now I am the master.โ€™ And thus it was, Obi-Wan Kenobi replied did, โ€˜Only a master of evil, Darth.โ€™ Begun which, it was, commenced a mighty lightsaber battle, whence did Vader taunt Obi-Wan, and said unto him, โ€œyour powers are weak, old man.โ€™

At this point twas, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi defences did he lowered, and said unto Vader, โ€˜you can’t win, Darth. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.โ€™ And was it so, Obi-Wan right so he was, whence he transformed into that bloke from Trainspotting, and Disney did commission a TV series in his name.โ€ Master Yoda, 4 ABY.

We could argue Obi-Wan Kenobi looked a lot like Jeremy Corbyn, and like him, he openly fibbed about not remembering he owned the two droids R2D2 and C3PO, so he is not to be trusted, but if we let Sci-Fi Day happen things could be far worse. Imagine, if that filthy perv, Will Riker got his hands on OUR Princess Leia in her gold bikini; OUR childhood wet dreams would be forever ruined. Imagine if that wet blanket Wesley Crusher was allowed to roam the Star Wars universe freely. He’d probably reintroduce Jar Jar Binks, then what would happen? We’d never see the fourth season of The Mandalorian without Vulcan logic as what to do with baby Yoda, that’s what! Spock would constantly refer to him as Grogu, and that would just confuse my timeline, simples.

Happy Star Wars day, may the force be with you!

Swindon Families to Unite in Memory of Innocent Children Killed in Conflict

A group of local women and their families are gathering together to lay a huge installation of childrenโ€™s clothes outside the office of Justin Tomlinson MP this month.…

The peaceful installation, which will be open to the public on Saturday 11th May, aims to visualise the catastrophic extent of the killing in Gaza, with a particular focus on the innocent children whoโ€™ve lost their lives. Each item of clothing will represent one of the precious lives of all the children killed since October 7th in the Israel-Gaza conflict – now over 15,500 Palestinian children and 36 Israeli children.

The organisers, made up mostly of women, are from many different races, religions and backgrounds, unified in their heartbreak of the loss of life in the Gaza-Israel conflict. They are calling on other compassionate locals to come and take part in what they hope to be a hugely impactful event.

Theresa, a spokeswoman from the group said, โ€˜We realise that it is almost impossible to visualise the number of child deaths in this conflict, so this memorial is about helping people get to grips with the scale of what is going on.ย  We also want to make it clear to Justin Tomlinson – who previously voted against a ceasefire – that just like 76%* of UK residents (*YouGov.co.uk), the vast majority of his constituents are calling for a meaningful ceasefire in Gaza and we need him to represent our voices.โ€™

The installation will be placed outside Tomlinsonโ€™s North Swindon office at the Orbital Shopping Centre from 10am-10pm, ending with a candlelit vigil, on Saturday 11th May with full permission from the Orbital Management Team and with all clothes being donated to charity after the event.

Theresa continues, โ€˜This will be a peaceful, family-friendly memorial and we hope that our community will come and support us. We will need lots of people to achieve this, including the tidy up on Sunday 12th May. Everyone is welcome, so please do come along with any unwanted childrenโ€™s clothing to add to the installation, or simply stop by and join us in a moment of reflection and solidarity.โ€™

For further information on how to get involved or to volunteer, please check out the Facebook event on Swindon Palestine Solidarity page or email clothesmemorial@icloud.comย 

Trending….

๐€ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐ž๐š๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐…๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐Ž๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š ๐š๐ญ ๐“๐ž๐ฐ๐ค๐ž๐ฌ๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐€๐›๐›๐ž๐ฒ

Review by Pip Aldridge Last week, I had the privilege of seeing the Fulltone Orchestra perform at the beautiful Tewkesbury Abbey beneath the Peace Dovesโ€ฆ

Hells Bells! AC/DC tribute in Devizes

With our roads being the state theyโ€™re in, is it any wonder on the 5th April Hells Bells, rated as the UKโ€™s top AC/DC tribute,โ€ฆ

Cracked Machine at The Southgate

If many space-rock acts have more band member changes than most other musicians change their socks, Hawkwind are the exemplar of the tendency. There mightโ€ฆ

The Brand New Heavies to Play The Cheese and Grain in November

Debuting in 1990, The Brand New Heavies may not be so new any longer, but they’re still heavy, funky acid jazz pioneers and they’re on tour in November to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their groundbreaking 1994 album Brother Sister, including The Cheese & Grain in Frome on Saturday November 30thโ€ฆ.

Propelled by the classic singles โ€œDream On Dreamer,” Maria Muldaur’s โ€œMidnight At The Oasisโ€ and โ€œBack To Love,” the record achieved huge success (a #4 chart position, over a million sales and a BRIT nomination) as they cemented their position as the pioneers of Acid Jazz.

Still sounding as fresh and timeless as it did back then, The Brand New Heavies celebrate the albumโ€™s 30th anniversary with the announcement of the โ€˜Brother Sister 30โ€™ tour.

Featuring original members Andrew Levy and Simon Bartholomew  with the phenomenal vocalist Angela Ricci, the tour will see The Brand New Heavies perform โ€˜Brother Sisterโ€™ in full alongside other hits and fan favourites from their storied history with a complete live band.

The band said, โ€œWe canโ€™t believe that Brother Sister is going to be 30 years young! What better way to celebrate than coming to see us play the album in its entirety as well as all our hits.โ€

Tickets for the shows go on sale HERE from 10am this Friday, May 3rd. They play the Cheese and Grain in Frome on Saturday, November 30th. This saves me finding another vague local reason to mention it along the lines of Midnight At The Oasis was about a swimming pool in Swindon, which is obviously untrue, the leisure centre was always closed by midnight!

โ€œThe Incident Roomโ€ at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath, May 1st-4th.

by Ian Diddams
images by Ian Diddams

I was born in 1962.

In 1975 I was 13 years old, in my second year at secondary school.
By 1981 was I was about to take A-levels that summer.

In that time Peter Sutcliffe, a.k.a. โ€œThe Yorkshire Ripperโ€ murdered thirteen women and attempted to murder seven others.

I grew up in Kent, two hundred and forty-five miles away from the area of those crimes. I was โ€“ am โ€“ male. It didnโ€™t affect my life. Not directly. Yet, in retrospect it did touch my life, peripherally. A female friend went to university in that area during half that time โ€“ another in another part of Yorkshire similarly. A best friendโ€™s dad was a senior officer in the West Yorkshire Constabulary, though not attached to the police investigations. And it was a dominant, recurring news story, alongside the Northern Irish โ€œtroubles”. For six years.

โ€œThe Incident Roomโ€ by Olivia Hirst and David Byrne, tells the tale of the West Yorkshire policeโ€™s investigation, seen through the characters of five C.I.D. and one uniform officers, one civilian special constable, and a journalist. Adding context and background is a party girl and a taxi driver โ€“ one a survivor, the other a suspect. Itโ€™s a fairly no-holds barred expose of the misguided processes and investigative lines taken, of the egos and personalities that ultimately proved to be so disastrously wrong in the โ€œRipper Enquiryโ€. It is also a portrayal of the humans behind those decisions and the impacts on their lives. It carries an increasingly strong message of female suppression, misogyny and general undertones of constant rivalries threaded throughout the story. It is a story of ultimate triumph โ€“ but one that is hugely clouded by self-doubts, missed opportunities, ruined careers.

Platform 8 Productions have embraced all the above and delivered it, in spades. The Rondo Theatreโ€™s intimate space works well with the short, sharp-scened focus of the play. Rich Canning has once again excelled with his set design encapsulating the increasingly oppressive and crushing confines of the Millgarth office with areas for external scenes as stage left and right. The design draws the eye into the very nub of the entire issue at hand โ€ฆย  the pin board where, as the death toll rises, the board gets filled with the stark photos of the victims, plus the attack survivor, Maureen Longโ€™s. This is a tech heavy show and the tech crew of Will Ward, Alex Latham (who else at the Rondo?!) and Julie Dallimore have delivered director Nadine Combaโ€™s wonderful visions to a tee โ€“ time slips with ticking sounds and flickering lights a constant thread as the scenes race through the years of the case, stark office lighting, subdued 4am paperwork and filingโ€ฆย  not to forget the disco and driving music of course.

As so the castโ€ฆย  this is a character driven story as well as being a โ€œhistoryโ€, as opined previously. And the cast perform the characters SO believably.ย  As the play progresses each character grows stronger. Thereโ€™s George Oldfield, in charge, played by Mark Hale.ย  All brusque and bullish at first, but the job wears him down of course and by the end he is broken, a spent and bitter man.ย  Markโ€™s mannerisms reminded me of somebody I knew, perfectlyโ€ฆ Dick Holland, played by Rich Canning (of set fame!) ย is Oldfieldโ€™s number two and he shows Hollandโ€™s devotion to Oldfield and โ€ฆย  interestโ€ฆย  in special constable and man-hunter Sylvia Swanson played deliciously by Alex Oliviere. PC then DS Andrew Laptew, played by Matt Rushton, grows from โ€œBradford Twatโ€ to sure footed detective until being crushed by the weight of his realisations over his suspicions that were glossed over and he didnโ€™t push. Steve Brookes came to the cast quite late to play Jim Hobson, the tyre specialist โ€“ forthright and convinced of his leads. Itโ€™s a small part in the overall play but Steve makes his mark in the opening salvos with Oldfield well. Louche and cocksure Jack Ridgway is superbly acted by Chris Constantine, all swagger and insouciance, delivering his barbed pro-Manchester, anti-Yorkshire remarks to perfection โ€“ he is the boyfriend you hope your daughter never brings home. Chris doubles up as sometime suspect, taxi driver Terence Hawkshaw with an interesting 1970s style beard! How does he shave it off so quickly and grow it back again every night ? Then there is conniving, ambitious, feminist Tish Morgan played by Leah Brine with her eye for the main chance and the big scoop and not caring who gets hurt en route, and the survivor Maureen Long acted by Jude Bucklow, capturing the loss of joie de vivre and ultimate depression so poignantly.



That leaves just one character โ€“ that of Megan Winterburn, uniformed sergeant and controller of the incident room. Meg is on stage for the entire show โ€“ or if she isnโ€™t I must have blinked and missed it. The play โ€“ though being a quasi-historical record and about one perpetrator in particular, is really about Meg. Of her struggles against a male dominated workplace and her self-doubt and blame of how she may have missed something along the way. Her in-the-future reflections with Holland frame the story throughout underpinning each section of the investigation. Itโ€™s a huge part and the core and crux of the performance and so chapeau to Alexia Jones for a bravado delivery par excellence. Absolutely super.

The play works on multiple levels. Yes, itโ€™s about a famous police investigation. But its also so much more.ย  Itโ€™s a play about rivalries. Between different police forces, different counties, different regions, different sexes, different professions. Misogyny is rife, but so is distrust of others โ€“ whether they be from Bradford, Manchester, Londonโ€ฆย  or non-coppers. Itโ€™s a play about pig headed stubbornness, about detrimental devotion to superiors. About social bigotry. Itโ€™s the 1970s in a nutshellโ€ฆย 

Ultimately the police get their man. But not through the thousands of hours spent on the investigation โ€“ but a chance encounter by two uniforms in a red light district. Two years after Laptew had tried to file a report about the killer. The play thus is really about failure โ€“ individualโ€™s failures because of stubbornness, or devotion, or misdirection. Oldfield loses his job, Holland his marriage, Megan her self belief, Laptew his career, Maureen her confidence. Ridgway and Hobson survive to fight another day but tarnished by association.

Its only Tish that โ€œwinsโ€ โ€“ her career climbs from Yorkshire Post to Daily Mirror to Sunday Times. Whether we are left feeling she is a โ€œwinnerโ€ is open to conjecture.


And finallyโ€ฆ Towards the end of the play Meg comments to Tish about a book to be published about the Ripper and the investigation, that it is isnโ€™t journalism, but merely โ€œentertainmentโ€ and โ€œtittle tattleโ€. Itโ€™s a reminder maybe that what we are watching is in some ways โ€œentertainmentโ€. A play in a theatre. About the subject of the book that Meg is decrying. Though Iโ€™d suggest โ€œThe Incident Roomโ€ is far from tittle-tattle.

There are thirteen characters that haven’t had a mention in this review, in the cast list. But without them this story wonโ€™t ever have happened, this play never written. This top performance by Platform 8 Productions would not be showing. And its them that we should remember โ€“ the people that ended up as a photo on a pin board in โ€ฆย 

โ€œThe Incident Roomโ€.


Wilma McCannย ย  Emily Jacksonย ย  Irene Richardsonย ย  Patricia Atkinsonย ย  Jayne MacDonaldย ย  Jean Jordanย ย  Yvonne Pearsonย ย  Helen Rytkaย  Vera Millwardย ย  Josephine Whitakerย ย  Barbara Leachย ย  Marguerite Wallsย ย  Jacqueline Hill

โ€œThe Incident Roomโ€ plays at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath from May 1st to 4th 2024

Tickets from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/bath/rondo-theatre/the-incident-room/e-vqryvo