Month: Oct 2024

โ€œThe Little Mermaidโ€ at St. Augustineโ€™s, Trowbridge, October 30thโ€“November 3rd, 2024.

By Mick Brian
photos by Chris Watkins Media

Disney aficionados will need no introduction to โ€œThe Little Mermaid,โ€ Disneyโ€™s 1989 film about mermaids falling in love with humans based very loosely on Hand Christian Andersonโ€™s tale. By 2007 Disney had crated a stage musical version which officially opened on Broadway in 2008, with a later modification in 2012. But what Broadway can do, Trowbridge can do too, and this week Trowbridge Musical Theatre (a.k.a. TMT ) bring โ€œThe Little Mermaidโ€ all the way from New York City and an undersea kingdom to St. Augustineโ€™s Catholic College for our delectation.

This is a challenging production to pull off, with a huge cast, and multiple characters and costume changes, massive choreography numbers and immensely technical requirements, but TMT manage it sublimely in a packed and fast paced show. With a cast so vast its not feasible to list every single person sadly but it is fair to say that everybody involved brought something special to the performance. Added to which a brave decision to play it with American accents as per Broadway worked really well โ€“ kudos to all for not grating, and being thoroughly believable as sons and daughters of Uncle Sam.

Lets begin with the orchestra โ€“ with ten musicians and Kate Courage M.D. you can already appreciate the scale of this production. From the opening marvellous overture to the last note the orchestra were simply great.

The technical team brought the stage craft to life aided and abetted by some wonderful directorial touches by director Matthew Heatonโ€ฆ the piรจce de resistance being the beautifully simple yet effective use of wave sheets to represent the sea, operated excellently by the younger members of the cast and especially effective in the ship wreck scene โ€“ top waving by  Emmi-Mae Cao, Elsie Cunningham, Iris Cunningham and Sam Hodgman. More kudos to the tech team and set designers with excellent projected backdrops and a few simple but effective set pieces.

Of the principals all provided great characterisation. Alex Ball as Flounder was a standout performance, Noah Heard as Eric executed his role as a prince falling in love at first sight to perfection with a voice that was creamy, dreamy and effortless with great diction, voice agility and ability. Tritonโ€™s daughters (all seven of them) proved wonderfully catty in their roles, and collectively strong with a great sound.

The evergreen Tim Hobbs was as brilliantly crabby as he ever is as Sebastian with some wonderful comedic touches, while Sarah Davies divaโ€™d her way fantastically through the show as the wickedly creepy Ursula, with her wonderfully strong voice as ever.

She was superbly accompanied by the dynamic duo of Frankie Walker and Daisy Woodruffe as Flotsam and jetsam, Ursulaโ€™s henchmen eels who worked really well together. Ariel was the archetypal Disney princess portrayed to a tee by Katy Pattinson โ€“ gorgeous and tiny, with such a pretty voice and moved about the stage nicely.ย  Her chemistry with Eric was particularly good, and as a pair the complemented each other well. Her Act two performance in particular as a mute was really well executed with some strong physical acting, communicating superbly with facial expressions. Her scene of learning to walk was choreographed and performed extremely well.

Which brings us to the ensemble. Oh. My. Word. Ensembles make or break a show and here was a show that was made. Extremely strong in everything they did, they deserve a full bow of their own for the multiple costume and character changes required, as they sang, danced, and acted their way through being gulls, maids, sailors, chefs, princesses and the already praised โ€œWaveโ€ team. A specific mention here to Paul West as Scuttle the head gull with a strong comedic lead. But all members of this vast ensemble were worthy of their places I hasten to say!

Choreography by Anna Mazan was a huge feature of the show, and the time and effort put in by her and her protรฉgรฉs was evident. โ€œUnder The Seaโ€ was a triumph – fantastic, energetically colourful, a massive carnival with bubble machines, jellyfish parasols and so much more in a cavalcade of splendour. Youโ€™d need to watch it many times over to catch everything that was happening on stage.

Costumes were simply fantastic. Just wonderful. A little fish told me that they werenโ€™t without some teething problems on their arrival, but the wardrobe team did the cast proud. Chapeau!!   (If you will pardon the pun).

Itโ€™s a huge show. And its running in Trowbridge, at St. Augustineโ€™s Catholic College until Sunday 3rd November, tickets from https://trowbridgemusicaltheatre.co.uk/tickets/





What’s Happening During November in Devizes?

Remember, remember, weโ€™re moving into November; leaves, loads of โ€˜em! Being as we are no longer doing weekly roundups, hereโ€™s some highlights of events in Devizes during November, but do pay attention, thereโ€™s lots more listed on our event calendar, from all over our county, and itโ€™s always updating, so keep checking in HERE too!

Daveโ€™s birthday beer festival at the Southgate, for the entire weekend and into Monday. Find Sammi Evans, Josh Oldfield & Gordon Thompson there on Friday 1st, and Courting Ghosts, I believe, are there on Saturday; not sure about the rest, but I think the focus is on the beer; if you can focus on beer! Happy birthday, Dave!

Talking taps, we send our best of luck to The Pour House, taking over the old Vaults in St Johnโ€™s Street, Devizes. Itโ€™s their grand opening on Friday 1st.

On Saturday 2nd, there’s a tap top sale in Couch Lane, we have the Lions Club Arts Coaching Day, and Quakers Walk Community Biodiversity Group are bulb planting and preparing wildflower beds. Sunflower Events host a Christmas Market at the Corn Exchange from 11am to 6 on Saturday, 11am to 4 on Sunday.

While those Roughcut Rebels return to the Three Crowns, and Dave’s birthday beer fest continues at the Southgate, Mississippi MacDonald Band kicks off a long month of gigs at Long Street Blues Club, with Sons of the Delta in support. Isosceles Theatre Company are at the Wharf Theatre on Saturday, with a performance of Murder; Just What the Doctor Ordered. In aid of Swindon & Devizes Sands, thereโ€™s a Back to School disco at the Wyvern Club.

Sunday 3rd, itโ€™s Devizes Fireworks at the Football Club. Jon Amor Trio residency at the Southgate. A concert in Chirton too, see poster below!

Monday 4th, The Opening of the Garden of Remembrance at the War Memorial, 10.45hrs.

Wednesday 6th, the regular acoustic jam night at the Southgate, of course!

Thursday 7th, Devizes Film Club is at The Wharf, with a screening of Finnish film Fallen Leaves.

Friday 8th, Muck & Dunder have a DJ set from Dub Pistol Barry Ashworth. Devizes Arts Festival presents a night of comedy at the Corn Exchange. And The Devizes Eisteddfod opens for Music, Speech & Drama, and runs until 17th November 2024. 

Saturday 9th has the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Associationโ€™s Book Fair at the Corn Exchange from 10am. Stone’s Throw are at The Three Crowns. And while Swindonโ€™s amazing folk ensemble SGO are at the Southgate, The Ian Siegal Band are at Long Street Blues Club with Ruby Darbyshire in support, both unmissable!

Sunday 10th: Remembrance in Devizes. 09.15hrs Muster in the Marketplace. 10.00hrs Church Service at St Johnโ€™s Church. After service Reform in Long Street. 11.00hrs Last Post-Two Minutes Silence- reveille Wreath Laying and Parade Marches Back to Marketplace.

Mr Griff & The Grifters play The Southgate, Devizes, from 5pm.

Monday 11th: Remembrance in Devizes. At the War Memorial: 10.45hrs for The National Two Minutes silence.

Wednesday 13th, sees the regular acoustic jam at the Southgate.

Friday 15th find the brilliant Siren at the Three Crowns.

Saturday 16th thereโ€™s a Mynt Image Craft Fair at the Corn Exchange, from 10am. Free entry and a great range of superb quality products.

John Otway makes a welcome return to Devizes, at the Long Street Blues Club, and Billy and the Lowground in support; a different night for the club, highly recommended this one!

Wednesday 20th, sees the regular acoustic jam at the Southgate. Devizes Flower Club is jingling all the way to the Corn Exchange.

Thursday 21st and thereโ€™s an Evening of Mediumship with Psychic Medium Nikki Kitt at the Corn Exchange.

Friday 22nd Queen tribute act, Qween UK at the Corn Exchange, no excuses for spellings from us, that is what it is, lets hope they will rowk you!

Saturday 23rd you can find The Sylvertones at The Three Crowns, but not a lot else I’ve heard about as of yet. Time maybe to pop over to Lavington for this….

Wednesday 27th, sees the regular acoustic jam at the Southgate.

Thursday 28th head down to the Pelican, where Fantasy Radio presents a Live Lounge with Ruby Darbyshire. Also, itโ€™s open mic night at The Cellar Bar, Bear Hotel from 7:30pm.

Friday 29th is DOCA Winter Festival, lights switching on, lantern parade, mulled wine, Devizes Town Band playing Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and all the gubbings; and thatโ€™s when Iโ€™m officially in the Christmas mode! Window Wanderland runs from here until 2nd Dec, and the fun continues into Saturday too!

Double-whammy, the Hazel & Gretel panto opens at the Wharf Theatre on Friday too. Note, due to popularity theyโ€™ve added dates, and it runs until the 7th December now. I will be going to see it long before you, and Iโ€™ll be here to tell you about it; what? Perks of the job!!

Also on Saturday 30th, ever popular covers unique trio People Like Us will be at the Three Crowns. White Horse Opera at Market Lavington Community Hall.

That’s all for now, folks! Did I miss something out? Did you tell us about it?! We update all the time, so, rest assured more will be added when they come in, and if you cannot find something to entertain you here, you can leave town! In a nice way, you understand, we do have roads and Devizine lists events within range of Devizes as well as in Devizes; so remember, remember, to check the EVENT CALENDER!!

And Here is December; Lynx deodorant sets time!

La Bruja; New Halloween Single From I See Orange

There’s a trick and a treat for Halloween from Swindon’s finest alt-rock trio I See Orange; new single, La Bruja, or The Witch translated from Spanish, and it’s certainly cast a spell on meโ€ฆ.

If you’re still unaware of I See Orange, it should be considered folklore cunning craft to overlook them after this; you’ll find yourself sinking in a river! Reviewing them at the Pump at the beginning of the year, I made a beeline to catch them again at Minety during warmer climates. In retrospect I should’ve reviewed their debut four-track EP Lonesome Joy released around the same time as the Pump gig, but missing that window I figured I’d await something new. And here it is, creeping up on us!

Lonesome Joy and a separate song from the same session are generally formulated like all good hefty grunge; rising and falling mood layers, and the single Simply, tended to take a commercial blues angle, as if a metal Cranberries. While these are all positives, with promising roots and truckloads of potential, La Bruja is a constant, progressive, and it doesn’t wait for you to attach yourself to the ambience; it’s a beautiful monster, stomping through a dark forest, chasing you, from beginning to end.

Yards ahead of their previous outpourings, I’d say, its theme perfectly captures the unique identity of the band; a grunge-riot grrrl-garage punk fusion. Charlie Hart and Cameron Hill proficiently drive a hard rock drum and lead guitar arrangement, respectively, behind bassist Giselle Medina, who plays out an ironic kawaii character, a kind of post-goth shลjo kogal, akin to Mieruko-Chan, or Ling Xiaoyu for the Tekken players!

It’s a spookily seductive look, therefore so is this song. It’s as if it’s a direct response to Kip Tyler’s She’s My Witch, with a contemporary edge; lots of haunting, rocking edge. Giselle’s divine, evocative vocals are like a non-stigma emo Greek siren, crying out either an enticement or warning, depending on your fixation for paraphilic disorders; scratch beneath her innocent superficie to discover how deep her โ€œweird shit,โ€ delves, only at your own risk!

And it rocks sublimely, is risquรฉ and unearthly; nothing Monster Mash about it! Here’s their Linktree, and Bandcamp page, Spotify too. If you pop it on your pumpkin playlist, you’ll be grateful I told you and hopefully fill my bucket with Haribo!

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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

Keep reading

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Chippenham Musicians Gather For El Toro Fundraising Gig at the Old Tavern

The end of autumn shows no signs of preventing there being lots of events locally. We move into November still with a packed event calendar, do check it out. One good way to kick the month into action is a fundraiser at the Old Road Tavern in Chippenham, the first Saturday of November, (2nd.) Itโ€™s raising funds for the townโ€™s El Toro Music Shop which was destroyed by fire damage in Julyโ€ฆ..

Owner Henry Ray reported his music shop had to be closed until further notice in July when fire from a neighbouring property caused a significant loss of products and damage to the building. El Toro was a much loved music store and was an invaluable asset to local musicians. While Henry continues to provide guitar lessons, from a temporary location, he has also had to take on temporary work to cover himself, due to not having fire insurance.

Henry has been fundraising with a new plan to move forward with rebuilding the shop, albeit it may be smaller, but incorporating other products and services to generate maximum footfall. He looks towards the possibility of a partnership, allowing music instruments and accessories to be aligned with anotherโ€™s existing business.

It makes sense Chippenhamโ€™s music community would get behind the project, and the venue will be split into two stages to accompany all those willing to provide a great day of music. I believe much of the organisation for the fundraiser has been done by Harmony Asia, who headlines the pub stage, whilst at the Barn stage the owner of the shop, makes a guest appearance with his band, also aptly named El Toro.

The fun begins at 6pm, with Ben & The Cowboy in the Barn, half hour later music begins in the pub with Chris Tucker. Then the pub venue has DD, and Sharpie, headed by Harmony. The Barn has a solo set by Will Lawton, Meg, and Mac Lloyd. A few names Iโ€™m aware of and all of which I highly recommend, and some acts Iโ€™ve yet to cross off my must-see list, particularly Harmony herself.

Harmony Asia

Tickets are a tenner, from HERE, all proceeds go towards El Toro and bringing back a vital service of music products to Chippenham. If you cannot make it but would still like to donate, there’s a Go Fund Me page HERE.

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter Meg said, โ€œit’s great to be part of an amazing community,โ€ and itโ€™s a sentiment which illustrates how this event will be played out, with a real sense of community spirit; and those are the best kinda gigs! We wish Henry all the very best with his fundraising efforts.

Meg

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Should we be Concerned Over Wiltshire Councilโ€™s Refusal to Engage with Melksham News?

The simple answer is yes, very concerned. Following the publication of an article in Melksham Newsโ€™s last issue questioning the councilโ€™s public notice policy, Wiltshire Council has refused to engage with Melksham News, effectively censoring the newspaper. This disgraceful decision could undermine local press freedom, accountability and local democracyโ€ฆ..ย 

Melksham News, part of the Wiltshire Publications Group, has served their community with integrity, providing factual reporting and holding public institutions accountable for over forty years. However, when recently it reported on criticism of the council for its policy of only using paid-for newspapers to advertise public notices, including the concerns raised by some councillors and the local MP after a motion to debate the issue was denied, Wiltshire Council halted all communications with the newspaper, declining to send press releases or respond to any enquiries. Is this Wiltshire, or North Korea?!

Melksham News claims it has received written confirmation from Wiltshire Council stating they do not feel able to engage with the publication. In a statement from Wiltshire Publications on behalf of Melksham News, they stated, “We are aware of a statement from Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council, in the press that raises concerns about our reporting and our supposed ‘campaign’ against Wiltshire Council.โ€

โ€œIn his statement, Cllr Clewer accuses Wiltshire Publications of running an ongoing campaign over the past two years to pressure the council into advertising statutory notices with us. He also claims that we have continued to present a negative narrative because the council has chosen not to advertise with us.โ€

โ€œWe feel these accusations are inaccurate and misrepresent our intentions. We have written only one article on the matter of public notices, published in our issue on 10th October. This followed the council chairโ€™s decision not to consider a motion from Cllr Jon Hubbard. We categorically deny the claims of an ongoing campaign lasting over two years. The issue of public notices was first raised with the council in September 2023, and we have published only this one article on the subject since then. To characterise this as an ongoing campaign is both misleading and unfounded.โ€

โ€œThe matter of public notice policy concerns taxpayers’ money and public access to information. Our role is to ensure that the public is well-informed, especially on issues of transparency and public spending. Any suggestion that we are highlighting these issues for personal gain is not only inaccurate but entirely inappropriate.โ€

The statement from Melksham News continues, claiming Cllr Clewer stated their reporting has not been impartial. โ€œIt is unfair to accuse us of impartiality based on a single article, especially one that was grounded in data obtained via Freedom of Information requests and included a response from the council,โ€ they said. โ€œWe do not feel it is the role of a statutory body to judge our editorial decisions. Editorial independence is essential to a free press, and it allows us to hold public institutions accountable. Our responsibility is to the public and presenting information based on fact. By refusing to engage with local media over a single article, the councilโ€™s actions undermine the principles of press freedom and open dialogue, which are essential to ensuring accountability and transparency in public institutions.โ€

Melksham News stated it stands by their reporting, remaining committed, โ€œto informing our readers in an accurate and fair manner, ensuring that the community has access to the information it needs to hold its elected officials to account.โ€ And here at Devizine, we stand by them too, believing we all should. On the last few occasions weโ€™ve published anything about Wiltshire Council it was in support of their recent actions; the extension of the bus timetables, permission for a graffiti wall in Melksham; all pragmatic motions which proves when the council get it right it will be reported positively, even by us!! It is a shame then, to have to spoil the run with this, but silencing constructive criticism is deeply concerning to democracy.

In the midst of the past governmentโ€™s โ€˜circus of thievery,โ€™ we are surely all aware of press corruption, undermining press freedom at Conservative conferences and refusing entry to them, and the manipulation of the media to promote their ethos and obliterate opposing opinions. Most of us studied modern history and what happened in 1920’s Germany, don’t make me spell it out. And weโ€™ve even seen this on a local level via unscrupulous control of social media groups by power-tripping councillors, but weโ€™ve yet to realise this is happening to official media groups channelled by the county council, until now.

The shocking fact one lone keyboard warriorโ€™s comment on Melksham Newsโ€™ original Facebook post ludicrously pointed the finger at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, suggesting, โ€œthey are doing what Kier Starmer has told them to do as he doesn’t want the truth coming out so he is censoring all news and negative comments and newspapers telling the truth,โ€ is proof enough, I believe, of how deeply the effect of misinformation is ingrained into forming public opinion and causing hysteria with a false narrative; that an a better education system!

How anyone could link this issue with the new Labour government when thereโ€™s not a red tie in sight at Wiltshire Council is beyond belief. It retains a Conservative majority and the leader of Wiltshire Council, Richard Clewer, the councillor enforcing this infringement of the common law of freedom of expression is a Conservative too. Yet it is worrying evidence that we need a rebalance in media bias; people believe this shit!! Hey, I stubbed my toe on the wheel of my sofa this morning. It’s blatantly obvious what’s happened here; Keir Starmer broke into my house, and moved my sofa a quarter of an inch to the left! 

I shouldnโ€™t joke, this would be propaganda on an Orwellian level if it wasnโ€™t laughably from a Council boasting being named as the seventh-best council in England in the latest IMPOWER Index, judged by how efficiently it delivers core services in relation to their budgets, as I dangerously bounce over the umpteenth pothole pondering if I should follow up on bias and braggart press releases like this! Someone needs to inform Cllr Clewer we have only left the European Union, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights still stands in British law, giving us the right to freedom of expression. A right I will exercise, cheers me dears!

The newspaperโ€™s operations manager, Joe McCann said, โ€œlocal newspapers like ours are essential for holding public bodies to account and ensuring transparency in local government. By cutting off communication, the council is evading scrutiny and potentially controlling the flow of information, which is not just a concern for us as journalists but for the public as well.โ€ Melksham Newsโ€™s statement suggests similar; โ€œThis sets a dangerous precedent, where councils can silence critical voices instead of addressing legitimate concerns, ultimately undermining local democracy. This is an unprecedented move for a local council.โ€

Wiltshire Councillor Jon Hubbard, who represents Melksham South ward said, โ€œI am deeply concerned and disappointed by the recent correspondence sent to Melksham Independent News, stating that Wiltshire Council will no longer correspond with the newspaper until they approve of the coverage provided. This kind of stance sets a dangerous precedent and threatens the principles of a free and independent press, which plays a vital role in holding local government to account. I sincerely hope that this decision is not politically motivated, as it would undermine the trust between the council and the residents it serves.โ€

โ€œThe press should never be expected to tailor their coverage to meet the approval of those in powerโ€”it is their duty to provide fair and accurate reporting to the community. I call on Wiltshire Council to explain why such a step has been deemed necessary and to reaffirm its commitment to transparency, openness, and constructive engagement with all media outlets. Our community deserves nothing less.โ€

Emma Meese, director at the Independent Community News Network (ICNN), who represents the independent press community, added, โ€œThe role of a journalist has always been to scrutinise and provide news that is in the public interest. It is concerning when a local authority decides it will not engage with the largest news provider in the area, for calling it out on its actions. We have to question the motive behind this decision by Wiltshire Council to try and control the narrative.โ€

Allow me then to speculate, we are, quite simply, face-to-face with a county council desperately clinging onto a dying Conservative philosophy and running scared till the point it fears constructive criticism. Yet by attempting to silence it makes the dangerous assumption we are foolish enough not to conclude from this that theyโ€™ve something to hide, and are doing so via manipulation of the media. Either that, or they really did send Keir Starmer to stealthily shift my sofa quarter of an inch to the right causing me to be unnecessarily tetchy this afternoon. Now, excuse me while I go shout at some Gen Zers vaping in the park like the level-headed indoctrinated boomer the mainstream media has convinced me to be!!!

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Sign of Life; The New Single From George Wilding

Am I going to tell you about this new George Wilding tune, or not? Huh? Oh, sorry mate, what was that again?!

Sounds like George is irked with a distracted nomophobe, much less speaks out for everyone ignored when addressing someone permanently glaring at a phone screen and risking causing a hitch in a relationship; I donโ€™t blame him and suspect most of us have been both victim and guilty of violating basic manners while gawking at someone’s lost cat or unappetising supper photo on Facebook.

Maybe this review will make you think twice, maybe it’s hypocritical even reading it, but whatever; it’s the damn good welcoming home song we’ve come to expect from this local legend.

So, pay attention now, because it’s been a while since we’ve been able to say we’ve a new single from the prodigal George Wilding to mention. He’s been enjoying being the human jukebox aboard cruise ships, guaranteeing his bread and butter, and if he’s got some stories to tell, we’re glad to see him back to tell them.

Sign of Life is out across streaming platforms on the 24th October 2024, we’ll drop a link here to it when available, so check back in or follow his socials. Its working title, Canโ€™t Get Through to You, may be more enlightening, but not so punchy.

George Wilding

A medium-paced post-gothic indie rock riff, comparable to those who dared buck the noncommercial ethos of the subgenres of new wave, The Smiths, The Cure both spring to mind, though George’s distinctive and often adventuresome vocal range should be no stranger to anyone locally based and therefore needs no comparables. This is a grower, creeping up on you, and after a few listens youโ€™ll be hooked. But besides, itโ€™s George, and doesnโ€™t divert from the style or excellence of his previous outpourings; fans will be pleased to hear, I reckon.

Double-whammy, as itโ€™s produced by the amazing Jolyon Dixon, renowned for bringing the best out of many artists new to us; weโ€™re delighted to hear of this perfect coupling. Jolyon told me, โ€œit was great fun working with him, canโ€™t believe we hadnโ€™t done so before!โ€

Look out for it on Thursday, just donโ€™t ignore your better half when they complain youโ€™re supposed to be taking the bins out rather than listening to this amazing new song from George Wilding, as that is what ear-pods were invented for!

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Chatting With Burn The Midnight Oil

Itโ€™s nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโ€™s Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil andโ€ฆ

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Pumpkins are No Treat for Woodland Wildlife

Dumping pumpkins in the woods is bad for wildlife says Forestry England.

As millions of pumpkins hit supermarket shelves and make their way to gardens, porches, and windowsills across the region, Forestry England is reminding members of the public not to leave spent pumpkins in forests or woodlands.ย 

Each year, well-meaning social media posts circulate that encourage people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat. But pumpkins are not natural to woodlands and can make some animals very poorly, such as our declining population of hedgehogs. Decomposing food waste can also attract pests and spread disease.ย 

Instead, Forestry England recommends getting creative in the kitchen to use up Halloween pumpkins or recycling them at home.ย 

Forestry England senior ecologist, Sam Pegler said, โ€œWhile itโ€™s wonderful that people want to do their bit for nature, leaving rotting pumpkins in the countryside isnโ€™t good for wildlife. Some animal centres may accept a small number of pumpkins for their residents, but these are carefully given to appropriate species and removed before they rot down. This isnโ€™t possible in a forest setting, so is best avoided completely.ย 

My favourite way to use pumpkin is to explore the countless free and tasty recipes online. It isnโ€™t all about soup, pumpkin is brilliant for stews, curries, pies, and even pasta and risotto dishes. If pumpkin really isnโ€™t your thing, it can be disposed of in your food recycling container or composted at home. The high water content of pumpkin makes it a great composting material to add nitrogen and moisture to your compost bin.โ€ 

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โ€œCosi Fan Tutteโ€ at Easterton Village Hall, October 11th 2024.

by Ian Diddams
photos by Gail Foster

Devizes based White Horse Opera has a fine and longstanding tradition of a touring opera โ€“ a show taken the length and breadth of Wiltshire (and even further!) performed at various village halls, theatres and churches as venues. Recent past operas have included โ€œDie Fledermausโ€, โ€œThe Mikadoโ€ and Ruddigoreโ€ and their latest offering is Mozartโ€™s slightly bonkers โ€œCosi Fan Tutteโ€. On Friday last the dress rehearsal was produced for the “Friends of W.H.O.โ€ another of their traditions where the great and the good gather to indulge in swathes of cheesy comestibles and stunning music.

Mozart penned his Italian language piece in the 1780s when he was in his thirties. Itโ€™s a comedy, albeit arguably somewhat a chauvinist one leaning heavily as it does on the alleged capriciousness of women โ€“ the title loosely translated as โ€œWomen are like that”.  The basic daft premise โ€“ like all the best highbrow theatre of course โ€“ revolves around the unlikely disguising beyond recognition of two men (Guglielmo and Ferrando) such that their betrothed (Fiordiligi and Dorabella) will not recognise them, and so the farcical consequences may then ensue. Naturally there has to be some neโ€™re do wells that first set up this unlikely scenario (Don Alfonso) and abet it (Despina).

The flirtatious and easily swayed girls are played by Barbara Gompels and Paula Boyagis, who in the duets in particular sweetly complement each other. Regular watchers of W.H.O.โ€™s performances will need no further introduction to this talented pair, as indeed they will need no further introduction to Jon Paget who played Guglielmo, more than ably twinned by Robert Felstead as Ferrando as the pair of soldiers tasked by Don Alfonso played by the evergreen Lewis Cohen to trick their girlfriends in being unfaithful as part of a wager. Toni Johnstone completed the cast as the superbly independent and uncowed maid Despina. Jon and Robert proved an excellent comedy double act throughout their shenanigans, culminating in the wonderful disguises as what appeared to be two 1980s Australian cricketers off to the disco!

As a dress rehearsal as expected the show was ready to roll โ€“ a couple of small hiccoughs for sure but nothing to distract from the hilarious mayhem on stage. Itโ€™s a modern setting costume wise, and the set as befits a touring opera where complex arrangements are problematical, is simple โ€ฆย  a lovely backdrop setting the countryside setting by the inimitable Chrissie Higgs, who is also set to share the role of Despina when on tour.

For those concerned that an Italian language opera will be incomprehensible to their Anglo-Saxon ears, fear ye notโ€ฆ as ever W.H.O.s operas are sung in English, this translation by the much missed Graham Billing who having translated the opera once, then lost it, and had to redo it. The entire translation was full of clearly identified Billingisms in the jokes whether sung or spoken. His legacy lives on and arenโ€™t we all lucky that it does.

No opera of course is complete without its orchestra, and as so often for W.H.O. the orchestra of twenty as writ by Mozart is manfully represented by Tony James on the piano, and all pulled together by Roland Melia as M.D. par excellence. Stage Direction by Lewis Cohen completes the crew.

The tour begins soon in November in Market Lavington, but is also due to visit Bremhill, Hilperton, Winsley and Devizes in 2025, with other dates being announced all the while.ย  And if you would wish W.H.O. to visit your local venue, maybe as a fund raiser for a local cause etc, feel free to contact them on who-enquiries@hotmail.co.uk

Meanwhile, tickets for ALL White Horse Opera events can be found at
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whitehorseopera





New Single: Phil Cooper Still Holding His Breath

If Phil Cooperโ€™s 2018 โ€œThoughts and Observations,โ€ was one of the first albums we ever reviewed here on Devizine, itโ€™s been a while since Iโ€™ve been able to say โ€œa new single from Phil Cooper,โ€ but here we are, and itโ€™s a great place to beโ€ฆ..

As the name suggested โ€œThoughts and Observations,โ€ as Philโ€™s songwriting template, in general, is relatable personal reflection which often provides pointers for his audience, it was brimful of such, and while the new single Still Holding My Breath does likewise, it offers a matured side to Philโ€™s convictions. Plus, it rides that cool acoustic value we know and love him for, remarkably well.

Thereโ€™s a definite and poignant message of perseverance here, opening with the line โ€œlook out world, Iโ€™m here to stay,โ€ and a measure of success whereby the creative mind must continue nonetheless. As is Luke 6:38, the songโ€™s indispensable line, โ€œI still believe the more you put in the more you will get in return,โ€ rewards any labour of love for the hard worker with the notion to keep at it.

Phil is one such hard worker who I see setting himself high goals, and in embarking on many projects, some formulated, others more experimental, has had varied success with them. Perhaps none more than his grouping with Jamie R Hawkins and Tamsin Quin as The Lost Trades. If this modern folk harmony trio has achieved more than the sum of all their parts as individuals, it is with hard work they’ve achieved so and with an โ€œa little help from my friends,โ€ sentiment evident in the depths of this song, and more visually with the excellent accompanying video made by Jamie. The song is, besides the labour applied to The Lost Trades, something wholeheartedly solitary, an introverted savoury sentiment.ย It’s nice to see them take a short break from the trio in order to align themselves once again with their separate identities, as they were before the dawn of The Lost Trades all remarkable within their own rights.

I believe the hard work has paid off for Phil, relatively, making me wonder what his expectations or goals are, what he dreams to achieve, being Still Holding My Breath suggests quintessentially he still has โ€œbarriersโ€ to overcome, but a single this good is surely proof of his worth; it is a valuable song. And in that, this is more an outward facing concept, delivering a message to us.

To the artist personally, do take a deep breath, itโ€™s an outstanding song, Phil; inspiringly evolved from everything which has gone before it. To everyone else, decide for yourself by taking a listen!

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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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YEA Devizes: DOCA New Youth Project

Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts announced their upcoming project, YEA Devizes today. Made possible by a grant from National Grid Electricity Transmissionโ€™s Community Grant Programme, the Youth Event Activity Devizes will be a youth festival area within the International Street Festivalโ€ฆ.

Working with the incredible young adults we have in our community, DOCA will support them to plan and run their own outdoor event, putting all the decisions in their hands and enabling them to show everyone their interests and capabilities. All along the way they will be able to learn and develop the skills needed to put on outdoor events and arts management.

The flyer was designed by their youth advisor, who also helped to develop this fantastic opportunity from the start. If you are between the age of 16 – 21 (up to 25 with SEND) then please use this form – https://tinyurl.com/5xnsrk4p – to let them know if you are interested in being a part of this, whether as part of the core Youth Event Management Panel or further along the line.ย 

If you have any questions then drop them a message or email info@docadevizes.org.uk

Trust me to question the SEND element to this, as it is often the case SEND people will shy away from events due to sensory overload. But Annabel of DOCA is addressing this, and enlightened us, โ€œwe understand that it can be confronting for some people. There are behind the scenes roles where we can help them avoid most of the madness if they wish, although as you say it may be too much for some. We are happy to work with anyone to make the experience work for them if possible – and in fact having someone with lived experience of SEND on the team could help us develop more SEND-friendly event spaces.โ€ Ah, I like this answer!

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The Wurzels To Play At FullTone 2026!

If Devizesโ€™ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโ€™s Park Farm for next summerโ€™s extravaganza, what better way to give it the rustic feel than The Wurzels, who have just been announced on the line-up?! If Somersetโ€™s Scrumpy and Western genre has fermented longer than a cider press from folk roots, itโ€™s surelyโ€ฆ

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Wiltshire Music Awards: Results and Ups and Downs

Well, we did it! I sincerely hope you had a great night at the first Wiltshire Music Awards as we filled the Devizes Corn Exchange with a cross-section of people involved in the music scene of Wiltshire, musicians and fans. Positive feedback already, and a few teething issues, noted, which we must take onboard andโ€ฆ

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Wiltshire Music Awards Begins with George Wilding at The Three Crowns

This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ€™ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโ€™s a sellout show celebrating our countyโ€™s music scene, with a lot of local acts performing between the announcements of the results of a public voting system. The legend who is Mr Georgeโ€ฆ

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Wiltshire Council in Turmoilโ€ฆApparently!

Has anyone else noticed this media trend, or is it just me? There was a time, back when Tories held the majority at County Hall, when I felt like Michael Knight, a lone crusader championing criticisms of the council. Now the Lib Dems have taken command, every man and his blog are jumping the bandwagonโ€ฆ

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DOCAโ€™s Young Urban Digitals

In association with PF Events, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts introduces a Young Urban Digitals course in video mapping and projection mapping for sixteen to twenty years oldsโ€ฆ. Itโ€™s an introductory session on video mapping and projection mapping, hosted by PF Events and run by a professional video engineer. These sessions will cover the basics ofโ€ฆ

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Alberta Cross Frontman Joins Line Up for Frome Festival Fundraising Gig

Alberta Cross, along with the up-and-coming local bands Something Moves and BroccoliBoy, will perform at a charity gig on Saturday 30th November at 23 Bath St. All part of a new generation of vibrant and talented musicians calling Frome home, they are helping raise funds to support the costs of running the annual Frome Festival in July…..

Swedish-born Alberta Cross frontman, Petter Ericson Stakee, will be playing an intimate solo set of his anthemic Americana-tinged songs, hot on the heels of his latest UK tour. Alberta Cross has toured extensively across the globe as a headline act and has supported bands such as Oasis, Mumford & Sons, Johnny Marr and Neil Young. They have also appeared in the USA as musical guests on The Late Show with David Letterman and their tracks have featured on hit TV shows Sons of Anarchy and Californication.

Something Moves, the latest project from Chris Briden and friends Matt Ball and Al McNamara, blends influences reminiscent of Radiohead and Nick Drake, resulting in layered, textural, and introspective music. As a primarily studio-based band, this offers a rare opportunity to catch them live. Chris has been a successful musician for many years, with distribution deals and festival slots. Raised in Dorset and spending most of his career in Manchester, Chris settled in Frome a few years ago, starting Something Moves as a solo lockdown recording project. Matt and Al then became part of the writing and creative process further developing the sound.

And BroccoliBoy are a young indie pop trio known for their heartfelt and infectious melodies. Frontman Ted met bassist Eli when they were both working at the Cheese & Grain Bar, whilst drummer Rob has known Ted since ACM music college in Guildford. They recently supported Entitled Sons on the main stage at the Cheese & Grain and are steadily gaining an enthusiastic following.

BroccoliBoyโ€™s bass player, Eli White, who was born and raised in Frome, shared, โ€œI have such fond memories of the Frome Festival from my childhood – The Food Feast especially. I have a very vivid memory of getting up on the stage, when it was held in the town centre, after all the music had finished and pretending I was in one of the bands!โ€ Eli continued, โ€œIโ€™m very thankful to have been brought up in Frome as it is genuinely an amazing place to live. The opportunities for creatives of all ages here to share, learn and grow are immense. The Frome Festival is one of the main reasons for this as it inspires so many people every year, without the Festival we would lose such a big platform to showcase all of the amazing talent we hold in this town so I believe itโ€™s very important to do everything we can to keep it running for many more years to come.โ€ 

Petter from Alberta Cross said of supporting this fundraiser, โ€œI love Frome Festival. It makes the town come alive! I also love the diversity of it with so many different cultural events and music gigs in the short time it runs. It is important for the town and will and should keep building.โ€ He added, โ€œI remember when we just moved here and the Festival was on, we walked through town quite late in the evening after dinner and heard flamenco guitar music coming from the Silk Mill so we stopped in and caught the end of the show and I just remember thinking how amazing that felt to have these kind of things happen in my new hometown.โ€ Petter travels extensively for his work but enjoys coming back to Frome, which he describes as โ€œa small cosy town with a lot to offer, located in one of the most beautiful parts of the world in my opinion.โ€ He recently recorded his new album โ€˜The Thief and The Heartbreaker (Re-imagined)โ€™ at Fromeโ€™s Bert Jansch Studio and it was mastered at Abbey Road Studios. It is a reworking of classic songs from Alberta Crossโ€™s critically acclaimed 2007 debut, including fresh collaborations with Ed Harcourt, Katie Melua, Band of Skulls, Jack Savoretti and others.

Ted Prendergast, who provides vocals, guitar and ukulele for BroccoliBoy, remarked, โ€œFrome Festival is a time to celebrate all things Frome and all the diversely creative and unique people we have living here. My parents took part in Hidden Gardens for the first time this year and loved it!โ€. He added that the band is supporting the fundraiser because โ€œwe believe in the importance of keeping these brilliant creative opportunities alive,โ€ emphasising, โ€œThere is a massive community spirit here and I havenโ€™t seen anything quite like it anywhere else!โ€ 

Chris Briden of Something Moves concurs, โ€œFestivals are a really important way to celebrate community and be part of your local area. Without them, life is just a little bit more grey. Frome is a fantastic place to be creative, and offers more than your average Somerset town, but you can’t take this kind of opportunity for granted, and we want to make sure we hold the door open for loads more artists and bands, writers and creatives who come after us.โ€ Chris noted, โ€œOpportunities like this are more important than ever with many live music venues and festivals closing downโ€.

The Festival team are hard at work preparing for next yearโ€™s programme, taking place on Friday 4th โ€“ Sunday 13th July 2025, with fundraising also playing an important role during the year. Frome Festival is a registered charity that must fundraise ยฃ35k per year to deliver the programme and with recent cuts to arts funding, organisers say the environment is increasingly difficult. Festival Manager Sarah Swales explained, โ€œWe are offering tickets at ยฃ10 to make them accessible to everyone, but we urge people to donate what they can. Another way to support us is by becoming a Festival Friend for ยฃ20 per year, which provides priority booking during the Festival and other perks.โ€

Organisers were keen to thank the performers for their help and urged people to buy their merch on the night. They were also very grateful to the venue 23 Bath St who will be shutting their doors for the last time after the New Year due to the difficult economic climate. “23 Bath St. has really championed live music over the years, and itโ€™s truly sad to see them go. Please support their venue and bar before they close, so they can go out on a high note!” Sarah added.

Festival Director, Adam Laughton concluded, โ€œThis promises to be a superb night that will raise much needed funds for Frome Festival. Weโ€™re very grateful for 23 Bath Street and all the musiciansโ€™ help in making this event possible. Come and enjoy this sensational line up and support our cause as we continue to plan for July 2025. Every penny makes a difference!โ€

Tickets are ยฃ10 from here: https://fromefestival.co.uk/product/fundraiser24/

All proceeds support Frome Festival Ltd. (Charity Number โ€“ 1120329)

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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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The Mist; New Single from Meg

Chippenhamโ€™s young folk singer-songwriter Meg, or M3G if you want to get numeric, will release her 6th single The Mist on Friday 18th October, and itโ€™s got me thinking about the film Rain Manโ€ฆ.

Showing my age, I saw it at the flicks in 88! Tom Cruise was everywhere in the late eighties, and this film began like any other. Cruise, an egomaniac businessman, but in his reassociation with his lost brother, played by Dustin Hoffman, surprisingly bucked the trend of Cruiseโ€™s Hollywood template. For the masses it was an awakening, raising awareness of and offering a fascinating insight into autism.

In an interview for Devizine conducted by my daughter, this celebrated upcoming singer-songwriter was comfortable discussing her autism. โ€œI honestly donโ€™t think I would be doing this if I wasnโ€™t autistic, in a weird way,โ€ Meg explained, โ€œAll of my songs are about me in some respect and itโ€™s a part of me I canโ€™t escape.โ€ The Mist echoes this sentiment, precisely and wholeheartedly.

At the time of the 2023 interview, Meg figured the single they were discussing, Together was the only song she had written about autism, but connoting her later tunes, I believe others are, perhaps none more than The Mist. It is the most evocative and poignant on the subject, and being, as Meg said herself, โ€œitโ€™s part of who I am and I really value that part,โ€ Iโ€™ll boldly declare this is the best of her singles to date.

Weโ€™ve come so far since Rain Man in understanding, identifying, and accepting autism spectrum disorder. The most important factor, I believe, is that everyone is an individual. Ergo, while at the time we may have considered Rain Man this insight into the autistic mind, it was, actually, only ever an insight into the character of Rain Man.

This song is on a similar level, as Meg opens up and expresses her deepest thoughts on sociability and correlation versus serenity and solitary, angelically. The line in the song, โ€œmy piece of mind got up and left my side, said Iโ€™d be better off without them,โ€ is a haunting example. It is also a fascinating insight, to Megโ€™s sentience, yet in essence, it too is a beautifully crafted song with powerful ambience.

In thoughtful prose it drifts, still as the night air, and candidly as chilly, as if Meg invites you into the depths of her consciousness. It is a tested formula, astute honestly in songwriting, to leave a listener believing theyโ€™ve taken a piece of the singerโ€™s life with them, and in turn, identified with it. Yet Meg does this so utterly uniquely it could only be her thoughts done her way, thatโ€™s the only hook needed; weโ€™ve all put a square peg in a round hole. The solitariness of her delivery matches the theme and it combines into something wholesomely composed, yet sublimely forsaken.

Even the production matches the solitary of the sound, Meg provides her own backing vocals, to create layers of angelic voice, choral, like her thoughts reverberating, questioning or venerating her meaning. She will also produce and master her own work, so it is solely her outpouring, untainted by anotherโ€™s input. And that is what makes it work so wonderfully. That is why Meg can hold a crowd willing to intensively listen, spellbound; Iโ€™ve witnessed this first hand, first time at the Pump, last time at the Tuppeny, it is something worth savouring timeover. If The Mist is a metaphor for the hindrance which obscures Meg from relating to others, it is also our musical Rain Man, a fascinating insight to how oneโ€™s personal autism conducts their innermost thoughts. And that, my friend, is how you write a masterpiece!

The Mist is out Friday 18th, check in then, on M3G’s Spotify page to hear it!

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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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โ€œPericlesโ€ at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, October 21stโ€“26th 2024.

by Ian Diddams
images by Chris Watkins Media, Jeni Meade.

It would be fair to say that once William Shakespeare found or invented a plot device, he wasnโ€™t one to avoid using it again. And again. And โ€“ wellโ€ฆ  again, and again. Letโ€™s play โ€œShakespeare Bingoโ€ and โ€œGuess the Playโ€โ€ฆ

Thereโ€™s a STORM AT SEA, a SHIPWRECK, a HUSBAND is SEPARATED from his WIFE, FAMILIES are SEPARATED, each thinks the other is LOST or DEAD, somebody is thought to be DEAD but is actually ALIVE, a RULER abuses his position of POWER, there is a MAGICIAN controlling SOMEBODY, BROTHEL OWNERS, PIRATES, and in the end EVERTHING is resolved and family REUNITED.

Hmmmm.  Well, itโ€™s a tricky one.  The Tempest? Twelfth Night? Comedy of Errors? Romeo and Juliet? Merchant of Venice? Othello? Winterโ€™s Tale? Much Ado? Allโ€™s Well? Henry IV Pt 1? Measure for Measure? Cymberline? Two Gents? Hamlet?

All of these plays have at least one and often more of the attributes listed โ€“ Will liked to avoid working on new plotlines for sure. However, at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, handily enough as it turns out, placed beside boats on the water to add even more background to a tale of watery confusions, is yet another Shakespeare play reliant on all of those points.

Pericles.

No, it’s not some sort of small whelk, or a garden perennial. Itโ€™s the story of an eponymous hero who escapes from a dodgy tyrant by running away to sea andโ€ฆ  well, you can piece the rest together from that second paragraph and Wikipedia.  Needless to say, allโ€™s well that ends well. So to speak.

Now Pericles is not a popularly performed play. Indeed, according to a 2024 ranking of most performed Shakespearian plays it comes in 22nd of 49 positions since 2012. So itโ€™s a real treat to be able to see it at a local theatre which may understandably have otherwise put on one of the โ€œBig Sixโ€ [*], and running at the same time as the same play at the RSC to boot. The Wharf is no stranger either to putting on lesser known Shakespeare of course, having shown โ€œMeasure for Measureโ€ in 2023. One reason for this wonderful opportunity to see this play is that the director, Nic Proud, is working his way through directing the entire canon โ€“ and this is his twenty-fifth play of that list, and another is the bold and open approach of the Wharfโ€™s artistic director John Winterton.


The play rattles along โ€“ Nic has trimmed the script to the key plot points, although as he says the play is really a series of connected moments and he has created a smooth storyline using those moments. The usual top technical team (Three Ts!) deliver effects and lighting with aplomb of course, leaving the stage ready and waiting for the actors to take us on Pericles’ voyage not only of the high seas, but of his fate and inner turmoil. The set is simply adorned with white and purple drapes, which cunningly transform into a jousting tilt barrier, and ethereal wings of the goddess Diana. A roped balcony provides some height to the set.

Our titular character is well delivered by Chris Smith, one of the four cast who have only one part to concern themselves with (has two shipwrecks!), the others being Danielle Cosh as the ethereal Thaisa (dies at sea, comes back to life!) , Louise Peak as the perspicacious Helicanus, and Nic Proud as Thaliard, stepping into the role at a late stage when an unfortunate injury to Steve Brooks saw him unable to continue โ€“ we wish Steve a speedy recovery and hope he can return to the Wharf in the future.


The other six cast members play between them a bewildering array of twenty-one other characters! That list would run to volumes but huge kudos to Abigail Baker playing Marina, Pericles daughter (lost at sea โ€“ now THEREโ€™s a thingโ€ฆ), Andy Bendell as the seedy bawd (!) Pander, Tony Luscombe as the dastardly Cleon (and a sailor in a  storm!), Sian Stables as even more dastardly Dionyza (and a sailor in a storm!) , Pete Wallis as the vengeful Antiochus (and a pirate!), and Debby Wilkinson as a brilliant mix of servant, bawd (!), sailor (in a storm!) and fisherman!


Nicโ€™s scissors have created a play about the length of a football match, and which is wonderfully easy to follow โ€“ every cast member deliver the lines of Elizabethan English so well that its totally understandable and comprehensible. The costumes are totally sublime so once again chapeau (see what I did there?) to Gill Barnes and her team.

All that remains to say is take this chance to see a play most theatres and companies steer clear of. And if nothing else if you will save your self a drive to Stratford and back to see it.


Pericles is performed at the Wharf Theatre from October 21st-26thth 2024.
Tickets from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-wharf-theatre/pericles/e-plavyr

[*] Big Six
1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2. Hamlet
    Romeo and Juliet
4. Macbeth
5. Twelfth Night
6. Much Ado About Nothing

Watermark: Fulltone Orchestra Brings Enyaโ€™s Iconic Album to Life…

Our very own illustrious orchestra, The Fulltone Orchestra, are staging live performances of Enyaโ€™s 1988 breakthrough album, Watermark in Basingstoke, Bath and Cheltenham later this month. They promise to be symphonic celebrations of the bestselling artistsโ€™ sublime and distinctive sound…..

The Fulltone Orchestra, accompanied by the magnificent female voices of The Cantiamo Choir, revive Enyaโ€™s iconic and pioneering album in a series of live performances, culminating at The Anvil, Basingstoke on the 7th of November, beginning with Cheltenham Town Hall on 31st October, and with a date at Bath Forum in the middle, and that being the 5th November.

This is the unique opportunity music-lovers will cherish. To experience the prevalent and admired blend of Celtic, classical, and ambient soundscapes of Enyaโ€™s ethereal and timeless sound, accomplished with the magnificence of a sixty-five-piece orchestra and the finest singers.

Watermark was not only Enyaโ€™s breakthrough album but debatably her magnum opus. Its commercial success was renowned through its exclusivity, was honoured with glowing reviews and sold over eight million copies.

Now, obviously I’m far too young to remember Enya’s Watermark. With the geographic knowledge of an American box turtle, I only ever knew Orinoco as a Womble, and the single concerned me as to what his “flow” might have referred to!

Arranged by noted pianist and composer, Dominic Irving, this spectacular piece has been specifically written for orchestra and choir, and will transport audiences back to the late 1980s, alongside other hits by Riverdance, Enigma, Clannad and Karl Jenkins.

Conductor Anthony Brown at Fulltone 24. Image: Gail Foster

The evenings will also include the smash hit Lily Was Here, made famous by eighties saxophonist Candy Dulfer, and will be played by legendary sax player, Vicki Watson.

The Cantiamo Choir features Welsh-born vocalist Amelia Jones, recognised for her lucid tone and expressive vocal delivery. The Fulltone Orchestra is a sixty-five-piece orchestra with a variety of acclaimed musicians from the Southwest and is led by Musical Director Anthony Brown. They have past praised performances in venues such as Bath Abbey, Wells Cathedral, Marlborough College and Cheltenham Town Hall, and organise an annual festival, Fulltone, in Devizes; yay, I said Devizes! Editor’s note, the orchestra spawned here; get in, you moonrakers!

Jemma Brown, Fulltone Orchestra Artistic Director said, โ€œWeโ€™re absolutely delighted to be able to bring this much-loved music to audiences across the South this autumn. Watermark catapulted Enya to international fame, with the number one hit, โ€˜Orinoco Flow.โ€™ Itโ€™s sure to be a highlight of our performance. Thereโ€™s something incredibly special about the sound created by a full orchestra alongside the voices of Cantiamo, and audiences can expect an exciting evening of music on a magnificent scale.โ€

Tickets: www.fto.org.uk/enya or from venues.

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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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Rachel Sinnetta & Rosie Jay at the Crown, Bishops Cannings

Must confess it felt somewhat odd to return to The Crown in Bishops Cannings for my weekly ration of live music. The only pub in the village has been closed a short while, since verbal pitchforks and torches from a crotchety minority who wanted the tavern to be little more than a museum artefact drove the previous landlords outโ€ฆ..

Prior it was a bustling community hub run immaculately with gusto and enthusiasm, hosting a variety of events and raising funds for charities. Seemed crabby witches and even a lord of a manor were prepared to gang-up, lie to police, and misquote Devizine when we failed to appeal to their better nature. It backfired, they didn’t own one, but let’s not dwell.

New landlords are in, pleasant and keen to maintain the pub’s reputation amidst the prying Karens. Sarah, the new landlady praised her new chefs, and the pub hosts an open mic every first Thursday of the month, Tuesday evening quizzes, and intends to begin a men’s mental health group and possibly a football team.

Tonight, however, will be the new owners first live music night, and they’ve wisely hoisted in promoters Wiltshire Music Events to organise it. Though without much advertising unfortunately the crowd was slight. Never the simple accomplishment it may seem when established venues have the monopoly through a regularity of gigs, to sporadically host will require endless bashing about it on social media. It is, however, easier with the increased 49 bus service, that a night bus will drop into villages enroute, of which you should take note.

I’m in attendance not only to support and encourage the importance of entertainment in villages, save the thought of losing your local watering hole. Rather it is because Wiltshire Music Events is hosting two new acts on their roster, one who’ve yet to explore outside of their Salisbury circuit. A wise choice being the neighbouring church is a mini replica of the cathedral to make the bishop feel at home in the Cannings, or at least so the myth goes!

Firstly, in support, young singer-songwriter Rosie Jay, one I’ve been dying to meet and see live since fondly reviewing her first two singles. Rosie didn’t disappoint despite the pedestal I’ve put her on. Her self-penned songs are rippled with the poignancy of the classic template acoustic wordsmiths who made it big will follow; concentration on the hook, something even more essential with the attention span of the Tik-Tok generation.

Her voice is rich, affectionate, and she delivers songs with passion and blossoming stage presence. An interesting choice of covers from a young artist, often, she explained to the audience, inspired by their usage in films. Okay, Elvisโ€™ Can’t Help Falling in Love is timeless romantic, and The Cranberriesโ€™ Zombie is most formulaic, but Dylan’s It Ain’t Me Babe, is a cynical rare choice to pull from her magician’s hat. Though it relates in theme to Rosie’s first song, I Don’t Give a Damn, and her general subjects. Rosie nailed them all, beautifully, with particular evocative expressions in the reclusive and heartfelt jaundiced emotions of Dylan, and likewise her own intelligent compositions.

Currently pursuing a Level 3 Diploma in Music at Wiltshire College and University Centre, Rosie told me of her work on local radio, and was enthusiastic about her forthcoming EP. Part of the growing Wiltshire Music Events family now, as Joylon Dixon has worked with her to produce it. And Joylon accompanies the next performer, the incredible Rachel Sinnetta.

Renowned for a two-year stint supporting Gerry & The Pacemakers, singing to Prince William and recording with Pete Townshend, Rachel intended to tour aย  “Wuthering Heights: The Music of Kate Bush,โ€ project which unfortunately fell through.

Music teacher Rachel  set to tour this tribute extensively throughout the UK; that’s what the blurb told me. All I know is Kate Bush is the vocal epitome of singularity, the individuality debatably overlooked in today’s pop industry, as the penchant to sound akin to Whitney Houston seems paramount.

Just like Dolly, Cher, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Tom Jones, Alanis Morissette, even KT Tunstall et al, you need a seriously powerful vocal range to convincingly take on a Kate Bush cover. And Rachel did, sublimely delivering Running Up That Hill, and popular hits of all the aforementioned. Seemingly having her own deal with god, Rachel naturally reaches the notes with ease, her husky yet divine rock voice is the eloquence and faculty able to adapt to take those powerhouse ballads on with such precision and poignancy, particularly with the female giants. She even rinsed Arthea Franklinโ€™s Natural Women, and left me tingling, Chaka Khanโ€™s Ainโ€™t Nobody too simply wowed. Proud Mary in the key of Tina Turner; who would dare attempt them in an intimate gig such as this?! Rachel Sinnetta made them look childsplay.

Sassy with Tom Jonesโ€™ Kiss, joyful with Erasureโ€™s A Little Respect, covers came thick and fast, coupled with the secret legendary Jolyon Dixon without rehearsal was a match from heaven, and the whole shebang was utterly blissful; shame only us, a few regulars and their dogs were there to witness it. Such is the uphill struggle for new landlords to plant their establishment into a local music circuit, partially my reasoning for doing this blog.

So, take heed now, especially everyone in Pewsey; this wonderful formula, Rosie Jay followed by Rachel Sinnetta with Jolyon Dixon will be continued at the Royal Oak, in Pewsey, with a free gig from 8pm, next Saturday, the 19th October; they are in for a treat.

Trending….

Jodie as Adele Tribute Night Fundraising for Devizes School Student to Work in Ecuador

Wiltshire Adele tribute Jodie Evans is all set to ignite the stage on Friday 18th October, at the Bear Hotelโ€™s Cellar Bar in Devizes, with all funds made going to a Devizes School student hopeful to raise enough to visit Ecuador to work over the summerโ€ฆ

Jodie is fast building amazing fan reviews and support for her tribute to Adele, and is taking bookings into 2025 already. Tickets are available at ยฃ10 per person HERE.ย 

The Devizes School Student said, โ€œFollowing volunteering within the Devizes area, I am passionate about giving back and I am looking forward to living and working with the local people, to experience first-hand the issues faced by rural communities in Ecuador whilst making a positive and lasting impact. I will contribute to ongoing sustainable projects that help support communities and protect the biodiverse environment in this amazing country – Thank you for supporting my cause.โ€

We wish them all the best, and hope ‘someone like you’ can help and buy a ticket (see what I did there?!)

Trending……

I See Orangeโ€ฆ.And Doll Guts!

There was a time not so long ago when I See Orange was the most exciting new band in Swindon. Their latest offering released atโ€ฆ

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

Recommendations for when Swindon gets Shuffling

Swindon’s annual colossal fundraising event The Shuffle is a testament to local live music, which raises funds for Prospect Hospice. If you’re ever going toโ€ฆ

The Skimmity Hitchers V Monkey Bizzle: The East/West Somerset Agricultural Hip Hop Turf War!

Forget the feud between Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, this is England’s West Country rivals The Skimmity Hitchers and Monkey Bizzle in a vicious rap confrontation which can only end one way; best guess, a drive-by cream tea headshotโ€ฆ.

Seems shameless merch tarts and purveyors of self-dubbed โ€œidiot music,โ€ Monkey Bizzle started it, Mrs McClusky. They put out a T-shirt with their monkey logo copulatory abusing the Skimmity’s badger at the beginning of the month, claiming they were โ€œbetter than the Skimmity Hitchers.โ€ Real hardcore insults, but not an incredibly high pedestal to pop yourself onto.

Offensive on a Carry-On Camping level

As psychologically offended as a millennial watching George & Mildred, and in the spirit of big girl’s blouses, five days ago those bonkers as badgers vegetative veterans of deliberately naff scrumpy and western hip hop, The Skimmity Hitchers hit back, waxed lyrical by what appears to be their mum’s garage, filmed it like the dicks they are, and basically tore apart Monkey Bizzle. In the Facebook video the Hitchers claimed Bizzle stole the term โ€œagricultural hip hopโ€ from its originator, Malmesbury grandmaster Corky, not very famous for the parody track Ginsters Paradise but a legend in his own Tweed nonetheless.

The Skimmity Hitchers laying it down

Factually accurate, Corky possibly coined the term and invented the subgenre, but shared the Hitchersโ€™ post on the issue without comment, therefore best to assume he couldn’t give a wurzel’s combine if โ€œagricultural hip hop,โ€™ as a term,ย  is plagiarised by either of them. Updated: Corky aligned a non-opinion on the usage of the term, but enlightened that “Agricultural hip hop has been around for years before me, and if Monkey Bizzle want to do agricultural hip hop then that’s lush. I haven’t actually heard any agricultural hip hop from them – at the moment they’re doing Scrumpy & Western rap and West Country hip hop, and I do love em.”

While this indicates it’s unclear at this time if Monkey Bizzle have ever even used the term, until they did today in a mock interview pretending this tiff was serious enough to warrant a news channel picking the story up. The interviewer has an earring, for crying out loud, itโ€™s kind of obvious they just scrubbed up a crusty mate, paid him a teenth and put him in a suit.

Corky; staying the fuck away from it all!

The only fact we must face is neither the Skimmity Hitchers nor Monkey Bizzle have progressed hip hop as a genre any further than The Holiday Rap in 1986, and MC Miker G & DJ Sven could’ve put them both, and their legal advisors/drummers on their arses, direct into the moistest cowpats in all of Somerset; thatโ€™s the point, and that’s why we love them both equally and feel it necessary to state the blinding obvious that the whole affair is banter, and a shameless and mildly amusing self-promotion for both parties. Yeah, impressive crusty dreadlocks or not, I’ll rise to that occasion, fill your muddy jump boots.

Monkey Bizzle at a barn

As fans and keyboard warriors jump the bandwagon to side online with either band, unconcernedly call for peace, complain their T-shirt is sleeveless, or conspire both bandโ€™s members are actually the same people, the war shows no sign of resolution yet. When fans conspire about the musician’s members they know they have a little problem in their hands.ย 

At the time of publication, the tempestuous testicle is in the Skimmity Hitchersโ€™ court, Monkey Bizzle hitting back from the video with their own rap video, performed by a fluffy monkey puppet, and calling for the Hitchers to stick to supporting B*Witched, which is also not fact checked. As of yet The Hitchers have not responded in song, using a Japanese proverb in a Facebook post calling the Bizzleโ€™s lyrics โ€œvinegar strokes,โ€ and mocked their usage of the stuffed toy, as โ€œhiding from the camera,โ€ and โ€œrambling randomly like a Yeovil Donald Trump.โ€ Seemingly wanting closure, or just the final word, they asked fans if โ€œany further response from The Skimmity Hitchers is really necessary?โ€ย 

Monkey Bizzle retort with puppet

As a Wiltshire-based blog, we at Devizine Towers are duty bound to remain impartial, and only bring the stupid subject up as a warning to take all necessary precautions not to bum rush the show if youโ€™re planning to cross the border anytime soon to ring-rang-a-dong for a holiday. Though if we had to pick sides in a sinking boat scenario, at least we share a common ancestor with monkeys, whereas badgers are only good for one thing around here; blaming for bovine TB when thick slices of gammon deliberately dilapidated their dairy farm in order to backhand their compensation to their building contractor bestie for a new housing estate on their landโ€ฆoopsy, too much? Of course, that Pandora’s Box is total fabrication and falsehood which would never happen around here, and I take it all back.

Wiltshire Police have published an announcement that any Wiltshire based agricultural hip hop artists living in Somerset, even Frome, should leave now for their own safety and for the sake of their pasties.

We rebuke the concept thereโ€™s any agricultural hip hop artists from Wiltshire currently residing in Somerset, or any at all save Corky. Itโ€™s simply not something we do here. Theyโ€™re not like us over the cider apple border are they? Weโ€™re all โ€˜real ale,โ€™ barbed wire fences and henges, theyโ€™re all dry stone walls and tors. Theyโ€™re as stir crazy as Shelbyville residents in The Simpsons, weโ€™re refined, donโ€™t you know, and thanking you kindly.

We may teeter on the edge of chap hop, but usually if itโ€™s not a folk or electric blues driven wet blanket weโ€™re not interested. Yet, as war often produces positive repercussions, we hope this feud will allow international attention to West Country born scrumpy & western and agricultural hip hop, cos it’s dope, literally. In the manner of fairness, though, tunes both bands are laying down are something simply worth putting up with the agro for, and Iโ€™ll drop links to them here, so we can twitch our curtains in disgust at their antics but still enjoy their porangi poetry and wackadoodle wabblings from a safe distance.

Monkey Bizzle, ready for court!

We live in hope freestyled spontaneous peace raps will commence, least The Wurzels will intervene, knock their bleeding heads together with a goldie looking chain, and they can settle the issue over a skull shaped bong, or some wacky-baccy laced fudge; you know the sort, with a postcard of the bogs at the Bridgewater drive-thru KFC poorly glued to the box.

โ€œWe love our skimmity badger buddies like brothers,โ€ Monkey Bizzle showed the love like a fucking Disney adaption of Fergie and Will I Am, indicating its all showy banter. โ€œSome of them even contain a little monkey DNA in them.โ€ This just eggs the keyboard warriors further into the conspiracy theory theyโ€™re one and the same, but even if theyโ€™re not, theyโ€™re probably related in some form or fashion; weirdos, build a dry stone wall to keep them from gigging in Trowbridge or closer, I say!

What else is up?

A Busy Week For Lunch Box Buddy!

It was great to bump into Lunch Box Buddy in Devizes today. Last week was hectic for him; first BBC Wiltshire stopped by his standโ€ฆ

Wither; Debut Single From Butane Skies

Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory,  Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The young andโ€ฆ

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Funked Up Disco Metal; There’s Always Something Happening in Devizes!

Despite summer being a fleeting memory, and time to batten down the hatches for our major events, even if there’s not โ€˜muchโ€™ going on in Devizes at night, there’s always somethingโ€ฆ.

Though tempted by gigs further afield, The Pump in one direction, George Wilding in Pewsey the other, I had had โ€˜one of those weeks.โ€™ You know the sort, I’m sure; don’t ask if not! It persuaded me towards the self-indulgence of too many ciders; a rare thing for me these days, usually I’m happy to drive to a gig, but adamant I was staying in Devizes to booze, I was stuck with the โ€˜somethings.โ€™ Thing was, those things turned out really rather good.

If there’s always something happening in Devizes, it’s largely down to two pubs, The Southgate and The Three Crowns. But Saturday night, The Bear Hotel was hosting a soul DJ night of Motown to disco, by long-standing Melksham based DJ, Maurice Menghini, aka Mister M, and his partner on the wheels of steel, The Original PJ, or Patrick, as I was introduced to him as. Maurice has carved a flexible DJ promotional organisation called Real Music Promotions, for all manner of function, with a personal penchant for reggae. Heโ€™s been at it for years, and is renowned locally.

My round robin, then, began at the exquisite Bear Hotelโ€™s Ballroom, as rubbing shoulders with Maurice has been long overdue. Itโ€™s a matured affair, a blossoming crowd of Devizes disco die-hards gathered, looking for any excuse to dance, and Maurice provided that with the unsurpassed magic of Motown classics, Northern Soul rarities and spanning into later disco discs. They know what buttons to press, supplying lively banter, and request cards on the tables. While itโ€™s a ticketed event, they only weigh in at a fiver, with free live music elsewhere it must be said, a disco is a hard sell by comparison. Nevertheless, variety is the spice of life, all events are valid here, and Maurice and Patrick are ahead of their game; the ballroom is bouncing.

Real Music promised to return for another at the Bear, on New Yearโ€™s Eve. Rest of the time you can find this double-trouble DJ duo regularly at Spencer’s Club at Melksham FC. The Sham, huh? Coming over here, guys, blessing us with soul vibes and forcing Devizes folk to shake their tail feathers, whatever next?!

Allowing the disco to simmer on low heat, I slipped off across the Market Place, to the trusty Three Crowns, black my nose there. Hugely popular with Millennials and a few older who think they are, The Three Crowns is bustling as usual. Itโ€™s ever-lively, the place to be, theyโ€™ve extended their menu and have the knack to attract a variety of the Devizes demographic.

Except, rather than a full band they usually host, more often than not Britpop or classic rock covers, a working combination, the pub hosts dynamic Devizes duo, Funked Up. Also at it for years and locally renowned for it, with a keyboard and saxophone combo the duo deliver the timeless soul-filled pop classics you simply have to dance to, and they deliver them with the gusto equal to a full band. Needless to say, with the drinks flowing, this one will go off.

For the elders, come-as-you are Devizes live music aficionados, The Southgate remains the place to head for, and rightly so. The rare thing of welcoming original music, the authenticity of pub culture of yore, and the general communal atmosphere are its benefits, and we love it for them. Though I confess I preconceived the band by their name, A Smile, Two Bangs and a Legend kinda sounds quirky and loosely thrown together, you know? As if theyโ€™re a nice, smiley conformist ensemble, attempting to break the wedding function band market! I should know better than to doubt the Southgate, as on arrival all-macho, healthy and hard rock was pumping out and A Smile, Two Bangs and a Legend were nearing the end of their first half.

The obvious question upon meeting one of those classic rock enthusiasts of the band, was who was the Smile, because they all looked equally red-blooded, who was the bangs, because as a unit they all made a noise, and who was the legend, because if there was one of those professional, ex-famous musician beatniks who occasionally played bass for some rock god and lived off the stories, it couldโ€™ve been any one of them! I stood corrected and better informed; the band name derives from a Monty Python quote, though a fan, Iโ€™d not heard of before; from the Flying Circus series I believe, trainspotters.

But it wasnโ€™t the origins of the name, rather the expert delivery of rock classics which turned this around. Executions of ZZ Top and AC-DC and all in-between came thick, fast and accomplished. It is precisely what the regulars at the Southgate lap up, a timeless template of prog-rock to the dawn of metal, those hard-hitting powerhouses which time will not allow us to forget. A Smile, Two Bangs and a Legend exceeded my preconceptions with smiles, bangs and were, definitively, legends in their own denims.

As imagining Iโ€™m the soul man Sam & Dave sang about, Iโ€™m inclined to leave the Gate, safe in the knowledge the band had it under wraps. Next time I see smiles, bangs and legends on the roster itโ€™s a confirmed grand night at the Southgate, but then, in six years Iโ€™ve yet to be disappointed. I am, however, curious to see how our Melksham grandmasters are getting on at the Bear ballroom. On arrival things have escalated, the party in full swing is pumping, the Motown classics have progressed to disco ones, and the crowd have had their fill at the bar, and were either shaking their stuff or chatting enthusiastically.

This ballroom should have been filled to capacity, soul men and divas of Devizes, or anyone with a penchant for disco dancing of yore should take note, keep your eye on Maurice & Patrickโ€™s future events, we will highlight them on our event calendar, your NYE is sorted there. Such it was, that on a mild night, between seasons of Long Street Blues Club, with no Arts Festival, DOCA, Food Festival, or even a show at the Wharf, that a weekend in Devizes is always on the cards, always there is a few options of something going on, and they’re usually pretty good!

Trending…..

FullTone Festival 2026: A New Home

It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited toโ€ฆ

Ducks Review: Shoots Juice Cafe, Devizes

Review: Shoots Juice Cafe, Devizes

Billy in the Lowground are Halfway Up The T-Shirt

Itโ€™s been on my to-do list far too long, overdue to tick it off. Foot-tappin’ West Country folk ensemble, Billy in the Lowground released this album at the end of August, apologies for not mentioning it sooner, but it is worth mentioning, very worth mentioningโ€ฆ.

Rather than baked bean stains halfway up most of my T-shirts, this seven track release Halfway Up the T-Shirt, refers to festival billing. โ€œWhenever we play a festival,โ€ they explained, โ€œwe always look for our name on the official merch, and after thirty-odd years, we’re finally working our way up, away from the bottom line.. Hooray!โ€ 

To be frank, we donโ€™t care where any festival organiser places them on the T-shirt, with an appealing brew of weighty Scrumpy & Western barefoot fiddles and banjo shenanigans, theyโ€™ll lift any T-shirt to expose a rotund hairy belly of upbeat Irish folk, and we love them for that here at Devizine Towers!

Ambiguous is the name, a phrase in a poem about William of Orange defeating the Irish Catholic forces at the Battle of the Boyne, knee-deep in a river, most likely, but other suggestions, like the poem being a parody of Hamlet’s soliloquy, a folk song about William the Conqueror, even “Billy” being slang for a Yankee soldier in the US Civil War, have been passed about, but you didnโ€™t need to know that!ย You only need to know Billy in the Lowground have been musically ploughing their field since 1991, and have consequently become hugely proficient at it.

Halfway up the T-Shirt is seven strong tracks of goodness, not quite an album length but longer than an EP, a novelette if it was work of literature. โ€œFact is, we could only afford to get seven tracks finished before we ran out of cash,โ€ they said, so buy this if only to get them more studio time, because itโ€™s a worthy seven tracks to leave you yearning for more.

Follow My Road is a ripping opening, with guest guitarist Rob Fawcett. Itโ€™s a hard rock groove, a blues theme, with the uplifting riff of The Levellers at their finest. All Hail the Clown follows suit, it rolls heavy with a healthy dollop of sublime fiddle. So the Story Grows, three tracks in, takes us in an irresistible, rootinโ€™-tootinโ€™ bluegrass melody. With Be It Good, Be It Bad the fiddles and twangy guitars of bluegrass continues, but this one really brings out the Dylan-esque rawness of Chris Hibberdโ€™s gritty vocals, uptempo and reminding me somewhat of Subterranean Homesick Blues, if it was recorded live at County Louthโ€™s Ti Chairbre. Unsure why, as the whole album has that raw energy; itโ€™s a Billy in the Lowground trademark, and itโ€™s beguiling.

The album is stylised and flows on a lofty level, given this, Billy should be at the collar of the shirt. Fallen Queen is a monster to hail along to, fire you up akin to The Poguesโ€™ Transmetropolitan, but paced. The penultimate Part of The Show builds in layers unlike the others, and for this itโ€™s the most epic. Already released as a single, the finale, No Chance for a Slow Dance does what it says on the tin. Billy in the Lowground at their finest, it bears all the hallmarks of a magnum opus. Itโ€™s rinsed with upbeat fiddle and banjo, it takes you on a journey similar to The Dropkick Murphy’s, and impossible to stay still to; yet the whole album is gold, sprinkled perhaps with some mud kicked up from the field youโ€™re dancing to it in.

I saw them at the Bradford Roots Festival, in that purpose-built breezeblock beauty. The acoustics in there are incredible, but next time I see Billy in the Lowground Iโ€™d favour it being in an ancient west country boozer where the carpet smells of wet dog hair and the odour of campfires drifts through the windows. Where the cider is passed around a packed crowd of steaming boaters, the band play stacked on top of each other in an alcove, knocking brass plates off the wall behind them! That said, they are at The Three Horseshoes in Bradford-on-Avon on 11th October, not that Iโ€™m calling anyone names!


Harder to Breathe; New Single from Talk in Code

Itโ€™s been a fantastic summer for Wiltshireโ€™s indie-pop favourites Talk in Code. I think Iโ€™ve caught them live at least four times, and only once blagged a lift home from guitarist Snedds, of which is customary to drunkenly chew his ears off on as many random subjects the journey time will allow; I guess that officially makes me a โ€œtalker?!โ€

But hey, nights drawing in, back to recorded sound, and Talk in Code have a new single, Harder to Breathe, out this Friday, 4th October 2024; it is still 2024, right?!

Again this one follows the irresistible building template of the band, bridging the gap between 80โ€™s new wave electronica and 90โ€™s indie pop. This one, I believe, really harnesses the bandโ€™s objectives of creating timeless pop with dynamic eighties synth and guitar combos. The effect is akin to iconic producers like Peter F Wolf or Narada Walden; Harder to Breathe evokes blissful recollections of songs from the peak of the era, from Go West to Madonna, and weโ€™ll never stop dancing to them; try to stop me, I double-dare you!

Harder to Breathe is another universally exemplary precedent of this original timeless anthem ethos Talk In Code are achieving. The sound reaches that blinkered emotion of ones infatuation suffocating the object of their desires, at least in a pop-tastic fashion, as is the theme. At least I think it does, it’s been a long time since anyone was infatuated with me, but once upon a long time ago, believe it or not, some did; funny old world, isn’t it?! No one was even paying them!!

Frontman Chris Stevens said of the single, โ€œwe want to evoke the feelings you have when you meet people that have a huge impact on your life; being overwhelmed, lust, falling in loveโ€ฆthe song addresses if it is simply instinctual to gamble with matters of the heart.โ€

A versatile force live, able to suit a variety of festivals and venues, itโ€™s been a great summer, but the fun doesnโ€™t stop, this tune matches the gusto of their performances, in the comfort of your own home; give it a listen, just don’t try to stop me from dancing!

Pre-Save this beauty HERE. Return Friday in diddy-boppers and rah-rah skirt, I know I will!

Trending…..

Devizes Dilemma: FullTone or Scooter Rally?!

Contemplated headlining this โ€œClash of the Titans,โ€ but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes canโ€ฆ

Goodbye to The Beanery but Hollychocs Lives On

Popular award-winning artisan chocolate business Hollychocs has announced that its Beanery Cafรฉ will close on Saturday 23rd August, marking exactly two years since its openingโ€ฆ

Chatting with Josh Oldfield on Blues, Inspiration, and Drums in Suitcases!

I was chatting to Josh Oldfield last week, a Devizes singer-songwriter I believe weโ€™ll be hearing a lot more of. Though this interview was pending before Iโ€™d had the opportunity to see him perform, coincidentally the Sunday before I was fortunate enough to, at a private partyโ€ฆ.

And it was worth a fortune, Josh has confident stage presence, a guitar soloist with soothing baritone vocals, white shirt and waistcoat, and a vintage suitcase foot-drum akin to a travelling Southern bluesman of yesteryear. ย Connoting retrospective style, the drum gives depth to an otherwise acoustic set, and the show is quirky, but oozing with professionalism, like a one-man skiffle band. Itโ€™s something different from the norm, locally, which was the starting point to our chat.

Josh amended my description as โ€˜slightly different,โ€™ โ€œit’s a fair bit different,โ€ he suggested, โ€œand I didn’t mean to do it on purpose, it’s just naturally how it came out.โ€ Fresh from Peggy-Sueโ€™s local showcasing Don’t Stop the Music Radio Show on Swindon 105.5, he said it went โ€œfantastic; there seemed to be people into it. And I don’t actually know what I’m doing, but it’s something different!โ€

Pinning his sound only for want of conveying it to you, I jested he caused me to think a โ€˜skiffle George Ezra!โ€™ Said with upmost respect, despite Ezraโ€™s commercial success, he never waivers his style, possibly opening a door to others with deep vocal range. Josh ducked the Ezra comparison, concentrating on the skiffle and deepness of his range. โ€œSkiffle’s perfect. It’s something I should have realised with gigs; people seem to like originally. Years ago I’d try and move away from how deep my voice is, because it’s not popular. Professionals and singing teachers will tell you, that because my voice is baritone, they’re like, oh, you got to learn higher range for popular music.โ€

I supposed that was the appeal. โ€œWell, yeah,โ€ Josh continued, โ€œturns out people like hearing the lower ranges, as it’s not so common, and maybe there’s a comeback now, where people are kind of picking that up a little bit more.โ€ We waffled for some considerable time on the templates and expectancies of modern pop vocals, compared to a unique time of yore when a voice was a personal signature. Josh cited Tom Waits and Nick Cave as influences, favouring โ€œobscure stuff,โ€ over contemporary pop.

He first picked up a guitar at thirteen. โ€œMy dad just had a guitar knocking around the house. He used to play a bit, but didn’t really play anymore,โ€ but stressed he didnโ€™t start singing until recently. A couple of months ago he sang at the open mic at the Cellar Bar, โ€œthe first time my mum ever heard me sing, and I’m like thirty now. Singing is not something I’ve been doing naturally throughout the whole thing.โ€

Josh comes across an earnest perfectionist, one who solitarily hones his craft and doesnโ€™t unleash anything until itโ€™s mastered, ergo heโ€™s new on the scene but โ€˜oven-readyโ€™ to give an impressive show. If now is that time to break the local scene, thereโ€™s a valid reason. Given the all-clear from being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year, at twenty-nine years old, Josh expressed, โ€œessentially that’s what ended up pushing me to want to pursue music. I was like, โ€˜I’ve kind of been given a second chance,โ€™ you know? That was the main drive.โ€

At the party Josh pulled some finely penned originals out of his bag as well as adapted covers of crowd-pleasing pop, such as Tainted Love; the set was instantly prodigious. On writing he expressed songs were, โ€œflowing out. They’re just coming. I was being asked last night, what’s this song about? I don’t really have a clue what they’re about. They’re just literally being put down on paper and then, there’s a meaning in there somewhere, you know? It’s more like transposing them. There was a song I wrote on Monday, and I played it on Tuesday on the radio, because it just kind of happened. But then, when I was trying to look at what it was about it, well, I mean, I was watching Clarkson’s Farm the day before. So, there was some stuff about a farm in there, so maybe it’s linked to that in some way!โ€

Capturing a moment no matter how inconsequential at the time, naturally crafting art sourced from it when inspiration strikes, and being as impossible to summarise how and why as it is to transmit a dream, is key to creative genius. That question put him under the spotlight, but he came up trumps!

Our conversation diverted to breaking the local circuits, the balance of adapting to certain venues and niches, as while many want cover bands, few prefer original acts locally, and I affirmed Joshโ€™s self-penned vintage style would suit the matured blues aficionados of Devizes. Though we covered the upcoming more youthful indie-punk scene and talked of Kieran at the Pump. โ€œThat’s more what I remember,โ€ Josh stressed after hearing me on the blues penchant of town. โ€œBack in the day, the whole Sheer Music thing in Devizes. When that disappeared, I thought music in Devizes had disappeared. I thought it was all just, you know, pubs getting cover bands. But getting into it, there’s quite a big scene. It’s just finding it.โ€

Thatโ€™s why we, and people like Peggy-Sue are here! Josh is sourcing all the right channels and appears on Fantasy Radio on the 10th of October.

We continued onto the one-man band thing, and that authentic suitcase drum. โ€œIt’s from America,โ€ Josh explained, โ€œit’s a suitcase with the basic drum built in. There’s a Pan American drum company, only two companies in the world that do it.โ€ I imagined axemen of yore stopping at the crossroads and selling their soul to the devil with it! โ€œWell, yeah, that’s the thing,โ€ he replied, โ€œI want to play instruments where I can take them anywhere. So I got the kazoo as well. I can take that anywhere. I can play acoustic guitar anywhere. I can sing anywhere. When I think blues, thereโ€™s electric, but then there’s the kind of, sitting on the front porch, playing kind; playing just cause you want play,โ€ which led us onto old-archaic bluesmen, of which there could be no doubt Josh has done his homework, alluding to RL Burnside and others. โ€œNo one knew about him until he was like sixty something. He was a sharecrop farmer, and he just lived out there. He had like sixteen children or something, you know? But he didn’t care. And that’s really for me where that kind of foundation comes from,โ€ he said, explaining the story of a blues song he played at the party.

โ€œThat old style of blues, I’m trying to lean towards, to be honest, has a lot in common with punk,โ€ he said and triggered a tangent on pigeonholing when roots intertwine, which developed onto open mic nights.

โ€œEveryone I’ve met has been through the open mics, and I like playing them,โ€ Josh reacted. โ€œThere’s this kind of community around it. Yeah, it can be a bit musician convention, and again, you mentioned Vince Bell, you know that’s where I met Vince. Me and him are looking to play a couple of shows together hopefully later this year.โ€

Playing with the ethos of taking music back to its roots makes Josh flexible, his music fits into folk and blues, so itโ€™s apt to work with acoustic folk singers like Vince, and Josh mentioned working with Jamie Tyler of The Worried Men too, electric blues, a different kettle of fish, but still fits like a glove. โ€œThe live reaction to stuff seems to be great,โ€ he added. โ€œIt’s that people like the music, to be honest, more than anything else that always surprises me. It’s like we were getting messages in while I was on the radio yesterday and people saying that they were really loving it and stuff and that’s surprising.โ€

If Josh Oldfield is modest and wears his heart on his sleeve, itโ€™s a common sign of a creative prodigy. He admitted, โ€œI’m very reserved, introverted. In fact, part of the reason I like playing music is because I don’t have to be in the crowd. I don’t like being in crowds. So if I’m playing the music, I’m not in the crowd!โ€ Thereโ€™s logic there, but in the brief time I saw Josh play, Iโ€™m convinced of what I said at the beginning, I believe weโ€™ll be hearing a lot more of him.

Book Josh Oldfield with Marland Music HERE.

Follow him on social media, links are here Facebook. Instagram

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Park Farm; Mantonfest Came to Devizes!

The first Park Farm Festival happened Saturday, it was fabulouso, and in some way Mantonfest came to Devizes; conveniently for me as I hadโ€ฆ

Ann Liu Cannon’s Clever Rabbits

Ann Liu Cannon is the Marlborough success story I hadn’t heard of until yesterday; thanks to local promoter and frontman of the Vooz, Leeโ€ฆ

Live in Pewsey, at the First Oak-Fest

Amidst another packed summer weekend’s schedule laid that lovable large village Pewseyโ€™s turn to shine; always a law unto itself, things went off; ifโ€ฆ

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โ€œDesign for Livingโ€ at the Rondo Theatre October 2ndโ€“5th 2024.

by Ian Diddams
images by Josie Mae-Ross

Noel Coward is probably best known for โ€œBlithe Spiritโ€ but he in fact wrote sixty-five stage plays over a fifty year period. Bath Drama this week perform his excellent โ€œDesign for Livingโ€ – a comedy about a menage-a-trois, complicated by a fourth relationship set in Paris, London, and New York.



What is the secret to a successful community theatre show? It’s quite a simple answer in many ways โ€“ talented actors, inspired direction, dedicated crew all working to a vision. Topped off with an intimate space to share it all in. Bath Drama and the Rondo Theatre deliver this equation sublimelyโ€ฆย  from the wonderful sets, beautiful costumes, brilliant lighting, and the ability to be almost on stage with the actionโ€ฆย  for those in the front row in particular one is sitting in Otto, Leo, and Ernestโ€™s abodes.

Three of the principals โ€“ Gilda (Elisabeth Calvert), Otto (Toby Skelton) and Leo (Richard Watkins) share a turbulent three way relationship โ€“ viewed afar with some consternation by the fourth principal, Ernest (Iowerth Mitchell). Ernest is also friends with the trio, but far more platonically. The story moves between Gildaโ€™s affections at any one period; firstly with Otto, then with Leo, then with Ernest, until the playโ€™s dรฉnouement when the three embrace their shared loves and Ernest disowns them all.


Elisabeth Calvert as Gilda drives the show โ€“ she is on stage for the majority of the two and a half hour show (with over a thousand lines!). The entire story in many ways is about her inability to commit and/or her easily swayed attractions; she is also the instigator of all the arguments with her lover at any time hinting at a lack of happiness deep inside.

The one relationship in the play that Coward had to downplay when it was written in 1932 was the homosexual one between Otto and Leo. Even in today’s far more liberated times the dialogue still lends itself to a demure portrayal and little more than heavy hints that the two chaps in Gildaโ€™s absence have a thing going on. A few draped limbs here, a shared pair of pyjamas there, and a liberal use of the word โ€œgayโ€ as a double entendre (I only learned today the term for homosexual was first widely used in the 1930s amongst the gay community!). Toby Skelton and Richard Watkins portray this subtle yet intense relationship supremely well, infinitely comfortable in each otherโ€™s company and arms.

The supporting cast is no less excellent โ€“ Lucy Perry a blaze of door slamming energy on stage as her portrayal of the clumsy Miss Hodge the domestic contrasts superbly with the subtle, suave sophistication of the principals. Tim Carter doubles-up as a photographer and the monied New Yorker husband of Lauren Arena-McCann as the Carver couple, while Lauren also doubles-up Miss Birbeck a reporter. More double-ups as Lucy a.k.a. Miss Hodge also plays the rather more up market Grace Torrence, with her dee-lart-furl Southern drawl.ย  Segueing nicely in this review, Jim McCauley plays Matthew the somewhat stressed New York Butler to Ernest, as well as being Assistant to Gill Morrell as Director.

The set is delightful โ€“ simple yet elegantly portraying with not a little panache a studio in Paris, a flat in London and a suite in New York โ€“ step forward and take a bow to set crew Rich Canning (who else!), David Wood, Miriam Zaccarelli and Connor Palmer. The scene shifts between the three abodes are technical โ€“ which is a subtle way of saying they are long. However โ€“ this is not a negative; the choreography between the stage crew of Connor Palmer, James Dennis and Ellen Read is a delight to behold in itself more than ably abetted by the quite stunning 1920s soundtrack. Costumes by Scarlett Hayler-King and the cast were beautifully elegant โ€ฆย  and of course, there was Miss Hodgeโ€™s rather more prosaic home help clobber ๐Ÿ˜Š Finally, but by no means least, Alex Latham provided tech as smoothly on the outside as we have all come to expect.


This is an exquisitely written play, performed well and is more than worthy of your attendance.ย  โ€œDesign for Livingโ€ is performed at the Rondo Theatre from October 2nd-5th 2024.

Tickets from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/rondotheatre/design-for-living/e-vllzbb