Month: May 2026

Chatting with Ruby Darbyshire

There’s the story of one newfound fan who, after her performance, asked Ruby how many copies of her CDs she had, bought the lot and distributed them freely throughout the audience! Ruby Darbyshire has that effect, seemingly wherever she goes……

I’m thrilled Ruby is playing RowdeFest on 30th May. On 21st June she supports Chantel McGregor at Long Street Blues Club, a music appreciation society where attendees gaze upon acts in respectful silence. But, I’ve witnessed Ruby captivate regulars of the noisiest pubs into muted awe!

At Devizes’ Three Crowns, number one pub for cover bands knocking decibels across a raucous crowd, Ruby crouches, packing away her bagpipes after a sublime Sunday set of mellowed and breezy originals and covers, professionally smiling, greeting either familiar faces or new fans desperate to express their delight and gratitude.

However long it takes for the crowd to wane, I’m determined to catch up with Ruby. Whilst I’ve known her gregariousness for a couple of years, she also maintains an enigmatic charm, rarely talking backstory, life and what inspires her. I wanted to discover Ruby’s motivations, solve riddles behind how she’s so mind-bogglingly talented at just nineteen. Oh, and if we’ve been heaven sent, or how it comes to be we have this remarkable singer-songwriter on our local circuit.

Icebreaker first. Ruby has two EPs, and a few separate songs, like Caller Unknown, a soulful debut single co-composed with Justin Haywood, and with help from Tim Burgess of the Charlatans. Produced by Freddie Cowan of The Vaccines, it was played on BBC6. But her forthcoming is called God is Offline, which Ruby recently posted a demo of….online!

I asked Ruby if she had a release date. “No date yet,” she replied, “but we’ve planned for the end of the summer.”

“It was inspired by our recent trip to Egypt,” Ruby explained, “where we narrowly escaped Dubai’s missile attack by a few hours. When we got to our apartment, we could see down on the street. There were loads of prayer mats, because the mosque was so filled people had to spill out onto the road. And so that inspired it.”

It’s deeper meaning, I presumed, was not to seek faith online, but to look either spiritually or in the real world. Ruby elucidated, “more just the fact that everyone is the same, whether they believe in a different God or they are from a different part of the world, they’re all the same. We’re all just trying to live our lives. To say, why are we bombing each other, then bowing to God? It’s just saying that God isn’t looking down on us, and he’s not actually looking after us. Or that you cannot connect with him.”

There’s characters in her narratives lost or searching for a light, others dubious of their own answers or consequences. But, if there’s a sparkle in Ruby’s eyes, they are not naïve stars. Rather they’re symbolic of precociousness, one who modestly acknowledges, and is confidently content with, their calling.

Ruby is well-travelled. Across the UK, into Egypt and over in India, she is adjoined to her music, therefore it’s not just us who loves her performances, it’s infectious wherever they trek. To discover why is surely to delve deeper into Ruby’s background and roots.

“My mum’s Filipino,” Ruby said, “My dad’s English, but lived in Scotland for a long time and I was born in Scotland.” If you’ve seen Ruby busking with bagpipes, or at a Burns Night, the latter part might’ve been obvious, but how and why has she settled on the Kennet & Avon?

“I was homeschooled. So we moved down to Cambridge, which was said to be the best place to be homeschooled,” Ruby continued. “And then, during COVID, we needed a change. So we moved, because we had some friends here, we moved over with the boats from one side of the country to the other side. It took us about a year to move the boats.”

I know the reality differs, but I supposed life on the canal can behold a certain perception of idyllic tranquillity, so I asked Ruby if she felt that has an influence on her songwriting. “Someone said to me that I have a lot of songs which are connected to the sea and water, which I would say yes, I’ve got a few of them,” she reacted. “I don’t know. I guess it does. Everything influences songwriting, whether you live in a city or in the countryside. And I guess it does show up in my songwriting.”

A common question which somewhat stumbled Ruby, was particular artists she would cite as influences, because as she explained,  “I get a lot of influence from different places. I think, lyrically, Mumford and Sons, made me fall in love with music, and their lyrics are beautiful. Artists I like, Nina Simone for her vocals…. and you’ve put me on the spot!” This though proves her natural professionalism, an understanding that most musicians could write an extensive essay on their influences, but the objective here is to be brief.

On cover choices for a live set though, Ruby mused, “I hear a good song and think about what I can do with it rather than, oh, let’s play it exactly like them. I try and put my own slant on it.”

But, we really should focus on songwriting. Does Ruby have a template or system for writing, or do they more simply sporadically or randomly evolve? “It’s really difficult, songwriting,” she confessed, but explained she “was inspired by the title, God Is Offline. Crowned Lightbringer, I was inspired by a riff. Insomnia, I was inspired by a metaphor I found online. It just comes, like there’s loads of ways of writing and I guess it just depends on each song, because each song is unique and individual.”

While her fanbase is perpetually expanding with each gig, I asked Ruby if she preferred to play to a majority aware of her, or to new audiences, particularly in a foreign country.

“I think it’s nice to know that I have support,” she expressed, but the preference  did not allow geographical boundaries. “For example,” Ruby expanded, “there were so many people that knew me from other gigs here, and they’ve come back, which reflects on the quality. It shows me that I’m appreciated. We did some house parties in Egypt where all of our friends came and people that had come to loads of gigs, and they were the most supportive and most enjoyable parties or concerts that I’ve ever done, because it was all people who supported me.” Which returns us neatly to our opening line: Ruby Darbyshire has that effect, seemingly wherever she goes….

Future reflections seemed vaguer, for Ruby’s proficiency is folk, self-disciplined, not scholarly, and I always felt she was comfortable there. Dabbling experiments with breakbeats over her piping, perhaps to modernise its perception, I omitted, but possibilities of forming a band I did mention. “Was this like a year ago?” Ruby causally inquired, but pondered “it’s always a thought,” noting some particular gigs where, “it would be good to have some more musicians, to play and accompany me.”

The ‘what comes next’ section was dominated by her enrolment on an online music course. “I’ll do an undergrad starting September,” she told me, and furthered proposals to continue writing and “experiencing different music,”  mostly through planned travelling back to Egypt “next winter, so, experience the Arabic music, beautiful stuff.”

My hopes for this broad-horizons, free spirited prodigy might be proficient backing and a renowned producer, and I often marvel at the possibilities when pondering this imagining. This led us onto talk about the music industry today. Ruby explained how the shift relied heavily now, not on schooled certification or headhunted raw talent, rather on an artist’s ability to self-promote and build an online presence. From monumental beginnings like The Edinburgh Fringe Festival to opening for us at The Wiltshire Music Awards, if Ruby’s journey would one day make as equally a fascinating biography as some musical legends, I envision a day people would be engrossed by it.

But while Ruby’s roots, travelling, and gigs and festivals, to song-writing on her narrowboat, are all narratives in the natural progression of her skills as a multi-instrumental musician, there’s one defining, and perhaps incredulous element to solving the riddle behind how she’s so mind-bogglingly talented, which is that Ruby has been playing music since she was three and a half, and busking by four. Dammit! That’s the kind of age I’d have considered acquiring the skillset to bite my own toenails an achievement!!

Ruby Darbyshire

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Sheer Music Announce Devizes Gig Frank Turner Bootleg Cassette

It’s 2006, and the charts are awash with what will become known as landfill indie. Somewhere in backwater Townsville UK, an already road worn veteran is making their furtive steps into a solo career that, unbeknown to them, will have a major and lasting impact on the UK music scene…..  

Frank Turner is already famous for searing live performances that have put his band right in the front and centre of UK alternative music. Now he has to do it all again. Armed with only a guitar, many opinions and a reading list that would make your local library wince, he struck out, willing to perform anywhere that would have him.

Documented here is the genuine sound of a guy learning his craft. Nights like these are found across the UK every night of the week. Immortalized in lyrics that would appear later in his career, his “bedrooms, bars and bunker squats” work ethic took him to unknown towns, like Devizes.

Devizes had a rich history in live music when it was primarily known as a military / squaddie town. Live performances from Status Quo, Ginger Baker’s Airforce, Curved Air (twice), Yes (twice), Van der Graaf Generator, Thin Lizzy, Fleetwood Mac, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, Mott the Hoople, all in 1971 alone. But it wasn’t until 2004 that its life was breathed back into its history, when Foals, LostAlone, Frank Turner, The Struts, The Computers, and more began performing here. Putting the town firmly back on the touring circuit.

This cassette documents, warts and all, the chaotic approach to small back room bar live shows. The rawness of the songs, the rowdiness of the audience. Included in the earnest set list are two covers. One from his peer Chris TT and a Sun Kil Moon cover too. Both showcase Frank’s knowledge and passion for underground music. 

Frank recounts, “remembering details of one show out of more than 3000, two decades on, is a challenge. Those early days were a blur of cigarettes, trains, whisky, sleeping on floors, panic and drive. My craft has evolved slowly over the years, so flipping back to an early document of a show can be a shocking thing in some ways; so much has changed. But enough has stayed the same. Kieran helped me out with shows in the early days and  remains a friend now. Somehow, shows like this led me to where I am now, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

This release will only be available on cassette, direct from Sheer Music, or at 3 carefully selected independent record shops, Banquet Records in Kingston, Sound Knowledge in Marlborough and Mars Tapes in Manchester. The eight track cassette itself is a 2 tone olive and dusty pink affair, and clocks in at just over 30 minutes.

The artwork apes the style of 70s and 80s bootleg cassette releases. A down to earth, hand made/drawn approach, with an image that was lifted from a photograph of one of the Devizes gigs! The whole release is a charming, straight forward no frills release. The music does the talking, and we know it elevated an honest, hardworking musician to stadium heights. For more information, please visit the Sheer Music website, HERE.

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M3G, De-Anchored

At the end of last year Chippenham singer-songwriter M3G released the single Rooks. I felt it set her bar at a whole new higher level.…

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Ready for RowdeFest?

Not long now, for Rowdefest! Which, as the name suggests, is in Rowde, near Devizes, on Saturday 30th May, and is a free, community spirited…

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Shindig Festival Goes Ahead, with Bob Vylan

After months of speculation, controversy, and local media bias, The Shindig Festival at Malmesbury’s Charton Park has been given the green light…..

Despite Newsquest flogging this dead horse, last week Wiltshire Police said they have no concerns about Bob Vylan playing at the music festival.

Regardless of the decision of the law, the South Cotswold Conservative Association felt it necessary to attempt to prevent freedom of expression with an application for the Wiltshire Council to review the license.  Apparently, they fear a respected, passive, and family-friendly dance festival would descend into “ public disorder,” over one act;  best guess, because they’ve never been to a dance festival. But then, who in their right mind would invite them?!

“We have been facing censorship,” a spokesperson for Shindig said today, but continued to inform their followers that following a formal hearing this morning, “Shindig Festival has been given the official green light. We stood our ground, our robust safety measures stand firm, and you can book your tickets with absolute confidence.”

“Bob Vylan will play on Sunday at 10pm. The sun will shine on the Shindig Festival this year.”

Common sense prevails once again. Shindig is a professional organiser with years of experience who takes matters of public safety as a paramount. Historically, musicians will call out political injustices, few ever caused disorders. Bob Vylan was not alone in speaking out at Glastonbury, despite taking the media brunt for it. Meanwhile, this weekend, the authorities did nothing to stop the London “Unite The Kingdom” demonstration from mocking Muslims by hiring French models to strip out of abayas.

Devizine offers our sincere congratulations, and we wish Shindig the very best of luck with this year’s festival and for future events.

A festival is never about one headline act. Dance festivals, in particular, are an experience of multiple performances and activities, and they always strive to continue the passive ethos of rave culture of yore. This is something that has unfortunately never been fully understood by a minority, and their attempts to contain them have caused more issues than the actual events. Let’s momentarily forget Bob Vylan to concentrate on Bob Dylan, who sang “don’t criticise what you can’t understand,” … .in 1964! Sixty-two years later, some spanners still haven’t grasped it.

Wife Cooks Husband in Devizes!

A wife cooked her husband on Thursday evening in Devizes. I watched the whole thing unfold, but would have politely passed off any offering of a plate, in favour of my funky KitKat Chunky (three for a quid at Derek’s Deals!) What do you know? I’m way too much like Kenneth for my own liking, for after all, the way to a man’s stomach is……

You can get ice cream at Devizes’ wonderful Wharf Theatre, but not at a dress rehearsal, which is what this was; my apologies if the headline deliberately deceived you! You are here now, and might as well read about me sneaking in my own snack, to watch this wicked black comedy from the writer of The Nativity film series, Debbie Isitt. Opening night is Monday 18th May and the final night is Saturday, 23rd. 

Directed by Alison Warren, The Wife Who Cooked Her Husband may have the conclusion given away in the title, but the lead up to it is an unnerving watch with poignantly satirical dialogue. Set in either the late seventies or early eighties, a time when the practices of patriarchy were being questioned via feminism for a younger generation, their elders upheld the traditions of married life. Ergo, for a middle-aged chauvinist to “part exchange” his older model wife, might find himself undone and exposed by his newer model’s more modern perceptions of marriage.

There’s only three characters in this play, sitting around a dinner table. Flashbacks builds a devilish narrative of a cheating husband, how it emotionally affects his ex-wife, and the new wife too. Jessica Bone plays the ex-wife, Hilary, vividly. The focal point of the play is her building concerns for her marriage, and realisation her suspicions were right. Defining her plight is the emotional rollercoaster which justifies her revenge.

Louisa Davidson is Laura, the scandalous, younger, hedonistic mistress, and she plays it with a realistic front. But as the play delves deeper into Laura’s psyche, and her expectations from her marriage, whilst more radically feministic, are of equal burden to Kenneth, the happy-go-lucky fellow, caught in this love triangle of his own making.

It becomes clear the antagonist was never Laura. Kenneth is the lovable charmer, a gluttoness Elvis fan. Hardly a master of deception, he fulfills his desires uncaringly; the basic caricature of an eighties lad with Peter Pan syndrome; me starting this review with what I ate during the show might well be proof! If Jessica’s abject and sentimental monologues are the backbone of the play, they’re contrasted by Kenneth’s playful ignorance, and therein lies the comedy, dark as it may be.  

Andy Bennett plays Kenneth with comic splendour. One who gets his dinner at home but his love elsewhere, and at this successful beginning there’s a scene of visual comedy gold, as the moment of him ingeniously switching from Hilary to Laura delights him. Once reality takes hold, holes in his lies are exposed, and whilst his thoughts on the matter are exposed too, they’re not nearly as nuanced as either Hilray’s or Laura’s. One could argue a writer creates more realistic characters of their own gender, and in this Kenneth’s characteristics are flatter. Another argument is, of course, that’s the fundamental difference between the genders!

Here is a play which either gender can enjoy, and it is very enjoyable, but after-thoughts might some cause healthy debate! That’s what makes this a great show. The production may not be the best I’ve seen at The Wharf, though that’s a high pedestal, but three days later I’m still pondering its details and the questions it raises; it’s a grower.

While it might appeal more to women, the tensions and stress on relationships caused by an affair should alarm the man more, and they should see it if only to find sympathy for the mess they would create, following their desires without consideration. Young men preaching hyper-masculinity and this manosphere concept, should note this play proves these ideas were standard not so long ago, and didn’t work back then. Because, and here’s the real hitter, Hilary ponders at the conclusion, Kenneth has decidedly average levels of chauvinism, passive with it, and is atypical rather than extreme, but still he’s a manipulator and cheat who deserved his comeuppance.

The macabre ending suggested by the title is therefore expected, but the wait for Kenneth’s fate and Hillary’s justifications are more intensely meaningful than the concussion. While this play is of a simple setup, with a simple and common premise, the more its deeper meanings roll over in my mind, the more I accept that The Wife Who Cooked her Husband is a must-see.  

The Woman who cooked her husband

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Can You Fill Your Music Festival Quota, in Devizes?

What was once counterculture hedonism is now as mainstream as a package holiday. In the UK music festivals are fashionable, approved and plentiful. Ten years ago I might have added “profitable” to those observations, but with the market flooded, “risky” might be a more suitable word. For the punter though, it means options, but if you’re only annually able to budget for one or two, it means decisions and dilemmas…..

Across the country and wider you could trek, adding to your expenses. For complete and utter festival-heads and perhaps thrill-seeking younger generations it’s a cost worth digesting to savour that certain experience. For those with passing interest, first timers, or older festival goers simply wanting convenience, looking for festivals closer to home is the desired option, and locally we’ve our fair whack of quality choice. The trouble with so many on our doorstep is, which ones?

I really cannot make the decision for you. And I’m not about to suggest any of them are necessarily better than another, because, quite simply, they are not. I can only evaluate them in accordance to their individual style and ethos, and you must decide which ones sound more appealing to you personally, deal?!

A separate never-ending list I could publish of festivals within a relatively short radius of Devizes, and I endeavour to add as many as I can find on our event calendar. To lessen the task there’s fewer within the county I’d recommend. Minety and Mantonfest most, good allrounders with top headline acts and devotion to locally sourced acts. Bath’s Party in the City, HoneyFest at The Barge on Honeystreet, and Ramsfest in Ramsbury, all this weekend alone.

From dance festival Shindig at Charlton Park to Chippenham Folk Festival, The Curcus Festival in Somerset and Old Town Festival in Swindon, May alone is jam-packed, ending with Bradford-on-Avon Music Festival and of course, free and local to us, I have to mention Rowdefest; although I’m hosting the entertainment there, don’t let it put you off!

Of course it all depends on what you want out of your festival. During high season, June and July, if you’re a hardcore raver The Existence Festival near Malmsbury will be up your street, whereas for the more commercial, Melksham’s Wiltshire Throwback Festival is poptastic. Trowbridge Festival for those seeking a wide range of original local music, and so many town festivals welcome this ethos too, such as Inspire Warminster.

Some are as established as Womad, and some blossoming. Going with what you know is a fair game, Marlborough folk return every year to Mantonfest through familiarity, similarly with Potterne Beer Fest, but you should consider the underdogs too; striving to gain reputation can often mean a team dedicated to really pulling off a show. 

The same rules apply if you are to stay in Devizes, and it’s fair shout. We punch above our weight. Aside from our wonderful curated arts festival operating multi-venue, and those memorable odd days like carnival, The British Lion’s Black Rat Monday, and the Lions on the Green, you have four main options for pay festivals. Unusually, while the two established events are niche, the upcoming ones have more general appeal. But the base of your dilemma of which to attend should rather be on personal preference, because, in their own unique ways, all of them are equally as good as the others. If that comes across crawling, it’s really not; go to them all and judge for yourself!!

Listed here with no priority, then, other to assist the flow of the article, are an overview of the big four of Devizes, which may/may not help your decision!

In a word; FullTone, on the weekend of 11th-12th July. It’s unique and magnificent. Spawned from a classical free party in the Market Place seven years ago, The FullTone Festival has become a beloved institution in Devizes, a pay orchestral dance music crossover, eclectic enough to incorporate upcoming local indie bands, stage shows and attract some big names to town. 

Image: Gail Foster

Licensing regulations reduced last year’s FullTone to concentrate almost entirely on their namesake in-house orchestra. This year, with a relocation from The Green to Lower Park Farm, things are quite the opposite. Not only camping onsite can be introduced, FullTone boasts Jason Donovan, The Wurzels and Rozalla, alongside eclectic tributes and from jazz to themed orchestra concerts.

Of course, Park Farm has been home to the Devizes Scooter Rally for the past six years, after its inaugural rally in Rowde, the same year as FullTone, 2019. 24th-26th July this year, Devizes Scooter Rally doesn’t hold a major headliner like FullTone. They tried this last year to great effect. The Beat headlining elevated the rally’s attendance and reputation within the nationwide scooterist scene.

There was a feeling the rally last year had obtained the maximum expansion for the organisers’ preference and to retain a community feel, of which it excels in. And herein lies the most persuasive argument for attending. The Devizes Scooter Rally doesn’t require a big name, the reputation it has built, and its angle incorporating retrospective youth cultures is plenty to guarantee, even though you might not have a scooter or only a passing interest in ska and soul, if you go to Devizes Scooter Rally you’re in for one heck of a cracking party!

The other two festivals in Devizes, I’d call the underdogs for they’re new in comparison, but should be equally considered as FullTone and the Scooter Rally, especially if you’ve eclectic tastes and/or are looking for an amazing family experience.

If both aforementioned are on Park Farm, the site holds its own; The Park Farm Festival is on Saturday July 18th. In only its second year, and if last time things leant towards rock, this year sees a wider aiming family program, with tributes to Queen, Abba, Slade and Madness. Park Farm deserves your full consideration, because despite being new it’s organised by the creators of MantonFest, a brilliant Marlborough festival with twenty-five years under its belt and a reputation for excellence.

Mantonfest 2023

Tributes, yeah, tried and tested at previous Mantonfests. I’ve seen Badness, One Vision, and Slyde, at MantonFest and guarantee they’re among the very best of tributes around. Park Farm has a full program, including our very own Jon Amor Trio, and just like the Rally and Fulltone, there’s a free shuttle bus running to and from the site to the town. It may need to find its feet, but last year was absolutely brilliant and loved by everyone who made the effort to go.

The only one not on Park Farm is last here but certainly not least. Crownfest returns to The Crown at Bishops Cannings on Saturday 4th July, after a few years break due to landlord changes. It is great to see it back on our calendar, as the years we did Crownfest it was one of most memorable local affairs, ever! The thing is with Crownfest, things are looking bigger and better than before. And it’s undoubtedly the best for its focus on local acts. Some of the best are listed here, George Wilding, Ruby Darbyshire, Lucas Hardy, and none other than Talk in Code.

Crownfest is a landmark charity music festival, garnished with some of the finest local acts, highly recommended by us at Devizine, and supporting Wiltshire Hope and Harmony, a charity providing essential support to those with SEN needs and to families caring for loved ones living with conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s, as well as those at end of life, offering compassion, dignity, and a true sense of hope. And, on our recommendation there will be ant music, supplied by one my all time favourite tributes, Ant Trouble; we are the family!

I’ve been waffling far too long about your blind date with a festival, it’s time to be Cilla; “here’s Graham with a quick reminder!”

Will it be number one, the glitter, Prosecco and everybody’s freeeee to feel good festival with a full orchestra behind Jason Donovan?!  

Will it be number two, the boots and braces moonstomping madness hairdryer extravaganza, with a seemingly never-ending supply of beer?! 

Will it be number three, the friendly, family, outside chance, with John Amor, Barrelhouse and magnificent tribute acts to rock you; cum feel the noise for the dancing queen! 

Or will it be number four, the grandest pub festival you’ll likely to find, set in a beautiful beer garden under the magnificent spiral church of Bishops Cannings, and with Tina, Ant music and a real dedication to supporting local live music?

Or will it be all of them?! Do it, be a festival slapper! Date the lot, and the Devizes Arts Festival, Food & Drink Festival, Black Rat Monday, carnival, Lions on the Green, and if I see you at any, mine’s a pint of cider, cheers mucker!

New Devizes Mayor; Congratulations, Vanessa!

Three short years ago, we first spoke with Vanessa Tanner, campaigning in the Devizes Town Council by-election for Devizes East. In those few minutes, I knew Vanessa was the person for the role, and we congratulated her for winning her seat for Devizes Guardians. Today, we congratulate her for becoming the new Mayor of Devizes….

She had some big boots to fill. Jane Burton was a respected Councillor, and the by-election wasn’t without its pitfalls; namely a false scandal perpetrated by the opposition candidate. But Vanessa’s voluntary work and keenness for environmental issues thankfully shone through.

Seems like I was onto something back then, as Vanessa announced today, “I’m absolutely honoured and privileged to have been made Mayor of Devizes last night. I think it’s going to be a turbo-charged and exciting year ahead.”

Vanessa thanked John Richard Stephens, her friends, family, and colleagues for their support. Congrats, and perhaps a bottle of Brown Ale also goes to Jonathan Hunter for picking up the deputy mayor role; I shot the sheriff, but not the deputy!

Devizes Guardians thanked departing mayor, Cllr Jennie Britten, for her “selfless dedication and service to Devizes,” adding, “It has clearly been a year marked by compassion, leadership, and community pride.”

Congratulations, Vanessa! We don’t think you’ll make a great mayor. We know you will. Wear that bling with pride! And if you raise a glass to her success, make sure it’s one of the reusable cups that Vanessa initiated across Town Council events and beyond to many local pubs and bars!

Should Wiltshire Council Fly the Pride Flag?

Wiltshire Council will discuss granting itself permission to fly the Pride Progress flag outside County Hall and other Wiltshire Council offices during Pride Month. The proposal raises the usual heated online debate. The question is, should Wiltshire Council be allowed to fly the Pride Flag?

Save them the effort of a lengthy and costly meeting, and the risk of repetitive strain injury for objecting keyboard warriors, with one sentence, shall I?

Of course they should.

End of debate.

Any further objections are purely products of the objector’s own fractured selfishness or erroneous bigotry, should favourably be kept to themselves, and are a major reason why we need Pride in the first place. Flying the Pride flag makes absolutely no difference to them. Ergo, there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t fly the flag.

I’m here all day. Throw another no-brainer at me!!

Devizes Teenage Gardener Banned from Local Facebook Group for Promoting their Business!

Sixteen year-old entrepreneur, Katie West from Devizes, set up her own gardening business, FreshEdge Teen Landscaping a few months ago, but received a ban from the popular local Facebook group Devizes Issues, trying to promote it. In the scheme of things if it sounds petty to you, it’ll probably be what it is…..

The cost of advertising is spiralling, and can cripple a business before it gets its feet on the first run of the ladder. Marketing on local Facebook groups is an essential method to getting your initial message out there, informing people of your services. Katie mistook one administration rule of the group Devizes Issues, which allows other businesses to advertise, by mentioning where her gardening business operates rather than where they are based, and in pleading her case to the admin of the group, was ignored and promptly banned from it. Strewth; two sugars for my storm in a teacup! Would he have done the same to ol’ Alan Titchmarsh, I wonder?! 

I’m not going to put Katie up against the wall here. I believe anyone starting up a small business in this current financial climate needs a leg up, and I’m particularly impressed when such comes from someone so young. Originally I thought I’d freely offer to write this, omitting the unjust circumstance which spurred it, but, sleeping on it I thought, in fear of it simply coming off as an advertorial, the harshness of the decision to ban her from the Facebook group needs to be said.

This is not an advertorial, I would not ask Katie for money for publishing this. I wouldn’t even expect a hedge trim; I actually like tending my garden, it keeps me away from doom scrolling precisely this kind of petty nonsense on social media! The admin of the group in question really needs to grow up, or if we are to use gardening analogies, position a grow bag in line with their pelvis, lie down in it, and grow a pair!

I’m sorry, but I’m sick and tired of hearing about locals being unfairly banned from this same Facebook group for inconsequential reasons. It leaves people frustrated, and if they react, the admin plays their victim card like drama is addictive, every time. Ban those being offensive, abusive, or prejudgemental, I dare say, but Katie finds herself in an ever growing collective of covid support groups, other councillors or candidates of opposing parties, or residents who dared to speak against the opinion of the admin, and found themselves kicked out unjustly of a group which claims to be an impartial community page. Orwell couldn’t make it up!

As it is, and something you should take heed of despite not seeing it on a certain Facebook group, looking at photos of their past work, FreshEdge Teen Landscaping appears to make a top class job of it. “I’m a 16-year-old gardener offering affordable garden tidy-ups and outdoor work,” Katie explained. Her current offers are a full day gardening service for £160, and two days for £220 within the Devizes area, “no matter how overgrown the garden is!”

Her services include lawn mowing, weeding, patio and driveway cleaning, planting flowers, hedge trimming and general gardening tidy-ups. Katie, who tells me she often brings her boyfriend to help too, is friendly, hardworking and “happy to help get your garden looking great again!” And, in return, I firmly believe we should be helping our local young people with such initiatives, not casting them aside for accidentally breaking a hidden rule of a Facebook group! 

One satisfied customer said, “I asked Katie if she could weed my gravel as I find it difficult to bend as I have osteoporosis .. Katie along with the help of her boyfriend did an amazing job that has saved me hours of back breaking work … good to see young people prepared to work hard.”

You can message Katie for gardening bookings or questions here. Please support her.

As for the Devizes Issues, silly sausages say “it’s a popular group,” to excuse themselves for staying in it. Hit me with a snooker ball in a sock if it ain’t true, I say bullying is a spectator sport; leave and the powertripping is greatly reduced. 

Why stay in a group disciplined like the admin is the daddy of a borstal, when there’s others with admins who understand the meaning of words such as compromise and compassion, waiting for residents to join them? Oh, and get your garden smartened by Katie while you decide!

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Former Lavington School Students Reunite for Cancer Research’s Race for Life

They might appear like sticks of broccoli on their featured image, with no logical explanation as to why, but they actually are two former students of Lavington School, who are reuniting to enter Cancer Research’s Race for Life in Salisbury on 21st June…..

Lauren Mesquita and Jess Worrow pledge to complete the 5k run raising vital funds for Breast Cancer Research, but need your help. Stay calm, you need not dust off your joggers and Dunlop Green Flash; they’re only asking for your donations!

The two girls met at Lavington School, Jess is now studying for English and media A-Levels in Swindon, and Lauren is currently studying nursing at college, with plans to be working as a Pharmacy Support Worker within the NHS.

Lauren said, “I have a big passion for helping other people;  that’s why I want to work in healthcare, to make a difference. I worked in oncology and haematology wards, and a chemotherapy outpatients suite during a nursing placement at a hospital, meaning I’ve had the opportunity to learn about cancer and talk to lots of patients living with it.”

Jess added, “Cancer is happening right now, which is why I’m taking part in a Race for Life 5k to raise money and help to save lives.”

The two friends have both had family members affected by cancer. “We want to raise money to help combat this awful disease that affects so many people across the globe,” they said. “So any donation is deeply appreciated.” They’re calling their partnership, Not Fast, Too Funny.

This will be Lauren’s second year of running the Race for Life, but it’s the first time for Jess. Though Jess has been keen on many sports, including playing for England Hockey performance centre and Reading FC Academy in the past. I don’t even know how far 5k is, but it’s got a K in it which usually makes it sound like it’s much further than my own personal best of occasionally running for the bus.

We wish Lauren and Jess the very best of luck, and call upon our lovely, lovely readers to please support them with a donation if they can, because they’re lovely, really.

“I’ve seen so many stories of people fighting through it and recovering,” Lauren added, “including some in my own family, and it’s really motivated me to do this.” 

Please donate from this link, because, did I mention that you’re lovely?! Thank you x.

Trending…..

Seren’s New Single; Worm

There’s a cold remote ambience of burrowing doubt in the opening of Westbury’s singer-songwriter Seren’s debut song, in which, as the title suggests, she uses…

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No Election Here; What Did Wiltshire Councillors Do on Election Day?!

No jumping bandwagon election articles from us this week; we’ve had no election here, move along if that’s what you came here looking for! But, what were our Wiltshire Councillors up to on election day, instead of temptingly campaigning with a bag of peanut M&Ms outside polling stations, or nervously twitching in their seats?! We thought we’d ask them…..

Note; we thought we’d ask them for fun, hoping for an amusing response…. These are councillors, though, the real McCoy, I didn’t hold out much hope. Not that they couldn’t be amusing, you understand?! No, silly, I just prayed some might be daring/crazy enough to actually answer!

I desperately despatched a dodgy message on the day, to a few we know and like. No point in asking Reform councillors; too busy painting roundabouts and shouting at hotels, I’d expect no more. National result for them though; who’d thought swapping empathy for anger, and accountability for a blame game would make such an appealing prospective?!

“Stop thar boats,” is all they’ve got; Swindon is landlocked, nincompoops! What, are they coming across Coate Water in a paddleboat now?! Deform took Penhill, Pinehurst and everything else in Swindon beginning with a P; like Primark. You do realise a local councillor isn’t Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, right?! Unfortunately for you, they approve shed extensions, there’s little they can do to stop a boat.

Anyway, such was the wording in the message those few who I sent it to probably thought my phone was pinched by Michael McIntyre. Perhaps they shampooed the dog, or went to Ikea and brought a nice, fluffy cushion for their safe seat, I wondered. It’s thoughts like this which get me through the tougher days!

Fingers crossed in anticipation, first to answer was our very own MP, Brian Matthew. Not as complimentary as it might sound, given our track record of preceding MPs, but Brian is deffo the friendliest! Always where the action is, he’d been in Swindon on the day, helping with the election process/rumble there. Not really amusing, but at least they have a TK Maxx.

Phil Chamberlain, Wiltshire Councillor for Box & Colerne was with Brian, also in Swindon helping with the process. Phil explained he “spent the morning at Wroughton’s polling station, along with one of Wiltshire’s Reform councillors and we chatted with each other and with voters. One voter got him to look after their dog while he cast his ballot.” Eh? The dog voted?! Might explain a few things!

Big but, what gives in Swindon? With just a 50% turnout they took a geochronologic unit to count the votes. The Returning Officer requested more counting assistants. Apparently they’ve run out of fingers and toes.

The most comfy person at County Hall responded next, Laura Mayes. No, right, cos if I read it right, not only has she the seat for Rowde and Bromham, but also has a chair too; something extra to put your feet up on! They don’t even give The Munster so much as a pouffe, which could be why he’s so crotchety! Black Dog crossroad is safer now; give the geezer a scatter cushion at the very least!!

Laura told me she was “as far away from elections as possible!” Training for a triathlon, Laura spent the day working on her fitness; running, and swimming in the sea. “Council work never stops,” she explained, “I have been answering emails and helping some residents with a flood protection plan.”  Surely the only one to benefit from answering emails while swimming is The Apple Store?!

Whilst Laura risked water damage to her phone to answer emails, in top hat and tails, Devizes East Councillor Taylor Wright and his partner were poshing it at Buckingham Palace for the Royal Garden Party. Ooh, get you! Seriously, he sent me a smashing picture; a lovely couple. We need more youthful councillors like this proud family man. 

Meanwhile, Ben Reed  for Devizes North broke his Waiblingen Way leaflet delivery record. Maybe he should’ve also been at the palace, being awarded a Victoria Cross for bravery!

I didn’t ask Taylor if the King was serving up Iceland hotdogs in khaki shorts and a bucket hat, as such an image my warped imagination might conjure, but Taylor called it “an incredible opportunity” adding, “quite easy to say I’d prefer this over an election count!”

After her fitness regime, Laura also revealed it’ll be “cocktails and dancing tonight,” for her.  “Who needs elections?” she jested, “not me!!” And that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? Wiltshire Council aren’t doing such a bad job in my honest opinion. We were safe from the fiasco here. Whatever happened elsewhere is nought to do with us; we’re fine as we are, thank you all the same!

I thank Laura, Brian and Taylor for their time, and for playing my silly game. The rest were quite rightly like, mind your own business! And who could blame them?! If they see this and foolishly think “I could’ve contributed,” then, more the merrier, I can edit it. Fix a pothole or two first, and I’ll gladly consider it!

M3G, De-Anchored

At the end of last year Chippenham singer-songwriter M3G released the single Rooks. I felt it set her bar at a whole new higher level. I’m glad to report the follow up single, De-Anchored, is equally angelic, and was released today…..

It might not raise the bar much from Rooks, but it maintains the same direction of excellence. Such is the unique and original direction of this drifting metaphoric shanty, Meg was delighted to hear it played on BBC Introducing in the West last evening, and we are equally thrilled for her! Thank you kindly, Mr Threlfall, they broke the mould when they made Meg.

For in this crazy world of fired up, laden rock n roll and floor rumbling dubstep, sometimes you need a timeout, a breeze of ambient goodness, and M3G’s acoustic take on melancholy is so beautifully presented with all-M3G loop vocals and sublimely unique expression. And arranged by Phil Cooper too, who knows the composition of a beautiful song like the back of his hand.

 This time De-Anchored takes a shanty feeling, metaphorically a loose anchor can’t save a sinking ship, relative to a relationship breakdown and the character’s empathy and sense of loss. It drifts, lost at sea, another delicate impression guaranteed to impress!

De-Anchored is out now, across all major streaming platforms.

‎De-Anchored – Song by M3G – Apple Music

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The UK’s Biggest Festival…. at Trowbridge’s Pump?

Yes, you did read this correctly! As lovely as our premier grassroots venue, The Pump in Trowbridge is, you might be stretched to imagine it hosting the UK’s biggest festival without at least someone squishing your toes! Without any appropriate safety footwear, allow me to explain…..  

The Music Venue Trust and The National Lottery have announced Everywhere At Once, the UK’s biggest festival, a festival on your doorstep. Taking place on what would have been the Glastonbury Festival weekend of June 26th to 28th 2026, hundreds of grassroots music venues across the country will unite for Everywhere At Once, for one extraordinary weekend.

Venues from Inverness to Penzance will host hundreds of major artists, touring acts and the most exciting emerging local talent in the spaces that have launched generations of musicians. This will enable audiences to experience a diverse, curated programme of live music in the intimate rooms that are the heartbeat of their communities.

This is not a festival in a field. It’s a festival on your doorstep, no tent required. Forget the trek, the traffic and the campsites. And this exciting live music experience is coming to Trowbridge, via the Pump. See? Put your Crocs back on the shoe-rack, I said all would be explained!

Everywhere At Once is more than a line-up of gigs. It’s a national moment to celebrate the grassroots music ecosystem. For three days, the artists play, the venues host, the nation listens, closer to the music, where local matters, where everyone belongs; The Pump ticks that box.

Everywhere At Once at the Pump will include a twee indie pop night with Sketchbook Records presenting on Friday 26th June. Includes a line up of Josie from Copenhagen, Clock Radio from a bit closer to home, Devizes, and Bath’s Wisdom Teeth.

Saturday 27th June is the Nova Nights takeover with punk-indie-blues vibes from Fight Milk from London, Melksham’s finest The Sunnies, and The Hayden Lloyd Band from Trowbridge.

And there’s a Sunday matinee from 2pm on the 28th, when The Pump Acoustic Club presents a night of folk with Dan Sealey of Ocean Colour Scene and Frome’s KD Rivers. Check out the Pump Website for more details.

Riotous Cult Comedy Bullshot Crummond Comes to Bath in Support of Men’s Mental Health Charity

The Rondo Theatre in Bath will be bursting with high-energy chaos this June as The Rondo Theatre Company presents Bullshot Crummond, a gloriously silly parody of 1930s adventure stories, all in aid of Man Down…..

Running from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th June 2026, this fast-paced comedy follows the dashing (and deeply ridiculous) hero Bullshot Crummond as he races to thwart the evil Otto Van Brunno and his beautiful but deadly accomplice Lenya, who have kidnapped a Professor for their own nefarious ends. What follows is a whirlwind of outrageous antics, quick-fire costume changes and theatrical mayhem.

A loving send-up of stiff-upper-lip heroics, the production leans into the exaggerated tropes of a bygone era, think Indiana Jones meets The 39 Steps with a dash of Blackadder. Audiences can expect car chases, sword fights, swooning heroines, hapless henchmen and deliciously over-the-top villains, all delivered at breakneck speed and firmly tongue-in-cheek.

Bullshot Crummond began life as a stage comedy in the 1970s before being adapted into the 1983 cult film Bullshot. A loving parody of early pulp-fiction heroes, it has built a loyal following for its gleeful satire of classic British adventure stories.

But beneath the farce, the choice of charity brings a more thoughtful edge. By pairing this parody of hyper-masculine heroics with support for Man Down, a charity dedicated to improving men’s mental health through peer support and community, the production gently pokes fun at outdated ideas of masculinity while supporting vital, real-world conversations.

“We wanted to do something that was pure fun, a real escape, this is what the world needs right now” says director Charlotte Howard. “Bullshot Crummond is completely ridiculous, and that’s exactly the point. But by linking it with Man Down, we’re also acknowledging that some of those old ideas about what it means to ‘be a man’ still linger. If we can make people laugh and support a brilliant cause at the same time, we hope that feels like a good balance.”

Audiences are actively encouraged to join in the spirit of the show, with dressing up very much part of the experience. Whether it’s 1930s glamour, daring adventurers or dastardly villains, the more flamboyant the better.

Our local electronica hero Moray McDonald, aka, Cephid is on sound design for this, The Rondo Theatre Company’s annual charity production, known for its lively, inventive shows and strong local support.

Bullshot Crummond runs from 17th June to Saturday 20th June 2026. Tickets: £13/ £15 (booking fees apply.)

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Harmony Asia Can Do This

It’s a question I’ve asked Chippenham singer-songwriter Harmony Asia on each rare occasion I catch her for a chat; if she’s planning to capture a…

How it Feels for a Bluebeard!

The first time I heard the name Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours, I presumed their sound might be folk or blues inspired. Judging a book…

Extended Lineup for CrownFest

It was back in October when we revealed CrownFest at The Crown in Bishop’s Cannings was returning this summer, and January when we last mentioned…

Preaching at The Pulpit – Mark Harrison at The Pulpit, Swindon May 6th 2026

By Ian Diddams

Images by Ed Dyke

Is he a musician? Is he a raconteur? Is he a comedian? Well – he is all of these things – a singer/songwriter, wrapped up in a story teller, inside a dry, laconic wit that is delivered as “Suave” Mark Harrison, his self-appointed nomenclature.

And indeed, he was in fine form at this wonderful gig last night at “The Pulpit”. Mark has had some throat issues for a few months now and has to look after his voice when performing, which involves copious amounts of water and as a result urgent loo-breaks. And while the result may mean fewer songs in a set, it also means we are treated to more of Mark’s rambling yet always engaging, quietly spoken stories of blues history, social observations and personal views all wrapped up in his acerbic, pithy humour. For sure, Ralph McTel, Frank Sinatra and Eric Clapton will never seem the same again.

Mark kicked off the evening at 8pm with an explanation of his voice issues and description of his “well suited” opera background vocal coach and worked his way through such numbers as “Sonny Boys”, “Crematorium Blues”, “By the Side of the Road”, “There goes yesterday”, “Them and Us”, and “Road Ahead Closed”, interspersed with Blues history of a stolen identity, late night road closures, and visiting Eastbourne.

After a short break – and a much-needed pee break for Mark, by 9.15pm we were back once again to more stories about Howling Wolf, the birth of the civil rights movement because of mechanised cotton picking, David Honeyboy Edwards and his book perpetrating the Robert Johnson soul selling to the devil “bollocks” ( © Mark Harrison )…. and self-deprecatory remarks about Mark’s voice, Coventry and his celebrity status including a nascent affair with Anneka Rice and being sandwiched between Abba and Mylie Cyrus in an array of global mega stars. We learn about Gale Porter’s Jonah-like death knell for high street banks, the growth of “management” over real jobs and how Mark doesn’t do “politics” but does do “lived experience”; he is Victor Meldrew but actually funny and with music… and as for music we were regaled by “Highgate Hill Blues”, “Onliest One“, ” Skip’s Song“, ” Easy Does It“… and more such excellent philosophical, satirical and just down right super tunes.

All too soon 10pm threatened along with Mark’s voice giving out and with a suitably low key, pertinent and humorous story, and two more songs, we were done. Hand-shakes, merch bought, and goodbyes ensued and it was time to escape Swindon, and for Mark to eventually venture out to do battle with the road closures of Oxfordshire…

Ready for RowdeFest?

Not long now, for Rowdefest! Which, as the name suggests, is in Rowde, near Devizes, on Saturday 30th May, and is a free, community spirited family mini-festival with the ethos and atmosphere of a festival and village fete combined; what more could you possibly ask for?! Well, I’ve got some exciting details to reveal, some of which have been top secret until now…..

That’s the beauty of being involved with Rowdefest, I have the lowdown, and I’m a blabber-mouth! I’ve been drinking tea and assisting with the organisation of this little extravaganza, mainly in charge of biscuit consumption during some painstaking meetings whereby a much greater dedicated team have been carefully plotting this year’s Rowdefest. Let me tell you now, you have no idea of the enormity of hard work which the committee have undertaken to stage this, and to keep it free and fundraising. Ergo, it’d be rude not to come, it’s a quick bus journey or healthy stroll/piggyback from Devizes!

We will be raising money for Rowde Village News & St Mathew’s Restoration, from 1-7pm at the Small Playing Field in Rowde, which is surprisingly bigger than it sounds. We will be entertaining ourselves at the main tent, until such a time the fantastic Devizes Jubilee Morris Dancers have belled-up for a returning show; so much fun last year, they’ve been warmly invited back.

Until then, I suggest we have a dance-off competition with prizes for the best dance moves, so bring your funky pants and your parents too, because extra points will be awarded for the bravery of dragging your parents along for this dad dancing dance off!

It is a family affair. We have a bar, and the Mind Tree Cafe. We have tea & cakes at the church and a plant sale, both of which people can bring on the day; plants and homemade cakes to the church please, and thanking you.

Talking tucker next. Woodland returns this year, with their delicious pizza, and new to Rowdefest, we welcome Boigers, for their smashing smashed burgers. I’m tempted to get one of them as a pizza topping!! And of course, it wouldn’t be Rowdefest, not even Rowde, if we didn’t invite The Rowdey Cow, and a selection of their scrumptious ice cream.

For something totally original, we welcome a live sheep shearing show, at regular intervals throughout the day; might nip over there for a trim. The rest of the time you’ll find me loitering at the main tent, with some guests who will be performing live.

I’m over the moon, to welcome the sublime Ruby Darbyshire, who will take the stage around 2:30pm. Many of you will know Ruby and those who have seen her before will understand why I’m so excited. Others will have to wait and see, but wherever Ruby travels around the world, people are left in awe.

At around 4:30 we will read the results of the raffle. Yes, we have a raffle, of course we do, and it’s tombola-tastic, with three tombola stalls; adults, kids, and the school’s bottle tombola. We have fairground rides, face painting, and stalls from Bramblerose Designs’ art inspired by the Wiltshire countryside and hand dyed clothing & fabrics, King’s Bakes, Merlin Glass, Kay’s Rugs & Stuff, Katie Robson’s craft stall, and the RSPB, and RNLI. We also have fundraising by local children for trips to Borneo and Peru, as well as our own books, bric-a-brac, children’s games, and plant stalls.

Pegden Contracting are supplying hay bales again this year, giving it a real village fete look. So, once you’ve browsed our stalls, and grabbed a bite to eat and drink, meet me there, because not only have we Ruby playing for us, but Marlborough’s finest vintage blues with a groove collective Barrellhouse will be blasting out the songs as our grand finale. You are going to love them, pinky promise!

See the poster? It took me ages to design that, and the antiquated computer program I used caused Martin Barnes Creative a headache when he came to remix it and add the groovy graphics; still he returned to thankfully sponsor our event! But not as long, or headachey as it has taken our lovely committee to arrange this festival, and with the support of the Rowde Parish Council, we welcome you to RowdeFest 2026!

Now, local businesses, here’s how you can help. While we have already filled our field with side-stalls and attractions, would you like your banner displayed at RowdeFest on the 30th May? To display a banner we are only asking for the small amount of £15 for banners under 1.5 meters long. Anything bigger is £20. We are keeping it low as we want to promote local businesses. Get in touch if you’re up for it, but I hope to see you all in Rowde on Saturday 30th May, by the order of Devizine!!

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Chandra Likely To Go Boom!

Buzzwords, like “turbo,” or “sonic” are cliche, overused trends which gain popularity because they sound impressive, even if they are empty of meaning. I avoid…

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Nothing Orange; Arts Festival Brings Home Devizes Phenomenon

Four years ago I witnessed a Gen Z phenomenon in Devizes. With a certain indie punk zest and intelligent songwriting, Devizes School band Nothing Rhymes With Orange built a local following I once compared to Beatlemania. Staging their own gigs and recording original songs, they harnessed appeal from a dedicated fanbase. By the summer of the following year I suggested to DOCA they should host them at the Devizes International Street Festival, and advised residents young and old, to come support this blossoming sensation; and they listened…..

It will forever remain one of my most fondest memories as editor of Devizine; looking out from the stage across a sea of people stretching the entire Market Place and queuing down the Little Brittox. I announced them, it felt like the right thing to do after banging on so much about how good they were! And they absolutely rocked it, opening a wider age demographic to their brilliance, if still local. But Nothing Rhymes with Orange didn’t stop there.

They would play our pub venues, from the Southgate to the Three Crowns, and they would even fit into FullTone, but they cast a net further, as other venues and festivals of other local areas headhunted them. The vibe was spreading, from Bradford-on-Avon’s Roots Festival to Marlborough’s Lamb and The Barge on HoneyStreet, the lads fast becoming Devizes musical export of the century.

The only time I ever questioned their united successful future was at the end of their sixth form tunnel, when so many school bands demobilise to pursue separate universities, careers, or family obligations. It was 2024, they did a farewell gig at the Exchange in Devizes, and I set up an interview with them. It was more Chow for Now than breakup, as frontman Elijah Easton, guitarist Fin Anderson-Farquhar, drummer Lui Venables, and bassist Sam Briggs all planned to study music at Bristol uni, and even reside together; result!

For the interview I drew up some quirky questions, as usually a band of this age didn’t take themselves overly serious, but what was revealed was evidently the most dedicated band with the most earnest sense of direction I’ve ever chatted with. It is this motivation to their development which drives the phenomenon to their international success. Nothing Rhymes with Orange have matured their sound, harnessed a style, but the audience response is equal to the Gen Z parties of home, just on a massive and international scale.

Bookings this year stretch from Exeter to a Brighton tour, onto Leeds, North Shields and  Sheffield. The CURCUS Festival in Dorset, Godney Gathering, Somerset, and back to their new residence with some of Bristol’s biggest festivals. You can find our lads at Taunton, Plymouth, Rotherham, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and London’s premier venue The Dublin Castle. The end of July sees them in Gibraltar, and each and every date makes me proudly think, yeah, they’ve cracked this!

But for their original Devizes fans, there is one important gig on their list, for if it’s one thing to see Springsteen play, it’s another to see Springsteen in New Jersey. Devizes Arts Festival has brought many big names to town, over their forty years, some became bigger afterwards, others already A-list. This year is likely the first time they bring an act BACK to Devizes, as Saturday June the 13th sees Nothing Rhymes with Orange playing The Corn Exchange. The lads returning is going to be big, perhaps as big as the sacks of washing for their mums!!

Image: Kiesha Films

The Devizes Arts Festival put out, what I considered a slightly wonky perception of this in a social media post. Stating their generation didn’t like paying for gigs, I’d argue it was more through financial reasoning than anything cultural. Besides, Gen Z have grown now, some with jobs, or at least with better parent persuasion techniques! While worth every penny, Devizes Arts Festival events come with a price, in order to stage them and cover the many free fringe events their program offers.

To attract a target audience rare for the Festival, tickets have been kept to a minimum, weighing in at just £12.94. I sincerely hope this works, because it is not just Gen Z this event should attract here in Devizes. In my honest opinion, the red carpet should be rolled out for these lads, who’ve put Devizes back on the musical map of England, since the success of The Hoax in the nineties. For the record, I recall standing by a younger Elijah, watching Jon Amor at his Southgate residency with a respectful eye.

The lads of Nothing Rhymes with Orange deserve to be shown a Devizes welcoming home party like no other, by all of this town’s live music aficionados of all ages, not only for their international success, but for motivating a new generation here to pick up guitars and drums and start their own adventures. So, if your kid begs you for some money for a ticket, get one for them, and get one for yourself too!!

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Dulcet Tones Rock Back to Bassett!

You’re a teenage Tom Cruise, at least you wish you were, but stay with me on this! Your parents are away, you’re home alone with…

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Shrink Your Head; Controversial Faith Healing Lecture in Devizes?!

Spiritual doctor, El Souessi, a prominent speaker for the Bruno Groening Circle of Friends, is coming to Devizes’ Wyvern Club on the 10th May to lecture on the teachings of controversial faith healer Bruno Groening. Make of it what you will, but from my angle it sounds suspicious….

While we’re happy to promote local events here at Devizine, we’re wary of those unfitting basic morals, ones affiliating with extreme politics, for example. This one is borderline and I would advise caution. Faith healing is a pseudoscience many within the medical community and public consider unconventional.

Bruno Groening was an oddball, a German mystic who claimed to transmit a healing force he called Heilstrom, to cure incurable diseases. Using the desperation of common folk, often injured in war, in the economic downturn of post war Germany to practice his faith healing and encourage an almost cult following, Groening had a dark history of association with the Nazis, allegations of rape, and negligent homicide of a seventeen year old girl with lung disease.

Groening was anti-science, with a sparse education and a tragic backstory of family loss and being taken as a prisoner of war. Suddenly rising as spiritual healer of mystical abilities in the late 1940s, but moving around Germany because states banned him from practising, media attention sparked a devoted following. Such was its popularity, Groening took to casting magic into two tinfoil balls to project outward to those he was unable to “reach” physically, only in collecting donations.

Leaders of his own “inner circle” were reported to take measures to control his access to women to prevent scandal. His quote “there is no incurable” is now used to promote his teachings as a “path to health for body and soul” by Dr Karim El Souessi and his Bruno Groening Circle of Friends. But, reported as a heavy drinker and chain smoker, Gröning died in Paris, aged just 52, of stomach cancer; so much for “incurable,” it seems he couldn’t save himself.

While the social media comments on his Facebook event page hold miraculous curing claims, note none of those comments are from local people, and suspiciously look like bots. I’m one to hold faith there is a possibility in “mind of matter” for wellbeing, but claiming all diseases are curable by religious indoctrination is stepping way over the mark for me! 

While a venue must consider its financial sustainability it should also have a responsibility to its attendees not to host suspiciously immoral events. The Wyvern Club should research event organisers before allowing itself to be hired. 

Avoid this, and if you have a medical condition you should consult your GP. We live in an era of science, and, as Gröning’s death revealed, faith is an island in the setting sun, proof is the bottom line. Go on, do your worst, shrink my head, I double-dare you!!

Voting Now Open for Wiltshire Music Awards

Your Vote, Your Voice, Your Future, goes the slogan to encourage the public to side with a particular political party based on lies they each cast, when all of them will probably make the country more of a mess than it already is, anyway. We’re not doing this now, not here, not today….

We’re here to let you know there’s an opportunity to share your love for particular local musicians and bands, rather than dancing around your handbag when they perform, or blasting them in the face with your phone torch!

Yes, We are talking about the Wiltshire Music Awards 2026, for the nominations process started today. Let the arguments commence!

I’m not here to sway your opinion, as many local artists will undoubtedly go begging for your favouritism, though I should remind you I’m a dab hand at the triangle! Please take a time out to place your nominations, it is more important than any other elections which might be going on.

This is your moment to shine a light on the artists, bands, DJs, venues, and local legends who are shaping the sound of our county right now. My opinion, for realz, is they all deserve a medal, and perhaps a Milky Bar…each!

From grassroots talent to headline heroes, if they’re making any kind of noise other than flatulence in Wiltshire, they surely deserve to be recognised!

And there’s a lot of talented people out there, but while nominations opened today, the 1st of May, there’s time to ponder your options as the polls will close on the 10th June.

The Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 will be held at The Assembly Hall, Melksham on Saturday 14th November, but the time is nigh to cast your votes. I cannot recommend where, only urge you to do so. Supporting local live music is so important, I got smashed in the head by a guitar hosting last year’s awards, but, mentioning no names, the unfortunate incident won’t affect my judgements; I took one for the team, and rose above it!!

In all honesty, there’s not even a category for best triangle player. What is this conspiracy? Won’t someone think of the triangle players?!

Vote Here

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