Whoโs 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 forecastโฆ..
At present my thoroughly unreliable weather app suggests a 43% chance of rain, but keep your glass of mulled wine half full at least, thatโs considerably less than 50%, and going on current climate, the rain is sporadic and light. DOCA promises the festival to be โour 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. Johnโs Churchyard from 5:30pm to 6:10pm. At 6pm the parade gathers at St. Johnโs 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; Iโve 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, DOCAโs 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 canโt do this without Google Maps! You got legs? Use them! Be like Dora and explore! But hey, hereโs what we knowโฆ..
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.
Thereโs a mystery โlive bandโ outside The Pour House, and a choir concert at St Andrewโs 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 itโs brilliant!
From 5pm onwards, find some spectacular street performances around the Market Place. Bristolโs 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. Johnโs 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!
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.
Donโt 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 thereโs a jumble sale in St Andrewโs 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.
Letโs 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!
One part of Swindon was in perfect harmony last night, and I donโt mean the traffic circumnavigating the Magic Roundabout. Rather The Lost Trades were at the Hop in Old Town, honouring a postponed gig from Septemberโฆ..
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 eveningโs 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, โwere packed out,โ and factors of the lesser crowd were discussed; it couldโve 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 happeningโฆ.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 Iโve not caught for what seems like an age, itโs thoroughly deserved. Thereโs a sense of elevation in their delivery of these soothing vocal harmonies, a consistent strive of improvement, which if it isnโt 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 Jamieโs expressions on equal terms as Tamsinโs, 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 theyโve played together in folk band SGO who recently disbanded, and who Iโm 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 couldโve been the headline for any folk club.
As folk, The Lost Trades have always stated itโs โmodern folk,โ and with electric guitars and some subject matter I see this, but thereโs 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!
by Mick Brian images by Nic Proud and Wharf Theatre Giovanni Boccaccio in the 1330s wrote a poem, โTeseidaโ, principally about two knights, Arciteโฆ
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 โdelightfulโฆ..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. โThis 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 yearโs 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. Thereโs 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 thereโs also seven, only slightly smaller people, a running copyright infringement gag, which mysteriously fades after time, and theyโre 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 โassociatesโ 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 Waltโs adaptation of the Brothers Grimmโs 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, Iโm 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, itโs fantastic, yet summarised, and doesnโt 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. Thereโs 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 Iโm 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.
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 discoverโฆ.
There was me, showing my age, assuming Gen Z required Google to know โcassette 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 Trowbridgeโs Pump.
December marks the labelโs 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 theyโre released onto Bandcamp for all to access….and buy, people, buy!
โVinyl 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. โFor 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 Iโve 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 Iโm glad to hear of it. In reviewing them I take into consideration these are produced on shoestrings, that theyโre young upcoming acts, and itโs going to sound raw. But just like Ol’ Dirty Bastard in more ways than one, I like it raw!!
Working backwards through the discography thenโฆ..
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 societyโs expectations, but also that they donโt give a flying fuck if you think they create nothing more than a โscreamy 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 itโs not only the idea if theyโre not pissing someone off theyโre not doing it properly which makes them punk, thereโs solid riffs of what I shouldnโt describe as โtraditional punk,โ because thatโs surely an oxymoron to be spat at; nothing about punk was ever traditional, but I guess what I mean is, it reflects punkโs 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 theyโve inspired me to listen to them now, and my finding is, if Steatopygous strives to be an English equivalent, theyโre 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, itโs 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. Marieโs Wedding Song takes us to riffs and themes The Slits might have, but Little Boy is the most poignantly contemporaryโฆ. and screamy, making grunge sound like easy listening!
Sceptic really raised an eyebrow when I reviewed it earlier this month, Female CD simply thrashes out till the end of this monster; itโs breathtaking, doesnโt come up for air, and overall, Steatopygous are provocateurs against whatโs acceptable, and Songs of Salome launches it back at you in a desirable frenzy, and I donโt believe they care.
Itโs 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 Trowbridgeโs Joshua Allen. Between Maturity wasrecorded in a bedroom early 2025, released in May, and is so vastly different from Songs of Salome itโs at the opposite side of the scale.ย
It includes tags unfamiliar to me, but โsadcoreโ and โslowcoreโ speak for themselves. Lo-fi ambient rock, Iโd 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 Bristolโs 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, โand 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 โif 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. Itโs romance at its most bitter, Coldplay gone sour, and for such itโs 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 thereโs moments upping the tempo, akin to folktronica. Itโs 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.
Itโs seventeen tracks strong, often short, experimental in that one blip is the previous tune backwards, and in production I get vibes of Money Markโs Keyboard Repair. Though I think the downtempo Bristol nineties scene also takes an influence, probably why Iโd favour it over the previous two mentioned, personally. But thereโs rock here too, crashing metal guitars and acoustic guitar tunes over violin, but so subtly dubbed, it really is an interesting melting pot. If thereโs emotive prose like the past couple mentioned itโs done soulfully, and less bitter. Think; Tricky was an indie kid.
Nobody’s Dad: Mixtape
โNot a dad?โ this band asks on their Insta account, โdon’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 dadโs 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 Sketchbookโs back catalogue. That enthral shoegaze sound, female-fronted, drifting and dreamy with hints of grunge. Angel opens the four tracks, with a kick, and Iโm contemplating The Cranberries as a comparison. Margo is a please return to me ballad, and is sublime.
You Donโt Communicate, and Youโre 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 Iโve found a new favourite thing. Nobodyโs Dad deserves a renowned producer to refine this, as itโs yeah, raw, but booming with so much potential, and thatโs the nature of a DIY label like Sketchbook, opening eyes to upcoming talent without the professional angle of โhow can I make money from this?โ Nobody’s Dad, huh?! Topping this dad’s playlist now.
Kurt Alexanderโs 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. Thereโs 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 whatโs next, and of course, Sketchbook presents gigs at The Pump, the next is a Christmas party with Nobodyโs Dad, Parkii and Kurt Alexander on Saturday 13th December; the kids are alright.
Holidaymakers from across Swindon & Wiltshire are being invited to attend one of the region’s newest travel events this summer as Swindon Travel Hub hostsโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimage by JP Oldfield Rising Devizes star and promoter at โThe Foldโ, JP Oldfield last Friday revealed the information he is to releaseโฆ
by Ian Diddams images courtesy of Devizes Arts Festival, Ian Diddams and Graham Lloyd When one considers cricketing controversies, one maybe thinks of World Seriesโฆ
My Show Of The Festival Andy Fawthrop Another headliner from the Devizes Arts Festival hit town last night…. Robert Vincent came to the Corn Exchange,โฆ
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, itโs obligatory to rush around like headless chickens for two months, verbally abuse drivers in traffic jams, inevitably cause accidents because weโre too consumed by what little Johnny wants this year to concentrate on our driving!
Or, how weโre 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 heโs 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 Grannyโs ditched us for some โgentleman friend,โ whoโs whisked her off to The Maldives, and well, if mum undercooks the pigs in blankets again Iโm 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 canโt 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, itโs subtle, ironically uplifting, and contains a simple piano riff with seasonal jingly bells.ย Released on the 28th of November, Hannah says, โin a materialistic world, love is the greatest gift we can give.โ
Produced and mixed by Tim Oliver (Sinead OโConnor/Robert Plant) at Peter Gabrielโs 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 singalongโฆ..argh, Iโm caught by the catchy hook, and Iโm 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, โinquisitive 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, โcan 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?!!
โI 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, โfeel the magic in the atmosphere, I wonder why itโs 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!
A talented local performer from Devizes is set to share the stage with international star Jason Donovan this summer as part of Fulltone Festival โ26. …. Grace Sheridan,โฆ
Pride month finds me wondering if Pride events are actually needed more in our smaller market towns where awareness and acceptance is perhaps lesser thanโฆ
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…..
Wiltshire Music Centre is launching the Make Music This Summer programme, a vibrant 19-day programme of musical activities for children, young people and families….. Designedโฆ
Images by Jess Worrow A busy late spring weekend across the county, with major events from Bradford-on-Avon to Swindon, but I’m bringing quality acts Iโฆ
Tickets are now on sale for Frome Festivalโs silver anniversary year, taking place between the 3rd โ 12th July, 2026. Three hundred events are scheduledโฆ
Itโs nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโs 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 againโฆ..
Formerly a trio, bassist Chris Lane remains with Chrissy Chapman up front,ย but guitarist Andy Jacobs sadly passed away this year. โAndy was an amazing musician and really helped carve out our initial sonic signature,โ Chrissy told me. โWeโve 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 canโt discuss out of respect for everyone involved, the band collectively decided that it was no longer suitable for Andy to remain involved. Weโve 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. Weโre committed to remembering him in the best light.โ
โThere was definitely concern about doing the songs justice after we parted ways with Andy,โ Chrissy continued. โEventually, 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. Theyโve both been instrumental in forging a new direction for the band, literally! John said of Andyโs passing, โas part of getting through that phase the band has grown,โ and Ron added it had โevolved.โ
Turning to Chrissy I jested that when we did the original interview, she had suggested they didn’t need a drummer! โWell,โ she explained, โwe 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, โI 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. โThat’s the thing though,โ Chrissy said, โbecause straight away we had DOCAโs 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 hadnโt seen them performing before. But the committee was encouraging me to find a covers band. โWe followed your advice about doing the covers,โ Chrissy said, though it wasnโt really advise, rather a way to get them booked! Iโm so glad they did, they were dynamite and feedback was overwhelming. The kind of band youโd think had been on the circuit for years. โI felt that we were at the party at the end of the day!โ John remarked, and they certainly was.
โWhat was nice about that is it the focus was about โlet’s give people a showโ rather than it just being about โlet’s get our songs outโ,โ Chrissy explained. โYour 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!
โWe tried to dress it on different levels of the visual,โ John stressed, โwearing the outfits, the recognition of known songs, and the come on, party time!โ
โYeah, 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 Queenโs Tap in Swindon and Kings Arms in Amesbury their recent outings, but how do they feel about how far theyโve come?
โGiven 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, โas a new lineup, I think it’s quite incredible.โ
Itโs the added drums which changes it, I supposed, surely essential for a harder rock feel.
โIt changes the scale of the presentation,โ John added. โIt’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 Chrissyโs 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.
โI 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 โangsty teenage phase,โ and felt her songwriting about โgood guy/scumbagsโ had evolved and matured into โsomething 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
โWeโd 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 Millerโs Dusty Shed, who did the original three.โ
โWe 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 โfantastic,โ she crunched numbers and said they, โreally 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, โit’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 Chrissyโs 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, wouldโve 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, โit’s like watching a spider running up and down a hot plate!โ Ron pointed out his stumpy fingers, โI’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. โYou look at Elton Joh or Les Dawson, theyโve 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 itโs 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 Chrisโs dancing on stage, โwhich is brilliant. I love it!โ
John praised the firmness of Chrisโ bass, โyou’re methodical, you’re listening. I’m done wondering if he’s bored to death as I explain something to him, as heโs 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 โkeeping them in line,โ and this brought up the subject that they abstained from drinking while performing. โOne rule I was pretty adamant about,โ John explained while Chrissy and Ron laughed about being โhyper,โ โis 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
โYeah,โ Chrissy joshed, โso 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 itโs 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. โIn a nutshell,โ Chrissy said, โweโre 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. Theyโll 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 theyโve 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 thereโs 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!
Itโs 2006, and the charts are awash with what will become known as landfill indie. Somewhere in backwater Townsville UK, an already road worn veteranโฆ
After months of speculation, controversy, and local media bias, The Shindig Festival at Malmesbury’s Charton Park has been given the green lightโฆ.. Despite Newsquest floggingโฆ
What was once counterculture hedonism is now as mainstream as a package holiday. In the UK music festivals are fashionable, approved and plentiful. Ten yearsโฆ
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, Iโฆ
Wiltshire Council will discuss granting itself permission to fly the Pride Progress flag outside County Hall and other Wiltshire Council offices during Pride Month. Theโฆ
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 sayโฆ.
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 Swindonโs 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 itโs totally AI generated, so, who do I sue? Metal Mickey?!
Iโm not suing anyone, I laugh it off, but thereโs a serious side to all this. Brian explained, โIโve 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
โBefore 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
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 fromโฆ
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 parodyโฆ
Frome Festival is launching itsย โ25 for 25โย 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 mฤsa, and brand-new soul/funk collectiveย The Juice.…
The event, taking place at The Tunnels on Saturday 29th November, kicks off Frome Festivalโs ambitious campaign that aims to raise ยฃ25,000 before the start of next yearโs festival in July. Founded in 2001, Frome Festivalโs 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 Mothโsย sold-out Festival performance at Rook Lane Chapel this summer, theย โ25 for 25โย fundraiser provides an additional chance to hear his own original work. Tom explains, โI enjoy crafting sounds using various acoustic and electronic devices, so whilst the harp will be involved, the performance wonโt 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 Florenceโs 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, โI love that thereโs such a welcoming and proactive creative community. It seems like thereโs always something happening, whether itโs a gig, an exhibition, or community-based activity.โ
Sisters Faron and Merle ofย mฤsaย are returning from a hiatus to support this fundraiser, sharing their beautiful harmony based alt-folk compositions. Merle said, “Weโve 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 mฤsa 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 – โThis was a great way to learn about the townโs 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 itโs 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, mฤsa 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, โwith 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, โIโm constantly amazed by the incredible talent we have here in Frome, and Iโm 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, โWeโre also hugely grateful to Baz, Josh, and everyone at The Tunnels for hosting the event. In the current climate, itโs more important than ever to support our venues and keep live music thriving.โ
Frome Festivalโs โ25 for 25โ campaign will celebrate a quarter of a century of being at the heart of Fromeโs 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, โIt 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 Fromeโs 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
โFrome Festival Fundraiser with Tom Moth / mฤsa / The Juiceโย 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.
Four years ago I witnessed a Gen Z phenomenon in Devizes. With a certain indie punk zest and intelligent songwriting, Devizes School band Nothing Rhymesโฆ
Not just a pretty spiral church, there’s plenty for Bishop’s Cannings to be proud about. Evidence with the personal touch recently defeated a brazen landgrab,โฆ
Friday afternoon at The Lamb, tucked away behind the Town Hall in our market town, with my aim to introduce two aspiring local singer-songwriters whoโฆ
Iโve 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 classicโฆ..
If some previous songs of The Lost Trades had a lead vocal, theyโre not the Spice Girls so I couldnโt pick a favourite, and the trio are truly at their best when there isnโt 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 Jamieโs 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.
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 showโฆ..
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, itโs 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 โthey’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 donโt take my word for it, next Saturday (15th Nov) sees the album launched at St Peterโs Marlborough, with support from 7pm. Itโs free and copies of the album will be available on CD and vinyl. And if you canโt 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, theyโll 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.
Self-appointed โMoroseโ 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, โMy Wayโ, and his cousin Colin. We were regaled with the history of the two artists formerly known as โSonny 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 bitโฆ well a lotโฆ of dry humour. A cover or two, but predominantly โ naturally โ his own stuffโฆ 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.
Forest Live, Forestry Englandโs 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 bandโs recent album title, frontman Ricky Ross said: โNo 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 canโt 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 Blueโs Westonbirt headline show will be a career-spanning night of hits including โChocolate Girlโ, โWages Dayโ and โFergus Sings The Bluesโ โ alongside highlights from โThe 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 Blueโs classic debut โRaintownโ. The record captures the bandโs 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 UKโs 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 โPureโ, โLucky You,โ and โThe Life of Rileyโ.
Bursting on to the music scene in the late โ80s with their shimmering debut โCloudcuckoolandโ, the band quickly became one of the UKโs most cherished indie-pop acts. Led by songwriter and producer Ian Broudie, their catalogue spans era-defining hits like โSenseโ, and โChangeโ. 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 eventโs 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 nationโs 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 nationโs 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 Nationโs 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.
Bristolโs regular Johnny B Goode, Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue goes full on swing with a new single, a take on The Brian Setzer Orchestraโs 1998 album title track The Dirty Boogie.….
Another high-energy bout of rockabilly guitar divinity we love from Ruzz, but this time weโre 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.
Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโs already racing up the iTunes country musicchartsโฆ.
Itโs one thing to get your song out locally, but Kirsty was excited to announce that she, โwoke 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 โcheesy 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 itโs raising funds for the charity, and will go towards the future of the farm project and the animals there. โIt makes me incredibly happy and proud as an independent artist,โ Kirsty said, โthatโs always been told they are not good enough!โ No idea who wouldโve dreamed of saying this, but they deserve a sack of coal from Santa this year!
โLetโs 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.
It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโs young indie band Between The Linesโ demo singleFading Time, it was the profusion of potential. A latent driving me to Swindon Shuffle this year, where theyโd 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 Dualityโฆโฆโฆ..
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, Iโm 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, Belleโs vocals reflect off the water on this. Iโm going out on a limb here to suggest something comparable to Kirsty MacColl, but donโt assume thatโs sacrilegious or exaggeration until youโve listened, please.
I worry Iโm 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 itโs 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, Iโd like a slightly extended bridge, to really show the listeners what theyโre made of.
And to meet Between The Lines isnโt 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 thereโs 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.
A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโs bitter about not getting his dream jobโฆ..
If this mysterious dudeโs August invective track at racist talk show host Jeremy Kyle, and his patronising attitude, it feels like him telling me heโs โnot 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 donโt believe for a second heโs pleading for sympathy, just to get the frustration off his chest by thrashing a guitar at it. If youโve been there too, youโll identify, making me like this more than the debut single, because Iโve an incalculable history of bodged job interviews, likely because they were all knobs as well!
Itโs up on Spotify, downloadable from Bandcamp with a โname your priceโ option, and itโs Marmite, love it or hate it, it remains a sticky spreadable extract to get over your dysphoria, but not sing at the Job Centre.
Itโs 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 1978โฆ..
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 itโs the latter which is coming up next; deck the halls!
The Devizes Chamber Choirโs Christmas Concert of Seasonal Carols and Songs will be held on Saturday 6th December 2025 at St. Andrewโs Church, Long Street, Devizes, with Music Director and Conductor, Shaun Holley.
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. Andrewโs Church, Long Street, Devizes.
Best part of a week since Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards and Iโm still at one thousand feet about what we achieved, and dealing with a cascade of feedback. While some of it has been appreciated constructive criticism, that crazy playground called social media is such that some comments have become unfair, misinformed or even blatantly untrue. I prefer to remain positive, thanks all the same! And here we are, beginning to see positive after effects of the whole grand shebangโฆโฆ
Iโve loved seeing winning and runner-up acts, if not just posting pictures and videos of themselves proudly grasping their trophies, but using their win as an accolade on gig posters and bios. If thatโs not a positive outcome in a time when the whole hospitality industry is at its knees, I frankly don’t know what is. Try proving me wrong on this, I double-dare you and might even throw in a Twix for first prize!
There was also the whole โconventionโ side to the event too, which saw networking between musicians and venues, radio stations and promoters, and the general get-together of folk usually individually dispatched to their respective gigs on a weekend. I have already seen gig posters with added support acts who didnโt know each other before last Saturday, and radio plays for bands featured.
From my good friend Charlotte reuniting with Lifetime Achievement winner Peter Lamb, the producer who took her hopeful nineties girl band under his professional direction, to Fantasy Radio DJ, Mark Lister, who mentioned the awards on Scott Mills Radio 2 morning show, the attention the awards are seeing is phenomenal and the after effects are beginning to flourish.
If Sunday’s piece was a reflection on the night as a whole and a statement of the issues we unfortunately faced. Let today be about our fantastic acts who performed, for that’s where sparks flew and obviously the nature of what we were celebrating.
In order of appearance. Go on, admit it, you didn’t know the sublime Miss Ruby Darbyshire would be present, did you? I managed to not let the cat out of the bag about our opening special guest, despite my excitement!
At eighteen, Ruby is as her name suggests, a gemstone on our circuit. A multi-instrumentalist with bagpipes under her championship belt, a singer-songwriter with an exceptionally soulful voice which puts expression into her diligently crafted writing. Originally the plan was for Ruby to blow a tune of her own choice from her bagpipes and scoot off to another gig in Bradford-on-Avon, returning later in the evening. But we couldn’t let her go without at least another song, her magnum opus to date, Crowded Lightbringer, and then she played a second. It was the best opening ever, even if I was blindly operating the curtains like a bell ringer!
Hey, honestly, I was a raver in the nineties and viewed Britpop as regressive, but I now see its worth and respect the succeeding generation who see them as classics. Being such, we see a lot of cover bands performing Britpop anthems, with varying degrees of skill. The Britpop Boys have been on my must-see list for donkeys but our paths hadnโt crossed before. Iโm glad thatโs sorted and sound, for they were off the scale brilliant and totally โavinโ it are kid.
I was sitting on the stageโs sideline in awe of The Britpop Boys, it couldโve been Madchester in 1996. The sound and appearance held me spellbound, and I felt I should write to The Oxford Dictionary to redefine the word โcoolโ as โsee Britpop Boys!โ Yeah, they did Wonderwall, of course they did, but if itโs a cliche cover choice for most, itโs because itโs a beautiful crowdpleaser, and had to be done given only three songs. The ultimate thing about this was, they knocked it out of the Corn Exchange and into the stratosphere; Iโve never heard it done with such attention to detail and precision to honour the original.
If Iโve seen one new band begin wobbly and develop over time Iโve seen a hundred. But Burn the Midnight Oil is one of my most favourite newcomers to the Wiltshire music scene, for the simple reason that it feels like theyโve been here forever, as their ability to deliver crisp blues-rock originals and stamp covers with their own divinity is something to behold. Like mobile phones, you think, how did we ever survive without Burn the Midnight Oil?!
Itโs as if they honed their skills over decades and perfected the harmony of a classic rock band in their eighties which toured since their twenties, even if they might have, they did so individually, but that seam never shows. Their perfect performance proved this, it was nothing short of brilliant, fresh and invigorating, showing us what theyโve been working on, a beguiling harder rock sound; they look the part, they sound it too, I have high hopes for them.
Ben was great as a soloist, Pat was too, together itโs a magical connection to charm the pants off a donkey. This cover act could easily work anywhere, from crusty cider festival to wedding reception, itโs got universal appeal. Their set was amazing, Ben might have accidentally hit me on the head with his guitar but they were awesome, and Iโve had worse on my rock n roll journey!!
It mightโve knocked some sense into me, but I know what I liked anyway, and Matchbox Mutiny are high on that list.
George went next, and yeah, this is where we had technical sound issues. Professional till the end, George worked through it, and as a stalwart spirit on our circuit, George is modestly legendary, for his back catalogue of sublime originals and new songs flourishing to his entertaining interactive solo covers show. See our mention of the warm up gig from Friday at the Three Crowns, if you donโt already understand why we love Mr Wilding!
With various issues arising the evening was in need of a reset. I apologise, I announced an interval, thinking Lucas could prepare and we could hold a team talk. Just like George Wilding, Lucas is professional and motivated to the core. He came out like a boxer for a championship belt fight, psyched up for it and couldnโt wait for the bell! Therefore I attempted to recall the interval idea as quickly as possible, because Lucas Hardy was like a greyhound out of the trap! And what an outstanding performance, rinsed with sheer brilliance, Lucas is no stranger to award winning, itโs easy to see why.
As it was it was impossible to estimate how much time the award giving and other acts would take, I apologise if we wrongly assumed time was against us and lengthy speeches were deemed something unpredictable enough to encourage people to keep them short if at all. The original plan therefore was that our Devizes homegrown heroes, the teenage band which shook the rafters of this market town and deployed their exceptional talent to Bristol to further the phenomenon of Nothing Rhymes With Orange, were to play out until the end.
We finished earlier than expected, the barriers broke down, and there to help create a needed frenzy of excitement, ready and eager, was this successful Devizes export, for a hometown return like no other. Nothing Rhymes With Orange were mindblowingly fantastic before they left for Uni, now itโs a monster.
I was ecstatic to see the guys again, and they threw everything into their solid performance, as they always do. They return to Devizes for the Arts Festival, something we wouldโve been singing from the highest tree about anyway, but after last Saturday, itโs surely unmissable.
Iโve given my thanks already, Iโd like to do it again, to all our performing acts, for you made the ceremony, you furnished it with your brilliance, and that was what the night was always supposed to be about; cheers!
If you believe AI, TikTok and the rest of it all suppress Gen Zโs outlets to convey anger and rage, resulting in a generation of anxiety and mental health concerns, I might take your point as marginally valid, but Iโd add politely as I possibly could, โhave you, perchance, had the pleasure of listening to Steatopygous? Theyโre from Devizes, donโt you know?!โ Then Iโd await the pending detonation of a shocked expressionโฆ..
Thatโs punk, and what it set out to do decades ago, and that is the quality hidden within the rolling drums, raging guitars and screaming vocals of this homegrown riot grrrl four-piece who with their latest single Septic will shake the foundations for as far as itโs willing to travel. Septic, if anything previous from Steatopygous will be the baseplate on how they move from here. Whilst it remains DIY, as it should, it has the produced balance of natural progression and leaves you anticipating whatโs to come from this emerging band.
Itโs punk on a SmallTown Tigers level, in your face and demanding you pay attention.
On the theme of body image, it takes no prisoners. Fronted by Poppy Hillier with bassist Eliza Brindle, drummer Ewan Middleton and an additional Rufus on guitar who wrote the song, Steatopygous, youโve really gone and done it now; this is a pinnacle track to your development as a force to be reckoned with, this is outrageous, and I love it!
If Devizesโ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโs Park Farm for next summerโs extravaganza, what better way to give it the rustic feel than The Wurzels, who have just been announced on the line-up?!
If Somersetโs Scrumpy and Western genre has fermented longer than a cider press from folk roots, itโs surely The Wurzels who brought mass attention to it with their number one parody of Melanieโs Brand New Key, The Combine Harvester. The staggering thing about this is, it was in 1976, but whatโs more staggering, is people are still singing it today, and likely will be at FullTone Festival on 11th & 12th July 2026!
Organiser of FullTone, Jemma Brown said of the booking, โthere’s not much more we can say to that!โ But you know me, Iโve always got something to say, and Iโm saying that is a fantastic surprise which only remains to add to the already brilliant show the orchestra and guest acts will deliver.
What else we do know at this early stage, is the huge fifty-piece orchestra will play through sets of Holstโs The Planets & Star Wars, a Symphonic Queen with Ricardo Afonso, The Best of Motown, an eighties spectacular and Devizes-own BBC radio DJ James Threlfall will be on the dance anthems.
If I wonder what songs the Wurzels will play, top choice has to be Iโll Never Get a Scrumpy Here, which contains the line, โ’Cos you never get surprises livin’ in Devizes,โ and spurred my rant column of the same name, you might remember it. I did write to them to ask permission, they were too busy drinking cider to be in any way concerned. I asked if it was sly stab at our brewery, or that Devizes was as far eastward they favour to venture, but they explained it was used because it rhymed! Well, they’re venturing here in July, and if they give us the key, we can all have a brand new combine harvester.
Well, we did it! I sincerely hope you had a great night at the first Wiltshire Music Awards as we filled the Devizes Corn Exchange with a cross-section of people involved in the music scene of Wiltshire, musicians and fans. Positive feedback already, and a few teething issues, noted, which we must take onboard and learn fromโฆ.
But for those who unfortunately couldnโt make it, I guess you are eager to hear the results. Letโs do this easy bit first! But before we do, I ask you, please, to take a few issues into consideration. Firstly, there was a monumental process to arrange, coordinate and launch during and also months prior to the ceremony. From the voting process and organisation of a panel of judges, to decorating the tables and corresponding all those trophies to each category.
So many volunteered their time to help with this, and we are extremely grateful to them. Overall, the management of the whole process and ceremony was carried out by Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events. Eddie worked arduously on this project, and was dedicated to creating an extravagant event to be remembered. With the help of so many volunteers, myself included, stage tech and the staff of the Corn Exchange, I believe we achieved this to the best of our abilities, and a fantastic evening was had by most.
There should have been one more trophy, it shouldโve been big, extra shiny, and presented to Eddie for his dedication and the tireless work he put into this. Exhausted, Eddie fell ill a few days before the ceremony, but strode through it the best that he could. The end result of this was that he was rushed into hospital a few hours prior to the conclusion of the ceremony. I have heard from him this morning, and heโs doing okay.
If you witnessed me on the sideline, rushing up and down the stairs like a headless chicken, it wasnโt my step aerobics workout, it was because I was honouring my part as co-host on stage but attempting to coordinate the floor as well, as best as possible, as Ed seriously needed to take a step back. Whilst the beginning therefore went to plan, as the evening progressed we stumbled on issues, but I ask you to please take this into consideration if youโre intending to criticise the evening on social media. I apologise for any breakdowns in communication, but the condition was out of our control and we strived through best we could.
Results
The results, then. Congratulations to everyone who bagged an award, commiserations to those who did not. To those unable to attend, we have trophies reserved for you and will arrange the best way to get them to you as soon as possible.
Best Venue. Sponsored by Pat Robertson of Trowbridge Motor Supplies ltd.
Runners Up: The Royal Oak, Pewsey. The Vic, Swindon.
Winner: The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon.
Best DJ: Sponsored by Mark Anthony Burdge.
Runners Up: Maurice Menghini – DJ Mister M. Mark Lister of Fantasy Radio.
Winner: Paul Alexander of Solstice Sounds, This is How We Do It Entertainment.
Best Drummer.
Runners Up: Tom Gilkes. Callum Rawlings.
Winner: Jamie Oโ Sullivan.
Best Bassist. Presented by Alex Morgan of Waldrop Salisbury Sounds.
Runners Up: Nick Gorman. Nick Beere.
Winner: Mark Turner.
Best Guitarist.
Runners Up: Alastair Sneddon. Nick Beere.
Winner: Jolyon Dixon.
Best Duo.
Runners Up: Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta. The Sylvertones.
Winner: Matchbox Mutiny.
Best Covers Band. Sponsored by Simon Woolley of The Three Crowns, Devizes.
Runners Up: Pinky & The Slapcats. The Unpredictables.
Winner: The Brit-Pop Boys.
Best Original Band: Sponsored By Peggy-Sue Ford of Donโt Stop the Music on Swindon 105.5 Radio.
Runners Up: Nothing Rhymes With Orange. Burn The Midnight Oil.
Winner: Talk in Code.
Best Tribute Act.
Runners Up: Painted Bird. BC/DC.
Winner: Mick Jogger & The Stones Experience.
Best Female Artist.
Runners Up: Sammi Evans. Rosie Jay.
Winner: Ruby Darbyshire.
Best Male Artist. Presented by Lesley Scholes of Fantasy Radio.
Runners Up: Lucas Hardy. Vince Bell.
Winner: George Wilding.
Best Original Song.
Runners Up: I Donโt Give a Damn by Rosie Jay. Do I Really Have The Blues by JP Oldfield.
Winner: All In by Talk in Code.
Best Instrumentalist.
Runners Up: Ruby Darbyshire. Andrew Hurst.
Winner: Jolyon Dixon.
Rising Star New Comer.
Runners Up: Ruby Darbyshire. Rosie Jay.
Winner: JP Oldfield.
Best Vocalist.
Runners Up: Chris Stevens. Lucas Hardy.
Winner: Rachel Sinnetta.
There were four special awards given out on the evening which didnโt receive runner-up places as according to the information given to the hosts. If there was an oversight about this, we apologise.
Outstanding Contribution to The Wiltshire Music Scene was won by Colin Holton of Salisbury Live.
Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community was won by Jo Baines Robbins.
A Special Award was given to Wiltshire Hop & Harmony, The Wotton Bassett Dementia Choir. The Second Special Award was presented to Brian Mundy of BMS Stage Tech.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Peter Lamb.
Ruby Darbyshire opened the evening with a bagpipe song and two others, as a surprise special guest.
We also had live performances from Nothing Rhymes With Orange, Burn The Midnight Oil, Lucas Hardy, Matchbox Mutiny, George Wilding, and The Britpop Boys. Due to technical issues, Jolyon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta were unable to perform.
I would like to sincerely thank our panel of judges.
And, Ruby and Brian Darbyshire
The Britpop Boys
Burn The Midnight Oil
Matchbox Mutiny
Lucas Hardy
Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta
George Wilding
Nothing Rhymes With Orange
Sponsors:
Val Bewley VB Arts Studios
Alex Organ Wardrop Salisbury Sounds
Colin Howton Salisbury Live
Pam Robertson – Trowbridge Motor Supplies
Simon Woolley – Three Crowns, Devizes
Peggy-Sue Ford – Swindon 105.5 Radio
Mark Jones & Lesley Scholes- Fantasy Radio
And a sponsor and our host DJ Mark Anothony and wife Sandra.
Thanks to Anya and Marc of Soupchick.
To Ian and all the staff at the Corn Exchange
To Brian Mundy and BMS Stage Tech.
To everyone who got behind this, I thank you.
Anthony & Jemma Brown for helping us set up.
Charlotte & Moray MacDonald for help on the front desk.
But massive thanks goes to Eddie Prestidge and Stone Circle Music Events
And finally, thank you for coming, supporting the local live music scene.
This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโs a sellout show celebrating our countyโs music scene, with a lot of local acts performing between the announcements of the results of a public voting system. The legend who is Mr George Wilding kicked off proceedings with what was supposed to be a warm-up party last night at The Three Crownsโฆ..
The temperature dropped and the rain came in, and if that didnโt make the term โwarm-up partyโ seem a smidgen dubious, Iโm not sure if anyone else attending the awards other than myself, Jolyon Dixon setting up the PA and George himself made it to the evening; best guess theyโre saving themselves for the big day today! Nevertheless, it was a fair turnout and those who did come were treated to Gerogeโs human jukebox show and came up trumps, singing and dancing the October chill away.
Equally ambiguous as the warm-up is the term โhuman jukeboxโ to describe Gerogeโs show, for if a jukebox doesnโt have the song you want it cannot play it. George has a plethora of classics in his repertoire, the audience are encouraged to shout them out, and should they request something George hasnโt a handle on, heโll attempt it anyway, play a riff of it, and declare he doesnโt know it in his droll way. He might try a medley of the parts he does know with other songs of the same artist, he might look to the audience to help with lyrics, and if all this fails it becomes part of his amusing and interactive show.
Far from a man with a guitar and a setlist who frowns at the idea of requests, does his shift and pulls out. George took no break, played overtime, and seemingly adored every minute. I gather this was his mainstay while working the cruise ships and imagine the cruisers delightedly returning each evening, but such voyages for George are on the backburner and while he doesnโt mind running a covers show, heโs otherwise in the studio with producer Jolyon Dixon building a catalogue of original tracks in which he is toying with the idea of releasing as an album.
But the Three Crowns love a covers show, and George delivered such in this interactive way there can be no arguing his brilliance to entertain and his skill as a musician. So, should an audience member request, as one did, The Eaglesโ Hotel California and he ponders itโs a bit slow to fit with the pace of previous songs, heโll up the tempo. An apt Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head opened the show, and George will set the ball rolling, but once the audience catch the drift, heโs never without a request, and will either attempt the most obscure or tell them in the most charming way that theyโre really testing him!
As it was I requested The Ronnettesโ Be My Baby, aware the soulful doowop earworm was a personal favourite George used to regularly put in his set and put his own stamp on. He nodded in fond remembrance, and the regulars approved, dancing on the cobblestones. But I only asked for one, the rest left up to the modest crowd, really feeling they were part of something unique and special, because thatโs Georgeโs ability and thatโs what has made him one of our fondest favourites on the circuit for many a moon. โTotal ledge,โ I understand is the gen z terminology!
I cannot tell you if he is to receive an award tonight, but I believe he deserves to; I will announce the winners here as soon as I recover tonight, for those who cannot make it! If youโve not got a ticket for the awards, thereโs a whole list of events happening on our event calendar; just look at it! Just look and see how many are music gigs, and realise the strength of our local music scene. That is what we celebrate tonight, and yeah, George will be singing a song, along with many others. Iโm on curtain duty! See you there!
Thereโs albums Iโll go in blind and either be pleasantly surprised, or not. Then thereโs ones which I know Iโm going to love before the first notes ring out. Quite familiar with Swindonโs beloved Dylanesque singer-songwriter Jol Rose, Ragged Stories is another notch in his sublime discography you simply have to listen to on repeatโฆ.
Similarly thereโs many attempting Americana, a few leave themselves open for criticisms of clichรฉ or authenticity while others refine it with a certain level of finesse, then thereโs Jol Rose. Prolific writer and recording artist, but a perfectionist with that defining quality to paint mind masterpieces through his music.
Though Jol has no standalone anthem, there never seems to be a magnum opus and fans select a wide range of his songs as their personal favourites. His portfolio is never samey, nor completed. Euro ballad Meet me in Berlin makes an appearance on this new album, and is one of my favourites from last yearโs album, Peace, Love & Americana. But this is a stripped back acoustic version, and thatโs the thread through a variety of themes and temperaments; this Jol, raw.
Thereโs other stories of travels; two songs venturing over to the USA it wouldnโt be Americana without, and some Road Boogie to boot. But itโs not without ditties of homebased subjects too. If Springsteen writes romantically of New Jersey gangland warfare, why canโt Jol humbly justify Swindonโs attractiveness with a certain beguiling jollity?! But if Swindon Saturday Night is tongue-in-cheek, Not My Cherie takes cheekiness to a whole other level, as a jokey French rejection from Swindon Conservative Councillor Cherie Adams.
Yet if Not My Cherie doubles-up as his social political observations and Liars & Thieves, makes its political stab humorously, the others on this sixteen songs strong album are far more poignant than satirical. A battle with corruption, Eucalyptus Lullaby opens the album, with the lines, โAs I lie on a bed made of ashes, and ponder the wreckage below, I survey all the things brought upon us, by ignoring what we should have known,โ which confirmed weโre in for brilliantly constructed anti-establishment prose.
Perhaps none more than Day & Night Collide, underlining our anger and ignorance hiding our fears in regards to immigration. If you only listen to one song before going to a polling station, make it this one.
Afternoon Nightmares, is relationship bittersweet, the most Dylanesque, and yes, Jol tackles romance themes with equal edge. In its simplicity Beautiful Denial is gracefully wonderful, but my biggest surprise came via Love Story, a simple title which does what it says on the tin, and you might recognise it, but Jol stamps his mark, and makes this Taylor Swift cover his own.
Just man and guitar, the pure essence of sole quality, and in Jol Rose it is exceptional, this album showcases it without pretence or ignorance. Heโs a figure of reality in a world gone sour, and he expresses it sublimely.
CD of Ragged Stories is available from Jol Rose’s website HERE.
by Ian Diddamsimages by Gail Foster ‘Devizes & Beyond’ is a collection of original poems in traditional forms and digital photography, inspired by life inโฆ
Some four years since his last release under his own name, Lavingtonโs electronica composer Moray McDonald presents a soundtrack; the music he wrote and producedโฆ
Can we please draw a red line under Pewsey’s Moonrakers St George’s Cross facade fiasco now Wiltshire Council has u-turned on a proposal forcing landlordโฆ
If options for urbanites seeking experiential or themed dining experiences are boundless, theyโre lesser so in our rural backwaters. Yet, weโve returned from a deliciousโฆ
Thereโs a cold remote ambience of burrowing doubt in the opening of Westburyโs singer-songwriter Serenโs debut song, in which, as the title suggests, she usesโฆ
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Unlike Buck Rogers, who made it to the 25th century six hundred years early, Devizesโ most modest acoustic virtuoso arrives at the 21st just short of twenty-six years late! We’re looking at Vince Bell‘s EP, Songs, Poetry and Motivation, as it makes off for a futuristic online adventureโฆ..
Devizes knows โour Springsteenโ Vince, loves Vince, unless they’re selling tickets for โThe Bin.โ โIt’s three quid to get in,โ Vince jests in a song popular with locals, as reasoning for not attending the town’s only nightclub, which is actually quite reasonable these days! Its references strictly imply Devizes, but the concepts could relate to another market town, that song of his. Composed of contemporary scuttlebutt and twisting it into urban legend for intoxicated natives to chant the chorus’ self-mocking punchline about never leaving, back at him, if Vince is, (and deserves to be leaving at least on a national tour,) branching worldwide, this one rightfully doesn’t appear on the EP.
When plugging his new Spotify account to me, we meandered onto the better between the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, after he confessed his family encouraged him to put his songs online. A self-deprecating retrospective attitude relayed in Spiderman Pajamas, which also doesn’t appear on the EP, and was likely the reasoning behind the world waiting so long for Vince to give into the virtual realm.
Vince doesn’t have stars in his eyes, he’s an unassuming musician who sees it as an eternal labour of love. Yet in true folk fashion, his guitar finesse is equal to his delivery of some genius wordplay, and that love for more universal observations are of those five tracks which made his own exceptionally high level of EP grade. Songs of local satire or retrospective are adored here, but concentrated observations are more universally acceptable.
Though the opening title Lisa’s Kitchen has obvious personal, homely connotations. Itโs a five minute sketch comparing the cliche places of solitude to the simplicity of a family kitchen, and an apology for casually acting on promises made in the freedom of this daydreamy oasis of mรฉnage calm.
The guitar riff rolls intensely after this, and things arenโt so calming. Haunting like embers randomly sparking from a campfire, for First Fire of Winter. This song is a summary of the contemplating sentiments evoked by a fire; of trust and conviction, weakness against strength, pain of loss and fire in a heart of longlost boys homecoming. When Vince mentions โsubmissive machines in a world thatโs gone too farโ, and โGodโs own simulation,โ itโs a vehemence against war, yet while the poetry is poignant enough, itโs the urge in his delivery which drives the sentient home.
With a more lighthearted and playful muse, Monkey Puzzle Tree is a metaphor for the progression of time and the difficulty in the acceptance of ageing. Whereas in Preacher, Leaders and Dealers, the contentment in delivering fear are compared and contrasted from all three classifications, and is delicately expressed with perfect pathos.
Weโre Between Earth & Paradise for the finale to this outstanding EP. Thereโs an instrumental two-minute opening where intricate guitar-work sets a scene of seemingly encapsulating the beauty of nature. Despite the title, thereโs still dark pressure in the narrative in the form of bleak news stories, but it offers an escape with a virtually heavenly premise. And in this, it sums up the EP and Vinceโs impressive ability to conjure and project vivid images and lucid ideas within his music, a rare gift.
Though this is commonplace in the celebrated artist, so too is modesty and undervaluing of oneโs own work, risking it falling into obscurity unless we take it upon ourselves to shout about how engrossed, entertained or enthralled we were, on their behalf. Vince has, and here I am, advising you to take heed, not because heโs a friendly guy locally gigging on my circuit, though he is, but because Vinceโs music is breathtakingly brilliant and deserves a far wider accolade than that which a Wiltshire market town can provide.ย This EP proves it.
Oh yeah, catch him down the Southgate, Devizes, on Thursday 30th October 2025 for a session with Tamsin Quin; see what Iโm on about if you donโt know already!
Less than a week to go until the first ever Stone Circle Music Events’ Wiltshire Music Awards at the Corn Exchange, Devizes. We’re not printing a programme of events, so here’s everything you need to know about the ceremony this coming weekend….exciting, isn’t it?!
Firstly, all tickets have now sold out, sorry! But if you’re coming or not, there will be a free warm up party on Friday 24th October at the Three Crowns Devizes, where we will be entertained by the incredible George Wilding. Everyone is welcome!
And now onto Awards Ceremony on Saturday 25th October 2025.
The doors open at 17:30pm. The bar will be open, and we have scrumptious tucker available from Soupchick. Chilli beef or vegan alternative with rice, with nachos, cheese, sour cream and guacamole toppings; ยฃ7:50 for a bowl, I’m in!
Please arrive as soon as possible so we can get everyone seated. There will be music in the hall. I’ve come over all Jive Bunny, and created a mega-mix of local music! I’ve tried to display the diversity and quality of the Wiltshire Music Scene and cram as many songs as I can into one hour; it’s been no easy task.
Being I accept you’ll all be chatting rather than listening, I’m kinda proud of my virtual DJ skills, so for prosperity I’ve leave the mix here so you can listen at your own risk!
Tracks are listed here; apologies if your song isn’t there, I tried to include as many as possible.
Jamie R Hawkins – Not Going Anywhere, Gaz Brookfield – Tale of Gunner Haines, Tamsin Quin – Home, Griffiths & Hollingsworth – Ocean, Andrew Hurst – Tower of Fallen Heroes, Timid Deer – Shallows, Kirsty Clinch – Stay With Us, Deadlight Dance – Samurai Sunset, Will Lawton & Ludwig Mack – Atlantic โO, M3G – Waiting, Phil Cooper – Bijou, Concrete Prairie – I Wish You Well, JP Oldfield – Magpie, Jol Rose – Make Some Hay, Thieves – Iโm Coming Back, SโGo – King of The Fairies, Sarah C Ryan Band – Woman in White The Worried Men – Manacle Alley, Junkyard Dogs – Suzie Q, Deadlight Dance – Love Will Tear Us Apart, The First Book of English Magic – Richard Wileman, Barrelhouse – Mainline Voodoo, Aural Candy & Sienna Wileman – Mirrorball, Jon Amor – Peppercorn, Daisy Chapman – Waterloo Sunset, Canuteโs Plastic Army – Hollow Children of Men, George Wilding – Dirty Dream Balloon, Ruby Darbyshire – Donโt Give Up Now, 41 Fords – Emily, Liddington Hill – Maid of Mayhem, Ursa Way – Chasing the Sun, Boot Hill All Stars – Night Bus, I See Orange – Doll Guts, The Belladonna Treatment – Bits of Elation, NervEndings – Democracy Manifest, Nothing Rhymes with Orange – Monday, Talk in Code – All In, Cephid – Terminus, Subject A – Paradise.
Now, the Awards Ceremony begins at 18:30…. on the dot!
Please make sure you are seated by 18:20. If this sounds all a bit like orders barked at you from your cub scout leader, there’s good reason: We’ve got a lot to squeeze in, and secondly, you don’t want to miss the opening of the show, believe me!!
Weโre not revealing our very special guest opening the show, so don’t even try bribing me with booze! Then you’ll meet the hosts, DJ Mark Anthony and myself.
Stone Circle Wiltshire Music Awards Event Schedule
18:30: Opening Act (Nope Still not Telling!)
1. Best Music Venue
2. Best DJ
3. Best Covers Band
Live Performance: Britpop Boys
Thereโs a champagne supernova trip back to the nineties with The Britpop Boys,renowned for blasting those sing-a-long anthems across the county and beyond.
1. Best Drummer
2. Best Bassist
3. Best Guitarist
4. Best Duo
Live Performance – Match Box Mutiny
Ben Borrill and Pat Ward, aka Matchbox Mutiny, will be there, the lively Devizes-based duo who never fail to charm.
1. Best Original Band
2. Best Tribute Artist
Live Performance – Burn the Midnight Oil
Devizes own Burn The Midnight Oil will be playing. Theyโve come so far in such a short space of time with their own brand of breezy blues-rock, and they’ve a new song to play us; weโre excited to see them perform.
1. Best Solo Female Artist
2. Best Solo Male Artist
Live Performance – George Wilding
Our lovable legend George Wilding is a name most of you should know, and heโs coming to play a few songs, of course he is!
1. Best Original Song
2. Rising Star Newcomer
3. Best Instrumental
4. Best Vocalist
Live Performance – Jolyon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta
Then thereโs Salisbury-basedย Joylon Dixon andย Rachel Sinnettaย โ a duo who raised the roof off the Three Crowns recently, but I knew it was coming as Rachelโs supreme vocal range and Joylonโs professional accompanying will enthral all.
1. Outstanding Contribution to the Wiltshire Music Scene
2. Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community
3. Special Awards (1)
Live Performance – Lucas Hardy
Award winningย Lucas Hardyย is coming too. Loved on the Salisbury circuit, Lucas will delight you, for what will be, I believe, his first time playing in Devizes; I could be wrong!
1. Special awards (2)
2. Lifetime Achievement Award
Live Performance: Nothing Rhymes with Orange
Devizes homegrown indie-rock phenomenon Nothing Rhymes With Orange will polish off the evening. They created a storm locally a few years ago as a teen sensation, the likes of which I claimed to be the โBeatlemania of Devizes!โ Now studying together at Bristol Uni, their popularity has spread nationwide. Back home they have inspired a new generation to form bands, and we welcome them back delighted.
Image: Gail Foster
Evening closes around 11:30pm, when you have my permission to drag me down to the Exchange nightclub below and buy me a Bacardi Breezer!
I look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, and I hope you all enjoy the evening.
I would like to thank our sponsors: Stone Circle Music Events. Trowbridge Motor Supplies. DJ Mark Anthony. VB Art Studios. The Three Crowns Devizes. Don’t Stop The Music Radio Show. Our guest announcers, Ian and the staff at the Corn Exchange, Devizes Books, and Fantasy Radio.
You go cover yourself in hormone messing phthalates, toxic formaldehyde, or even I Can’t Believe It’s Not Body Butter, if you wish, but it’s all the same soap but in a different bottle to me. Lab mice with slap and economical slaves in sweatshops, so unethical multinational bastards can prey on your vanity, when unless you can photoshop yourself for real you’re never going to look like the girl in the magazine; the actual girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the bloody magazine! Ah, our dynamic gothic duo Deadlight Dance are onto them, with a brand new single out todayโฆ.
Edgy and with synths heavy enough to make New Order blush, Gloss attacks the beauty industry, its harmful lies and unrealistic standards, in an era most pop stars are encouraging it; good on them…. Deadlight Dance that is, not the pop star!
Punk enough to meet the Stooges, yet the dark electronica of Joy Division mostly, it comes in laden for its three and a half minutes entirety. Nick and Tim state it’s not strictly typical of the forthcoming album that the band is releasing in 2026, yet they always apply a unique and innovative narrative, so we look forward to whatever direction it takes.
For now, though, Gloss is a storming dark sound, with Nick’s howling vocals somewhere in the distance, sighing the same thought-provoking lyrical content we’ve come to love Deadlight Dance’s for. It’s a monster in Dior.
The duo have held our attention only last week with a great gig at Devizesโ Cellar Bar with JP Oldfield. But if the live show is blossoming, Gloss does likewise for recordings. Ah, top production again from that purple-bearded legend Nick Beere at Mooncalf Studio.
Out on Ray Records and streaming worldwide across all platforms from Friday 17th October 2024. Gloss is accompanied by a video on the bandโs YouTube page, another collaboration with Haunting the Atom.
Deadlight Dance suggests it’s a new chapter for the self-styled Wiltshire Gothic; I welcome it, and as I’ve said before, whilst I was a mere window-shopper to gothic rock in its heyday, Deadlight Dance caused me to realise what I missed.
Right, review done, I’ve got to go shave my eyebrows off, and draw them back on with a Sharpieโฆ..
The spookiest of half terms is nearly upon us again; kids excited, parents not quite so much! But hey, as well as Halloween, here’s what family fun and activities we’ve found locally to pass the time, save on Haribo and prevent wine 0’clock overloading…..
There’s a list of pumpkin patches at the end! What more do you want?!
Have a fangtastic fortnight, and oh, and come back to spook this list again soon, as I’m sure more will be added!
Wed 15th
Okay, let’s kick off early, Wednesday 15th, school gates still open, but St Thomasโ Church Trowbridge has a Brownie Trail session from 6:45, find the link below…..
Rag and Bone Arts CIC‘s recurring event in Chippenham for ages 12+. You can do art and design or acting improvisation, delivered in 10 week blocks. Taught by professional actor Rebecca Osborne, learn how to think on your feet, respond and listen and make up scenes using just your brilliant mind and spontaneous ideas.
With over 4.5 million social media followers and countless TV appearances under his belt, Pete Firman is the UK’s top comic magician. Join him for an evening of ‘Tricks & Giggles’, as Pete brings his trademark blend of magic and comedy from the small screen to stages around the UK with this brand-new show. Expect impossible feats, sleight of hand and big laughs from one of magic’s most exciting performers! As seen on Amazon’s Good Omens, ITV1’s Tonight at the London Palladium and The Next Great Magician, BBC1’s The John Bishop Show and The Sarah Millican Television Programme. He’s probably also popped up on your social media feeds with his mind-boggling and regularly viral magic videos. Age restriction: 11+.
Steph & Craig Mitchell presents a spooky and ghouly edition of their Gigs for little onesโฆ and their grown-ups!
Weโre edging closer to Halloween, and Steph & Craig are back with all things spooky and ghouly! Donโt worry โ nothing too scary for the babies and Littlesโฆ or grown-ups for that matter! But there will be some seasonal bangers โ think Monster Mash, Ghostbusters and The Cranberries to name a few.
Get into the mood and come in spooky fancy dress. Who ya gonna call? Rock The Tots!
Sessions are approximately 1 hour long, without an interval. Suitable for children aged 0-6, and their adults. Under 1s go free!
Journey to the Centre of the Earth @ Pound Arts, Corsham
Standard: ยฃ15
Lamphouse Theatre presents โฆ Journey to the Centre of the Earth!
Take a break Rick Wakeman, back to your trailer Brendan Fraser, watch and learn Jules Verne, Lamphouse are going on a journey all the way to the centre of the Earth! Two intrepid explorers, one impossible mission (featuring at least one joke about a big hole), and no special effects budget whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong?
From the makers of War of the Worlds (On a Budget) and Frankenstein (On a Budget) this new comedy take on Jules Verneโs classic novel will be one epic night out, full of belly laughs, brand new music and really impressive* dinosaurs.
Featuring Tom Fox and Becky Owen-Fisher, the familiar faces behind the On a Budget series, Journey to the Centre of the Earth will be another fan favourite. Expect silly jokes, catchy tunes, ridiculous costumes and lots and lots of cardboard.
Come along to the 1st Devizes Halloween Bingo for an afternoon full of treats and spooky fun at 1st Devizes scout hall 29 Southbroom Rd Devizes SN10 5AD. Eyes down 4pmโ6pm. Bingo games for everyone. Fancy dress โ come in your best Halloween costume! Prizes & goodie bags. Yummy food and refreshments. Raffle with lots of surprises. The perfect way to enjoy Halloween with the whole family!
It’s Trowbridge Carnival, see the link below for details!
Join Waterstones, 29 Borough Parade, Chippenham SN15 3WL for their Sunday afternoon storytime where they will be reading the slimy ‘The Dinosaur That Pooped A Monster’ by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter. All are welcome.
Mon 20th
Rock the Tots: Spooky Fun @ Pound Arts, Corsham
Steph & Craig Mitchell presents a spooky and ghouly edition of their Gigs for little onesโฆ and their grown-ups!
Weโre edging closer to Halloween, and Steph & Craig are back with all things spooky and ghouly! Donโt worry โ nothing too scary for the babies and Littlesโฆ or grown-ups for that matter! But there will be some seasonal bangers โ think Monster Mash, Ghostbusters and The Cranberries to name a few.
Get into the mood and come in spooky fancy dress. Who ya gonna call? Rock The Tots!
Sessions are approximately 1 hour long, without an interval. Suitable for children aged 0-6, and their adults. Under 1s go free!
Our friendly historian Brian Edwards has a talk on white horses in Pewsey. I’m not sure how family-friendly this will be, but budding historians might find it of interest.
Running until Saturday 25th. Written by Willy Russell, the legendary Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with fateful consequences. Few musicals have received quite such acclaim as the multi-award winning Blood Brothers. The production ran for more than 10,000 performances in Londonโs West End, one of only five musicals ever to achieve that milestone. It has been affectionately christened the โStanding Ovation Musicalโ, as inevitably it โbrings the audience cheering to its feet and roaring its approvalโ (The Daily Mail). The superb score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me Itโs Not True. Age Guidance: 12+
Wed 22 โ Sat 25 Oct โข 3pm & 7:30pm โข Admission ยฃ15 โข Community Theatre
By Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss Presented by Merriman Productions
His-storyโs about to get overthrownโฆ again! Back by popular demand, Merriman Productions present SIX: TEEN EDITION; a full-length adaptation of Toby Marlow and Lucy Mossโ international phenomenon SIX, modified for performance by teen actors for family audiences.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.
All children must be accompanied by one adult per child. If you have multiple adults coming (parents/grandparents), we kindly ask that they wait in the cafรฉ for the workshop to finish.
Numbers are limited. Booking is essential and due to limited spaces please book early to avoid disappointment. Sessions are ยฃ9.50 per child. Refreshments will be available from our coffee shop to purchase. Our age recommendation for our Art Clubs is 3-11.
All children must be accompanied by one adult per child. If you have multiple adults coming (parents/grandparents), we kindly ask that they wait in the cafรฉ for the workshop to finish.
Numbers are limited. Booking is essential and due to limited spaces please book early to avoid disappointment. Sessions are ยฃ9.50 per child. Refreshments will be available from our coffee shop to purchase. Our age recommendation for our Art Clubs is 3-11.
Our awesome Parks and Open Spaces crew is rolling out their tractors, electric vehicles, and cool machinery for you to explore โ talk about a joyride!
This year, weโre joined by Arty Kids Pottery Painting, Crazy Cheeks face painting and Chloeโs Mobile Farm. And donโt forget to flex those brain muscles with our Halloween themed word search โ go on a letter hunt around the park and see if you can conjure up the spooky words!
Dress to impress in your Halloween finest! The Deputy Mayor will be on the lookout for the best costumes at 1:30pm right outside the Cafรฉ โ and there are prizes up for grabs in these categories:
Ages 6 and under
Ages 7-12
Ages 13+ (adults, unleash your inner ghoul!)
Come for the fun, stay for the spooky vibes โ see you in the park!
This October half term, The Woodbridge Inn is bringing the community together for a spooktacular celebrationโand everyoneโs invited!
Dates: Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October Thursday 30th & Friday 31st October Fest opens at 12PM | Fun until 6PM
Whatโs waiting for you: Pumpkin Picking Craft & Produce Market โ handmade gifts, bakes, jams, plants, sweets & more Sweet & Cake Stalls Arts & Crafts Activities Face Painting & Hair Braiding Burgers, Hot Dogs & Autumn Eats Fun Tarot Readings Live Music & Autumn Vibes Beer, Wine & Seasonal Sips from the Bar
Whether youโre here to shop, snack, sip, or simply soak up the spooky atmosphere, this is a celebration for all ages. Weโre proud to support local businesses and bring our community together for a few days of festive fun.
The Parade Cinema Marlborough Family Halloween Trail
Our annual halloween trail makes it’s return on Saturday 25th October at The Parade Cinema Marlborough!
Each ticket purchase for Corpse Bride or Hotel Transylvania on the 25th October gives a child a free spot on our yearly Halloween Trail around Marlborough, open from 11am to 2:30pm. We expect the trail to take around 45 minutes to complete, so last entry for the trail will be 1:45pm.
Book your tickets now… if your dare! www.theparadecinema.com 01672 646232 (Between 10am & 7pm)
Longleat Ghost Tours
This October Half Term, Ghost Tours are making a spooky return during Longleat’s Great British Autumn event. Longleat House was built between 1567 โ 1580, and it is believed to still have people who featured in its history making their presence felt. Discover the supernatural stories as expert guides reveal the tale of Lady Louisa Carteret, known as the Grey Lady, who is said to still walk the corridors searching for her lover.
Kidsโ Halloween Spooktacular @ Broadtown Brewery – Hop Chapel and Hop Gardens, Lydiard Tregoze
Bring the kids along to The Hop Chapel on Saturday 25th October from 1 – 3pm as we transform The Old Brewhouse into The Old BOO-house!!
๐ We’ll have two whole hours full of Halloween fun, with pumpkin carving, ghoulish games and more (all treats no tricks, we promise – we don’t want to scare your little ones!)
๐ป We’ll have a prizes up for grabs for the best pumpkin design, best pumpkin carving and the best dressed, so don’t forget your costumes!
from 25th Oct to 2nd Nov 2025, get out into the great outdoors this October half term for an insect-themed trail around the 270 acres of parkland. ยฃ2.50 per trail (normal admissions apply). Booking not required. Running 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3pm.
Looking for a fun and creative way to spend time with your child or grandchild this October? Our Autumn Half Term Chocolate Experience is the perfect school holiday activityโdesigned for adults and children aged 5 & up to enjoy side-by-side.
Hosted by The Southwestโs Chocolate Champion, Holly Garner, this joyful and cosy experience is all about making sweet memories together as the autumn chill sets in.
๐ซ Start with a hot chocolate treat Warm up with a choice from our Ultimate Hot Chocolate Menuโfeaturing 12 indulgent flavours to begin your chocolate-filled day.
๐ Discover where chocolate comes from Taste raw cocoa beans, sample our signature blends, and learn how chocolate is madeโplus how we support small, ethical cocoa farms around the world.
๐๐ปMake & decorate your own chocolates Roll up your sleeves and create your own delicious chocolate treats to take home (if they donโt get eaten first!).
๐ Enjoy a special shopping discount Take home even more chocolatey joy with an exclusive Hollychocs discount on the day.
Rowdey Cow Halloween Festivities
Perfect for parents, grandparents and carers looking for something memorable to do with their children this autumn. Whether itโs bonding time, a school holiday treat or a special birthday surpriseโthis is time well (and sweetly) spent.
Join us at the Rowdey Cow for our halloween festivities
Pick a pumpkin from its patch & come in to carve your spooky artwork!
Join us for a more relaxed visit at the REME Museum during this special opening outside of our regular hours.
We have designed these โLights Up, Sounds Downโ days to reduce sensory input for individuals who would prefer a quieter experience. These sessions are primarily for, though not limited to, anyone who has sensory processing disorder; autism; social, emotional or mental health needs; dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or any other sensory needs.
During these days we will have:
Lights On โ our overhead gallery lighting will be turned on, without spotlights, to create a brighter environment in which to explore. Sounds Down โ we will reduce sound effects throughout the museum as much as possible by turning off most โsurround soundโ interactives and reducing volumes. Sensory maps โ we have marked out any areas around the museum where you may find louder interactives or visual effects that we cannot turn off. This means you can choose your own route and avoid any areas as you wish.
If you would like to bring any sensory items (including but not limited to ear defenders, magnifying glass, book, squeezy toy) that will help you or your loved one to enjoy their experience better, please feel free to do so, just make sure you hold onto it and take it home with you!
Join Filskit Theatre for an uplifting and relaxing hour with a talented live musician playing beautiful acoustic versions of well-known folk, jazz and pop songs. Enjoyable for both big and small ears alike thereโll be beautiful, atmospheric sensory visuals perfect for even the youngest audience members. And, as itโs halt term, bigger kids are welcome too so bring them along for this hour of fun and sensory play for the whole family.
October Holiday Activities @ Wiltshire Museum Devizes
October Holiday ActivitiesLecture Hall 28th October 2025 10:30 am – 12:00 pm 10:30 am – 12:00 pmCome along to our spooky Halloween activities for ages 3 to 11: pebble skulls spooky ghosts paper pumpkins and puppetsโฆ
Book OnlineOctober Holiday ActivitiesLecture Hall 28th October 2025 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm 1:30 pm – 3:00 pmCome along to our spooky Halloween activities for ages 3 to 11: pebble skulls spooky ghosts paper pumpkins and puppets.
Art Workshop in Rowde
On Tuesday morning, the 28th of October, from 9am to 12 noon, an Art Workshop takes place, at The Mind Tree Cafe in Rowde. It’s creative fun with collage and mixed media, hosted by Nancy Rose. It’s ยฃ30 for the session, and you must book in advance by emailing nancyrosehats@yahoo.com
This October Half Term, join us at the REME Museum for spooktacular STEM and crafts activities for all the family to enjoy.
โRocket Poweredโ โ Tuesday 28 October Drop-in, Education Suite
Design and launch your own bottle rocket or air powered car, using the same principles of engineering in rocket science! Led by our Education Officer, Andrew.
Miniature Assault Course โ Every day 28-31 October Drop-in, outdoors
Take on our miniature army-style assault course! Race your way across the course or take your time and enjoy the challenge! Please note: This activity is weather dependent.
Princess Pirate @ Pound Arts, Corsham
Adult: ยฃ10 Child: ยฃ10 Under 2s: FREE
Pirate Princess is a heartwarming story of hope against adversity told with physical theatre, clowning and circus. This brand new solo show by circus performer and professional idiot Gemma Bond tells the tale of poor shipwrecked Princess Poppy. Can she overcome a big dress, extreme weather and the ultimate test of strength to see her way to safety?
Inspired by strong and inventive women of history, Poppy must transform physically and mentally if she is to have any hope of rescuing herself from eternity on an island in the ocean. The show encourages all to reuse, repurpose and recycle as Poppy reinvents her outfit and her mindset to overcome her predicament.
A visual feast of colourful costume and a unique crowโs nest on a pole prop, this is a fun filled show for children aged 5 to 11 and their families.
All children must be accompanied by one adult per child. If you have multiple adults coming (parents/grandparents), we kindly ask that they wait in the cafรฉ for the workshop to finish.
Numbers are limited. Booking is essential and due to limited spaces please book early to avoid disappointment. Sessions are ยฃ9.50 per child. Refreshments will be available from our coffee shop to purchase. Our age recommendation for our Art Clubs is 3-11.
The Sheep Ate Up The Fairies @ Trowbridge Museum
3 days of captivating talks, hands-on crafts & engaging activities start today!
A one hour boat trip on Friday 31st October at 16:00 and 18:00 along the canal packed with fun and games for the children. Fancy dress welcome.
Please Note: Dogs are accepted at the discretion of the Skipper on the day who will check with other passengers first. Family tickets not available.
Children must be accompanies by at least one adult.
Kenavon Venture is a wide beam boat, seating up to 38 passengers, operated by volunteers of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust. To book a private charter of this or any other trip, please send an enquiry via the main website.
โBuild a Tankโ Junk Modelling โ Friday 31 October Self-led, Creation Station
Come and create your own special REME-inspired vehicle to take away with you! Get creative and see what you can make from recycled materials. The only limit is your imagination!
I mean, Devizes own contemporary blues throwback, JP is getting bookings, and rightly so. He’s off to Trowbridgeโs Lamb next Saturday for a double-bill with Joe Burke. Likewise our favourite Goth duo Deadlight Dance too, Tim showing me some fetching snaps from Friday night’s gig at Frome’s Tree House. But sometimes it’s nice to play an intimate home gig you DIY, so we’re down The Bear Hotel’s Cellar Bar, reviving a once beloved venue with alternative options to Devizesโ status quoโฆ..
And it was; Nick Fletcher and Tim Emery were on the cobblestones first, attired marvellously macabre with whitewash faces; All Hallows’ Eve comes early for goths, and they don’t require Haribo! Equally terror-fically tenebrous was their set, sublimely shadowy synths, then their gloomy guitar rhythm fragments darkened by Nick’s howling vocals. When they came for air you could hear a pin drop.
Deadlight Dance found my inner-goth and devoured it some years ago, still their show improves like a fine Dracula’s blood-wine ….with age and nightly kills! They worked precisely through several tunes from their three albums, concentrating particularly on Chapter & Verse, last year’s gothic literary inspired outpouring. They sprinkled the set with covers, a synth-driven Cureโs Just Like Heaven, for example, quite different from the acoustic version on their breathtaking homage album, The Wiltshire Gothic.
They finished on their ghostly reverberating post-punk makeover of Heartbreak Hotel, because if you’re a goth duo planning to cover an Elvis Presley song, one about a lonely man jumping from a hotel window is apt. Then they stripped it back for an acoustic wandering through the crowd encore.
Herein lies the connection which made a double-bill of post-punk goth and rootsy blues work; JP Oldfield duties the plaintive projection of original southern blues, often termed gothic. Therein the expression of rural, economically disadvantaged African-American communities, and through his gorgeous bass vocal range, the metallicity of his resonator and pounding suitcase drum, it’s about as authentic as you’re going to get on our local circuit.
Yet if JPโs writing is foreboding and disquietude, in line with its influences, some of the darkest corners of his debut Bouffon wasnโt inclusive at this live show, and replaced by some outstanding, intricate and rightfully resonate guitar-work; plus thereโs always the kazoo and his natural banter to brighten things up.
His latest single polished off an amazing set, No Rest, indeed. It embodies everything progressive about this rising starโs skill and bittersweet panache; a fellow who can hold an audience spellbound despite being, perhaps, an acquired taste. But I challenge anyone critical to stay whilst JP thrusts out House of the Rising Sun, making it his own, as itโs so befitting to his encapsulating style. Yet the broadest evaluation of JP Oldfield is simply that, through his dedication and blossoming experience he continuously improves. It is this then which encourages me to call this gig in, slight in attendees which it unfortunately was as the chills of autumn blast through, the best and most passionate Iโve seen JP play.
Mind you, I groaned about the weather shift to Nick of Deadlight Dance, who replied with positivity. Apparently, he likes Autumn, I joked, โthatโs because youโre a goth and Iโm a milkman!โ
I do hope we can find more gigs down the Cellar Bar, and bring it back to its former glory, a sentiment I believe will be reflected by the live music hunters of Devizes.
The biggest risk for any media reporting negatively on illegal raves is that, in their youth, their fifty-plus target audience probably attended illegal raves themselves!โฆ
Devizes Music Academy is set to bring joy, energy and a whole lot of sparkle to the stage with its latest musical theatre production,ย Sister Actย laterโฆ
Thimbles on standby, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts are calling all creative craftspeople and makers to their new project, The Makers Exchange. Itโs a new craftโฆ
Whether you’ve a bizarre inclination to meet the Addams Family in the flesh and figure this might be your closest opportunity, you couldn’t think ofโฆ
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 onto the 4th July 2026 in your diary, and maybe jot down 1st November this year down too, because thatโs when the first set of fifty early-bird tickets will go on sale, a snip at just twenty quidโฆ.
With an iffy weather forecast for July, one Saturday in 2023 I found myself waiting for bus 49 in Devizes, and met with a group of kindly but disorientated folk attempting to get to Bishop’s Cannings for the second Crownfest. I assured them I was heading there too, so all they needed to do was follow my lead.
As it was you couldn’t miss it; the bus stopped right outside. On the journey a number of people were wondering which stop to get off at and so I assured them too. It was at that point I addressed the entire bus, as everyone looked up for a party, โis anyone here not going to Crownfest?!โ Seemed only the driver wasn’t, and probably would have if he wasn’t working!
That poor bus driver wouldโve loved it, as it was a far better attendance than the inaugural one the previous year. Even torrential downpours didn’t stop the fun, as its fully deserved outstanding reputation had blossomed. It was a fantastic event, check my words on it HERE. Unfortunately due to a change of ownership Crownfest wouldn’t see its way to a third this sumner. But every cloud, literally, has a silver lining. Crownfest is back and recharging for 2026; Bishops Cannings has never had it so good!
Save the date and Stone Circle Music Events will save the day. With camping available, this is a golden nugget on this summer’s local festival hotlist. The only returning act will be Kinisha, the Tina Turner tribute act called (and undoubtedly is true) Simply The Best. Kinisha turned my head around about Tina Turner tributes; we donโt need another hero if weโve got her headlining, oh, but we haveโฆ. lots of heroes.
Firstly, while weโre on tributes, this one is my recommendation; someone listens to me! Itโs Ant Trouble, the Welsh Adam & The Ants tribute which Iโve been dying to get a gig locally since I witnessed their lively and precise volcanic eruption at Swindonโs Vic in February 2023. This is so good when some Facebook wombles prompted AI to write a piece on the real Adam Ant, it nicked my photo of Ant Trouble! I dunno, who do I sue for that, The Terminator?! Nevertheless, prepare for some ant music.
The remaining lineup consists of only the toppermost acts on Stone Circleโs books. If I say indie-pop darlings Talk in Code will be there, thatโs surely enough to entice you. But thereโs pioneers of ukular fusion with Mother Ukers Ukuele Band, The Tipsy Gypsies will enthrall with lively folk goodness, and itโll get all Celtic when the sublime Publicans get on that stage. Five-piece Salisbury rock band Innovator will be there, alongside acoustic goodness from George Wilding and Lucas Hardy.ย
Fantastic lineup, wonderful pub with great tucker, camping, or with that trusty 49 bus running later now, you could potentially bus it there and back, provided the bus driver isnโt Tina Turnerโs number one fan, feels an uncontrollable compulsion to dance like thereโs no tomorrow, and shouts โend of the line!โ What more do you want?!
All Pop Master T-shirt wearers would like to think it does, but will the music of an era stand the test of time? Make a record, seal the deal, surely? True, your songs will be immortalised, but will they be remembered, or will they sadly be sadly archived, to slowly fade through generation gaps…. unless Ed Sheeran covers one?!?
Growing up in the eighties we ransacked our parent’s records. Ergo, I know my fair share about the music of the sixties, despite only being an itch in that decade. Similarly, my daughter can name a whole list of groups, singers and songs from my era, the eighties, but can she go further back? Can the younger generation even begin to imagine their grans and grandads frolicking at a love-in with eyes the size of saucers and wearing nothing but flowers in their hair, racing helmet-free on motorbikes into the night, drinking whiskey from a bottle until they dropped, then waking up in Mick Jaggerโs bed with four others?!
With three teenagers loitering on my sofa I thought I’d get all Tony Blackburn on them, and distract them from TikTok to find out. Thatโs the knivesโ edge I live on in order to provide you with such engaging content! Being there’s a triple headline sixties tribute act bonanza forthcoming at the Devizes Corn Exchange on the 31st October, with tributes to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Who, I thought I’d ask if the Gen Z of my family were remotely aware of any of them, or if they were more Gen Zzzz!
The result, though far from surprising, was a smidgen disheartening. My daughter knew of The Beatles, and named one averagely obscure song which happened to appear in a Marvel movie soundtrack. The boys didn’t have the foggiest, so I wasnโt holding any chances for the others. My daughter’s fella had heard of the term โrolling stone,โ but didn’t realise it was a band name. My son shrugged at the lot, and all asked โwho?โ when I name-dropped The Who; unsure if that was clarification or coincidental!
Incidentally, they all knew the 2010 Maroon 5 song, โMove Like Jagger,โ but only my daughter guesstimated Jagger mightโve been the frontman of one of the bands I was referring to!
Without getting any satisfaction, unless I resolve to forcibly thrusting pop history down their throats like it was on the GCSE curriculum, yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away, as it seems all of them will get fooled again, know not of the pinball wizardโs supple wrist, Ruby Tuesday or Lucy in the sky with diamonds, and I wouldnโt even attempt to explain why I’d like to be under the sea in an octopus’s garden in the shade. Whereโs Jack Black and his school of rock when you need them?!
Streaming music might affect future generations from becoming aware of music before their time. Without physical copies who knows where this will end, music will be throwaway, and maybe the nineties welcomed that concept in. But everything is online, even if Sgt Pepper might have adverts for Marks & Sparks Food Hall, it has to be worth trying to educate our youth that pop music would sound a whole lot different if it wasnโt for the sixties and bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who!
So, hereโs food for thought; though you might presume this Ceres Promotions triple headed sixties tribute show might be something for the Saga holidaymakers, perhaps you should reconsider, and see it more family outing, a vital history field trip?! Musicians of the sixties fired all their guns at once and exploded into space like a true natureโs child, whereas ours are content browsing Instagram with a bag of Haribo. We cannot stand idly by and allow this to happen!
Tickets are HERE fill your boots made for walking, that’s just what they need to do, and march them to the Corn Exchange on Friday 31st October rather than trick or treating, or one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!
As the excitement continues to detonate to an exploding point for our very first Stone Circle Music Events Wiltshire Music Awards on 25th October, we are thrilled to announce that Fantasy Radio, Devizesโ own beloved local broadcaster, will be joining us on the night in a special media partnership roleโฆ..
Represented by Lesley Scholes and Mark Jones, Fantasy Radio will be interviewing winners and nominees throughout the evening, capturing the stories, emotions, and celebrations as they unfold. These exclusive interviews will be broadcast on Fantasy Radio after the event, giving listeners across the county a chance to share in the fantastic moment.
In addition, Fantasy Radio will proudly display promotional banners inside the Corn Exchange on the day of the event, further cementing their support of local music and community talent.
One of the event organisers Eddie Prestige, UK Director for Stone Circle Music Events expressed his delight at the collaboration. โWeโre honoured to have Fantasy Radio involved in our inaugural awards. Their passion for local talent aligns perfectly with our mission to celebrate the incredible music scene here in Wiltshire. Weโre especially grateful for Fantasy Radio’s offer to assist during the evening. It’s this spirit of community that makes the event so special.โ
The Wiltshire Music Awards will take place on October 25th at the Corn Exchange, Devizes, bringing together musicians, industry supporters, and local media for an unforgettable night of recognition and entertainment. All tickets have now sold out, unfortunately, but the demand continues and excitement builds.
To add my own tuppence as one of the organisers, โit’s great to see Fantasy Radio onboard with this project, and I’m over the moon to watch the attention for this event blossom, from our early planning stages with Eddie and myself, to the point we’re at now, with a sold-out Corn Exchange, seven live acts performing for the evening, plus lots of surprises and guest appearances. I’m also delighted to say as well as the bar, Devizes-own Soupchick will be preparing a few delicious dishes for attendees to tuck into.โ
Stay tuned to Fantasy Radio in the coming weeks for updates, and after the event to hear the exclusive interviews with Wiltshireโs rising stars! Obviously we will be reporting live from the scene too, as much as possible in-between hosting and presenting!ย
When I put together the 4 Juliaโs House compilation albums a few years ago I decided I shouldnโt pick favourites out of the eighty-one songs donated, but if I had to, it wouldโve indisputably been Atlantic O by Will Lawton and Ludwig Mack. With the ambience of the gods, this track is such a soothing sentimental earworm it makes you go all tingly as it drifts like a lost ship on the sea. Now the duo have released a debut album, matching the sublimity of Atlantic O. The story behind it is of an absorbing coincidence, and its unique marketing is equally as genius as the musicโฆ..ย
At the time I was aware of the virtuosity and diversity of Malmsbury musical magician, Will Lawton, from solo performances and fronting The Alchemists. At the time he sent the tune for the project he briefly explained Ludwig was an Argentinian musician he had been working with, but their connection is far more complex and is explained in the book to the album, which is in turn, currently the only way to hear it.ย
A story of serendipity expressed earnestly through a 36-page hardback, which continues to detail the thought processes of the album, each individual song, and the musicians which accompany them along the titled journey Five Years in the Cotswolds. Then, on the back cover thereโs a QR code to scan, leading you to streaming options; I suggest you do, your ears will love you forevermore.
Enticed by the lure of English music, and his European travelling plans cut short by the pandemic, Argentinian musician Ludwig Mack arrived in the UK from Spain a day prior to lockdown. He had already connected with Will via Instagram, not realising when he settled in Hullavington he was coincidently only a few miles away from Willโs home. They jammed together, the song Atlantic O, and within a year produced the EP Heroes.
Ludwig explored the UK, and found work whether he could, whilst Will continued with family life, his band the Alchemists and his employment as a music psychotherapist. But Ludwig often dropped in to see Will, and it was inevitable this project would blossom like the opening tune, aptly Blossom, a tender springtime daydream contrasting aging with memories. Itโs as majestic as the morning chorus, and includes a naturally sourced one too.
The fabric of this album continues on this theme, indeed Songbird follows suit into the most gentle flow of concentrated bliss. Itโs the first single released this Friday (10/10) of the goodness of nature rather than societyโs machine, unhinged and timeless piano-based folk, and celebratory of the glory wildlife in all its splendour, wrapped in the warmest serenity. By its very composure it defines the sum of all this goodness and shapes a heart in your mind; if an album was a wander through a springtime meadow, this is a stroll to remember.
It comes as no surprise Will is a music psychotherapist, if the vocation is to improve wellbeing, increase happiness and overcome issues. One listen to Five Years in the Cotswolds is the best remedy. Ten solid tunes, all the like to make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. Thereโs few artists able to accomplish this, I could cite many, from Bill Withers to John Denver and you will contemplate your favourites when this caresses your senses.
The album lifts with euphoric pace at Godโs Plan, and Iโm left thinking of Marvin Gayeโs What’s Going On as its aperture opens the album to a similar width of beauty. From the guitar chimes of November to the quirkiness of the bluegrass-esque Walk Each Other Home, and from the amorous ambience of Clouds to Freya Everestโs haunting vocal range on I Noticed, this album continues flowing on the theme as a paragon, never meandering off course.
Its production is as crisp as autumn leaves, the arrangements are like sunlight. The composition is a Vivaldi, its versification is W. H. Daviesโ Leisure, the musical expression of a Monet, a pilgrimage to a Constable masterpiece, or all of these wonders capturing the beauty of nature equally combined and consumed, it really is this breathtaking. Devizine
Its production is as crisp as autumn leaves, the arrangements are like sunlight. The composition is a Vivaldi, its versification is W. H. Daviesโ Leisure, the musical expression of a Monet, a pilgrimage to a Constable masterpiece, or all of these wonders capturing the beauty of nature equally combined and consumed, it really is this breathtaking.ย
Bathโs producer and musician, Rob McLeod, aka Mac Lloyd, Spanish multi-instrumentalist Guillem Mitchel, London based jazz singer-songwriter and producer Freya Everest and drummer Tony Partridge who met Will at Schtumm in Box, are the other collaborators behind this enchanting project, alongside composer and arranger Benjamin Lawton, Willโs son.
Streaming platforms are held off until next year on this, the book to Five Years in the Cotswolds is the albumโs only current access point, and is available on their website, and at upcoming gigs, The Castle, Swindon on 16th October, and Pound Arts in Corsham on 6th November, details of which are also on their website.
Just who is Theodore Thump? A wise pet rabbit? The mysterious sixth Beach Boy? This album newly released from Shedric, Swindon soloist and groovist ofโฆ
Buzzwords, like โturbo,โ or โsonicโ are cliche, overused trends which gain popularity because they sound impressive, even if they are empty of meaning. I avoidโฆ
Itโs always nice to hear when an inaugural local event is successful, especially one as unique and original as Marlborough School of Languagesโ annual Fiesta.โฆ
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Alright yeah, itโs a play on band names and thereโs only really two reasons to rock on Friday 17th October at Market Lavington Community Hall; Six O’clock Circus and The Reason. See what they did there? Genius! But, theyโre two of the heaviest heavyweight headline acts you should discover on our local cover circuit, so, as for the sum of the entertainment youโll receive by attending, you could deservedly multiply them by at least three, and make six! (I do maths too!)
Big time Calne mod-Britpop loving lads Six O’Clock Circus will raise the roof, and Westburyโs The Reason, with a penchant for timeless rock classics only intend to double it. Fronted by Nicky Davis, formerly a member of People Like Us and co-founder of the Female of the Species fundraising supergroup, find The Reason gigging locally and strap yourself in for a party! Not usually a function band, likely because theyโd upstage the reason for the actual function, (ambiguously the story behind their name?!), they recently performed at Melkshamโs proudest country-rock singer-songwriter Becky Lawrenceโs wedding, where the bride simply had to join in!ย
Likewise with Six O’clock Circus, find them gigging locally everywhere. A longstanding band of friends knocking guitar frenzied indie-mod-pop-rock favourites out of any park they care to stop by, and a few others along the way! I appreciate thereโs already been a lot of maths for a Sunday article, but this is simple; tickets are ยฃ12 a pop. The show starts at 7:30pm (NOT 6′ o’clock like the circus) at Market Lavington Community Hall, next Friday 17th October for a highly recommended party!
You might think it’s a laryngologist’s dream come true, this Lewis Capaldi-led decade’s penchant for the blue-eyed soul singersโ melismatic strain to cause Mick Hucknall to issue a health and safety warning, but to Swindon’s Brandon Clarke, aka Weather, it appears to be a natural and phenomenal giftโฆ..
This short and to the point new single from Weather, Bonnie, Be Mine, remains a prime example. Awash in contemporaneous RnB silkiness, Brandon’s vocal range is impressively evocative and weaponises a defence against any criticism of contemporary pop.If Alex Warren is the millennial solitary Bieber from across the pond, Weather is more the Solomon Burke of Swindon, which I believe is a deserved higher rewarding accolade by a country mile!
Yet, despite the sombre emotional outpouring of a hopeful romance, there’s a subtle carefree attitude in Weather’s tenet which awards his sound with a nonchalant sunny side of the street feel, and it’s positively contagious.
This was displayed with panache at Swindon Shuffle, where he blasted the Tuppenny with his prerecorded tracks and toasted merrily over them, enticing the crowd. If it might sound overtly conceited and is something I’d usually turn away from, to a generation where hip hop is an ancestral baseplate it’s acceptable, but with Weather’s delivery it was so confident and indulgently cheerful it affixes a compulsory smile and an irresistible urge to stay to watch.
Even the cover to Bonnie, Be Mine displays an irony of Weather, if his sound is refreshingly modern nu-soul slash indie, with AI it conveys the retrospection of a Donald McGill postcard. So, if you’re reaching that far back before I make a comparison, Brandon, rather than eighties blue-eyed soul boys like George Michael, or even Motown/Stax artists like Wilson Pickett, with this humorous element could we go as far as someone he’d probably have to Google, like Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five?!ย You might think it’s audacious of me, but considering the whimsical merriment of rap trios like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul are forty years old, why not?!
Whatever the weather, it’s a great single and being Weather is prolifically pushing out professionally clasped greatness, we look forward to hearing more.
Right here, right now in Devizes, Palooza spawned and has become the fast-growing house music event brand in Wiltshire. They’ve beenย invited backย to perform atย Fatboy Slimโsโฆ
Featured Image: Helen Polaxpix What has Devizesโ greatest millennial musical export, England rugby player Jodie Ounsley’s ghost writer, some scummy mummies, a professor of biology atโฆ
Hurrah, at last! Only The Brave is the debut song from Burn The Midnight Oilโs revised lineup; something Iโve been anticipating since watching them rehearseโฆ
Oh yeah, invite me to a place with a bar, throw some of the best blues this side of New Orleans at me and then hope Iโll articulate some words about it next morning, why don’t you?! It’s okay readers, it’s become standard protocol for me, I’ve got thisโฆwith help from Ben and Vicky!
…Here goes my bit; it was the opening of the new season at Long Street Blues Club in Devizes last night. Homegrown blues legend Jon Amor paid it a visit, bringing along his proficient drum and bass section, Tom Gilkes and Jerry Soffe, respectively, a handful of special guests wise in the ways of instrumenting sublime blues, and an intention and motivation to pull an extravaganza from the anticipation in the ether. Irresistible prospect, had to witness, savour, and shake my tail feather to, like it was going out of fashion. Olโ Frankie Valli couldn’t describe it better, oh what a night.ย
Four to the floor electric blues was the order they marched out to, each one a showstopper yet the show didn’t hang around for the audience to contemplate. Musicians aplenty popping out of the stage door, grabbing instruments and jamming on a rotation akin to an ice hockey game. Johnny Henderson seated at the Hammond organ, Tom Jones guitarist Scott McKeon strumming with Will Edmunds, Craig Crofton blowing that sax, and precision sound engineering all enhanced the usual trioโs show, elevating it to a phenomenal stance.
There were times Jon smoothed it with rarely played ballads, such a superbly protracted Happiest All-Time Low, from his 2018 album Colour in the Sky, but for the most part the Juggernaut and his overload appeased the crowd with expeditious renditions of his belovedย sprightly favourites, and newer The Turnaround album tunes he recorded last year with Jerry & Tom, easiest to pick out being the swinging Rideau Street and the hard stomping riffs of the explicit Miss James. I donโt know who Miss James is, but the passion Jon puts into this, and every song, leaves you wondering what her phone number is!
If this Indian summer is subtle outside it was a furnace inside. Ex-Hoax guitarist Jon, a testament to Devizesโ Mel Bush effect, an immutable adoration of blues, is a stalwart on stage, delivering blues in a style only he could. The aforementioned gubbings only added to the trioโs splendour, and a truly fantastic opening evening for The Long Street Blues Clubโs new season.
But donโt take my word for it, hereโs what Ben Romain and Vicky thought about it, as we got our wires crossed and both wrote about it, but it was such a gig it deserves two reviews anyway!
Stand up and shout! Blues is what it is all about, laid back and loving Blues in D-town!
In my many years as a fan of Jonโs music Iโve seen him play many venues in Devizes and nearby. We are blessed of course with a monthly residence at The Southgate Inn, where the majority of this ensemble has at some point graced the stage. This evening was a change of a little more space to get some friends together, at our very own Blues Club.
A fine opening set from Leonardo Guilliani, a rapidly rising star, hailing from Southampton. No stranger to the club, having opened for Watermelon Slim previously.
Some great original songs from his album, and new songs from an upcoming release recorded at Abbey Road Studios! I particularly liked the new song โAngelโ, a soulful reflective song, with a gentle tone, blues of a sort but melodic and soothing in a contemporary Blues vein. A few well-chosen covers too, with some resounding classic electric blues. Overall, a perfect opener for this gig! I look forward to seeing him again along the road.
As Jon introduces the extended band to the stage, I am reminded of countless gigs in Devizes and beyond, where I have enjoyed all these musicians. This ensemble has between them played an unbelievable range of genre defining big names, and it showsโฆโฆwith the confident ease they poured into this session.
There are the Jon Amor Trio set regulars like โMiss Jamesโ, โJuggernautโ and โBirds Nest on the Groundโ, some less regular but great additions such as Jonโs โRed Telephoneโ and โHappiest All time Lowโ. This entire two hour plus set revelled in and resounding with the connectivity of the scene.
When Will Edmunds and Jon share โLovinโ Cupโ a rousing dance friendly classic we get to enjoy the best of this sense, a classic in the sets of Jon and Will in their regular haunts, sharing as they do, many gigs the might of Gilkes and Soffe.
Weโve enjoyed Jonny Henderson guest slots here in Devizes and with another Devizes and authorโs favourite Elles Bailey amongst others, weโve seen the wonderful Scott McKeon guest with Jon, and for a bonus Devizes point with Jonโs former bandmate Robin and Beaux Gris Gris and The Apocalypse and most commonly known for playing with Tom Jones.
I could ramble enthusiastically all day about the good vibes of this gig but thereโs a wider point to acknowledge before I run out of type spaceโฆ.that of the community and connectivity both with musicians and audiences.
We have an unusually high level of gigs, especially blues leaning gigs in our town. We have some pretty heavy hitters in the UK blues past and present around here which doubtless helps, but we are also blessed with venues born of passion, people who support those opportunities as much as they can, so we are known in Devizes for putting up a good audience.
Our little world faces challenges like all venues and scenes across the UK, yet on the whole we are bucking the trend and attracting fine music from the brave upstart to the big established names and something to be rightly proud of.
Thereโs weekly amazing music at the Southgate and these incredible seasons of blues at Long Street, pub gigs, even occasionally music in bars and coffee lounges!
Key to the future of all of it, is people getting involved. I could name around a third of the crowd last night, and know most of the band from past gigs, with all of the craziness of the world, when many conscious or not are affected by loss of community, unity and shared positive experienceโฆ.we have all that right here at home, every week.
I am now twelve years or so into my passionate support of local live music, it offers so much more than huge mega money gigs, and it supports through shared venues other aspects of our towns offer.
So, if you missed this incredible gig look at listings here, Facebook or wherever, message venues, talk to friends, thereโs always a solid welcome, and you may find your new favourite band or next best friend in the crowd!
Thanks Ben, that is exactly what itโs all about! And now a “further reading” related rant to finish on!
When I published a preview of Long Street’s new season I highlighted this gig in particular, because Jon is loved by the residents of Devizes as this native hero. It was inevitable, and something I had discussed with both Ian, organiser of Long Street, and Dave at the Southgate, that someone would comment on the social media shares of it, questioning why they would pay to see Jon at Long Street when his monthly residences at the Southgate are free. Being I suspect thereโs others that share this understandable view, and that money is a benefactor to deciding what to and what not to attend in these trying times, I thought Iโd answer it with my opinion, for better or worse.
Starter for ten, we love the Southgate, we love the fact they host these regular sessions with the Jon Amor Trio and usually a special guest, and weโve covered them many times. In fact, The Southgate has probably had more reviews from us than anywhere else. Dave and Ian are friends, they attend each other’s gigs and liaison to avoid clashes of similar gigs. The Southgate will pay what they can for an artist from money they make at the bar, most pubs operate this way, it is up to the artist to accept this or decline to play. The Southgate, like others, will hand around a tip hat, to top up the performersโ earnings. That is the way we get free gigs, but it is not how it works with event organisers who must pay for acts from the revenue of ticket sales. No matter how great this residency is at the Southgate, they are on Sunday afternoon when gravy is tipped onto your roast! Personally, due to work commitments Iโm unable to let my hair down over more than a pint, like I can do on a Saturday night; thatโs the time they let me out! Iโm sure others find themselves in a similar situation.
Aside this, with the capacity of the club greater than the pub allowing folk room to move, the enhancement of the show via additional guests forming an eight piece band at times, the perfection of the sound engineering, and the uninterrupted presentation, are all benefits you are unlikely to get in any pub environment. Saturday night proved this, for it was a cut above what any performer would be capable of in any pub. It was a fantastic night, if you were there you would know it was and accept it was total and utter class. If you weren’t, well, you only have my and Ben’s words it was so.
And with that notion we can put the final slither of their comment to bed, that Long Street has โzeroโ atmosphere. Yes, I understand there are a few longstanding devotees who favour to remain seated and silent, the root to my little regular jest labelling them โthe Devizes blues appreciation society!โ But the atmosphere is what YOU make it! We danced the night away, I loved it, Ben and Vicky clearly loved it, people around us loved it. No one bothered us in doing so and no dancer bothered those who opted not to. When compromise is necessary, no less punters at Long Street adhere than might in a pub.
Thereโs no hard feelings, the comment remains as we donโt delete fair opinions. Iโm no Nostradamus, but I suspected someone might suggest this, just a little irked to understand the reasoning for posting it. If it was to encourage others to side with them I genuinely think thatโs a shame, as it risks the continuation of this wonderful club. No one is forcing anyone to go anymore than anyone is forcing anyone else to write such a comment.
Hey, I might see them at the Gate sometime, but they should note some regulars there attended this one, and others who might not frequent the Southgate, they did too; why deny their chances to see an act they claimed to love themselves, like most of us in Devizes? Because, and hereโs the killer line, when Jon and his extended team blasted out the customary Juggernaut finale, feet were stomping, sweat rinsed shirts, and expressions of sheer joy blessed the faces of those in attendance. It was blissfully brilliant, the best night in Devizes Iโve had for a long time; long live Long Street Blues Club, but yeah, other options, such as The Southgate are available and come highly recommended too. What a petty fiasco!ย ย
Nothing cruel about our George Wilding; with his perfect match and another local legend of local music, Jolyon Dixon, they’re knocking out great singles like it’s child’s play…..
You’re So Cruel is out today and is a prime example. It’s an upbeat two minute blast of feelgood indie-pop, seemingly unfazed by the cruelty of the subject in the song, just you know, pointing it out, getting it off his chest!In subject it’s more akin to George’s earlier songs than the previous recent ones. Yet George seems to have captured the rule of not overthinking and keeping it to a simple hook.Yeah, rocks!
Add it to your playlist, even if you’re the cruel person in the song!!
Thereโs a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level, and it has got me thinking back to their Devizes rootsโฆ..ย
You know, I really cannot remember how this thing started, if they contacted me or if I found them. It was three years ago, at a time when local media seemed rampant with scare stories sensationalising teenage hooliganism. Folk jumped the bandwagon, naming and shaming wayward youth on Facebook like it was modern gallows, and making fearmongering sweeping generalisations, classing every child as a psychotic delinquent.
I figured this wasn’t the same picture I was seeing. That thereโs always been a handful off the rails, but in comparison to previous generations, most Gen Z were passive, thoughtful, and creative. So I set out to prove this wonky narrative wrong, and in doing so found many aspiring teenage bands to use as examples, but none so accomplished and motivated as Nothing Rhymes with Orange.
There was always something staunchly between the members of this Devizes School band, frontman Elijah Easton, Sam Briggs, Fin Anderson-Farquhar, and drummer Lui Venables, an unequalled camaraderie which combined their honing skills harmoniously. Their calculated sagacity writing painted a blithe picture of Gen Z, equal to how punk bands like The Newtown Neurotics summarised life for generation X, and it spawned a zeitgeist.
Image: Gail Foster
Moments after reviewing their debut single, Chow for Now, they launched an equivalently impressive EP called Midsummer. I figured it was overdue to check them out live, as they organised their own gig at West Lavington Village Hall. Divided between parents and youth I witnessed the birth of a local phenomenon. I dubbed it โBeatlemania in Devizes.โ Teenage fans chanted the chorus of Manipulation back at them, as Elijah jumped from the stage relishing in the moment.
I encouraged teenage budding writers and photographers to record this blossoming movement for us, as alongside bands like Melkshamโs The Sunnies, they were inspiring a new generation of musicians too. And for the adults, I wanted them to quit whinging about youth, by showcasing NRWO in an environment free from age division, where they could see for themselves this emergent youth fandom and the local band which created it. I urged our carnival committee that their annual โInternationalโ Street Festival in Devizes should showcase such a local act, and pride overcame me as I introduced them to the masses gathered in the Market Place, because alongside their excellent self-promotion, Devizine expressed with honesty that townsfolk should support this spectacular homemade band, and they did.
The lads released several new songs, all of which were tiny progressive steps to a maturity in their sound. At a gig at The Three Crowns in May 2024 Devizes-own BBC DJ and presenter, James Threlfall gave me constructive criticism regarding their production levels, suggesting it wasnโt quite to the level necessary and in comparison to upcoming bands across the southwest. I also worried at this time, moving along that adolescent rocky road generally was the make or break of a young band, usually the latter.
Delighted that they planned to study together in Bristol Uni, I finished off our local angled reporting of them with a parting interview, safe in the knowledge both the uni and bustling life in Bristol would open new doors for them and hopeful it would perfect their skills to the level James so honestly pointed out. A huge festival touring summer at Dot 2 Dot, Golden Touch, 110 Above and Camper Calling, returning to Studio 91 for the session which produced their new ear-invasive single, Shearwater, out at 6pm on 20th September across all streaming platforms, surely proves they have.
Image: Gail Foster
Shearwater signifies a hotly-anticipated next chapter, one of huge guitar sounds, jacked up drums and Elijahโs desperate vocals, evoking stories of fiery lust and explosive aftermaths. This is the single which will do for an international audience what Nothing Rhymes With Orange did locally three years ago. The spritely frenzy is replaced by the concentrated rhythmic flow and evocative ambience of the kind of timeless indie-pop anthem a multitude of audiences will shine their phone torches too. The layers are divine, the composition professionally crafted.
Iโve never needed to exaggerate my appraisal nor flatter NRWO for encouragement. I saw this potential, as did their local fanbase. And tomorrow you can hear the fruits of their labour in full bloom, a categorical advancement of Devizes export to the world, and it makes me feel proud to have backed them to this point, what the future holds is answered in this track, and it looks orange!
But donโt just take my word for it; chatting to James Threlfall just yesterday, I pointed out this single felt like the entry level we were talking about last May, and he agreed, telling me they’ve landed a featured artist spot on BBC Introducing South and West, which is live at 8pm tonight (Thursday 8pm.) The single will be debuting live at their upcoming headline show, 26th September, at The Old England, Bristol. Thereโs also an exciting word on the grapevine: an album is the pipeline. Oh, and donโt forget they’re playing our Wiltshire Music Awards on 23rd October here in Devizes, and will be at Devizes Arts Festival next summer like Bruce Springsteen returning to New Jersey!
For me, Iโll always have those early moments, like blagging a Sharpie from the sound engineer at street festival, so teenage girls could have their T-shirts signed (not by me, you understand?!!)
Milkman hours with grandkids visiting it was inevitable a five hour day shift was all I was physically able to put into this year’s Swindon Shuffle. Apologies, but it was plenty to tell they knocked it out of the park again this yearโฆ..
They don’t even need a park. Just a selection of Old Town’s finest watering holes, live music hunters, bucket collectors, sound technicians and only the damn finest collective of musicians we have around here. Such is the magnitude of this beast if you camped on the roundabout at the top of Vic hill for the whole thing you’d still miss something. I measure its success by the expression of fatigue on chief organiser Ed Dyer’s face and kindly remind him he still has a day to go, but I can only tell you what I saw.
The Shuffle is a Swindon institution, a convention for local musicians, and an opportunity for me to meet with other media types like Jamie of the Ink and Dave of Dancing About Architecture. It also serves as an indication that if Eddie Prestidge and myself have spawned The Wiltshire Music Awards this year, our sponsorship with Stone Circle securing its future years is essential, because we’ve only scratched the surface of the quality and quantity of talent in our area. For the most though, it’s a free and unmissable local music showcase raising vital funds for Prospect Hospice.
I divide the options into three variables; safe bets I’ve seen before, ones I must cross off my must-see list, and ones where I’m taking a gamble and going in blind. My only dilemma is the arrangement of them. Thankfully, while clashes are inevitable, the program is so neatly designed with consideration and expertise, each pub staggering their individual schedules every quarter of an hour, and daytime and evening sessions in neighbouring locations, so there’s the potential to stagger and catch at least a bit of all.
Harmony Asia
Safe bets firstly. My rush to get into Old Town, park up and get to the Pulpit was for Chippenham’s soulful singer-songwriter Harmony Asia. Harmony had just taken to the fireplace setting and was performing her succinct and poignantly self-penned acoustic marvels. If they’re written concisely in plain and contemporary language without cryptic riddles, it’s the delivery of them which holds a crowd spellbound. And they were, Harmony charms.
Jol Rose
The only other assured expert I paid a visit to was again at The Pulpit, a comfy new bar on Devizes Road, and that was Americana marvel Jol Rose. Stalwart and reputable, Jol is Swindon’s answer to Woody Guthrie and only a fraction away from that level of brilliance.ย
A Dylan-esque genius in all modest manners and labour, who’ll encapsulate his audience with ease, and deliver the diverse offerings of a sublime yet prolific wordsmith. Jol is a testament to the wealth of an acoustic singer-songwriter, who could pen a dejected romance song, or, as he also did, make a social or political statement with poetic divinity.
Between The Linesย
Hey look, I’ve been here before, aware the evening was young, and a plethora of accomplished bands would shake up the Beehive, Castle and Hop. Tuckered out and the patient and understanding wife twisting my arm with the promise of a homemade lasagne, I confess, I caved, it’s an age thing; but was determined not to until I crossed Between the Lines off my must-see list. If decisions are standard with the Shuffle’s exhaustive roster, this was the best one I made.
Rarely a debut single would be rewarded with an interview on Devizine, yet Melksham’s upcoming indie-rock quartet Between the Lines impressed me to be that rarity, back in February. Since I’ve been dying to catch this band I hailed โMelksham’s next big teen sensation.โ So, I’m at the grand looking Hop, and they didn’t lower my expectations any.ย
Rather, picking up on their fantastic universal appeal live, I might have to take back the โteen sensationโ label, because they played out their beguiling originals sprinkled with some aptly chosen covers with such skill, any age could appreciate. One an early Beatles classic covered accurately, another, Tears for Fearsโ Mad World, which they truly made their own.
Between The Lines appeared no more hesitant nor timid than I’d have expected; accosting them outside prior with the excitement of Spongebob probably didn’t help! All aged around seventeen, being recognised on the streets of a town they’ve never played in by an aging toothless baldy could have a negative impact! But I’m confident stage presence will come naturally with experience, because they absolutely rocked it as the crowd grew, nodding to the obvious potential of this promising band.
With an EP in the pipeline, I’m not going to shut up about them until you take heed.
Emma Doupรฉ
The second welcomingly crossed off the must-see list was also the biggest surprise; attired punk-goth was deceiving to any preconceptions I may’ve brought with me. I’ve heard of Emma Doupรฉ but was oblivious on what to expect. Needless to say, Emma has been called into action by the Shuffle team four times in a row, ergo, it was a nice surprise.
Goth, she might go there, but from the off it was clear she has the skill and experimental daring to go wherever she chooses. So diverse, any signs of any subgenre at all were subtly placed. Rather, Doupรฉ is a sublime vocalist with dynamic range, to perform her originals soulfully or operatic soprano at will, and over loops, Stratus piano and autoharp, her fashion is unique and inspiringly alternative.
Her band, The Crystal Wolf Project would showcase her in an alternative electronica trio later at The Hop, apparently. Missed it, shameful I know, but her solo performance at The Tuppenny was enough to swap Emma Doupรฉ into my safe bet category, with or without backing.
Weather
Another topping my must-see list marked safe from being dull. I heard a Weather track on Peggy-Sue’s Don’t Stop The Music Show when attending, and kept one eye on Brandon Clarke since. With the vocal style of Lewis Capaldi and boldness of Rag n Bone Man, this is damn good contemporary crossover pop you cannot ignore.
A forthright charismatic millennial Swindon showman, Weather is one you must watch if you want or not. His singles are heartfelt and moving shifts of emotive indie-nu-soul. In a lively pub environment it may not have gone down so well as when recorded or at a venue gig dedicated to his following.
Opting then to sing, rap and encourage the crowds over his prerecorded tracks like James Corden with swagger, seems Weather is here for the laugh, and it’s delightfully infectious. He could rouse a crowd of librarians to stage dive! The Tuppenny was positively bouncingโฆ.at around 6pm!
Ellis Evason
For the other few I was going in blind. Had to wonder how Ellis Evason would top Weather’s astounding crowd-pleasing blast, then realised I was jesting with him outside, and he was abruptly confident he would; such is hip hop’s general bravissimo. He had such, but was far from the archetypal rapper.
If he upstaged was debatable, but he certainly equalled Weather. Meatloaf in appearance, Eminem in rap mode, Ellis Evason undoubtedly entertained, and raised the roof with raps reflecting exactly this contradiction; surely a stroke of jazzy genius. Chunky bass-driven beats, lyrically waxed to hone his identity and purpose with precision, Ellis Evason pulled in an entourage and rocked the remaining punters respectively. It was a showstopper.
Dave Corrigan
Between Harmony and Jol was a name I’d heard but not seen. The guide describes David Corrigan as a โreasonably reclusive singer-songwriterโ who more recently has been concentrating fronting the renowned Astral Ponies, so maybe that’s the reason. He performed with certain ease, though, stripped back Astral songs, a few new ones, and was a delight to catch, if only for a few songs.
Grasslands
If we’re onto the gambles, I navigated the road block to arrive at The Tuppenny, a wonderful new favourite Swindon pub for me, where if the music isn’t to your taste you can read the DIY Beano comic wallpaper in the loo with fond memories! But rarely will it be. One man band Grasslands is wafting gorgeous and mellow experimental rock and folktronic soundscapes, in a fetching fluffy wolf hat; enjoyable.
Summary
For the novice local live music hunter, Swindon Shuffle is one of the most revealing voyages of discovery around the Southwest, and likely the only one without a fee attached. For the more experienced it’s an unearthing of upcoming acts and a vital reunion. For the musician it’s a convention. For the Prospect Hospice it’s a lifeline. For all its amazing, simple. You only need to attend an afternoon to suss this. Someone get me a campervan for next year and book me the weekend off work!ย
Four Dauntsey’s Sixth-Formers have been awarded travel scholarships, and plan to cycle all the way from their school to Bonn in Germany, shortly after completingโฆ
Leading Wiltshire digital entrepreneur Natalie Luckham, AI Educator and founder of award-winning Wiltshire social media consultancy Naturally Social is hosting a free โIntroduction to AIโโฆ
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts key into the town’s majority demographic for its first annual event of the year, mature couples, with an affection for samplingโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 entered an exciting new era when Stone Circle Music Events announced was as official sponsor and organiser. Backed by theirโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards are delighted to confirm a new headline partnership with Stone Circle Music Events, who will sponsor the Awards for 2025 and into 2026.
As part of this agreement, the event will be rebranded as: Stone Circle Music Events โ Wiltshire Music Awards.
This collaboration reflects Stone Circle Music Eventsโ ongoing commitment to supporting music in Wiltshire, and across the wider UK and Ireland. Their involvement will provide significant opportunities to raise the profile of the Awards, enhance the experience for participants, and strengthen engagement with the wider music community.
Benefits of this partnership include:
โข Brand Visibility: Prominent placement of the Stone Circle Music Events name across all event materials, press releases, and social media campaigns.
โข Audience Reach: Direct engagement with a diverse audience of musicians, industry professionals, and the public.
โข Prestige & Influence: Recognition as the headline supporter of one of Wiltshireโs most anticipated music events.
โข Networking Opportunities: Closer ties with event partners, sponsors, and stakeholders.
โข Catalyst for Growth: The presence of a strong lead sponsor encouraging further sponsorship and increased scale for the Awards.
Eddie Prestige of Wiltshire Music Awards said, โwe are thrilled to welcome Stone Circle Music Events as our headline sponsor. Their passion for supporting music and culture perfectly aligns with our mission to celebrate and elevate the incredible talent across Wiltshire. This partnership will allow us to grow the Awards and create an even more impactful event in 2025 and beyond.โ
Darren Worrow of Wiltshire Music Awards added, โThis is great news, and we hope it secures a future for the awards.โ
Managing Director of Stone Circle Music Events, Patrick OโSullivan said, โStone Circle Music Events are proud to support the Wiltshire Music Awards as headline sponsor. Music is at the heart of what we do, and this partnership reflects our commitment to nurturing local talent and strengthening the live music community in Wiltshire, the UK, and Ireland. We are excited to be part of such a vibrant celebration of creativity.โ
This partnership represents an exciting step forward for the Wiltshire Music Awards, helping to secure its long-term success and cement its place as a key celebration of musical talent in the region.
It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across the circuit since and created an impressive following. Today sees him on the next leg of his musical journey, a brand new single aptly titled No Restโฆ..
If the kazoo created a unique identity for Josh, quirking up otherwise darker themes than the novelty songs you’d except the instrument to be found in, this idiosyncratic move may have caused some criticism from traditionalists who simply didn’t get it. Not me, inherent in the belief rules are made to be broken, I’m of the reckoning JP Oldfield is a contemporary rarity, a misunderstood genius finding his feet. A dedicated axemen with an axe to grind, and a singer-songwriter unafraid to explore and expose every detail of the melancholic mind maze in the encapsulating way blues legends did before him.
With this in tow, I’d argue the jukejoint authentic sound created with his haunting grizzly vocal tones, that steel guitar and beaten up suitcase pedal-drum is Marmite. Love it or hate it, JP forged an imitable style, ranging from Cash to Tom Waits and Nick Cave in comparison. I’d draw any critic’s attention to a track like Last Orders, a heart-wrenchingly honest tune which takes on the drunkard’s misery of a relationship break-up in true mellowed delta blues fashion, without kazoo. But hey, now we’ve got No Rest, a level up certainly in production and indicative of all the greatness he’s already achieved; it rocks.
There’s the sombre spiritual blues theme we’ve come to expect, but it’s a foot-stomping pace with a killer rolling riff, kazoo-less yet a perfect balance of everything else JP throws at his music. It’s deliberately raw, perfectly hard-hitting and undoubtedly JP on the best form we’ve ever seen.
In our interview a month short of a year ago, Josh gave me the impression he was something of a perfectionist. A lot of work has gone into this full bodied five minute marvel, and it shows, in its crisp sound, this composition of elements making said perfect balance, and also a enlightening video accompanying it, by Jamie R Hawkinsโ Side Owl Productions. This cones out around 6pm tonight, I’ll add the link to it here, so return after your potato waffles.
The video has a different narrative from the song, rather โthe story of the song;โ a fascinating showcase of JP’s session at Mooncalf Studios, where Nick Beere engineers the kind of tune which we might suggest JP’s feet have been found. We look forward to hearing the other songs from this session in good time, but for now this is plenty to indicate this Devizes bluesman is heading in the right direction. But Nick brought out the best in musicians while I was still doodling boobs on my school rough book!
He’s JP Oldfield, I’m just old, but I know what I like. I could dance barefoot in a barn grasping a bottle of bourbon to this, and when it gets to that irresistible bridge I’ll procrastinate my repent, letting my sins roam free for a day; though I havenโt drawn a boob on a school book for quite some considerable time!
There’s something to be said for the function duo route with universal appeal, you could be working somewhere hot! Powerhouse vocal harmony duo Reflections are back in the UK after ten successful years on the Costa Blancaโฆ.
Bringing the very best of the 60s, 70s & 80s, from Cher, Neil Diamond, Cliff Richard, The Carpenters, Shirley Bassey, Shakinโ Stevens, Queen and more, Reflections offer fantastic nights of classic hits & unforgettable entertainment.ย
Reflections return to the UK to fill venues up to 500 capacity. This vocal/harmony duo provides fantastic nights of entertainment. And they’ll be playing for free this Saturday, 13th September, at Theย Kings Arms in Amesbury. An early event from Stone Circle Eventsโ new outpost in Wiltshire, and something for all to enjoy, so dust off your gladrags and zip up your party boots!
If the eonian motivation of youths picking up guitars and forming bands has hit Gen Z enough that they’re two to a penny, I’m in the right place to discover one new to us, The Tuppennyโฆ.ย
An adept drummer pinched from Bristol, with the remaining homegrown members formed aย youthful and hopeful Swindon indie-rock four-piece called Ursa Way, and they’ve ploughed two years into their debut album Yesterdayโs Tomorrow, launched on the night in question. Now was the time to show it off, and they did in an exceptionally accomplished and entertaining way.
If an early start to a Friday evening one weekend before the celebrated Swindon Shuffle was risky, especially being Thursdays are usually the favoured live music nights for The Tuppenny, seems the band are risk-takers, as diving straight in with a twelve track album is ambitious.
Generous to a loyal fanbase when the archetypal EP usually appears first, for the same fiver pricetag, but equally generous are the young punks and an assortment of others who’ve gathered to see them, as they applauded their efforts as if a new wave of hysteria was imminent, which it could well be. Though, this is Old Town, the epicentre of Swindon’s nightlife, where they’ve ingeniously adopted road closure blockades to create Swindon-fashioned alfresco dining areas!
Ursa Way played out their album, but unlike the shameless enterprise of a legend, I predict it was the bulk of their repertoire, and that’s acceptable for an upcoming band. More importantly they did it with bells on; the composition tight, the delivery confident. They seemed most comfortable with a melodic pace rather than thrashing it out, but at perkier tunes they still held it harmoniously.
In a roundabout way they confessed many of their songs were sporadic and spontaneous muses rather than poignantly planned thought processes, which was both amusing and honest, perhaps ironic too I figured after listening to the album. But not as amusing as complimenting Swindon, only to then ironically knock it in a song called Shit Town of Swindon!
While not the poetry of Keats, many of their co-written songs rise above the mocking of their hometown, which if only a standout track for its satirical title, others convey more concentrated narratives. Thereโs a sense of irony throughout though, if Yesterdayโs Tomorrow is surely today, the title track is the penultimate one, and depicts a hungover hope of new horizons of a romantic interlude, in a Britpop style.
The album kicks off with Southbound, an evenly-paced contemporary punk-pop attitude sourced from millennial indie bands like Busted and McFly. Though this album flows brilliantly, itโs onto something decidedly more traditional punk two tracks in, then the aforementioned Shit Town of Swindon continues the style, Britpop influences gradually building. This one has to be anthemic in good time, particularly for their Swindonite fanbase.
Chasing the Sun four tunes in really picks up the pace, again with a comment on their hometown, but with optimism riding the narrative; thereโs a clever and simple hook equal to the previous one here, proving these boys know how to construct a pop song with energy and enthusiasm.
A ballad, Just a Game follows, balancing the pace, and again proving something, that Ursa Way are no one trick pony. Noahโs Nosey Neighbour takes an almost prog-rock style to Britpop, creativity abound here too, this rocks with surprising substance, and weโre only halfway through this twelve-tracks-strong brilliant debut album.
With adroit contrasts in riffs, mainstream rock influences, perfectly placed hooks and intelligent lyrics, thereโs promise in this album that Ursa Way are destined to create something much more memorable, but right now the potential signs are all encompassed in Yesterdayโs Tomorrow. It ends with Another, a monstrously clever drifting Britpop tune seemingly about jealousy, dripping with edge and emotion.
They played this album out at The Tuppenny on Friday, reflecting the feeling weโll be hearing more of this young band in the future, and the gig felt like a groundbreaking moment for them, in respect of that notion.ย
I love the Tuppenny, a hospitable tavern with universal appeal. Thursdays are the live music nights usually, but as I said, itโs Swindon Shuffle next weekend, see my recommendations here, Iโm certain some were at the Tuppenny!
by Ian Diddams images by Chris Watkins media โChicagoโ is a stand out example of the musical theatre genre โ great songs, great characters, greatโฆ
After much deliberation, Devizine is to pull out of any further organisation of the Wiltshire Music Awardsโฆ.. It has not been an easy decision, andโฆ
It seems Shrove Tuesday celebrations in Devizes have fallen as flat as aโฆ.well, you get the gagโฆ Traditionally organised by Age Concern Wiltshire, and oftenโฆ
The mighty mighty Minety Music Festival announced The Bluetones as their Sunday headliner at their Eames Laurie Main Stage, and The Dub Pistols on theโฆ
The celebrated Shindig Festival at Malmesbury’s Charton Park announced their headline act for May bank holiday 2026, and being that it’s Bob Vylan, it isโฆ
There was a time not so long ago when I See Orange was the most exciting new band in Swindon. Their latest offering released at the end of August, a single entitled Doll Guts, truly positions them way above that pedestal and I predict and hope, onto the international marketโฆ.
Though thereโs a nod to the bandโs roots in the accompanying picturesque video, in the way of stage show clips from Swindonโs premier venue The Victoria, itโs consolidated with professional storyboard shots of their playfully cute mien, contrasting their macabre component, commonly associated with grunge. Itโs an original design identity theyโve manufactured to great success, but never has it been so symbolically recognisable as in this song, and video. The title alone reflects the winsome-dark contrast and their penchant for dolls, and horror, yet thatโs only one element which causes me to hail it their greatest song to date, and the next level up.
Doll Guts is perhaps more melodiously memorable than anything I See Orange has put out in the past, the moreish affiliation of pop, without watering down those gorgeous roaring guitar riffs and thumping drums; greater than the chord simplicity of The Cardigansโ Losing My Favourite Game, but equally punchy. Imagine Hole writing the theme of Twin Peaks; this is evocatively fantasised themed, with a singalong chorus, rising and falling like the paragon of classic grunge, yet their own divine spin.
I loved the drive of Mental Rot, the spookiness of Witch, but Doll Guts is the delineation, incorporating all the elements and symbolism of I See Orangeโs design and launching them back out there in true colours. You have to love this, everyone in the human race, surely?! You donโt have to be the number one Nirvana fanboy. In fact, while mawkish soft metal turned me away from rock in the late eighties, causing me to miss out on grunge, it has been through local bands like I See Orange, Life in Mono, The Belladonna Treatment and Liddington Hill, which has opened my eyes to its power and worth, so, thanks for that!
I See Orange match with a chemistry every band must envy. Formed in 2022 when frontgirl Giselle, originally a folk-pop singer-songwriter moved here from Mexico, and an impromptu rehearsal session with Cameron and Charlie established potential magic. Inspired by nineties and millennial alt-rock, they add their own unique post-grunge flavour. I have believed it works for sometime now, an accolade burgeoning with pace, seeing them gig in London and beyond, and this song confirms the praise theyโre gaining is fully deserved.ย
Drizzly Sundayโฆagain. Iโve just finished designing the poster, so allow me to reveal the lineup for Rowdefest this coming May, might cheer us up aโฆ
It could be bigger than Diggers! See what I did there? Okay, you youngsters might need Google, but while you’re researching Chippenham’s hedonistic past, aโฆ
There’s no sophomore slump for Monkey Bizzle; prolific in their art, these rural chav-choppers return with a second album, Agricultural Appropriation, only five years andโฆ
What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย
Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch them at The Vic in Swindon just last week? And now The Southgate in Devizes? Isnโt that his second home anyway?!
Hold back your keyboard warrior typing fingers from those vicious comment sections, critic, I will attempt to answer these burning questions I falsely imagine straining from your lips, in a short piece about a Sunday gig well worth mentioningโฆ..
Yes, again, it is another article about Talk in Code. It’s either that or I risk playing a brain training game on my phone; it’s Monday, and my brain refuses instruction.
Yes, they’ve been showered with love from us, but being this an opinion based blog, I reserve my right to express my honest opinion; they deserve it! I have succumbed to being a T-shirt embossed โtalker,โ a more family fashioned classification than fanbase.
If the idiom of enlarged heads implies they have a conceited, exaggerated sense of self-importance due to our consistent splatters of flattery, that’s the biggest untruth you could suggest about them. I only said it in ironic jest; woe is me for my fractured sense of humour; pinch of salt, please!
Whilst their performances are showy, that’s pop; they’re the most down to earth bunch you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet … .especially musicians!! Observe them engaging with their audience, young to old. Observe the attention they attract wherever they happen to play as being a product of their universal brilliance. If they appear excitable about this, it derives from their dedication, motivation, and the deserved positive feedback from their audience, not a two-bit blogger!
So what, yeah I was at the Vic last week for their awesome single launch gig, when I said it was theย best I’ve ever seen them play, suggesting perhaps because it was on their home turf. I’m considering taking this back after catching them yesterday, for two reasons, firstly but less important, Swindon is only home to two of them, Snedds is home here in Devizes, or as near as dammit. Secondly, pop grows on you, the more you listen the more the hook catches you, and they have this down to a T, so maybe the level of skill they’ve attained has now become standard as more fans amass;ย it certainly seemed that way Sunday at the Southgate. They rocked it with professional ease, just as they did the Vic, as they always do, and it was only a Sunday afternoon at Devizesโ answer to the O2 arena. Given the actual O2, I predict they’d rock that one, too!
Matter of fact, I’ve not been down the Gate for what feels like ages, honest, mum! This occasion was purely circumstantial; I was in town to attend the dress rehearsal of an emotionally sobering play at the Wharf. It is fantastically evocative and reflects a sad time for me personally. See the review to understand, and go see the play. I needed cheering up, and being that it ended when the gig was kicking off, I thought I could sit in the back row and scribe some thoughts on my phone with a pint. It didn’t quite work out this way, not for the want of trying, because Talk in Code’s sound is irresistible, and yeah, it cheered me up a treat.
I’ve not been down The Gate recently, what with a summer season of festivals, a family holiday and inflation mugging us all off. But being the Southgate is so insatiably irresistible, friendly, and affordable too by comparison, I slip back into its gorgeous rustic appeal like a glove, anyone would.
I’ve stated numerous times how my honest opinion casts it as the best pub locally, these facts stick more than mud, and perhaps it hasn’t been that long, it only feels like it has! George seemed to remember me as a gullible accessory to doggie biscuit snatching crimes. Autumn drawing in, save me the cosy chair.
All hail Talk in Code and The Southgate too. The first play top class indie-pop within a more humble local scene than following a national pop star and praying you can mortgage your home for a ticket to see. The latter is a cathedral to our humble scene, and lively pub culture too, with a rich history of showcasing local musical talent, one all our writers have been disciples of since day dot.
There’s so many artists still to mention, pinky promises I will, all in good time, but a Talk in Code gig at The Gate, despite catching them only last week, was still too good not to drop into!
Swindon’s annual colossal fundraising event The Shuffle is a testament to local live music, which raises funds for Prospect Hospice. If you’re ever going to spend a weekend in Swindon, believe me, the 11th-14th September is the oneโฆ..
An entirely free stroller festival centred in Old Town; saunter the eight venues at your leisure and discover a wealth of talent, mostly ฤบocally sourced. Pop some cash in the buckets and help raise some funds as Old Town comes alive with the sound of music!
As usual I’m going to be the judge and jury for this piece, and recommend those who I personally know who will deliver great sets to amaze you. But in no way is it an exhaustive list, for there will be many others and sometimes you have to put your little toe into the waters and find acts unbeknown to you, for the surprise element; an event of exploration! Whatever you do discover you can rest assured, every act is cherrypicked by the Shuffle Team, of Ed Dyer, a promoter who knows his stuff, Jamie Hill of Swindon Link, Kelly Adams, Paul โPajโ Jellings, Avril Jellings, Linda Gulliford, and Paul Gemmill, all equally as aware of what makes Wiltshire rock.
Thereโs a printed program, online too; I’m working off that. Given the fantasy scenario of having the whole weekend to attend and choose between the huge lineup, hereโs how I would tackle the mammoth task of maximising my experience…….
Without further ado, then, Thursday 11th of September belongs to The Tuppenny on Devizes Road, and the Hop, literally a hop across the road. A clash already, 7:15 at the Hop, Bathโs spacey indie outfit Aqaba kick off proceedings, while Swindon soul singer Chloe Hepburn is at the Tuppenny at half past; tricky disco to begin, but Chloe has been on my must-see list for a while!
8pm at the Hop, Sebastain and Me is a deffo, but youโve only a quarter of an hour to drink up and catch the amazing Joli Soul at the Tuppenny. Again, I would be wearing out the traffic lights or flipping a coin. Iโm unaware of all the headliners from there at both fantastic venues, yet the Tuppeny seems more funky soul and jazz while the Hop is indie, so it would be whether I packed my jazz hat or not!
Friday 12th September again is at The Hop, The Vic aptly on Victoria Road, and the Castle on Prospect Hill. Easy picking to begin with, itโs our favourite Marlboroughโs goth duo Deadlight Dance, on at 7:15 at the Castle.
In fact, Iโd feel inclined to stay at the Castle unless Iโm feeling like Dora the Explorer (which is surprisingly common for me!) as after a new one on me, Loophole, the amazing mod/new wave/britop cover band, whoโve just begun recording originals, Static Moves is on at 8:45, followed by Black Hats, new to me but promising something skanking, and SN Dubstation, who as the name suggest is Swindonโs premier contemporary reggae export. The Hop is mostly folk on Friday, the Vic is indie-punk-rock and the Castle is alternative and reggae. If I was to fancy venturing off to The Vic, it would be at 10pm for Viduals, an emerging indie rock band who play it hard!
Saturday 13th then, when reality checks in, for this is the only day Iโm likely to be able to make it up to Swindon for realz! You can get a bus from Devizes, you know, they run late now!
All guns blazing, The Tuppenny and the Pulpit rule the daytime, from 2pm until dinnertime, and The Hop, The Castle and the Beehive on Prospect Hill take the evening shift.
The great Jim Blair starts at the Pulpit, a new venue to me, but hey, Chippenham singer-songwriter Harmony Asia plays at 3:15 and thatโs simply unmissable in my honest opinion. Oh but oh, Iโve heard so much good stuff about Swindonโs pop star Kate X, who is on at The Tuppenny at 3:30, and seriously recommend her too!
Shedric and David Corringan at the Pulpit are two Iโd love to see, and Swindonโs answer to Dylan, the incredible Jol Rose is a must-see at 5:30, but dammit, at the Tuppenny has Emma Doupe at 5pm, followed by the freshest indie-pop fellow I simply must touch base with, Weather at 5:45pm. Ed Dyer, what are you putting me through here, or has Swindon got free cloning booths on every street corner now? Weโre a little behind the times in Devizes!!
Saturday evening, and right, and Iโve made my mind up about how to attack this, though itโs always subject to change. Bit of cheese, sir? At the Castle from 7:15 with Calneโs comedy rock band The Real Cheesemakers is tempting, Gromit, but thereโs a young Melksham band called Between the Lines on at 7pm at The Hop. I cannot lie, these winners of Take the Stage I wanted to play the Music Awards, for while they weren’t nominated, they should have been and I wanted folk to know why. Iโm heading that way and will report on my findings, hopefully bring them to Devizes by hook or by crook!
The Hop continues with lots worth exploring, Iโve heard particularly good electronica things about The Crystal Wolf Project, there at 9:15, and Iโve seen headliners Trunk who will ram the place with devoted fans. But look, The Beehive might be my final Saturday resting place. Dulcet Tones at 8pm, then Bristolโs Hannah-Rose Platt; look, just read my album review HERE and youโll understand this is without doubt a must. And, double-whammy, she is preceded by one of my all time favourite Swindon bands ever, the dark twisted country of Concrete Prairie. Always a must, especially at the Beehive at 9:30pm; save me a quarter of an inch to squeeze into, somewhere near the Tardis.
After that Iโm anyoneโs cheap date! Maybe Iโd check out the Castle, as itโs downhill and looking like hard rock underfoot with Lucky Number Seven coming the most personally recommended, at 9:30pm and followed by Modern Evils.
Then thereโs Sunday 14th September, doesnโt Swindon Shuffle know when to stop?! Wowzers it gets better; The Pulpit, Tuppenny and Beehive are up for your attention. Daytime, 1pm at the Tuppeny for Plummie Racket, stay there for Sienna Wileman and youโll be glad you did. But pop across to the Pulpit for 2:15 where Devizes is represented by our most excellent blues crooner and kazoo blasting JP Oldfield. I love this guy; Devizes man-hug!
Itโs a Chippenham takeover from then at The Pulpit, Mexican Dave Iโd recommend at 3pm, but M3G is a must and one of my personal favourite singer-songwriters on the local scene right now. Just prior to M3G though, be very tempted to nip back to the Tuppenny at 3:15 when Richard Wileman and Amy Fry do their thing, and thatโs worth its weight in gold.
Across to the Beehive for the finale to what looks like another unforgettable Shuffle, 6pm, Canuteโs Plastic Army is unmissable, and so too is Joe Kelly & the Royal Pharmacy at 7:30pm.
No forgoing the fringe events, a Shuffle quiz night at the Beehive on Wednesday 10th, the Shuffle Community Ceilidh with The Cowshed Ceilidh Collective Saturday night at Eastcott Community Centre from 7pm, and open vinyl DJ sessions at The Prospect Hospice Book & Music Shop on Victoria Road, each day midday till 4pm.
Then, youโve only got to wait until the end of January for the Shuffleโs winter version Swinterfest! Swindon Shuffle is a whoโs who of local music, a convention and an institution, a fundraiser like no other, and you wonโt even have to navigate the Magic Roundabout, pinky promise!
Featured Image:@jenimeadephotography Just another rainy Saturday afternoon in Devizes, whereby I watched a profound fellow dramatically sacrifice himself to the devil, then popped to Morrisonsโฆ
Stone Circle Music Events announced today that all proceeds of CrownFest will be donated to Wiltshire Hope & Harmonyโs Dementia Choir. CrownFest is an all-dayโฆ
If Devizes Scooter Rally has already established its base at Whistley Roadโs Park Farm and Full-Tone are moving to these new pastures, last year theโฆ
The lawn is still frazzled but the apples and leaves are falling; the weather might not know what season itโs supposed to be running, but all is not lost as we look at what Devizes blues appreciation society, Long Street Blues Club has to entertain us throughout the next season, or threeโฆ.
Their season doesnโt end until January, actually making it more like half a year, and weโll find John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett on stage, kicking off the summer season in June, but thereโs a lot to get through heading up to that, gigs and a number of specials.
Jon Amor & Friends
Firing on all cylinders for a grand start, doors crash open on Saturday 20th September 2025 when Leonardo Guiliani supports homegrown Hoax member Jon Amor at the Conservative Club. A local legend who needs no introduction to Devizes blues aficionados. You can rest assured Jon will be bringing his trio, drum and bass comrades Jerry Soffe and Tom Gilkes, and an abundance of special guests cherrypicked from his vast circle of legendary friends, including John Baggott, pianist for Portishead and Robert Plant, organist Johnny Henderson, Scott McKeon guitarist for Tom Jones, guitarist Will Edmunds, and Craig Crofton on sax.
What a way to begin, but predictably popular, so early booking is advised. Advance Tickets are ยฃ18.00 from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ20.00 on the door. The deal is the same for all Long Street Blues gigs at the Conservative Club, unless otherwise stated.
October sees three entirely different gigs. On Saturday the 4th The Dirt Road Band returns, by overwhelming popular demand. The brainchild of guitar legend Steve Walwyn, mainly known as the longest serving guitar player in Dr Feelgood, The Dirt Road Band recruited the services of Ted Duggan, a professional since the 60s, including stints with Badfinger and world techno giants Banco de Gaia, and bassist Horace Panter, better known as a founding member of The Specials.ย
Saturday 18th October Ben Poole is back. A young act to watch, Ben Poole and his band return to the club after a sensational night in April. Jeff Beck called them โf***ing amazing,โ need we say more?!
Rock & Roll Circus
Observing all health and safety regulations, on Friday 31st October Long Street Blues Club members march girl-boy, girl-boy across to the Corn Exchange for a special trip back to the sixties. Unusual to see tribute acts organised by the club, so while it might be a wildcard, itโs not to be trifled at, because a Rock & Roll Circus is promised; the gig that never happened!ย
The very best tributes to three British rock giants, The Who, The Beatles and The Stones, namely Who’s Next, The Beatles For Sale and The Rollin Stoned, will surely wriggle you down memory lane!ย
With the aid of authentic stage wear and instruments, Whoโs Next recreates a magical point in time in the early 1970s when many believed that The Who were the greatest pop and rock group on Earth. Similarly The Beatles For Sale pride themselves on replicating the Fab 4’s onstage image, sparing no expense with their equipment and outfits, with the ultimate intention to recreate the magic of the Beatles in their sixties heyday.
The Rollin Stoned have toured their affectionate tribute to The Rolling Stones for over 27 years, sharing billing with the likes of Dr John, Status Quo, Suzie Quatro and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Advance Tickets are ยฃ30.00 for this great night out, from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ35.00 on the door.
Into November, no hanging about, as Last Train Smokin’ pulls into the station to support The Ian Parker Band on Saturday 1st November 2025. Another returning favourite.ย
Aberdeen’s finest are back on Saturday 22nd November, The Gerry Jablonski Band with support from Firekind.ย
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse
Then, an early Christmas present. Yes, itโs a California-Devizes crossover, with favourites Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse at The Corn Exchange on Friday 5th December. Hoax member Robin Davey returns to his hometown with Louisiana born and bred, award-winning vocalist Greta Valenti and their band, and itโs something to behold. I strongly suggest you get in quickly with this one if you wish to start winter in style.
Advance Tickets are ยฃ25.00 from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ28.00 on the door.
If that doesnโt warm your winter cockles nothing will, but their Christmas party is actually on Saturday 20th December 2025 when the โperfect band for our Xmas partyโ Dino Baptiste & Night Train appear. A highly energetic London soul and boogie-woogie pianist, Dino Baptiste has a smattering of Ray Charles, and will get the club jumping.
And into the new year we find Oregon harmonica player Curtis Salgado, the man who taught John Belushi the blues while on set at the filming of 1977โs Animal House, team up with European multi award-winning blues harmonica virtuoso Giles Robson.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest blues and soul singers to have emerged in the last fifty years, Curtis Salgado is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Long Street Blues is one of only three dates he is playing.
Thatโs Saturday 17th January 2026; work off some Quality Street, because the next gig isnโt until Monday 8th June, with John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett on stage. Yet one thing is for sure, Long Street Blues Club are quenching the thirst for blues in Devizes folk, and they usually have a big appetite for it!!
Dubiously biased and ruled with an iron fist, the mighty admin of the once popular Devizes Facebook group, Devizes Issues, is using the iconic Greatโฆ
There was a geographical population imbalance this bank holiday Monday in Devizes which risked the entire town conically sloping into the back of Morrisons; no one seemed the slightest concerned! It’s Black Rat Monday at The British Lion, the stuff of Dorothy House fundraising burgers, potent beverages and contemporary folkloreโฆ.
Recorded here for prosperity, as itโs dubious that other accounts of the event would be recited with much precision when passed through the generations, that once upon a time in ye olde Devizes, natives satirically dubbed their annual street festival โBlack Rat Monday.โ
The name derived from a scrumpy brand popular at a bar run by CAMRA award-winning and stalwart Devizes freehouse, The British Lion. Contractual matters one year caused a breakup between the carnival committee and the pub. Being โBlack Rat Mondayโ was a folk eponym, ergo in the public domain, and the committee likely never appreciated it anyway, The British Lion adopted the name for an occasion of their own making, and the rest is history.
It’s a fable of self-reliance, apolitical empowerment, and mass consumption of scrumpy, though other drink options are available! Leading to a meek event of anti-consumerism, save the Black Rat Monday t-shirt and drink, community-driven subversion, and a crowded beer garden full of merriment, whilst it would seem the elaborate original festival has fallen by the wayside due to arts funding cuts.
This particular year saw the event blossom to bursting point, attracting townsfolk en masse, under the simple premise, it’s now as much of a โDevizes thingโ as raking barrels of contraband brandy out of the Crammer or annually lobbing confetti at each other in a peculiar frenzy.
Reasoning why roots to the pub itself, because while other taverns change according to trends, else end up as antique shops or housing estates, the simplest of systematics of The British Lion stand firm, equable and imperishable. And Devizions love โgurtโ tradition. If it’s not brokenโฆ..
But what helps, and always does, is acquiring the most suitable entertainment; usually locally sourced, not this time, but equally as welcomed. Long-standing and living legend landlord Mike Dearing revealed his heuristic thinking was to provide an act weโve likely not seen before on our circuit.
For the universal audience the conventional is best, therefore, primarily a function party band, Bristol’s The 789s made a perfect choice. They were lively, proficient, exceptionally accomplished and seemingly pleased to be there. With a vast repertoire spanning every corner of classic singalong pop, they joyfully delivered them all, for sweaty hours, and until Sweet Caroline finalised the cumulation, by which time the crowds were chanting it back to them and dancing on whatever small patch of sun-bleached grass they could suitably fit into.
A punk cover band planned to follow, which duty-bound as Dad’s taxi, I had to miss unfortunately. But The 789โs had roused the audience to a conclusion that there was little doubt anyone could now falter this year’s Black Rat Monday; I’d go out on a limb to suggest it was the best one to date.
There was Parklife, there was Red, Red, Wine, The Proclaimersโ marching song, I’m Gonna Be, and every crowd-pleaser sublimely covered by both male and female vocalists, but only one of them sporting butterfly sunglasses. I don’t want to get all decimal on you after such a strenuous scrumpy surfeit, but The 789’s truly turned it up to ten, at least. For which they were rewarded a gallant cheer of Devizes-fashioned appreciation as they sauntered through the crowds back to the pub, akin to newlywed couple they had undoubtedly performed for many times before!
This respectful display of gratitude, and the whole shebang in general genuinely makes me honoured to document what happens in our lovely, lovely town. For you can bicker on Facebook pages all you want, you can thrash out the rights or wrongdoings of graffiting flags on mini-roundabouts, or pin the blame on someone for a road closure, but Steve Dewar’s brilliant popup youth cafe had kids enjoying a climbing wall on the Green, the sun was shining, and humble folk in the British Lion were laughing and singing, for we all live under that same sun, and that captures the true Devizes spirit, right here in The British, surely?!
Christmas has come early for foxes and normal humans with any slither of compassion remaining, as the government announced the righteous move to ban trailโฆ
Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โEโ) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโฆ
Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing theirโฆ
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in theโฆ
Part 1: An Introduction March 1936: newlywed French telecommunications engineer Pierre Schaeffer relocates to Paris from Strasbourg and finds work in radio broadcasting. He embarksโฆ
Yesterday Wiltshire Council published an โupdateโ on the lane closure on Northgate Street in Devizes as the fire which caused it reaches its first anniversary.โฆ
It was only ever supposed to be a single launch gig but it could’ve been for a gold-crested gatefold triple LP, because Talk in Code were larging it last night at their hometown premier venue, Swindon’s Victoria. The crowd was ecstatic and the atmosphere was highly flammableโฆ..strike a light!
If witnessing a great band on their own turf adds a communal elevation to the thrill of seeing them at all, Talk in Code certainly pulled out all the stops, even if the je-ne-sais quoi of these masters of indie-pop perform with sublime quality anywhere they happen to appear.
If this crossing the friend barrier themed quintessential grower, More Than Friendssits perfectly into their eighties vibe discography, we were leaked forthcoming singles might venture somewhere slightly different, but right here, now, at The Vic, Talk in Code was rewarded equal rapturous praise in throwing it out there as they were marching triumphantly through their beloved anthems.
Tunes which, like the best memorable pop, have universal and timeless appeal. At a Talk in Code gig you could mute the sound and still comprehend that the individual takes what they want from their style by observing the diversity of the demographic present. Here, this tight group of musicians evoke memories of everything gorgeous about eighties pop from Ah-Ha to Simple Minds, for me. One generation younger, especially when they backtracked to Oxygen, might wallow in nineties indie, and likewise youth will recognise their own contemporary influences.
If homeliness provides confidence to experiment, we were treated to something I’ve never seen Talk in Code do before; as the band Twix breaked, dynamic Adidas- sponsored frontman Chris Stevens proved he was no one trick pony, and blessed the Vic with an immaculate acoustic number, an original he called We Remain.
If appreciation was a pair of knickers, Talk in Code would have a visible panty line, as devotee โTalkersโ in blue sunglasses and merch amassed between Vic regulars, equally relishing their vibrant, danceable and electric hoedown! And all took home a CD embossed goodie bag akin to a toddler’s birthday party, save a slice of squashed sponge cake!
Yet if there’s an honourable family-fashioned ambience surrounding this band, where Talkers would follow them to the four corners of the globe, else create Lego fan-videos or shower them with deserved fondness, the mood for a quality evening was pre-set by two awesome support acts TiC cherrypicked.
Gloucestershire soloist, songwriter and modelFlora Flora opened the gig with acoustic splendour. New to me, I’m now keenly following her socials. Not because she took control of my phone from my intoxicated sausage fingers to ensure I did, though she did, but because I’ve since come to realise there’s subsequent levels to her talent than the perfection of her rocking performance last night!
An inspiring Gen Z Swifty wordsmith, crafting evocative songs praised and played by our hero James Threlfall on BBC Introducing. A new one drops on streaming platforms on 29th August but is available now on Bandcamp, Need to Say; it’s far more ethereal than Flora Flora’s edgier performance, and you’ll be foolish not to bookmark it as a favourite; fill your ankle-length boots.
Penultimate act, Bristol-Swindon longstanding five-piece rockers Riviera Arcade, I must confess, I preconceived to be a fair, hard rock band; they certainly came out like one. It only took near to the completion of the first song for me to come to complex reasoning why they’re punching well above that weight. Multi-layered precision with captivating guitar riffs set me contemplating subtle nods to eighties mod or punk, sometimes skanking, but still, it heralded heavier rock. They’ve a 2022 album Gone By Ten on stream, so you can hear what I’m waffling about.
An interesting and certainly unique style which, while I was thinking The Police or Costello, they finalised their set of beguiling originals with an apt and superbly delivered cover of The Stonesโ Paint it Black, a perfect summary to their ethos. I returned home as a newfound fan, a bit wobbly on my feet and Notra-Dame bells ringing in my ears fan, but deffo a fan!
Talk in Code was officially on the best form I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness, but it was the combination of acts, venue and atmosphere which famed this fantastic night too; The Vic is renowned for doing so, historically. Owner Darren Simons assured me, though the venue is up for grabs, it’s only going to someone prepared to continue in his shoes, so this flagship to Wiltshire live music should thankfully continue to reign; dodge magic roundabouts and onwards to The Shuffle!
Join the St Johnโs Choir and talented soloists for a heart-warming evening of festive favourites, carols, and candlelit Christmas atmosphere this Friday 12 th Decemberโฆ
This afternoon I find myself contemplating what the future holds for historical discovery and learning for all ages, fun and educational exhibits and events inโฆ
Featured Image: Barbora Mrazkova My apologies, for Marlboroughโs singer-songwriter Gus Whiteโs debut album For Now, Anyway has been sitting on the backburner, and itโs moreโฆ
Having to unfortunately miss Devizesโ blues extravaganza on Friday, I crossed the borderline on Saturday to get my prescribed dosage of Talk in Codeโฆwith aโฆ
No, I didnโt imagine for a second they would, but upcoming Take the Stage winners, alt-rock emo four-piece, Butane Skies have released their second song,โฆ
Featured Image by Giulia Spadafora Ooo, a handclap uncomplicated chorus is the hook in Lady Ladeโs latest offering of soulful pop. Itโs timelessly cool andโฆ
As a result of probably the most productive meeting yet, yesterday, about The Wiltshire Music Awards, we can now reveal the most amazing line-up of local music acts who will be performing between the announcements at our grand ceremony on Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, and a few other points we should mention tooโฆ..
Easy bit first for our glitzy and glamorous night, there will be professional sound and lighting provided by Brian Mundy and his team at BSM Stage Tech, and a bar, in which you wonโt have to buy me a drink because Iโm hosting and I donโt want to slur my words, word my slurs or anything along those silly lines!ย
It makes us all very proud to announce this wonderful lineup. Devizes own Burn The Midnight Oil will open the eveningโs entertainment. Theyโve come so far in such a short space of time with their own brand of breezy blues-rock, weโre excited to see them perform.
Our lovable legend George Wilding is a name most of you should know, and heโs coming to play a few songs, of course he is! Award winning Lucas Hardy is coming too. Loved on the Salisbury circuit, Lucas will delight you, for what will be, I believe, his first time playing in Devizes; I could be wrong!
Ben Borrill and Pat Ward, aka Matchbox Mutiny, will be there, the lively Devizes-based duo who never fail to charm. Then thereโs Salisbury-based Joylon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta – a duo who raised the roof off the Three Crowns recently, but I knew it was coming as Rachelโs supreme vocal range and Joylonโs professional accompanying will enthral all.
Thereโs a champagne supernova trip back to the nineties with The Britpop Boys,renowned for blasting those sing-a-long anthems across the county and beyond.ย
And hereโs our last big secret exposed, Devizes homegrown indie-rock phenomenon Nothing Rhymes With Orange will polish off the evening. They created a storm locally a few years ago as a teen sensation, the likes of which I claimed to be the โBeatlemania of Devizes!โ Now studying together at Bristol Uni, their popularity has spread nationwide. Back home they have inspired a new generation to form bands, and we welcome them back delighted.
Image: Gail Foster
Make no mistake, all these acts have had a tremendous year, and deserve to be nominated for awards, as are the many other names hiding in our golden envelopes too. Myself, DJ Mark Anthony and possibly a few guest names will be announcing the winners and runners-up, and these wonderful acts will perform just two or three songs each between the announcements; itโs going to be a show!
A show which, we hope, showcases, highlights and celebrates the wealth of musical talent we have here in Wiltshire, in a manner more celebratory than competitive. While many others and not just those performing have high chances of bagging a trophy, by no means is it exhaustive. There are so many others, producing music, promoting, hosting and creating amazing initiatives to fundraise and to teach, we know this, and I intend to highlight as many as I can at the ceremony, because the list is lengthy enough already to cram into one evening, making it comprehensive is a minefield!
The results of the awards was set by public votes and a panel of expert judges, which we genuinely believe to have been a fair system, causing it to be agonising for us to see the entire county trimmed to this much, but if everyone supports this we hope there will be subsequent years of Wiltshire Music Awards to follow. Years in which we will continuously review in order to improve on.
One point, whilst feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive, one niggly raised was tickets. We have to fund this one way or another. We are asking for sponsorships, many have helped and we thank them. In order to make this work, yes, we are asking everyone who wishes to attend, including those nominated, to buy a ticket, of which we have made as reasonably priced as possible. If you have been nominated for an award within our top ten, you are cordially invited to attend, but along with everyone else we do ask you to please purchase a ticket; there is no other expense asked of you other than this.
As much as we would love to see all the winners and runners-up in person, or a representative on your behalf, on the night to be presented with an award, if you cannot make it due to other commitments we understand, and your award will be given to you at a suitable date thereafter. Important point then: You DO NOT need to attend the ceremony to receive the award if you do not wish to, but please consider that we have to fund this, that we have worked hard on getting this off the ground, and would appreciate your support with it. Wiltshire Music Awards has been created by a genuine team dedicated to the local music scene. Allow me to get all Charles & Eddie on your ass at this conjunction, โwould I lie to you, baby?!!โ
Whoa, back on the positives; thankfully I wonโt be singing but the experts will, this is going to be cracking night, one for the history books, and I hope to see you there! Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, tickets HERE.
Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory, Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The young and aspiring Frome โa little bit emo, a little bit notโ four-piece released a debut single Wither last month (while I was on my jollies.) So, even though this mention of it might be belated, itโs worthy of your attention, as I predict Butane Skies is a name youโll be hearing a lot more ofโฆ..
If the name suggests an all-out fireball of frenzied rock you should note itโs taken from a line in the My Chemical Romance song Skylines & Turnstiles, and akin to their emo influence thereโs delicate rising and falling sections of emotive outpouring in Wither. With a dystopian themed desperation, perhaps metaphoric, this is intense yet melodic, as exquisitely composed as Evanescence, and as genius as Frank Turner.
Thereโs an intricate piano, blessing it with a sense of optimism above the emo melancholy of the subtly placed fuzzbox riff and the powerful vox harmonies of a double-Alanis Morissette. Iโm thinking Iโve not heard local emo quite as good as this since Life in Mono, but not to typecast within the emo pigeonhole, thereโs something more universally indie about them too, Muse-fashion.
Such high accolades deserved, Wither firmly places them on the first runner of the local recording artist ladder, and while an impressive kick start, itโs moreish and patent theyโve more tricks up their sleeves. Butane Skies established themselves in 2022 after school duo Amaya and Ash collaborated at just 14 years old, and bassist Mia and drummer Alex joined. Theyโve notched numerous gigs and festivals since Future Sound of Trowbridge at the Pump, and winning Riverbankโs Take The Stage in 2024 with the prize to perform at Minety Music Festival.ย
Other appearances at Festival on the Farm, Figglefest, Bradford Roots, Corrfest, Chippenham Pride and Sounds at the Ground, and at venues such as The Boathouse, The Neeld, Fromeโs Tree House and a number of local stages at Glastonbury sees them Bristol-bound for The Louisiana and Komedia Bathโs Electric Bar soon. They are nominated for our Wiltshire Music Awards, and now top of never-ending must-see list!
Hereโs a band with a track you must listen to, but the ambience feels something wonderful is blossoming; Butane Skies are yet to hit their magnum-opus, be there when they do.
If I was bowled over backwards by Rubyโs teaser single last week, its title, Crowned Lightbringer, now also belongs to this five-track EP, released today, and as you might guess, youโre in for a treatโฆ..
Thereโs so much incredible time, effort and adroitness pouring out of this itโs actually scary how talented Ruby Darbyshire is at such a young age, and in pondering the journey her music will take her. Youโre left numb to what to listen to next, in awe, and spellbound by its harmonic perfection. Thereโs also a general theme of journey, often rinsed in ingenious metaphors, which connects you to Rubyโs world and imaginings, the hallmark of a musician who knows what buttons to press to engage an audience and leave them spellbound.
Rubyโs Scottish roots are displayed in a bagpipe instrumental bonus track, The Spirit of Jenny Whittle, the rest relies on her accomplished acoustic mood-setters, and the ambience is as ever, hauntingly choral, layered with dedication, folk emotive and saturninely uplifting soulfully, edifying a matured Ruby, compared to her debut EP. But if Crowned Lightbringer displays a whole new level for her music, what comes next will be anyoneโs guess. It is, in my humble opinion, an EP which needs to be in everyoneโs life.
Vocally itโs faultless too, profoundly as guiding as Nina Simone, as variable and soulful as Billie Holiday; comparisons of such high accolades, I know, I donโt know where else to go to balance her sublime vocal range. Lady Nade and Mayyadda the only contemporary likenesses I could fairly credit. Opening with Timekeeper, as deeply emotive as Crowned Lightbringer, chilling and as distant as an autumn zephyr. With a rustic vinyl crackle, Calling Hades captures a timeless acoustic goodness of underworldly Greek gods, with a romantically liberating hopefulness as its theme.
Black Dog has a deeper blues feel, yet sprinkled with northern celtic, spiritually-guiding us away from the omen of solitary, the Gytrash. Ruby is folk, primarily rooted and understanding of it. Thereโs much to unpick from her beautiful music tapestry here, Iโve only had a quick listen, couldnโt wait for a complete analysis before telling you how fantastic this EP is, but I believe, in time, this might be my personal fave! But hey, the title track follows, and weโve mentioned this last week, itโs a metaphoric shanty which depicts perfectly where Rubyโs music is taking her and all the demons which might lurk on her journey.
All I know is this should put Ruby not a local circuit map, but on an international stage; I donโt flatter, and if you donโt take note more fool yourself. Listen, just, listen!
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 comeโฆ
Whoโs ready for walking in the winter wonderland?! Devizes sets to magically transform into a winter wonderland this Friday when The Winter Festival and Lanternโฆ
One part of Swindon was in perfect harmony last night, and I donโt mean the traffic circumnavigating the Magic Roundabout. Rather The Lost Trades wereโฆ
Results of the public vote have been put to our expert panel of seven judges in our inaugural Wiltshire Music Awards, and now the judges have decided. I bet you’re wondering who has won and who the runners-up are, aren’t you?
Well, I’m not going to tell youโฆ.yet! Ah, clickbait of ye gods; beat that Newsquest (who havenโt even bothered mentioning this crucial local extravaganza, I might add!) Truth is, I don’t know the results any more than you do, as I kindly requested to remain in the dark for the genuine element of surprise on the night, and itโs the night I want to remind you of!! Because, if you want to find out the winners you need to grab yourself a ticket to the presentation ceremony, the Awards Evening on Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange; proper job!
Thereโs table tickets as groups, and single tickets available for our gurt lush Wiltshire Music Awards, the first of its kind. A night of music, celebration, and unforgettable moments. Bring your family, friends, and supporters! Weโve some top local acts confirmed, all performing a song or three, with intervals where I and special guests will be announcing the winners. Thereโs seventeen categories to get through, wine to drink and partying to be done in honour of all the amazing musical talent weโve got hiding in our rural county; please, help us to achieve this.
For those weird enough among us to be of an acoustic bent, particularly on the folkie side, the time since the Covid lockdowns has been a bit of a desert.ย Several local clubs which once thrived before 2020, never actually opened again โ Devizes Folk Club, Corshamโs Acoustic Oak, Bradford Folk Club and Trowbridgeโs Village Pump being amongst them.ย Last year the Bradford club finally stuttered into life again, first at the now-closed Swan Hotel, then at other venues, but only as a very low-key weekly sing-around.ย The proper full fat Open Mic nights and Guest Nights seemed to have disappeared from the local scene completely.ย Some of this was due to the โretirementโ of the previous hosts, and some of it (unfortunately) due to the passing of their once-leading lights.ย
The venue itself, known as the Village Pump, at the rear of Wadworthโs The Lamb in Trowbridge, and the mothership of the hugely popular Village Pump and Trowbridge Festivals, recently found a new entrepreneur in our good friend and music promoter Kieran J Moore.ย Kieran has performed wonders in re-opening the venue, in overhauling its sound and lighting infrastructure, and in attracting a whole new range of artists over the past couple of years.ย Audiences have grown, drawn by the inventive programming, and the support for many local up-and-coming new indie bands.ย
And now, at last, a light has re-emerged from the gloom for the folkies with the start of The PumpAcoustic Club as a new pop-up venture at the venue. Running every second Friday of the month, the club promises a welcoming night whether you want to come and play or just rock up and listen. The format is pretty similar to the old VP folk club: the first half is dedicated to acoustic-only (unplugged) floor spots, and the second half to a booked guest. For the Open Mic part, you have to sign up in advance (first come, first served via comments on their Facebook page), and you get time to sing two or three songs each. The running order allows for about ten or eleven acts. Then, following the break, and the inevitable raffle, the second half is a 45-60 PA-supported slot dedicated to a booked artist.
Last month, on the first outing for the Club, we were treated to a great set by local duo Lorna and Darren, playing as Fly Yeti Fly. Anyone there would agree it was a great night and a fabulous start to this new venture.
Last night, for Augustโs booking we had Wings and Whispers, an all-female duo from Bristol. Both classically trained, both admitted to preferring the folkier side of things. Using harp, guitar, whistle and voices, the pair played some fascinating, ethereal music based in folk legends and myths and in the natural world. They wove original compositions together with re-arranged folk classics and covers into a mesmerising set. Superb stuff.
The new Club, set up by Bradford-on-Avonโs Simon Taylor (lately of Water Thieves Trio and Dr. Zeboโs Wheezy Club) and Matt Cook, looks as if itโs hit just the right formula. Both last monthโs affair and last night were pretty busy, with most seats taken both upstairs and down. Itโs ยฃ4 to get in, and ยฃ1 for a strip of raffle tickets, so youโre all done and dusted for a great night out for a fiver โ what more could you want? Letโs hope that now itโs back, folks will continue to support it and make it into the success it surely deserves to be.
Future gigs, as stated, will be the second Friday of each month.ย See their Facebook page for individual events, but hereโs a preview:ย
Friday 12th September Andy Skellam
Friday 10th October Lorikeet
Friday 14th November Brian Stone & The Masters Of None
Legendary songwriter and original Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell has announced a run of UK dates this November, accompanied by special guests The Courettes, and it includes Fromeโs Cheese & Grain on Saturday 15thโฆ..
Golden Brown, Strange Little Girl, Always The Sun… sound familiar? All big hits, all great songs, all penned and performed by Hugh Cornwell, the songwriter behind the legendary early eighties punk band The Stranglers.ย
When future historians of music draw up a list of the movers and shakers who changed the modern musical landscape, Hugh Cornwellโs name will no doubt be amongst them. As a pioneering musician, songwriter and performer, his pervasive influence persists in the record collections of music aficionados, across this spinning globeโs radio waves, and on stages around the world. Hughโs presence is unquestionable.
As the leader of The Stranglers, Hugh was the main songwriter of all of the bandโs most memorable songs across ten stellar albums. After their 1977 debut Rattus Norvegicus, follow-up albums such as No More Heroes and The Raven consolidated Cornwellโs stature as a unique songwriter and musician. His multi-layered lyrics to Golden Brown, from La Folie, remain a songwriting masterclass.
Hugh embarks on his Come And Get Some tour in November, appearing at Fromeโs Cheese & Grain on Saturday 15th. A full band show with Stranglers choice cuts and solo delicates, plus support from The Courettes, an explosive group from Denmark and Brazil. With Flavia Couri on vocals and guitar and Martin on drums, they provide the perfect blend of Wall of Sound, Girl Group Heartbreaks, Motown and R&B. Imagine the Ronettes meeting the Ramones at a wild party in the Hitsville echo chamber, thatโs the Courettes!
โCornwellโs still doing things his way and often with striking results,โ said Mojo, โThunderously tribal garage rockโฆ the ex-Strangler not yet gone soft,โ Uncut provided.
Kicking off at Epic Studios in Norwich on 6th November, Hugh Cornwell will be playing favourites from his time with The Stranglers as well as a range of solo material, including his 1979 album โNosferatuโ in full. The record saw Cornwell teaming up with Captain Beefheartโs Robert Williams to create a record as gothic as the film it takes its name from.
Throughout November, Cornwell will make stops at beloved venues up and down the country including Hangar 34 in Liverpool, Concorde 2 in Brighton and Islington Assembly in the capital. Heโll be joined on the road by retro-inspired punk rock duo The Courettes, helming from Denmark and Brazil.
Atmospherically anthemic and reinforced with that infectious rhythmic groove weโve come to love Talk in Code for, More Than Friends is chockfull of it, and itโs their latest single, to be released on Friday 22nd August 2025 via Regent Street Recordsโฆ.
Even if youโre accounted for now, happily married and matured like a fine wine, the recollections of a blossoming relationship and the eagerness versus apprehension it provokes will never be pushed down a dark alley of your memory lane; successful or epic fail, they live inside the mind forever, Iโm afraid! Frontman, Chris Stevens said of the single, โweโve all been there, in a situation waiting for the other to make the first move, to validate our feelings, or save face!โ
I could tell you a few stories, but will save you the agony! Especially as the earliest would be set in the eighties, about getting hot under the collar over girls in rah-rah skirts, leg warmers and dippy-boppers! But thatโs the beauty of this songโs simple premise; if youโre older the irresistible eighties feel to the sound assists you in extracting the emotions needed to savour a memory or two, and youโll stare back up at your Morten Harket or Kim Wilde poster, should the blu-tac not have dried out, praying theyโll bless you with a cure to your longing!! Billy Joel, you charlatan, it isnโt that easy to tell her about it!
Whereas if youโre younger and, as gen z generally are, far more practical to be praying to Smash Hits pullout posters, you might relate the songโs narrative to a newfound emotion, sharable on TikTok. But the eighties vibe still functions as a mechanism, because, letโs face it, musical innovators of the eighties are the catalysts to contemporary pop. I was careful here not to suggest eighties music was better, though with my rose-tinted specs on, the thought was!
And thatโs what makes Talk in Code so universally engaging; it bridges a needed gap between eighties new wave electronica and nineties indie pop. In goes the synths, guitars riffs, the immortal choruses and rousing hooks, and what it exhausts is fresh and pumping, modern yet as timeless as Chris’s Adidas jackets, like someone slipped a rocket between the bum cheeks of Tony Hadley, and whip, zoom heโs top of the download chart faster than you could cry Oasis.
For the reflective mood to the bandโs artistry, which this track seems to strengthen, More Than Friends might be considered typical for the bandโs direction, but as ever, they are growers, and after a listen or three youโll find the quintessential is challenged with each new release, because this band are tight, theyโre professional, and bounded by great PR, management, and a truly loyal fanbase. A base which will be singing this back to them, in blue sunglasses, at their numerous live performances within the next month!
The single’s launch party is at the Vic, Swindon, on Friday 22nd August. Tickets HERE
Raging expressions of angered feminist teenage anguish this month, perfectly delivered by Steatopygous via their mindblowing debut album Songs of Salome, I hail as theโฆ
Itโs nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโs Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil andโฆ
โMore deadlier than the maleโ is my usual corny pun for this, but if supergroup Female of the Species returns to Melksham this September, it looks like the last time Iโll be able to use itโฆ.
September 2017, when Devizine had merely eight articles published, I previewed a charity fundraising event in Melksham, The Female of the Species, and Iโve loved it and supported it since. A supergroup composed of the frontwomen of various local bands, they were already in their second year, but after ten years they announced this one will be their lastโฆ.
Julie Moreton from Trowbridgeโs ska and reggae covers band Train to Skaville, formed the supergroup Female of the Species with Nicky Davis from Warminster-based The Reason, Glastonburyโs Julia Greenland from Soulville Express, Fromeโs Claire Perry from Big Mammaโs Banned, and solo artist Charmaigne Andrews, for an annual fundraiser at the Melksham Assembly Rooms; it became a much-loved institution and has raised over an estimated ยฃ25-30K for various local charities chosen annually.
Itโs an incredible amount, but Julie revealed she wasnโt sure of the grand total over the combined years. โWe’ve never really kept a total of what we’ve raised,โ she modestly told me, โwe sang a few songs, and someone’s life got a little better is how we think about it.โ
Their tenth and final time performing the fundraiser as The Female of the Species will be at The Melksham Assembly Hall on Saturday 13th September 2025, and will be raising for Voices, a Bath-based charity supporting survivors and overcomers of domestic abuse and violence to recover and thrive. Tickets usually sell out quickly, you can grab yours HERE.
And youโll be glad you did, the accumulation of five talented singers from different bands, coming together for a sizzling melting pot of all popโs subgenres, from rock, soul and reggae, blended with some filthy banter is something to behold, a whole lot of fun and dancing. Thereโs always a quality support act too, the likes of Plan of Action, Becky Lawrence and Dylan Smith have all warmed up the audience in previous years, but the girls have called inย Laura Jayne, their first ever support act, who has carved out her own career as a vocalist.
With only months to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds or face potential closure due to the building it leased being beyond economical repair, in 2024 Female of the Species raised funds for Trowbridge preschool Rainbow Early Years. 2013 was for Alzheimerโs Support, and previous years theyโve supported Mind, Young Melksham, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, and one very close to our hearts here at Devizine, Carmelaโs Stand Up to Muscular Dystrophy.
They received a Civic Award in 2019, a letter from the Queen Consort, and thanks from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. For a couple of years, with a misinformed council, they made the move to Seend Community Hall, but in 2024 they headlined Melkshamโs Christmas light switch on and are now back at the Assembly Hall. Although, where and why did it all begin?
โI started The Female of the Species because I didn’t like the way women were perceived on the local music scene,โ Julie Moreton told us. โOut with Train to Skaville, at a couple of local festivals I noticed I was the only female on the stage, so I went into the green room and asked โanyone got any girls in the band?โ The reply was, โwe don’t have girls in our band because theyโre unreliable, always gotta find a babysitter!โ At another festival I asked the same question, this time the reply was, ‘we get a few girlie’s in when we want some backing lyrics done!โ It bugged me for about a year, then I decided to do something about it, spoke to my co-founder Julia Greenland, we booked the Civic Hall, without really knowing what we were doing!โ
They only ever planned the gig as a one-off in 2014, but went on for ten years. Julie concluded, โthe rest is history,โ until hilarious force of nature Claire โBig Mammaโ Perry had to butt in with her welcomed thoughts too!
โI joined this crazy bunch after their first year of performing,โ Claire informed me, โwith, I have to admit, some apprehension!!โ and continued to explain her reasoning; being โbadly burntโ by another woman in a band; I didnโt dare delve deeper!
โBut after Jules and Julia convinced me,โ she continued, โI thought Iโd be mad not to, โcos it’ll be fun! I have to say….I’ve never looked back, well, maybe once or twice, to tell the drummer he’s too frigginโ loud, or asleep, or pissed!โ
โIt’s been hard work every year, to get the time needed to rehearse, as all the band have their own commitments be it musically, or with their own families and lives, but what a privilege itโs been every year to raise not only awareness of our chosen charities, but of course the money that has helped them all, in whatever way they chose to put it to use.โ
โI think, if I may speak on behalf of all of us, what being in the Female of the Species has done for us, is to firmly secure the respect, admiration, and amazing friendships we have made amongst us all. Every year, we come out, smiling, (teeth & tits!!) to our trusty, and loyal audiences, professional to a fault, to put on, what we hope- will be a great show…but often hiding, or certainly masking, our own sometimes sad or heartbreaking dilemmas!โ
Claire described how every year one of the members had issues in their personal lives, โwhether that be, broken hearts, broken limbs!โ and here I recollected the year Nicky Davis hobbled out with a broken leg, and stunned the audience standing for her solo, but Claire reflected back three years past, when she lost her mum the night before the show.
โTen years at the top of our game, we hope we can raise the rafters on this, our big celebration of music, friendship, and helping decent people, working to help others in chronically under funded charities, and get the place bouncing!! For me, itโs been a blast, boosted my confidence and morale, and it’s made me proud of what a bunch of musos from the West can do, when we put our collective skills in the pot. Over the last ten years we have been The Female of the Species band, we have raised somewhere in the region of 30K for some very deserving people. It’s been a slog, it’s been a grin, but most of all…it’s been a pleasure!โ
The pleasure has been ours, as we turn the final page, The Female of the Species will become an historical landmark on Wiltshireโs music scene, and I still didnโt get any of their phone numbers. For one last time youโre invited to help them raise the roof of the Melksham Assembly Hall on Saturday 13th September 2025, but you need a ticket from HERE.
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 awardsโฆ
Featured Image: Lillie Eiger Frome Festival is launching itsย โ25 for 25โย fundraising campaign with a very special concert featuring three locally based acts:ย Tom Mothย โ best knownโฆ
Iโve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quinโฆ
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 releaseโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ben Swann and Ian Diddams Self-appointed โMoroseโ Mark Harrison was once again on totally top form at Komedia last Sunday entertainingโฆ
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 21โฆ
Featured Image Credit: Jamie Carter Special guests Lightning Seeds to Support Forest Live, Forestry Englandโs summer concert series presented with Cuffe & Taylor, has announcedโฆ
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! So good the Kaiser Chiefs wrote a song about her, or if not, at least brilliant enough to silence the most rowdy venue into an utter state of jawdropping awe! A video of a new tune, a metaphorical sea shanty, Crowned Lightbringer teasing us for a forthcoming EP, is out todayโฆ..
A diary jam-packed, gigging across the South West to Scotland and beyond, her natural talent is off the scale, and deservedly gaining attention. With youth on her side, raw determination, and a twinkle in her eye, whatever avenue she might choose to take to get there, everything screams future legend about Ruby Darbyshire. I predicted this from day dot, Crowned Lightbringer confirms.
They whisper, โoh, I’ve not heard her play yet,โ and not wishing to present them with a spoiler, I reply, as Ruby tunes up, โjust, don’t go anywhere.โ Seconds later, another instant Ruby Darbyshire fan has spawned!
For her most treasured song to date, Insomnia, uses the inventively crafted metaphor of a blankie to represent a relatively adult issue, even breaks the solemnity with a comical line, it remains the simple premise of an intelligent childlike product in comparison to Crowned Lightbringer.
A rowing boat in a storm, a race against sea monsters, the lighthouse diverting ships from a bay; this is multi-layered and richer metaphorically than anything we’ve heard from Ruby in the past,ย and projects a maturing sentiment, with a fleshed, lost character and a sombre, inspiring narrative. The mood is chilled in darkness and euphorically hopeful to be guiding towards light.ย It’s a sublime voyage of discovery, and overlapping looped harmonies echoing Ruby’s soulful vocal range insists you come aboard.
sneaky peek at the forthcoming EP cover
The tempo mellowed to ghostly, the sentiment interwoven into this rich theme of the implications of maturing; blues, in essence, with silk and steel strings? I’m no expert, but I do know the result is breathtaking, perfection on every level. It feels personal yet outwardly reflecting, and leaves you longing for this forthcoming EP.
Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโs already racing upโฆ
It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโs young indie band Between The Linesโ demo singleโฆ
A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโs bitter about not getting his dream jobโฆ.. If this mysterious dudeโsโฆ
Itโs not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have doneโฆ
If Devizesโ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโs Park Farm for next summerโs extravaganza, what better way to give it the rusticโฆ
Wiltshire Music announces a new season for Autumn Winter: and the first under the new leadership of Daniel Clark, Artistic Director and Sarah Robertson, Executive Directorโฆ.
Since first opening in 1997, Wiltshire Music Centre has been a musical hub, bringing the best in live performances to the area as well as providing a home for local orchestras, choirs and music groups. The upcoming season will feature returning WMC favourites while also spotlighting exciting new artists and expanding the programme, signalling a fresh direction and commitment to musical discovery.
Audiences can look forward to internationally recognised artists including a first visit to WMC by Kingโs Place resident ensemble and Southbank Resident Orchestra,โฏAurora Orchestra (21 Nov) a rare UK appearance by the phenomenal Bill Frisell Trio (22 Nov), classical season opener by Roderick Williams, one of the UKโs most sought after baritones, alongside theโฏCarducci Quartet, (28 Sep) and experimental folk singer-poet Richard Dawson (9 Nov), among others.
Other classical season highlights include celebrated Baroque violinistโฏRachel Podgerโฏperforming withโฏBrecon Baroqueโฏ(8 Oct) and returns to the WMC stage by virtuosic pianist,โฏJeneba Kanneh-Masonโฏ(Sun 26 Oct) andโฏI Fagiolini, who bring their musical storytelling back to the stage with leading local choir, Bath Camerata (13 Dec).โฏThe Young Artist Programme supporting the brightest young stars is back with Classic FM 2024 Rising Star and violinist Nathan Amaral (17 Dec) and Syrian-British pianist, Riyad Nicolas (12 Nov), exploring piano works from Bach, Beethoven and the Arab World.
A season of sensational jazz kicks off with Giacomo Smith and an all-star line-up celebrating 100 years of Louis Armstrong (27 Sep), a tribute to Nina Simone by Lady Nade, contemporary jazz and inventive improv from Danish Jazz Awards winners Jasper Hoibyโs 3Elements, and much more.โฏ
Alongside traditional folk offerings of Gypsy, folk inspired music by Budapest Cafe Orchestra (15 Nov) and โworld-folkโ by Dallahan (31 Oct), the line-up also features contemporary sounds, including spellbinding Welsh triple harpist and vocalist Cerys Hafana (18 Oct), the critically acclaimed duo The Breath (2 Nov), and London folktronica band Tunng (19 Nov).
Families can look forward to CBeebies Musical superhero and Podcast host, Nick Cope and his festive themed show (7 Dec) while earlier in the year, thereโs a Halloween special for all the family with The Paper Cinema (1 Nov) and their immersive puppetry and visuals.
Referring to the Centreโs rich history, Daniel Clark says โWith these concerts, we have aimed to honour the spirit of musical curiosity so present in those early days, with a diverse programme spanning past, present and future. In our next season, you will find a collection of extraordinary musical experiences, handpicked for our wonderful auditorium and marking the start of our own journeys as stewards of this special venue.โ
Daniel Clark joined in January this year, alongside Sarah Robertson. Sarah was previously Director of Communications and Special Projects at Bristol Beacon, leading the marketing and rebranding of the venueโs ยฃ132 million transformation. Daniel, with over 25 years in the arts as a Creative Director, composer, and musician, formerly led the Creative Programme at the Story Museum in Oxford.
Highlights:
Aurora Orchestra: one of the most innovative and boundary-breaking ensembles in classical music make their WMC debut performing Mendelssohnโs much-loved โItalian Symphonyโ, and Prokofievโs expressive Violin Concerto No 2 with Chloe Hanslip โ all performed from memory. (21 Nov 2025)
Bill Frisell Trio: Wiltshire Music Centre welcomes legendary jazz guitarist and composer and his acclaimed trio featuring Thomas Moran on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. This will be just one of a handful of UK performances, that includes the London Jazz Festival. (22 Nov 2025)
Artist Residency: Groundbreaking clarinettist, active educator and composer Giacomo Smith performs a series of concerts: โThe 1925โ (27 Sep) celebrating 100 years of Louis Armstrong featuring UKโs jazz talents, Joe Webb and Laura Hurd; Giacomo Smith + Wiltshire Youth Jazz Orchestra (12 Oct), a special afternoon of brilliant big band magic with talented young musicians; Giacomo Smith & Mozes Rosenberg โManoucheโ (14 Nov), a special quartet project paying homage to Djanjo Reinhardtโs musical legacy.
Penguin Cafe Plays Music from Penguin Cafe Orchestra: The sounds of Music from the cult avant-pop band of the 80s & 90s is played by group founded by Arthur Jeffes, son of the original creator, Simon (18 Nov)
Little Rituals presents Heliocentrics: Special event presented by Bradford on Avonโs coolest coffee shop, Little Rituals: an evening of psychedelic-funk-jazz, audio-visuals, pop- up vinyl shop run by Melkshamโs indie record shop, Doubles and cocktails. (29 Nov)
This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโs a selloutโฆ
In association with PF Events, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts introduces a Young Urban Digitals course in video mapping and projection mapping for sixteen to twentyโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Penny Clegg and Shakespeare Live โAntony & Cleopatraโ is one of Shakespeareโs four โRoman Playsโ, and chronologically is set after โJuliusโฆ
Unlike Buck Rogers, who made it to the 25th century six hundred years early, Devizesโ most modest acoustic virtuoso arrives at the 21st just shortโฆ
Yeah, I hear you! An update on our inaugural Wiltshire Music Awards is overdue. So my partner on this monumental project and the guy doing all the work while I take the credit, Eddie Prestidge of Wiltshire Music Events, has taken off his shoes and socks and provided a top ten shortlist for each categoryโฆ.drum roll, and perhaps a generous spray of Febreze!
Excited? I know I am, but then I’m easily excitable. Firstly you should know by now, despite the umpteen โwhere can I voteโ questions still fired online at us daily, that the voting has closed; closed, people; pay attention!
We are now in the process of collating those thoughtful public votes, and handing the top three winners of each and every category to an expert panel of judges either selected for their keen involvement in the Wiltshire music scene, sporting a purple goatie, or both.
We thank those who took the time to cast their votes. We had over 700 votes, proving the music scene of Wiltshire is vast and enjoyed by many, has more talented people than a night out with The Venga Boys, and there’s a few Swifties and generally silly people who didn’t get the memo that this is Wiltshire Music Awards and not the Pennsylvania oneโฆ.unless you can find me a suitable connection between Wiltshire and Taylor Swift?!
Hey, look, let’s be honest, I’d be happy to hand her an award, perhaps in exchange for her phone number, but we have to keep things in perspective.
On our Facebook groupover the past week or so, Eddie has been listing the results, precisely as they were written in the boxes by the voters, so you can see, warts, spelling mistakes, and those spoiled ballots by a minority of silly sausages were included. We’re aware, due to stage names, variations, and the state of the education system, some names appear twice or more, and it’s been a task to collate them.
The thing is, and always was, that the voting boxes should be left blank rather than those annoying drop-down option thingies. While the combined minds of Ed and I is both something to behold, and a virtual encyclopedia of the Wiltshire music scene, we can’t pretend to know everyone, and therefore some of the choices made by you, the voters, we were unaware of. And that’s the beauty and ethos behind these awards, networking foremost. Making the scene competitive is the bottom of our priorities, Wiltshire Music Awards is about recognising and celebrating local talent, and showcasing it.
Personally I reckon anyone with the guts to get out there and entertain Wiltshire folk deserves a big shiny medal of bravery, and perhaps one of those right posh giant Toblerones! Thereโs a number of artists and bands missing that Iโd personally liked to see up there, I guess thatโs the way the cookie crumbles.
So, enough of my warbling, cue the Gregory Isaacs song, โThough she isn’t in my top ten, still she is on my chart, Sitting in the back bench still she’s a student of my class,โ or not perhaps; political correctness! Here, anyway, is the Top Ten from each category; fill yer boots, no squabbling, and the very best of luck to everyone mentioned belowโฆ.
Listings are alphabetical. Those eagle-eye Action Men might notice not all categories contain ten; where the final one or two contains multiple entries with the same amount of votes, they’ve been omitted.
Come and help us celebrate the winners and runners up with a star-studded lineup of music, announcements, perhaps even yours truly as host (a polished turd in a tuxedo,) and a special celebrity guest or three, by grabbing some tickets for the grand ceremony at Devizes Corn Exchange on Saturday 25th October.
Best Male Solo Artist
Vince Bell
Giles Halski
Lucas Hardy
Josh Kumra
JP Oldfield
John โIllingworthโ Smith
George Wilding
Adam Woodhouse
Best Female Solo Artist
Harmony Asia
Ebony Bell
Chrissy Chapman
Sammi Evans
Ruby Darbyshire
Chloe Hepburn
Rosie Jay
Tamsin Quin
Rachel Sinnetta
Best Originals Band
All Ears Avow
Be Like Will
Burn The Midnight Oil
Dark Prophecy
Deadlight Dance
Cephid
The Jon Amor Trio
Nothing Rhymes With Orange
Talk in Code
Best Covers Band
Be Like Will
The Britpop Boys
Martyโs Fake Family
The Midnight Hour
No Alarms And No Devizes
Pinky & The Slapcats
Static Moves
The Unpredictables
Best Duo
Deadlight Dance
Fly Yeti Fly
Illingworth
Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta
Lauren & Hardy
Matchbox Mutiny
Millers Daughter
Rackham
The Sylvertones
Best Rising Star/Newcomer
Sam Bishop
Burn The Midnight Oil
Cephid
Chole Hepburn
Sammi Evans
Fran Daisy
JP Oldfield
Koerie Willsdon
Rosie Jay
Best Tribute Artist/Band
The Bowie Show
BC/DC Breakcover
The Britpop Boys
50 ft Queenie
Mick Jogger & The Stones Experience
Just Elton
Painted Bird
Plastic Fantastic
Rebjorn
Best Music Venue
The Pump, Trowbridge
Qudos, Salisbury
The Royal Oak, Pewsey
Stallards, Trowbridge
The Southgate, Devizes
The Three Crowns, Devizes
The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon
The Victoria, Swindon
Best Original Song
The Bitter Mass – Iโll Wrap You
Burn The Midnight Oil – Lock Up
Butane Skies – Innocence
Gaz Brookfield – Hook Village Hall
Lucas Hardy – The Below
Rob Sadler – I Wrote a Country Song
Rosie Jay – I Donโt Give a Damn
Talk in Code – All In
The Vivas – Saint Swithens
Best Vocalist
Amber Coleman
Tom Corneill
Elijah Easton
Lucas Hardy
Chloe Jordan
Rachel Sinnetta
Chris Stevens
Tom Thornton
Best Guitarist
Jon Amor
Nick Beere
Joe Burke
Jolyon Dixon
Andy Hill
Howard Hughes
Jack Lowe
Innes Sibun
Alister Sneddon
Best Bassist
Mark Turner
Nick Gowman
Nick Beere
James Hinsley
Lucianne Worthy
Jerry Soffe
Ed Docherty
Richard Hunt
Thomas Noke
Best Drummer
Dean Creighton
Ed (Solar Bird)
Tom Gilkes
Andy Naish
Jamie O’Sullivan
Thor Porter
Callum Rawlings
Jane Truckle
Best Instrumentalist
Mike Barnett
Nick Beere
Jolyon Dixon
Claire Hopkins
Cailien Hunt
Andrew Hurst
Chris O’Leary
JP Oldfield
Sara Stagg
Wade (from Brakelight)
Best DJ
Paul Alexander
Mark Anthony
Chloe Grist
Guy Griffiths (DJ Bong)
Kevin – (Odstock Radio)
Mark Lister
Maurice Menghini
Andy Saunders
James Threlfall
Lifetime Achievement Award
Jon Amor
Nick Beere
Vince Bell
Jolyon Dixon
Colin Holton
Ruth Jones
Michael Johnson
Pete Lamb
Darren Simons
Talk in Code
Outstanding Contribution to the Wiltshire Music Scene
Jo Baines
Nick Beere
Colin Holton
Ian Hopkins
Tom Mallard
Solstice Sound Music Studio
Talk in Code
The Three Horseshoes
Darren Worrow
Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community
Jo Baines
Robb Blake
Jemma Brown & Fulltone Orchestra
Saun Dobson & The Three Horseshoes
Ross Gooding
Colin Holton
The Royal Wottonn Bassett Dementia Choir
Talk in Code
West Wilts Radio
Darren Worrow
That’s all folks, save the most important part for you; come and help us celebrate the winners and runners up with a star-studded lineup of music, announcements, perhaps even yours truly as host (a polished turd in a tuxedo,) and a special celebrity guest or three, by grabbing some tickets for the grand ceremony at Devizes Corn Exchange on Saturday 25th October.
To make this as glitzy as we want it to be, you can help us also by sponsoring a category, more information about this and everything else to do with Wiltshire Music Awards, see HERE.
If youโve seen Jess Self performing at the Wharf Theatre, singing at the FullTone Festival or elsewhere Iโm certain youโll agree with us; Jess has that star quality which lights up the stageโฆ..
At 13 Jess won Vernon Kayโs Talent Nation, studied performing arts at Trowbridgeโs Stagecoach and has appeared in many productions including Devizes Music Academy’s Six:Teen, The Railway Children and lead roles in more pantomimes at The Wharf Theatre than I could name!
Weโre delighted to hear Jess has made the final seven hopefuls for West End Kids, the UKโs renowned pre-professional company for musical theatre training and elite performance. From hundreds of entries, the final seven young contestants are decided by public vote, to win a scholarship for their training programme.
Jess said, โthe first show I ever went to watch was Matilda when I was 9, after the show I said I want to do thisโ and I haven’t stopped singing since. This would be a dream come true for me!โ
Now, this is where you come in, interactive which we are! Please help Jess reach the dream, vote for her and support local talent. Vote HERE by entering your name, and confirming by email. Voting ends this Sunday, 3rd August, so donโt delay.
It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited to cover Devizes Scooter Rally, Trowbridge Festival and My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad festival in Swindon as well! I either need cloning technology or more people willing to write for peanuts; apply within, monkeys!
What I did discover on the Devizes Green was the usual exceptionally high standards of entertainment, amidst the equally usual quality of sound and light engineering.
Friday night was great, and showcased students of Devizes Music Academy. I’ve covered it here, Saturday I caught another glimpse of the magnificence; The FullTone Orchestra playing out Vivaldiโs Four Seasons with glitter-faced violinist Katy Smith, and was held spellbound, other than perhaps sipping my delicious Muck & Dunder piรฑa colada!
I’m sorry I cannot bring you more, as I dropped into the Rally afterwards and stayed until the finale. The date clash of these two monumentally important Devizes events is a dilemma I’ve mentioned before. But no longer!
I’m glad to hear FullTone has announced a new date for 2026, 10th-12th July, as it cannot possibly clash with the rally,, as it’s being moved to the same site as the rally and recent inaugural and aptly named Park Farm Festival, at Lower Park Farm off the Whistley Road.
It’s a splendid site, plentiful for camping, and this will mean big changes for the FullTone Festival we can only speculate right now….and I’d get in even more trouble with Jemma then I already am!!
If there’s been hearsay and ballyhoo about the date clash of two major but individually different events in Devizes this week, I hold my hand up for stirring the pot, yet try to attend both and find fair balance. But at the dawning of them, as magical as the FullTone Festival is, it cannot be argued, Devizes Scooter Rally was the success story this weekendโฆ..
My afternoon was spent, Muck & Dundar piรฑa colada in hand, in the magnificence of FullTone’s mighty stage, Vivaldiโs Four Seasons striking out with the acoustics of the gods, in awe at glitter-faced violinist Katy Smith and the orchestra behind.ย
It is unquestionably a fantastic event. Though Devizine isn’t my employment, neither a public service, it’s a hobby, its opinions driven by the personal preferences of the authors. As much as I pretend to be classically cultured, there’s another gig I’m impelled by preference to explore; Devizes Scooter Rally.ย
Handbags and gladrags for a cider guzzling retrospective camping adventure on the future site of FullTone, Park Farm. The scope for expansion for FullTone is available here, even if townsfolk accustomed to a freebie from their deckchair on the small green might whinge, at least the date will not clash and Devizions can enjoy both next year, if they so wished. Yet if the clash must remain, my devotion is towards the Rally, because it’s more my cuppa.
I’m standing upfield with the โColonelโ of Devizes Scooter Club Adam Ford and his partner Lauren Gibbs, watching the sun setting across the vast expanse of tents, campers and scooters; neither sure nor fussed over stats, but the site is at least 25% fuller than last year, which was recordbreaking too. They, club members, and volunteers have been here all week, setting up this magnificent spectacle, now feeling the fatigue but maintaining smiles, and the bar staff continue regardless of lost voices and aching feet. The club built the fantastic bar themselves, and once the rally is opened this testament to their conscientiousness never creates a dull moment.
The sound reputation the rally has built, both locally and nationwide has boosted attendance figures, the headlining of Ranking Jnrโs incarnation of The Beat assisted. A bold move to introduce a renowned name, but the Club needs to discuss just how willing they are to expand the rally, the issues it may raise, but in general the consensus seemed to be that in fear of losing the communal and hospitable atmosphere, this yearโs Rally might be as large as they are willing to take it. I like this, for the atmosphere is sublimely buzzing, yet it retains a friendly, family vibe.
The spirit of the attendees, or the overall โvibeโ is key to its success, and something no matter how much dosh you throw at the mechanics or promotion of an event, you canโt manufacture. It just happens, via the altruism and motivation of the organisers, presenting an affordable occasion welcoming all. The scooterists flock here from every corner of the country, the locals are now keen to come too, because thereโs no boundaries or prejudices dividing them. It is also, undoubtedly the nostalgia they all love, a merger of youth cultures of yore, and, for the younger attendees, its influence on today. This, and the certitude ska, reggae, and soul is irresistibly danceable, and for the locals, genres something rarely provided here.
Devizes Scooter Rally is top of its own class. Other largescale rallies have debatably lost their communal atmosphere through their expansion, and those at the lower end of the scale do not pack the same powerful punch. Five bands are booked, thereโs lengthy breaks between them filled with the renowned DJ Terry Hendrick, and no one batters an eyelid in botheration. This isnโt exactly a festival even though it might appear so, more a gathering of likeminded, out to party like thereโs no tomorrow! They gather to chat, drink and be merry; thatโs the motto reflected.
The Butterfly Collective, the penultimate Saturday night act seemed far more polished and diverse than last year, and took us on a grand historic musical journey of covers, relevant yet era-spanning and anthemic. What would finalise the live acts was bubbling the anticipation and excitement of the crowds jamming themselves into the marque.
Two-Tone pioneering bands striving towards chart success in the early eighties attempted it in different ways. The Specials upheld politically-motivated teenage anguish, The Bodysnatchers used their frontgirl for feminist awareness, Madness locked into a carefree fairground sound to appease the youngest, but The Beat achieved it by combining musical styles which would change the nature of pop. Punk, ska, soul and reggae, even Latino influences were not off the cards for The Beat. Though, as seemingly mandatory of the Two-Tone style, an Afro-Caribbean toaster was provided, and his unforgettable name was Ranking Roger.
2019 Ranking Roger sadly passed away aged just 56. We heard a heartwarming homage to him in both speech and song from his son Matthew Murphy, aka Ranking Junior, and though subtle not to sombre the mood, it was emotional. The remaining time was spent absolutely and categorically rocking the crowd with a combination of self-penned songs in the skanking fashion of The Beat yet updated with subtle dancehall and obviously classics from the original lineup when the concentration leaned on his father rather than Dave Wakeling. In so much we weren’t treated to tunes like Canโt Get Used to Losing You, but at the height of the party mood, Mirror in the Bathroom, Full Stop, Hands Off…She’s Mine and an updated Stand Down Margaret did more than suffice.
It was off the scale, a perfect balance of testament to his father and his own progression, akin to Ziggy Marley, a high but deserved accolade. Through his youthfulness was the drive in the show, the same zest and raw energy his father wouldโve delivered in his prime, and that was simply delicious, respectful and infectious.
Once the steam had lessened and the night bit in, Terry would supply the other end of the musical difference of contemporary scooterists, Northern Soul. So if the soul dancers were persuaded by genre to hover outside while Ranking Junior’s The Beat took on this timeless extravaganza, the dancefloor was now theirs to show off their fancy moves, and they did!
What a fantastic, peaking blinder on our doorstep, I only hope Iโve done it justice trying to express how bloody marvelous it was, especially the afternoon after the cider I consumed! Devizes Scooter Club, friends and family sure know to throw an unforgettable shindig, and maximum respect to them for the diligence and efforts they put into putting this rally firmly on the map, again. It just gets better each time!
Devizes annual orchestral festival, FullTone got underway yesterday afternoon with a showcase of local talent from Devizes Music Academy,ย and finalised Friday night with their recent musical Thereโs Something About Jamieโฆ.
If today the stage is filled with the sixty-plus piece FullTone Orchestra and guest singers, Friday night was all about Jamie ….or something about Jamie! A contemporary set musical akin to Billy Elliott, save tap dancing is replaced by a desire to become a drag queen.
Prior, students of the Academy took to the colossal stage to sing solo, a tenfold more nail-biting experience than any open mic! At least, I’d imagine it would be, still waiting for the call!
Bravely and with confidence, Emma Nailor, Annie Coleman, andย Joe Thomas sang, and I’m sorry I missed them. I did arrive fashionably late to catch Braydon-Lee, who delivered an awesome set of pop covers from the likes of Ed Sheeran and others.
Brewing with confidence and stage presence blossoming, Braydon sang over backing tracks. His tenor voice is rich and expressive, able to handle the likes of Sheeran and Capaldi, but this boy needs a band as he’s got star potential.
Something About Jamie was fun. Humorously scripted, poignant, and contemporary. Both the acting and, particularly the singing was first class, kudos to the students of Devizes Music Academy.
Of course, FullTone Festival continues today with the orchestra in full flight. Classical beginnings, including Vivaldiโs Four Seasons at 2pm. Then, the songbook of the Beatles, a recreation of Enya’s groundbreaking album, followed by the popular dance anthems taking the crowds into the night. I’m heading down there now!
In a way itโs more intriguing when a cover band sends an original song than one already producing originals. For if original bands can sometimes be critical of the desire of pub venues to value cover bands over them, yeah, your average cover band is heeding the call for their bread and butter, but are often equally passionate about music, and turn to recording some of their own wares. And when they do itโs natural to pay homage to the particular style they play in, as guaranteed, thatโs their calling and influenceโฆ..
Certainly true of Marlborough-based Static Moves, who released a debut single today, full of the retrospective energy theyโre celebrated for at live shows. They turned a cold February night at the Three Crowns in Devizes into a volcano, as they regularly warm crowds at a plethora of local venues with a repertoire of welcomed new wave to Britpop covers.
The concern is that the raw energy doesnโt transfer to the recording, but you have no worries here; it’s the dog’s bollocks. Crawl Back, as theyโve called it, belts out an accomplished potential anthem of precisely what theyโre loved for on the circuit. A matured and modern indie-rock spliced โTurning Japaneseโ by the Vapors, with a carefree attitude of the Merton Parkas. Itโs got the new wave mod-punk crossover of the early eighties splashed across it like two-tone trousers and Fred Perry T-shirts never went out of fashion. And it didnโt, because you can hear its influence crying out for attention in contemporary indie-rock bands, ergo, the appeal of Crawl Back reaches beyond nostalgic middle-aged to youths today.
With a theme of the tail between your legs sympathy vote, forgiveness is key when you still fancy the wrongdoer, forget the three minute hero, this weighs in at four and a half, and it waits for no man to catch up with it. In a way the length of this whopper is more indicative of modern punk bands, but you cannot help but imagine youโre at a musky gig in 1981, it costs two quid to get in, youโve only got one and half a packet of fruit Polos to trade with the glue-sniffers hanging outside drinking tins of Tennents!
Static Moves promises more of their, indeed, moreish raw energy captured, and if thereโs more in the pipeline, an EP would be welcomed, an album worth would be knockout, because they could, and should, slip this into their covers set and no one would be any the wiser it wasnโt an album track from Modern English or a nineties influenced crew like The Coral or Supergrass; itโs on that level of excellence too, and that’s why they’re all over our local circuit like Dr Martens were in 1981.
A feast of Salisbury musicians have recorded the single Edge of Reason, a powerful tribute to the irreplaceable ThomโฏBelk, a champion of Salisburyโs music scene who sadly passed away at the end of 2023….
โThomโs passion for local talent lit up this city, and this song is our way of keeping that flame burning bright,โ explained Salisbury punkers Lump, organisers and main artists of the single.
Wilton based former Salisbury FC staff member, DJ and chef, Thom Belk passed away in December 2023, aged just 36. A firm supporter of the Salisbury music circuit, and the Salisbury Music Awards.ย
โEdge of Reasonโย was written, recorded and performed by Lump, with a rap section written and performed by Gavin Roberts (MC Daytripper.) Other vocalists featured on the track areย Alex Morgan-Wardrop, Helen Maple, Mr H, Ruth Jones, Matty Priest, Becs Marchant, Cam Walker, Ellie & Emerson andMC Daytripper. The single has fiddle by Wen Archer and Andy Boulton as lead guitarist.
by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Media and Ian Diddams Whilst probably best known for his editorship of โPrivate Eyeโ magazine and thirty-five years asโฆ
I mean, Devizes own contemporary blues throwback, JP is getting bookings, and rightly so. He’s off to Trowbridgeโs Lamb next Saturday for a double-bill withโฆ
With your standard festivals two-to-a-penny, some consisting of not much more than a bloke with a guitar in a pub selling undercooked and overpriced hotdogs, folk are hunting for the unique and often quirky exceptions. Accept The Barge at HoneyStreet always goes the extra mile as a fact. With camping and weekly events so good it’s like a little festival there most of the time, and their homemade HoneyFest still looming on our calendar this September one caught both my eyes and ears; it’s not just unique, it’s otherworldlyโฆ..
Our legendary and beloved Barge Inn, long considered a nexus for crop circles, cosmic curiosity, and canal-side wonder, will host the inaugural Strange Days Festival, a bold new gathering of curious minds, music, and mystery; intrigued huh?!
And leading the charge into the unknown? They’re truly blessed to have none other than the inimitable Brian Blessed, Britainโs booming-voiced national treasure. As a headline speaker on the Saturday afternoon, Blessed, known for his larger-than-life presence and deep fascination with both earthly and cosmic exploration, not to mention his own real-life cryptid investigations, is surely worth the ticket stub alone. If “Gordon’s alive,” let’s hope he’s not moored at the Barge in September!
โStrange Days Festival is a celebration of the unexplained, rooted in the Fortean tradition: a space where the strange is taken seriously, but not solemnly,โ organiser Matt Page of Area 51 explained, and he should know. Area 51 Design provides world-class performances, costumed characters, and cutting edge themed decor to events worldwide, from Glastonbury to the Seychelles.
I had a gander at their Facebook page and was left in awe at their quality bizarre installations, pioneers in this art movement to create feasts for the eyes of festival-goers. But back to Strange Days, indeed.
There’s talks and panels on cryptozoology, folklore, the paranormal and other such shenanigans. This includes legendary underground cartoonist Hunt Emerson, an inspiration to me in my scribbling days of yore, cryptozoologist Richard Freeman, Ian Simmons, editor of Fortean Times, and various other podcasters, artists, authors and researchers.
The festival’s ethos invites attendees to question the world around them, with curiosity, critical thinking, and a sense of cosmic humour. But we’ve only just got started, for when day turns to night, the mystery turns to music. With an electrifying line-up of live bands, DJs and performance art, our interstellar heroes Henge headline.
If you’ve not witnessed their high-energy, intergalactic spectacle before, what planet are you on? I trekked to The Cheese and Grain to investigate them, here’s my take on it, and the bonkers support I mentioned, Paddy Steer is also playing Strange Days. With their message of peace, rave, and galactic unity, Henge are the perfect sonic ambassadors for the spirit of Strange Days.
Plus, naturally, if QTV’s Quentin Smirhes and Comfrey aroused your unnatural senses and turned your head towards social distancing worm helmets during lockdown, you’ll be concerned Sean Reynard will be there, along with Calne’s Real Cheesemakers, with or without their tortoise.
โThis isnโt a conspiracy circus or a sci-fi cosplay,โ Matt promises. โItโs a space for real inquiry, meaningful discussion, and a very good time. We’re bringing together the serious and the surreal, the cerebral and the celebratory.โ Okay I get that, but you know those human fans of Henge will bring the plasma ball hats anyway!!
If aliens are to visit us, this is surely the best weekend to do so. Therefore I’m going above and beyond our usual local network, calling all galactic lifeforms, space cadets and fortean fans, for this, on our doorstep, looks more like a porthole to another world rather than the typical half-baked efforts at a festie!
Strange Days Festival is at The Barge on HoneyStreet from 5th to 7th September 2025. Tickets and info HERE, or at your nearest interstellar space port, located near Alpha Centauri.
As the excitement continues to detonate to an exploding point for our very first Stone Circle Music Events Wiltshire Music Awards on 25th October, weโฆ
by Mick Brianimages from Lauren Arena-McCann The playwright Tom Stoppard is probably best known for his work โRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadโ, his absurdist comedyโฆ
You might think it’s a laryngologist’s dream come true, this Lewis Capaldi-led decade’s penchant for the blue-eyed soul singersโ melismatic strain to cause Mick Hucknallโฆ
Nothing cruel about our George Wilding; with his perfect match and another local legend of local music, Jolyon Dixon, they’re knocking out great singles likeโฆ
Schools out for summer, yelled a man called Alice, but that was in 1972. We’re about what you can do THIS school summer holiday with those little munchkins; here’s what we’ve found…
Please note as soon as we publish this we’ll be bombarded with events we have missed; at least that’s what usually happens! So, bookmark this article as it will update, as will our event calendar, as soon-(ish) as they come to us! Do not fear, we’ll help you through this period, parents, and prevent you having bored kids and compulsory wine-o’clock!
WC says school hollibobs begin Thursday 24th July and parents are freed on Monday 1st September, but we’ve found stuff from Monday 21st, so let’s get this ball rolling from there…..
Holiday Club at Southbroom St James Academy, Devizes
A Churches Together in Devizes Holiday Club is taking place from Monday the 18th to Friday the 22nd of August at Southbroom St James Acadamy in Nursteed Road. The sessions are from 9.45am to 12.30pm each day, and itโs for children going into school years one to seven in September. Go along and make new friends this summer. Thereโll be Bible stories, games, activities, crafts, songs, drame, and much more. Thereโs a suggested donation of ยฃ1 per day. Email devizeschurches.holidayclub@gmail.com for further information and booking details.
Contemplated headlining this โClash of the Titans,โ but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes can peacefully contain two major events on the same weekend, and, potentially, everyone comes up smiling because they attract different target audiences. But if the practicalities and ethos of both events differ enough for townsfolk to calculate a decision on which they’d prefer to attend, when you think about it there’s also some striking similarities between the twoโฆ.
Next weekend sees two major Devizes events happening simultaneously, FullTone Festival and Devizes Scooter Rally. Me? My eclectic tastes and desire to impartially cover as much goings-on as possible puts me in a dilemma, but for most it’s a no-brainer which they’d rather go to. FullTone, central in town, celebrates our homegrown orchestra, with classically trained and theatrical musicians and singers. Though it leans towards representing pop too, classical is the root, and you can chill among friends on a deckchair absorbing the magnitude of something akin to Last Night of the Proms, whilst close to both home and some lardy cake!
Whereas The Scooter Rally, out on the Whistley Road, appeases scooter enthusiasts from near and far, though not exclusively, but either usually have a retrospective penchant for soul, reggae, and dancing to it like there’s no tomorrow! If production is slighter here, it’s ample for its needs; technically engineering sound for ska bands with a brass section, keys and all other gubbings can be nearly as challenging as an orchestra, but the Rally has never failed us yet with precision and high quality output. You. Will. Have. A peaky blinder, guaranteed!
Slide and Decide!
On cost, yes, FullTone comes at a price, but as I’ve stated many times before, when you’re held spellbound in the epicentre of that domed stage, captured by its acoustic magnificence, you’ll soon see where the money is spent; on matchless production, coordination, planning and the highest quality performances. The Scooter Rally prides itself on affordability, but somehow doesnโt skip on quality, which is miraculous in itself. There you will feel like part of something really rather communal and will never be left feeling anyone is out to rip you off; similar to FullTone under the premise โyou get what you pay for.โ
The ambience this creates at the Rally is second to none; drinks prices match the fairness of the ticket stub, camping is included, showers are provided free, and unlike any preconceived notion, mods and skinheads would rather cuddle you than nick your purse!! As an orchestral event it goes without saying, Fulltone also has the hospitality Hagrid would get returning to Hogwarts. Still, the music offering and type of crowd are vastly different, we could suggest by social class, but again, thereโs a good mix at both too.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two Image: Gail Foster
So, where’s the other similarities, you ask, or I’d imagine you might, as they sound completely different kettles of fish, agreed.
I’ll tell you the easiest comparisons first, both are in Devizes; yay! Secondly, both are blooming fantastic, worthy of your hard-earned cash. Both are about the same age, and have become stalwart and beloved annual occasions, both locally and further afield. The attraction nationally of both benefit the town financially.
The other major similarity is uniqueness; if there’s nothing else quite like either in Devizes, it’s fair to argue there’s not much quite like either nationwide. Where else would you find an entire magical weekend covering every aspect of the capabilities of a seventy-piece orchestra, theatrical productions and additions catering for a wider demographic? I cannot think of another event anything like FullTone.
Similarly, scooter rallies tend to only come at two ends of the extreme. There’s long established overpriced rallies of glorious magnitude, and then there’s a pub selling undercooked hotdogs for a tenner, with an uninspiring local mod band perpetually playing Wonderwall. Devizes Scooter Rally sits between the two. You might pay the same price as the lower end of the scale, but you’ll receive all the glory of the upper end, and with a hospitable, local feel to it. I’m not making this up. I’ve spoken to folk who travelled up from Cornwall and folk who trekked down from Manchester to attend Devizes Scooter Rally simply because, and I quote โthere’s nothing quite like it.โ
And โhighest quality performances,โ did I state about FullTone? This year Devizes Scooter Club has only gone and booked The Beat! Yes, The Beat, the legendary Two-Tone popsters remembered for hits like Mirror in the Bathroom, Hands off Sheโs Mine, and Canโt Get Used to Losing You. Although Ranking Junior, son of the late Roger Charlery, aka Ranking Roger has settled into the shoes of his father and fronts a reformation of The Beat, itโs a welcomed addition for the Rally to pull in a big name. They are joined by four other bands including Specials and Small Faces tributes, and top northern soul DJs. Devizes Scooter Rally has the space to expand, booking such a renowned headliner suggests theyโre willing to take it on.
Meanwhile, FullTone this year has concentrated efforts on exhibiting the orchestraโs projects, which theyโve exported to other towns and cities, such as a homage to Enyaโs Watermark album, and Vivaldiโs Four Seasons, rather than introducing local acts outside of the sphere of orchestral music. Although Friday offers a youth showcase and organiser Jemma Brownโs Devizes Music Academy production of Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie, Saturday hosts the Big Sound Choir, and Sunday finds the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra on stage at 1pm. If FullTone feels a tad more inclusive this year, it doesnโt need nor has the capacity to expand, it is an incredible experience within itself, as it is.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two Image: Gail Foster
Tickets for FullTone next weekend (25th-27th August) are HERE. For Devizes Scooter Rally, also next weekend (26th-27th July) Facebook message the Devizes Scooter Club, or call 078088 49965.
Not forgoing both The Trowbridge Festival and Swindon’s My Dads Festival are also next weekend and come highly recommended from us. Wiltshire Soul & Blues Club have Owlfest at their secret Lacock location on Sunday, and Tidworth have a freebie festival. And if you cannot make your mind up, or gawd bless you cannot afford any of these, on Friday 25th find The Elvis & Orbison at Devizes Corn Exchange. Saturday sees The Reason at The Three Crowns, Barney Kenny is down The Southgate, thereโs an Elton John tribute in Potterne, and Verdiโs La Traviata at Seend Community Hallโฆ.but youโd know all this if you checked the Devizine event calendar, and youโd be informed of everything going on!
Clashes over summer months are inevitable, weโve a busy schedule around here and it is an honour to bring them all to your attention. Yeah, thereโs similarities between these two giants, but at the same time, theyโre different enough to not affect the sales of each in these trying times, I hope, and whatever you choose itโs better than staying home, crying into a bag of cheap cheesy puffs and watching โPointless Celebrities;โ (thereโs a clue in itโs very name!!)
Or am I being too nice and impartial for Devizes with this article?! It’ll never get a Facebook share without some conflict. No, the secret is out, we all know which is the better of the two, โthere can be only one;โ let the fight to the bitter end commence!
A smidgen fuddled over a tribute to a DJ, but Fatboy Slim is no ordinary DJ, heโs a superstar, constructing hits from samples and remixes, rams Brighton beach and is loved for larginโ it. So, when Salisbury Live and The Sounds of Salisbury radio get together for a live summer extravaganza at the cityโs Victoria Park, you might fancy being right there, right then; Victoria Park, Salisbury on Saturday 16th Augustโฆ..
The extravaganza boasts nine acts across two stages, Norman Cook tribute Fatboy Tim, The Absolute Stone Roses, and Salisbury bands In Colour, Love is Enough, Southbound, Signature Vision and Corellian, with Rob Clamp. Thereโs a bar, food stalls and stuff for the kids promised.
The first Park Farm Festival happened Saturday, it was fabulouso, and in some way Mantonfest came to Devizes; conveniently for me as I had to unfortunately miss Marlborough’s gem a fortnight agoโฆ..
Weather and festival organisers aren’t besties. Organisers quiveringly check forecasts months prior, usual concern being moisture. Daytime at the inaugural Park Farm Festival just outside Devizes, where they positioned a professional looking stage some distance between where punters took shelter in beer tents and sun-shaded tables, Southwestโs premier Chicago blues replicators, aptly named Chicago 9 blasted a wonderful set to distant onlookers whilst the zone between better resembled an African savanna where no man dare tread from fear of being frazzled!
I suspected many events this weekend subtly suffered from the heatwave despite the prospect favoured over torrential downpours, and one look during the day might suggest placing the stage so far away was an error. But by sunset that area will be filled with a selection of locals particularly from surrounding villages, heavy rock or grunge fans, regular Mantonfest attendees knowledgeable these guys have 25+ years of experience at hosting the most hospitable and welcoming local festival we could namedrop, or perhaps those who ticked more than one of those multiple choices. It was at this point you realised, despite July’s event clashes, a flooding of the festival market, and Park Farm being a first timer, numbers in attendance was averagely high and everyone was up for a good time.
I met with Mantonfest’s organisers some months ago where I was concerned replicating Mantonfest this side of Devizes might have a dubious impact, yet it seemed all was alright on the night, tribute acts are welcomed once the beer flows and Park Farm Festival set a high bar, recreating the friendly atmosphere expected at Mantonfests of yore, where everyone had an amazing day. It now takes me to blow the secret, this intends to return annually and I would seriously consider jotting it onto your calendar.
If Lower Park Farm will be a camping site for freewheeling soul and ska mods and skins in a fortnight, when the Devizes Scooter Club’s celebrated annual rally takes hold, this weekend is dedicated to a range of rock aficionados. Sadly I missed Essex’s finest Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective, welcomed regulars to The Southgate, though, I’m safe in the knowledge these guys know what strings to pull.
Barrelhouse followed Chicago 9, keeping the blues flow with the unique yet highly entertaining hoedown of groovy vintage blues, standard issue at Mantonfest now adored throughout the county.
Double-booked as usual, at this point I took advantage of the free shuttle bus, headed into town to poke my nose into The Three Crownsโ fundraiser, details set to follow. Meanwhile here, Josie & The Radiotones played and I returned for sixties heroes The Swinging Blue Jeans.
Seen these before, legendary rock n rollers who make universally entertaining a crowd look like childsplay, blasting their timeless hits and others which influenced them, as even the younger dared to dance under the beating sun.
Legends ticked it was time for the evening’s tributes, and judging the amount of Nirvana t-shirts against those of AC-DC ones was tight. A sudden quantum leap forward three decades and Nirvana UK did the most accomplished task of recreating those pioneers of grunge, loudly and proudly. Yet if you came here for authenticity in a tribute, AC/DC.UK mightโve thrown contemporary sound engineers with their usage of original eighties amps, but they sublimely recreated the heavy metal sound of the period and knocked it out of Park Farm!
Personally, heavy metal was never my bag, and through Swindon’s modern grunge scene, bands like I See Orange, The Belladonna Treatment and Liddington Hill have turned my head onto something I also sorely missed in the ravey nineties. Therefore my preference lay in Nirvana UK rather than the headliner, but judging on doing what it says on the tin, AC/DC.UK absolutely rocked that finale.
Yet the whole shebang must be hailed as putting this inguinal festival on the map for following years. For anyone who winces at the price tag, it’s standard in this era of hyperinflation, blame a government not organisers, and know, just like big sister Mantonfest, you’ll see where your money was spent if you attend; quality tried and tested acts, the highest quality production and nice touches like clean toilets and the shuttle bus.
For Grist and his team, financial risk is a thing in any competitive market and it can be surprising how narrow festivals can be; it’s a five-year plan minimal where research is crucial, and the reward is you’ve created enjoyment. Hats off to them, for this was an amazing beginning.
Rude to walk into an event sporting another event wristband but the welcome was friendly as ever at the Three Crowns in Devizes. It’s mid-afternoon, Park Farm Festival‘s shuttle bus took me into town, cheekily I used it to poke my nose into the Air Ambulance fundraiser here, their first real multi-act day, I believe, save perhaps my 50th birthday, which if you remember any details of, you could always fill me in!
It was a necessity, if only to see Ruby Darbyshire, as it’s been a while, not a long while, but long enough for me. First time playing the venue and she went down a storm, unsurprisingly. Such a rich, natural talent, vocals made from silk, expressive and forever a joy to listen to; be they either covers, a Portishead one being a particularly breathtaking one, or her intelligently constructed originals, of which she dropped a couple of new ones I’m eager to review here in good time.
There were hugs all round upon my entrance; Ben Borrill and Pat Ward finished a set as Matchbox Mutiny, a shame to miss, because those gorgeously talented guys pull a crowd and hold them. At the moment I did arrive I was delighted to catch Rachel Sinnetta & Jolyon Dixon doing their thing with Andy Fellows accompanying on guitar, as itโs always impressive and highly entertaining. It was a stellar lineup with cupcakes, lollipops, childrenโs face-painting, and tried and tested acts at the Three Crowns, save Ruby, who Iโm assured would be welcomed back.
Rumour was Devizes Male Choir was intending to do a flash mob bit between Ruby and the grand finale, the ever lively Funked-Up. Unsure if this happened, as unfortunately, I was duty bound to return to Park Festival, but you can rest assured Funked-Up got the crowds dancing the night away. I wish I could’ve stayed.
The spirit of The Three Crowns remains toppermost in town; the go-to pub in Devizes for a good night, an unpretentious, friendly atmosphere with the widest age demographic which never clashes. Itโs trouble-free fun, itโs live music program set to enthral, and not forgetting gourmet burgers; itโs an all-round winner on any night, but more of this all-day stuff, please kind sir!
Ann Liu Cannon is the Marlborough success story I hadn’t heard of until yesterday; thanks to local promoter and frontman of the Vooz, Lee Mathews for the tip off! Her debut album Clever Rabbits was released today, and itโs a mustโฆโฆ.
Brit Award winning Paul McCartney and Tom Jones producer Ethan Jones spotted Ann Liu performing at Camden’s Spiritual Bar, leading her to a publishing deal with BMG. Ann, who now lives in London, represented Whispering Bob Harris at The Great Escape and Black Deer Festivals, featured on Beans on Toast’s stage at Bearded Theory and on his UK tour. She opened for Lewis Ofman in Mexico, played prestigious venues like The Clapham Grand and The Hotel Cafe Hollywood in LA, but delighted to tell me she schooled in Marlborough and grew up in a nearby village; and I thought St Johnโs girls just sat around the Priory Gardens smoking menthols!
Okay, calm yourself. That was just an eighties joke, and you know this! But remain calm for Clever Rabbits because itโs a breathtaking ride, a tapestry of Anglo-Celtic folklore, sacred texts, sonic binaries of modern digital synthesis and Ann Liuโs classic singer-songwriter roots. โI am the rabbit that knows how to kill the hill, and I have only just begun,โ she expressed.ย
Experimentally playful, with two piano-based ballads opening Clever Rabbits, there’s an ambience of musical theatre about them, then with an irresistibly simple drum and bass the title track runs akin to a Mardi Gras iko-iko chant. Lost Ways has the shuffle of South America rhythms, and weโre halfway through these ten uplifting masterpieces with a bittersweet psychedelic swirl called Tangle.
No You Donโt is acoustic blues with a hint of lounge jazz, as gorgeous as the ultimate Norah Jones song. Another tune in, and rather Iโm now pitching this alongside Joni Mitchell; itโs that strong, naturally raw, and yeah, folk, fundamentally.
The album continues in a similar fashion, uplifting jazzy folk under sublime soundscapes and broken wonderfully with snippets of humorous band banter, which usually are outtakes. It lifts in tempo with False Hope, and chills for the penultimate Movement of Standing Stones, which builds in layers of atmospheric spiritual ambience, and finally a minute and half of bizarre with Gobbleknoll, breaks the concept this isnโt really a book by Richard Adams and Ann Liu is not a rabbit after all!
Exploring limits of prescribed identity in a timeless, brave and sensitive challenge of the zeitgeist, the album is inspired by a Chinese idiom โclever rabbits need three burrows,โ and the imagery of three rabbits found in Devon’s churches and China’s caves. Clearly, with profound narrative, you would need to dive deeper into this warren to explore. After one listen, though, you will feel it criminal not to. Everything in this melting pot of influences is subtle, the overall feel is a mellowed thoughtful prose sitting somewhere between the exploratory of Kate Bush and punch of Alanis Morissette, both jamming under the aura of Steeleye Span.ย
This isnโt an album for streaming. This is a take my money album. The attention to detail is divine. The unedited recordingsโ background goings-on authentically puts you in the room. In promoting it, Ann Lui revealed the backstory. โWhen I was ten,โ she explained, โmy father gave me records by Ethan. When I turned 21, I got a call from Ethan after Raf sent my music to him. We began capturing these songs, and my father began dying. Today I turn 26, my father is dead, and the record is born.โ
โIn the first 25 years I found powerlessness in slow, bad, unwanted death. In limbos and dependency. I found power in wilful endings. In choice. Love ran underneath in a welcome riptide, contextualising the hurt and loss. I nursed wounds, read my stories, read other peopleโs stories, broke away, reflected, mourned, rejoiced, set free. The first quarter century has been about endings, leavings, dying, and dying well. This album is a good death. The bin men are smiling. I am smiling, too.โ
A launch for Clever Rabbits is at Londonโs Lexington tonight. Ann Lui returns to her roots, as she regularly does, with an Instore at Sound Knowledge, Marlborough on Thursday 17th July at St. Peter’s. Entry is FREE but please do let them know to expect you if you’d like to attend, or pre-order a copy of ‘Clever Rabbits’ from them to guarantee your place.
Pioneers of the indie-rock sound which would lead us into the nineties, Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James has announced a UK tour in October in support of her recently released tenth solo album The Shape of History, which includes Fromeโs Cheese & Grainโฆ..
Wendy will be accompanied on tour by a full band, featuring Transvision Vamp’s bass player Dave Parsons, Jim Sclavunos from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds on drums and Alex Ward (Thurston Moore Group) on guitar. They will be playing songs from across all of her albums, from TVV Pop, to New Wave Punk to Lo-Fi Racine No.1, through to the big productions of Queen High Straight and The Shape Of History, picking off favourite songs from each.ย
For full tour dates see here, but closest to us is Tuesday 14th October at the Cheese and Grain, and The Fleece, Bristol on Tuesday 28th October.
While The Shape of History doesnโt begin with a sound akin to Transvision Vamp, thereโs underlying echoes of it as the album builds. Layers of electronica envelope the familiar vocals, so while itโs not what you were expecting, the effect is as The Independent described, โlike a patchwork of memories โ victories, heartaches, the feeling of racing down a California highway, no destination in mind.โ And Classic Rock expressed that
โThe Wendy James of 2024 is an older, wiser and far more intriguing prospect. The Shape of History, never dull, and certainly never predictable.โ
โMy songwriting has always been a wide mix of sounds, which naturally reflect the different music and references I have and love,โ Wendy explained, โThe Shape Of History was recorded on Scrubs Lane, West London with Alex Ward, Harry Bohay and James Sclavunos. I then went off to NYC and Brooklyn to record the pianos and organs with Dave โThe Mooseโ Sherman. Overdubbing continued with Al Lawson at the engineering helm in his Shepherdโs Bush studio and then I went back to Berkeley, CA to mix with Jesse Nichols before mastering with Fred Kevorkian in Brooklyn NY. I have spent so much time with this music, I know it note-for-note and love it and am so happy for you to make it your own now”.
โThe Shape Of History has a lot about love in it, a lot about appreciation of oneself, oneโs life and importantly, of others. It is lifeโs arc of starting out, blooming into something and in some ways maturing. I donโt think my music has got older, I know Iโve not gone mellow! My attitude can be more ferocious and fearless than ever, but there is an acquired wisdom, which naturally comes after having been alive for a few decades! โThe Shape Of Historyโ is a love letter and a Thank you note to life so far. The culmination of my tenth album is the result of co-musicians and engineers who Iโve worked with previously and with whom I share a language. We know each other, we choose to work together. We enjoy each otherโs talents and personalities. There is a happiness, a belonging, when we meet up, and an open and determined desire to achieve what we know we have to.โ
โFrom meeting Nick Christian Sayer and forming Transvision Vamp, the two of us walking into EMI Records, and demanding to see the head of Artists and Repertoire, Dave Ambrose. Getting signed and making our hits of the late 80โs and 90โs. From collaborating with Elvis Costello and mixing that album at Sunset Sound in Hollywood where The Stones mixed โExile On Main Stโ, then moving to NYC to start writing and recording as a solo artist, all the gigs Iโve played and the friends Iโve made around the world, the astounding, incredible, wonderful people whose lives Iโve crossed paths withโฆ I am so grateful for it all.โ
Thereโs a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level, andโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards are delighted to confirm a new headline partnership with Stone Circle Music Events, who will sponsor the Awards for 2025 andโฆ
Following the excitement and success of the first meeting of โYour Partyโ in Swindon, a second meeting has been arranged for 18th September 7.30 -โฆ
It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across the circuitโฆ
There’s something to be said for the function duo route with universal appeal, you could be working somewhere hot! Powerhouse vocal harmony duo Reflections areโฆ
Amidst another packed summer weekend’s schedule laid that lovable large village Pewseyโs turn to shine; always a law unto itself, things went off; if itโs good enough for King Alfredโฆ..
The Royal Oak has filled a gap, hosting quality regular music nights under the production of Wiltshire Music Events, but this Saturday was the true test, transforming it into an inaugural carpark-festival, an icing on an already delicious lardy cake, though equally a learning curve.
Programming by Eddie Prestidge, so passionate about spreading word of musicians south of the county, inevitably overbooks, as is his desire to showcase as many as feasible. He called me Friday, delightedly informing me George Wilding was added to the already jammed schedule; but how will he fit him in?!
Thinking big; quality stage production, security, generous VIP hospitality, two food outlets, and hopeful punters would flood the site. The latter being the only dubious thing about the event. All the right ingredients there, comparable, the price reasonable, certainly got your money’s worth, but to debate only a sprinkling were attracted is opening a Pandora’s box to a general plight of austerity, flooding the festival market, or a combination of the two; every man and his dog are putting them on and there’s only so many individuals can reasonably attend.
Therefore, established festivals may well appeal over the risk of testing a new one, but I was assured here, as I suggested you should be too; Wiltshire Music Events has hosted many great ones in various locations; your money goes on production and ensuring musicians are paid their fair share, something sadly overlooked by other organisers. CrownFest and Salisbury Market Place were the most memorable, plus, whenever The Marley Experience is in the area that’s where I’m gonna be, sir!
A win-win for me, who was due to attend the fantastic Minety but work and family commitments shadowed this; possibly an argument supporting pub mini-festivals over larger established festivals. Convenience for the middle-aged wrought with unpredictable employment culture or family commitments, above the intense arrangements necessary for a three-day camping extravaganza, such as the beautiful Minety. The mini-festival goer can be spontaneous; it’s Saturday, my only day off, sleeping in a tent is for younger nutters. Iโve been otherwise occupied on recent weekends, so, like Peter Pan in spirit but not in body, I’m determined to make up for it this weekend!
There I be, Pewsey, dammit, in an apt Bob Marley tee, watching the grand finale ignoring the timetable; Bird is The Word captured the moment on camera! The Marley Experience professionally captivated and caused the slight crowd to appear larger, with their infectious and irresistible homage to Bob Marley & The Wailers; a matchless show, the band tight, expressive and clearly adoring the limelight of what a decade of dedication has perfected into a sublime tribute act.
But there was magic in the air prior, which opened with Pewsey-own The Little Big Band, and was followed by Rosie Jay and Leon Daye, all of which, due to aforementioned commitments, I missed; and I love Rosie Jay. Though her last single we reviewed was a duet with Salisburyโs award-winning newcomer Lucas Hardy, and on that ground alone I was delighted to catch the end of his superb set. With George Wilding penultimately added, I saw a similarity in Lucas to George’s early years, a natural and unpretentious talent who can engage an audience with a guitar and smile.
Returning from cruising tours, George Wilding doesnโt plan, doesnโt need to, he just charms as usual; if heโs an interactive human jukebox, heโs one of those polished decorative American ones from the fifties. Shout your requests, George knows it, or will give it a try, make it his own, and youโll love him for it, you wonโt be able to help yourself!
Between those two, then, a basic four-piece setup from Andover with a repertoire of rock classic covers sprinkled with a folk tinge, called The Tipsy Gypsies. Their music commanded Iโd come to the right place. The premise sounds simple, the effect was far from it. They owned the stage with accomplished showmanship, stylised renditions, and a barrelful of fun.
Gypsies tipsy perfect for what would follow, a Somerset Pogues tribute known as The Phogues. Now things were going to really liven up, as, warts, a spilled round of whiskey shots, and all, were divinely caricatured. The Pogues uniquely blended Irish folk with punk, others mimicked it, overshadowing the blueprint. When Phogues return to the originators, you recall why it was copied aplenty; a stern yet fun reminder to the heyday of Shane and bandโs drunken skullduggery, and the music which somehow spawned from it!
Despite being off-season, they told me they had to do โthat song,โ and I supposed they did. So, between Streams of Whiskey, Fiesta, Sickbed of Cuchulainn and just about every favourite Pouges song of mine, they drafted in the assistance of unsuspecting Claire Grist, singer and self-proclaimed โright titโ of Bird is the Word music promotion, to be Kirsty MacColl, and who made a good job of it. Was their female vocalist absent? No, itโs a gimmick to invite anyone from the audience to take the position, they explained to me, but hey, they didnโt need gimmicks, they did a fine job of bellowing out the beloved Pogues songs far sober than the originals ever did.
Time for a change of direction, as local indie-pop favourites Talk in Code rocked up for a lengthy set of eighties-inspired synth-rock bombs, ate complimentary curry, and lit up the stage with their electric presence. If youโve come to an event expecting cover bands, Talk in Code donโt go there, but their infectious originals cause you to wonder if youโve heard them before, on some Now, Thatโs What I Call Music compilation album from 1986. Hereโs the lads in perfect sync, jumping, flaunting their perfection, as ever, doing what they love and engaging any audience from roughneck boater to FullTone Festival punter; they never fail to obtain admiration.
Time pushing on, George Wilding entertained while The Marley Experience prepared, and did their amazing thing, exploding the finale with irresistible reggae vibes. Oak Festival, Pewsey Live, or whatchamacallit, couldโve been more affordable, by skipping on some of the magic, but they chose to showcase the lot, that paid off to those there, but I suspect, as videos and images emerge, folk not there will be wondering how and why they missed it. They could have overplayed their social media promotion, and a striking poster mightโve been advantageous, yet I believe thereโs a delicate balance which sees one event sellout and another left threadbare, and itโs debatable what causes this. For what itโs worth, I’ve seen lesser attended first time festivals, much less, and the slight crowdโs merriments made for a population tenfold from the reality!
There was a kebab van, but the delicious waft of curry from a stand, by Tale of Spice on Pewseyโs North Street, twisted my arm. There was little in alternative entertainment, insufficient pub loos, but with concentration on the lineup, this was a welcoming, fun and lively occasion, a showcase of Wiltshire Music Eventsโ quality and varied artists, and petty issues one can shrug off uncaringly when the vibe is this alive.
Pewsey rocked into the cooling night, possibly later than planned, but no one whined on social media, because this is Pewsey, not Devizes; a carnival village where rather than rant you cannot hear your pin drop, you get your slippers on and join in!
Formerly known as Judas Goat and the Bellwether, the now renamed band have announced the release of their latest single, โDrill Baby Drillโ (coming outโฆ
Photograph byย Simon Folkard It’s been a rocky road for Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts (DOCA) these last few years, and I didn’t mean the crushed biscuitsโฆ
What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch themโฆ
1st July marks International Reggae Day, and I want to jam it with you. Why? Because as something of a reggae connoisseur I cringed when someone once asked me if Eric Clapton or Bob Marley recorded I Shot The Sheriff originally. It didnโt deserve an answer!
It occurred to me, going on this, old ravers with no idea who Max Romeo was until he sadly passed in April, and the amount of songs wrongly listed as being by Bob on YouTube, that your average Joe Bloggs doesn’t know as much about reggae as they should!
Pop music was born on the American railroad construction where slaves mimicked the overseersโ folk dances for their sarcastic amusement. Simplicity was key and the quadrille, or French square dance was popular, initialising a four beat system which will stick like mud to pop forevermore. But the 1950s changed the template slightly; experiments in jump blues by rock n roll pioneers like Fats Domino, discerningly skipping the last beat, effectively created the offbeat.
The offbeat was the kind of thing the Jamaicans loved, as the radio masts left by American troops became essential to their musical expansion, away from their traditional folk, mento. Already accustomed to jazz, and recording studios on the island creating their own, now the Jamiacans were exposed to rhythm & blues and country music from the States. The studios recorded their own beatbop, jump blues, doo-wap, even country. At Duke Reidโs Treasure Island one ex-boxer producer called Prince Buster was passionate about the shuffle rhythms of axemen like T Bone Walker, and instructed his band to copy this over an offbeat. When Buster cut the rehearsal the guitarist strummed the shuffle backwards to bring it to a stop, and behold Jamaica had their own pop music, ska.
Duke Reid himself never liked ska, and it was up to rival Coxone Dodd at Studio One to popularise the homegrown style with his in-house band The Skatalites, classically trained students of Mary Ignatius Davies, a Sister of Mercy at Kingstonโs Alpha School for wayward boys; yep, a pioneer of reggae was a nun!
Searching for any gimmick to promote tourism, The Jamaican government exploited their new musical export, sending artists to New York to promote ska, but in the shanty towns the music would become associated with gang culture, the rude boys. An enforced curfew, a blistering hot summer, and the expense of brass sections, all caused the music to mellow, concentrating on vocal harmonies; rock steady, arguably Jamaicaโs most creative musical period.
Ever-progressing, the bass increased as rival sound systems battled it out and awareness of Rastafari grew; reggae spawned from rock steady. Reggae will slowly spread worldwide, but no more felt than in the UK, as record labels producing cheap music intended for the Windrush generation, were also brought by British mods. Though in England, reggae at the time would still be seen as novelty. It would take Chris Blackwell endorsing Bob Marley & The Wailers, subsequently signing artists like Toots & Maytals, and, in competition with Bobโs popularity, Richard Branson sending Johnny Lydon to sign as many emerging reggae singers to Virgin as he could discover, to put reggae into a respected international market.
Meanwhile Jamaica was moving away from roots reggae, noting instrumental sections where the crowd danced, pioneers like King Tubby and Lee Perry progressed to dub. Techniques in dub were transferred to New York by Jamaican immigrant DJ Kool Herc, who used them in funk and electro mixes to found hip hop. While the world embraced the success of Bob Marley and the Wailers, reggae progression was kingpin to pop in general. From punk and Two-Tone to hip hip, onto the breakbeat rave era, reggae was fundamental in shaping pop music. I believe this is sorely overlooked; one good reason to have International Reggae Day! The second is the very reason why itโs so influential and the reason why I love it so much; the offbeat, which makes you jump, be in ska, dancehall, or all the styles in between, they all work on the simple offbeat, and itโs irresistible!
So, you know a little bit more about the history of reggae, now you need to listen to some! But I reckon, even if you donโt know many reggae songs outside of the Marley classics, you know more than you think you do! Hereโs some examples, some songs you might recognise from the pop songs they influencedโฆโฆ
1: I Shot The Sheriff- Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Obvious first. Blackwell was adamant reggae would inspire the rock aficionados, but when Eric Clapton called Bob, history was made which would seal the deal. Ericโs version was his only US number one, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Nineties kids might also recall Warren G, oh well!
2: Rivers of Babylon – The Melodians.
Lord producer of music thievery Frank Farian manufactured pop crime in a manner unheard of at the time, but is standard protocol now. Boney M was his first infringement, their 1978 smash hit is one of most popular songs, ever, but the original was recorded eight years previous. A Rastafari prayer, meaningful verses were sacrilegiously altered for the pop version.
3: The Tide is High – The Paragons
With the silk voice of John Holt, this beautifully crafted 1967 Paragonsโ track was at the beginning of rock steady, but you know it either as a Blondie song or, if you cringe the feeling, by Atomic Kitten in 2002.
4: Kingston Town – Lord Creator
Donโt get me wrong, I loved UB40, but once Red, Red Wine hit number one, they rarely wrote their own songs, rather dug into the reggae back catalogue for covers. Originally recorded by Neil Diamond, Red Red Wine was a popular reggae hit for Tony Tribe. But if many reggae tunes UB40 covered were rare beauties, none so more than Kingston Town by Lord Creator on Clancy Eccles’ Clandisc label in 1970. And donโt get me started on Paris Hilton!
5: Rudy, A Message to You – Dandy Livingstone
Two-Tone was everything in 1979, in the UK, and The Specials were the kings of it. The original message was sent by British Jamaican Dandy Livingstone in 1967. We canโt argue with this, all the reggae covers were respectfully done at Two-Tone, the Specials version even featured the same trombonist, Rico Rodriguez. Even if Dandy himself didnโt know about it until he saw Top of the Pops, many of his songs were eyed for Two-Tone hits, such as The Bodysnatchersโ Let’s Do Rock Steady.
6: Chase The Devil – Max Romeo and The Upsetters
Max Romeo might be seen as the naughty reggae singer who recorded a song called Wet Dream, but nineties ravers will know this 1976 tune only too well. Just like Two-Tone, the breakbeat house of the nineties homegrown rave scene was hugely dependent on reggae. Where would the Prodigy be without Max Romeo, certainly not in outer space. But hey, SL2 also borrowed from reggae, Jah Screechy’s Walk and Skank became On a Ragga Tip, and I could go on!
7: Reggae Merengue – Tommy McCook & The Supersonics
This. A calypso riddim over a reggae beat in 1970 became the unlikely sound of London circa 2006, when Lily Allen recorded LDN. Itโs instrumental, Tesco wasnโt mentioned!
8: Cherry Oh Baby – Eric Donaldson
Winner of the 1971 Jamaica Song Festival, Cherry Oh Baby was by Eric Donaldson with backing by Inner Circle, and produced by Bunny Lee and Tommy Cowan, but you might remember it as a Rolling Stones song five years later, or UB40 in the eighties.
9: Nimrod – The Skatalites
Studio One in-house band, The Skatalites recorded this in 1965, yet in 1998, when big beat was the thing, Justin Robertsonโs Lionrock seemed to have something striking similar in the charts, their only massive hit. Rude Boy Rock was big in FIFA ’99, and in it was also the toaster sample, “this is a new skank, get ready;โ it wasnโt a new skank at all, was it? Lionrock, you fibbers, it was thirty-three years old at the time!!
10: Stalag 17 – Ansell Collins
Okay, you should know Sister Nancyโs Bam Bam, everyone sampled it, Lauryn Hill, Groove Armada, Chris Brown, Kanye West & Rihanna, Beyoncรฉ, and Jay-Z. It is the most sampled reggae song, but the title was taken from a Toots & The Maytals song of the same name and the riddim itself was ripped from this wonder, Ansell Collinsโ Stalag 17, released by Winston Riley’s Techniques record label in 1973.
Yay! I might tag Ansel on the Facebook share, because he sent me a friend request a few years ago, because thatโs the unity of reggae. Without the racially segregated charts of the US, Jamacians could be influenced equally by any genres the radio stations threw at them, and in many ways, reggae can be a bridge between them. We might assume reggae was inspired by American music of black origin, but thereโs plenty of examples where country music also inspired them, so in reverse to our list, Iโll drop some more reggae below, clearly influenced by countryโฆ. And then we can all celebrate International Reggae Day!
With the Three Crowns being the liveliest pub in Devizes for some years now with live music every weekend and the Brewery Shop as a new neighbour, it seems sensible to upgrade the idea to a free Wadworth mini fundraising festival ….yay!
On Saturday 12th July The Three Crowns will pull all stocks out, with a free mini-festival supporting Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Juliaโs House. Wadworth has a beer tasting table, Chirton School is doing a cake sale, and they promise other stalls. The music starts at 11am with a childrenโs disco and face painting until 1pm.
The best tried and tested locally sourced music lineup includes Matchbox Mutiny, who starts the music proceedings at 2pm, followed by Jolyon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta at 3:15pm. Ruby Darbyshire at 4:15pm. Headliners Funked Up at 7pm.
Agreed, there’s a gap between Ruby and Funked Up – maybe there’s something they’ve forgotten to tell me, maybe it’s a surprise, or maybe it’ll be time to grab one of their fantastic gourmet burgers?!
Britpop icons Supergrass will headline Frome Festival as a fundraising event for grassroots community action group โPeople for Packsaddleโ who are fighting to save a much-loved local green space from development…….
The Cheese and Grain made a last-minute announcement of the concert slated for Friday 11th July as part of the Festival, crashing their site with fans eager to find out more.
Toby Culff, spokesperson for โPeople for Packsaddleโ explained, โThe proceeds from this event are being donated to our local community action group, People for Packsaddle, to support us in our ongoing battle to protect the area known as Packsaddle Community Fields, in Frome, from development. Despite hundreds of objections and the planning application being refused by Somerset Council, the developers are taking it to an Appeal. For us to fight the Appeal and be represented by a full legal team comes with a significant financial cost.โ
Culff continued, โThe fields are a designated Asset of Community Value and a crucial, irreplaceable resource for local people and wildlife, and for Frome as a whole. By coming along to this gig, people will be supporting positive community action whilst also helping to protect the environment.โ
The drummer of Supergrass, Danny Goffey, who lives in Frome, is a big supporter of this initiative and this offers the perfect opportunity to give something back to the community.
The indie rock legends are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their seminal chart-topping debut album โI Should Cocoโ by playing it in full and then drawing from their endless greatest hits, proving they’re still at the top of their game. Bursting onto the scene in the mid-90s and channelling their iconic energy, Supergrass shot to fame with anthems like Alright, Caught by the Fuzz and Mansize Rooster. Three decades on, their live shows are as cool as ever, and fans can expect an unforgettable night from a band who helped define an era.
Support comes from Lumley, who describe themselves as โlurking in the Indie pop bargain bin, Fromeโs finest exponents of stealing all of your favourite hits and misses from the โ90sโ. Lead singer Micheal โFordyโ Ford, who is also a concert promoter, stated, โFirst of all this show is for Frome and the ridiculous proposal to build at Packsaddle. We stand with our brothers and sisters of People for Packsaddle. Secondly, itโs just awesome! Supergrass at Bath Moles in 1994 changed everything for me and I finally found MY band!โ
In true Frome community spirit, the Town Crier, Martin Scott, will be acting as Master of Ceremonies at this one-night-only benefit. Attendees can expect some of his trademark humorous rhyming couplets. Scott shared on social media, โWe are young, we run greenโฆand weโre running full speed towards a night of righteous revelry! Supported by the fabulous Lumley, it promises to be alright, alright, alright! So gather ye, good people of Frome โ for common land, common good, and uncommon talent! Let the bell ring, the chords chime, and the wild ones ride again!โ
People for Packsaddleโs Toby Culff expressed, โWe are enormously grateful to Supergrass, the Cheese and Grain, local band Lumley and Frome Festival for their support in ensuring this crucial fundraiser can go ahead, as well as to everyone who comes along and enjoys the gig and helps us achieve our goal of saving the fields from development. We wonโt stand by and let developers ride roughshod over democratic, locally made decisions – this fundraising event is going to really help us achieve this aim!โ
Frome Festival Director, Adam Laughton, explained, โSupergrass headlining Frome Festival is further evidence of the cultural significance of this amazing town, continually punching well above its weight. Enormous thanks to the individuals who have made this happen, as well as Cheese & Grain and People for Packsaddle,โ adding, โThis event is the cherry on top of a sensational 10 days of activity kicking off on Friday 4th July. Over 280 events in over 50 venues โ thereโs truly something for everyone.โ
FROME FESTIVAL is taking place from 4th to 13th July 2025 with its most ambitious and wide-ranging programme to date. This much-loved annual celebration of arts, culture, and community continues to grow in scope and imagination, bringing together world-class performers, local talent, and a wealth of unique experiences across the town.
Additional musical highlights this year include performances from the Ronnie Scottโs All Stars, acclaimed songwriter and producer Guy Chambers (most well-known for his work with Robbie Williams), Brodsky Quartet, the Miki Berenyi Trio (formerly of Lush), Tom Moth (harpist with Florence + The Machine), Gary Stringer (Reef), Rokia Konรฉ (from Les Amazones d’Afrique), and the dynamic Hackney Colliery Band.
The comedy line-up features some of the UKโs most distinctive voices, with headline sets from Lou Sanders, Andy Zaltzman, and the return of firm favourites Jarred Christmasโ Pop-Up Comedy. Lou Sanders, Andy Zaltzman, and the return of firm favourites Jarred Christmasโ Pop-Up Comedy.
This yearโs Bob Morris Lecture will be presented by historian, author and broadcaster Professor Kate Williams, offering fresh insight into a thousand years of Britainโs palaces, monarchs – and all the royal secrets.
The family-friendly programme includes free events for children, funded by Frome Town Council. Festival-goers can also enjoy the return of cherished community events such as the Hidden Gardens, the Frome Open Art Trail, and the Food Feast, featuring live music from up-and-coming indie rock band Nothing Rhymes With Orange, bluegrass with percussive step dance from Buffalo Gals, and soul collective Kaleida Wild. Entrance to the Food Feast on Saturday 5th July is free.
The theme for 2025, Fromeโs historic textile industry, is woven through the festivalโs branding, artwork, and a variety of textile-inspired events that pay tribute to the townโs rich industrial heritage. These range from the traditional, for example weaving and woad dyeing workshops, to the contemporary, such as a themed AR (Augmented Reality) history quest and a silent disco comedy walk. The yarn bombing competition โMake Frome Knit Again!โ seeks to decorate the public spaces of Frome for the duration of the Festival.
A free printed festival brochure is available from the Cheese & Grain and other local outlets. The full programme and ticket information can also be found online at www.fromefestival.co.uk
Following the excellent recent production of La Belle Helene at Devizesโ Wharf Theatre back in March (see here), White Horse Opera (WHO) have triumphed yet again by bringing their production of Mozartโs Cosi Fan Tutte to D-Town.ย ย
Cosรฌ fan tutte is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte (who also wrote Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni).ย Cosรฌ fan tutte, literally means “So do they all”, using the feminine plural (tutte) to indicate women. It is usually translated into English as “women are like that”.ย Weโll get to that in a minute.
Mozart and Da Ponte used the idea of “fiancรฉe swapping”, which is a recurring theme dating back to at least the 13th century; notable earlier versions are found in Boccaccio’s Decameron, and Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. Elements from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew are also present. Whilst itโs likely that nowadays weโd see such an idea as somewhat โproblematicalโ, in opera terms such unacceptable behaviour is seen merely as a comic problem to be resolved with a neat and happy ending.
So it was that White Horse Opera (WHO) brought this sparkling jewel to life last night in the elegant surroundings of the Assembly Room in the Town Hall. Unlike many operas requiring a large cast, chorus and orchestra, Cosi Fan Tutte can be played with only six singers and a pianist, and this made it a perfect piece to transport into a smaller, intimate atmosphere. Using a simple backdrop, a few screens and virtually no props, the production was allowed to breathe. The spoken dialog and the songs (all in English) were straightforward and easy to follow, allowing the comedy to shine through (although there was a helpful synopsis in the programme too). This minimalist approach, thanks to Lewis Cowenโs staging, and Roland Meliaโs musical direction, kept it all as light as a feather.
All six singers excelled in their roles, and it would be invidious to single any one of them out. Seriously โ they were all on cracking form. The solos, duets and ensemble pieces were all well-delivered, glittering like jewels in a crown. And the โseventhโ member of the cast, pianist Tony James, who was on-stage throughout every scene in this two-act production, provided exactly the right supportive, yet under-stated, musical platform for the singers to really shine.
I loved this production โ it was a chance to get up close to the stage and the mechanics of the performances, and to chat with the performers during the interval and afterwards. It was as far as it was possible to be from the โgrand ideaโ of opera โ i.e. a big cast production in a large gilded opera house with all the social trimmings and conventions. It proved, if proof be needed, that such a stripped-back delivery can provide all of the good things about opera, but without the concomitant fripperies.
To take such themes as love, trust, fidelity, deception, betrayal, forgiveness and reconciliation, to say nothing of the supposed โweakness of womenโ, and the cynical view of Don Alfonso that (to quote someone more contemporary) โif you canโt be with the one you love, then love the one youโre withโ, and to deliver all this up in less than two and a quarter hours, was no mean feat. Leaving aside the dubious morality of testing fidelity by swapping girl-friends, using (deliberately risible) disguises, the manipulation if others by the main character, and the portrayal of women as weak characters who simply canโt help themselves, sits uncomfortably with a modern audience. But, hey, this is comic opera, and you need to join in with the joke. Yes, itโs all very contrived and very silly, but thatโs how comic opera works. And you can see exactly where Gilbert & Sullivan were coming from when they unleashed their satirical take on many of these devices.
So โ an absolutely spiffing and hats-off production by WHO. Sparkling staging and singing, and all completely accessible. Do go and see them whenever you get chance. Weโre so lucky to have such a talented outfit working in and around our town.
Bravo!
CAST
Fiordiligiโ Barbara Gompels
Dorabellaโ Paula Boyagis
Guglielmo โ Jon Paget
Ferrando โ Robert Felstead
Despina โToni Johnstone
Don Alfonso โ Robin Jukes
Musical Director Roland Melia, Stage Director Lewis Cowen, Pianist Tony James
White Horse Opera are based in Devizes and regularly perform operas around Wiltshire and beyond.
Despite being a tad under the weather last week, I was delighted to join Eddie Prestidge of Wiltshire Music Events on Swindon 105.5 radio to discuss the next stages of our Wiltshire Music Awardsโฆ..
For those not in the know, though I suspect many are, presenter Peggy-Sue Ford produces a weekly show on the long-established station called Donโt Stop the Music, dedicated to showcasing signed and unsigned acts, particularly locally-sourced. What better place to explain our plans for the awards? I cannot think of any, because thereโs few radio shows locally as thoroughly dedicated as Peggyโs, who brings acts into the studio to perform live and has become such a popular catalyst for upcoming local musicians.
This week Peggy-Sue was talking to Rich Swatton of a gem on our event calendar, Minety Music Festival, so it was the second week absent of live music; I did offer to sing for our turn on the show, which was swifty and understandably avoided and the topic diverted! Other than this, I think it went rather well and Ed and I made a bit of a duo, in the vein of Laurel & Hardy!!
Peggy-Sue uploads the shows on Spotify, so you can catch up with the shows if you miss them; hereโs ours, should you wish to listen. Despite no live music, thereโs local tunes from many already on our radar, Talk in Code, Deadlight Dance and JP Oldfield, and others new to us, Swindon crossover rapper Brandon Clarke, who goes under the pseudonym Weather, and Kate X, an upcoming RnB singer; both worth looking up.
With the voting process now closed, Ed and I explained what happens next. The votes will be counted and the top three of each category will be put before a panel of judges, all with professional experience and loyalty to promoting the local music scene. The reason for this, so we can find a balance across the entire county and represent countywide fairly, ensuring the results are not centralised in one area. Whereby some results appear to be close to call, judges will decide the winner, but in all cases, especially those results where one has walked the category, this accomplishment must be considered by the judges as priority.
The judges were announced as being, subject to their own availability: Claire Grist of the Facebook page Bird is the Word, Ed Dyer of Swindon Shuffle, Roger of Sound Knowledge in Marlborough, Ronnie Laurie of Marland Music, Salisbury music producer Joylon Dixon, Nick Beere of Mooncalf Studios, and Peggy-Sue Ford herself. We have advised, now the judges are announced, bribing them with sweeties, kisses, or anything of the kind will be frowned upon!
This is the first Wiltshire Music Awards, and weโre learning and planning as we go, but we are dedicated to presenting the results in October with a grand ceremony at Devizes Corn Exchange. In order to do this effectively we require sponsorship for each category, for which is affordable and details of which can be found HERE. Tickets for the ceremony can also be found there, starting at just ten pounds, and thereโs some FAQs.
We strive towards that date crossing the Ts and dotting the Is, and look forward to presenting the awards with lots of live music acts on the night, perhaps a celebrity presenter alongside me in a tux, the latter of which is worth the ticket price alone!
Iโd like to thank Peggy-Sue and Swindon 105.5 on behalf of myself and Eddie, for allowing us to visit the studio last week, to chat about the awards, and test the swing chairs for squeakiness, which I report was minimal. What a great show!
Ask the typical man โ or woman – in the street which Gilbert & Sullivan performances they can name, and you may well receive such answers as โTop Of The Pops, 1972โ, โMan about the Houseโ, โCrucible Theatre World Snooker Final 2001โ and โWho? What?โ. [ Thatโs a bit left field? โ Ed ] . However, amongst the cognoscenti within this theoretical vox-pop, you may find some that do actually understand the questionโฆ and amongst the more likely answers of โPirates of Penzanceโ etc, you may well find somebody suggesting โThe Mikadoโ.
The Mikado has had some troubles in recent years being staged, as the core principle of Gilbertโs satire being the send up of BRITISH society by utilising an alternative environment which was all the rage in London Society at the time, is confused with patronising that other place. You may disagree with me, which is your prerogative, of course. But whatever the reasons it has become โฆ uncomfortable โฆ presenting The Mikado as how it was historically performed.
More modern adaptations however have avoided any unnecessary disquiet by setting the operetta in other situations โ Devizes based White Horse Opera staged a highly successful version set in a dystopian country ruled by a despotic dictator akin to a 1970s central American military president just a few years ago โฆ I know because I was the Mikado! This in itself however is also I believe to be refreshing โ if all such shows (including Shakespeare etc) were always performed in exactly the same manner, aside from Sullivan’s wonderful music they may quickly lose their shine โ seen one, seen them all. Reimagining the background creates new ways of looking at the story, naturally.
So step forward โForbear! Theatreโ, a London-based professional theatre company known for producing innovative Gilbert and Sullivan shows, and their splendid Terry Pratchett inspired adaptation, performed at The Mission Theatre prior to their transfer to New York. Minimal changes have been made to the text in bringing this fantasy kingdom to life, with the same madcap characters, plot and iconic songs that have been loved for generations. This version of “The Mikado” aims to represent Gilbertโs original intention by being set in an other-worldly, beautiful and dangerous fictional culture; the perfect canvas onto which to paint British flaws. And of course, Sullivanโs sublime and clever โ almost cheeky โ music.
So come and find out for yourself how Gilbert’s characters fare in this Pratchett inspired fantasy world at The Mission Theatre, July 22nd and 23rd ย 2025.ย After all, others have praised this production to the hilt already
โThey live for their art.ย And it shows in their show. You could put this production on at the London Coliseumโ (*****) – London Theatre 1 โSuperb singing and silly goings on in the land of Tirwuduโย (****) – London Pub Theatres โRachel Middle has given an old story a beautiful new homeโย (****) – North Westend โA real triumph from the creative team who have passionately and carefully reimagined this iconic piece of theatrical historyโ (****)ย – The Deskbound Dramatic โBrilliantly subversiveโ – Everything Theatre
You canโt always get that live music experience you crave by simply staying within the walls of D-Town.ย Sometimes, and especially when thereโs aย band playing that you simply have to see, you just need to get the gang together and pile into a motor to visit the wilder Wiltshire provinces.ย And so it was last night that we ventured over the hill to Calne.ย We found the border post un-guarded, and so we slipped into the town and found our way to The Piggy Bank micro-pub to see The Lost Trades……
The Piggy Bank has been a surprisingly good little venue over the past year or two, featuring some great nights with, among others, The Rob Lear Band, The Black Feathers, Jess Vincent, and Jinder, as well as pop-up dining nights, quiz nights and (a big favourite of mine) Crazy Bird comedy club nights.
Just in case you donโt know them, The Lost Trades are a trio who play folk/ Americana with a cool Laurel Canyon vibe. With a sound that is reminiscent of the California folk scene of the late 60s/early 70s, (weโre thinking here of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), their three part harmonies have been previously described as “flawless”, “spine tingling” and “magical”.
Formed in late 2019, the global Covid hoo-hah cut short their first tour after just a single sold out gig.ย The band shrugged their shoulders, and retreated to their respective song-writing rooms to work on what was to become their debut album, “The Bird, The Book & The Barrel”, released in June 2021. The follow up album, “Petrichor” was released in March 2023. Both are highly recommended โ trust me!
Then, just last year, one of their founding members, Tamsin Quinn, decided to leave the trio to pursue other interests. Bit of a shock. Was this the end for The Lost Trades, we all wondered? Not a bit of it! Tamsin has now been replaced (if replaced is really the right word) by the very talented Jess Vincent, who had recently returned to the UK after a few years away in Bulgaria.
The result of all that is that The Lost Trades now consist of:
ยท Phil Cooper (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric bass), a performer not unknown in the local area for many years, both as a solo performer, as well in various bands, and a guy who knows his way around a recording studio and the producerโs job;
ยท Jamie R Hawkins (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric bass, ukulele), also massively well-known locally, especially in venues around D-Town, for his wonderful solo performances and some great songs. Indeed a bunch of us had slipped over to The Pulpit (ex The Little Hop) in Old Town, Swindon only last week to witness a really excellent solo performance at that new musical venue;
ยท Jess Vincent (vocals, guitar, percussion, shruti box). Jess first came to notice singing with Penny Red, before branching out into a solo career that produced several albums (Time Frame, Seesaw Dreams, Shine, and last yearโs Lions Den)
Between us five weโd seen The Lost Trades in their old formation many times before, but this was to be the first time with new band-member Jess. How would this all work out? Would the sound and the dynamic have changed? And if so, for better or worse? Well, in sum, we need not have worried. Despite a massive learning curve for Jess to pick up the bandโs performing repertoire in just a few short months, to say nothing of having to re-blend all of their trade-mark close harmonies, the end result was spectacularly good. It was neither better, nor worse, just slightly different and more developed and mature. Right from the first number we knew that the magic had remained intact.
All the old stuff was still there โ the constant and easy interchanging of instruments (including guitar, ukulele, bass and percussion), the close three-part harmonies, the well-worked song material, and the light-hearted intimacy, with the group engaging in comfortable repartee with each other and the audience like a group of old friends. And there were a lot of old friends in the audience to help them along. And, of course, the many familiar songs.
But there was some great new stuff too โ new songs, a different female vocal line, new instruments, and (obviously) a new personal dynamic between the three performers. All of them had played The Piggy Bank before, and all to packed houses, so there were no nerves about any of that. And last night, in front of yet another packed house, they managed to produce a truly spell-binding performance once again.
My only (very slight) reservations about the evening were that I needed slightly less chat (some of the introductions were as long as the songs!) and I would have liked slightly more of Jess (the two boys tended to dominate proceedings at times). But, hey, these are very simple things to be fixed and developed, and didnโt in any way detract from all the superb quality of the music they delivered in their three sets (or โspasmsโ as Phil nicely put it).
There were no lashings of ginger beer, but the music flowed, the craft beer certainly flowed, and a jolly good time was had by all. Then, under cover of darkness, we fled through the night back to the safety of D-Town, our out-of-town mission successfully accomplished.
Hopefully thereโll be more music dates to come at The Piggy Bank in the autumn. But, meanwhile, if you want to see The Lost Trades live in concert (and I strongly recommend that you do!), theyโll be appearing locally as below:
Together in Electric Dreamsโฆ. at The Corn Exchange
Fashionably late for Devizes Arts Festival, I’d like to thank Andy and Ian for informative coverage of some complex events to review, whilst I took the easier route; rocked up for the last Saturday evening party like I was Prince, stole a fluorescent trilby and dad-danced around my bum-bag until they switched the final disco ball offโฆ..
Iโll be honest, with my diddy-boppers cover band radar on high alert and leg warmers in the wash, I wasnโt expecting to stay until the final curtain, for what seemed from the outside to be a refined generation X school disco. I could also get as pedantic as Mary Whitehouse; the band promised eighties, but the name Riviera Dogs is obviously a play on a 1992 Tarantino movie title; quibble when compared to the fantastic night they delivered.
As bang on cue as waiting for Top of the Pops each Friday, Riviera Dogs fired their flux capacitor and dropped Devizes Corn Exchange into the middle of the decade theyโd pay homage to, with an exemplary cover of Go Westโs We Close Our Eyes. From the off it was obvious this five-piece were some way above your average function band. Attendees wasted no bashful time finding a spot on the floor and dancing like it was 1985 again, even those few not old enough to recall it the first time around, (like me, a-hem!)
From there, everybody wanted to rule the world with Tears for Fears and I just died in Cutting Crewโs arms as Riviera Dogs played their trump cards early. Mid-eighties power ballads were their calling, they were proficiently and professionally good at them. Seems they tour the nationwide retro circuit rather than play functions, for if they were to play a wedding itโd overshadow the attention the happy couple would receive!
This said, many function bands use both male and female vocalists for songs, respectively according to the gender of the front person, and I wondered, if eighties pop hits were truly to be covered comprehensively some Madge, Cyndi Lauper and Kylie, to mention but a few, wouldnโt have gone a miss with a female singer as proficient and entertaining as the existing male counterpart.
But as it was, it was a highly entertaining show, full of lively play, relevant and amusing nods to eighties trends which roused the crowds and caused them to reflect on their heyday; thatโs nostalgia on top form. They rolled out smash hit after smash hit like you were listening to a Now album, Chesney Hawkes to Don Henly and beyond. Perhaps the more rock tunes, like Springsteenโs Dancing in the Dark, which though I welcomed, wasnโt as precisely executed as the electronica power pop ballads, but with those so sublimely fulfilled, and the evening in full swing, the crowds simply lapped it up, and twas so subtle no one cared to notice.
At one point though, we went from one end of the decade to the other too suddenly, for me. One minute we were dancing to Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star next it was Bros. The scant warning being a gag about wearing Grolsch bottle tops on shoes wasnโt enough for me to prepare for the paradox! This stark contrast midway mayโve corrupted my timeline but didn’t seem to bother most of the audience either, exposing quinquagenarian Brosettes in the crowd!
As a homage to eighties music several elements were missing; feminine and queer insurgence, and rebellious tenets either side of that mid-eighties march for unadulterated pop mush; punk and Two-Tone at one end, hip hop in the middle, and acid house at the latter. The eighties was about more than the pop they played so well, it was also about advances in music technology and the vast variety of sound experiments it developed. They got as close as covering The Police brilliantly, but jโmon, they never even dared to account for Wacko Jacko, dammit!
It may have reflected only pop commercialisation rather than covering the entirety of a generational divide of consciousness, but this wasnโt supposed to be a history lesson nor comprehensive representation, it was about having a party to celebrate the close of another glorious Devizes Arts Festival, and for that it shone. The vibe was electric, the crowd letting their hair down (or perhaps up with hairspray) for a final night to what’s been a successful and varied programme of events for Devizes Arts Festival. Well done to all involved, you are the one and only, nobody I’d rather you be, you are the one and only, I can’t take that away from you!
Long may Riviera Dogs image the eighties in Mateyโs bubble bath, for it was a Bigtrak loaded with fun, and to assume from my minor critique they didn’t stray from their trump card of electronic power ballads, would be unfair, they did. The finale was a Queen medley and in their own way, they made a fine job of such a difficult trick. For what we must judge this night on is not my personal feelings of commercialisation, rather the expressions of pure delight in the crowd, and if you saw me on the night shaking my tail feather like I was thirteen again, you’d be right to suggest I lived among the creatures of the night, like Laura Branigan, and loved every moment of it too!
Valedictorian graduate of Bates College in Maine, and with a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, neuroscientist Lisa Genova self-published her debut novel, Still Alice inโฆ
Swindon’s annual colossal fundraising event The Shuffle is a testament to local live music, which raises funds for Prospect Hospice. If you’re ever going toโฆ
There was a geographical population imbalance this bank holiday Monday in Devizes which risked the entire town conically sloping into the back of Morrisons; noโฆ
The Devizes Arts Festival has almost run its course, with only a couple of days to go, but still seven events left.ย But itโs not going quietly, and last night in the Town Hallโs Assembly Room was no exception……
British jazz saxophonist Julian Costello, a superbly gifted musician, composer and teacher from London, and who writes for various ensembles, was the Festivalโs guest.ย Playing tenor and soprano saxophones, he was joined by John Turville on piano, Andy Hamill on upright bass and harmonica, and Tom Hooper on drums.
The quartet has recently released their third album, โAnd All The Birds Were Set Freeโ on the acclaimed label 33 Jazz Records, and their two sets last night featured many tracks from the album. The albumโs title is a reference to Costelloโs idea that the musicians should be free to express themselves and able to fly. The pieces they played, including the title track, The Gecko, London Blue, Song For Anna and Sunflowers, were all good examples of this open, loosely-structured approach. Each musician took his various solos easily, improvising on the scenario, but slotting into the structure laid down at the start of each piece. The particular highlights of these for me were provided by John Turvilleโs piano passages.
The original material was tempered with a leavening of jazz classics, including material from John Coltrane, La Rosita by Benny Goodman, and Carlos Jobimโs If You Never Come To Me. Costello himself, leading the quartet very much from the front, moved over from tenor to soprano sax for his composition Connections, based upon the structure of an Indian raga. And bassist Any Hamill strayed onto a very welcome harmonica during the encore Song For Anna (written for Costelloโs wife Anna Stearman).
Costelloโs personal style was laid-back and chatty, bonding easily with the audience using dry humour, and the quartet were clearly very comfortable in each otherโs company. Their enjoyment on stage was very evident.
After an absolute dearth of live jazz in D-Town, it was like drinking at an oasis after a long crawl through a musical desert. But, parched as I was, I was left very slightly wanting. The sets needed more variation in tempo, more contrast between light and shade. Each number they played was very good, but it was slightly one-paced across the whole programme. Donโt get me wrong โ this was a hugely enjoyable affair, featuring some great music in a beautiful room. Sound and lighting were spot on (as usual). But I was left wanting just that little bit more. More jazz please!
The Devizes Arts Festival continues until the night of Sunday 15th June at various venues around the town.ย Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online atย www.devizesartsfestival.org.ukย
Just How Big Is That Fringe? Or Two Go Myth-Busting
Andy Fawthrop
Weโve always held that D-Town is a great place to live, and one of the many reasons is that it punches well above its weight in terms of the arts and cultural events.ย Just speaking to musicians and artists who visit the town for gigs and festivals, the feedback is always the same: theyโre in awe of just how much weโve got going on here.….
Do we need to recite the list? Oh go on then โ two/ three Beer Festivals (DOCA Winter Ales, Seend, CAMRA DBF), an arts festival (DAF), a food and drink festival, Fulltone on The Green, our own theatre, two opera companies (WHO, DMT), Devizes to Westminster canoe race, Long Street Blues Club, the DOCA events (Street Festival, Colour Rush, Lantern Parade, Carnival, Picnic In The Park)โฆ.I could (and usually do), go on. Thereโs pubs with regular live music (White Bear, Three Crowns, The Southgate), fairs and circuses on The Green, book clubs, sports clubsโฆ(youโre really going on a bit nowโฆEd).
But somehow that old refrain of โNothing Ever Happens In Devizesโ has been making a come-back of late on social media, yet it just ainโt true. But like all myths, it refuses to lie down and die. Despite this revered organ (ooh, matron) laying out the many, many choices you might have every week, and bringing you previews and reviews of everything and anything arts-based that we can get our sticky little fingers on, some folks seem to persist in apparently finding โnothingโ to do. So itโs time to, yet again, challenge that myth and have another go at laying it to rest for once and for all.
Anywayโฆ..at the moment of writing weโre right in the middle of the Devizes Arts Festival fortnight, with plenty of variety to please all tastes. But, admittedly, some of these events can command ticket prices that are unaffordable for some. So, inspired somewhat by last weekendโs wonderful free Rowdefest (thank you Darren!) and, admittedly, a bit of a โrobust discussionโ in the pub, I decided to see just how much fun and entertainment you could enjoy over this weekend at next to no cost. Itโs a challenge I decided to take on by getting off my luxury sofa, and propel myself out โinto the fieldโ (as it were).
Armed with only a stout pair of walking boots, an inquisitive and open mind, and a supportive girlfriend, I headed out into the local area to see what I could actually come up with on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The results are below:
1. Devizes Farmersโ Market in The Market Place Bar (Saturday 9 am)
ยท What it was: monthly gathering of local suppliers
ยท What was it like?ย Plenty of choice โ venison, bread, honey, olives, cheese, bread & fruit, flowers and plants, fresh coffee, cider, cakes.ย Plenty of good fresh stuff from suppliers within a 30 mile radius of D-Town.ย Added to stalls in the Shambles, this is worth a half hour of anyoneโs time, either for shopping or simply browsing.
ยท What it was: a c. 4 mile walk down the towpath from D-Town to Poulshot
ยท What was it like?ย Lots of people out strolling or cycling, boats passing up and down the flight (an opportunity for some gomgoozling).ย We also saw many species of birds, including four, yes four, different grey herons โ such elegant birds.
3. Poulshot Medicine in Nature Herbal Walk at Poulshot Village Hall (Saturday 10.30am โ 12)
ยท What it was: a short walk led by Katherine Baldock & Simon Parkes (ecologist) around the village to explore the wild and naturalised medicinal plants growing thereabouts, and an opportunity to make some herbal vinegar after foraging the local hedgerows.
ยท What was it like?ย Way too slow for me, it was part talk, part very gentle amble around the village green and woodland, part discovery of a number of wild plants.ย We discussed culinary and medicinal uses. At least I found bits of Poulshot I didnโt know about, including the pond, the specially-created woodland, and some country paths (useful for getting over to Whistley Road later on).
ยท What it was:.ย An event organised by WAPG (Wiltshire Agricultural Preservation Group), featuring static displays of steam traction engines, tractors, miniature steam engines, heavy horses, trade stalls, fairground, military vehicles, classic cars.
ยท What was it like? As it was chucking it down with rain as we arrived, the most welcome thing for the first half hour was the (well-stocked) beer tent.ย I could have done without the loud piped music but, hey, it was dry and there was beer!ย When the rain slowed down a bit we did the full circuit and there was plenty to see, the most impressive of which were the full-size old traction engines in steam (some also seen later driving through D-Town).ย There were pop-up food outlets, fresh coffee, craft stalls and tents, a 1940s-themed tea and cakes tent, bouncy castle for the children etc.ย The site was large with plenty of parking but, because of the rain, getting increasingly muddy.
5. Pete Robson & J P Oldfield in The Bear, Cellar Bar (Saturday 8pm)
ยท What it was: foot-stomping blues from two solo performers
ยท What was it like?ย Each performer used steel guitar and stomp box to deliver some hard-cutting blues.ย CDs for sale. Not very well attended, which was a shame.ย Perhaps it needed to be better advertised. For me Pete Robson was the better performer of the two, taking a slightly less hard-edge approach to his vocals, and mixing up the tempo, giving more light and shade to his set.ย The cellar bar is an OK venue at best, being a rather odd shape, with very low ceiling and an only partially-stocked bar.ย I suspect it needs to be used much more often if itโs going flourish as a venue.
ยท Cost: ยฃFREE + drinks
ยท Adultsโ rating: 3/5
ยท Note โwe could have also gone to see either Matchbox Mutiny/ Tom Harris in The Three Crowns or The Duskers in The Southgate (both FREE entry), but thereโs only so many hours in the day!
6. Crammer Watch Day on the Small Green Devizes (Sunday 11am onwards)
ยท What it was: a chance to meet those involved in celebrating and preserving the Crammer. RSPCA, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Wessex Water, Friends of The Crammer, Lawrence Society of Artists, Sustainable Devizes + The Moonrakers Legend (performed at 12 noon and 1pm), photography competition, charity tombola
ยท What was it like?ย We missed the Moonrakers performance, so as an experience I found it a bit thin on the ground.ย There was little to see and do, unless you wanted to stand and chat to someone about the issues which the Crammer faces. Several stands were just offering information leaflets. Although a worthy attempt, for me personally it was just not very engaging.
7. Lions on The Green on The Green (Sunday 10am -4pm)
ยท What it was: organised by Devizes Lions Club, a vehicle display (cars, bikes, scooters, military etc) and family fun day (lots of stalls, bar, food outlets)
ยท What was it like?ย Covering the whole of the large Green, this was really excellently-well organised.ย The central area was given over to the displays of antique, rare and sports cars.ย Stalls had cakes, plants (from Plot 35), metal signs, honey etc.ย There was a bouncy castle and fairground rides for children.ย A licensed bar, coffee shop etc.ย Lots to look at and plenty of photo opportunities. Fantasy Radio were broadcasting live from the site.
ยท Cost: ยฃFREE (donations to the Lions collecting buckets) + drinks
8. Devizes Arts Festival Free Fringe:Whiskey River (@ British Lion gardenย Sunday 2 โ 5pm)
ยท What it was: Roots Music From the Welsh frontier
ยท What was it like?ย The trio Whiskey River played Americana, Cajun, Zydeco, Folk, Country, Blues and a smattering of Celtic music. Using guitar, fiddle, flute, harmonica, mandolin and concertina, these guys provided an excellent and enjoyable afternoon of music in the (occasional) sunshine.ย The bar was open, and there was a BBQ going on throughout. People sitting out enjoying a drink, dogs, children, good music โ perfect!
ยท Cost: ยฃFREE + (a large, undisclosed) drinks bill
9. Wood & Steel (@ The Southgate Inn Sunday 5-7pm)
ยท What it was: an acoustic duo playing blues, jazz and ragtime
ยท What was it like?ย This duo were new to me, but I was very impressed by what I heard.ย Two very good musicians, clearly comfortable in their own skin, played two excellent 50-minute sets and got a very well-deserved encore.ย Lots of covers from many ages and genres, using dobro, guitar, upright bass and vocals.ย Excellent musical accompaniment to a late, lazy Sunday afternoon. Great atmosphere too.
ยท Cost: ยฃFREE (donations to โthe hatโ) + more (undisclosed) drinks
ยท Adultsโ rating: 5/5
ยท Note โ we could also have gone to see Bodge It & Scarperย at The White Bear (Sunday 5-7pm) playing acoustic music, but didnโt hear about this until quite late.ย Also canโt be in two places at once.ย This event was also FREE.ย ย
In summary:
ยท Miles walked โ about 10
ยท Bird species spotted โ about 20, including swans, herons, jackdaws, mallard, moorhen, starlings, robins, great tits etc;
ยท Friends met – loads โ far too many to mention!
ยท Total cost (for two) – ยฃ27.80 (of which ยฃ20 was for the steam fair) + the drinks (but letโs not mention that bit!);
ยท Fun and entertainment had โ loads and loads and loads;
ยท Well-being โ absolutely knackered, but very happy.ย Looking forward to next weekend!
Yes it all took a little bit of planning, but it wasnโt that difficult really. We walked to/ from most venues, so we got lots of other good D-Town stuff (Caen Hill locks, the towpath etc) and took only one short (cheap) bus ride when the heavens opened. So there was plenty of exercise and fresh air to mitigate the various bits of eating and drinking. Did I mention that the odd libation was partaken of? And Iโm not saying that EVERY weekend is quite this packed, but it certainly can be if you put your mind to it. Bear in mind that thereโs LOADS of other stuff going on โ these were simply the things we happened to pick out. There were choices โ and we made them!
Nothing Ever Happens In Devizes??? Donโt make me laugh.
If it’s good enough for Knight Rider it’s good enough for me. I see the Hoff ditched his Knight Industries Three Thousand on the Green for a stroll around Devizes on Sunday. He probably found a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent in a world of criminals who operate above the law, whereas I ended up at the British for a scrumpy or threeโฆ.
Unlike some guys who act like Spongebob Squarepants on his tenth bag of Haribo at Chessington World of Adventures, I can only get yay excited about a car show. But Devizes Lions do it with cherries onโฆ and debatably false advertising. There were no lions on the Green, but it was Lions on the Green this Sunday past, an annual free fete/car show crossover which never fails to appeal universally; kids nag mums for Rowdey Cow ice cream while dads furiously argue for three hours with a total stranger in sandals that the Mk2 2.8 Injection Granada handles better than the Mk1 with a 3.0 V6 engine.
I browse unacquainted with such matters, unfazed by contemporary cock extensions, but in admiration of vintage, retro cars and those with a movie reference attached. Every local from MP Brian Matthews to Pete of Vinyl Realm, and outsiders like Marty McFly have brought their big boy toys along to display, as Fantasy Radio blast Gary Numan. It’s a sunny morning, it’s a lovely occasion, it’s raising funds, and there’s nothing to dislike about it.
Cars ticked off, hot dog and an extended conversation with a detectorist who’d discovered a variety of civil war shots and cannonballs on Roundway, if the Lions on the Green is a great and unbroken walkthrough event it coincided with Crammer Watch Day further along on, at the Little Green.
With long term solutions outstanding for unsafe conditions for wildfowl on the Crammer, there appears to be a far more communal tenet between concerned residents and the council compared to the outcry a few years ago, and this day was intended rather to celebrate the Crammer than address expensive possible solutions. As it stands, the simple fix is to raise public awareness that the only escape route for swans is across the roadside and they should apply caution when driving throughโฆ.please.
With live painting from the Lawrence Arts Society, stands from the RSPCA, Sustainable Devizes and hosts Friends of The Crammer, conservation was a topic, if overshadowed somewhat by historical tomfoolery, which was something new to the day and personally my highlight.
A random team of amateur thespians, some from the Wharf Writers Group and others along for the giggle and wearing of knitted beards, staged a short promenade satirical play โreenactingโ the fable of the moonrakers, aptly at The Crammer. The premise didn’t sound so inspiring to me, and I thought I might have to hold my tongue. The actuality surprised me, it was absolutely brilliant!
Pythonesque humour delivered with skill on a local legend, deliberately naff props such as a paddling pool for the pond, and astutely scripted silliness, it was indigenous and hilariously original.
Authenticity deliberately skewed for amusement; they couldn’t have done this anywhere else but here, the setting of the beloved fable, which is amusing enough without the added gags. Francis Grose was a witty Victorian chubster and nothing more needs to upset the applecart about the origin of the moonrakers, as this wasn’t intending to proclaim historic fact checking rather to amuse, which a country gent in Harris Tweed with a carrot in his mouth pretending to be a donkey will inevitably achieve.
I don’t know where the Hoff got to, but he missed a rarer treat than reuniting with Pamela Anderson for a titillating slow-motion beach jog. Oh, and a whistle stop to Morrisons was a let down culturally compared to what was outside. Along the road I shrug at a classic bus, for its appearance would’ve been more expected trekking the Sahara than parked outside the faithfully traditional British Lion, and there was no explanation for it being there.
Nevertheless I’m one step away from the bar, pondering if there’s one thing expected in Devizes: it’s that The British Lion doesn’t change, because it doesn’t need to. With Devizes Arts Festival is full swing, they’ve arranged a Cwmbran roots trio called Whiskey River to play us some of their sublime classic rock covers, Celtically, with a deep southern Americana twist, as a free fringe event; I cannot argue with this.
Devizes live music aficionados amassed and were thankful, as if they needed an excuse for a pint and fundraising burger from the barbecue. The British Lion is a fond institution, Whiskey River was a great break from our usual circuit, The Lions put on a brilliant and well organised family event, Crammer Watch added to an already great day and those awesome actors with rakes did make us laugh as promised.
It was all too much for me, the White Bear and Southgate continued the music, but I needed a little lie down, while our roving reporter Andy outdone me, partying like Prince in 1999, so I’m also putting up his account of weekend adventures for it’s fuller, far more informative and factually accurate than mine, even if it doesn’t mention Pamela Anderson, because really, she didn’t show. Devizes though, doesn’t need Pam, the fun never stops here, Sunday proved it.
In the dead of night sounds in a rural environment are resonating singularities, a car in the distance or the farmer calling his herd. In an urban environment itโs a cacophony, a mesh of motorways, trains and factories. Living in either you become accustomed, but to change can take adjusting. To accommodate the increase of clamour, when I first moved from a village to be neighbours with a cheesy nightclub in Swindon, we drained the noise outside with the 1990 KLF album โChill Out.โ Prior to being bound for Mu Mu Land with Tammy Wynette, they created an ambient soundscape which rarely provided a beat. I am reminded of this, and other vague but fond memories while listening to The Hotcakes of Wildfireโs four track EP, Shoes and Acidโฆ.
Released last week, Shoes and Acid is the brainchild of Mick Stanger, guitaristfor Bradford-on-Avon scrumpy & western outfit The Boot Hill All Stars and presenter of Sounds of the Wilderness on West Wilts Radio, a show where Mick uncovers a variety of experimental locally-sourced tracks. Alongside him are engineers Alex Pilkington and Leo Hossent, Boot Hill and Monkey Bizzle drummer Cerys Brocklehurst, with synths, guitars and vocals by Rat Himself, additional vocals by Holly Taylor and a fiddle from Ruth Behan. A different line-up from the 2022 debut single War of Words, whereby Mick thrashes out a tongue-in-cheek Scrabble war over grinding metal guitars, and a very different sound too; virtually horizontal dancing in places!
If Iโm reminded of Chill Out, and stealthily manoeuvring through a jungle of guy-ropes and tent pegs across Glastonbury Festival like a missionary expedition, while The Orb rang out subtle harmonies like the call of the natives in the ether, itโs because Iโm of that era. Factually, thereโs been meditative and relaxing moods in all genres from classical and jazz to new age whale song or electronic kosmische. The beauty in Shoes and Acid seems to be that these Hotcakes nod to them all, or if not all, at least since the prog-rock of Zeppelin and Floyd, and exhausts them nonchalantly unique and punkish.
Itโs a lo-fi soundscape opening with birdsong, but Stubentiger kicks in agreeably backwards like the intro to Electric Ladyland, and rolls out a pungent bass guitar riff akin to Fromeโs Ozric Tentaclesโ finest hour; itโs at this early moment I figure Iโm in for an enjoyable if hypnotic ride; pass my meds. Four extended tracks is all it takes to knock up about forty minutes of expressive outpourings, largely instrumental and influenced by many soothing musical styles. Iโm not sure if shoes are a requirement, but acid wouldnโt go a miss, itโs a trip.
Second tune Knocking at the Tree has whimsical female vocals conflicting with devilish male vocals, a drifting prog-folk-rock track wisping and earthy; a Westcountry Clannad with a sprinkle of Hawkwind. But if the prog-rock element continues into the eleven minute beauty, Fever Dream, it becomes very Ozric Tentacles, and like my favourite tune of theirs The Domes of G’Bal, it takes on dub reggae. Being that Iโm fascinated by the studio adventures of King Tubby yet irked somewhat with dubstep, Iโm most at home here, a contemporary Orbโs Towers of Dub which could convert Lee Anderson into a crusty traveller!
Fever Dream is the summit, an outstanding and epic moment in the album. A final track awaits us, now embedded in a horizontal dream like state imagining fractals forming in the sky. Tardigrades is another eleven-minute sonic exploration, beginning ambient house, Eat Static is expected but it doesnโt venture into trance-techno, rather it builds in layers like Leftfield but takes a space-rock angle with Hollyโs vocals in the driving seat after five minutes of swirling spacey soundscape.
A gorgeous finale to a great third eye opening listen, which doesnโt appear to care if you’re coming at it from a Hawkwind or Orb direction. Iโm just pleased to know thereโs still folk out there producing soothing yet psychedelic ambient music on an astral plane, and this rolls a joint up for you and tucks you into a blissful slumber!
Well the Devizes Arts Festival is in full swing now, with several events already under its belt.ย Thereโs stuff cropping up every day, so I took the chance to pop in to a much-underused venue in the town St Andrewโs Church on Long Street.….
After several big-ticket shows in the programme, it was a pleasure to settle down to something a little more modest, a more bread-and-butter item if you like.ย Mid-week lunchtime isnโt going to be a time to attract a particularly large audience, even on market day, but a good few hardy souls turned up to at least create a good audience atmosphere.
Anna Ling, a performer Iโd not personally come across before, is a guitarist and singer/songwriter. Her creative work and sense of purpose are deeply rooted in her love of bringing people together through song. This passion shapes her life, guiding her from leading community choirs to performing at venues, care homes, and world-class festivals.
In a concert co-promoted with the charity, Live Music Now, Anna delivered a professional and engaging 50-minute set which featured both her own material along with a few covers. She worked hard to engage the audience right from the kick-off, inviting us into her world. The performance was light and humorous, heartfelt and intimate. And she was determined that we were not just going to sit back and listen to her, but to join in as well. She had a lovely clear, strong voice, and used it to particular effect when she came down from the stage and abandoned her guitar in favour of an unaccompanied song right from the middle of the audience.
Her lyrics were simple, her guitar chords straight-forward. This was not a set filled with new arrangements or presenting anything particularly challenging, but an opportunity to listen to a set of songs simply delivered and largely unadorned. She filled the gaps between the songs with little stories and anecdotes, never lifting her voice very much, and thus drawing you in.
Plain, simple, and thoroughly enjoyable. Just another little sweetie in the jar from Devizes Arts Festival. And thereโs plenty more to see and hear yet, so do make sure that you get along to experience something soon. Itโll all be over before you know it!
Devizes Arts Festival continues until Sunday 15th June at various venues around the town.ย Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online HERE
Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory, Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The young andโฆ
The excitement and hope generated by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announcing a new political party has reached Swindonโฆ.. A broad range of people haveโฆ
If I was bowled over backwards by Rubyโs teaser single last week, its title, Crowned Lightbringer, now also belongs to this five-track EP, released today,โฆ
Thatโs right, lovers of local live music countywide, you have less than a week now to cast your votes for your favourite acts in our prestigious, one-of-a-kind Wiltshire Music Awards!
The closing date for voting is Tuesday the 10th June, so get your thinking caps on and VOTE HERE NOW.
Whoโs tickled your fancy the most? Whoโs brought tears to your eyes with their self-penned ballad? Whoโs dragged you off your seat and commanded your feet to the dancefloor, like nobody’s watching?! Whoโs provided that ideal space for you to shake a tailfeather? And who deserves to be recognised for their outstanding contribution to local live music in your honest opinion? We need to know, but donโt tell us here- keep it secret and cast your votes now!
We’ve already had way over seven hundred ballot papers sent into us, and I’ve not taken one sneaky peek yet, but I’m informed the results are close to call, so your vote might yet tip the balance.
So don’t procrastinate on me now, will you? Not for your favourite musicians’ finest hour. They need you; this is important, dammit!
And hereโs an added special message to all musicians, bands and promoters, we love you all, so, please help us to help you, by sharing this news with your fans, as thereโs nothing wrong with shameless self-promotion; order them to vote for you, offer them custard creams if they do, tell your mum you want her to vote for you, tell them all you wanna win a shiny medal for all youโve done to entertain them. You deserve this, goddammit, everyone creating music around these backwaters does, but thereโs only so many awards we can give out on the night – make sure one of them is yours, yay!
I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it, and I am officially about to lose control…and, guess what? I think I like it. At least, those are my inspirational words to motivate you into the groove.
Images by Hans Shell, Ruth Wordley, Helen’s PolarPix and Bird is the Word
If you’re going to write on a subject you must research it, but if you’re going to write well about it you need to get involved in order to understand the details often hidden to outside observersโฆ.
I learned this a year into creating Devizine, when I decided to hold an anniversary gig. Event organiser Dean Czerwionka basically held my hand through it, as I hadn’t a Scooby-Doo of the immensity of variables involved. Since then, I’ve dug myself deeper into the practical, to understand those obstacles and overcome them, so when being critical, I’m aware of how much work goes into putting events on.
Did you seriously buy that baloney?! Really, I’m an attention-seeking party animal who loves to showcase, whenever feasible, the talents of those I spend hours tapping my keyboard to review, then steal all the credit for it! The whole balancing on a learning curve stuff is only a bonus ball! But it is a delight, whenever the opportunity arises, to witness the actualities of my labour, and one such opportunity occurred yesterday, a short walk from my home.
Rowdefest happened Saturday in my village, an idea to retain aspects of a traditional fete yet modernise it to reflect a mini-festival, in which I had to get my foot in the door of.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, but for myself and the committee, Rowdefest 2025 started months ago, with tea, cake and planning at Barbara’s house. Then, an amount of WhatsApp messages, a Facebook chat coordinating the band’s specs with Simon Stockley, the solo sound engineer worth an entire team of professionals.
RowdeFest Committee pose at the end!
Then there’s the mountains I didn’t climb; Clare’s tribulations to provide a bar, Liz’s organisational skills to provide food vans, sponsors and collect raffle prizes, Kirsty creating a book stall, Geraldine and Angie tying things together, tea, cake and a photo exhibition in the church, chairperson Sue binding our meandering meetings into some kind of order, and so much more from many villagers and parish councillors mucking in, till the point on Friday I was driving a milk-float down Rowde Court Road with a huge tent on it and it all suddenly felt real!
Event organising with a team is wrought with disagreements, problem solving, worries which drag you to examine speculating weather apps daily, and fingers-crossed assurances everything will be alright on the nightโฆ.thankfully it was, so Rowde was blessed with a hugely successful, beautiful occasion. An equally huge thanks and congratulations must go to all involved in its making, but none so much as our chief, Barbara. Even if one of them was me, I still reserve the right to report on it, for there is no flattery necessary, feedback from others gives me the confidence to say this was as fantastic as I perceived it as!
Devizes Jubilee Morris Dancers
For me personally, it was all about community merriment, and of course, the entertainment. Under the premise we wanted lively bands I took to organising a lineup consisting entirely of tried and tested locally sourced talents, and calling in a few favours! Opening the event then, the Devizes Jubilee Morris Dancers arrived, did their thing literally with bells on, and got the blossoming crowds engaging in a final routine.
Between the two Morris dancing sections, Mat Fucci of Fucci Fit teased the crowds with a workout, and under the beating sun they got as physical as Olvia Newton-John in 1981, or near to it!
ANdrew Hurst with Lucianne Worthy
Then the live music started with my wildcard, the experimental imaginations of music scholar and tutor, Andrew Hurst. With exceptional bassist Lucianne Worthy, they whisked the audience through multi-instrumental tangents, wonderfully.
Talk in Code
Usually a headline act next, and it was only 3pm, with the crowds still on our villageโs own delicious Rowdey Cow ice cream rather than ciders! Wiltshireโs finest indie-pop darlings, Talk in Code kindly pepped it up, making a pitstop on their way to Swindonโs Castle venue. Blasting their eighties pop flavoured originals gorgeously across our small playing field was an indicator this was going to go off rather different from your average village fete!
That was my doing, and apologise if it came as a shock to some sensitive residents. What attendees didnโt witness was me, once being informed about their complaints, slightly sulking in guilt behind the scenes. Yes, what started as a village fete had now gone full-blown festival, which I believed was the intention and well advertised as such. My resolution was, other than gorging on biscuits, that, in times like this, we have to go with the majority. As the huge crowd gathered, of all ages, appeared to be lapping it up, dancing and cherishing every moment, coupled with the expressions of delight I witnessed on the faces of some disabled children in wheelchairs when I held the gate open for them, well, they counteract a billion complainers for me, and Iโm certain there was far, far fewer of them than that!
Talk in Code with Peggy-Sue Ford of Don’t Stop the Music radio show
Talk in Code shines like a beacon to everything dedication can achieve on our local circuits, and their reputation builds with every appearance; I was overjoyed to see them, as, like anyone they meet, theyโve become my friends. The second act tends to be more modest with their skills, but The Sarah C Ryan Band will always be one of my most favourite bands. They deliver a sublime melodious panache in style and sound, the kind I liken to Fleetwood Mac, but my daughter suggested Florence and The Machine; either works.
The Sarah C Ryan Band
Through cooler originals and the odd cover, Sarah and her band held the crowd spellbound, after wondering if anything would equal Talk in Code, now they were assured I had many more tricks up my sleeve!
Thieves
WIth the crowd simmered, time to allow Thieves to do their thing. Semi-acoustic vibes, Iโd go out on a limb and suggest this is the finest Americania youโll find around these waters. Authentic bluegrass to rootsy blues, this wonderfully accomplished four-piece vocal harmonise on a level which left our unsuspecting attendees around the hay bales spellbound and those in the know nodding impressively. It was the set to end all sets, setting the scene to bliss, as I wandered receiving everyoneโs approval, but I had one more band yet to introduce.
Burn The Midnight Oil
Given the chance, Talk in Code mightโve headlined, safe in the knowledge of what they will deliver. Despite knowing front-girl Chrissy Chapman for many years, and fondly reviewing her vocal collaborations on drum n bass tunes, when she put together Burn The Midnight Oil I met with the original lineup to interview them and hear a little rehearsal, but regrettably, I still hadnโt had the opportunity to tick them off my must-see list.
Okay, so, I took a chance here, suspecting theyโd be good, and heard all the good reports, but I didnโt begin to imagine just how good. Burn the Midnight Oil totally rocked the finale, with fantastic originals slipped unnoticed into a set of covers, they made the perfect end to the day. Dressed in a divine white dress of sentimental value to Chrissy, she took her accomplished band and the audience on an elevated hour plus expedition of bluesy rock which no one wanted to ever come to an end. It was total and utter dynamite!
Alannah Mylesโ Blue Velvet rang out across our playing field, as we gathered the committee and volunteers to be cheered before an encore. Chrissy has a confident stage presence. Her interactions with the audience were so professional, I had to take a double-look to check if it was still my dear friend up there!
But, thatโs the magic right there, to take our talented locals and celebrate their skills as they deserve to be celebrated, allow them to shine with the freedom of expression to deliver works theyโve written and composed, disperse them with classics if they wish to, and introduce the quality of local talent to audiences which may not have the opportunity to follow our local live music scene. That was my objective, as that is alway my objective, and I thank the Rowdefest committee for allowing me to do that in my own village, rather than hiking up Dunkirk Hill again, or trekking further afield; Bradford-on-Avon had a town music festival on, at a level our village couldnโt compete with, but those at RowdeFest wouldnโt have cared at that point; it was magical.
Bramblerose Designs
Okay, Iโm still at one thousand feet about what we accomplished yesterday, but I donโt believe time will water my excitement down. This should go down in the village history books, and if not, it will always be remembered by me. Again my sincere thanks goes to all involved, the committee, the attendees which included MP Brian Matthew, and our media friends Bird is the Word, Peggy-Sue Ford and Alan Watters of our village magazine, but especially the acts and Simon, who came to my rescue; thank you all, for your time, dedication and for superbly rocking my village!
Image: John Kisch Legendary songwriter and original Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell has announced a run of UK dates this November, accompanied by special guests Theโฆ
Atmospherically anthemic and reinforced with that infectious rhythmic groove weโve come to love Talk in Code for, More Than Friends is chockfull of it, andโฆ
by Mick Brian With Sandcastles Productions marking its debut production with Charlie McGuireโs original play Glass House, the cast and crew behind this production are clearlyโฆ
Wiltshire Music announces a new season for Autumn Winter: and the first under the new leadership of Daniel Clark, Artistic Director and Sarah Robertson, Executiveโฆ
If youโve seen Jess Self performing at the Wharf Theatre, singing at the FullTone Festival or elsewhere Iโm certain youโll agree with us; Jess hasโฆ
It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited toโฆ
Itโs been a while coming a-round but at long last Devizesโ very own Arts Festival finally kicked off last night for its two-week run.ย And we started off, as is usual now, with a real belter of a concert in the Corn Exchange, this time featuring veteran performers Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri…..
If you were after star quality, Kiki Dee has it in spades.ย Recently celebrating her 60th year in the music industry, she has now released a whopping 40 singles, three EPs and 22 albums. She is one of the UKโs finest and most revered vocalists, and sheโs sung with and for just about anybody who is anybody in this industry.
Pauline Matthews (as was) was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1947. At the age of 10 she won a local talent contest, and at 16 she had her first paid job as Kiki Dee in show business. She worked briefly as an apprentice hairdresser (she did my motherโs hair once โ my feeble claim to fame!) and at Boots in Bradford during the day, while in the evenings she sang songs with a dance band in Leeds. Initially with Fontana Records, known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown’s Tamla Records. Sheโs best known for the hit singles “Amoureuse” (1973), “I’ve Got the Music in Me” (1974) and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, her 1976 duet with old Reg Dwight (Elton John), which reached Number One on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her 1981 single “Star” became the theme song for the talent show Opportunity Knocks when it was revived by the BBC in 1987.
During her career sheโs sung backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, was one of the backing vocalists on Love Affair’s 1968 UK number one single Everlasting Love, sang backing vocals on various Elton John recordings, such as “All the Girls Love Alice” from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and various tracks on Rock of the Westies, played as support act to Queen at their Hyde Park concert in front of a crowd of 150,000 people, and performed at Live Aid in 1985, reprising “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with John, and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set. On top of that sheโs won awards for her Musical Theatre roles in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, in which she took on the role originally played by Barbara Dickson for the 1988 production and recording, and received an Olivier Award nomination in 1989 in the Best Actress in a Musical category.
But all of that is history! Nowadays, or at least for the last twenty years or so, sheโs continued to move forward with the music that she creates with Carmelo Luggeri. Kiki says Carmelo is her favourite guitarist and he co-writes and produces all their songs.
Dee released the live album Almost Naked, a joint effort with Carmelo in 1995, followed by the studio albums Where Rivers Meet (1998) and The Walk Of Faith (2005). In September 2013, Dee and Luggeri released their third studio album, A Place Where I Can Go, on Spellbound Records. They have been touring together ever since and have played alongside such musical luminaries as Roger Taylor, Jack Bruce, Fish, Paul Young, Tom Robinson, Graham Gouldman and Madeline Bell.
Carmelo Luggeriโs abilities as a guitarist, composer and producer have taken him on a rich and interesting musical path over his career. Born in England of Italian parents, Carmelo was mainly self-taught with some classical training. Working with comedian and television personality Billy Connolly he created the โWatzinโ Matildaโ re-work used for the hugely successful 1995 โWorld Tour Of Australiaโ TV series. In 1998 Carmelo produced the track โStealinโ for the film โStill Crazyโ starring Jimmy Nail. Carmelo has also worked with US singer Andy Williams, Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), Ray Cooper (Elton John band), Gus Dudgeon, Stuart Epps, Romy Haag and singer songwriter Ralph McTell.
Carmelo and Kikiโs paths first crossed when he produced a collection of bonus tracks for โThe Very Best of Kiki Deeโ album, and, under the guidance of their manager Steve Brown they took on a new musical direction together, playing acoustic concerts, starting with an appearance at The Royal
Albert Hall for World AIDS Day in 1994. It was quite a departure for Carmelo at this point as he was essentially an electric player but this marked the beginning of their now 25 year collaboration where acoustic guitar is at the foundation of their sound.
Sorry for the long introductory pre-amble, but just wanted to reprise the careers of these two wonderful musicians. And I guess youโd have to say that represents as good a musical pedigree as youโre ever going to get, so the expectations for the large crowd were, to say the least, pretty high.
And we werenโt to be disappointed one bit. Kicking off with โGet What You Wish Forโ and the first of several musical career anecdotes, we were suddenly there at โDonโt Go Breaking My Heartโ! Like most people I thought this would be the wrap-up song or the encore, but Kiki clearly wanted to get the song on the table early. Using, not unexpectedly, a completely different acoustic arrangement, with a rather slower tempo, her rendition allowed the lyrics to really shine through, and to deliver some really pathos.
Cracking on with anecdotes about meeting David Hockney in Malibu, and working with Dusty Springfield, we had the self-penned โSmall Merciesโ. She then mined a rich vein of beautifully-arranged covers โ Kate Bushโs โRunning Up That Hillโ, Robert Palmerโs โEvery Kinda Peopleโ, and Neil Youngโs โHarvest Moonโ.
Following โa nice glass of redโ and a costume change, the second half continued in much the same vein, with Kiki interspersing the songs with more anecdotes. Early up we had her big hit โAmoureuseโ, partly sung in the original French, a jazzy cover of Leonard Cohenโs โDance Me To The End Of Loveโ (featuring a touching cameo when she danced with a member of the audience whilst Carmelo commanded the stage with some fabulous guitar work). We then had a run of the pairโs own compositions โ โAmen and Goodbyeโ, โSheโs Smiling Nowโ, โYou Canโt Fix The Maybeโ and โUntil We Meet Againโ โ before finishing with an upbeat and rousing version of โIโve Got The Music In Meโ. Getting an encore was a mere formality by this stage, but their choice was a strange one โ a very quiet number entitled โIf You Ever Need Someoneโ, and a harmonised version of The Beatlesโ โBlackbirdโ. Cue lots of cheering and a great ovation.
Kiki showed us that, at 78, sheโs definitely still got it. Her voice is, expectedly, not as strong and pure as in her youth, but itโs still bloody good, hitting all the notes perfectly, and still delivering plenty of soulfulness and meaning. Carmelo demonstrated throughout to be no mere prop or accompaniment to the big star on his left, but a real guitar craftsman in his own right. His subtle and effective use of loops and pedals to add depth and colour to every number, coupled with several changes of guitars and tunings, proved a real revelation. His introductions and solos were beautifully crafted, drawing much applause, and plenty of genuine praise from Kiki.
As a duo they harmonised well, and were very clearly extremely comfortable in each otherโs company on stage. Their rapport with each other, and with the audience, added considerably to the quality and the professionalism of the show.
This was the third or fourth time Iโd seen these guys, and Iโd have to say that they only get better and better. A really solid two and a half hour show, filled with great songs, hilarious anecdotes and superb guitar work โ what more could you possibly want? I absolutely loved and, it seemed, so did the packed audience.
A cracker of a concert to kick off this yearโs Devizes Arts Festival!
The Devizes Arts Festival continues until Sunday 15th June at various venues around the town.ย Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online atย www.devizesartsfestival.org.ukย ย
Devizes annual orchestral festival, FullTone got underway yesterday afternoon with a showcase of local talent from Devizes Music Academy,ย and finalised Friday night with theirโฆ
A feast of Salisbury musicians have recorded the single Edge of Reason, a powerful tribute to the irreplaceable ThomโฏBelk, a champion of Salisburyโs music sceneโฆ
Devizes Food & Drink Festival launched their 2025 programme of events today. Running from Saturday 20th to the 28th September, the Box Office opens onlineโฆ
With your standard festivals two-to-a-penny, some consisting of not much more than a bloke with a guitar in a pub selling undercooked and overpriced hotdogs,โฆ
Contemplated headlining this โClash of the Titans,โ but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes canโฆ
Popular award-winning artisan chocolate business Hollychocs has announced that its Beanery Cafรฉ will close on Saturday 23rd August, marking exactly two years since its openingโฆ
The first full album by Wiltshireโs finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโs called Turfinโ Out The Maniacs, which perhaps should be fact-checked as it sounds to me like theyโre letting them all in, as they arrive on yellow submarines and check into Frank Zappaโs 200 five-rhombus rated motelsโฆ..
Self-described as โeasily triggered, dishonest, cryptic yet flirty deluded jangle rockers,โ Clock Radio have produced a string of catchy slacker pop wonders here, as they continuously reach inside the box, like theyโre four elfish Rowan Atkinsons all cast as Paul Atreides. But one thing is for certain, Chris Genner, Oliver Daltrey, Gary Martin and Fraser Wilson will entertain you.
Turfinโ Out The Maniacs sound like the results of the Coral offering The Divine Comedy a hashpipe in a moulded teenage boyโs bedroom; thatโs a compliment by the way.
The opening tune Blood on Chrome certainly reeks of that breezy retrospection of Merseyside garage bands or sixties surf-rock, with an added preliminary Quo guitar riffs. Stoned at the Dojo, which follows emphasises the mock lounge style of The Divine Comedy. Itโs vaudeville throughout, all Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Bandโs twirling circus, and an accordion welcomes in the next song, yet the tempo is upbeat indie rock. Handsome Weeping Man might leave you questioning if itโs necessary to connote the narrative, but it will leave you amused.
Clock Radio knows precisely what buttons to press to evoke a mood, and press them with free will. To say itโs a tad bonkers, itโs only a tad, and Mountains Beyond the Sun kindles a gentle side, drifting surf-rock, sunny side of the street vibe.
Thereโs ten three minute heroes on this impressive debut album, recorded, mixed and mastered by Dominic Bailey-Clay at Nine Volt Leap Studios, with Fender Rhodes piano, percussion by Dominic and a triangle by Shoshi B. If weโre content with getting halfway through and assuming theyโve calmed slightly, No Death takes us back onto the weird and wonderfully expressed if questionable muses of the opening.
Turfinโ Out The Maniacs is a comfy yet nippy prank, like being stung in the bottom but launching away from it to splash into a chocolate lake. Not so unlike Noรซl Coward playing a Bond villain, with Bowie as Bond; something you couldnโt imagine happening, but being Marie-Georges Mรฉliรจs directed it and itโs on FilmFour at 3am, you might as well grab a bag of cheesy puffs and thirty grams of Amber Leaf, stay up watch it in your pants. โCactus is cooler, Iโm no Ferris Bueller, I do as Iโm told,โ is just one line Iโm cherry picking to illustrate my point, youโll be amused and rocked in plentiful equal measure.
It has an acoustic ending called Complex 5 which will leave you incarcerated in the meandering yet meticulous peculiarly pulp portrayals of Clock Radio, as if you melted into a bubble sofa. It is available now on the streaming platforms, or buy the digital album from Bandcamp.
Bradford-on-Avon Town Councilโs annual festival, aptly titled The Bradford on Avon Live Music Festival is back this weekend, championing local talent with an eclectic line-up of impeccable performers across its multiple venues and in association with the Wiltshire Music Centreโฆ..
The festival launched in 2022, sees music pouring out of venues across the entire town over three days of music. From indie to rock, pop, jazz and blues, there really is something for everyone at this yearโs festival. โOur town is a hub of creativity,โ organiser Katie explains, โand weโre proud to keep that spirit alive through the BOA Live Music Festival.โ
It runs from Friday 30th May to Sunday 1st June; itโs a long listed lineup, hereโs what weโve found and recommend you donโt miss if youโre attending. Throughout the weekend there will be music at eight venues: Westbury Garden, Trinity Hall (St Laurence School,) Lamb Yard, Timbrellโs Yard, The Three Horseshoes, The Castle Inn, The Canal Tavern, and of course, Wiltshire Music Centre.
On Friday 30th May at 7.30pm, Wiltshire Music Centre brings Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart to the festival. As a bassist, Jah Wobble is well-known for his heavy, hypnotic bass grooves, which often serve as the backbone for atmospheric, genre-crossing tracks. Covering everything from reggae to rock, dub bass to drum and bass, and global influences, his deep, melodic, and trance-like bass is central to the experience. He will open Bradford on Avon’s Live Music Festival for the Centre, along with this band of world-class musicians- the Invaders of the Heart.
Jahโs career speaks for itself, spanning over 40 yearโs heโs played on countless albums, with performers such as PILโs John Lydon, Brian Eno, Bill Laswell, U2โs The Edge, Sinead OโConner, Primal Scream, Bjork, The Orb, The Cranberries Dolores O ฬRiordan and many more, as well as a regular on the hit TV show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart at Wiltshire Music Centreis ยฃ27 / ยฃ14.50 U18s + students, but observe this special offer code: 30% off at checkout using promo code BOA30. Highly recommend it.
Also on Friday you can find The Bowie Experience, 8pm at the Trinity Hall of St Laurence School. I highly recommend Karport Collective with Jess Chivers in support at The Castle Inn. Find some carnivalism at The Three Horseshoes from 5pm with delinquent fuzz jugernaut The Bucky Rage, BullyBones and Glasgow nuggets of Kosher Pickles!ย And with Bird is the Word taking over music at The Boat House, who has Band of Others on Friday, you are spoiled for choice.
Nothing Rhymes With Orange @ The Exchange ~ The Last Big Devizes Gig
Decisions get even harder on Saturday 31st May, at the main stage at Westbury Garden youโll find Retro Electro headlining at 9pm. The penultimate act is our favourites, Nothing Rhymes with Orange. All after a lineup of Karport Collective, Feast of Fools, Funky Monkey Bubble Club, Sian & Rob Colquhoun, the incredible Becky Lawrence and the Jazz Factory.
Meanwhile, at Lamb Yard I highly recommend Melkshamโs indie pop band The Sunnies headlining at 9pm, after JPQ, JB & the Mojomakers, Lorikeet, Lone Sea Breakers, Body & Soul, and Jess Chivers from 3pm. The Castle Inn has The Relayz, Westward, This Way Up, I highly recommend Dylan Smith, Broken Focus, Lee Broderick, Joe Hunt, and I highly recommend Becky Lawrence, all from 1pm
Saturday night at โThe Shoesโ youโll find The Bucky Rage, Kitchen Lover, Kosher Pickles – Well Brined, and The Borough. The Canal Tavern has Star Shaped Pegs, Mojo & Yuji, Lloyd & Art, and Jake Lockhart. Timbrellโs Yard has Lorikeet, highly recommend Ruby Darbyshire, Sian & Rob Colquhoun, Jess Chivers, Sour Apple and Feast of Fools.
Itโs all afro-beat at Wiltshire Music Centre on Saturday with The Gasper Nali Band, highly recommend it. Famous since a film of him went viral, Gasper Nali is a not-so-traditional babatoni player from Lake Malawi. The babatoni is an African one-string home-made 3-metre long bass guitar, and with a stick and an empty beer bottle. Together with a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates the most amazing and danceable original Afro Beats possible!
Gasper has toured the UK and Europe several times since his breakthrough video, playing in all environments from seated arts centres spaces to major festival stages. This year, Gasper will be transforming his customary one-man-band show and perform with a three-piece band for the very first time in the UK. Along for the ride is Malawi born songsmith and cultural proponent Luhangah on additional vocals and percussion, as well as Gasperโs long-time producer and collaborator Mattias Stรฅlnacke on guitars.
Gasper Nali Band: Bradford on Avon Live Music Festival at Wiltshire Music Centre starts at 7.30pm. ยฃ16 / ยฃ9 U18s + students. Another SPECIAL OFFER here: 30% off at checkout using promo code BOA30.
Sunday is the first of June, and what a way to see the month in. At The Three Horseshoes from 3pm, for some mod, funk and RnB with The Convulsions. Trinity Hall has The Hipcats: A Century of Sinatra with support from JPQ from 7.30pm, and Judas Goat & the Bell Weather from 3pm, who we highly recommend too!ย
by Ian Diddamsimages by Sandcastle Productions A very new addition to Bath based theatre companies, Sandcastles Productions brings their self penned piece of theatre to Theโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams, Next Stage Theatre Company and Mike Stevens Florian Zeller is a contemporary French playwright and screenwriter, who received critical acclaimโฆ
The first Park Farm Festival happened Saturday, it was fabulouso, and in some way Mantonfest came to Devizes; conveniently for me as I had to unfortunatelyโฆ
Rude to walk into an event sporting another event wristband but the welcome was friendly as ever at the Three Crowns in Devizes. It’s mid-afternoon, Parkโฆ
Ann Liu Cannon is the Marlborough success story I hadn’t heard of until yesterday; thanks to local promoter and frontman of the Vooz, Lee Mathews forโฆ
If youโve popped into Wiltshire Music Centre recently; for a concert, workshop, screening orย even a meeting, you might have noticedโฏchanges in the foyer: recorded music, theโฆ
Photo credit: David Leigh Dodd Pioneers of the indie-rock sound which would lead us into the nineties, Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James has announced aโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Luke Ashley Tame of Acadia Creative Around 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men every year, thatโs 3,000 offencesโฆ
Family run premier auctioneers of antiques and collector’s items, Henry Aldridge and Son announced a move into The Old Town Hall on Wine Street, Devizes; aโฆ
The phenomenally talented Ruby Darbyshire is performing at Silverwood School in Rowde on 27th June. Ruby has kindly offered to support Silverwood Schoolโs open evening…..
Silverwood School near Devizes, has an ambition to provide a truly integrated system of outstanding education for those with special educational needs and disabilities in Wiltshire up to 19 years old.
Silverwood Charity Trust supports the school by fundraising to enhance the educational experience and advance the abilities of the children and young people at the school. A pleaโฆWe are looking for donations for a raffle that we will hold at this event. Any offer will be much appreciated and we thank you in advance for your generosity. We can collect donations at your convenience.
The Trust has made grants across the Chippenham, Trowbridge, and Rowde Campuses totalling ยฃ20,000, built a multi-use sensory walkway at the Rowde Campus to allow wheelchair access to the woodland areas, and has submitted a planning application for an Animal Resource Centre (ARC).
With the new building work at the Rowde Campus complete, the Trust is delighted to hold an open evening at 6pm on Friday 27 June 2025, to which they hope you can join them to learn more about the School and Trust, and support the young people at Silverwood School by raising vital funds for the ARC.
I loved it, but if the jury was out in March over Isn’t She Lovely, the last single from George Wilding under the production of Jolyon Dixon for its experimental vaudeville ambience of Queenโs later material and sprinkles of doo-wop at the intro, the third single comes out punchingโฆ..
Shoot Me is released today across all platforms, and if we’re used to George’s wispy moments of psychedelic Velvet Underground, this rather takes on Lou Reed’s more edgy rock n roll. In line with the blossoming tendency of many local bands, from Nothing Rhymes With Orange to Talk in Code, this adopts the timeless indie-rock angle of The Killers and Arctic Monkeys. It’s lively, fire in the belly driving music, I can imagine a crowd hailing it back at him within a relatively short time.
A slight move sidewards for George and a wise decision; millennials to gen z, and even Britpop nineties kids are going to lap this up. It’s a timeless belter. My immediate thought laid with the La’s when the song opened, the notion quickly shifted to something more contemporary, of Franz Ferdinand, and the others I’ve already mentioned.
Yet George is a force in his own right and needs no comparison. Shoot Me contains those recognisable vocal delicacies we’ve come to love him for, that understanding he could shift into any pigeonhole and come up trumps.
Devizes-based The Big Sound Choir will take to the stage at St Georgeโs Bristol on Wednesday 4th June as part of Aled Jonesโs nationwide Full Circle tour โ and audiences are in for a real treat….
Known for their dynamic energy and uplifting sound, The Big Sound Choir will open the evening with a rousing set of feel-good songs before joining Aled Jones live on stage for a powerful finale.
Aled, the beloved boy treble who captured hearts with Walking in the Air, is back with a brand-new show thatโs packed with songs, stories, and surprises. โItโs time to come Full Circle,โ says Aled. โIโll be telling stories about how it all began, then taking the audience on a journey through my career โ from meeting Royalty, singing all over the world, to being sat between Elton John and Billy Connolly at Bob Geldof and Paula Yatesโs wedding!โ
The concert promises previously unseen photographs, live performances of Aledโs favourite songs, and the chance for the audience to ask him questions. Itโs a warm, funny, and nostalgic evening that celebrates a remarkable career โ and for The Big Sound Choir, itโs a chance to shine alongside one of Britainโs most recognisable voices.
SPECIAL OFFER: 50% OFF TICKETS Book now HERE and use code: 50ALED at the checkout!
Donโt miss this joyful collaboration โ a night of beautiful music, heartwarming memories, and one unforgettable finale!
Adam Woodhouse, Rory Coleman-Smith, Jo Deacon and Matt Hughes, aka Thieves, the wonderful local folk vocal harmony quartet of uplifting bluegrass into country-blues has a four track debut EP; who knew?!
I only found out through talking with Adam about a merch table at our forthcoming RowdeFest, where you can, incidentally, find Thieves playing, but at any gig youโre lucky enough to catch them at, I suggest you pick up a copy of this little showcase disc; theyโre our very own resident Carter Familyโฆ.
Opening with Calneโs Jo Deacon on lead vocals, who also sings solo and with soul function band the Midnight Hour, Coming Back For Me is beguiling and uptempo, refreshing bluegrass fashion. Yet Working Man, which follows, slides the divine ambience into mellowed country-rock. With Adam on lead vocals, Iโm thinking Neil Young, the Byrds, and all those irresistible Americana classics, which imagines youโre heading west through Oklahoma on a Harley with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda.
Probably the highlight of this EP is the penultimate, Now You’re Around. Five minutes of total bliss, with Jo back on vocals and some seriously intricate melodies, combining the talents of Roryโs resonator, Adamโs mandolin, and Mattโs upright bass, you can sense Joโs soul experience, as it rings out as authentically Americana as Janis Joplin playing Woodstock with Crosby, Stills & Nash. And still I hear something decidedly UK folk here too, of Fairport Convention, perhaps. Iโm no connoisseur, just know what my ears like; itโs all a melting pot,ย and Thieves stir it with delicate precision.
And in that, Iโm unsure about the name Thieves. Certainly the genuine sound of America is pinched if not more agreeably heavily influenced by, but it might suggest thereโs something edgy going on, when this is dinkum, universally appealing sunny side of the street melodies; the kind of folk the eldest in the crowd will tap their toes to while children will merrily twirl barefoot on the grass.
It was a series of coincidences when I first saw them at Bradford Roots Festival a few years ago. From a distance I thought โthat guy looks just like Adam Woodhouse,โ (and maybe a smidgen like MacGyver too!) but upon hearing them perform I thought of The Lost Trades, turned to tell the person standing next to me, who just happened to be Phil Cooper of the Lost Trades, who nodded his trilby in approval; a fine accolade indeed. โIt is Adam,โ Phil replied! Oh, yeah, so it is; I didnโt need to go to Specsavers, because their wonderful sound pulled me closer.
We finish the EP with a ballad called Lately, which Adam and Jo duet, and itโs so beautiful and moreish, leaving you suspended on whatโs to come from Thieves, but rest assured, hereโs a wonderful quartet which can hold a crowd spellbound.
Find where Thieves are playing on our local circuits by following socials FacebookInsta for gigs, and hopefully catch them at Rowdefest on Saturday 31st May? Itโs free, bring me a haslett and cucumber sandwich, Iโve arranged the acts, I wonโt let you down.
By Ian DiddamsImages by Ian Diddams and Shakespeare Live Is it post watershed? Then I shall beginโฆ The etymology of the word โNothingโ is quiteโฆ โฆ
Amidst another packed summer weekend’s schedule laid that lovable large village Pewseyโs turn to shine; always a law unto itself, things went off; if itโsโฆ
Britpop icons Supergrass will headline Frome Festival as a fundraising event for grassroots community action group โPeople for Packsaddleโ who are fighting to save aโฆ
Another Triumph for WHO Andy Fawthrop Following the excellent recent production of La Belle Helene at Devizesโ Wharf Theatre back in March (see here), Whiteโฆ
He might be between two worlds but he can also be in your home, in your very own ears, and that’s the best place for Ruzz Guitar to be. With a striking Funk-O-Pop styled cartoon cover, Ruzz Guitar has a new album out and yeah, just yeah!
Shadowing the Shadows with a belter of an opening track, Ruzz slips into Bo Diddley like a glove, then it’s off to those foot-tapping honkytonk ballads for a few tracks; oh yes, Ruzz is back and it’s a Gretsch-grappling beautiful monster.
There’s not a great deal I can say about this which I’ve not said about our Ruzz before; if it’s not brokenโฆ.
Ruzz Guitar is a tour de force, a sublime blues rocker meshing blues into a unique and prolonged ecstatic ride into the rock n roll formula of yore, it just jumps, jives, and doesn’t come up for air. And if he does, five tunes in with Forever Yours, it’s like standing in a burning sugarcane field; the sweetest air you’ll ever breathe.
Ruzz brings in stellar backing, with some mind-blowingly soulful vocals from Shannon Scott and Julhi Conlinn. Drummer Brian Fahey, both Chris and Steve PelletierSmith on bass, pianist Paul Quinn and special guest appearances from Tyrone Vaughan, Paul Pigat and Mike Eldred.ย
Recently he’s been two and fro across the Atlantic more times than Concorde, hence the title of this ten track whopper, but I never find myself wondering how he goes down on the other side, you know, delivering something they invented back to them. It worked for The Beatles, you simply know they’ll love him as deep down as Texas, because it’s impossible not to.
Right here though, we’re in Devizes and via the โMel Bush effect,โ the Hoax and now the Long Street Blues Club we’ve equally been conditioned with high expectations when we receive a blues dosage, but no one does it quite proper job like our Bristolian Johnny-be-Goode, Ruzz Guitar. He’s so good they named the guitar after him.
This is class in a tall glass, I was expecting it, it never disappoints. Thereโs a number of tracks weโve tasted before, revised and polished for the ultimate road trip soundtrack; itโs got a new version of Sweet as Honey on it, which for some reason always makes me go bananas!
Five Have An Out-of-town Experience You canโt always get that live music experience you crave by simply staying within the walls of D-Town.ย Sometimes, andโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Josie Mae-Ross and Charlotte Emily Shakespeare wrote several plays that were termed in the late nineteenth century โProblem Playsโ. These wereโฆ
Together in Electric Dreamsโฆ. at The Corn Exchange Fashionably late for Devizes Arts Festival, I’d like to thank Andy and Ian for informative coverage ofโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams, Play on Words Theatre, and Devizes Arts Festival Who was paying attention in history at school when they coveredโฆ
Poulshot’s Award-winning chocolate studio Hollychocs is proud to launch a heartfelt charity campaign in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust UK, with a charming chocolateโฆ
Events with diversity, be they ethnic, cultural, or life choices, must be welcomed, encouraged and viewed positively as assets offering variety in our local calendarโฆ
On his fourth tour of the UK throughout May and June, Ernestโs tour coincides with the release of his new single, โJust Onceโ, coming out on 23rd May. I had the opportunity to give it a listen before the big release, and it is nothing short of fantastic.
The song opens with some plucked guitar strings and then leads into flawless vocals and harmonies. As a whole, it tells the story of an unseen love and all the emotions that go along with it. The minimalist instruments give it a down to earth, human feel and all in all itโs a truly enjoyable listen. I truly would recommend it!
Aines is becoming quite a big name in the Folk world, particularly in his home turf of Melbourne where he has been twice nominated for Australian Artist of The Year, at the Folk Alliance Awards.
Heโs not as big over here in England, so if you do want to check out some of his stuff, I would strongly recommend his 2023 album โSpiral Boundโ as a great place to start โ or his new single when it comes out would also be a good starting point.
His tour is taking him all over the place โ from Cardiff concert hall, to live at the BBC studio, but luckily if you do want to see him thereโs no need to travel too far, Ernestis playing at The Deanery Theatre in Swindon on the 24th of May.
With only a guitar and a stomp box heโs known as a master of the stage. As an amateur musician myself, I can understand how difficult it is to fill a stage with just yourself and an instrument, but he has it down to a tee.
I really do advise getting tickets while you can, or at the very least giving his new song a listen, Iโve got a feeling weโre going to start to hear a lot more about Aines, and wouldnโt it be cool when heโs worldwide famous to be able to say you heard him first?
Aines will be playing at the Deanery Theatre in Swindon on the 24th May, tickets are available here and โJust Onceโ, out on the 23rd can be pre-saved here.
Swindon Palestine Solidarity continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for aid to be allowed to enter Gazaโฆ.. Their three recent roadside signโฆ
I want Devizine to be primarily about arts and entertainment, but Iโm often pathetically persuaded by bickering political factions to pass opinion on local politicsโฆ
Photo credit: ยฉ Rondo Theatre Company / Jazz Hazelwood A gender-queered production of William Shakespeareโs classic play, โThe Taming of the Shrewโ, will be performedโฆ
Under the new management, live music will be making a triumphant return to The Boathouse in Bradford-on-Avon and that Cracking Pair, Claire and Chloe of Bird is the Word are controlling bookingsโฆ..
They excitedly announced today on their Facebook page that they are โworking in partnership to make sure that you are brought the most excellent entertainment!โ
Due to taking control of bookings acts as of 1st June, they’ve already organised a regular and loved band and DJ at the venue for the relaunch.
We look forward to seeing what they have in store. Bird is the Word said, โfrom 1st June onwards there will be new bookings of bands, artists and events of a super-duper standard that will be well looked after – ‘musicians supporting and promoting musicians’. That means good pay, good treatment, good advertising, and timely response to emails and enquiries.โ
All bookings will be managed via the email address: Boathouse.Events@sdhospitality.com
So keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information. Great news, and best of luck to Claire & Chloe!
![PREVIEW: Bullshot Crummond [*], Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath June 17th – 20th 2026](https://devizine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/fb_img_1780405752063.jpg?w=400&h=300&crop=1)
fortnight, and oh, and come back to spook this list again soon, as I’m sure more will be added!
Dress to impress in your Halloween finest! The Deputy Mayor will be on the lookout for the best costumes at 1:30pm right outside the Cafรฉ โ and there are prizes up for grabs in these categories:
Dates:
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October
Fest opens at 12PM | Fun until 6PM
Whatโs waiting for you:
Craft & Produce Market โ handmade gifts, bakes, jams, plants, sweets & more
Sweet & Cake Stalls
Arts & Crafts Activities
Burgers, Hot Dogs & Autumn Eats
Fun Tarot Readings
Live Music & Autumn Vibes
Beer, Wine & Seasonal Sips from the Bar
01672 646232 (Between 10am & 7pm)
devizine.com 