Month: Nov 2025

Walking at the Devizes Winter Wonderful Festival

Ohโ€ฆa slice of onion from my bratwurst plopped into my mulled wine; where does one go to complain about this?! Other than that, Devizes Town Council and DOCA’s Winter Festival was the best one for many years, officially opening yuletide in Devizesโ€ฆ..

Over time the simple premise of switching the Christmas tree lights on has become a large-scale event which differs in traditions from town to town, possibly competitive even. Some here envy the Sham’s monstrosity of an electronic tree sculpture, others favour our real tree. Wotton Bassett hosts great lively rock bands, like Barrelhouse this year. But while I love those guys, nothing says Christmas to me more than Devizes Town Band brassing off the seasonal Shakin Stevens classic. And, face it, Trowbridgeโ€™s lantern parade was an idea they nicked from us, which we may/may not have pinched from Chinese New Year, but who’s splitting hairs?!

In the modern era I’ve no experience of other town’s shenanigans in which to compare Devizesโ€™ efforts with. I just know and am more than content with the spectacular show we stage here. A massive well done and thanks to all involved, it was a magnificent occasion, much better than last and other previous years.

To start at the end, fireworks were welcomed back after last year’s dubious light show replacement. Despite them being dubbed โ€œsilent fireworksโ€ the effect was near equally impressive. Perhaps Fantasy Radio blasting out the decibels made up for the lack of explosions, and everyone’s dogs could join in the fun. I thought the radio couldโ€™ve been turned down a notch, during intervals of the Devizes Town Band playing, to enhance them when they did, but thereโ€™s no telling radio DJs!

And as for light shows, St John’s looked absolutely magnificent. It’s one thing to project images onto a wall, it’s another to use it to compliment a 900 year old beautiful church, where children and PTAs usually just collect their lanterns and wait in relative darkness!

The Market Place was also transformed into a visual feast, a bustling market with plenty of food and drink options. Devizes Town Band proudly showcased on a grand stage was a new great idea, and excited faces of all ages gathered to watch the lantern parade. It is a wonderful, popular family occasion, this year being one of the very best.

The town came out to play. Folk gathered at the end of the lantern parade by The Corn Exchange, though, were unfenced and naturally pushed forward so Santa’s sleigh on a trailer was forced to stop there and let the lantern bearers pass behind it, rather than park sensibly by the stage. This was the only technical error, as their view of the lanterns were now obscured by Father Christmas and the Mayor offloading with a stepladder! But Devizes is Devizes, and we retain our astute sense of humour regardless. As Santa dismounted and the lanterns passed behind, folk shouted in jest, โ€œget out of the way Santa!โ€ โ€œYou can’t park there!โ€ and โ€œit’s not all about you!!โ€

And from the basic children’s lanterns to the regular spaceman, chickens and even the odd Minecraft Ghast, the parade swept through the Market Place gloriously, and we cheered Father Christmas as we counted down the moment the tree lights would glitter and Christmas in Devizes begins for another year.

But it’s not just about wandering through the stalls, deciding what food and drink to treat yourself to and perhaps buying fudge, or auntie a jar of chilli jam, because while you did, entertaining street theatre and glittery ladies on stilts (who I failed to pick up the phone numbers of) bustled through.

The best had to be those giant stockings moving around and charming the kids with puppet bears chatting; that was a stroke of genius. I know if I was five and saw that I’d probably have wet myself with excitement, but now I’m fifty-somethingโ€ฆwell, best check for a wet patch just to be certain!! No, that was a mulled wine spillage as a piece of onion plopped into it; thought I’d told you that?!

I did bump into Santa though who was off-duty and, at the time, mysteriously carrying a stepladder. Being as I’ve been good-ish all year, I acted like I’d met Mick Jagger and posed for a photo with him; a quality occurrence which made my night!

But it wasn’t any one element of the event which made it, it was the colossal show they staged, all the elements so well coordinated and coming together in unity which caused this to be so magical. The expressions of joy on children and drunkโ€™s faces was priceless and from the maker’s market to the teacup rides, everyone seemed to be having fun, even the weather was agreeable!

If I was triggered in the week by Facebook whingers witch-hunting DOCA, the newspaper reporting it, or anyone else they could blame, (like, bizarrely, Americans) for their own agitations at the name of this event, for not, apparently, being religious enough, and I said I hope they donโ€™t come if they were only to wine-hole, Iโ€™ve changed my mind. I wish they did come now. Theyโ€™d have seen for themselves the evening had plenty of Christmas spirit and Christmassy elements to it, whilst embracing many other aspects of winter too, and nobody really gave thought or the slightest botheration to its name, they just wanted to enjoy the moment. And they did.

The work that went into this by all involved, mostly volunteers, was absolutely incredible, and I hope it will pave the way for a new chapter in the work of DOCA, of which Devizes should be grateful and proud.

So, until next year weโ€™ll be rockin’ around the Christmas tree, letting the Christmas spirit ring, having pumpkin pie, later, and possibly doing some caroling; if thatโ€™s still not Christmassy enough for disgruntled keyboard warriors next year Iโ€™ll dress up as the Archangel Gabriel, if they so wish, so they can winch me up and suspend me across the Market Place where everyone below will see my Grinch boxersโ€ฆ.donโ€™t tempt me!!

Available from Devizes Books!

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Chandra Finds Heaven on Earth

Usually I just write what I think, but if I had a point-scoring system this new single from Bristol-based indie-pop outfit Chandra would tickโ€ฆ

Devizes Issues Wants You!

Dubiously biased and ruled with an iron fist, the mighty admin of the once popular Devizes Facebook group, Devizes Issues, is using the iconicโ€ฆ

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Winter Festival/Christmas/Whatever!

This is why I love you, my readers, see?! At the beginning of the week I put out an article highlighting DOCAโ€™s Winter Festival, and included everything else going on in town this coming weekend, as side attractions. It was as well received as ever and no one on its social media shares thought to question the eventโ€™s name. Today Gazette & Herald reporter Jason Hughes followed suit, but its shares received a barrel load of terribly misinformed and exasperating comments from keyboard warriors who wouldnโ€™t know the true meaning of Christmas if it slapped them in the chilling wintery chops; which, maybe it should!

Bag of coal for those ranting that it should be called a โ€œChristmas Festival.โ€ Why not just go, enjoy it, make of it what you wish, call it whatever you wish, and not worry what other people want to call it?!

Foremost, I feel a smidgen sorry for Jason, if he reads the Facebook piffle on his articles, as the paper is slammed there for calling it โ€œWinter Festival.โ€ Someone plucked Americans from the sky and blamed them, one even ingeniously used an emoji of a bell and wrote โ€œendโ€ next to it; is there no limit to that guyโ€™s wit?! Jason is working from a brief, you spanners! The organisers, DOCA, are calling it Winter Festival, as they have rightfully done for years, not the newspaper.

Maybe they choose to do so because it’s too early for Christmas. Perhaps to make it open and inviting to all. Which, I’m sorry to the keyboard warriors, but I thought that’s what the season was all about?! Or are you all more clued up about Christianity than the Gospel of Luke, who told of angels chanting “peace and goodwill to all men” at the birth of Jesus?

Father Christmas will be there, a Christmas tree, and lots of other representations of Christmas too; not that they have anything to actually do with the birth of Jesus, and more to do with what was there before it. There was a midwinter festival for hundreds of years before its Christianisation. No one really knows when Jesus was born, or if he was at all. Yuletide, or winter solstice was a convenient time for Christianity to adopt, and claim it as the birth of Christ, because folk celebrated around that time already. Nearly everything in traditional Christmas symbolism represents the ancient folk festival, from trees, mistletoe, even Father Christmas himself!

But the bottom line and most important point is, atheists and people of other religions have absolutely no gripe, issue or even the slightest complaint about Christmas! They embrace it, many celebrate it too, across the entire globe. The idea that someone is attempting to โ€œtake Christmas away,โ€ or ban it, is only a rhetoric invented by those wanting to spread hate and prejudice; is that the Christmas message you wish to purvey to others? What happened to joy to the world?!

Bar Humbug, itโ€™s all complete hogwash, but likely the reason for the bitingly bitter comments added to the Gazette’s social media shares; Facebook is a toxic playground for so-called adults. The organisers want to call it the Winter Festival, for whatever reason, and that is their prerogative. No one is stopping you, or are even suggesting stopping you from referring to it as a Christmas Festival, if thatโ€™s what you wish to do.

And lastly, no one is forcing you to attend! Probably best you donโ€™t if youโ€™re going to walk around it as grumpy as the Grinch; or this just your Facebook persona? If so, it doesn’t look good on you, nor is it in spirit of the season. Here’s hoping three ghosts will visit you on Christmas Eve!

Gus White Burbage’s Smithy Art Forgery with Ann Liu Cannon and Esmรฉ White

Words by Ollie MacKenzie.

Featured Image by Barbora Mrazkova.ย 

The creative process can be a winding, long, and often confusing journey. Seeing a project come to fruition from scrappy origin to a packaged, marketable, and well-rounded piece of work can feel daunting – or even impossible. It took Gus White six years of honing his production skills, amassing an arsenal of musical machinery, and developing a community of talented musicians to bring his album โ€˜For Now, Anywayโ€™ into existence….

At its core, itโ€™s a breakup album, which could feel strange to complete and release so far after the original โ€˜breakโ€™, but speaking to Gus it appears the space has allowed him to finish the album at a much more present and content time in his life. Heโ€™s settled into a different existence โ€“ heโ€™s in a new relationship, heโ€™s a dog owner, and has played a large role in building a thriving music scene across the venues, pubs, and houses of Wiltshire.

This brings us to the Smithy Art Forgery in Burbage, a kooky yet loveable cultural venue operating out of a 375-year-old house that currently operates as a jeweller. Located on the side of a quiet village road, itโ€™s adorned with nondescript street parking, burgers served off a BBQ, and vegetable curry to order made in the ownerโ€™s kitchen.ย 

Itโ€™s these types of places that are few and far between according to Gus โ€“ a true grassroots venue for musicians, a haven from playing dusty forgotten corners of pubs where the landlord and patrons donโ€™t even really want you there anyway. It was why it was there on the 14th of September that Gus hosted his album release party.

Taking place in the back garden of the venue, attendees were seated under a marquee packed with various sofas, stools, and garden furniture that faced onto an embankment where the stage was set. Copious instruments lay there waiting, tucked underneath an array of tarpaulin and teepees to shield them and the musicians from the bipolar weather conditions of the changing season.

The atmosphere was intimate โ€“ maybe fewer than 100 in attendance โ€“ but one that felt lively and far from empty. Friends of friends of friends made happy introductions and chats to one another, waiting for the music to start. Two support acts opened the day. First, a solo and entrancing guitar performance from Grace Elizabeth Harvey, followed by a sort of double act from Ann Liu Cannon and Esmรฉ White, the two swapping between lead vocal spots all the while backed by a mandolin player โ€“ the first of many off-kilter instruments to litter the performances.ย 

Then it was Gusโ€™s turn to play. The performance brought about the live, interactive feel of the album, with a high range of instruments on display โ€” trombones, sublime guitar passages, the double bass, a kazoo solo, and even a set of pots and pans, just to name a few. The music felt sonically based in the past, a careful homage to folk and rock formats from americana, country and indie, exhibiting a range of influence from the 50s all the way to the 70s. Despite its seemingly traditional backdrop, the performance was unmistakably modern, with the lyrics carrying the music firmly into the present. Packed with new-age irony and technological references, Gusโ€™s dry, irreverent humour was centre stage throughout the performance, both in the songs and in his preambles โ€” though this didnโ€™t disguise the sincerity of the music or the performer. Balanced amongst the tongue-in-cheek lyrics were very straight to the point personal accounts of his former relationship, that through their intense and biographical nature revealed a relatability that would be shrouded behind overt poeticism. Though typically robust and amusing, Gusโ€™s songwriting shows a capability of reaching into the elegiac also. The solo encore of โ€˜Josephineโ€™ makes the case for Gusโ€™s well-roundedness as a song smith; a poetry laden tribute to his partner that drew much of its effect from its earnestness and folk-style imagery.

Gus closed the concert with a rendition of โ€˜Please Forgive Meโ€™, a rousing finish that allowed each band member their moment to show off, before the crowd sung the concert to a finish. It felt an appropriate end, where Gus, the producer, allowed others to have their moment through his handiwork, sitting back and revelling in the fun of it all. For a set of songs about breaking up, Gus seemed married to the moment, an artist revealing himself at a perfect time to a welcoming group of friends and strangers alike.

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Lady Nade; Sober!

Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiffโ€ฆ

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by Darren Worrow

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โ€œLarkin with Womenโ€ at the Mission Theatre, Bath, November 25th-29th November.

by Ian Diddams
images by Ian Diddams, Mike Stephens and Next Stage


Ask people what they know about Philip Larkin, and the general best response may well be โ€œa poetโ€. They may even know he was a librarian at the University of Hull. Some may even know he coined a phrase concerning the effect of oneโ€™s parents upon one โ€“ a rather rude quote, far too rude to be spelt out here in Devizine obviously. What they โ€“ or you โ€“ may not know though is that he had thirty plus years polyamorousโ€ฆ arrangementsโ€ฆ with three women none of whom were overjoyed at sharing him but couldnโ€™t let him go. Or at least, that is the wonderful picture painted by playwright Ben Brown in his play โ€œLarkin with Womenโ€ which Next Stage Theatre Company are performing this week at the Mission Theatre, Bath.


This is a sumptuous work,. Deliciously delivered in a simple in the round setting of office, flats and a weekend cottage with an equally delightful sound track to set it all off. The plot runs through Larkinโ€™s life with his amours Monica a long standing girlfriend and English lecturer, Maeve who comes to work at the library he runs, and Betty his secretary. His persona is of a sharp witted, pithy remarked but not uncaring man, his dialogue stuffed full of ironic responses and jokes. Yet he is egocentric at times seemingly oblivious to his devoteesโ€™ desire for monogamy, or at least uncaring, with his rejection of marriage as an institution. This especially causes a barrier with Maeve who as a strict Catholic cannot agree to sex outside marriage and they carry out their unconsummated affair for over a decade until the inevitable happens, Maeve is distraught, and Larkin responds with โ€œYouโ€™re forty-six years old. Its not as if you can hang on to it for everโ€. Monica is the closest of the three to Larkinโ€™s approach to love but is jealous of the othersโ€™ involvements. Betty is last to fall for him and she too wishes him to herself.

The play draws to the obvious conclusion as Larkinโ€™s life ends at the age he prophesied, his three partners in life visiting him for what may be a last time. Monica has the most heart wrenching line in the play as she answers a question posed by Larkin as he approaches death โ€“ as an audience we can see the answer coming, but when it does it is delivered with such great timing, and tenderness that it still brings forth an immediate emotion and reaction.

The cast are sublime, each playing their part superbly to eke out each characterโ€™s nuances and foibles. Tania Lyons as Monica, Antonia White as Maeve and Stephanie Hunt as Betty create three distinctly different womenโ€ฆ Betty caring, Maeve desperate for marriage, Monica devoted. Brian Hudd fulfils the role of Larkin with panache and even brilliance. Mannerisms, delivery, auraโ€ฆ if this is not how Larkin really was, then he should have been Brianโ€™s portrayal.

A simple set, a gorgeous playlist, subtle yet engaging tech and period clothing throughout from Kris Nuttall, Andy Punt, Vanessa Bishop and Ann Ellison โ€“ who also directed this wonderful piece of theatre, more than ably assisted by Andrew Ellison as Stage Manager.

Ben Brown the writer in the program notes is quoted as saying โ€œthere is a fine line sometimes between humour and ironyโ€. He is spot on of course, but Iโ€™d go one further and suggest there is a fine line between irony and pathosโ€ฆ and Ben delivers that second fine line absolutely perfectly, in this absolutely perfect play. Next Stage have dedicated this performance run to the real life Betty Mackereth, who died this week.

โ€œLarkin with Womenโ€ is playing at the Mission Theatre, Bath, until Saturday November 29th November at 1930 each evening, tickets from the theatre itself or from
https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/whats-on/2025/larkin-with-women

Devizes Winter Festival This Friday and More!

Whoโ€™s ready for walking in the winter wonderland?! Devizes sets to magically transform into a winter wonderland this Friday when The Winter Festival and Lantern Parade opens in the Market Place; excited?! Well, I say magically, it actually takes a lot of hard work to put on; thank you to DOCA and all the volunteers. A spokesperson for DOCA was confident things were all good last week, and was only worried about the weather forecastโ€ฆ..

At present my thoroughly unreliable weather app suggests a 43% chance of rain, but keep your glass of mulled wine half full at least, thatโ€™s considerably less than 50%, and going on current climate, the rain is sporadic and light. DOCA promises the festival to be โ€œour most enchanting yet, with a full day and evening of festivities, creative workshops, stunning street performances, and a mesmerizing lantern parade.โ€ Looking into it with a bit more detail and including everything else going on might yet put me on the good list!

The grand finale, the Lantern Parade & Fireworks details firstly. Father Christmas will be making a special appearance at St. Johnโ€™s Churchyard from 5:30pm to 6:10pm. At 6pm the parade gathers at St. Johnโ€™s Church Gate. 6:15pm the parade starts, winding through the town centre. 7pm is the Light Switch-On at The Market Place. 7:05pm there will be silent fireworks, best viewed from The Market Place; Iโ€™ve not seen silent fireworks before, certainly not heard them!

As is tradition, Devizes Town Band will entertain while the Market Place will be alive with market stalls, tasty tucker and drinks, and shopping opportunities. The Makery Market will be showcasing unique, handmade treasures from local crafters and makers from 12 noon to 8:30pm Friday, and from 11am to 6pm on Saturday, at the Corn Exchange.

The beloved winter warmer, DOCAโ€™s famous mulled wine stall will be running on Friday only, from noon to 8:30pm. Of course, lots of our shops, cafes and bars will remain open. Someone did post a request for a list of shops staying open on local Facebook groups, like they canโ€™t do this without Google Maps! You got legs? Use them! Be like Dora and explore! But hey, hereโ€™s what we knowโ€ฆ..

The Shambles is a magical place at Christmas, with projections by Young Urban Digitals & PF Events, a specially created animated light artwork made by local young people. Savannah Sweets, Biddles, SoupChick and Sunabody Care pottery and bodycare will be open. Cositas Bonitas, The Healthy Life and many other shops will stay open late across town. Cafes too, including the new beauty salon come cafe, Velvet & Bloom, and hot rum totty outside The Muck and Dunder.

Thereโ€™s a mystery โ€œlive bandโ€ outside The Pour House, and a choir concert at St Andrewโ€™s Church. The Unpredictables at The Three Crowns comes highly recommended, DJ Random at The Southgate too, and a Lantern Parade Disco Party at The Pelican Inn. Snow White is the running panto at The Wharf Theatre, and itโ€™s brilliant!

From 5pm onwards, find some spectacular street performances around the Market Place. Bristolโ€™s infamous roaming band, The Ambling Band will bring infectious energy with their blend of pink and brass. The Glitter Belles are dazzling high-rise performers with sculptural creations straight from the 1970s disco era. Keep your eyes peeled for Stockings Up, a pair of gigantic Christmas stockings bursting with presents and magically strolling around town, two women on stilts covered head to toe in glitter ball costumes and silver glitter, a woman in a red coat talking to a puppet bear in a larger than life sized Christmas stocking and The Flying Buttresses, an illuminated tree with books that light up attached.

From 4 to 8:30pm find, at St. Johnโ€™s Churchyard, an Illuminated Garden, an enchanted world of light and magic with stunning lanterns created by DOCA community workshops. Another light installation will be Chirp & Drift by Kathy Hinde, a mesmerizing installation where illuminated instruments chatter in Morse code messages, accompanied by gentle harmonies from accordion reeds hidden within. After a few glasses of mulled wine you might also be chattering in Morse code!

Photograph by Simon Folkard

Also look out for an old piano also by Kathy Hinde, a kinetic sound sculpture with videos of birds projected onto the strings, and Emergency Exit Artsโ€™ Giant butterflies; but remember, a giant butterfly is for life, not just for Christmas.

Creative Workshops also feature. Wellard & Wild Botanical Workshops on Friday 28th at various times. From Kokedama to terrariums, epiphytes to festive wreaths, learn traditional methods to create beautiful botanical designs. Contemporary Wreath Making on Friday 28th from 2pm to 5pm at The Ceres Hall of the Corn Exchange, where you can create your own stunning, brightly-coloured wreath using repurposed plastics, berries, and sequins. Learn millinery flower-making techniques with accomplished maker Nancy Rose Stott. And there is Tin Can Brooch Making on Sunday 30th from 2pm to 5pm, at The Southgate Inn, where you can design and sew a unique brooch using reclaimed materials.

Photograph by Simon Folkard

Donโ€™t forget the Window Wanderland Trail, running from Friday 28th November to Monday 1st December. For more info on all this and to book workshops, check out DOCA website. For everything else going on locally, keep this frequency clear and love Devizine!

Other stuff going on: Saturday thereโ€™s a jumble sale in St Andrewโ€™s Church. A clothes swap in The Shambles. Lights Switch On in Waiblingen Way. Innes Sibun is at The Southgate, the Buzzing Fridges at The Three Crowns, and The Liverpool Echoes at The Conservative Club.

Letโ€™s get Christmassy; cue the Shakinโ€™ Stevens, children playing, having fun, it’s the season, love and understanding, but not too much snow falling please, Shaky!

At Devizes Books!

The Lost Trades & Half of One at The Hop, Swindon

One part of Swindon was in perfect harmony last night, and I donโ€™t mean the traffic circumnavigating the Magic Roundabout. Rather The Lost Trades were at the Hop in Old Town, honouring a postponed gig from Septemberโ€ฆ..

SoP Live, who run a regular Thursday night music club at The Castle, plenty of other gigs, and coordinate the Swindon Shuffle and Swinterfest, arranged this eveningโ€™s entertainment at The Hop, the largest of pubs on the Devizes Road area of Old Town with the perfect upstairs function room to turn into a temporary folk club.

A slight music appreciation collective gathered, seated and respectfully keen to value live music of this calibre. On previous occasions when the Lost Trades played here, organiser Ed Dyer explained, โ€œwere packed out,โ€ and factors of the lesser crowd were discussed; it couldโ€™ve been because it was rescheduled. While free pub gigs thrive equally to overpriced pop star concerts, add even the smallest price to less mainstream acts, as this gig did, sadly seems can reduce its attraction. What we all need to be mindful of is the safety net; dedicated and erudite promoters like SoP guarantee tried and tested acts, ergo paying a small ticket stub is worthwhile for a better class of live music than a pub throwing any old band in for peanuts. Ah, you get what you pay for, but to disregard this notion is to lose venues and promoters. The saddest thing is, that is happeningโ€ฆ.now. Support them, or become a skint Swifty, your choice.

Whilst Jamie R Hawkins and Phil Cooper of The Lost Trades are no strangers to playing a pub gig solo, the key to the Lost Trades works best at folk festivals and clubs, and arts centres. It is fantastic to think this local export is nationwide now, and judging on their performance last night, something Iโ€™ve not caught for what seems like an age, itโ€™s thoroughly deserved. Thereโ€™s a sense of elevation in their delivery of these soothing vocal harmonies, a consistent strive of improvement, which if it isnโ€™t at its peak now, the summit would be on an angelic level.

Such a while it has been, Tamsin Quin left the trio and has been replaced by Jess Vincent, and I was yet to see that working live, despite fondly mentioning their latest single, Float Me On Your River. As well as performing some other new songs, they opened with this, and notwithstanding Tamsin has a distinguishable voice, Jess makes the quintessential substitution, an exemplar to the ethos of The Lost Trades. Her wonderful vocal range and proficient percussion complement Phil and Jamieโ€™s expressions on equal terms as Tamsinโ€™s, and so The Lost Trades are once again at the top of their game.

And a sublime performance it was, but not before a support act new to me played a divine set of fiddle, guitar and occasional loop pedal folk covers. Half of One is a Swindon duo, fiddler Geoff Roberts and guitarist Neil Mercer, and theyโ€™ve played together in folk band SGO who recently disbanded, and who Iโ€™m well aware of, and dance band Cowshed Ceilidh Collective. We were treated to some gorgeous English folk pieces, others from the likes of Sam Sweeny, Show of Handsโ€™ Steve Knightly, and a wonderfully delivered Great War song for Remembrance I missed the name of and cannot find online! It was a spellbinding support, which couldโ€™ve been the headline for any folk club.

As folk, The Lost Trades have always stated itโ€™s โ€œmodern folk,โ€ and with electric guitars and some subject matter I see this, but thereโ€™s something uniquely captivating about them which makes it timeless and conjures images of The Carter Family. I may not have been lucky enough to have seen The Everley Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel, but The Lost Trades are vocal harmony perfection to me!

Available at Devizes Books, or message Devizine for a copy!

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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 cheesyโ€ฆ

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Snow White Delight: Panto at The Wharf

Treated to a sneaky dress rehearsal of this year’s pantomime at Devizesโ€™ one and only Wharf Theatre last night, if forced to sum it up in a word, the word would be โ€œdelightfulโ€ฆ..โ€

With Ian dedicated to all things theatrical here on Devizine, panto is reserved for my tuppence; that has become as much a Christmas tradition as Brussel sprouts! Snow White is the choice to loosely base the crazy and fun shenanigans around this time, and while I usually attend just to announce what a treat you’ll miss out on unless you’ve a ticket, this time the Wharf has doubled the run to a fortnight, so it’s not sold out … .yet. The question remains, is it worth your while?

The answer is not hiding behind you. Oh, yes it is! Of course it’s worthwhile, silly!

The time, dedication and professionalism which goes into each and every pantomime at the Wharf is something the team behind them should be proud of. This year sees some unity with various local theatre groups, and their talents bless the show. โ€œThis year we see people coming from Stagecoach, Potterne Panto, Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatics Society, Centre Stage Dance Academy, Devizes Musical Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, and Melksham Music and Drama,โ€ director and chairman of The Wharf Theatre, Pete Winterton informed, and with additional scriptwriting from Helen Pritchard, Pete wrote and directed this yearโ€™s panto.

Helen plays the face of the magic mirror, brutally honest yet cheeky with the Evil Queen, played with passion and skill by Georgina Watson, from PVADS and who undoubtedly performs the best solo. Yet a truly magnificent antagonist is never a thing without a trusty sidekick, and, no stranger to the Wharf and Stagecoach, twelve-year-old Gigi Underwood takes that role superbly. 

Georgina Claridge, perfect to play Snow White, choreographed the show, which, even at the dress rehearsal stage, looked polished. Archer Lee plays the prince, Rory Lee is his chaperone Dandy. Thereโ€™s a delightful team of seven young dancing villagers, Kira Drezanics, Maisie Lee, Bea Stacey, Myrah Williams, Madeleine Newman, Phoebe Newman, and Coco Fuller, ranging from nine years to thirteen years old and bubbling with talent. 

Of course thereโ€™s also seven, only slightly smaller people, a running copyright infringement gag, which mysteriously fades after time, and theyโ€™re returned to being called dwarfs without explanation, or hopefully, lawsuit, but does a panto need explaining?! If the show is loosely based on Snow White, the seven โ€œassociatesโ€ of Snow White are a unit of parodies, the most bizarre being Corrin Bishop, who plays a politician version, wittily just waving and shaking hands with the audience akin to a silent film star. Jessica Bone as Nurse seems the natural leader, but Jenni Prescott and Ben Byran add humour with roles called Misery and Snorey, respectively. Kelly Williams and Cameron Williams are either shy and throaty, but the icing on this cake is the youngest and smallest, Smiley, played by Stagecoach student Ella Cook, whose natural flair for dramatics charms.

Then, even more important than any plot, for there is a basic runoff narrative from Uncle Waltโ€™s adaptation of the Brothers Grimmโ€™s Sneewittchen, is the comical Dame and their sidekick. There can be no other team better chosen from these wild woods than Adam Sturges, who dons the drag so divinely, to play Dolly, and his partner Oli Beech to play their son James. Oli and Adam are stalwarts at the Wharf, playing apart they both shine but as a duo they are comical genius, naturally proficient at improv and breaking the fourth wall to take these essential roles, delivering them with hilarity, and binding the panto with joyful audience participation.

If panto at the Wharf follows its own methods which bucks traditions of pantomime, Snow White is no exception, and that is what makes it unexpectedly fun. Nitpicking, I thought it unorthodox to not end the first half with a song, though they right this wrong with such a fantastic musical finale it makes up for it. But, Iโ€™m left wondering if slapstick is a thing of the past. Because, cliche or perhaps not politically correct, there was a lack of visual humour in this show; is it too risque for modern kids to see a custard pie in the face?!

Though little ones will not tire of this, itโ€™s fantastic, yet summarised, and doesnโ€™t extend to unnecessary proportions. The humour rests majorly on gags, many of local direction; mocking neighbouring towns, etc. But there are the customary encouraged singalongs, games, and fun pop song adaptations for all ages to love. Thereโ€™s amusing treats, like the mysterious characters appearing from the woods, and the ingeniously adapted charactersโ€™ traits.

Pantomime is the golden opportunity to introduce young people to the theatre, and is the one occasion when those not regular theatre-goers will take a chance. Snow White is a delight, an enjoyable family treat; go see it and start Christmas. The children will be delighted; I was and Iโ€™m a 52 and three quarters-year old kid!     

Snow White opens on Tuesday 25th November and runs until Saturday 6th December. Curtains at 7:30pm, two matiness at 2:30pm on the Saturdays. Tickets HERE or at Devizes Books.

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at The Rowdey Cow!

Itโ€™s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Rowdey Cow cafe and ice cream parlour; their Christmas Tree Light Switch On is this Friday, the 21st Novemberโ€ฆ..

If you thought an ice cream parlour was restricted to summertime, think again! Itโ€™s the first time the Rowdey Cow near Devizes has held a Christmas light switch on event, and we wish them all the best with it. The fun begins at 5:30pm, and the lights will sparkle at 6pm.

Ice cream might only be for the daring, but theyโ€™ve marshmallow toasting and festive food & drinks, plus gift stalls, Christmas crafts, and a cozy Christmas film of which theyโ€™re asking children to vote for their favourite on their Facebook page; Iโ€™m voting Arthur Christmas, hands down!

Free mince pies and mulled wine if you turn up before the big light switch on at 6pm. They promise a very special guest too. I think I might be able to guess who it might be, and Iโ€™ve been good all year, well, good-ish!

And if you cannot make it, there’s lots of chances to have Breakfast with Santa at various dates in December, see HERE.

The Rowdey Cow is at Lower Farm, Devizes Road, Rowde, Devizes, SN10 2LX 01380 829666 info@rowdeycow.co.uk

Steatopygous Album Marks Pinnacle for Sketchbook Records

Raging expressions of angered feminist teenage anguish this month, perfectly delivered by Steatopygous via their mindblowing debut album Songs of Salome, I hail as the pinnacle of Sketchbook Records to date. But it’s only been a year since Simon formed the label. It’s DIY, a contemporary local counterculture ethos; welcome to the Wiltshire underground of the now; there’s more to discoverโ€ฆ.

There was me, showing my age, assuming Gen Z required Google to know โ€œcassette tape!โ€ But, due to the expense of pressing vinyl and burning CDs, Sketchbook’s Simon looks towards this affordable format, with digital downloads also, to showcase the upcoming talents he finds working at Trowbridgeโ€™s Pump.

December marks the labelโ€™s first year. A demo by Steatopygous was put onto hand-designed cassettes to punt to Pump visitors last year, but Simon has taken on other bands to feature. Yes, we must praise Steatopygousโ€™ album, but we must also highlight the others too, as theyโ€™re released onto Bandcamp for all to access….and buy, people, buy!

โ€œVinyl has gotten way too expensive and takes way too long to manufacture to make it feasible for short runs,โ€ he explained when chatting about the Steatopygous demo. โ€œFor this release, Kieran recorded the band for free, it cost less than ยฃ80 for the blanks which I’ve dubbed at home myself. Eliza’s making the inlays by hand and we’ve been able to turn it around in 3 weeks. A 7″ would be, like, ยฃ800 for 100 copies and take months to arrive. A cassette means I can just give the band twenty or so tapes to sell themselves, knowing I can make the money back on the rest, and even if I don’t, it’s been such a fun thing to do that it really doesn’t matter. And that’s punk rock, right?!โ€

Take it from someone who contributed to more punk zines than I care to recall, that is precisely punk! The trading of tapes was the pre-internet equivalent of file sharing, and similarly with photocopied zines, with good intentions variably more sharing or swapping, their distributors sucked it up as a labour of love. I know I did, but Iโ€™ve a cathedral of tapes, vinyl, zines and comix, which hold sentimental value, mostly from swapsies. 

It may seem surprising to note the DIY ethos remains today, and Iโ€™m glad to hear of it. In reviewing them I take into consideration these are produced on shoestrings, that theyโ€™re young upcoming acts, and itโ€™s going to sound raw. But just like Ol’ Dirty Bastard in more ways than one, I like it raw!!

Working backwards through the discography thenโ€ฆ..

Steatopygous: Songs of Salome

Recorded and mixed in summer 2025 at Nine Volt Leap Studios with Dominic Bailey-Clay, and released this month, Songs of Salome, is a brave and stupendous collection of six outrageous riot grrrl screamo punk tracks, from a Devizes-based female-fronted young band named after the state of having substantial levels of tissue on the buttocks and thighs! Implying, not only a running theme on the psychoanalysis of body image and societyโ€™s expectations, but also that they donโ€™t give a flying fuck if you think they create nothing more than a โ€œscreamy noise,โ€ will twist any such misdemeaning negatives into positives, and post them as stories on their social media; just one of the two-fingers up at the status quo aspects I love about Steatopygous!

Yet itโ€™s not only the idea if theyโ€™re not pissing someone off theyโ€™re not doing it properly which makes them punk, thereโ€™s solid riffs of what I shouldnโ€™t describe as โ€œtraditional punk,โ€ because thatโ€™s surely an oxymoron to be spat at; nothing about punk was ever traditional, but I guess what I mean is, it reflects punkโ€™s origins honourably, while still pushing the anger it conveyed to future generations. And in this, I cannot compare them to another of the same subgenre and ask them to excuse my ignorance of nineties riot grrl bands, like Bikini Kill or Bratmobile, though theyโ€™ve inspired me to listen to them now, and my finding is, if Steatopygous strives to be an English equivalent, theyโ€™re not just on the right road, they make them look tame by comparison.

No one I know of is expressing their poetic frustrations quite like Steatopygous, these six songs prove it. If you identify, if you rethink, itโ€™s in your face if you want it or not. Wall Plug Slug is self-harm themed, depressing in ballad, but still easing us in gently. Cassowary takes no prisoners of patriarchy and sexual relationships, something which rings throughout the album. Marieโ€™s Wedding Song takes us to riffs and themes The Slits might have, but Little Boy is the most poignantly contemporaryโ€ฆ. and screamy, making grunge sound like easy listening!

Image:ย Kiesha Films

Sceptic really raised an eyebrow when I reviewed it earlier this month, Female CD simply thrashes out till the end of this monster; itโ€™s breathtaking, doesnโ€™t come up for air, and overall, Steatopygous are provocateurs against whatโ€™s acceptable, and Songs of Salome launches it back at you in a desirable frenzy, and I donโ€™t believe they care.

Itโ€™s an outstanding debut of which I encourage them to drive more in the same direction, avoiding any requests to sell it out.

Until the Last Sunflower: Between Maturity

If mainstream labels require a textbook style artists are contracted to adhere to, the beauty of counterculture is there are no barriers. Until The Last Sunflower is Trowbridgeโ€™s Joshua Allen. Between Maturity was recorded in a bedroom early 2025, released in May, and is so vastly different from Songs of Salome itโ€™s at the opposite side of the scale.ย 

It includes tags unfamiliar to me, but โ€œsadcoreโ€ and โ€œslowcoreโ€ speak for themselves. Lo-fi ambient rock, Iโ€™d best pigeonhole it; poignant shards of thoughts and observations from a young eye, dubbed with basslines, piano or acoustic guitar, sometimes building layers, harking back to Spiritized or even the mellowed nu-cool of Bristolโ€™s nineties trip hop scene at its jazzier moments.    

Yet its eight tracks literally require horizontal listening. With the deep prose of Syd Barrett being dumped at sixteen years old, I’d have to have had a really shit day to totally appreciate this, but shit days aplenty and Morrisey is a prick anyway; this is melancholy done smoothly!

The lengthy lowercase track names attend to the curious: perks of being a wallflower, please let me forget this memory; just this one, i miss my selfish and ignorant youth, and particularly, cupid vs disgusting men who take advantage of little children. And it certainly takes a gulp of melancholic dejection in an ambience more provoking than chilling. For this, it bucks positivity like raindrops, happy to watch them dribble down a window pane; sombre, emotive, mindful music, I like, on a particular day.

Hurts Worse: Love is Death and Death is all that’s Left

Released last April, Hurts Worse are Mikey and Emma, from Nebraska. A not so sober Simon messaged them to ask if they wanted to do a tape, โ€œand somehow they said yes,โ€ he explained!

This is a collection of eight from their various singles and EPs. Again, dark slowcore, you might gather from the title. Death, graves, bleeding hearts and the one tune most commercially viable called โ€œif you love me please check yes next to the skull carved in my desk,โ€ give an overall of morose subject matters, but it rolls so smoothly, gloomy and angry but not bad tempered in sound. Itโ€™s romance at its most bitter, Coldplay gone sour, and for such itโ€™s unique and moreish.

Kurt Alexander: I stepped out into the world and it no longer exists and all was good.

Also released in April, this is a compilation of two albums, originally released late in 2024. Again, best pigeonholed as slowcore punk, though thereโ€™s moments upping the tempo, akin to folktronica. Itโ€™s dreamer than the others and breaks for some refined bridges of funky bass guitar, electronica and voice samples of poetry or recordings of phone calls.

Itโ€™s seventeen tracks strong, often short, experimental in that one blip is the previous tune backwards, and in production I get vibes of Money Markโ€™s Keyboard Repair. Though I think the downtempo Bristol nineties scene also takes an influence, probably why Iโ€™d favour it over the previous two mentioned, personally. But thereโ€™s rock here too, crashing metal guitars and acoustic guitar tunes over violin, but so subtly dubbed, it really is an interesting melting pot. If thereโ€™s emotive prose like the past couple mentioned itโ€™s done soulfully, and less bitter. Think; Tricky was an indie kid.

Nobody’s Dad: Mixtape

โ€œNot a dad?โ€ this band asks on their Insta account, โ€œdon’t worry, neither are we,โ€ leaving no explanation what to do if you are, but you still love this band! I reserve my right to play this mixtape on the school run in dadโ€™s taxi; see how they like that!! The thing is, age is only a state of mind, I absolutely love this, so does my son!

Released in January, this is undoubtedly the most universal and commercially viable of Sketchbookโ€™s back catalogue. That enthral shoegaze sound, female-fronted, drifting and dreamy with hints of grunge. Angel opens the four tracks, with a kick, and Iโ€™m contemplating The Cranberries as a comparison. Margo is a please return to me ballad, and is sublime.

@jenajphotos

You Donโ€™t Communicate, and Youโ€™re all I Ever Wanna Be rock it back out, smoothly with those gorgeous grunge layers, akin to I See Orange, and leaving you aching for more. I think Iโ€™ve found a new favourite thing. Nobodyโ€™s Dad deserves a renowned producer to refine this, as itโ€™s yeah, raw, but booming with so much potential, and thatโ€™s the nature of a DIY label like Sketchbook, opening eyes to upcoming talent without the professional angle of โ€œhow can I make money from this?โ€ Nobody’s Dad, huh?! Topping this dad’s playlist now.

Kurt Alexanderโ€™s cassette covers are individually unique hand-dubbed with green or orange paint and they used a typewriter for the text. Eliza from Steatopygous hand designs their covers and a number of others too. Thereโ€™s a timeless and individual charm about DIY punk culture which Sketchbook embraces, and in days of AI this is wonderfully personal, genuine, and uncommercially dedicated to a fashion of yore.

I look forward to hearing whatโ€™s next, and of course, Sketchbook presents gigs at The Pump, the next is a Christmas party with Nobodyโ€™s Dad, Parkii and Kurt Alexander on Saturday 13th December; the kids are alright.

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No Migrants in Wiltshire Military Bases; Newsquest Journalist Challenges Mail’s Falsehoods

Local reporter of the month award, if I had a local reporter of the month award, which I don’t, but based on this, perhaps I should have a local reporter of the month award, goes to Newsquest senior reporter Sarah Dalton, whether she wants the award or not, not that there even is one!!

Credit where it’s due, even if we do take the occasional satirical stab in the dark at Newsquest, this week Sarah wrote a brilliant piece in The Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, challenging claims by the Mail on Sunday and other national newspapers that there are plans to send migrants to six military camps across the UK, including Knook Camp near Warminster. It is not true.

โ€œThe Wiltshire Times has put these claims to the Home Office,โ€ she wrote, โ€œwhich has stated that military bases are being explored as housing options for migrants. The Home Office confirmed that Knook Camp in Wiltshire is not currently being used for this purpose, nor are there any plans to use it to house migrants.โ€

On social media the share didn’t receive the traction I think it deserved. It sadly seems people would rather believe their own fake narrative, fed to them by rightwing media. It did get a substantial collection of those dubious critters, the angry emoji. Iโ€™m left confused as to why; are they angry because migrants are not being housed in Knook Camp, are they angry because theyโ€™ve been lied to by the national press, or perhaps they home in on the word โ€œmigrant,โ€ donโ€™t even bother to read the article, and it angers them?!

Maybe it suggests precisely why we’re in this disgraceful trend of hatred towards migrants. Word of the lies has been spread on social media as taken as fact. For if those who added the angered emoji actually read it, I would have thought they’d surely send it a smiling one instead. Cheer up, you spanners! 

Sarah contacted the Home Office who said there were no plans for military bases in Wiltshire to be used for housing migrants. It doesnโ€™t matter what your opinions on the base being used are, it matters that misinformation is being spread, and she captured it with its pants down; well done, Sarah. While she must be subtle, we don’t enforce such equitability, and will call out the Mail on Sunday for publishing bollocks, and spreading misinformation to propagate and exaggerate the immigration issue, at least in Wiltshire. But you should note, we think you’re as thick as mince for believing it!

Now Available at Devizes Books

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Cheerio Wilko; Wiltshireโ€™s PCC is Shown the Door!

The only good to have come from Wiltshire having a Police Crime Commissioner was proof The Conservatives used their power to reward their elite bum chums and family with overpaid, high power and often completely unnecessary penpushing jobsโ€ฆ.

A Devizes Conservative town councillor once told me if I โ€œget the chance to interview Philip (Wilkinson) you should take it. He is a good man and has huge respect for Mike (Rees) and sympathy that he has had to refinance due to the previous election.โ€

I never had the chance, neither did I want the chance or chase it up, worrying it wouldn’t end well. I did once chat online with the predecessor candidate, Jonathan Seed, and that was enough talking to selfish entitled Tories for one lifetime.

Seedy revealed, โ€œnobody has wanted to talk about hunting other than trolls online.โ€ This opened a closet of unfortunate skeletons for him, which began with the speculation as a convicted illegal huntsmaster he only wanted the position to encourage police to turn a blind eye to hunting, and ended with the national press unearthing lots of other unpleasant facts about his past, such as his drink driving offences.

The fact that despite the controversy he still won the election was proof at the time that if you put a blue rosette on Satan’s pet pig they’d have won. His post-election disqualification caused the Wiltshire taxpayers four million pounds for a re-election, yet still didn’t upset the blind Tory voters; second time unlucky, his Conservative assessor Phillip Wilkinson won too. This was my reasoning, alongside the cascade of national scandals like Partygate, for not wishing to platform another Conservative. I believe and stand by my thought that it’s justifiable on those terms.

The fact others drew Phillip into question on his thoughts around hunting, and despite not admittedly hunting himself, he supported hunting, attended hunt balls, and set about unfairly lambasting anti-hunt organisations caused not only the brushing under the carpet of allegations police officers were turning a blind eye to hunter’s violent attacks on protesters at the Boxing Day hunt in Lacock, and furthermore, other officers proved to be active members of hunt organisations, but also reasoning for my suspicions he was not the โ€œgood manโ€ the councillor suggested he was. Entitled, yes, good, I’m afraid not.

โ€œPhilip should have been the candidate last time and wasnโ€™t, itโ€™s a mistake but it canโ€™t be changed. We have to move on and make sure people get a fair choice,โ€ reckoned the Councillor who banned anyone merely uttering the name Mike Rees, the independent candidate for the PCC, on the Facebook group he admins. Though, Mike suffered much further from the propaganda machine, excluding him from volunteering to administer lateral flow Covid tests because it was believed to be political point-scoring, when Mike runs a boxing club to engage youths, a charity for children with cancer, and while Seedy was throwing out campaign leaflets funded by the Conservative Party, Mike was delivering food packages for homeless charity Devizes OpenDoors.

Hum, we do not โ€œhaveโ€ to move on at all in my opinion. The Councillor mightโ€™ve wished to, so these suspicious affairs could be archived into a filing cabinet in a dark backroom, bulging with other inconsistencies and matters of outrageous behaviour from the circus of thieves he backs. Rather we should rather dwell on the notion that it cost us four million quid, only for the end result being not so far from the original outcome, and now itโ€™s to be scrapped anyway. What a terrible misuse of public spending.

An ex-military man, Phillip Wilkinsonโ€™s entire aptitude and ethos was unsuitably hostile for a civil role which surely requires creating a bond between police and the public, and initialising trust in the force with the public. His reactionary replies to criticism on his Facebook page led him to lie about other candidates, silence the critics, claim absurd notions as facts, such as the time he stated unemployment was a choice, and at one point he even boasted about shooting people; the latter, while in the official line of duty, still isnโ€™t a good look for the civil service.

False!

His angle on the PCC role was to marginalise us, attack groups he took a personal dislike to, and militarise the force; noted as failures by the communities he was supposed to have served. Mikeโ€™s vision for the role was hands-on, telling me, โ€œIf youโ€™ve got a demoralised police force, it doesnโ€™t matter what policies and procedures people are coming up with, nothingโ€™s going to work. Youโ€™ve got to sort your workforce out first, and get them to follow you, be inspired by you.โ€

Liberal Democrat candidate Liz Webster said Mike was โ€œgoing for the wrong job!โ€ And if Phillipโ€™s interpretation of the role matched the job description, it was a political position rather than being active in the police, she was perhaps right. Philip served to be an overpaid government puppet, rock up to formal occasions, state the obvious, ramble on about how something had to be done about an issue, and retired to the kind of salary officers like PC Nicola Crabbe, who disarmed a knife-wielding attacker and dived into the canal to rescue a person in distress, could only imagine. A medal of bravery doesnโ€™t put caviar on the table, Wilko!

Talking many times to Mike, I couldn’t imagine sympathy was what he wanted or needed. In fact he was adamant the PCC role was not needed and their salary could be better spent elsewhere in the force. Something the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has realised, and motioned to scrap the position, freeing up an extra ยฃ20m to fund front-line policing. If we had a government which knew the difference between a protester and a terrorist, I might have faith the money would be distributed to the appropriate channels. Fingerโ€™s crossed.

But Phillip went bleating to Tory-biased BBC Wiltshire, crying, “It’s going to mean a less effective, less efficient and more politicised police force.” If his paradoxical belief taking away a political role in the police force would somehow politicise it isn’t proof he was clutching at straws, there’s a taste of irony in his consistent splatters about how much he required a higher budget to police Wiltshire, when Rees contradicted this with the notion it’s not about what’s budgeted but how it is spent. And unnecessarily spending a whooping chunk of it for a bloke to wander around the county like royalty, idly vowing to solve this problem or that, surely would have the opposite effect?!

Much ado about nothing. So, cheerio Wilko.

It’s no great revelation that his bygone strategies failed in the past, ergo, held no clout nowadays either. Seeking to punish individual drug dealers, for example, only leaves a gap in their turf another will step into, and isn’t really solving the bigger issue of getting drugs off our streets. We could debate if more radical moves need taking, but he was too stuck in the mud to ever take heed. Wilko was out of touch, whereas officers are on our streets witnessing and dealing with crime, and their opinions should count.

His attacks on youths tarnished them with the same brush, when that simply isnโ€™t true, is counterproductive, and matches the troubles we were victimised for when we were younger. Then, hypocritically, he grabbed a photo opportunity last week at the newly opened Devizes Area Youth Lounge, where he immediately accentuated youth crime, suggesting anti-social behaviour was done only by youths and this would prevent them โ€œhanging around the streets and getting into trouble.โ€ Far from the actual notion the centre was created to give all youths a space to socialise for the sake of their wellbeing and mental health.

With polarised views from people like him at the top of the hierarchy, at a time of financial instability and hyperinflation, conveniently caused by the party he backs, rebellious attitudes and crime will surely only worsen, by people of any age.

Youth programs will attract only those who wish to pursue them, and they tend not to be those troublemakers he cited. You cannot stop them, but you can reduce the peer-pressure and turn their petty crimes away from being a spectator sport, by providing safe spaces for those affected by them. Youths are not only the criminals but more often than not the victims of them too, and that was something sadly overlooked in Wilkinsonโ€™s wonky thought process, and the reason I salute the notion to rid ourselves of these unnecessary and pompous roles of Police Crime Commissioners. 

Does that make sense to you?! I wish Wilko well, and say cheerio. Iโ€™m certain his pension will not see him walking those dangerous streets paved with wayward youths, and heโ€™ll still be able to enjoy luxurious banquets with his fox-hunting chums.

Love is for Life (Not Only for Christmas Time) Says Hannah Collins

And so it begins, the build-up, the tension; come all ye faithful round yon virgins and three kings of orient are, spreading joy to the world while shepherds wash their socks and Batman smells. In which, in order to spread warm emotions of peace and unity for the one day, itโ€™s obligatory to rush around like headless chickens for two months, verbally abuse drivers in traffic jams, inevitably cause accidents because weโ€™re too consumed by what little Johnny wants this year to concentrate on our driving!

Or, how weโ€™re still hungover from the work-do where we accidentally got off with the agency temp in sales who puked down her blouse before half four, and Gary fancied her, and now heโ€™s going to be pissed with you. And ram B&M on black Friday, fight  to the death anyone who might grab the last Labubu doll, and Grannyโ€™s ditched us for some โ€œgentleman friend,โ€ whoโ€™s whisked her off to The Maldives, and well, if mum undercooks the pigs in blankets again Iโ€™m off down the pub, where did they put the batteries, and who lost the end to the bloody sellotape?!

A pastiche of the RSPCA slogan about puppies as pressies, Bristol-based vocalist, musician and producer, Hannah Collins has nailed it in her new Christmas song with a spin, Love is for Life (Not Only for Christmas Time.) The simple premise; if we can be nice to each other on Christmas Day, why canโ€™t we for the rest of the year? How smug, bar humbug, great song, though!!

For if it sounds like the basis of a bitter anti-Christmas punk song, itโ€™s subtle, ironically uplifting, and contains a simple piano riff with seasonal jingly bells.ย Released on the 28th of November, Hannah says, โ€œin a materialistic world, love is the greatest gift we can give.โ€

Produced and mixed by Tim Oliver (Sinead Oโ€™Connor/Robert Plant) at Peter Gabrielโ€™s Realworld Studios in Box, Wiltshire, featuring John Baggot (Massive Attack/Portishead/Robert Plant) on keys, and Eric Okafo on bass, it has a Motown lite sound and is reminiscent of a Mariah Carey singalongโ€ฆ..argh, Iโ€™m caught by the catchy hook, and Iโ€™m putting my decorations up now!!

It will be available to stream on all platforms from 28th November 2025. There will also be an original music video released on YouTube on 21st November, created by Olivia Kennedy from OK! Animations. 

Hannah is new to us, but tis said her, โ€œinquisitive mind, creative spirit and interest in philosophy are overarching themes in her work; a golden thread flowing through her art, which is particularly resonant with the message of peace and goodwill at Christmas.โ€ The press release asks, โ€œcan we keep the peace, love and charity going all year long, and not just at Christmas time?!โ€ Have they not heard of dry January, winters of discontent, and seasonal affective disorder, damn your spritely song, Hannah?!!

โ€œI will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach,โ€ Dickens wrote, โ€œfeel the magic in the atmosphere, I wonder why itโ€™s only this time of year,โ€ Hannah wrote similarly, and maybe her song has a lesson too, a seasonal catchy pop lesson I happen to love!

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Sarah C Ryan Band’s Radio Silence

If you need a reason to understand why I was so excited about The Sarah C Ryan Band coming to RowdeFest back in May, you wasn’t there!! And if you wasn’t, well, I’m not going to pick on you, just leave said example below and let you decide…..

My Radio Silence, recorded for a session at Crescent Records Studio in Swindon, back in July 2024, has recently been published on YouTube for prosperity, and shows precisely why I so absolutely, totally 100% love this band! It’s so breezy and cool…. I’m going to shut my cake hole and let you enjoy the video…..

Now available from Devizes Books

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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 and they gained air time, but the interview was published short of year ago now, and the band have had significant changes to the lineup and their style. So, I the time is nigh to poke my bulbous nose in and interrupt their rehearsal againโ€ฆ..

Formerly a trio, bassist Chris Lane remains with Chrissy Chapman up front,ย  but guitarist Andy Jacobs sadly passed away this year. โ€œAndy was an amazing musician and really helped carve out our initial sonic signature,โ€ Chrissy told me. โ€œWeโ€™ve always wanted to acknowledge his creative contributions, given that music ran through him like the letters in a stick of rock. However, for reasons I canโ€™t discuss out of respect for everyone involved, the band collectively decided that it was no longer suitable for Andy to remain involved. Weโ€™ve made every attempt to show him grace since that decision but there was a negative backlash. Regardless, we were all very sad to hear he passed away shortly after, and our sympathies remain with his family and loved ones. Weโ€™re committed to remembering him in the best light.โ€

โ€œThere was definitely concern about doing the songs justice after we parted ways with Andy,โ€ Chrissy continued. โ€œEventually, though, we made a conscious effort to develop a new sound that honoured the music while allowing John the creative freedom. The core of our sound now focuses on doing the  songs justice rather than trying to replicate what Andy originally brought to the table and embracing the natural evolution of our sound that draws from all of our influences.โ€

The Original Trio of Chrissy, Chris and Andy

John Lane joined as guitarist, but was making me a cuppa while I was chatting with  Ron Riordan, the new drummer. Theyโ€™ve both been instrumental in forging a new direction for the band, literally! John said of Andyโ€™s passing, โ€œas part of getting through that phase the band has grown,โ€ and Ron added it had โ€œevolved.โ€

Turning to Chrissy I jested that when we did the original interview, she had suggested they didn’t need a drummer! โ€œWell,โ€ she explained, โ€œwe always needed a drummer, but we were able to perform at the time without a drummer because we were percussive enough. And it went down really well. A couple of venues, we did three gigs before we got Ron, a brilliant drummer!โ€

Ron stepped in immediately at a crossover period between Andy and John, a proficient drummer who told me he had played in a few ska bands in Swindon, โ€œI started playing drums when I was about nine, in orchestras and learnt to read music, that type of thing.โ€ I smiled; he looks like he can blast a Two-Tone riff. โ€œThat’s the thing though,โ€ Chrissy said, โ€œbecause straight away we had DOCAโ€™s Winter of Festive Ales booked. So it was like, everybody had to jump on really, really quickly. And we wanted to use that as an opportunity to do the originals.โ€

It was on the strength of the demo I asked them to play RowdeFest, I hadnโ€™t seen them performing before. But the committee was encouraging me to find a covers band. โ€œWe followed your advice about doing the covers,โ€ Chrissy said, though it wasnโ€™t really advise, rather a  way to get them booked! Iโ€™m so glad they did, they were dynamite and feedback was overwhelming. The kind of band youโ€™d think had been on the circuit for years. โ€œI felt that we were at the party at the end of the day!โ€ John remarked, and they certainly was.

โ€œWhat was nice about that is it the focus was about โ€˜let’s give people a showโ€™ rather than it just being about  โ€˜let’s get our songs outโ€™,โ€ Chrissy explained. โ€œYour influence was about getting a show to give to people, keeping people up on their feet, so and not allowing those breathers.โ€  I did encourage them to ensure they blasted some originals out too, though, which they did!

โ€œWe tried to dress it on different levels of the visual,โ€ John stressed, โ€œwearing the outfits, the recognition of known songs, and the come on, party time!โ€

โ€œYeah, it worked, didn’t it?โ€ I replied, a template to liven up a pub gig, and Burn the Midnight Oil are certainly getting them. The Queenโ€™s Tap in Swindon and Kings Arms in Amesbury their recent outings, but how do they feel about how far theyโ€™ve come?

โ€œGiven that the new face of us being coming up a four piece with Andy’s departure in January, to get that in the space of a year, well, less than a year,โ€ Chrissy said, โ€œas a new lineup, I think it’s quite incredible.โ€

Itโ€™s the added drums which changes it, I supposed, surely essential for a harder rock feel.

โ€œIt changes the scale of the presentation,โ€ John added. โ€œIt’s now got drive and rhythm rather than being listening for the lyric. It’s actually motivated, it hooks into people’s natural sense of rhythm, and you can’t help it. First thing people take in is rhythm, then melody, last of all, lyrics. So if you hook the first bit, you don’t get the second one, then they come back for the lyrics. So we’re attacking it from the best angle.โ€

Here was were I felt a healthy division between John and Chrissyโ€™s perspective, as she began to speak on where she drew inspiration from in the writing and a change in direction from  intrapersonal to interpersonal. She drew from personal relationships and her faith, implying her writing was key, but the difference was never confrontational and a good blend of opinion is surely necessary to compose the elements of a song professionally.  

โ€œI had a tsunami of a creative spell, and wrote twenty songs in as many days. So we’re now, everybody’s having to play catch up, trying to get them polished!โ€ Chrissy explained. She labelled her past songs as an โ€œangsty teenage phase,โ€ and felt her songwriting about โ€œgood guy/scumbagsโ€ had evolved and matured into โ€œsomething more universal. It’s not so much like a diary, it’s definitely becoming more cryptic. It’s pulling in a different kind of imagery and symbolism. And then, because I’m faith-based as well, I’ve given a lot of inspiration taking verses from the Bible that have really helped me through difficult times. I’m weaving them, not to be preachy, but just to be like, this is my story.โ€

โ€œWeโ€™d like the two songs we did at the award ceremony, to polish it up more, get a scratch track done, and then we’re going to go back to Matt Millerโ€™s Dusty Shed, who did the original three.โ€

โ€œWe can’t really use the original EP anymore. And also, it’s fair to say with John’s influences, and the way that we’re allowing space for his creative flow to come into it, it just sounds different.โ€

John pointed out his mixer was adequate when I pondered if they needed a producer. Chrissy replied while it would be โ€œfantastic,โ€  she crunched numbers and said they, โ€œreally want to get onto the festival circuit, and that means having tracks done ASAP.โ€

Captivating to listen to Chrissy delving deeper into the inspiration behind her songwriting and the maturity she felt it levelling to, in which she exclaimed with much delight, โ€œit’s definitely been refreshing having John’s influence, him sharing how he sees it as a viewer. Because you write what you know, and unfortunately, I’ve been exposed to quite a lot of things that I don’t think many people would ever want to be exposed to. And being able to find hope and joy in some of the songs and being able to write happier songs. For the first time ever, I’ve written two love songs! I’ve never written love songs before! So, there definitely seems to be more universal themes.โ€

Yet as fascinating as it is, hearing Chrissyโ€™s writing motivations, John revealing the technical side to their development, Ron adding splices of drummer-fashioned wit, and together them trying to summarise their change in direction whether it be a more rock-blues or dark-country, only to finally decide it unnecessary to pigeonhole it anyway, it makes for a laborious read, so I thought I’d inject a light-hearted, more physical observation with Chris, who otherwise, I suspect, wouldโ€™ve remained silent, save occasionally strumming his bass!

It was that I heard Jimi Hendrix had extremely long fingers, I noted so too did Chris, and wondered if he considered it an asset to playing guitar! John jested, โ€œit’s like watching a spider running up and down a hot plate!โ€ Ron pointed out his stumpy fingers, โ€œI’m a drummer; I’ve just tried to learn the bass guitar and I can’t get my hands anywhere round the neck of the guitar like Chris can!โ€

Chris exampled pianistsโ€™ tendency to have stumpy fingers. โ€œYou look at Elton Joh or Les Dawson, theyโ€™ve all short fingers, but they can play like crazy! I can get away with some stuff, but some of it’s more, arguably, bad habit than good! But I can get away with having long fingers rather than good habits!โ€

 A fellow of far fewer words than the front girl, evidently, but when he does its witty self-mocking is worth itโ€™s weight in gold and sparked a humorous angle to the interview in which, while Chrissy justified his dexterity and nimbleness, Ron favoured to joke about Chrisโ€™s dancing on stage, โ€œwhich is brilliant. I love it!โ€

John praised the firmness of Chrisโ€™ bass, โ€œyou’re methodical, you’re listening. I’m done wondering if he’s bored to death as I explain something to him, as heโ€™s sitting there taking it in. It’s not till you go and think he’s got it.โ€

They all seemed content with each other, and John effectively โ€œkeeping them in line,โ€ and this brought up the subject that they abstained from drinking while performing. โ€œOne rule I was pretty adamant about,โ€ John explained while Chrissy and Ron laughed about being โ€œhyper,โ€  โ€œis drink and music don’t mix. If you’re going to load it up, don’t expect to be any good at the music. Because we’re there to make the party for everybody else.โ€

โ€œYeah,โ€ Chrissy joshed, โ€œso I’m not allowed to have a pre-shot of tequila, which is really good because I definitely noticed a habit where I needed the Dutch courage in order to get up and I started realising, this is a bad habit that I don’t want to become dependent on. So itโ€™s two-wayed. You were definitely enforcing it. And I tried to be more mindful of it and just get up despite feeling nervous. And I get nervous every single time still.โ€

Aside the notion everyone gets butterflies, we moved between passionate subjects like the local circuits and venues and getting further afield, and we ventured back into songwriting inspirations, but I wanted them to nail it into a summary.  โ€œIn a nutshell,โ€ Chrissy said, โ€œweโ€™re focusing on rhythm and melody so that the lyrics can shine through. And we’re drawing inspiration from real life. Trying to make them more universal and a punchy sound. Rocky, bluesy, layers musically and lyrically; say that, Darren!โ€

Okay, I will! And if you want to hear this band progressing, follow their socials for gig updates. Theyโ€™ll be in Devizes on Sunday 14th December, at that tropical holiday resort in the Brittox, The Muck & Dunder, with a fundraiser for Ugandan orphanage His Grace Children Centre Bugiri, which theyโ€™ve organised themselves.

In true Christian spirit Chrissy annually organises a fundraiser around the yuletide, which she did as a soloist ironically titled One Trick Pony. Ironic because, she lent her vocals to drum n bass tracks, returned to town to learn guitar and perform acoustically, ย and now thereโ€™s Burn the Midnight Oil; a proficient four-piece who, merging experiences in varied genres, refuse to ย pigeonhole their developing style, and has an angelic vocalist with a penchant undaunted to delve deep into her psyche and faith for inspiration, and oh yeah, a bassist with long fingers!

Now available at Devizes Books!

Trending…..

Joyrobber Didn’t Want Your Stupid Job Anyway

A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโ€™s bitter about not getting his dream jobโ€ฆ.. If this mysterious dudeโ€™sโ€ฆ

Devizes Chamber Choir Christmas Concert

Itโ€™s not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have doneโ€ฆ

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

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 rusticโ€ฆ

Local Author’s Book Reveals Why Devizine Isn’t Funny Anymore

Devizine can reveal how a new book by a local author might possibly be the reason why Devizine isn’t as funny as it used to beโ€ฆ.

Devizine, it used to be funny, but sadly it seems it’s not so much anymore. Who took the banana skin from under its flip-flop? Who failed to give it a raspberry on the bouncy belly? Editor and creator of Devizine, Darren Worrow might have discovered why.

He said, โ€œIt’s a disgrace. This so-called author Darren Worrow has channelled all his pathetic attempts at humour into his new book Murder at the Scribbling Horse, and hardly bothered sharing anything the slightest bit amusing here on Devizine, as he once did; typical liberties from a loony leftie! And now he expects me to blow my own trumpet and sing his praises; what a pretentious twat! Shamelessly plugging his own book on his own website is surely proof.โ€

โ€œSet in the fictional Wiltshire market town of Slapam-on-the-Fye, which is nothing like any real Wiltshire market town you might know of, it claims to be a murder-mystery, but the only true thing it murders is English literature.โ€

โ€œNeither is there any subtlety in it either, like there is with Devizine,โ€ Worrow waffled on sorrowfully wallowing. โ€œWorrow takes no prisoners, has gone all out and created an absolute work of filth; an offensive joke book with a sham narrative, just so he can say disgusting things about various celebrities, politicians and anyone else he doesnโ€™t like, despite the good honest work they’re doing to keep Britain free from logic and empathy.โ€

โ€œWith the mouth of a sailor, it downright disregards any level of intelligence locals might possess, and paints them all as so utterly idiotic the narration of the story has to be conveyed through the point of view of the pub dog; I donโ€™t think thatโ€™s funny at all. The dog is a depressing nihilist, who uses the opportunity to put the human world to rights, rather than getting on with telling the story, thatโ€™s why it stacks up over 500 pages. 500 plus pages of meandering woke filth, I might add.โ€

โ€œUsing a facade of a murder mystery, in which the frontman to a tribute act is murdered in the pub whilst they organise a fundraising music festival, as the plot thickens like moulded yogurt around his genitalia, it goes as far as disgracefully making a mockery out of petty local politics too. It’s the biggest crime against pop since David Bowie and Mick Jaggerโ€™s cover of Dancing in the Street. I’d rather lick that yogurt off than buy this book, but that’s probably what this sick perverted tyrant wants us to do.โ€

โ€œYou’re not going to enjoy reading it, as tea can scold you if dropped in your lap through laughing too much. Therefore I call upon Steer Karma and the government to ban this book for health and safety reasons.โ€

โ€œThis thing wouldnโ€™t have been published under Farage, you know? And thousands of flagpoles will now have to be erected to counteract the unpatriotic damage done, at the taxpayer’s expense too.โ€

The author of the book, Darren Worrow, rebukes comments made by the Devizine editor, Darren Worrow. โ€œThat guy is as thick as a Boxing Day turd and pissing into the wind,โ€ he said. โ€œOther than the fact I have released a new book, the rest is slanderous lies and Devizine will be hearing from my lawyers. Murder at the Scribbling Horse is a fascinating psychological study and critique of the modern world, questioning our nonacceptance of aging and the social and political issues it raises; with added knob jokes.โ€

The author became irate, claiming, โ€œfor eight long years I’ve been tirelessly promoting everyone else for peanuts. I’ve not even had the opportunity of taking a bath since, and I look like a Yeti past its sell by date. It’s about time I thought about myself for a change, and everyone can bloody well return the favour by buying my book!โ€

Eighties post-punk sensations Johnny Bunion and the Verrucasโ€™ most successful album, The Legend of Castle Grey Scholl, 1981.

Whatever happened to Johnny Bunion? His legend burnt out long before his candle ever did.

But the more pressing question must be, was it connected to the murder at the Scribbling Horse public house in the narrow-minded Wiltshire market town of Slapam-on-the-Fye, some forty plus years later? And if so, how?

To answer this you’ll need to research, and my book, Murder at the Scribbling Horse will be the only way to do that.

If there’s ever any proceeds from the book, they will go to a much needed new Lynx Africa deodorant set, and a Brazilian back, sack and crack wax for the obnoxious author; the twat needs it, he looks like Posie from the Flumpsโ€™ rustic vajazzle.

Seriously though, being funny is the only thing I’m serious about. If you laughed at any part of this internal press release you’re a bit weird, and the ideal target audience for my book! You’re going to laugh a kazillion times (thatโ€™s a zillion zillions) more with a copy Murder at the Scribbling Horse in your grubby mitts. And even if youโ€™ve no sense of humour, you know a good Christmas present idea when you see one!

You can buy the paperback online here. And the e-book here. It’s out for global distribution but buying direct from Lulu cuts out the middle man and gives the best royalties to the authors.ย 

Not for sale to children or the over sensitive, though; as if I needed to say!

Murder at the Scribbling Horse is available at Devizes Books for a reduced price of ยฃ20, and next Saturday 22nd November, I’ll be in the shop praying to the Norse god of biscuits someone might stop by and purchase a signed copy at the super reduced price of ยฃ20!

If you cannot make it, you can message me and I’ll personally deliver you a copy if you live locally. I still need to work out posting & packaging costs, so message me if it needs posting and Iโ€™ll let you know about that asap. Happy reading…well, I say that but do I really mean it, I mean, really?!

Trending…..

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

Darren Worrow's avatar by Darren Worrow

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 the first notes ring out. Quite familiar with Swindonโ€™s beloved Dylanesque singer-songwriter Jol Rose, Ragged Stories is another notch in his sublime discography you simply have to listen to on repeatโ€ฆ.โ€ฆ

Darren Worrow's avatar by Darren Worrow

โ€œAntony and Cleopatraโ€ at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath, October 18th 2025.

by Ian Diddamsimages by Penny Clegg and Shakespeare Live โ€œAntony & Cleopatraโ€ is one of Shakespeareโ€™s four โ€œRoman Playsโ€, and chronologically is set after โ€œJulius Caesarโ€ as the new triumvirs Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus between them oversee the Roman Empire. Basically we start with Mark Antony all loved up, and avoiding his duties untilโ€ฆ

Devizine's avatar by Devizine

MP Brian Matthew Invites You to Have Your Say on AI and the Future of our Creative Industries

Next week, MP for Melksham & Devizes Brian Mathew will be taking on Skynet and raising a question in Parliament about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the creative sector. From writers and musicians to designers and artists, he invites local creatives to have their sayโ€ฆ.

Only a few weeks ago a Facebook page which posts material about music legends took a picture from a Devizine review of an Adam & The Ants tribute act, Ant Trouble, at Swindonโ€™s Victoria and, believing it to be the real Adam Ant it used it to illustrate a post about him! You can tell from the mechanical writing style itโ€™s totally AI generated, so, who do I sue? Metal Mickey?!

Iโ€™m not suing anyone, I laugh it off, but thereโ€™s a serious side to all this. Brian explained, โ€œIโ€™ve already received a number of emails and messages from constituents who are deeply concerned that AI could undermine creative jobs and that copyrighted material is being used to train AI systems without fair payment or permission.โ€

โ€œBefore I take this issue to Westminster, I want to make sure your voices are heard. Please take a few minutes to fill in my short survey. Your input will help shape the questions I put to ministers and ensure that the concerns of our creative community are represented in Parliament. Your voice matters.โ€

The form is here, prove youโ€™re on the side of the humans and fill it in!

Trending…..

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

Keep reading

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Stone Circle Wiltshire Music Awards Will Continue into 2026

In thanking everyone who supported this year’s Wiltshire Music Awards, Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events revealed his intentions of continuing with the awards into next yearโ€ฆย 

โ€œFirstly, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported and got involved in our very first Wiltshire Music Awards,โ€ he said. โ€œThe enthusiasm, energy, and community spirit were incredible to see.โ€

Reflecting on this year’s inaugural awards, he said, โ€œwe want to be open, honest, and transparent about the journey. Did we get everything right? No, and weโ€™re happy to learn and grow. Did we realise how big this celebration would become? No, your support surpassed all expectations!โ€

Looking ahead to 2026 Eddie explained, โ€œwe are excited about continuing the Stone Circle Wiltshire Music Awards into 2026. However, we recognise that this celebration now belongs to the wider community, not just to us.โ€

โ€œTo help it grow in the right way, we are exploring bringing together a small group of local volunteers to form a community committee, encouraging fair representation across Wiltshire.โ€

If you feel you have something positive to contribute and would like to help shape the 2026 awards, please email Eddie here: hello@stonecirclemusicevents.uk

Patrick O’Sullivan of Stone Circle Music Events said, โ€œwhile we could continue running the awards on our own, this event is a celebration of Wiltshireโ€™s music community โ€” driven by local voices, talent, and passion. Thatโ€™s why we feel a community-based team would help make 2026 stronger and more exciting. Together we can continue to build the Wiltshire Music Awards in order to recognise and celebrate the amazing talent we haveย  in Wiltshire.โ€

โ€œThank you for supporting the Wiltshire Music Awards! Weโ€™re so grateful to everyone who got involved. Together, weโ€™re growing something amazing for Wiltshireโ€™s music community!โ€

โ€œWeโ€™d really love to hear your feedback, what you enjoyed, and what you think we could improve for next time. Your thoughts willย  genuinely help us make next year’s Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 event better.โ€

Stone Circle Music Events state feedback should be by email, as they wonโ€™t be responding to feedback posted on Facebook, promising to reply to every email politely and respectfully.

Send your feedback to: patrick@stonecirclemusicevents.uk

Trending….

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Florence & The Machine Harpist Among Musicians at Frome Festivalโ€™s Fundraising Launch

Featured Image: Lillie Eiger

Frome Festival is launching itsย โ€˜25 for 25โ€™ย fundraising campaign with a very special concert featuring three locally based acts:ย Tom Mothย โ€“ best known as the harpist for multi-platinum-selling bandย Florence + The Machineย โ€“ alt-folk duoย mฤsa, and brand-new soul/funk collectiveย The Juice.…

The event, taking place at The Tunnels on Saturday 29th November, kicks off Frome Festivalโ€™s ambitious campaign that aims to raise ยฃ25,000 before the start of next yearโ€™s festival in July. Founded in 2001, Frome Festivalโ€™s silver anniversary offers an opportunity to celebrate 25 years of creativity while securing the future of this much-loved community arts event for the next generation.

Followingย Tom Mothโ€™sย sold-out Festival performance at Rook Lane Chapel this summer, theย โ€˜25 for 25โ€™ย fundraiser provides an additional chance to hear his own original work. Tom explains, โ€œI enjoy crafting sounds using various acoustic and electronic devices, so whilst the harp will be involved, the performance wonโ€™t strictly be a harp recital!โ€

Tom is a big supporter of Frome Festival and is carving out some time between a busy international promotional schedule for Florenceโ€™s newly released album,ย Everybody Scream, and their upcoming European/US tour, which starts in February. The lauded harpist moved to Frome a couple of years ago as he felt it was somewhere he could exist happily. He says of the town, โ€œI love that thereโ€™s such a welcoming and proactive creative community. It seems like thereโ€™s always something happening, whether itโ€™s a gig, an exhibition, or community-based activity.โ€

Sisters Faron and Merle ofย mฤsaย are returning from a hiatus to support this fundraiser, sharing their beautiful harmony based alt-folk compositions. Merle said, “Weโ€™ve lived in Frome for a few years now and really value its creative and independent spirit as a town. This aspect of it seems to be growing and getting even stronger as time passes.” ย mฤsa have played at Frome Festival several times over the years, including a headline slot at the Silk Mill, and have also collaborated on a sonic guided walk of the town, calledย We Are All Sonambulistsย – โ€œThis was a great way to learn about the townโ€™s history and feel inspired by its ghosts and stories”, explained Merle.

Faron added, “We were really pleased to be invited to play at this fundraiser, because itโ€™s so important to keep community driven events that support the arts going. Now more than ever we need creativity and connection to unite us, and keeping Frome Festival alive and kicking is one small way of doing so.”

As to their future plans, mฤsa have recently been recording and plan to release new songs next year.

Ending the night with party vibes is The Juice, a fresh five-piece soul outfit who made their debut with a secret set during Sofar Sounds at Frome Festival in July. Drawing their members from a collective of local musicians, they write tunes which draw on 70s soul, pop and funk, โ€œwith a sprinkling of Juicified coversโ€.  Members of The Juice have also featured in The Enrichments, Mighty One, Samuel Jack, Twin Falls and Littlemen.

Joe James, The Juice frontman, stated, “As a local band, supporting Frome Festival means a lot to us. We can’t wait to bring The Juice to our hometown and share our new musical project with the people who shaped us”. Bass player, Jack Opie, added, “The community spirit and artsย scene in Frome is a huge reason that it is such a wonderful place to live, and the Festival is obviously a critical part of this – it’s massively important to us all that the Festival keeps on going, and we’re all really excited to be playing our small part in helping its future.”

Sarah Swales, Frome Festival Manager, said, โ€œIโ€™m constantly amazed by the incredible talent we have here in Frome, and Iโ€™m thrilled that these performers are generously donating their time and remarkable skills to support the Festival. Each of the three acts brings a unique musical style, and all are outstanding in their own right.โ€ She added, โ€œWeโ€™re also hugely grateful to Baz, Josh, and everyone at The Tunnels for hosting the event. In the current climate, itโ€™s more important than ever to support our venues and keep live music thriving.โ€

Frome Festivalโ€™s โ€˜25 for 25โ€™ campaign will celebrate a quarter of a century of being at the heart of Fromeโ€™s creative community with special events throughout the year. All monies raised will support growing the organisation, developing an education strand and maintaining the rich programme of free and low-cost activities across Frome Festival.

Supporters can help by attending fundraising concerts and activities in the lead up to Frome Festival 2026, become a Friend of Frome Festival to receive priority Festival booking and exclusive year-round perks, or donate directly to the charity.

Adam Laughton, Festival Director, explained, โ€œIt is remarkable to see how Frome has embraced Frome Festival across the last 25 years โ€“ everyone I speak to has a story to tell about their favourite moments. Across the next year, we aim to capture that spirit and celebrate Fromeโ€™s deep love and support of the arts, looking back at a quarter of a century of amazing work and plotting a course for the next 25 years. Through a campaign like this, we are looking to ensure the next generation can continue to experience the unique benefits of accessible, local live arts.โ€

โ€˜Frome Festival Fundraiser with Tom Moth / mฤsa / The Juiceโ€™ย takes place on Saturday 29 November at The Tunnels, doors 7.30pm.

Advance tickets are ยฃ18 available through the Frome Festival website or ยฃ20 on the door.

More info can be found on:ย https://fromefestival.co.uk/25years/

Trending…..

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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The Lost Trades Float on New Single

Iโ€™ve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quin with Jess Vincent way back in February, and its immediate impact clearly says a Lost Trades classicโ€ฆ..

If some previous songs of The Lost Trades had a lead vocal, theyโ€™re not the Spice Girls so I couldnโ€™t pick a favourite, and the trio are truly at their best when there isnโ€™t a lead and the song centralises on their astounding harmony! Float Me On Your River is one of those, four minutes plus of a simple sentimental premise with a sublime delivery. The new addition Jess fits like a glove to Phil Cooper and Jamie R Hawkinsโ€™ vocal range, and the song rings out with the quality passionate ambiance we’ve come to expect from the trio.

It comes with an accompanying video from Jamieโ€™s Side Owl video production project which, if nothing else, suggests The Lost Trades like their sandwiches cut into triangles; these things are important to note.

Float Me On Your River Streaming Now HERE

Trending…..

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Barrelhouse are Open for Business with New Album

Rolling out a Barrelhouse of fun, you can have blues on the run, tomorrow (7th November) when Marlborough’s finest groovy vintage blues virtuosos Barrelhouse release Open for Business, their third studio album indicative of their astounding live showโ€ฆ..

Tim and Stuart’s dramatic guitar riff from the off, Dave Growcott’s drums kick in and Open for Business doesn’t wait around for you to hang your barn jacket on the juke joint’s hall tree. Nick’s growling harmonica strides into the room next, all guns blazing, and we’re like a greyhound out of the traps when Martin grits his teeth and presents his deep encapsulating howl.

If the black cat bone mentioned as the title of the opening tune is a hoodoo lucky charm for protection and luck, it’s unnecessary, expeditiously it magically assures you’re in for a rocky ride to the dusty crossroad, with minimal pitstops and without the need of any such luck.

It doesn’t calm the zest frenzy until the third track either, an absolutely sublimely haunting cover of The Beatlesโ€™ Come Together, where Hedi’s backing vocals compliment Martin’s with such unbelievable harmony it smooths out the pace welcomingly.

Things go country for a ballad to Lydia, which I snooped through the interweb searching for an original version only to be informed by Nick Beere, more than just a mouth organ, rather the producer and engineer behind the album via his studio Mooncalf, that guitarist Tim wrote the song. Reason for my research being, itโ€™s magnificence is instant, it simply sounds like a singalong country classic akin to The Band’s The Weight, which is also superbly covered penultimately on the album, btw. Then it’s back to full steam blues workout when they repropel Muddy’s mojo, a second Muddy classic into the melting pot, and belt the living daylights into Canned Heat’s On The Road Again.

Classic Americana come edgy blues rock cover choices, the ambience of Barrelhouse I’m illustrating you might wrongly convey in generalisation as โ€œthey’re a serious bunch of hard rock dudes,โ€ but there’s a subtle frivolousness in their delivery which charms a crowd. Their labour of love is reflected joyfully outward to an audience without a pretentious mood, and fondly thrown back at them with an enthralled response, making their shows atmospherically interactive and thrilling. The experience in comparison to your atypical morose blues band is one rather of danceable merriment; a tick from me.

Mantonfest 2023 Image Gail Foster

If a song is original it’s hard to distinguish them from classic covers, Barrelhouse combines them into a seamless show, and makes an irresistible party album. A party appealing to Mantonfest’s youthful fanbase, who’ll invade the dance area when Barrelhouse mount the stage, and impress the matured Devizes blues aficionados with equal measure.

A Bo Diddley beat polishes this album as a grand finale, but if polished ramped serious blues cuts melds with an effervescent delivery is their working formula, its true beauty rests in the simplicity of its production. There’s no technical studio skullduggery here, no manufactured overdubs; what you hear is what happened in real time. Each song is recorded in a single take, making it not just authentic but the perfect representation of their energetic and entertaining live show. Something the band pride themselves in. If you’ve ever seen an amazing band live, only to be disappointed by the CD you brought because it didn’t match the splendour rawness of their performance, this is not the case here. Open for Business is taking the Barrelhouse show home with you. That’s why it’s a keeper.

But donโ€™t take my word for it, next Saturday (15th Nov) sees the album launched at St Peterโ€™s Marlborough, with support from 7pm. Itโ€™s free and copies of the album will be available on CD and vinyl. And if you canโ€™t wait for that, this coming Saturday (8th Nov) Barrelhouse will turn the Devizes Southgate into their own juke joint, a legendary occasion blossoming in modern folklore, as Devizes loves the blues and word got out via a toothless milkman.

Failing these options, theyโ€™ll be donning Santa hats and bringing out the tinsel at the Bear in Marlborough on 20th December, when you can almost taste the pigs in blankets in the ether.

Klass Komedia Kurmudgeon, Bath, November 2nd 2025 โ€“ Mark Harrison

by Ian Diddams
images by Ben Swann and Ian Diddams


Self-appointed โ€œMoroseโ€ Mark Harrison was once again on totally top form at Komedia last Sunday entertaining us with his style of stunning blues music, engaging history lessons and highly amusing cynical views on society. Lest I appear to be painting Mark in a poor light you may rest assured his easy delivery is gentle on the ears, but delivered with killer punch lines. A thoroughly winning combination. Albeit lacking hotpants which was the sole difference between Mark and Elton John back in the day it seems …

Amongst the recipients of his wit and repartee, and his sublime ex Eric Bibb 1934 National Trojan resonator delivered music, were Ralph McTell, I.T. Analysts (I hid at that juncture!), Eric Clapton, prodigal sons and daughters, a heckler, the services’ economy ( a bunch of flats in London…), schmaltzy songs and twatsโ€™ anthems, โ€œMy Wayโ€, and his cousin Colin. We were regaled with the history of the two artists formerly known as โ€œSonny Boy Williamsonโ€ โ€“ the original aka John Lee Curtis Williamson whose successes in the 30s and 40s were piggy backed by Rice Miller who appropriated the same performance name to hoodwink audiences and record labels. And of Howling Wolf who was years before his time in offering his band members what we would now regard as standard employment benefits such as health insurance.

But in case this sounds like Mark is just a Jack Dee wannabe, it should be emphasised we were here for his music and he was there to deliver it โ€“ with style and panache and not without a bitโ€ฆ well a lotโ€ฆ of dry humour. A cover or two, but predominantly โ€“ naturally โ€“ his own stuffโ€ฆ haunting, engaging, even breath-taking.


The afternoon rushed past โ€“ two hours with a twenty minute break; just one Midlander and a 1934 National Trojan resonator, in a bar in Bath. And thankfully no hotpants.

Perfection.

Mark Harrison’s gig list is here, and his merch is available here.



Misinformation Alert: Wiltshire Councilโ€™s Lift on Paid Disabled Parking Will Not Affect Your Council Tax

Wiltshire Council confirmed Blue Badge holders can park freely in council-operated car parks again, following a vote at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 21 October; you might think the majority would support the notion, but misinformation against it is being spread by an ex-Wiltshire Councillor and current Devizes Town Councillor on their popular Facebook groupโ€ฆ..

Confirmation on the lift was published on the Wiltshire Council website, 22nd October 2025, stating โ€œwith full Council now backing the change, Blue Badge holders are once again able to park free of charge in all Wiltshire Council car parks.โ€ The scheme forcing disabled blue badge holders to pay for parking was introduced by the former Conservative-led council in 2022.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said, โ€œI’m delighted that Full Council has supported this important change. Reinstating free parking for Blue Badge holders is a significant step towards making Wiltshire a more inclusive and accessible county. There are more than 30,000 Blue Badge holders in Wiltshire, many of whom face mobility challenges or rely on others for transport. This policy recognises the barriers they face and promotes fairness, independence and dignity. We know that many Blue Badge holders also experience lower levels of income, and this policy change will help them financially, too.โ€

But it was matters of finance which sparked debate on local social media groups last week. Devizes Town Councillor Iain Wallis published a statement on his own-managed Facebook group Devizes Issues, claiming Wiltshire taxpayers will foot the bill in their council tax. I thought Iโ€™d fact-check this because I pondered that simply lifting the charges surely wouldnโ€™t incur too much cost, if anything.

It seems the ‘subsidising’ of Blue Badge holder parking comes out of the general car parking revenue account, NOT our council tax.

M&D Lib Dem Campaign Organiser Nathan liaised with some councillors to provide some clarity. It seems the ‘subsidising’ of Blue Badge holder parking comes out of the general car parking revenue account, NOT our council tax. โ€œAny surplus from that account is reinvested into transport schemes,โ€ he continued to explain, โ€œso if anyone is subsidising it, it’s other car park users. However, what it does is allow blue badge holders better access to shops and other facilities, which should lead to better profits, so more corporation tax is paid in.โ€

The Wiltshire Council press release stresses, โ€œwe’re updating the signage as soon as we can,โ€ so obviously thereโ€™s a small cost there, but otherwise, it actually stands to potentially generate revenue via corporation tax gained by better retail profit. But aside, the bottom line is, the cost to update signage wouldnโ€™t have been necessary at all if the previous Conservative-led Wiltshire Council hadnโ€™t enforced parking charges on disabled drivers in the first place. 

Dammit, Janet, this is going to backfire on the Tory ex-councillor with a reputation for banishing users of his Facebook group who spread apparent โ€œmisinformation,โ€ but then, he should not be spreading misinformation himself, surely?! Ooh, could I speculate the spread of misinformation on Devizes Issues is acceptable if it fits a certain narrative approved by the admin? Whoโ€™d have possibly imagined it?!

Looky here, the last thing I want to do, or would ever do, is make verbal personal attacks on anyone. Though, when calling out the spread of misinformation concerning local matters, this one town councillor and ex-Wilsthire councillorโ€™s name pops up frequently. While he may favour playing the victim card, as he has done with us in the past, this serves only to fact check claims made, and is not intended to be a personal attack. It never was personal and it certainly isnโ€™t now.

It is simply that, even if you are fit and able to walk or travel by bus, and you think disabled people paying for parking doesnโ€™t affect you, it might one day not be the case. Ergo, if you are fit and able, you are perfectly within your rights to find free parking elsewhere even if it means a short walk and you pay nothing towards the small cost of changing some signage; storm in a teacup!

Disabled people may not have that option, and therefore the introduction of parking charges for blue badge holders was an unjust stealth tax by the former Conservative-led Council. In conclusion, it is evident and unfortunate that you should take what you read on Devizes Issues with a pinch of salt. The move by Wiltshire Council should be viewed as a benefit to the communities it serves, and they should be congratulated for reversing the decision to charge disabled people for parking fees. 

Deacon Blue Announced as Latest Forest Live Headliner for show at Forestry England Westonbirt Arboretumย 

Featured Image Credit: Jamie Carter

Special guests Lightning Seeds to Support

Forest Live, Forestry Englandโ€™s summer concert series presented with Cuffe & Taylor, has announced much loved and revered Scottish hitmakers Deacon Blue as the latest headliner for its 2026 shows. Deacon Blue will be joined by Lightning Seeds at the stunning Forestry England Westonbirt Arboretum on Thursday June 25rd June…….

Speaking about hitting the road, and hinting at the bandโ€™s recent album title, frontman Ricky Ross said: โ€œNo one knows where The Great Western Road ends up, least of all us! For now the road goes on and next summer we are taking the shows to some beautiful venues. We canโ€™t wait to see you there and we promise to make every night very special.โ€

Celebrating 40 years since Ross and Dougie Vipond first formed the band, Deacon Blueโ€™s Westonbirt headline show will be a career-spanning night of hits including โ€˜Chocolate Girlโ€™, โ€˜Wages Dayโ€™ and โ€˜Fergus Sings The Bluesโ€™ โ€” alongside highlights from โ€˜The Great Western Roadโ€™, their most successful studio release in more than three decades, reaching Number 3 in the UK and topping the Scottish Album Chart. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios, the album reunites Ross and guitarist Gregor Philp as producers, with engineer Matt Butler, who worked on Deacon Blueโ€™s classic debut โ€˜Raintownโ€™. The record captures the bandโ€™s journey across four decades, reflecting on life, love and longevity. 

With more than 7 million albums sold, two UK Number One albums, and a songbook filled with heartfelt, singalong hits, Deacon Blue remain one of the UKโ€™s most enduring and best-loved live acts. Their headline show at Westonbirt promises to be a celebration of their remarkable story โ€“ and a showcase of a band still creating, evolving, and connecting with fans new and old.

Joining them as very special guests are Liverpudlian indie icons Lightning Seeds, the masterminds behind timeless favourites โ€˜Pureโ€™, โ€˜Lucky You,โ€™ and โ€˜The Life of Rileyโ€™.

Bursting on to the music scene in the late โ€™80s with their shimmering debut โ€˜Cloudcuckoolandโ€™, the band quickly became one of the UKโ€™s most cherished indie-pop acts. Led by songwriter and producer Ian Broudie, their catalogue spans era-defining hits like โ€˜Senseโ€™, and โ€˜Changeโ€™. Renowned for melodic brilliance and feel-good live shows, Lightning Seeds continue to delight fans across generations โ€“ the perfect addition to an unmissable night at Westonbirt Arboretum.

Deacon Blue and Lightning Seeds join confirmed headliners for the eventโ€™s 2026 Forest Live shows โ€“ Becky Hill (Cannock Chase), The Kooks (Delamere), Snow Patrol (Thetford Forest) and UB40 ft Ali Campbell (playing all sites) – with many more phenomenal names to be added. 

Merging stellar performances from world-class acts with beautiful outdoor locations to create an atmosphere like no other, Forest Live will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2026 with stunning shows in four forest venues: Forestry England Cannock Chase, Delamere Forest, High Lodge Thetford Forest and Westonbirt Arboretum.

Forestry England manage and care for the nationโ€™s 1,500 woods and forests. They use the money Forest Live raises to maintain these beautiful natural areas for everyone to enjoy, run important conservation projects and keep growing trees.

Last year they planted some 7.4 million trees and welcomed 313 million visits in 2024/25. Everyone in England lives within a one-hour drive of one of the nationโ€™s forests. Over two million people have enjoyed the Forest Live gigs over the last 25 years. 

Following a hugely successful run of shows over the past 25 years, this year sees Forestry England present the concert series in partnership with Live Nationโ€™s Cuffe & Taylor for the third year running. 

Deacon Blue and Special Guests Lightning Seeds

Forestry England Westonbirt Arboretum – Thursday June 25

General tickets will go on sale on Friday November 7 at 10am.

Fans can sign up for information, announcements, and exclusive pre-sale access at forestlive.com.

More From Deacon Blue here:

Ruzz Guitar Swings With The Dirty Boogie

Bristolโ€™s regular Johnny B Goode, Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue goes full on swing with a new single, a take on The Brian Setzer Orchestraโ€™s 1998 album title track The Dirty Boogie.….

Another high-energy bout of rockabilly guitar divinity we love from Ruzz, but this time weโ€™re transported back to 1920s New Orleans dancehalls for that big band swing sound; jazz hands!

The Dirty Boogie, is out today on digital download for a quid, from Bandcamp.

Kirsty Clinchโ€™s Fundraising Christmas Song Racing Up iTunes Charts

Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโ€™s already racing up the iTunes country music chartsโ€ฆ.

Itโ€™s one thing to get your song out locally, but Kirsty was excited to announce that she, โ€œwoke up this morning, and we are still in the top 10 of the iTunes country music charts and 180 in the overall charts, not only that, last night I saw we hit 7!โ€

In collaboration with the Caenhill Countryside Centre, a charity project which brings countryside learning to children and communities west of Devizes near the Caen Hill locks, The Best Christmas Ever was mastered by Peter Lamb, with Kara Robertson and Lorna Carroll. Kirtsy describes it as โ€œcheesy but addictive, cute but meaningful, and it definitely has a twist dance and country vibe to it!โ€

Founder of First Melodies Music School, Kirsty has even choreographed a fun dance routine to learn too. A video of Kirsty showing us the moves is on social media, (Facebook – Instagram) and encourages children to send their own video of them doing the dance. 

The preferred way to buy it is on iTunes, because itโ€™s raising funds for the charity, and will go towards the future of the farm project and the animals there. โ€œIt makes me incredibly happy and proud as an independent artist,โ€ Kirsty said, โ€œthatโ€™s always been told they are not good enough!โ€ No idea who wouldโ€™ve dreamed of saying this, but they deserve a sack of coal from Santa this year! 

โ€œLetโ€™s keep the hype going until Christmas,โ€ Kirsty says; we agree and send you Christmassy blessings! Christmas number one, I say, with your help: download the song HERE.

Duality; Debut EP From Melkshamโ€™s Between The Lines

It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโ€™s young indie band Between The Linesโ€™ demo single Fading Time, it was the profusion of potential. A latent driving me to Swindon Shuffle this year, where theyโ€™d be playing at The Hop, but now a manifest for all to hear the reason for my tingle, as Between The Lines release their debut EP Dualityโ€ฆโ€ฆโ€ฆ..

Four tunes including the demo Fading Time, flowing on an exceptionally defined style of breezy, female-fronted indie pop-rock. Age makes me contemplate Fleetwood Mac, younger might cite Florence & The Machine, Iโ€™m left thinking of The Corrs, particularly the opening track of hurt heart, Personal, with subtly building rich layers akin to grunge, but subtle and so incredibly cool. 

I interviewed bassist Belle upfront, lead guitarist George, and Ethan and Louis, who both switch between drums and guitars, the latter being the rhythm guitarist, back in February and their professionalism impressed me enough to go in with high expectations for this debut. I was expecting goodness, I got my earful and it was even better than I imagined it might be. This is delightful magic with universal appeal, charming yet biting with tender guitar riffs.   

Debatably Fading Time has the snappy hook, but Stuck in This is melodiously superior, the metaphorical drowning theme. Oh my, Belleโ€™s vocals reflect off the water on this. Iโ€™m going out on a limb here to suggest something comparable to Kirsty MacColl, but donโ€™t assume thatโ€™s sacrilegious or exaggeration until youโ€™ve listened, please.

I worry Iโ€™m overusing the word sublime recently too, possibly reducing its impact, but I happen to like it, and can find no word more apt to describe Duality, and for a debut that itโ€™s a fantastic achievement, an accolade they should all be very proud about.

But they saved the best till last. Simply titled Your Love, the final song is an uncomplicated rolling pop ballad, rich in ambience, and possibly the most durable, accomplished technically, and commercially viable. While fresh and contemporary with smooth indie-pop vibes, the EP flows akin to something timeless, even prog-rock, and if Your Love is the one to be accompanied with a dreamy showcasing video, which I believe it deserves to be, Iโ€™d like a slightly extended bridge, to really show the listeners what theyโ€™re made of.

And to meet Between The Lines isnโ€™t the zesty teenage gang with stars in their eyes encounter, rather a modest and humble unity who seem thoroughly at ease with their talent, and while thereโ€™s a confidence which needs blossoming on stage, given the quality of Duality, it remains the boost they will naturally attain. I’ve high hopes, this is beautifully constructed and produced.

Joyrobber Didn’t Want Your Stupid Job Anyway

A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโ€™s bitter about not getting his dream jobโ€ฆ..

If this mysterious dudeโ€™s August invective track at racist talk show host Jeremy Kyle, and his patronising attitude, it feels like him telling me heโ€™s โ€œnot one for holding a grudge,โ€ might have a smidgen of irony too! His grungy pop-punk response to his career rejection might be biting satire, but amusing with it.

Eight and a half years ago, he claims, he was cruelly denied his dream job by what appeared to be a corrupt interview process. Perhaps it was to take over from Kyle, but Joyrobber reveals nothing, even after I badgered him for a clue to his identity.

What we do know is it was produced by Sugarpill Productions, a parody of hip hop pioneering label Sugarhill, has the vocal engineering talents of Jolyon Dixon, and is rather catchy with a highly amusing hook. I Didn’t Want Your Stupid Job Anyway is indicative of how we all might feel after a failed interview but being British, we bit our tongue. A bolshy after-contemplation with dry implications, in a Weezer skater-punk two-fingers up fashion.

I donโ€™t believe for a second heโ€™s pleading for sympathy, just to get the frustration off his chest by thrashing a guitar at it. If youโ€™ve been there too, youโ€™ll identify, making me like this more than the debut single, because Iโ€™ve an incalculable history of bodged job interviews, likely because they were all knobs as well!

Itโ€™s up on Spotify, downloadable from Bandcamp with a โ€œname your priceโ€ option, and itโ€™s Marmite, love it or hate it, it remains a sticky spreadable extract to get over your dysphoria, but not sing at the Job Centre.

ย 

Devizes Chamber Choir Christmas Concert

Itโ€™s not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have done since they were founded in 1978โ€ฆ..

Devizes Chamber Choir is a group of around thirty singers, with a broad repertoire from acapella, through chamber works to major choral masterpieces including The Creation and Elijah. Their programme comprises of three seasonal concerts annually, a spring concert of standard classical works, a summer concert of lighter music and a seasonal Christmas concert of carols, and obviously itโ€™s the latter which is coming up next; deck the halls!

The Devizes Chamber Choirโ€™s Christmas Concert of Seasonal Carols and Songs will be held on Saturday 6th December 2025 at St. Andrewโ€™s Church, Long Street, Devizes, with Music Director and Conductor, Shaun Holley.

Concert evenings offer a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere with refreshments available during the interval. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE.

They are a non-auditioned choir, so there is no singing test, but they do expect an ability to read music and of course an enthusiasm to sing. If you are interested in joining the choir, come along to a rehearsal to meet them. Look at them on the featured photo, it doesn’t look like they bite, (though Devizine cannot be held responsible if I’m wrong!) They rehearse on Tuesday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:30pm, at St. Andrewโ€™s Church, Long Street, Devizes.

More information on Devizes Chamber Choir HERE.