One has to wonder how on earth anyone could come up with political satire in this day and age, when the whole shebang is a comedy of errors and the reality of Westminster caricatures itself; these technicalities are best left to the experts, like Mark Thomas……
Markย announces a Spring run of his latest show Hit Refresh: 50ย Things About Us. It’s coming to Bath’s Rondo Theatre on Thursday 28th & Friday 29th April (Full ยฃ17.50 Concs ยฃ12.50) and Swindon Art Centre on 18th May. Other tour dates here.
Combining his trademark mix of storytelling, stand-up, mischief and really, really well researched material, Mark examines how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland that some of us call the United Kingdom.
Delighted to be back on the road once again, Mark picks through the myths, facts and figures of our national identities to ask how we have so much feeling for such a hollow land. Who do we think we are? It is a show about money, history, songs, gongs, wigs, unicorns, guns, bungs, sods of soil and rich people* in the vein of The Manifesto-meets-sweary history channel.
An unstoppable force both on and off-stage, Mark has stopped arms deals, created a manifesto and brought the winning policy to parliament, walked the entire length of the Israeli wall in the West Bank, set up a comedy club in Jenin, had six series on Channel 4 alongside several television documentaries and radio series, written some books, grabbed a Guinness World Record, toured sell-out tours, won numerous awards, nabbed himself a Medal of Honour and succeeded in changing some laws along the way.
50 Things About Us is also a podcast, and was published as a book last year by September Publishing.
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
Following the previous nightโs gig with Billy Bremnerโs Rockfile downstairs at the Corn Exchange, tonight we were promoted upstairs into the main hall. And that was only fitting โ big name, big gig, big crowd, so a big venue required. Last time we were in here was for those other prog-rock legends of the 70s โ Focus. This time the hall was full of people, and the stage was absolutely full of drum-kit โ a massive and meticulously set up piece of equipment, with a pair of huge gongs at the rear.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, alongside such legends as Cream, were one of the early rock so-called โsupergroupsโ, and were massive innovators in the world of music. Transcending mere rock labels, they incorporated many other musical forms into their repertoire, particularly jazz and classical.
Carl Palmer has a reputation as a drummerโs drummer. A consummate professional, a brilliant technician and a dynamic showman, he has thrilled listeners and audiences alike for nearly four decades with some of musicโs most memorable bands including Atomic Rooster, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Asia and of course Emerson, Lake & Palmer. To be honest, heโs worked/ played with everyone who is anyone. Along the way his dazzling speed and mastery of the drums, combined with his infectious stage personality, have secured for him a respected place in history as one of rock and rollโs greatest drummers.
Carl is now 72, looking fit and healthy, and is the only one of ELP still living. Sadly we lost both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake in 2016 โ sad losses of talent. To โreplaceโ them tonight, in a musical sense at least, we had guitarist/ vocalist Paul Bieltawicz, and on bass and Chapman stick we had Simon Fitzpatrick. Notice there were no keyboards โ everything was reproduced on guitars.
We opened in classic style with โWelcome My Friends To The Show That Never Endsโ, before being taken through several numbers from the ELP and King Crimson back catalogue. From the first album we had โKnife Edgeโ and โLucky Manโ. From the second album the eponymous โTarkusโ. There was โTrilogyโ, โBenny The Bouncerโ, โHoedownโ and โTwenty-First Century Schizoid Manโ. The musicianship throughout was simply stunning by all three members of the band, each displaying some dizzying skills and dexterity with their instruments. Both Paul and Simon delivered stunning solos. Carl repeatedly stepped out from his drum battery to talk to the audience. He was down to earth, chatty and humorous, building rapport easily.
Carlโs big drum solo came, as it must, like a long-impending storm, and arrived in the midst of the last number โFanfare For The Common Manโ. To be honest, Iโm not the greatest fan of drum solos because they are so often used to merely let other band members have a bit of a rest, and to keep them sweet since everyone else will have had a solo by then. But absolutely not the case here. Carlโs solo, as we expected it would be, was an absolute tour de force, demonstrating without question what an absolute master this guy is. It was completely stunning, and drew a deserved standing ovation, as the band filed back on stage to close the number out. I think itโs fair to say that this guy really knows his way around a drum kit!
There was still time for a resounding, thumping encore of โNutrockerโ and then we were done. An absolutely stunning nightโs entertainment and, for me at least, best gig of 2022 so far! Superb!
Saturday 16th April 2022 Billy Walton Band Friday 6th May 2022 Birdmens Saturday 4th June 2022 Errol Linton Band Saturday 17 September 2022 CSN Express Saturday 8th October 2022 Eddie Martin Big Blues Band Saturday 5th November 2022 Alastair Greene Band
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff … Continue reading “Lady Nade; Sober!”
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 tunes … Continue reading “Rooks; New Single From M3G”
Glad to find time between running Dad’s taxi to nip over to Devizes’ trusty Southgate, for one reason unworthy of explaing here or another, feels like an age since frequenting our favouritemost tavern, and I’m all smiles to return.
Historically efficient, nonetheless, I’m here to find out what the men are worried about; possibly an ironic namesake for Jamie Thyer’s tradtional electric RnB three-piece, a pub trio very worthy of your attention, should you not have come across them on their 28 years on the circuit.
Sure, I’ve seen The Worried Men’s name about a bit of recent, last time listed at Trowbridge’s Pump with our Tamsin in support. Maybe there’s the reason for my assumption it’d have a folk twinge, but you know what they say about assumption.
Marvellously proficient, in a manner vien of classic sixties and seventies rock bands derived via blues rather than folk, The Worried Men seemed not in the least bit worried to me. Rather brewing in deserved confidence, Jamie’s wealth of experience shows as his fingers glide across those strings, governed, it seemed, from the gods. At one point this guitar virtuoso accepts a mug of tea, drinks it mid-song while continuing to make it look like childsplay.
Treated to the perfect balance of originals and self-stamped covers, they weaved between electric blues and psychedelia rock n roll with a clear nod to its roots. So to blend any subgenre fitted sublimely into a firey set, whether Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water riff, frenzied hints of punk rock, mellowed Flyod-eske moments or reaching further back to rock n roll’s golden era, every experiment in rock history was crafted into their unique style, without the need to metalise. Though Motorhead did get a moment in their repertoire.
What came out the other side was a loud and proud plethora of excellence of which you could only nod your appreciation to, confident you were in the hands of some really experienced long-haired rockers with Cuban heels.
Jamie holds an expression of concentration, occasionally looking up at you through these spellbinding Hendrix fashioned exercursions, as if to ask “is that alright for you?” Like a dentist with his tools stuck in your gum, you feel like responding, “yes, fine, thank you doctor.”
I guess therein lies the beauty of the rather cramped Devizes answer to the 02 arena, virtually perched atop of a band you’d usually witness from a stage distance, makes it an intimate experience, personal. While this may not suit all, The Southgate does it their own way, and they continue to host free gigs you’d happy pay a ticket stub for.
For this, and the clash of similar as The Long Street Blues Club knocking out, I’d suspect, a blinder at the Corn Exchange, last night down the Gate wasn’t as full as it could’ve possibly been for an act so warrent of the highest praise possible. Again, the strive in The Gate to present us with great live music every weekend needs nourishing and respecting, with other local boozers only doing this sporadically, it’s the only dependant offering of entertainment in town, unless of course you keep up with what’s happening via this rather special website, if I do say so myself!
So, if you were in that exclusive club last night, I wager you were as bowlled over by The Worried Men as was I. From moments of intricate guitar picking with amps low, to the frenzied finale where Chuck Berry’s “Bye Bye Johnny,” fused into medley with Muddy Waters’ “Little Red Rooster” with emphasis on the Stones cover, and The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie,” with an audience participation encouraged encore of Them’s “Gloria,” this surely was an astounding performance to satisfy the craving of rock aficionados from any given generation.
Onwards, next Saturday’s offering at The Southgate also takes on a blues edge, slightly east of us, local blues group Barrelhouse take up the legendary alcove, and take it from me, if you like your entertainment as gritty and vintage as the great Howlin’ Wolf, you’re in for a treat.
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff … Continue reading “Lady Nade; Sober!”
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 tunes … Continue reading “Rooks; New Single From M3G”
Marlborough residents rally online to criticise Forestry Englandโs proposals for Savernake Forest. The questionable surveyโs deadline has been extended to the 22nd of April, and a previously internal document called Savernake Forest – a Way Forward, has been published which suggests serious restrictions of access to the forest, in favour for paid parking facilities and a polarized vision for future usage.…
โWe are so privileged to have this beautiful and ancient forest on our doorstep,โ one pleaded, โwhere we can freely wander where we wish. The Forestry Commission wish to change this. No vehicular access through the forest, paid parking for vehicles at Postern Hill and designated walking routes.โ
Early one Sunday morning, mid-to-late nineties, and police arrive at a location off the Grand Avenue in Savernake Forest. They tell us the owner of the forest, Lord Cardigan, has reported a party. โBut all we see is a few kids tidying up,โ they observed with mirth, and went on their merry way. We carried on our labour, binbags in hand; we mightโve had a party, that much would be telling, but we were adamant weโd leave the forest as we found it, and mother nature would do its thing.
We did this because while we had our fun, we also respected the forest, and I donโt believe for one second any past or future generationโs youth would think any different. Long before it was โourโ back garden, and Iโd like to think long after, Savernake Forest has served tourists and residents alike, as a free, natural and muti-purpose attraction. Itโs 4,500 acres, for crying out loud, you can have a party one end and folk can have a bike ride at the other and each be oblivious to what the others are doing!
Residents appear to take the opinion if itโs not broken, but Forestry England say โour Vision for Savernake is to nurture a shared forest unlike any other. By allowing the decisions we take to be guided by the natural potential of the land, as well as by the varied influences of our ever-changing world, we will create a diverse and inclusive forest that is a global example of what can be achieved through forward-thinking forestry.โ Ah, yeah, sounds nice; when can we see it? NEVER!!
It continues to use environmental issues as a smokescreen to create a polarized plan restricting access to only the formal recreation facilities at Postern Hill.
Despite claiming the โpopularity [of Postern Hill] is having a detrimental impact on the ecological values, and aesthetic values,โ rather than continue the free access elsewhere to spread footfall out, the vision is for โPostern Hill being developed as the only visitor hub, where a new, larger car park (probably 300 to 350 spaces), is provided with proper toilets, play and cafรฉ facilities. Leading out from the new car park would be a series of trails.โ Naturally, this would be โcoupled with the closure of the Grand Avenue, and indeed the rest of the Forest for vehicular access by visitors.โ
Here’s the obvious clinch, the carpark will be a paid carpark, and herein the penny drops; this conservative value which seems to hate the concept no one is profiteering, even if itโs entirely natural. Similar misguided logic as the construction of a tax-funded yet chargeable mound at Marble Arch, or a tunnel under Stonehenge so one canโt see our wonder of the world unless one pays. The vision for Savernake Forest is rinsed with โspin, mis-information and claims masquerading as facts on a grand scale,โ calls one local resident.
โThe whole survey is worded in such a manipulative way,โ suggests another Marlborough resident, โit canโt even be taken seriously! You can want all the things it tricks you into agreeing with without wanting to allow profiteering and restricted use of a beautiful local asset.โ
One submits, โIโm sure the number of pheasant pens has increased in the last few years – does that count as diversity of wildlife? Certainly, a reason the Estate side that run them might be supportive and why they wouldnโt be keen on people walking around freely.โ And on this, another speculates, โwhat they are up to is keep the public out so they can lease the bottom half of the Forest out for shooting and stalking deer.โ
On several occasions the report points the finger at antisocial behaviour, that โthe historic nature of the Grand Avenue, in terms of landscaped parkland; as well as the biodiversity and aesthetic values of the Forest are poorly served by the unregulated use of the Grand Avenue by the public for recreational access, anti-social activities and using the Avenue as a through route, or โrat-runโ.โ As if one can eradicate anti-social behaviour by banning everyone from a particular place it might just happen at.
One resident rightly points out the Grand Avenue is far from a sensible option as a rat-run, โmore like a snail run,โ they say, โas it takes three times as long driving through the Avenue as it does to drive round via Bedwyn or Burbage; itโs like these muppets have never visited the Forest!โ And be safe in knowledge I agree, you really donโt want to race through Grand Avenue unless you want wrecked suspension and deer impact craters on your bodywork.
The lane is a beautiful drive, take it less than 20mph, find a place to stop, take a wander, have a picnic, thatโs its purpose, and so should it continue to be. โAs a resident of Marlborough for 64 years,โ Barry tells me, โAnd a constant user of Grand Avenue, the idea of closing it is totally absurd and only being carried out for monetary gain by the commission. Their survey was, to say the least misleading, although I did highlight the removal of access should not be considered. The forest has been a lifesaver before, during and after lockdown, you only have to drive through it to see the amount of use it gets.โ
Usage it might get, but the scale of it means it’s far from overcrowded. Steve expresses his concern to me, โthe busiest part is at Postern, but even then, itโs not crowded. But with a car park and cafe it will be crazy. The rest of the forest is never busy, itโs mainly locals that walk in the less well-known areas. Of course, no one likes pollution from cars, but with Savernake being adjacent to two major roads the small amount of traffic on the grand avenue is like a piss in the ocean. I was bought up with the forest as our back yard; my mother who is 87 with early dementia and not very good mobility loves it when I take her in the car through the Avenue.โ
Whatever their broken logic, it seems restriction of Savernake Forest, so dear to local residents is a detrimental supposition of liberty, โa lesson in how to alienate all green and nature followers,โ suggested an online commentor. Another says โa project of this scale must be preceded by an Environmental Impact Analysis. I can’t find any evidence that one has been done. No EIA no planning consent.โ
Please contact the Forestry Commission if you feel strongly about this. Every letter/email WILL help.
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
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
Pushed forward to Mayday bank hols, whoโs getting excited about Devizes International Street Festival? I am, I always am, itโs been the best weekend of the year in our humble town for many a year, and though weโve had setbacks with the dreaded year of lockdown and DOCAโs valiant effort to stage something near similar within the restrictions of last summer, weโve been waiting, debatably patiently, for this summer extravaganza.
But my levels of excitedness have gone from 500% to 1,000 meows, now Iโve seen the program of acts. A band who contributed to our Juliaโs House compilation, Iโve been aching to get Bristol-based frenzied folk ska-punk outfit Mr Tea & The Minions to play our town, and DOCA have either noted their brilliance themselves, or have taken heed of my constant whining of a suggestion; either way, weโre quids in, pinky promise. It means two things; someone actually listens to me, and youโll have your socks blown off by this band I totally love!
Though thatโs the icing on the cake for me, the line-up looks set to thrill us as it ever did. Hints of the acts are there to see on the DOCA website, and as usual neither the site nor us can reveal times and places of the acts, youโll need to buy a programme, as itโs an essential fundraiser for DOCA. But we are allowed to breeze over it.
Expect mischievous experimental entertainment and audience participation, performed in the round by Full Circle, upbeat funk and Northern Soul influenced Desert Boots from Worcester, a quirky Folkdance performance around a 12-foot maypole, fusing everything from clogging to breakdance and beat boxing, a Playground of Illusions, created by Travelling Light Circus, a heavily laden golden postman suddenly surprised by a rain shower, by A bird in the Hand Theatre Company, the latest creation of Jon Hicks and Matt Rudkin, a Visionary who is said to have wisdom beyond knowledge, incredible acrobatic gravity defying feats from Spanish/Swiss collective Tripotes la Compagnie, Dr Jones & Professor Barnardโs Medicine Show, professional painter and amateur alchemist Malcolm Brushell, on a quest to find the pinky-est pink paint on the planet, sea shanties and sing-alongs with some Old Time Sailors, the minuscule majesty of meerkat Prince Amir on the back of his pet camel, circus shenanigans on a giant red carpet, Treemendous tree-people, riotous folk-fusing hypnotic trans-European melodies with Ushti Baba, of course the bustling market and side-stalls of food and drink, and my aforementioned icing on the cake, Mr Tea & The Minions.
All this happens on Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May, in Devizes Market Place, itโs free, itโs fantastic, itโs the Devizes event of the year, on a day where thereโs also the Born2Rum Festival at the Muck & Dundar, though youโll be hard pressed to pick up a ticket for this, plus the Leon Day Band play the Southgate, Seend has itโs annual Beer Festival and itโs Urchfont Scarecrow Festival; whoa, what a weekend!
Ushti Baba
We must praise DOCA yet again to the highest heights, but point out, The International Street Festival relies on itโs collective of volunteers to create and control the magic, who are keen to hear from anyone interested in becoming a โfestival makerโ by helping out in a number of vital roles. One good Facebook group to join if interested is the festival makers group, where thereโs details on how you can get involved, upcoming workshops and all the behind-the-scenes gubbings which need to happen to make this magical event it is.
So, yeah, Iโm excited, possibly over-excited, can you tell?!
Words by Ollie MacKenzie. Featured Image by Barbora Mrazkova.ย The creative process can be a winding, long, and often confusing journey. Seeing a projectโฆ
Whoโs ready for walking in the winter wonderland?! Devizes sets to magically transform into a winter wonderland this Friday when The Winter Festival andโฆ
Raging expressions of angered feminist teenage anguish this month, perfectly delivered by Steatopygous via their mindblowing debut album Songs of Salome, I hail asโฆ
There was a unanimous vote at yesterday evening’s Devizes Town Council planning meeting in favour of stopping all traffic coming through the Market Place and pedestrianizing it….
With growing concerns to air quality in the town centre and pressure from local environmental campaign groups, the town council approved plans to prevent vehicles passing through the historic Market Place.
The plans presented by a contributing collaboration of environmental consultants to cut the road off at the Wadworth Brewery roundabout and the High Street at the opposite end will commence as soon as feasible and pedestrianisation of the area will shortly follow, with green spaces provided.
The benefits of pedestrianisation are manyfold: pedestrian safety, the World Health Organisation finds that pedestrianisation not only improves safety for pedestrians but also contributes to lower levels of noise and air pollution. Pedestrianisation creates a pleasant environment people can involve in social, cultural and tourism activities. Furthermore, it helps to promote walking as a transport mode by making the walking experience more enjoyable. And there are economic benefits as well as environmental. Pedestrianisation can improve the economic growth of an area due to increased consumer retail spend, increased rents able to be charged for units within a pedestrianised street and the reduction of economic losses caused through air pollution.
With two pedestrianised piazzas planned, one on each side of the Market Cross, surrounding green spaces have the potential to create lively market and events areas. Itโs unlikely this will happen, claimed one Conservative Councillor who stated firmly, “this would only act as a stimulus for rowdy behaviour and festive frolics, and we would not welcome overexcitement from the public, partly because they’re unlikely to invite us.”
Along with plenty of walking and cycle paths, we’re informed there will be a single lane service road running through the centre of the Market Place to allow access to buses, taxis and delivery vehicles. There will be loading and unloading bays in the centre of the ring road, but no cars or private transport will be allowed to enter the area. There will however be two reserved parking spaces, one for our illustrious MP Danny Kruger and the other for Councillor Iain Wallis, social media god.
Plan of new Market Place layout
The council clerk Simon Fisher suggested, โbeing as Mr Wallis is the only councillor who really does anything it’s only right the second parking bay should be his, if you’d not called Boris Johnson a poo-poo head on his impartial Facebook group and got yourself a lifelong ban you’d know all about just how hard he works.”
Devizes Mayor Chris Gay called the decision “wonderfully different, yet something we will all adjust to in time.” When asked about the landslide vote, she replied, “yes, all councillors voted in favour of the service road, as I told them if they didnโt, they’d be buried under it.”
“Weigh, the lads!” announced councillor Jonathan Hunter, and all councillors stayed late to celebrate the decision, with a blues band arranged by councillor Hopkins, the reason heโs on the council, and a display of breakdancing choreographed by Kelvin Nash.
Guardians danced with Conservatives, and the only Labour councillor, Catherine Brown was sent out to make cups of tea. All enjoyed the evening, with the exception of Mr Wallis, who excused himself by announcing he needed a change of underwear, only later to be found updating his Facebook group with his concerns.
The work should be complete with a grand opening ceremony precisely one year from now, April Foolโs Day 2023. Seriously though, would it be a fool’s idea? No one parks there now anyway, but a patch of greengrocers’ fake grass is the best you could really expect. Let’s have the ceremony opened by Miley Cyrus, no one is reads this far anyway.
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
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
Hats tipped to Geoff of our beloved Gazelle & Herod, reporting on a looming row between Devizes Town Council and Wiltshire Council over changes to free car parking which could pose a threat to the historic Devizes to Westminster canoe race. Yet I ask, where will this end, what about the countyโs numerous other events, and why should one be singled out?
Iโve no issue drawing your attention to his article, even if they refuse to do likewise when making a front-page splash on a story we broke, and mentions any and everyone else except Devizine, including, for some completely baffling and inconsequential logic, the Queen! She wasnโt there rescuing swans, guys, you read it here first. She was more likely at her palace licking her lips!
Anyway, I digress; it points out, the historic Devizes to Westminster canoe race has been running since 1948, but now, following Wiltshire Councilโs decision to end the town councilโs provision of free parking for events, organisers of the canoe race could face a bill of ยฃ2,300 to cover the cost of the parking spaces that they need to stage the event.
The article goes on to explain Devizes councillors are to meet to decide whether the town council should provide emergency funding to pay for the parking spaces itself. Furious, it states, with one saying that Wiltshire Council gave โno thought at allโ to the consequences for events posed by the change in free parking.
It is, sadly a tragic scraping of the publicโs piggy-bank, either way the organisers of the Devizes to Westminster canoe race have to pay, or we all do should Devizes Town Council foot the bill. Yet, is taking from โemergency funding,โ really justifiable, I mean, does paying for parking on any special occasion really constitute an emergency? And where would it end, what about our other special occasions?
Likely a cascade will ensue, and rightly so if you single out one event and pay for everyone to park. What about carnival, street festival, Lantern Festival, Arts Festival, Beer Festival, Food & Drink Festival, Full-Tone Festival? The list goes on, and goes beyond Devizes; what about Pewsey Carnival, Marlborough Mop Fair, The Basil Brush Family Show comes to Swindon Arts Centre on April 2nd, you canโt expect me to fork out parking fees for that, Wiltshire Council, surely?!
Oh no, that one is out of your jurisdiction! But while larger towns and cities can soak up parking fees, because thereโs an expectance youโll have to pay, the cost of parking on daily basis in market towns is enough to bear, let alone those rare opportunities we get to hold events. Aside the environmental and cost impact of having to circulate a town centre twelve times looking for free on-street parking, it is economically detrimental too.
Maybe what is needed is people power, a protest over the changes to free parking, rather than individual town councils cherry-picking events to single out and cover the cost of with public money, when what events are important to some are maybe not as important to others, and in turn, other events are more important to them, if you catch my meandering drift?!
And what needs addressing, is this raking back the budget deficit of more than ยฃ27 million from the public for the clear misuse of public spending by our county council, the millions forked out to pay for a PCC re-election, because the thought of anything other than a Conservative PCC is unbearable for them, for example.
Devizes councillors will meet on Tuesday March 29th to decide on whether to fund the parking for this yearโs canoe race. A town council spokesman said Wiltshire Council had requested talks on how the cost of Devizes funding the race could be minimalised. Hereโs a thought, park them on the Green. If they’re rowing to Westminster I’m sure carrying a canoe to the canal from the Green is child’s play?
Here’s another thought, and it is just a thought; all for one and one for all. If the Canoe race gets free parking so too should our other major events.
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
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
Devizes Town Council announced the result of an assessment by the Environment Agency yesterday, following last weekโs outbreak of pollution in Crammar, a spillage from a van fire on the road aside it. Their advise was simply that a sheen โon the surface of the water usually looks worse than it is and although unsightly is a good sign that the quantity of the contaminate is low.โ
If the accident has done one good thing, itโs opened a Pandoraโs box concerning the overall suitability for wildlife on and around the Crammar, and questions I believe need addressing with a whole heap more clarity than this rather vague Environmental Report.
As much as I respect their professional experience and want this to be actual, they did not heartbreakingly witness Swan Support trudge through the pond to rescue swans drenched in thick black oil, because no environmental officer or town councillor took the opportunity to attend the rescue, no matter what social media groups might suggest. It has left me pondering if โusually looks worse than it isโ is adequate, usually being the operative word.
Itโs been a week since we reported the contamination, a week for it to have dispensed more evenly across the Crammar. On their Facebook post, the Council continued to inform the Environmental Agency stated, โit is difficult to clean as it is a thin film and using an oil spill boom wonโt be effective. If the weather conditions mean that the wind blows the contamination to the edge of the Crammer then a boom might be more effective to absorb it, but it is more likely to degrade and disperse.โ
Okay, I can buy most of this, but again thereโs ambiguity with word usage, such as more likely, well, I find myself asking how likely? The weather has been clement and wind has reduced to a gentle breeze of recent. It is unclear when this assessment was made. As it is the oil has dispersed fairly well, though few ducks have returned to the Crammar.
The bigger issue is, though, it has been raised that the last time the pond was dredged it was discovered the drains taking rainwater off the road flow directly into the Crammar. Clearly pollution has been a gradual process over many decades, as the rain water mixes with spilt oils from vehicles from the road; the fire was the poo flavoured icing on the cake.
The statement from the Council continues to question the fire crew too, stating โthe Environment Agency have reviewed the Fire Service report and advised that most of the fuel shouldโve been burnt off.โ Is it just me here, reading too much into this; most of the fuel SHOULDโVE been burnt off? But was it, how can we be so sure? Because the grand finale is: โhaving reviewed this information it was deemed unnecessary for a site visit to be made.โ It almost connotes the fire service was at fault here, when surely it is their priority to put the fire out, ensure safety, and the fact is Devizes Fire crew went above and beyond, by doing the best they could to protect the wildlife, while the Environmental Agency rolled up days later and the Council deemed it not worthy of their attention!
This is the Crammar weโre talking about, a much love facility, a historic tourist attraction, and it seems to me to be treated like a giant puddle, no more worthy than a pothole. Swan Support suggested the area as wholly unsuitable for wildlife, particularly for the swans, as there was no natural food source; they relied on handouts. On one social media thread someone even suggested mouldy bread and leftover takeaways were their staple diet, speculation this maybe, but it was evident those rescued were malnourished, in such poor condition they couldn’t fly away.
Good folk are now asking us as to the welfare of the rescued swans and if theyโll be returning, like weโre experts, when weโre not, just concerned residents. Thankfully we have heard back that the swans are doing well. But surely, we have to accept to return them to the Crammar may not be the best option for them, swans are territorial and new cygnets will find their own natural way to the pond by May, and the cycle continues.
I implore Devizes Town Council to reassess this issue. I accept there is no overnight solution, but with no natural food source for wildfowl the Crammer is unsuitable and potentially harmful to wildlife. Iโm no expert but would hope for Council to seek further specialised advise.
I believe issues which need to be looked into is creating a wild area aside the pond, adequate for a natural food source. I believe the overflow pipes, if flowing into the pond need redirecting into a drain, so the water is less polluted in general, and not just in event of an incident such as the recent fire. And I would seriously consider the safety issues of having the roadside of the Crammar as the concrete slope leading directly onto the road, as it currently is; if ducks and swans donโt wander onto the road, what if a swan scared a child who did?
Letโs look to a better future for this landmark, cleaner, safer, conservational and obliging to supporting wildlife. Who’s with me?
Can we get some feedback from Devizes Town Council this will be discussed as soon as feasible, or what, do I gotta sort out a petition?! Thank you!
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
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
A lengthy but worthwhile report on the state of our playparks and those intending to do something about itโฆ.
August 3rd 2019, and Iโd had enough of marching to parish council meetings, emailing Wiltshire Council and talking to brick walls, unsure if I did the latter, but it certainly felt like it. So, I published my rant about a village playpark left to dilapidation for well over three years.
Both swings had been taken down, and a dangerously sharp metal baseplate is all that remains of a broken bouncy chicken, the want of repairing these, whatโs essentially half the play equipment in the community playpark, has been lost in a tangle of red tape. Wiltshire Council own the site, and in their so-called โtransfer of assets,โ which roughly translates to passing the buck to local busy-bodies, Rowde Parish Council asked they repair the broken equipment beforehand, and because of the delay the playpark was conveniently brushed under the carpet.
February last year I bugged Councillor Laura Mayes with it, who claimed to have secured over ยฃ20,000 funding from Wiltshire Council to re-design the playground, despite all I wanted was them to fix the existing equipment, and she ran with it as a major pledge for her election campaign.
Am I here to bring you a fairy-tale ending? Only on paper.
It sprinkled optimism, the children who originally played here have grownup and had children of their own in the time it has taken Wiltshire Council to fix a swing and replace a bouncy chicken, and they’ve STILL not done it; you hold out hope theyโll build you a whole new railway station?!
Iโm told the transfer of assets is just weeks away, but after six years of waiting, ranting and election pledges as broken as the bouncy chicken, Iโll believe it when I see it.
All about priorities, isnโt it? Swings and bouncy chickens arenโt going to get Mr Kruger to Westminster any faster. Playparks hold no interest to me personally either, councillors; my children long grown out of them, but maybe thereโs something wrong with me, the part that gives a hoot.
The part which recalls the joy my children once had, the joy I once had, playing in the park, that most other adults seem to have so easily forgotten; particularly those who seem to consider those little people are not of voting age. Aside, playparks provide essential wellbeing and psychical education for our youngest, they learn social interaction there, dexterity and balance.
My brother and I on a 1970s style health & safety inspected slide!!
They need prioritising, particularly if you enjoy a Facebook rant on how teenagers are terrorising your neighbourhood. Tenaciously theyโre linked; literally swings and roundabouts, Iโve heard some residents in Devizes want their community parks to be closed as they attract rowdy teenagers. Thereโs anti-social behaviour because nothing is provided for them to do, and by cutting off activities for the youngest you believe will solve it for the next generation? Why not cut off your nose in spite your face too?!
Not all Doom and Gloom
Devizes Lions supported this new playground at All Cannings School last year
Enraged residents taken to local Facebook groups is a near everyday scenario, last one I saw was the fence and climbing equipment behind the old barracks had been removed, but as usual such threads only produce a barrage of speculation, whereas at the beginning of the month, Councillor Jonathan Hunter was encouraged by my grievance on the issue, and set up a report to investigate the state of all playparks in Devizes. These minutes are published, but as with most Council meetings, who really trudges through billions of insignificant applications for an extension to a greenhouse or a churchyard which needs its weathercock cleaning?!
So, hereโs the results of Devizes Town Council findings, you need to tell me if theyโre accurate, because I get confused with so many playparks which one is which. Hearsay tells me Dowse Road is in desperate need of repair, Wadworth and Spitalcroft Roads are still chained up, and one on Festival close is closed too.
We all should note with importance, again itโs this transfer of issues argument, where the Town Council have taken responsibility for a number of playgrounds and the report explains, โat the time of the transfer, many of the areas were closed due to maintenance issues and the Open Spaces team have been gradually working their way through the list of closures to reopen them where they can. The sites that have not been opened have more serious safety concerns and need a decision by this committee how to proceed.โ So, should you choose to go through the proper channels rather than whine-hole on Facebook, this is the reasoning youโll likely get, if any.
Okay here we go, just give me second to correct the councillorโs basic grammar and donโt forget to call them out to me, if theyโre tugging their own tugboats!
The report flagged three playgrounds in need of major attention. Wadworth Road, they say is currently closed because during the last inspection much of the equipment was flagged as unsafe. Part of the issue with the equipment on this site is its wooden construction as there is some rot. However, to undertake core test sampling with reports is about ยฃ250 per sample and each piece of equipment will need to have several tests and there is a high probability it will fail; therefore, in officersโ opinion, given the costs to simply test for something that is likely to fail, officers suggest that there is some local consultation with residents as this is another site where young people gather and have been involved with anti-social behaviour.
Festival Close was closed when it was taken over from Wiltshire Council as it has failed safety inspection as a result of shrinking safety surface. The cost of replacement is ยฃ11,269. However, a number of residents are not in favour of the playground being reinstated and therefore the site may benefit from some local consultation.
One of three on Massey Road was closed when Devizes Town Council took on the site, with all of the wooden equipment beyond cost of effective repair. Given the proximity of this play area to the two others on the estate, officers decided to remove the equipment and return the area to a green space, which was welcomed by the residents.
The others are apparently open, some with advisories.
Alan Cobham Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There is some shrinkage of the play safety surface, but at this time no action is needed.
Avon Road: Recreational Field Avon Road
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. Some equipment has been replaced over the last few years and there are no outstanding issues.
Bellvedere Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Brickley Lane:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. Last year some of the safety surface was replaced with a loose rubber crumb. It was the first time the Council had trialled these systems and officers are not fully convinced it would work on all our sites where a safety surface is required.
In recent months the issue of dogs being exercised in the area has come to the fore as owners are not clearing up. Signs have been put up a couple of times, telling owners not to bring their dog into the recreation area and therefore tensions are running high from both sides, with dog owners who say they have used the area for years without incident and parents of children complaining they can no longer let their children use the area.
Editor note: Hi me here, just to point out, this is down to community and moral obligation, rather than council responsibility, like having a conscience and not allowing your dog to shit where children are playing; basic manners and stuff like that!
Byron Rd:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Cowslip Close Cowslip Close:
This play area is open and is currently in a serviceable condition but offers poor play value with just two pieces of equipment. The play area was closed for a while and during this period officers did not receive any complaints.
This site may benefit from local consultation on its future, with local residents. An estimated cost of a small play area is ยฃ60,000.
Dowse Road Wadworth Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. The safety surfacing is at the end of its life and does need to be replaced this year. The cost of this is ยฃ13,675.
Dundas Close:
This barely a play area as it consists of a single metal hoop. The area provides little in the way of play value and there is a good quality Aster owned play area. There was an approach a few years ago to turn the area into a community garden, but the project was never taken forward.
Fruitfields:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Hillworth Park:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There is one piece of fitness equipment that failed last year and this is due to be replaced in the summer.
Massey Road 2:
This play area is open and is currently in a serviceable condition but offers limited play value with just two pieces of equipment.
Massey Road 3:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Newman Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Osmund Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Palmer Road:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding maintenance issues but over the last year the site has been a centre of young people to gather in the evening, resulting in anti-social behaviour.
Palmer Road2:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Quakers Walk1:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Quakers Walk2:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
Skate Park Green Lane:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
The Small Green:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. In the not-too-distant future, the safety surfacing will need to be replaced as it is starting to break up, no price has yet been obtained for this work.
White Horse Way:
This play area is open and is in a serviceable condition. There are no outstanding issues.
So, there you have it, maybe you know different. The Council goes on to say, the budget for playgrounds has been doubled to ยฃ40,000, but it will only cover ongoing repair cost and improvements rather than finance of new play areas.
Encourage your kids to look after what theyโve got. It only partially falls on the council, another major part is to be played by the residents too, to respect others. If youโre dog owners have some respect for parents, if youโre teenagers hanging out in the park, I know whatโs itโs like, Iโve been there too; but try to remember what it was like when you were little, how much you enjoyed the playparks. Should you now prefer the odd spliff there after dark, allโs fair in love and war; but respect the area for the little ones too, by not creating a ruckus and drawing attention to yourselves by net curtain twitchers. Everyone, in my opinion, needs to allow some give and take; kids will be kids, and we were all one originally!
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
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
Friday was a beautiful, sunny day with clear blue skies, and it finally felt as if we were sloughing off the darker days of Winter.ย The daffs and the snow-drops are out, which always makes it feel that Spring is well under way.ย White Horse Opera couldnโt have timed things any better for their Spring Concert, and it was good of them to have ordered up such great weather.
Advertising for this event had been much better, and a virtually full room was the clear reward for that extra effort.ย The audience were treated to a veritable selection box of operatic delights over a couple of hours, featuring items from Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Handel and Mozart in a dazzling first half.ย Guest tenor Robert Felstead blended with the in-house company on several items, and was ably accompanied by solos from Paula Boyagis, Barbara Gompels, Charles Leeming and Lisa House.ย The highlight for me was The Humming Chorus from Pucciniโs Madame Butterfly beautifully rendered not on the stage, but from the close confines of the ante-chamber at the back of the room โ very atmospheric!
The second half featured items from Donizetti and Rossini, but was mostly given over to my personal favourites โ Gilbert & Sullivan.ย There was one item from The Mikado, beautifully sung by Lisa House, but then several helpings of songs from Ruddigore (the operetta which will feature in WHOโs main 2022 programme).ย Jon Paget and Jessica Phillips shared a charming duet, and there were strong performances from Charles Leeming and every one of the sopranos.
A delightful concert in a beautiful room. Spring is back โ and so is opera!
Future WHO events:
Spring 2022 Ruddigore 7.30pm Venues TBA
26th, 28th & 29th Oct 2022 L’elisir d’amore 7.30pm Lavington School
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
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
An end to strike action was announced by The GMB Union for refuse workers in Wiltshire today, as Hills Municipal Collections agreed on a 7% pay rise and Wiltshire Council declared they are due to start recycling collections again from 21st March.
โThere must be no retaliation and members return to work tomorrow,โ says GMB Union. Itโs good news for refuse workers in Wiltshire, and of course the public who have seen collections suspended.
Unison and Unite unions had previously accepted the proposal, as part of the tri-union recognition agreement, but the GMB union rejected it. In a ballot today GMB workers almost unanimously accepted the previous 7% offer, with a promised bonus scheme to be offered to more staff and further uplifts for those on the lowest pay rates.
Nicky Nixon, GMB organiser, said her union was โproudโ of its members and would be โcarefully observingโ how they were treated when they return to work.
Wiltshire Council took to Twitter to inform residents to โput your blue lidded bins and black boxes out on your normal collection day from 21 March,โ but also warned โThere may still be slight delays with collections due to the recent disruption, so if your bins arenโt emptied on your normal collection day, please leave them out and they will be collected as soon as possible.โ And continued to announce those with additional recycling that has mounted up during the disruption can be left in non-black bags and containers, such as plastic crates, next to the recycling bins and the crews will collect them.
Congratulations to everyone involved, common sense prevailed over greed today. Refuse staff thoroughly deserve this pay rise in the least; twitch your net curtain next time they come around, watch how hard these guys and girls work, and Iโd suggest, give them a cheer.
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
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
Some way to a happy ending to the story we broke yesterday about oil pollution in the Crammar pond after a van fire nearby, that thanks to Swan Support of Windsor and the RSPCA, all of the swans have been rescued from the contamination and taken to safety.
Tipped off by Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital, who I messaged our article, Swan Support arrived before lunchtime. I will get myself into these situations, but rather than press “live on the scene,” a few volunteers and I dared the rain to help hold off traffic on the road, should the swans have attempted an escape across it.
After inspecting the pond myself this morning and seeing those swans drenched in oil, I became intricately involved, and it was hearbreaking to see how filthy the swans were underneath, when the team finally fished them from the water.
A fascinating operation to observe, first involving waders then a canoe, to corner the distressed birds. But after halfhour of chasing around the pond, the Swan Support team and one member of the RSPCA successfully rescused them.
A massive thanks to them, but only in part is the problem solved. Up till 1:30pm there was absolutely no sign of the Environmental Agency Devizes Town Council has promised will turn up to inspect the pond, unless we missed them. By lunchtime the slick had spread across three quarters of the pond, and with precipitation from the rain, you could smell the oil in the water.
Pressure is on to get this process moving for the sake of the ducks and other pond life still affected by the pollution.
Suspicion that someone tampered with the boom which failed to block off the oil has proved non-conclusive, as CCTV found no evidence. I’m of the opinion it collapsed through natural causes.
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff … Continue reading “Lady Nade; Sober!”
The pond on the Crammer in Devizes town centre is clearly showing signs of oil contamination, after a Luton van caught fire yesterday, Monday March 14th, despite a spokesman for Devizes Fire Station informing residents on their Facebook page, โsome Damm-it and a boom was used to prevent contamination of the Crammer and its wildlife.โ
The fire service was called to the scene on Estcourt Street at 5.20am, the fire was extinguished with one breathing apparatus wearer, one hose reel jet and a 52mm jet, and attempts were made by fire crews to protect the wildlife, but today weโve been informed there were still visible signs of oil in the pond, and distressingly, covering the swans and ducks there, after fire crews had left.
Images sent to us via a public source looks as if the boom may have broken.
Devizine has informed councillor Jonathan Hunter, who is at a council meeting right now and intends to relay it to the council. Hereโs hoping this can be checked thoroughly and cleaned if needed. We have also informed the Devizes Fire Station.
Update: we’ve been informed all councillors in the Forward Planning meeting have been notified, and The Town Clerk will be reviewing the situation as a matter of urgency.
Second UPDATE: Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital are arranging help right now, calling in swan support from Winsor.
Devizes Town Council are contacting the Environmental Agency. They are due to visit the Crammar for an inspection.
Who Visits our Crammer?
As well as resident mallards, swans, moorhen, black-faced gulls, maligned herring gulls, and of course pigeons, over a 24 hour period at this time of year a number of Canada Geese will also likely be stopping by.
The town’s oasis also has some rarer visitors on occasion, but hopefully not until this disaster is tackled.
There are five juvenile swans on the Crammer at present, and because of feeding and seasonal display activities, the chemicals won’t just be infecting their feathers, it will already be in their stomachs and lungs.
And we’ve also to consider fish, frogs, toads and newts, spawn has been noticed in the water already.
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 catchโฆ
Valedictorian graduate of Bates College in Maine, and with a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, neuroscientist Lisa Genova self-published her debut novel, Still Aliceโฆ
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 goingโฆ
There was a geographical population imbalance this bank holiday Monday in Devizes which risked the entire town conically sloping into the back of Morrisons;โฆ
After the wonderful winter stop-gap between the void of lockdown and this coming summer, Devizes Arts Festival is back with a full programme of events running from Friday 10th to Saturday 25th June.
Please check their website for full details, but allow me to least give you a quick rundown.….
A Diva and a Piano with Britainโs most popular soprano Lesley Garrett starts us off at the Corn Exchange on Friday 10th June. Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction Sophie Hannah is at the Town Hall Saturday 11th June with Agatha, Poirot & Me.
Saturday night is my kind of night, cumbia night at Corn Exchange, as phenomenal 10-piece Cumbia band, Baila La Cumbia takes you right back to the dance halls of Colombia, and Sunday theyโve a walk, and a free fringe event at the British Lion; Rip It up with Rockinโ Billy, one big sounding three-piece Rockโnโroll Rockabilly band from Somerset, from 1pm.
Leonore Piano Trio starts the week off on Monday 13th June. The Leonore Piano Trio brings together three internationally acclaimed artists whose piano trio performances as part of Ensemble 360 were met with such enthusiastic response that they decided to form a piano trio in its own right
London based, five wheeled, funk fuelled, open top, custom paint job, rock โnโ roll jalopy, Tankus the Henge at the Corn Exchange on Tuesday 14th June, and Wednesday sees Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope with Mark Farrelly in the Merchant Suite, a solo show which has toured the UK ever since it was first previewed in Edinburgh in 2014. Starting in the late 1960s Quentin surveys a lifetime of degradation and rejection in his filthy Chelsea flat. Repeatedly beaten for being flamboyantly gay as early as the 1930s, but also ostracised for daring to live life on his own terms.
Borealis Saxophone Quartet on Thursday 16th June at St Andrews Church, and what was promised prior to lockdown for 2020, The Scummy Mummies Show is at the Corn Exchange.
The Homing, an up-and-coming London band riding the wave of the alt-Country revival, wave it into the Conservative Club on Friday June 17th, and you can Meet Nicci French, the pseudonym of husband and wife writing team Nicci Gerard and Sean French, British fictionโs most famous double-acts at the Town Hall on Saturday 18th June.
Our good Liverpudlian friend, Asa Murphy presents The Song-Writing Years at the Corn Exchange on Saturday too. Asa now sets out on a tour which focusses on his own unique song-writing talents, backed by a fantastic live band. While Sunday has a free fringe event at Three Crowns, astonishingly accomplished jazz guitarist Florian Felcitta.
Onto the final week of the festivities, and thereโs An Audience with Adam Frost Monday 20th June at Corn Exchange, Britainโs leading travel commentator Simon Calder on the Tuesday.
Paying tribute to his fatherโs music in the jazz masterโs centenary year, pianist and composer Darius Brubeck teams up with saxophonist Dave OโHiggins, bassist Matt Ridley and drummer Wesley Gibbens for their Devizes debut after critically acclaimed international tours and sold-out shows at major jazz houses in London, on Wednesday 22nd June at the Corn Exchange.
The Second-Best Bed with Liz Grand is in the Merchant Suite on Thursday 23rd June, a frank, humourous and revealing monologue where the audience gets to know Shakespeare like never before, through the eyes of his wife.
BBC Radio 4โs cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore brings his latest stand-up tour show to the Corn Exchange, Friday 24th June. And the grand finale is an Organ Recital with Claudia Grinnell, Saturday 25th June at St Johnโs Church and a Celtic Party Night, Absolute, at the Corn Exchange. Absolute are an Irish party band bringing their own unique mix of traditional and modern Irish favourites, with a few classics thrown in for good measure.
Tickets go on sale online on April 29th and from the ticket office in Devizes Books on May 3rd.
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
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
Join the Devizes Slugs Facebook page they said, be fun they said; I even considered the U in slugs might be a typo. No one expressed the horror which might possibly be revealed to me by these mollusc-loving conservationists, that slug eggs are on the menu in swanky restaurants.
Yet a post went up on the page telling of the group’s “ever increasing horror” of reports of slug eggs being described as a new “super food” which are apparently being actively harvested from the wild by foragers for use in high class restaurants as “Caviar Blanc.’
Now, the trusty ol’ Wikipedia defines caviar blanc as snail caviar, “a type ofย caviarย that consists of fresh or processed eggs ofย land snails. It is a luxury gourmet speciality produced in France and Poland. They were also a delicacy in the ancient world, also known as “Pearls of Aphrodite” for their supposed aphrodisiac properties.” And it goes onto describingย heliciculture snail farming and the process of farming or raising land snails specifically for human consumption.
Look, I’m fine with a pizza, thank you, but if you choose to eat snails eggs properly farmed to ensure the delicate balance of wildlife isn’t effected by your werid obssesion, that’s entiely your perogative, note only I’ll politely decline the offer of dinner at your gaff.
But to forage for slug’s eggs must be upsetting the entire food chain, not to mention a liitle twisted, and should you get swarmed by an angry mafia of crows that’s your own lookout.
But the new trendy grub must have cocaine dealers admiring the profit margin, and can fetch ยฃ75 for just 75 grams! Supposing the slime has to be separated prior to human consumption, and that labour intensive method must be costly.
Devizes Slugs, a page for all those interested in Slugs in the Devizes area which emphasises their ecological benefits, defends them against all forms of chemical and physical attack and provides a rescue and shelter service, say “if you see Caviar Blanc on the menu of any local restaurants please tell us as a matter of urgency. This has to stop.”
Firstly you’d need evidence they’ve been foraged rather than farmed, but secondly, as easy money as it might appear, I’d like to suggest it’s really not going to go down well on a first date if, when asked what you do for a living, you reply “I separate slug eggs from slime,” so don’t do it, it’s filthy!
Popular covers band on the local circuit and beyond, Indecision, has indeed made a mutual decision to split up, but not without going out with a bang; theyโre hosting a โLast Hoorahโ gig at Devizes Corn Exchange on Saturday 21st Mayโฆโฆ
From Seend Beer Festival to Potterne Cricket Clubโs, Indecision has been a firm favourite for many-a-year now, playing across the south west from Bromhamโs long lost Owl community centre to as far away as Portsmouth, the six-piece Potterne-based band have demanded many to the dancefloor, but the time is nigh to say farewells.
Drummer Richard Monk joked he couldnโt stand the smell anymore, but explained, more seriously, a number of reasons, โLee has a young family which as we know takes up time, Martin is busy and loving the studio, Tracy is looking at travelling, and Iโve started playing in blues bands in the Leicester area. Iโd love to play blues again โฆ.. itโs been a blast!โ
Martin Spencer of the Badger Set recording studio fed me this sad secret a while back, and we ran a poll to find out our favourite charities, as they want the Last Hoorah to fundraise. I was mightily impressed with the response to the poll, in which Wiltshire Search and Rescue and the Fatboys Charity, won, so all proceeds will be going to them.
Fatboys is a small local charity which aims to help children who are suffering from cancer, or some other life-threatening illness. They also make charitable donations to other charities working in similar fields. The main thrust of the charity is geared towards the purchase of Christmas gifts for children who are suffering with cancer and other potentially life-threatening illnesses. However, donations have also been made to Oncology Units at NHS Hospitals in Bath and Cheltenham, to a Swindon School for the purchase of gymnastic equipment for children with Special Needs, as well as donations made directly to cancer-related charities such as C.A.L.M, C.L.I.C and Macmillan Nurses.
Indecision promises some guests at the Corn Exchange farewell gig, but are keeping hushed about who, tickets will be out soon, watch this space. We wish the Indecision members all the best with their future prospects and look forward to their final gig, so much so I designed them this poster as a farewell gift!
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
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
It’s the satirist in me which smirks at the audacity of placing a right-sided โroad narrowsโ roadwork sign on the last bend before Potterne, up Whistley Road. In all actual fact, the road widens at this point, rather itโs potholes the size of moon craters, on both sides of the road, which cause it to be an ineffectual passing place, unless you own one of those American monster trucks, and if you do, navigating the B-road in question wouldn’t be advisable.
In fairness, for your carโs protection, gradually sinking traffic cones have been strategically placed in the singularities (thatโs what physicists call the centre of a black hole, by the way; a point where extremely large amounts of matter are crushed into an infinitely small amount of space, such as your alloys and bumper.)
Secondary fairness, the dilapidation of tarmac is as never-ending as washing dishes, and extreme weather conditions are like your kids, bringing dirty crockeries to the kitchen when you thought youโd just finished. Washing up is a perpetual task, but if you donโt persevere it accumulates, to the point youโre eating breakfast from the dog bowl; see where Iโm going with this, Wiltshire Council?
The problem remains, Whistley Road is not the exception to the rule, rather the standard these days in our country lanesโ decrepitude; take a journey up The Kings Road in Easterton, hardly fit for a king at all, and a wonder why on earth it needs speed bumps when natural depressions in the road bigger than the actual village itself, youโd like to think, should prevent anyone in their right mind from speeding.
One would like to imagine accelerating over fifteen miles an hour might yet be a very real possibility once youโve boarded our main roads, only to find their condition is hardly better. Yet, at Tuesdayโs Devizes Town Council Meeting, Councillor Jonathan Hunter pointed to his understanding that for the financial year 2021-22 Wiltshire Council was awarded 22,924,000 smackers from the Governmentโs Highway Maintenance Fund to pay for a range of highway improvements, begging the question why our local roads still make the Giantโs Causeway look like an autobahn.
Brickley Lane
Johnathan, the kind of Conservative which makes you realise not all of them would piggyback their crippled grandmothers to reach a bottle of Bollinger from a top shelf, put forward a proposal to inquire how the money has been spent. Putting to DTC, โit would be helpful to understand how this funding has supported highways improvements in the county; if any substantive project in the last twelve months have been undertaken in Devizes, and if this government funding was used to deliver them.โ
โFurthermore,โ he added, because councillors tend to go on a bit, โDevizes Town Council seeks visibility regarding the plan for this yearโs road improvement programme within the Devizes area, and what are the local priorities.โ And it would seem the Council agreed.
Cromwell Road
โWith the poor state of the local road network,โ Jonathan told Devizine, excited by his proposal being met, โincluding many sections of surface degradation and dangerous potholes, it is encouraging that this proposal was fully agreed by Town Council members.โ
โFor reasons of road user safety, travel inconvenience and the cost of vehicle maintenance it is important that local road users and pedestrians should be able to receive a full progress update on the current roads programme and importantly receive clear visibility about tax payer funded plans for the local road network that serves Devizes.โ
โCurrently, to find out anything about road repair plans, you have to don some deep-sea-diving apparel and search in the very deep and murky waters of the online kingdom, even Jacques Cousteau would find that a challenge!โ
Very well, Johnathan, well done, but we do the funny bits if you donโt mind! But it would be good to know, in this era whereby you can triple the value of your car simply by filling it up with petrol, that youโre not going to forsake your tyres on the next bend, unless youโre a Kwik-Fit manager.
We look forward to the possibility of seeing the plans by Wiltshire Council; roads donโt fix themselves and no one said it was going to be easy, but you choose the bloominโ job! For everyone on Facebook, you can join in the fun at the Devizes Pot Hole Spotterโs Club, here!
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
by Ian Diddamsimages by Sandcastle Productions A very new addition to Bath based theatre companies, Sandcastles Productions brings their self penned piece of theatre toโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams, Next Stage Theatre Company and Mike Stevens Florian Zeller is a contemporary French playwright and screenwriter, who received criticalโฆ
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,โฆ
I made an executive decision today, I know, right, next thing you know I’ll be suited and booted, giving it management speak like “moving forward,” and “blue sky thinking.”
And just like government, I’m blaming Covid. During lockdown we broke our borders, and through scrambling for content we reviewed music internationally. Yet I’m keen to return Devizine to its original ethos of being a Wiltshire based entertainment news website, as this is what people seem to want from it.
That said I’m still plagued by PR out of our controlled zone, so much so I simply don’t have the time to cover it all, neither do I believe it should be the focus of our content. But I’d like to, which leaves me between rock and a hard place, opening all manner of pondering what the actual meaning behind Devizine is.
In general, it’s what I and my other writers wish it to be, flexibility is the beauty of a blog rather than a magazine. But I’m always interested to hear feedback on what our readers want, because currently we’re a hybrid between local news and international music publication.
To appease those who feel this is a local website, for local people and there’s nothing for jamming my newsfeed with random music scoops here, I thought I’d wrap up the more universal music news into one weekly bite; hence the Devizine Music Club.
Bands and musicians within our green and pleasant boundaries, or just teetering over them, can still expect an individual article focussing on their wares, have no fear there. The club exists to highlight other releases and general music and will operate worldwide, and deliver it in one weekly batch to prevent some complaining this is not local news.
There, sound fair? Iโll endeavour to bring you this feature weekly, on a Thursday or Friday, but I make no promises, cos thatโs the way I roll mo-fo!
Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show in Cirencester 22nd March
Hereโs a good example, a tad out of our jurisdiction, but worth mentioning for our funk soul brothers and sisters, that inimitable Red Dwarf DJ Craig Charles will be heading to Cirencester for a set of his finest funk ‘n’ soul tunes this Spring.
An iconic actor, host, broadcaster, and now one most beloved DJโs in the country, Craigโs โFunk & Soul Club Nightโ will see him bring his infamous “trunk of funkโ to Cirencesterโs Bingham Hall on Friday 22 March 2022. Tickets Here.
Unbelievable; EMF are Back!
Gloucestershireโs answer to the nineties Madchester scene, EMF are regrouping. The band responsible for the chart-topping smash hit Unbelievable, are back with a brand new single and video called Sister Sandinista. The song is a โnod to all the women out there who are fighting for what they believe in, sometimes against overwhelming odds, and making the world a better place,โ and is taken from their first album since 1995, Go-Go Sapiens, which is due for release on April 1st. You are still unbelievable, guys! Order the single or album here.
MYD Releases Video for Latest Single, The Sun
Lille-born French guitarist, DJ, producer, songwriter and singer, MYD reveals the music video for his sizzling new single ‘The Sunโ feat. Jawny’, directed by Tamaya Sapey-Triomphe. A perfect pairing of hazy indie vibes, โThe Sunโ feat. Jawny opens with Mydโs recognisably wonky indie guitar lick, before the beat enters and JAWNYโs vocals begin.
Taken from their new album โBorn a Loser,โ which is out now. The Sun is a depiction of the artistsโ nine-to-five, the bright aesthetics and array of pops, puppets and people featured in the video matches the fuzzy guitar static and smooth synth layering that complete the tracks dream-like energy, providing the perfect visuals for this breakout song of the year. โThe Sunโ feat. JAWNY is out now via Ed Banger/Because Music. More info.
Bandcamp Joins Epic Games
The music platform to love, Bandcamp, is joining Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, which champions for a fair and open Internet.
Bandcamp will keep operating as a standalone marketplace and music community, promising to build around their artists-first revenue model, continue Bandcamp Fridays, and the Daily will keep highlighting the diverse, amazing music on the site.
However, together theyโll be working to expand internationally and push development forward across Bandcamp, from basics like album pages, mobile apps, merch tools, payment system, and search and discovery features, to newer initiatives like vinyl pressing and live streaming services.
The Weather Station Release New Album
One year ago, The Weather Station released Ignorance, one of 2021โs most praised and far-reaching albums. And now, in 2022 Tamara Lindeman is pleased to reveal the swift arrival of its follow-up, How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars, which will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally on 11th March via Fat Possum, with a UK tour also this month.
The new album is intended to be heard as a companion piece to Ignorance. These are songs written at the same time that connect emotionally and deal with many of the same themes: disconnection and conflict, love, birds, and climate feelings. Recorded live in just three days, How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars is achingly intimate; full of breath, silence, and detail.
Lindeman explains, โWhen I wrote Ignorance, it was a time of intense creativity, and I wrote more songs than I ever had in my life. The songs destined to be on the album were clear from the beginning, but as I continued down my writing path, songs kept appearing that had no place on the album I envisioned.ย Songs that were simple, pure; almost naive. ย Songs that spoke to many of the same questions and realities as Ignorance, but in a more internal, thoughtful way.โ Lindeman elaborates, โSo I began to envision How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars, a quiet, strange album of ballads. I imagined it not as a follow-up to Ignorance, but rather as a companion piece; the moon to its sun.โ
ย Not long after completing Ignorance, Lindeman decided to make this album on her own terms, fronting the money herself and not notifying the labels. She assembled a new band, and communicated a new ethos; the music should feel ungrounded, with space, silence, and sensitivity above all else. On this record, there are no drums, no percussion; in the absence of rhythm, time stretches and becomes elastic. With Christine Bougie on guitar and lap steel, Karen Ng on saxophone and clarinet, Ben Whiteley on upright bass, Ryan Driver on piano, flute, and vocals, and Tania Gill on wurlitzer, rhodes, and pianet, the band comprised some of the best players in the Toronto jazz and improvisation scene. Link Tree to pre-order album
Ezra Collective Release New Space-Funk Jam, “May The Funk Be With You.”
With Herbie Hancock vibes Iโm loving this slice of free-flowing jazz, which follows Ezra Collectiveโs grime infused single, More Than A Hustler; a collaboration with Novelist, released in December 2021 and the bandโs first new music in over a year.
“One of the blessings in the storm of lockdown was the opportunity to have jam sessions in the studio,โ reflects bandleader, Femi Koleoso. โNo theme, no preparation, no plan – just let the funk happen organically. The magic of improvisation and spontaneity will always be part of Ezra Collective and “May The Funk Be With You,” perfectly encapsulates that.โ
Ezra Collective also announced two small, warm up shows in Paris and London next month, in addition to their performance at the BBC 6 Music festival, which sold out in just 48 hours.
Jody & The Jermsโ Second Album Out Today
Oxfordshire electrifying power-pop Jody & The Jerms released their second album Flicker, today, March 4th. Released via their own JATJ records imprint, Flicker arrives less than 18 months after the surprise hit of their 2020 debut Deeper.
Like resurfacing a lost reel of Super-8 from days long forgotten, โFlickerโ is as warmly nostalgic as it is endearingly pure. Nestling neatly somewhere between the pristine catalogues of Blondie, The Bangles and The Darling Buds, the Jerms deliver 13 fuzz-driven, love-lorn jangle-pop gems of the most classic kind.
In support of the release, Jody & The Jerms will also be heading-out on a tour of the UK and Spain in the Spring and Summer of 2022. More info.
Well, thatโs your starter for ten, more to follow in what I hope to be a valid new musical chunks feature; do let me know if you absolutely love, or hate the idea!
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,โฆ
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 announcedโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Luke Ashley Tame of Acadia Creative Around 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men every year, thatโs 3,000โฆ
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;โฆ
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
Cheese, Chilli, in a festival format was on the cards at a Devizes Town Council meeting this week.….
The Market Manager is in communication with a company to attend Devizes, for a possible Cheese and Chilli Festival in 2023. As of yet details are unconfirmed, but if a cheese and chilli festival is something you’d stomach, you should let them know by shouting “cheese and chilli!” whenever you see a passing town councillor!
Cheese and Chilli Festivals are popular, held annually in locations throughout the south of England, including Christchurch, Winchester, Swindon and Guildford. They support live variety acts, like the rather apt fire juggling, and music, and would be a welcome addition to our town’s event calendar. But don’t don your sombrero yet, amigo, just keep fingers crossed.
“I fell into a burning ring of fire I went down, down, down And the flames went higher And it burns, burns, burns The ring of fire, the ring of fire,” Johnny Cash (after a chesse & chili festival.)
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff … Continue reading “Lady Nade; Sober!”
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 tunes … Continue reading “Rooks; New Single From M3G”
The Lawrence Art Society welcomes Soraya French’s return to Devizes, on 7th March at the Devizes Conservative Club. She will be demonstrating a contemporary approach to landscape painting using acrylic inks.
Soraya is an International Artist, and Author based at Project Workshops in the UK, she also demonstrates for GOLDEN Artist Colours, runs private art workshops, and regularly teaches her painting techniques to art groups (including the Lawrence Art Society.)
The Artist Articles – Soraya is a regular contributor to the UK’s leading art magazine “The Artist”. Her articles vary from reviewing products to a four-part series about colour, figure painting, use of acrylics, mixed media, and many more subjects.Collins 30 Minute Acrylics – Many people think they donโt have enough time to paint, but in this attractive guide Soraya French encourages quick and simple learning.
Here it is then, being we’re all buried in ten feet of snow today, your handy guide to the ten best pubs in Wiltshire, who, honestly, haven’t paid us a penny, in which to take refuge in when Mount Devizes volcano erupts, due tomorrow, after elevenses.…..
Wait for the reactions when this is shared on Facebook; “that’s not even a picture of the Devizes volcano, that’s Krakator!” “What poor research, Devizes has a few mounds, but no volcano!” “Other than the headline this article doesnt even mention Devizes,” or better still, “my USGS Volcano Hazards Program app doesn’t predict the Devizes volcano will erupt till next Thursday.”
And I thank them all for bumping the post up the newsfeed and engaging in the perpetual stream of nonsense from those who fail to comprehend how advertorials work. Yet I ask, please excuse me but I’ve no intention of interacting to any comments as I’m busy sharing the same article with all the different Wiltshire town’s Facebook pages, and changing the title to suit them accordingly. And not because I couldn’t give a toss if you believe it, or not, read it, or not, provided you click on the link.
And all for the sake of that very failure to acknowledge clickbait when a majority see it, which makes them work, and why companies spend so much money on them.
Of course, there’s many forms of clickbait, for you to believe are real, and increase our hits, so we can dazzle potential advertisers with stats; we’re just happy going with the flow, doing what other local media are doing, deceiving the general public to increase stats. Not mentioning names, naturally, but when it does erupt in Wiltshire, we’ll be Live on the scene with the other clowns.
Here at Devizine Towers we never tire at perpetually spewing sensationisling nonsense and disguising it as localised current affairs. One ickle scoop is all we need to exaggerate a slight dodgy weather forecast into a headline claiming (enter relevant town name) will be knee-deep in a snowstorm akin to the Star Wars planet Hoth, or one rumble in our high street and our market town has become Belarus overnight.
Or better still, if Brexiteer ‘I’m not paying my staff during lockdown, but please bail me out bestest buddy Boris’ boss, Martin Tim, or whatever which way his two fornames happen to fit, happens to lob a fat cheque in our direction, we will of course kowtow to his every word and publish numerous advertorials, singing his pub chain’s praises, but sneakly disguising them as news.
Here at Devizine, we love the fact the entire modern media is one big Sunday Sport, and look forward to reporting Wiltshire buses found on the moon, and how Danny Kruger ate our hamster.
But, for fear of you realising this is a biting piece of satire, and nothing really to do with the possible volcanic eruption of an imaginary volcano right here in Devizes, I feel impelled to actually tell you the best pubs of which to hide in. Or so help me, they’ll be complaining.
Incidently, these will also be the same best pubs in Wiltshire in which to hide in next week, when the zombie apocalypse hits, predicted to be on Friday.
1 The Silk Mercer, Devizes
2 The Bear, Melksham
3 The Bridge House, Chippenham
4 The Albany Palace, Trowbridge
5 The Bath Arms, Warminster
6 The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
8 The Savoy, Swindon
9 The Bell, Salisbury
10 The Reece, Witherspoon
Any connection with these pubs is purely coincidental and nothing to do with backhanders from R Witherspoons inc, thank you, and take care out there, the floor is either lava or snow, whatever, we’re way past caring; just click on our links or another cute unicorn will be beheaded.
On the eve of a new tribute act fronted by Swindonโs Mark Colton, he tells me โDury seems to be a forgotten genius and the blockheads are an amazing band still. We just want to remind people of what a great showman he was, and what great songs there areโฆโฆโ
I find myself pondering on Duryโs virtuosity, influence and why itโs popularly considered underrated. True, the meandering and wishy-washy narrative of Matt Whitecrossโ 2010 biopic, Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll, didnโt do much justice, but his funeral, a decade prior to the film, saw a handful of celebrities, keen on honouring the mysterious persona of Ian Dury. From Mo Mowlam and Robbie Williams to Madness, the latter of whom occupied a similar place in the nation’s heart as Ian Dury and the Blockheads did a few short years prior.
A posthumous national treasure, in death he achieved what his dark and edgy character prevented him from accomplishing, a Times obituary praised the singer’s โSwiftian satirical streakโ and acknowledged his โlasting place in the corpus of the English popular song.โ If The Blockheadsโ pseudo-fusion of jazz into punk didnโt wash with the atypical punk movement, it certainly scored them some hits, and anyway, when did punk itself ever adhere to โfit in?โ
Ian Dury
To take onboard recent trends in British unpremeditated, often jokey street rap, the kind The Streets, Lily Allen and Kate Nash rinsed, Dury popularised that poetic verse, to consider post-punkโs more jazzy moments, The Blockheads reigned supreme, but perhaps the synthesis doesnโt pigeonhole them for a majority to realise the strength of their influence on pop.
Swindonโs newly formed six-piece Dury Duty is dedicated to the songs and performance of legendary band leader and raconteur Ian Dury, rather than recent Blockheads reformation. This combo of experienced musicians strives to recreate the sound and feel of a genuine Ian Dury concert, drawing from material found within his solo output, his work with The Kilburns, The Blockheads as well as other side projects.
โI have decided to follow my heart and do the projects I have always wanted to do,โ Mark explained, โincluding this one. The initial set features the sort of set around the time Do it Yourself would have been released, lots of songs from New Boots.โ
Mark Colton
Colton leads in Thin Lizzy tribute, The Lizzy Legacy, temporarily fronted ska covers band The Skandals, continues in the punk cover band Rotten Aces, and has been gigging solo for a while with a repertoire of two-tone and punk covers. He basically has his fingers in so many pies, itโs tricky to keep up! I asked him if the concentration was solely on Dury Duty now, or if the other original and tribute acts are still in motion.
โThe solo stuff will continue,โ he informed, โI have a few projects still on the go. My original material band CREDO is recording our 5th album, Rotten Aces are gigging again from April, after getting a new guitarist. I have a Marillion Tribute too, called Marquee Square Heroes, and the Lizzy Legacy are still active, but less so due to others commitments and of course, Dury Duty. Each band is a different challenge, but they all keep me on my toes!โ
Along with the expected big hitters, such as ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll’, ‘Reasons To be Cheerful (Pt.3)’, ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’, and ‘What A Waste’ forming the backbone of any set, Dury Duty promise โlesser known but equally entertaining nuggets to whet the appetite of any long-time Ian Dury aficionado.โ
Mark is joined by Jono Judge – Saxophones, Percussion and Vocals, Michael York – Piano, Keyboards, Guitar and Vocals, Brian Barnes – Guitars and Vocals, Rob McGregor – Drums and Vocals and Ken Wynne – Bass Guitar and Vocals. A self-confessed โtalented band of brothersโ keen on not only entertaining those familiar with the extensive cannon of this great performer and wordsmith, but to bring new fans to the man. โIan Dury is sorely missed and his sharp, witty and often cutting observations on the mundane and absurd through his lyrics and poetic verse are carried forward by this.โ
Opening gig is at Swindonโs premier venue, Old Townโs Victoria on Friday June 3rd, but are the band ready to roll, should a nearer booking come their way, I asked Mark. โI suspect we would do something if it came up for Dury Duty, but that’s what we are working towards at the moment. We will be looking to get out and get this working, the songs are a pleasure to play.โ Got to wish them all the best with the project, being it innovative and crucial for a tribute act find a sustainably eminent niche which doesnโt fall into clichรฉ, and for the reasons of Ian Duryโs elapsed stimulus makes this project exciting local music news.
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
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
Parliament mayโve dissolved Covid regulations and passed the buck to public responsibility, for those still listening to them, but voluntary support group, Pewsey Community Coronavirus Assistance, originally established to assist the people of Pewsey and surrounding area during the pandemic, is not only still operating, but making improvements and necessary changes to fight, more generally, rural poverty in our area.
They proudly posted a photo of their new double-decker bus on social media, which just passed its MOT, but still needs support, help with electrics, carpentry and gas. โOur community bus was purchased to enable us to continue to fight food waste,โ they explained, โfood poverty, malnutrition, loneliness, isolation fatigue and cultural deprivation through our radical action plan in the heart of our community.โ
The PCCA are currently operating out of the villageโs Wesley Hall, โoffering Foodshare by collecting food from supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste and by redistributing into the heart of our community where itโs needed most,โ they continued. โThe guys down at the hall have been kind enough to offer us the use of the hall while we are converting our bus, but as soon as we are good to go, the bus will be our new home.โ
They deliver emergency food and household supply boxes to individuals and families suffering from financial hardship leading to food poverty, cooking nutritious meals every week for those more vulnerable members of our community, to ensure they get nutritious home cooked meals. The PCCA also run a donations-based fresh fruit and veg market and friendship cafรฉ, โso people who are in isolation can come down, meet new friends and have a chat over free tea, coffee and cake, going home afterwards with a bag of fruit and veg.โ
The extent of rural poverty is something seriously undersold and misguided through the seductive popular myth of the idyllic British countryside, and often imagined solely as an urban affliction. Austerity and the effects of lockdown has seen massive cuts to public infrastructure and services, so while often hidden, rural housing has an affordability crisis, employment has dwindled particularly for youth, together with increasing fuel prices, making ends meet is becoming increasingly difficult in rural areas like Wiltshire.
I would like to extend a warm hand of gratefulness for all the sterling work the PCCA has done so far, and will continue to do so, hopefully now more mobile. As well as the food packages, home cooked food delivery and community cafรฉ, the amenities they cover is vast, from the Community Farming Initiative, library, and โbuddyโ helpline, to being a helping hand in dog walking. Everything they do is voluntarily, and they need helpers, plus funds to convert their bus to meet food safety standards on a mobile vehicle, which will cover the numerous villages of the Pewsey Vale area.
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
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
To those living in Devizes it should come as no surprise Jemma Brown can pull off a performance. Directing a stage version of the eightyโs sitcom classic Allo Allo at the Wharf Theatre has been hailed a massive success, Devizesโ sole theatre Tweeted this morning โCafรฉ Rene may have returned to the workshop, but the echoes of laughter will mark its place in Wharf history.โ
But looking forward today at forthcoming performances, after the rescheduled feel-good musical comedy Sister Act JR, (25th & 26th February,) and the jocularity of award-winning theatre company White Cobraโs Betty & Joan, on the 5th March, the next in-house production takes rather a melancholic turn.
From the 28th March to 2nd April, The Revlon Girl is set eight months after the Aberfan disaster, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in 1966, in the Welsh village of Aberfan. The devastating slurry took the lives of 116 children and 28 adults as it submerged the villageโs junior school.
The Revlon Girl tells the real-life story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week to talk, cry and even laugh without feeling guilt. At one of their meetings, they secretly arrange for a representative from American multinational cosmetics, and fragrance company Revlon, to come and give them a talk on beauty tips.
Directed by Lyn Taylor, this is a play packed with character and heartache, entwining the restraints, gossip and sometime irrationality of a small-town community, with the poignancy of a motherโs loss. There are many humorous, uplifting and hopeful moments, allowing this piece to bring much emotion and entertainment to its audience.
Book office is open on this one now, tickets are ยฃ10-ยฃ14, with the success of the recently closed Allo Allo, the Wharf goes from strength-to-strength, yet while a show like the last one will sell itself based on its background in popular culture, it is the poignant and ground-breaking dramas such as this which really deserves the push. Personally, Iโm impartial to putting on some slap, bit of lippy at the weekend p’haps, but please support your local arts anyway!
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
The first full album by Wiltshireโs finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโs calledโฆ
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-upโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Performing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. Or, rather, singing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. With his dissonantโฆ
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…..โฆ
I bloominโ love March, usually, but as we show this month the door, and with such a mild winter, do not get over excited; while temperatures improve slightly, except it’ll be a wet one. A day of snow predicted Thursday, March kicks in better, but worsens by the second week, with a forecast 15-22 days of perpetual rain, hopefully clearing at the end, from Thursday 24th.
To add a degree of optimism to all this, thereโs a truckload of things to do over the first month of so-called spring, thereโs hope we can see less events being cancelled and life in the great outdoors taking steps towards the positive. Still, I advise to check ahead before venturing out, via the links provided; our ever-updating event calendar doesnโt update that quickly to include cancelations, and I canโt be held responsible for such cancelations or failure of organisers to refund tickets. Also, itโs a minefield adding links to these events, so find them all on the calendar, ta muchly.
And do not take this as comprehensive, the calendar is being updated all the time, this is just some advance highlights and all things Iโd do, if I had cloning technologyโฆโฆ
Given all Iโve said about the weather, it doesnโt seem too bad for Bathโs Big Sleepout on Friday 4th in Alice Park; hats off to Julian House and all doing it, raising vital funds and awareness for people forced to sleep-out every night.
Prior, live rock, electronica and folk from novelist, playwright and stand-up comedian Grant Sharkey, with ecologist Thomas Haynes and Bristol the Badger, aka Grasslands, on Wednesday 2nd, at that little coffee shop Baristocats, on Commercial Road Swindon. While Thursday sees one half of Show of Hands, Steve Knightly, at Trowbridgeโs Pump, and the other, Phil Beer kicking off his So Much to Choose From tour at Corshamโs Pound Arts. Meanwhile, it’s a three-way guitar showdown at Chapel Arts in Bath with Daryl Kellie, Will McNicol and David Mead, and the Apricity Theatre group bring a Greenhouse of emerging artists out of lockdown to the Rondo Theatre.
WEEK 1
Friday 4th
To week one, then; starting Friday 4th, for parents and babies, Pound Arts has Swings & Roundabouts by the Filskit Theatre, who are inviting the bum wipers, bedtime boppers and owners of tiny humans, to join actor, musician, and mummy, Sophie Ross, for a brand-new comedy musical. A nappy change in the evening though, with dark, gut-wrenching adult stand-up from Bobby Mair, on his Cockroach tour.
The Exchange, Devizes pushes up the Tempo with a drum n bass night, while for a more hip-hop/reggae related evening, try DJ Nicewun & Mac Lloyd at The Village Pump. For something lighter, Alan Titchmarsh is at the Theatre Royal, Bath!
If you are in Bath, though, and into folk, try internationally renowned Faustus at Chapel Arts, who also come to Marlborough folk Roots the next week, Friday11th, or The Rondo, where Cindy Stratton and Marius Frank, ZBella, menโs choir Sasspafellas and upcoming singer/songwriter Ellie Frank headline an evening of entertainment raising money for the refugee charity UNHCR.
Closer to home, our good friends Bran and Mirko, as The Celtic Roots Collective bring some Irish roots to Seend Community Centre, from 7pm, which is free or donations. Also look out for one-man mechanical alt-blues band, Funke and the Two-Tone Baby at the Winchester Gate, Salisbury, a tribute to Nightwash, Knightwish, at the Vic, Swindon, or Coyote Kings at the Village Inn. Oh, and the Fillers play the Cheese & Grain, Frome.
Saturday 5th
Saturday, and the Wharf Theatre, Devizes has the award-winning theatre company White Cobra, presenting Bette & Joan, i.e., Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, in danger of becoming has-beens but get an opportunity to appear together in a new film, if the arch-rivals donโt clash.
Swindonโs original band with bluesy intent, Thud come to The Southgate, while the Bearโs Cellar Bar reopens with free entry to a 70s-80s Disco with DJ Andy Saunders.
Itโs happy third birthday to Melkshamโs The Hiding Place, and The Carpenters Experience, which speaks for itself, at the Assembly Hall.
Trowbridge Town Hall get post-punk DIY vibes with a triple billing of Slagheap, Slug Puppie and Carsick, while Chippenhamโs Neeld have Amen Cornerโs Andy Fairweather Low & the Low Riders, and The Cuban Brothers take The Cheese & Grain, but when in Frome, local punkers One Chord Wonders play the Sun. In complete contrast, Pound Arts has critical acclaimed folk and Americana, with Ida Wenรธe & Samantha Whates.
Back to the arts, Rondo Theatre, Bath have Charlotte Palmer in an hilarious and moving one woman show, sometimes angry exploration of women over 50, who find themselves overlooked, ignored, disregarded, in short becoming The Invisible Woman, and Theatre Royalโs Egg have The Dark, Peut-Etrรช Theatre which merges vibrant physicality with live music to create captivating and energetic performances for the whole family. It is even accessible for blind and visually impaired children through integrated audio description and touch tours.
Sunday 6th
Jon Amorโs first Sunday of the month residency at the Southgate, Devizes is the place to be, promising guest Jonny Henderson. But allow me to also recommend Bathโs Yiddish folk collective, Chai For All, who celebrate International Womenโs Day at the Grapes.
Week 2
The Theatre Royal, Bath starts Willy Russelโs musical Blood Brothers on Tuesday 8th and running until Saturday, while the Ustinov Studio has an epic cycle of short plays exploring the personal and political effect of war on modern life, called Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat running from Thursday to Saturday.
But for a locally themed performance, try the Theatre screening of Naming The View at Pound Arts, Corsham, on Thursday. Naming the View takes its inspiration from Shakespeareโs much-loved comedy, The Taming of the Shrew, yet itโs setting is Seend.
Meanwhile, Chapel Arts, Bath has three days on the trot of acoustic folk with Chris Wood on Wednesday, Nick Hart on Thursday, and The Lost Trades play Friday.
Friday 11th
Aforementioned internationally renowned folk with Faustus at Marlborough Folk Roots club, and thereโs open mic night at Trowbridgeโs Pump, the third heat for amateur musicians of Take The Stage at Chippenhamโs Neeld, and ancient ballads promise to be awoken, poems given the tunes theyโve long deserved with Salt House, Scotlandโs foremost performers; Jenny Sturgeon, Ewan MacPherson and Lauren MacColl at Pound Arts.
Iโd recommend the experimental jazz-fusion of SexJazz, at Swindonโs Beehive for a Harbour Project FUNdraiser, funding art sessions for Swindon refugees and asylum seekers. Also, the Relayaz Band at Bradford-on-Avonโs Boathouse, or for Thin Lizzy fans, as I know thereโs a few, Limehouse Lizzy play The Cheese & Grain.
But Devizes best of luck wishes go out to our Full Tone Orchestra, who present Gilbert & Sullivan Pirates of Penzance at Bath Abbey; glorious!
Saturday 12th
Saturday is a whopper, spoiled for choice you are! The most excellently unique Bristol-based Two-Tone punk meets Sierra Leonean percussion duo, Two Man Ting return to The Southgate, Devizes. Meanwhile the Corn Exchange opens its doors to the Lacock-based Wiltshire Soul & Blues Club with a blues extravaganza headlining Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue, and thereโs a rock n roll night at the Conservative Club, fundraising for Kennet Gateway Club with Mickey Ace and the Wildcards and DJ.
With support by the awesome Train to Skaville, boot boys need to get to Melksham, where Madness tribute Complete Madness take the Assembly Hall one step beyond. Meanwhile our indie-pop heroes, Talk in Code support for The Worried Men at Trowbridge Town Hall. The Dunwells play The Croft, Hungerford.
The Roving Crows play Chapel Arts, Bath, masters of euro-trance, Transglobal Underground at The Cheese & Grain, Frome, and thereโs a Party & The Pavilion at Minety Rugby Club, featuring a number of bands, including our friends The Dirty Smooth.
Deep Purple, Rainbow and Whitesnake tributes rolled into one at the Vic, Swindon, with Rising from the Deep, meanwhile, Room 101 take the Castle, and Mean as Custard, Loaded Dice and Six Oโclock Circus have a free band-off at Level III, fundraising for Swindon homeless charity the Moonlight Express Project. Oh, and MECA have a Sausage & Cider Fest; two of my favourite things!
But if gigs donโt tickle your fancy, thereโs some excellent family theatre too; Saturday and Sunday at the Theatre Royal, is the place to find The Super Greedy Caterpillar, and Pound Arts in Corsham have Zoo Co Theatre coming in, presenting Messy, where you can meet Daisy. Sheโs got a messy brain and a messy bedroom, which makes it very difficult to look after her class hamster Mr Twiggy! A magical visual story, complete with original music, puppets, tap dancing and even a trip to the moon!
Messy is performed by a deaf and hearing cast with Sign Supported English, created in partnership with ADHD Foundation, where all performances are Relaxed, without loud noises and lights left on, and it is followed by a free workshop afterwards.
Saturday at Pound Arts also sees ENG-ER-LAND by Hannah Kumari and WoLab, a football-themed play set in 97, with 13-year-old Lizzie, obsessed with the beautiful game.
Sunday 13th and I got nothing, yet, except CSF Wrestling at The Cheese & Grain, but thatโs why you need to keep checking into our bulging event calendar, as more comes in all the time. So much, Iโm leaving it there, through fear of repetitive strain injury of my typing fingees. Either that, or itโll be the middle of April before you finish reading it. But donโt, whatever you do, think for a second thereโs nought to do in Wiltshire, and weโll finish off the rest of March in a few days, give you time to digest this lot first!
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 aโฆ
This summer David is returning with a brand-new show “Historyโs Missing Chapters”, a show made to uncover why, throughout history, some people and events haveโฆ
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 ofโฆ
Always a happy place, our traditional record shop Vinyl Realm in Northgate Street Devizes is back in the game of hosting some live music afternoons.โฆ
One of Wiltshireโs Best by Andy Fawthrop Looking for something to do next weekend? One of Wiltshireโs biggest festivals is happening just up the roadโฆ
Ding dong! Glad to hear new owners of The Bear Hotel plan to reopen it’s glorious landmark Cellar Bar on Saturday March 5th, and to celebrate the fact DJ Andy Saunders will be on his wheels of steel, spinning retrospective seventies and eighties tunage.
It’s a free disco-tastic night from half seven till midnight, so zip up your boots and just keep rockin” but not too much pushing pineapples or shaking trees, please, Mr DJ.
Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4ยฐC eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff … Continue reading “Lady Nade; Sober!”
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 tunes … Continue reading “Rooks; New Single From M3G”
At the beginning of the month Devizine covered Trowbridgeโs musical renaissance, highlighting The Village Pump and Town Hallโs dedication to introducing a variety of upcoming local bands and performers. Explaining Sheer Musicโs Kieran Moore had โbig shoes to fill,โ taking over as chief event coordinator for the Town Hall from Gavin Osborn. Well, the proof is in the pudding, and that dish has made it off the serving counter and onto our table.….
Not forgoing, the programme is already in full-swing, with Truckstop Honeymoon at the Pump on Friday, (18th) a cider swigginโ scrumpy and western hoedown with The Skimmity Hitchers and our great friends, and the Boot HillAll Stars supporting at the Town Hall on Saturday.
Boot Hill All Stars
Such is the fashion for live music in Trowbridge, Fridays at the Pump, Saturday at the Town Hall, aside some great happenings at Stallards and Emmanuelโs Yard, comedy and more commercial nights at the Civic. Gecko appears next Saturday at the Town Hall, and all-day Sunday thereโs fundraising session, Kalefest, a family-orientated mini-festival for some musical equipment for a teenager with a severe brain injury, in which Zone Club, Pete Lambโs Heart Beats and The Relayz play.
Marching on atop this free six-week interactive course of workshops for 16- to 18-year-olds, covering all aspects of the music industry, next month sees a continuation of great bookings, of which we highlighted in the aforementioned preview, here. What weโre here today for is to check in on Kieran, see if he indeed โfilledโ those shoes for the ongoing season.
So, just revealed, April and May listings at the Town Hall and Pump, which have equally exciting news, as, perhaps, Mr Moore asks the shopkeeper for a shoehorn. Isle of Manโs recent export to Wiltshire, Becky Lawrence, the musical theatre singer-songwriter who wasted no time fitting into the local circuit, joining established local bands, The Bourbons UK and Clyve and the Soul City Foundation, teams up Bristolian country singer-songwriter Zoe Newton to pinch-punch April at the Pump.
Zoe Newton at Bradford Roots Festival
Whereas, in the name of variety Iโm surprised to see The Town Hall hosting a โrum and reggae nightโ on Saturday April 2nd; itโs as if theyโre calling to me! Seriously though, Iโd wager youngsters reading this are asking Siri what the hell a shoehorn is.
But nice surprises flow, as Gavin Osborn himself plays The Pump, Friday 8th, with his band Comment Section. Regulars at Stallardโs, locally-based indie-rockers Riviera Arcade arrive at the Town Hall with Gloucestershireโs electric-punk favourites, Chasing Dolls on Saturday, with (udated) Devizes/Swindon NervEndings headling the show.
NervEndings
Alcopops Recordsโ Croydon duo, The Frauds play the Pump on the 15th, with Ipswichโs experimental indie-pop darlings, Lucky Number 7, while Henry Wacey and Dan OโFarrell are there on Saturday. Surreal stand-up, Welsh hard rockers The Vega Bodegas are at the Town Hall on the Saturday, with support from Wiltshire-based metal trio newcomers, Last Alvor and self-confessed โdegenerates,โ synth-punk noise-makers Benzo Queen.
If that weekend is atypical of what Iโd expect Mr Moore to assign, the following, Saturday 23rd is different. Kieran is no stranger to asking what acts local giggers would like to see via social media, as Brightonโs Chap-Hop legend Professor Elemental comes to the Town Hall, with support from my recommendation, Bristolโs fantastic veganomic ska-punk-folk crazies, Boom Boom Racoon, whoโve we fondly followed in the past on Devizine.
Boom Boom Racoon
If Iโm excited with boom boom coming soon, while โSunday leagueโ songwriter Tom Jenkins finishes off April on Saturday 30th, May is positively booming too. Local soul-hip hop DJ, Mac-Llyod gets the crowd prepped for another of my personal favourites, Bristolโs bouncy boom-bap virtuosos The Scribes, on Saturday 7th May. Aching to encourage these guys a gig more local than Salisburyโs Winchester Gate, Iโm delighted to see this on Trowbridge Town Hallโs listing; theyโre definitely calling to me now!
Pan-European ‘inventive and thrilling’ alt-folk duo, singer-songwriter Tobias Jacob and double-bass playing multi-instrumentalist Lukas Drinkwater play the Pump on Thursday 12th May, whereas Iโm notified Saturday 14thโs do at the Town Hall will be a โpipe and slippers rave,โ of which I had to inquire if, as it sounds, itโll be an old skool DJ rave type thing, and this it was confirmed, โthat’s exactly it.โ If theyโre calling me, now theyโre mocking; the feet in my slippers were stomping in mud when you were an itch, whippersnappers! โHoney, whereโs my whistle and white gloves?โ
Sheffieldโs award-winning finger-style guitarist, Martin Simpson breathes some folk to the Pump on Friday 20th May, while the Town Hall blow cobwebs off with Trowbridgeโs own hardcore metal quartet, Severed Illusions. With nine years under their belts, they opened for Hed PE at the now defaulted Beirkeller in Bristol, and played metal festivalsโ assemblage M2TM. Joined by doomcore fourpiece Eyesnomouth, and Salisburyโs screaming metalcore Next Stop Olympus; thatโs going to go off.
The Lost Trades
From here gigs are pencilled in, June sees Martin Carthy, Jon Amor with Kyla Brox, Hip Route and Billy & The Low Ground feature, but be certain the near-future looks bright and varied for Trowbridgeโs live music scene, particularly as the last gig of May is our beloved folk-harmony trio The Lost Trades on Saturday 28th. Bring in the summer with Graham Steelโs award-winning Phil, Jamie and Tamsin, what more could you ask for?
If weโve had a keen eye on Swindonโs Sienna Wilemanโs natural progression as an upcoming singer-songwriter since being introduced to her self-penned songs viaโฆ
One of Salisburyโs most celebrated acoustic folk-rock singer-songwriters Lucas Hardy teams up with the Wiltshire cityโs upcoming talent who’s name is on everyoneโs lips,โฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages byย Chris Watkins Media One could argue that Anne Frank is possibly the most well-known civilian of the WW2 years, and certainlyโฆ
Trowbridge singer-songwriter and one third of The Lost Trades, Phil Cooper has actually been doing more than playing solitaire, heโs released a new soloโฆ
An effervescent musical, full of promising young talent Written by: Melissa Loveday Images by: Gail Foster After the success of SIX last year, Devizesโฆ
A photo is circulating on X of Calne’s Reform UK candidate Violette Simpson, which for some reason doesn’t appear on her election campaign….I wonderโฆ
Big congratulations to Devizes DJ Greg Spencer this week, the creator of Palooza house nights at The Exchange nightclub, for he made the prestigiousโฆ
It took only a couple of hours at a Wiltshire Council meeting yesterday, to decide punishing drivers would be the order of day; they intend to whack up parking charges an extra 10p per hour, and enforce blue-badged disabled drivers to cough up tooโฆ...
Free Sunday parking and Town Councilโs free event parking will also be a thing of the past, as the conservative-led council voted in favour of the proposals.
Liberal Democrats called for the amendment to be scrapped, while Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer called it โeconomic illiteracyโ and โmorally bankrupt.โ Apparently,itโs all part of our town centresโ โtransformation.โ Cllr Clewer claimed the Conservative administration โhas a clear plan for the future of our towns,โ continued to slag off the Lib Demsโ for their โlack a coherent strategy,โ and accused them of โplaying politics for short-term gains.โ
So, there you go, online shoppers, letโs say a prayer for our High Streets, as we once knew themโฆ..
Next weekend folks, you should know the drill by now, but being Friday sessions had to be cancelled and those tickets transformed into Saturday ones, tickets for Saturday’s afternoon and evening sessions are virtually sold out for The Devizes Winter of Festival Ales. You need to sort your tickets out now, if you want to go, or be left sobbing in the Market Place carpark!
So, just a quick post from me, as this event sells itself anyway, but it is a vital fundraising bash for DOCA, and always a great shindig.
Saturday evening sees The Rob Lear Band providing the entertainment, and the afternoon session will be The Lost Trades; say no more, aside the vast selection of ales on offer.
If you’re as lucky as Charlie Bucket, these golden tickets can be found online at the DOCA website, or at Devizes Books, Wadworth Visitors Centre and of course the Vaults, as Stealth Brewery put on this show… but I urge you get a pace on!
Taken from the Wiltshire Council press release, this is such promising news we simply had to pinch it……..
Almost 5,000 votes were cast across the county, as forty one young people from across Wiltshire are preparing to take their seats on the first ever Wiltshire Youth Council, following a successful election campaign.
89 candidates from 21 schools and the local community took part in the election process with almost 5,000 votes cast across the county. The elections ran from 31 January to 4 February and young people voted online via their school to selected their preferred candidate.
The successful candidates were informed this week and now are being advised of the next steps to having their say in local democracy. A total of 4972 student voted across the county.
Wiltshire Youth Councillors will:
Meet up with Wiltshire Council leaders and have their say on local decisions.
Work with area boards to ensure funding for youth projects has the right impact for them and their peers.
Inspect services to ensure they represent young people’s best interests.
Communicate with their peers so young people’s views are properly represented.
Opportunity to shadow council leaders as a shadow youth cabinet member for a particular area of interest.
Youth councillors will be asked to commit one evening per month to attend a full youth council meeting, which will focus on issues important to the young people. They will also be expected to talk to their peers about the issues and represent their views. There will also be training to support them in their roles, covering topics including debating, running a youth inspection and delivering presentations.
Wiltshire Youth Council has also recruited Special Advisors, these are young people that ensure that the views of the underrepresented are heard. There will be Special Advisors that champion different causes such as young carers, children in care, LGBTQ+ young people and military families.
Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services said: “Congratulations to everyone who took part in this process and well done to those who were successfully appointed. Having your voice to champion causes which are important to you and your peers is key to our work and I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Lily and Dennis are the Wiltshire Youth Councillors for John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge.
Lily, aged 13, said she’d wanted to put herself forward to campaign for a number of areas including equality and environmental issues. She said: “I’m very happy to be selected. I’m most looking forward to helping people in my new role.”
Dennis, aged 11 said: “There are so many problems in the community and I wanted to do something about them instead of waiting for someone else to do something. I didn’t expect to win the election because I don’t know many people the same age as me going for election so I was surprised but happy to be successful.”
Tuesday’s article kicked up a stink on local social media groups, quite literally. They’re still on the subject of dog poo, I’ve moved onto something else now, mate. Something which doesn’t seem to have kicked up quite the fuss I believe it should, and that notion in itself is as symbolic as the issue is to my concluding paragraphs.
But let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Your kid comes home from school with a reprimanding letter, informing you their attendance has been low this year. You pause for recollection, certain the only time they were absent from school was when they had to self-isolate due to a positive covid test.
So, is it just me thinking, why are our children being penalised for obeying the regulations, the law? Why has self-isolating been included as absence due to sickness and reflected badly on their attendance record?
Itโs at this point Iโm aiming daggers at Devizes School’s new headmaster Julian Morgan, sizing him up and considering meeting him round the back of the science block for, what my offspring informs me the contemporary slang currently is, โa bit of tea;โ donโt ask, it was always โspoiling for a rumble,โ to me!
However, a reply is despatched from his personal Twitter account, in response to my query and sternly put point that it all โseems rather unfair.โ Julian agreed with me, suggesting โit does seem really unfair,โ which has to be the first time in my near fifty years Iโve seen eye-to-eye with a headmaster!
Turns out, heโs alright by my book, explaining, to get himself off the hook, โattendance criteria are set by the Department of Education, and its statutory that schools follow the government guidance. I think the government want a comprehensive picture of how Covid is impacting school attendance, and I suppose this is the only real way of doing it.โ
Thank you for setting me straight, Mr Morgan, sir, put that cain back, itโs a national issue, I wrote it out a hundred times on the blackboard. I also followed this by penning an email to our supercilious man in parliament, Mr Danny Kruger, and surprise, surprise, the expected failed to hit me between the eyes; to date he felt it pointless to respond. Because, you know, itโs not like heโs our democratically voted voice in government, or that we pay his wages or anything silly like that. Iโm sure after digesting this he might have some smug reply which weโll think ourselves honoured and edit in accordingly…yeah, for sure.
Ruffle my hair, apologise, getting on with more โimportant thingsโ is the order of the day, it seems, in Westminster. Level up thisโฆ.
It wouldโve been nice to hear from our Mondayโs child, fair of face, being itโs the British Cross Children’s Mental Health Week, and if Iโm honest, this, I feel, is a small piece in a larger jigsaw, that basically suggests we treat our youth worse than a turd on our lawn. You want kids to be free of mental health issues, start treating them with an ounce of respect, might be a small start, start cutting them some slack. They are not slugs on your lettuce patch, a colony of ants marching across your kitchen lino. They are not a single-minded infestation; they are the ones who will be ruffling the pillows of your sickbed.
Iโm still in the dark at how the government will gain a โcomprehensive picture of how Covid is impacting school attendance,โ if other absences are included under the same marking, but ponder if it wouldโve taken too much expertise to divide a spreadsheet with a new column, so that the government could have an even clearer indication, and children wouldnโt be penalised for basically obeying the law. Or what? I am asking too much now? Can we not invest in a Microsoft Excel workshop for these unfortunate parliament office staff, Nadhim?
But of the larger jigsaw, depends on if you like social media, or not. An impossible subjective question, for all the keyboard warrior bigotry and hatred youโll shamelessly find posted, thereโs rays of sunshine mainstream media simply wonโt scoop. Like the other day on one of our local Facebook groups, where the family of an elderly lady who dropped her purse posted a photo of two hoodie teenagers on her doorstep, with a story of how, after the lady dropped her purse, these two juvenile hoodlums swept it up, cracked it open, found her address and walked the length of the town to deliver it back to her.
Yet random acts of kindness like this donโt sell newspapers, drama through crime does, and watch the plethora of negativity flow, tarnishing an entire generation for a few wayward youths in the comments of such shared news reports. How they all need stringing up, how theyโre all the same, how things looked so different back when you were young, through your rose-tinted specs.
โThe children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.โ Affix caps-lock, subtract grammar and educated thought, and youโd be fooled to think I found this on a local Facebook group post about door-kicking Tik-Tokers, rather than a Socrates quote from 300 B.C-ish; what a Tory twot!
Or how about, โCome mothers and fathers, throughout the land, and don’t criticize, what you can’t understand, your sons and your daughters, are beyond your command, your old road is rapidly agin’, please get out of the new one, if you can’t lend your hand, for the times they are a-changin’,โ which was written about your parents?! Face it, it is not a problem with youth of today, itโs a problem with a minority of youth, historically.
UK School Student’s Strike; 1985
In a politically correct era striving for equality, ageism seems exempt, when in my honest opinion it is the crassest, most hypocritical form of all prejudges, being most of us at some point will be the age being targeted! And if you are currently within that target, Iโll let you know a top adult secret, kids; the majority of your parents, your grandparents, and their grandparents behaved in manners far worse than you could possibly fathom, but they choose to forget for the sake of the benefits of whinging; guiltlessness, and to make them feel better about their own wayward past.
And while Iโm on honest opinion, I ask you think back to your own fondest memories and wager you were aged similarly, recall what you did, how you partied, celebrated and relished your youthful life. Then think what this generation has been through, what theyโve sacrificed; what you consider your warmest times, to prevent the spread of a pandemic.
They have sacrificed their golden years; they have foregone more than any generation since World War Two. Meanwhile, their influencers are hardly setting a good example, from walking into a supermarket and noting the majority of folk still wearing facemasks are the elderly and the youngsters, to footballers kicking cats to members of parliament who thought the Ministry of Sound was a real government department. ย ย
For crying out loud on Instagram, the idea of penalising students for poor attendance due to obeying the law came from Bullingdon bully leaders who danced on the graves of the infected, whose age shouldโve caused them to know better, but their sheer ignorance prevented them. To have had their golden years of trashing Oxford student unions halls and priceless art, burning money in front of the homeless, and other classy schoolboy acts of defiance, but still partied carelessly away today, while the rest of us suffered, and no more than our very own youth, who to dare enjoy themselves came with a ten thousand pound fine, while the regime got away with the insincere apology of a toddler. And you tell the kids to grow up and act responsibly?!
I urge you respond, Danny K, tell me you will nudge Nadhim Zahawi, wake him up and tell him to revise this appalling crime, by simply backtracking and marking studentsโ absence with a degree of respect for how they obeyed the law, while your bum-chums clearly donโt.
Melksham & Devizes Conservatives released a statement on the 7th April explaining an internal audit revealed one of their candidates was โnot qualified by residenceโฆ
Last month we were pleased to announce our involvement with the new Wiltshire Music Awards in conjunction with Wiltshire Events UK, details of which areโฆ
And there was me thinking nothing good comes out of a Monday! Today local bistro Soupchick, popular in the Devizesโ Shambles opened their second branch,โฆ
Stuffed my dinner, scanned the brief, headlonged out the door, forgot about the road diversion into the Market Place, made a u-turn, arrived at Wiltshireโฆ
If the Gazelle & Herod knocked a front page together this week from Facebook discussions about a spate of dog fouling in Devizes, with a frustrated looking Conservative Councillor Iain Wallis about centre, grasping a doggie poo bag, independent party of Devizes Town Council, The Guardians have a suggestion to curb the current controversy; installation of poo bag dispensers in key locations in the town.
Despite some areas of the country, like Ipswich having bulky male vigilantes hilariously dressed as dog poo fairies, all agreed a squad of enforcement officers on patrol was impractical. Iain Wallis, who Iโm certain would agree he would look great dressed as a dog poo fairy, suggested in the local rag, โI would like to see the town council set up a task group to gather ideas from the public as to how we can tackle the issue.โ Team Dog Poo, we could dub them, arguably apt, you might say, for some members of DTC. But this time, I’m coming to their defense!
Devizes Guardian Councillors Mrs Bridewell and Mrs Burton think the problem might be overcome, at least in part, by offering the bags in dispensers, located in key areas, including Hillworth Park, Brickley Lane Play Area and The Greens. The option will be discussed at Councilโs forthcoming Community and Civic Resources Committee.
Iโd sincerely hope its workable, but I’m a realist; plus, itโs hardly environmentally friendly. A wide range of reusable doggie poo solutions are available, dog owners only need to Google it and take some responsibility for their pets, and their planet alike. Which while a majority do bag-up, they still tend to use disposable bags, ergo dumping a turd in a bush is actually reducing their carbon footprint; the council could encourage them to break their wallet out and buy a reusable poo bag, because finding a practical solution is a minefield.
Concern is, if this trend continues itโll become the norm and weโll rearward to the watch-your-step era of the seventies and eighties, where if you grew up in this time, youโll recall the fetid white dog poo lining our streets, and brown snowballs being the single most vicious weapon of a snowball fight; is that what you really want? Brown snowball in the chops?
Give a man a doggie poo bag dispenser and youโll supply a solution for a day, teach the idiot to pick up after his mutt and youโll avoid non-dog owners complaining why they should fork out their council tax because of the contempt of certain dog owners. Not forgoing, Iโd fear bored pranksters, likely the TikTok door-kicker brigade with all the brains of an amoeba, tugging them out of the dispenser for so-called amusement, and weโd have empty dog poo bags flying in the air, and youโd likely step in a turd trying to avoid them; you can’t train stupid, neither can a council.
The Gov site encourages you to shop a dog fouler to your county council, here, this being the only sensible method to report it, but a proactive resolution is another thing. Because, the real solution is so radical it defies all reason, and itโs called a sense of moral obligation, to pick up your doggieโs doings. Yet thatโs not something any council can undertake successfully; it is up to the individual.
Thing is, do not sigh and assume youโre living in some degenerating hellhole, most do pick up their doggie doings around here, and the problem is nationwide, not lone to Devizes, probable worse in other areas. But it relies on a common-sense of decency; something seriously lacking in the chosen few who deem themselves above picking up their dog poo, if this is you, Iโve a message for you, donโt get a bloody dog!
It was a fantastically successful opening night for Devizes Musical Theatre at Dauntseyโs School for their latest show, Disneyโs Beauty and the Beast, and Iโฆ
Renowned Devizes auctioneers and valuers, Henry Aldridge and Son announced today they are relocating their auction rooms to The Old Emporium, a Grade II listedโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ann Ellison. What can possibly be better than watching a performance of โBlood Brothersโ by Willy Russell? Watching TWO performances ofโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Josie Mae Ross and Richard Fletcher John Hodge is well known for his screenwriting of โShallow Graveโ, โThe Beachโ, โA Lifeโฆ
One of Swindon’s premier grunge pop-punkers, The Belladonna Treatment released their debut single, Bits of Elation, with London-based SODEH Records earlier this month. I spokeโฆ
Cue a quite deliberate, massively deceiving, tabloid-fashioned headline, Devizes Mayor Chris Gay visited the town’s superloos today, but not because she was cut short!
Staff at our spotless, award-winning public Superloo were thanked by the Mayor this morning, for their ongoing hard work and efforts in maintaining the convenience.
Proudly, last month the superloo was recognised as ‘Washroom Cleaner of the Year,’ and also won the platinum ‘Loo of the Year Award’ 2022. And there was me thinking loos didn’t win awards, least they usually don’t make acceptance speeches…. along the lines of “I’d like to thank all the bottoms I’ve supported over the past year, etc…”
Okay, now I confess, I’m taking the…yes, did you expect anything more from my scatalogical sense of humour? If I see an opportunity for toilet humour on a slow news week, I go for it.
But it is a fantastic place to spend a penny, I’m writing this in there right now, which though I’d like to review, the job’s not complete until the paperwork is done.
Seriously though, because I occasionally do serious, Devizine congratulates the staff at the Devizes superloo, which is called thus, I believe, because it’s good enough for Superman to change in! And if it’s good enough for Superman, it’s good enough for me.
Amnesty International investigate, but a song can resonate injustices to the masses with far more impact. When UB40 released Tyler, in 1980, the perversions of the American justice system which jailed Gary Tyler six years previously for a murder he didnโt commit were little known in the UK. Convicted based entirely on the statements of four witnesses who later recanted their testimony, one has to wonder the differences having CCTV technology back then mightโve had on injustices such as this.
Apt then, that Birminghamโs premier UB40 tribute act, Johnny2Bad are playing The Exchange nightclub on Friday 11th February for a Devizes & District Licensees fundraiser, to raise funds towards supporting our town CCTV. But weโve already got a CCTV system, havenโt we?
I caught up with Noel Woolrych, controller of the cameras since it began fourteen years ago, to ask him what improvements need to be made. โHow long a list would you like?โ he responded, pointing out several areas in need of cameras; blind spots which Iโve no intention of telling you where they are cos, I know what youโre like! โBut itโs pretty much impossible to get from the Bell to Waddies without going past several cameras,โ Noel adds; probably got a few of me staggering home!
Currently upgrading the cameras in Old Swan Yard and putting up a couple more behind the Town Hall, Noel points out โnone of it is original, as it’s been upgraded several times. We respond to requests where there is antisocial behaviour.โ
Inclined to quip, at least the CCTV is run by a Labour man, heaven help us otherwise, but Noel quickly deflected the political jab, โpolitics has nothing to do with it.ย I’m just concerned for the safety of all.โ And in that, Iโm convinced nothing Orwellian is in operation here, Noel adamant if youโre doing nothing wrong, heโs not interested in spying on you.
โItโs being well supported by the night-time economy,โ continues Noel, explaining it recently caught someone smashing a car windscreen, and provided evidence for the knife incident at the Dolphin. โOh, and my conviction rate of those who get to court is only 100%!โ he vaunts, though with good reason, and for the coverage to continue keeping us safe and improve, further updates are needed.
Iโm certain booking Johnny2Bad is as a wise move as it is fitting, everyone loves UB40, and this eight-piece ensemble are a world-renowned tribute, endorsed by Ali Campbell himself on a national TV interview. With a wealth of experience beyond the reggae circuit, members of the band have toured with artists such as Sting, Santana and Peter Gabriel, and also reggae legends Jimmy Cliff, Third World, Shaggy, and Maxi Priest, but ultimately, Ali Campbell and the late Astro themselves; there can surely be no higher accolade.
But if thereโs one thing which, for me, puts a tribute act on a pedestal, is when they record original material in the style of those tributed. Iโve played one of two of their singles, โI love you,โ on my radio show, and it magnificently mimics the UB40 sound to the degree without knowing youโd think it was an album track of theirs you mustโve missed, and theyโve more tracks promised.
Not one to blag, but Iโm honoured to have their collaboration lockdown single on our compilation album for Juliaโs House, โweโre all in this thing together,โ with Big Ship Alliance, another brilliant reggae outfit which also has a Freddie McGregor tribute, plus Robbie Levi, and Stones.
Still, Johnny2Bad are real crowd-pleasers, and youโd be in for a fantastic night of the classic UB40 covers we love. Although Iโd be hoping for some personally favoured UB40s older originals, I wonโt throw toys from my pram if they donโt, as I believe post-Red Red Wine, their concentration on covering reggae classics breathed new life into rare Jamaican singles, which otherwise mightโve been lost in time. Such as the sublime Lord Creatorโs Kingston Town, and man, if this olโ trainspotter need Google if UB40 ever covered the Slickerโs Johnny Too Bad, Johnny2Bad have answered that for me!
Tickets for Johnny2Bad at The Exchange on Friday 11th February are ยฃ15, and can be found in the various pubs, at Devizes Light & Sound in Sidmouth Streetโฆ. but not in Kingston Town, the place I long to be, if I had the whole world, I would give it away, just to see, the girls at playโฆ. but obviously not via taking advantage of Noelโs CCTV system, for thatโs just to catch criminals!
A second single from Swindon Diva Chloe Hepburn, Situationships was released this week. With a deep rolling bassline, finger-click rhythm and silky soulful vocals, thisโฆ
I’m delighted to announce Devizine will be actively assisting to organise a new county-wide music awards administration, in conjunction with Wiltshire Music Events UK. Theโฆ
Can You Find The Wiltshire Potholes From The Moon Craters?! Now, at Devizine Towers we are far too mature and sensible to mock Wiltshire Councilโsโฆ
Review by Pip Aldridge Last week, I had the privilege of seeing the Fulltone Orchestra perform at the beautiful Tewkesbury Abbey beneath the Peace Dovesโฆ
Drizzle couldnโt prevent MantonFest from being one of my fondest memories of last year. Thereโs a real community-feel to this honourable little festival, yet it prevails professionalism aside itโs cheery atmosphere. Enough for me to label it โa gem in Marlboroughโs event calendarโ last time; letโs see whatโs in store this year, as organisers announce dates and line-up for 2022โฆ.
Set for Saturday 25th June this time, headlining are seminal rhythm & blues band, Animals & Friends, which boasts original Animals drummer John Steel, and keyboardist Mick Gallagher, who joined The Animals in 1965, replacing Alan Price, and is perhaps best known as a founding member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
Returning to MantonFest after a five year gap, Animals & Friends still command great respect internationally amongst their peers, as well as from fans of all ages who instinctively respond so enthusiastically to such pivotal songs from The Animals catalogue such as ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’, ‘Boom Boom’, ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, ‘Baby, Let Me Take You Home’, ‘I Put A Spell On You’ and the bands’ multi-million selling anthem and Number One hit across the world, ‘House of The Rising Sun’.
Also appearing with an astounding rรฉsumรฉ for a tribute act, 1993โs creation of John Mainwaring and John Ford, Jean Genie, has a founding in the very person itโs attributing, Bowie, of course. An original recording artist in his own right, John Mainwaring has been signed by numerous record companies throughout his career, twice with Warner Bros. In the 1980s David Bowie’s world-famous producer Tony Visconti produced some of John’s songs when he was signed to WEA.
Not forgoing work with Jarvis Cocker and Tony Christie, co-writing and recording Beverley Callard’s work-out fitness DVD, John is currently signed to Bucks Music Publishers for his original material, and, more apt for the role, in the late 1990s John was approached by ‘The Spiders from Mars,’ asking if he’d front the band and tour with them. Has to be said, itโs a rare thing for a tribute to have toured and performed with the original artist’s band.
Barrelhouse
Marlboroughโs own and MantonFest favourites, Barrelhouse are returning. With a penchant for vintage blues, I was mightily impressed with Barrelhouse las year, very nearly dropping my hotdog, blending their original material with classic blues covers so you couldnโt see the seam. Promoting a new live CD, theyโre a winner every time.
Another act, another tribute. One which Iโm sure will be welcomed with open arms by the MantonFest crowd, Nottingham-based Beatles tribute band, The Fab4. Formed thirty-two years ago, theyโre renowned for using classic sound equipment, much the same gear as the Beatles, to get that authentic sound, and were the first band invited to play at the Paul McCartney Auditorium at the Liverpool institute of Performing Arts.
Compelling and daring, former Purson singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, from Southend, Rosalie Cunningham is also on the line-up, whose 2019 debut solo album earned a Top 10 placing in the UKโs official independent chart. Along with local acts Dangerous Kitchen, a four-piece rock band, acoustic and electric band covers trio, @59, Adam Ford, Eddie Witcomb and LLoyd Crabb as Kotonic, and Mantonโs very own semi-acoustic blues, jazz and soul crossover group, Skedaddle.
@59
So, yeah, this variety, mostly rock, blues and soul one-dayer shindig, comes highly recommended by yours truly. Gates open at 11am on Saturday 25th June, and advance tickets have just gone online, for ยฃ35 until 15th June, ยฃ40 afterwards. Child tickets are a fiver, under 7โs go free, youth tickets are ยฃ15. This year people can book a plot for a campervan for ยฃ20, or a gazebo pitch for ยฃ10, payable on the day at the gate.
With an assortment of food and drinks stalls, picnics and bring your own booze are still welcomed, in this overall fantastically friendly festie overlooked by the beautiful surroundings of Treacle Brolly near Marlborough, itโs walking distance into town; what more do you want? Well, Iโd like to see Blondie tribute Dirty Harry from last year; see if I can get her phone number this time; epic fail due to cider last attempt!
There she is, see? Shouting out to me, “don’t call me, go home, you’re drunk!”
If many space-rock acts have more band member changes than most other musicians change their socks, Hawkwind are the exemplar of the tendency. There mightโฆ
The second single from Georgeโs sessions with Jolyon Dixon is out today, Isnโt She Lonely. With the vaudeville ambience of Queenโs later material and sprinklesโฆ
A new music festival is coming to Devizes this July. Organisers of the long-running Marlborough based festival MantonFest are shifting west across the downs andโฆ
All images: ยฉ๏ธ JS Terry Photography An awards ceremony to celebrate the outstanding musical talent within the city, aptly titled The 2024 Salisbury Music Awards,โฆ
Monsieur, with these Exchange Comedy night you are really spoiling us, for usually comedy in Devizes is just what we make ourselves; laughing at visitorsโฆ
A drone operated by Wiltshire Hunt Sabs was attacked by a second drone, twice, while surveying The Beaufort Hunt, after it recorded them illegally huntingโฆ
Found myself in the Sham last night, hail hailing rock n roll at the Assembly Hall, something Iโve been meaning to witness for ages; and Iโm pleased to report, they do it with bells onโฆโฆ
Passing through Swindonโs GWR works prior to the Steam Museum, I perchance to natter to an aged engineer prepping a locomotive for display. He frustrated his vocation was fading, and with no apprenticeship, the knowledge would be a lost trade. Art is different from a trade; it lives beyond the creatorsโ years naturally; it is only hope it inspires enough to attract devotees from future generations.
Creative types rarely contemplate this, tending to live for the moment. Rock n Roll was perhaps the first youth culture to transcend social and political barriers into mainstream. Generations of segregation had worn-out the connection of railroad slaves, mimicking four-beat folk of their masters, and white youths of the 1950s reunited it by blending blues into country, much to the outrage of traditionists. But would those early, wide-eyed rock n rollers have stopped to consider seventy years later their voices would still be ringing out, their fashion would be epitomised and their dances displayed with such enthusiasm, in a market town hall in South-West England?!
Geoff and his wife proudly sit on the door of the Melksham Assembly Hall and welcome me. They have been the backbone of The Melksham Rock N Roll Club since its formation, twenty years ago. Recently two clubs opened in Bristol, he expressed, but prior heโs had free reign of the niche market for a few years. Coupled with winterโs chill and the resistance to head back out post-lockdown, he shrugs, unruffled attendance is slightly down. I pulled up a chair for a chat of all things Buddy Holly to Shakinโ Stevens, then popped inside to see for myself.
Despite his reservations and taking into account the hall is wonderfully spacious, it feels suitably packed in there, if this is an evening of lesser ticket sales it certainly doesnโt show. Devotees of rock n roll have come from afar to attend; Geoff cites members trek from Bristol, and even as far as Essex.
The closest we have here in the โVizes is the Long Street Blues Club, which while spectacular can be a library-like appreciation society; I was shushed in there while thanking Ian for inviting me! Here appreciation is displayed rather differently, events aptly referred to as โdances,โ while hold factors akin to many clubs, a live band, DJ and a raffle, the most astounding part was the dancing. There was no way I dare step onto that dancefloor to be showed up, as matured and authentically attired regulars would put upcoming generations to shame with their astounding moves! Trade in your gym membership, come here instead for a rock n roll workout!
With poodle skirts whirling around refined gents in double-breasted Chesterfields and winklepickers, itโs an impressive spectacle. I was interested to observe the age demographic, concerned, like the steam engineer, for his disappearing trade. Iโd spoken to Geoff about diversity, for what is considered โrock n rollโ is altered by later age-groups, through Zeppelin to punk. But acceptance of progression felt like a no-go zone; this was traditional, fifties fashioned rock n roll, like it or lump it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the band, hailing from various locations from Hungerford to the Cotswolds, this five-piece ensemble called Haneyโs Big House had the classic arrangement; bona-fide frontman on lead, bassist, drummer, harmonica and an outstanding upright double-bass player. It proficiently spelled rock n roll to me, they played their own awesome compositions, and relished in covering Bill Haley and Chuck Berry, to name a few. Yet conversing outside, nick-picking gossip circulated it was too blues, whilst others suggested too rockabilly.
True, but the band donโt hide this blues influence on their own website, and inside the crowd danced on seemingly unconcerned. I huffed at a minority of grouches, they revelled in nights of yore through rose-tinted specs, when unfortunately, that era has passed. Haneyโs Big House made for an excellent evening, seemed to love the spotlight and were a perfect match for a rock n roll club.
Akin to the contemporary scooter scene, subgenres have to merge back into one another in hope of survival, as Northern Soul mods meet ska-led skinheads, so rockabilly, RnB and blues should be accepted as fair game by fundamentalist rock n rollers, otherwise the scene risks fragmentation over time.
A heartfelt concern, because Iโm with Joan Jett, loving rock n roll, put it every time on the jukebox baby; I grew up listening to Elvis, Buddy et al, via parents. Thereโs nothing like the authenticity of original rock n roll, with an epoch to match, The Melksham Rock N Roll Club is an institution upholding this ethos and they do so with matchless effort.
It was a brilliant evening of beguiling retrospection and long may it continue for another twenty years plus. My demographic observations came up trumps, while a palpable majority were retirement age diehards, a sprinkling was younger, equally excited about the scene. Though that number has to be upped, so I urge anyone affectionate of old timey rock n roll, try this affordable club for size; itโs reelinโ and a rockinโ to the point age is just a number, folk of all ages twirling the night away; absolutely wonderful!
Check out other forthcoming events at Melksham Assembly Hall Here, from Abba and Carpenters tributes to Madness and Led Zeppelin…and erm, “ladies” nights!
Without sounding like a stuck record, itโs the same unfortunate news for Devizes Street Festival as it was last year; Arts Council England has notโฆ
Bussing into Devizes Saturday evening, a gaggle (I believe is the appropriate collective noun) of twenty-something girls from Bath already on-board, disembark at The Marketโฆ
Once the demonic entity Spring-Heeled Jack entered folklore it became subject to many books and plays, diluting the once real threat of this Victorian bogeymanโฆ
Devizes singer-songwriter Jamie Hawkins, famed for poignant narrative in his songs and one-third Lost Trade, has always had a passion for filmmaking; Teeth is theโฆ
Glamping and other plush extras add to the allure of a modern-day festival, but how far are you willing to go to make your festie experience that bit more luxurious? Established dance festival Shindig, which takes place 26th-29th May in the glorious grounds of the Dillington Estate in Somerset, boasts the only festival in the UK with a hotel on site, and I donโt mean slumming in a Travelodge!
โYou can either stay in the beautiful main 18th Century Dillington House,โ they announced, โor in the incredible contemporary Hyde complex.โ The Superior Rooms are the largest and most luxurious, which are mostly found in the Hyde. Many come with their own private decking or balconies with views over the stunning Somerset countryside. Plus, hotel guests have their very own entrance straight into the festival, so you wonโt miss any of the action.
And that action is headliners De La Soul and Roy Ayers, with a massive host of live acts and DJs, including Nightmares on Wax, and Don Letts with Terry Hall, its own after-hours nightclub with Goldie playing among others, and a general good vibes atmosphere where the entire family is catered for. Thereโs the Kids Kingdom, which will be fully programmed with activities to keep them busy during the day, and performance shows and cinema for kids.
Okay, big question, yeah, hotel rooms start from ยฃ1,000 for four nights bed & breakfast, but this includes secure parking, room service, bar and restaurant. Other boutique camping options are bell tents, yurts and squirts, airstreams, or bring your own camper with a ยฃ70 in advance ticket.
All this wows me, how far the festival scene has come, and Shindig truly is a testament, for the glitzy side of dance music. But in this, it got me reminiscing of the downside to festivals of yore, lying flat in the cheapest prism one-man tent money could buy, with a burnt-out tealight, a little pond of muddy Special Brew and grass blades, telling myself it was all part of the festival experience!
Once, camping halfway up the side of an Andalusian Mountain, graduated to a dome tent, yet having to anchor my feet in the sleeping bag in a bottom corner and fasten myself diagonally across, supported either side by my rucksack and other paraphernalia, in order to prevent waking to find myself, and all my gear too, slumped into the bottom corner like I did on the first morning!
I find myself thinking back to people-watching at a bygone murky Glasto, where within the mud-drenched surrounding akin to an apocalyptic movie, I perchance to spot a glamorous young girl dressed totally in white, white leggings, white top and trainers. She was just standing there, in the midst of it all, spotless and looking horrified at the desolation around her. With frazzled mind I had to ponder how sheโd even got that far, I mean, without resembling everyone else, who were covered head-to-toe in mud and shit.
The only conclusion I could muster was teleportation, but Iโm now certain of one thing, that chick needed Shindig, possibly more than anyone! Phew, if I were her, or you, Iโd get my ticket here, forget the past and relish in the festival indulgence of a new era!
There are only a few tickets left for this yearโs Devizes Festival of Winter Ales, an important fundraiser for DOCAโฆ.. This year DOCA has teamedโฆ
A sublime evening of electronic elegance was had at Bathโs humble Rondo Theatre last night, where Cephidโs album, Sparks in The Darkness, was played outโฆ
I caught up with an excited Jonathan Hunter, leader of Devizes Town Councilโs independent party The Guardians, and local loyal youth worker Steve Dewar toโฆ
Experience the Bradford on Avon Green Man Festival, a vibrant, family-friendly community gathering featuring traditional dance, music, song, and folklore throughout the town centre onโฆ
If Iโm considering reviewing worldwide music again, why stop with this planet?! Though Iโve reasoned two tenacious links to mention this madcap Scottish interstellar outfit;โฆ
The team behind popular all-day music extravaganza, My Dadโs Bigger Than Your Dad Festival, can now reveal that nearly ยฃ11,500 was raised for Prospect Hospiceโฆ
Ticketholders for the hugely publicised Bath Reggae Festival still awaiting a refund after the festival was cancelled in August last year are getting understandably disgruntled, as the organisers are reportedly unresponsive to emails and messages….
Like many others, I jumped on this when first announced in November 2020. With a real community feel to their reggae scene, and Fairfield House, where Emperor Haile Selassie I spent five years in exile, what location in the southwest could be more apt to hold a reggae festival than Bath?
Wowed but slightly dubious when I saw the inaugural festival announce their line-up later in the month, for a first-time festival it seemed too good to be true. Legends of reggae were billed; Maxi Priest, Aswad, Big Mountain, Dawn Penn, Hollie Cook, Sister Nancy and more. Due to Covid restrictions the event was postponed from June to August, but over 2,000 reggae fans were disappointed to learn, due to the organisers being unable to source port-a-loos, the festival at Kensington Meadows in the city was again called off.
Spokesperson for event organisers, VIP Productions, Jack Wilkinson told the BBC at the time, โthere has been a mention of September but again that can’t be guaranteed.โ VIP put out a plea on their Facebook page, encouraging ticketholders to retain their tickets as they would be honoured once a future date was arranged, but promised a full refund if not. This was the last post published on their Facebook page in August, as punters rally to inquire to their refund, and receive no response.
Some managed to obtain a part-reimbursement from their bank or PayPal, but Iโve yet to find anyone who actually received a refund direct from the organisers. I emailed the festivalโs website and the messaged VIP Productions, to no reply either, but since discovered, according to the .gov site, the company dissolved in October. VIP also presented another similar reggae festival, same month, in Huddersfield, called Sunup, of which I can find no evidence of it happening either. Going on this, Iโm sad to say, I wouldnโt hold out much hope, guys.
I would not go as far to suggest the whole shebang was a scam; the festival industry is not a swindlersโ market, as it is not enormously profit-making. An event of this scale takes hard work, dedication, experience and a huge pot of funds long before stages are erected, and folk are downing cider and chewing on falafels. Admin, marketing, council permissions and insurance are just some of the mountains of red tape you need to get through just to get your foot on the first run of the ladder, therefore thereโs far easier methods of defrauding people.
Just one day prior to the event in August, Somerset Live reported VIP were โcriticised for their last-minute approach and lacking basic information in the application, making it โextremely difficultโ for Bath and North East Somerset Council.โ Somerset Live also spoke to a senior environmental health officer, Sara Chiffers, who expressed concerns, โweโve had extensive dialogue with the organisers about elements of the event management plan that were unclear, contradictory.โ
This would suggest my initial hesitancy was justified; perhaps their intentions were honourable, but they tried to run before they could walk. For to have one of these big names booked would have been enough for an inaugural festival, as you need to start small and build. You cannot run off looking at Glastonbury, Reading or Bestival, these are well established with generations of experience, if they book Bowie, or Bruce Springsteen itโs because they know they can, they know tickets will cover it. Festival organising is a massive risk, and fundamental organisers get an event co-ordinator with experience. But to fail over a trivial aspect like toilets is, aptly, a bit shit!
More so it looks bad, creating a riff between punter and organisers in general, and right now, this is the last thing the hospitality industry needs. I know of one festival organisation shut up shop because they depended on advance ticket sales to host the next event. An honourable, trustworthy little festival, and while Iโd rather advocate folk entrust such organisers, stories like this are bound to create understandable uncertainty.
My advice would have to be, in order for the festival scene to thrive and especially for new-comers to become established, folk have to put their trust in events and buy tickets in advance. Yet I urge punters to use their noodle, be wary of festivals promising too much at one time, especially the first time, or events which may have sister operations elsewhere in the UK under a similar banner. But it is detrimental for the future of festivals that organisers remain faithful to their customers, that they insure thereโs reserves for refunds should it fail, and that they keep in communication with the ticketholders in such an occasion, as it is not only the customers you are bothering, but other event organisers too; common decency really, isn’t it?
By Ian DiddamsImages by Jeni Meade No aficionado of 1960s and 1970s horror films would have missed seeing โRosemaryโs Babyโ, a story of Satanic pregnancy,โฆ
In November last year I was mightily impressed with Bristol soul-reggae producer Kaya Street, and reviewed their EP The Soul Sessions, read it here forโฆ
Another Stunning Week-End For Live Music Andy Fawthrop Normally Iโd be raving about just how good the live music was at The Southgate on Sundayย afternoon.โฆ
Developed in Devizes, blossoming in Bristol, as well as a snazzy new website, indie-punk phenomenon Nothing Rhymes with Orange released their next single, and itโsโฆ
Seems odd the perfect combination between Devizesโ only theatre, The Wharf, and one of the longest-running performance group, White Horse Opera hasnโt linked before, butโฆ
Set to release their new single โYoung Loves Dreamโ on Friday 11th February across all digital platforms, Talk in Code are rinsing their inimitable and uniformed sound with anthemic pop goodness; itโs to be expectedโฆโฆ
Coincidently, three years and one day ago Devizine reviewed this Swindon indie-pop four-pieceโs album, Resolve, with the retrospective angle of eighties power-pop rock, yet subtle nods to indie shifts through the heady nineties. Though as the band progress through four further singles weโve seen the latter dwindle and this take on a classic eighties sound coming through more and more.
Though Talk in Code is no tribute, this is progressive, refreshingly contemporary and exclusively perfected, a hi-fidelity ambience where instruments simply meld as flawlessly as those eightiesโ gods of pop. An era of one-hit-wonders, accepted, but those who succeeded beyond this point did so by creating a defining sound, so no youth would confuse their Spandau Ballet with their Human League, and this is precisely where Talk in Code now stand; nowadays we compare their singles with their previous singles rather than cite influences, because their uniqueness is peerless. ย
The reason why, I consider, the band strive with matchless momentum on the local circuit, having headlined three of Wiltshireโs largest music events last year, the big named bookings of pop-fused Mfor at Lydiard Park, the memorable rock for cancer Concert At The Kings and Swindonโs homegrown talent showcase, the Shuffle. Also, it is why Talk in Code have shared billings with Scouting For Girls, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Craig David, SAS Band, 10cc and Lindisfarne, why devotees are dubbed โtalkersโ and theyโve accumulated 180,000 Spotify streams, or added to over 700 Spotify playlists.
So, this new single, โYoung Loves Dreamโ is of no exception, it gloriously follows the formula, which is, as suggested, key to their brilliance. It booms straight in, breaks when it needs to and reaches an undefinable bridge, flowing nicely with steady BPMs, and a bright, uplifting vibe. As suggested by the title, itโs romantically themed, exploring the hopefulness of youth; an ode to the potentials of initial infatuation, prior to the twists and turns life throws at you. In that, the mood of the enriching instrumentation reflects the vocals sublimely, and will have you pondering that butterfly moment of early romance, you know the kind of emotion which will make you hug the pillow in their absence, as their scent lingers, or, oh, was that just me?!
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, all the previous singles weโve fondly reviewed can be found on this here Spotify link, and with this progressive new track, will make up part of โThe Big Screen,โ Talk in Codeโs second album, due on Friday 15th April, playing the launch at Swindonโs Level 3, Swindon, on Saturday April 16th 2022.
Just prior, Iโm hopeful we can set up an interview with Chris and the band, one crucial question will be whatโs in a name, as Talk in Codeโs style is never cryptic, you need not untangle painstaking poetic wordplay, it is good, honest pop kept simple, and they do it so well itโs mainstream in the making. Loveโs Young Dream takes this pattern and truly celebrates it, projecting positive evolution for this radical band.
Featured Image Credit: Stewart Baxter Riot predictor Nick Hodgson formerly of the Kaiser Chiefs has a new band, the charmingly named Everyone Says Hi, andโฆ
Bob Marley sang โjamminโ โtil the jam is through,โ Jimmy Cricketโs catchphrase was โcomeโere, thereโs more,โ but it looks like The Southgate in Devizes isโฆ
The second feature film for director Keith Wilhelm Kopp and writer Laurence Guy, First Christmas enters development, to be produced by Shropshire-based production company, Askโฆ
Image credit: Forestry England/Crown copyright. Forestry England Nightingale Wood invites dog owners to celebrate Walk Your Dog Month this January….. Walk Your Dog Month isโฆ
If thereโs one venue Iโm delighted to pen an event preview for, this new year, it has to be St Maryโs Church in Devizes. The Invitation Theatre Company showed us the potential of this disused church way back when, when Jemma and friendsaptly dressed as nuns for Sister Act, if I remember rightly?!
Since itโs been on the cards to convert St Maryโs into arts centre, and must be said, itโs been a rocky road to get this far. Now the venue is ready for singing Bishop of Ramsbury, Andrew Rumsey to showcase his musical and literary talents.
The event is in aid of the church regeneration fund, as Wiltshire Council and Salisbury Diocesan Authorities have given the go ahead for an extension to house additional facilities and the necessary changes to the interior.
On the evening of Saturday 22nd January, Andrew will be sharing songs and readings from his new book English Grounds: A Pastoral Journal in the 12th Century Church.
Appropriate for a Grade 1 listed venue, which has been a place of worship in Devizes for the best part of nine hundred years. Dr Rumseyโs new book is rooted in the Wiltshire landscape, exploring themes of place, spirituality and belonging in a series of short essays and photographs.
As well as being an author, whose writing centres on themes of place and local identity, the bishop is also a musician, with a longstanding interest in song writing and popular music. Former Literary Editor of The Times, Erica Wagner, describes his latest title as โa marvellous book, lit by faith, love and imaginationโ.
The event will be the first of a number planned at St Maryโs for 2022, as the innovative plans to transform the church as a hub for arts in the community take a step nearer, which is exciting news for Devizes.
Entry is ยฃ10, you can book at Devizes Books, or pay on the door.
Salisbury acoustic singer-songwriter Rosie Jay released her debut EP today, taking its title from her first single from June this year, I Donโt Give aโฆ
I’m loving this new tune! Swindon’s upcoming reggae singer/DJ Silver-Star has teamed up with the legendary General Levy for a drum n bass golden nuggetโฆ
If we recently reviewed Ian Diddams and friends meeting at the Vaults for their annual festive Jackanory, the first article of 2021 was the very same funny fellow reciting his yarn as a live stream from his mocked garden grotto, and in that, surely displays how far weโve come from the restrictions of lockdown we entered the year with. Though not without the same notion as last Christmas looming over us, like a dirty black shroud, that it was, perhaps, all too soon, and weโve not seen the backside of the Covid19 yet.
Summarising, 2021 was marginally better than 2020; there were gung-ho moments of throwing caution to the wind, and there were others to make us stop and ponder the consequences of our actions. Thereโs little doubt the world will never be the same for decades to come; social interaction, shopping, even work practises; but we did get to party on occasions, and when it was good, it was really good.
And if it ended with a Boxing Day brawl, I suspect some wished for the bash-a-sab fest. Even police it seems, who would likely send in The Wealdstone Raider to crowd control a Wealdstone V Whitehawk FC game, if given the assignment. Did I predict this when I saidโmake no mistake, thereโs a civil war under our noses, which comes to an apex when blood-thirsty predators triumphantly parade their wrongdoing on a day when most of us struggle out of bed to reach the fridge?โ
Hardly crystal ball stuff, tensions at their highest for rural Wiltshireโs most contradictory dispute, it was on the cards since day dot; when the county voted in a foxhunting Police Crime Commissioner, whose misadventures in drink driving caused him to pull out at a cost of millions to the taxpayer. A calamity most shrugged off with โoh, ha-ha, those naughty Tories, bless โem.โ
Allowed Out to Play
It was May before I set foot in a pub, lockdown eased and live music was back on the agenda, albeit with hefty restrictions; early ending times, remain seated, table service, no mingling outside of โbubbles,โ and deffo no dancing or singing. It felt awkward to begin with, not quite the same, but it was a start, and who better to kick off proceedings than the brilliant Daybreakers, gracing the trusty Southgate? One could sense the joy from Cath, Gouldy et al, to be singing to an audience once again, proving their dedication to the cause. A handclap emoji just isnโt the same.
For a while then The Southgate remained the only venue in Devizes providing live music, and we thank Deborah, Dave and all staff for working within the rules to create a safe space to be blessed with music; it was like they were on roller-skates at times, up and down the beer garden, ensuring not a mouth was left dry!
I also ventured out to the Barge at Honeystreet, to see how they were coping with the boundaries too. And what a show The Boot Hill All Stars put on there, under a spacious marquee, so tempting to get up and dance, but couldnโt; mastered foot-tapping though.
The return to some normality for many in Devizes came in clement early June, when Devizes Lions held a fantastic car show, plus, on the Green. With side stalls aplenty, nervously folk began to socially distanced mingle; it was a breath of fresh air and a testament to what can be safely achieved with forward thinking and dedication.
Image by Nick Padmore
By July I made it out a few times, the idea of Vince Bell teaming with the individual performers of The Lost Trades, Phil, Jamie and Tamsin was too much of an irresistible hoedown of local talent to miss, and a third trip to the trusty Southgate to tick TwoManTing off my must-do list also proved to be a memorable evening.
The beginning of August I ventured to TrowVegas to tick another off said list, catching those Roughcut Rebels with new frontman Finley Trusler. They blasted the Greyhound, and didnโt disappoint. The month shifted gear for many, and things simply blossomed like there never was a lockdown. Back-to-back weekends saw both my favourite largescale of 2021, the single-most amazing festival near Marlborough; MantonFest is a real gem, professionally done with a real communal atmosphere, the type perpetual drizzle couldnโt put a downer on. This event wowed.
Back in Devizes, the events of the year were the weekend which followed, sitting nicely between a stripped back version of DOCAโs International Street Festivalsprinkled across town, was of course, The Full Tone Festival. Without the refreshing emergence of folk out of lockdown, this would have still been something for the townโs history books, but being as it was, the opportunity to head back out and enjoy life once again, the timing, the best weather, the whole ambience was electric. The time and work gone into pulling this off was absolutely outstanding, and for which folk of Devizes will forever mark it as a celebration of post lockdown.
Awakenings even drew Andy out of hiding by September, and I was overjoyed to have him back on the team, without putting his bag and coat on the hook, he went out to play, reviewing Devizes Musical TheatreโsGallery of Rogues, and Devizes Town Bandโs Proms in Hillworth Park. Meanwhile I was delighted to see The Wharf Theatre reopen with a fantastic performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.
September also saw the welcome return of Devizes Comedy at the Corn Exchange, and The Long Street Blues Club, who, kicking off with Creedence Clearwater Review, wasted no time catching up with their rescheduled programme of the most excellent blues nights money can buy. Andy covered these, while I ventured to see Kieran J Mooreโs new digs at Trowbridge Town Hall. After a brilliant street art exhibit from Tom Miller, I went to taste the music there, with a most memorable evening from Onika Venus. I returned to the scene in November, for a great gig from ร lesund with support from Agata.
Other than a trip to the White Horse Opera and Southgate to see Jon Amorโs King Street Turnaround, Andy pitched a tent at Long Street Blues Club, one time shipped out to the Corn Exchange in late November for Focus, which Andy crowned best gig of the year. I made it out to the Cross Keys in Rowde for The Life of Brian Band, and to the Southgate see Strange Folk again, since their fantastic set on Vinyl Realmโs stage at a Street Festival of yore. But October held my best gig of the year, the reasons manyfold, and Iโm lay them on the lineโฆ.
For the outstanding fundraising efforts of the Civic award-winning local supergroup, The Female of the Species, I hold them all up as my heroines, therefore the chance to see them again at Melkshamโs fantastic Assembly Hall too much to miss, and the fact theyโd chosen this time to raise funds for another of my local heroines, Carmela Chillery-Watson, was almost too much to take! With an electric night of awesome danceable covers and a massive raffle, they raised a staggering ยฃ1,763 for Carmelaโs Therapy Fund.
It will never cease to amaze me the selfless lengths our musicians will go to for fundraising. Even after a year and half of closed hospitality and no bread-and-butter gigs, they continue to offer their precious time to help. While events blossomed late this year, and November saw the return of TITCO, and Devizes Arts Festival added a spellbinding mini-autumn-festival with Ronnie Scottโs Jazz Club, Sally Barker and Motown Gold, Devizine continued also to preview events and do what we had being doing to find content during lockdown. Yeah, we rattled some cages with social and political opinion pieces, tasted some great takeaway tucker, and we reviewed recorded music further afield as well as local, but we had a number of feelgood stories, most memorable being things like our snowman competition in January, but there was a project which highlighted the sterling effort from musicians to fundraise, and it will be something Iโll never forget.
Image: Gail Foster
So, in April I announced we would be putting together a compilation album, fundraising for Juliaโs House Childrenโs Hospices and by late June it was a thing. It was hard work to put together, but Iโm astounded by the plethora of great bands and artists who took the time to send us a tune for inclusion. Knowing time was precious for artists popping out of lockdown, in need to source bookings and rehearse, I only asked them to provide us with an existing tune to prompt their albums, but some went beyond this, giving us exclusive outtakes such as the brilliant Richard Davis & the Dissidents, or some even recorded new songs, like Blondie & Ska, Tom Harris and Neonian.
I picked a staggering forty-six tracks to bind together, to create a boxset so humongous it would need far too many CDs to make it actual, so due to this and the expense of outlaying, it exists as a download on Bandcamp. Think of it as a teaser for the many great acts weโve supported and reviewed over the years, and for a tenner, it works out under 5p a tune.
For me this was a momentous achievement, and canโt thank them enough. While Iโve put it out to the right places, to the Gazette & Herald and Fantasy, and airtime on West Wilts Radioโs fantastic Sounds of Wilderness Show, there is obviously more I need to do to get the message out there, as sales have been slow, unfortunately.
I could fathom a number of reasons for this, but in all, weโve raised approximately ยฃ177 for Juliaโs House, hoping to reach a ยฃ200 target before we send them the money, still sales have waivered off so significantly I feel I need to send what weโve had so far. Please help us to up the total if youโve not already bought this fantastic album. Gloom aside I will say Iโm planning a second volume, and already have a few contributions from incredible acts such as Nick Harper, Onika Venus and Catfish.
Returning to events for the last part of the year, While Andy fondly reviewed Focus, I popped into the Corn Exchange for a quick interview with The Lost Trades, and left to attend a great art show at the Shambles. That weekend the Full-Tone Orchestra played Swindonโs Wyvern, and Iโm grateful to Ian Diddams for his review. This is what we need, people, we cannot cover everything, but if youโve a few words to say about an event or anything local, please, help to make Devizine a comprehensive community, erm, thing!
Of course, one delightful addition to our team TD Rose has been submitting some lovey features, firstly of ramblings, and more recently she made friends with Wiltshire Museum, and reviewed DOCAโs Winter Festival. Thank you so much Tyg, Iโve yet to meet, but we need to arrange this for the new year.
Image: Chris Dunn
Towards the end of November Andy remained seated at Long Street, I did the rum bar thing. Such a refreshing addition to Devizes, The Muck & Dundar pulled off a blinder with Bristol DJs, The Allergies. This was one smooth funky night, best for an age, and it was great to shake my greying tailfeathers. Both Andy and I finished off the year with a Boot Hill bash at the Southgate, where hip hop misfits Monkey Bizzle supported, and was shocked by Andyโs positive reaction, being more my cup of cheddar, this was an awesome night too!
Having live music back, no matter the limitations was a breath of fresh air. Prior to it I was still scrambling around in the dark as I was in 2020, hunting for something to write about. But I guess a year of lockdown had given me time to contemplate and improve on the content. This boosted the stats, for if 2020 saw a drop in readership, I hoped to better it, and Iโm pleased to announce we had a record amount, well over doubling the figures of 2020. This is awesome news, and I thank everyone for keeping the faith in us, and continuing to support Devizine.
I keep looking at the bar graph of stats, not believing the skyscraper which is 2021. How much weโve grown, become a โthingโ now. Itโs fantastic and I hope we will continue to entertain you. I must stress though, we donโt harass you to subscribe or any rubbish like this, we keep advertising to a minimum, and nothing should pop up and distract your reading, and we uphold the ethos features should be free to the end user.
Yet we do need to maintain some budget to keep the site going. Thatโs currently around ยฃ60 a year; we fund our own beer money, thank you, weโre not MPs, we have no expense forms! So please consider donating to keep Devizine afloat, please donate when sending us an advert, unless it is fundraising. Iโd really like to build up a small fund to get some charity events off the ground, as I believe the artists should be paid for their time considering their predicament too. So, anything extra will go towards this, and promoting the Juliaโs House album.
What can we expect from Devizine in 2022, you might ask; well, if itโs not brokenโฆ…letโs happily bash on shall we?! Thank you all so much for your support over 2021, the stats show weโre heading in the right direction.
On Food
Said this before, but I take pride in repeating myself; food reviews get an enormous response, yet still eateries seem reluctant to come forward. A food review here will do wonders for your sales, and Iโm not just saying that because Iโm a greedy so-and-so. Places weโve eaten out or takeaways weโve had which failed to live up to our expectations have not been mentioned. Iโm no Gordon Ramsey and Iโm not about to publish a slagging off. Iโd rather tell you to your face why Iโm not reviewing it!
During lockdowns the takeaway became essential part of a weekend treat for families with nought else to do, and new establishments opened, while pre-existing ones flourished. In January we praised the Massimosโ Pizza, and the following month saw me queuing halfway down a frozzled Nursteed Road for a rather tasty Greek Gyro from the Cosy Kitchen mobile van; such was the popularity of these mobile units during the bleakest of times.
When things begun to open up in April I went for my first vaccination jab, where they told me not to drive for fifteen minutes. They didnโt say go find a new Indian lunchtime takeaway in the Brittox, but we did, and long should Naan Guru live on!
Not much further into the same month, I tracked down The Feisty Fish, a fish n chips van like no other. They donโt come into town being thereโs chip shops here, but track these guys down for the single best gourmet fish n chips you will ever taste, I tell no lie!
June saw a second IndieDay, organised by InDevizes, and prompted people to get out and shop with a bustling farmerโs market, in which I discovered the rosy cheeked benefits of Lavington’s Rutts Lane Cider, and merrily made my way home on the bus! I also had to mention, unsurprisingly to those who know me, that month, that Plankโs Dairies introduced a new locally-sourced organic milk, yogurt and juice range, in sizable and reusable glass bottles, which has proved hugely popular.
Naturally, without a main stage this year, there was a greater interest in the food market at The Devizes Street Festival in August, and the following month we mentioned Devizes Food & Drink Festivalโs Market, where I was reunited with Rutts!
Mildly amusing than most, I offered a Battle of the Best Devizes Breakfast, in November, something we need to follow up on when the kids are back in school, as Round One, The Condado Lounge Vs New Society was a popular post. I bloominโ love food, me, yโknow, invite me to your cafรฉ, pub or restaurant and Iโll give you my honest opinion, except I donโt do eggs or liquorice; yuck!
On Music
If Iโve already mentioned our awesome 4 Juliaโs House project, and all the artists who contributed are in my good books, we also covered a whole heap of new releases. Plus, we started a Song of the Day, where we post a YouTube link for your pleasure, and generally donโt say much else about it, rather waffle on a tangent! But mostly recorded sound reviews waned when live music reopened, still we strive to continue telling you what we like.
Will Lawton
Will Lawton proposed to open a music school, JMW held a lockdown festival in support of musicians, Wiltshire Council asked Gecko for a Road Crossing song and video, and Wiltshire Rural Musicโs announced producing live steams from Trowbridge Town Hall.
Kirsty Clinch announced her music school and book plans, and covered Swindonโs sound system Mid Life Krisisโs live streams. We chatted to The Scribes, announced The Lost Trades Live Stream in Advance of Album Launch, and The Ruzz Guitar Sessions, and Asa Murphy returning to Devizes.
We announced Sheerโs Salem gig, the Dear John Concert Album for War Child, and the bid to help Calne Central. Announced Sheerโs Frank Turner gig at the Cheese & Grain, chatted to Blondie & Ska. Announced Wharf Theatreโs Youth Theatre, Pound Arts Blue Sky Festival, My Dadโs Bigger than Your Dad Festival in tribute to Dave Young. This list goes on, but most enjoyable recently, meeting up with Visual Arts Radio who moved from Frome to Devizes.
We reviewed Terry Edwards Best of Box Set, Ainโt Nobodyโs Business by Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue and Pete Gage, Skates & Wagons, Kirsty Clinch, Small Town Tigers, Django Django, Chole Glover, Araluen and Ariel Posen. Trowbridge DJ and producer Neonian, The Direct Hits, Andy J Williams, Erin Bardwell, Nigel G Lowndes, Mike Clerk, Cutsmith, Timid Deer, and Cult Figures.
Horses of the Gods, Lone Ark & The 18th Parallel, Longcoats, Black Market Dub and The Lost Trades.
Brainiac 5, Sitting Tenants, Stockwell, Storm Jae and Nory, Sam Bishop, Longcoats, The Bakeseys and Elli de Mon.
Liddington Hill, Boom Boom Racoon, Longcoats, Girls Go Ska and Daisy Chapman.
Monkey Bizzle, Webb, The Hawks, Captain Accident & The Disasters, Onika Venus, Death of Guitar Pop, The Burner Band, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, and Scott Lavene.
Spearmint, Captain Rico & The Ghost Band, Sonny Vincent, Freya Beer, Near Jazz Experience, Beans on Toast, Old Habits, and most recently, Paul Lappin! That enough for you?!ย
On the Social and Political Side
The fate of every nation depended on how their governments dealt with the pandemic, and how the public responded to them. Iโm not here to dwell on international or even national politics, for this is a review of Devizine, what I define loosely as โan entertainment news and events guide,โ for the locality of Wiltshire, focussing particularly on our base, Devizes. Yet tenaciously it is linked, undeniably affecting limitations to what we could and couldnโt do. By the very appalling national statistics, despite rolling out vaccinations like no other country, it revealed true horrors of conflicting government decisions, their general disrespect and selfishness for the public theyโre supposed to serve, and the publicโs reaction to them.
Like a blind vacuum, sucking in every government blame game, it never ceases to amaze me keyboard warriors on social media turning culpability onto mainstream media, when their task is purely to report news, and capture the mood of the nation. The mainstream media is ruled by the elite, funding the government, theyโre in bed together, literally. To publicise shortage of goods is informing of a potential issue, they didnโt enforce panic buying, the public did; chicken and egg. Equally, to publish mood change in the majority lost faith in government, is because thereโs a mood change; weโve lost faith in government.
Iโm not here to say I told you so; Iโve not lost faith in this government, I had none to start with!
Take the last set of pandemic announcements, made only hours after government-controlled media broke news of Downing Street Christmas parties, best part of twelve months earlier. A day where the public felt betrayed, even those who voted for Bojo and his cronies held their heads in shame and had to confess it was all too much for a government to break rulings it set itself, and party on while the public suffered, and died. The mood was understandably bleak; why should we do what they say when they clearly donโt?
Why, you ask, for crying out loud? To protect ourselves from a global pandemic, numpty! Government announcements are fed counsel from health organisations and medical experts, skewered by bent politics, naturally, but the bullet points are there. It is not the same self-entitled buffoons, theyโre voiceover artists on this occasion; given free reign theyโd have โherd immunity,โ against WHO advise.
Can you not see through the wool? The government press released the Downing Street Christmas Party scandal themselves, bang on cue of an announcement, so we would all think precisely that, why should we do what they say when they clearly donโt? If we rebel from their restrictions, weโve only got ourselves to blame when the virus spreads. The government gets what they always wanted, herd immunity, and theyโve shifted the blame away from them and onto you, me, and everyone else.
Therefore, we need to take precautions ourselves, be a community, care for others around us. No hard and fast lockdown is needed, if common bloody sense prevailed, but government seem intent to rinse it from our craniums. Weโre not self-service tills, do not robotise us!
We know now how to prevent the virus spreading; keep your distance from others, wear facemasks in public places, follow NHS guidelines in testing and get vaccinated as soon as possible, whether they tell you to or not.
These things should be commonplace, but whenever restrictions ease, like a naughty school-boy triumphantly marching out of detention only to offend again, we forget everything weโve learned and pay the cost for it. Iโm not preaching like a saint, caged too, I urged for a pint, to lob my facemask into the air, hug, and flaunt the rules when the rules relaxed, at times reflecting if we did the right thing, least if we did it too soon. But itโs done now and we canโt turn the hands of time. If we could, Iโd still be on Castlemorton Common.
Old Skool Rave
In this, one series of articles I was proud of this summer was in reminiscence of my youth, being the thirtieth anniversary of 1991, an explosion for the rave scene. But another similar premise based on news of illegal raves happening in lockdown, was to ask those old skool ravers if theyโd still go raving if there was a similar pandemic in the nineties; with interesting results.
Return of the Rave
And if it sounded like I was defending mainstream media, I wasnโt, only applying a smidgen of sympathy. With Facebook, Twitter et al, media is everyone now; Iโm living proof any idiot can publish a blog and make look it like reputable news! Reason why, I guess, criticising other local outlets always brings hits, the occasion I felt the need to defend Devizes against the sharp eye of local gutter-press Wiltshire Live, proved to be our third most popular article of the year.
Devizes is a great place to live, Tory top-heavy, but thatโs something anyone with an alternative opinion has to unfortunately suck up. Our fourth most popular article this year was in January, breaking the news Tory PCC candidate for Wiltshire, Johnathan Seed, was a bad card. Something as more evidence came to light, namely drink-driving offences, proved to be true, at the time I put my finger on something conflicting in his chat with us, calling anyone who cared to address fox hunting a โtroll,โ but requesting we talk on his trespass pledges, blatantly linked to restrict the movement of sabs, the only folk we see actually policing this disgusting and unbelievable smokescreen of trail hunting. Something we covered more recently, suggesting Boxing Day Hunts need better policing.
Moan Iโm bias, yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Do I attempt to hide it like others? Why the hell should I side with anyone butchering wildlife for so-called sport, and in that, why the hell would you?! But hey, I remained impartial during local elections, giving each and every candidate a platform, so there!
Never has a PCC election run with such controversy. Aggravation between sides fired, and we did more than blow the lid off Seedyโs bogus campaign, causing some alarming revelations in local social media bias. Tories back Tories, no matter what theyโve done wrong, itโs an allegiance to admire, even if you feel itโs malicious. As well as chatting with Lib Dem candidate Liz Webster and independent Mike Rees, we tried a few spoofs: Play the Wiltshire PCC Game, Basil Brush Missing, and upon the Tories hustling in an alternative candidate by stalling the re-election, we ran a short story The Adventures of Police Crime Commissioner Wilko, which was based upon a better received satire, a long-running mock of Wiltshire Council, inThe Adventures of Councillor Yellowhead.
At times Mike seemed such a threat to Wiltshireโs Tory totalitarianism, a media attack seemed the best method to deflect people taking the common-sense vote. The first bout came in January, when Mike was barred from volunteering to administer lateral flow Covid tests, the second in July affected me personally as the Devizes Issues Facebook group revealed its fiercely denied bias, by banning me for using a George Orwell quote to express my concern at the taxpayer having to fork four million quid for a re-election which was clearly the Conservative Partyโs fault! Iโm adamant it was justified.
Nineteen-eighty-four was supposed to be a warning, not a fucking self-help guide.
Annoyed, I struck out, naturally, and was begged back, after the full-gone conclusion a Wiltshire majority blindly vote for the blue rosette no matter what! But it was a month after the ban, the smear reached its apex, with all posts about the independent candidate immediately banned and deleted on the popular Facebook group, and anyone complaining were blamed by members for the downfall in Mikeโs success! You canโt make up hypocrisy that nasty.ย
Tory Devizes Town Councillor Iain Wallis on โthe Devizes Issues.โ
Itโs not the politics which bothers me as much as the kind of world they envision. Stories of injustice swamped Devizine this year, more than ever before, even our April Foolโs Joke had stark repercussions.
Every minute an adolescent arm reaches out of a window, unceremoniously handing a bag of fast food to a driver, they nod a thanks, and leave. That seemed to me to be the maximum social interaction of 2020, yet commonplace in modern living, pandemic or not. I recalled going to a Tesco, paid at the pump, masked expressions as I sauntered the aisles, paid at the self-service till and on the way out considered one could live their life in modern times completely unnoticed, months need pass without human contact. My mind meanders if thatโs something young folk actually want, or if theyโve been robotised, or if itโs an age thing leaving me in a care-home for terminally bewildered.
The best hitting article of the year was again, our April Foolโs Day joke, where this time I misleadingly announced the opening of a McDonalds in Devizes. Maliciously planned, it broke the local internet, and despite suggesting it was All Fools Day in the piece, comments and messages flooded in from headline scanners. In favour of it or not, the debate is such popular the joke was lost on many desperate souls dying for a McFlurry; causing faith, just like Chippenhamโs recent pandemonium for a bucket of battery chicken in gravy, yes, Aldous Huxley was bang-on, many folks do want to live in this commercialised bubble, void of individualism.
On Everything Else
Individualism, free thinking and fair and just causes we stand for here, it is not my fault the many attempts to counteract this seem to come from a conservative ethos, and therefore get criticised for it. Iโm not dead against conservativism, but they seem dead against me, as if weโre supposed to know our place tip our hat and reply, โvery good guvnor, Iโll bail your shit for a shilling!โ
My god, how they hate common people who can articulate, thatโsโ why they slash away like Freddy Kruger at the education budget while back the grammar school relaunch. Then keyboard warriors whinge at juvenile delinquency like itโs a new thing and something stringing them up for will somehow solve. Weโre heading into days as dark as the early eighties, perhaps medieval for some, days I remember with a horror in my heart.
The audacious legacy building bashes on with grand and glorious plans, I reported Stonehenge had been saved by the High Court, but they operate above the law and continue to ignore the justice system, plotting to bury a road underneath it, shaking it to ruin, least knocking it of the World Heritage List, for the sake of knocking minutes off commuting times.
I criticised the reality of building a whole new train station miles out of Devizes, against popular opinion, cos Iโll believe it when I see it, and furthermore, I feel thereโs more pressing issues which looking at. If not our terrible infrastructure, the state of our roads, and the endless chain of bureaucratic nonsense to get the simplest of notions pushed through bumbling pompousness of councillors and apparent do-gooders, itโs the increasing homeless on our streets, the need for Food Banks which the Tories selfishly assume is a good thing, the poverty level submerging a continuous population and the outright condoning of racist, sexist and homophobic acts. Sort them out, and Iโll gladly stand on Devizes Parkway platform with you, or any other brazen legacy-building pledge you dream up!
Every time Iโm duped, I feel like an idiot, unable to get my message through the red tape. You want a train station, yet I reported the dangerous state of a Wiltshire Council playpark in Rowde, FIVE years ago, and I have to seriously throw my toys out of the pram to get anyone to pay it any attention. In February this year I was delighted, based on my article, Councillor Laura Mayes secured ยฃ20,000 from WC to re-design the playground and she proudly used it to publicise her election pledge.
But still the playpark remains in the same state of disrepair, not a penny pledged has been spent. Whether this is WCโs fault or the Parish Council I donโt know, they got what I suspect they wanted, a successful election result, and my whinging reduced too. Iโve just lost all faith and interest in continuing to bother with it. You want a train station, huh? Traffic lights at the Black Dog crossroads? A no left turn sign at the top of Dunkirk Hill? Yeah, good luck with that, weโre moving into six years for them to fix a dangerous baseplate of a bouncy chicken in a playpark!
Yet perseverance can pay off; we loved it when Rab Hardie of Duck N Curver broke into Stonehenge to raise awareness of his wish to film a video inside the stone circle, we asked if the Fire & Rescue Service were Cutting Vital Flood Equipment, defended Wiltshire Police from keyboard warriors upset they used a rainbow as their Facebook logo during Pride Month, wished Devizes Lions a happy 50th, supported Joe Brindle on his campaign to save Drews Pond Wood, attended Save Furlong Close protests, added some reflection on the Travellers based in Bromham, praised local artist, Clifton Powell when he was commissioned for English Heritage Exhibition, The African Diaspora in England, had a great time at Breakout, Chippenhamโs Alternative Art Show, congratulated the award-winning British Lion. Crickey, the list goes on; the vast array of subjects weโve covered, even war memorials which look like bins!
I must be boring you into an early grave, which isnโt the best way to start a new year!
One last thing, we did plenty of spoofs and satirical pieces, too many to name, yet, allโs fair in love and war, and it was a great year; hereโs to 2022! I leave it there before your head explodes!
Untangling the events of the violence which occurred in Lacock on Boxing Day, and received national press interest, could take some time. But in a shocking revelation today, Wiltshire Hunt Sabs claimed the officer Wiltshire Police sent to manage the meet, is a โfully paid upโ member of the Avon Vale Hunt.….
PC Laura Hughes of Wiltshire Police, who also goes by the name of Laura Jordan, is seen in the videos taken at the meet, the sabs say she turned her back, โas violent thugs launched an attack on peaceful anti-hunt protestors,โ and her own horse was ridden in the parade, by her friend and fellow hunter.
The sabs ask followers to make a formal complaint to the Office of and Police and Crime Commissioner and demand and enquiry.
Yet, further to our general article on Boxing Day Hunts, published prior to Boxing Day, we have indeed had a response from Communications & Engagement Officer, Philip Mackie, which might shed light on what could be viewed as a conflict of interests to many opposed to hunting. Basic upshot of this is, seems Wiltshire Police take the hunters on their word that thereโs nothing illegal going on.
I asked Philip if Wiltshire Police observe the actual hunts, to be sure if a fox is flushed out, they do not pursue it, and would they be arrested if discovered they were.
โIf offences under the Hunting Act are witnessed,โ Philip started, โby the police or observers, they would be investigated as would any criminal offence.โ
It must be hard to manage such an operation, I suggested, how does the police go about keeping up with the hunt to insure nothing illegal is happening? Do they use horses too?
โWiltshire Police does not have a mounted section,โ he replied, and continued to reveal they donโt even monitor the activities of the hunt. โWe do not routinely monitor hunts as they are a lawful activity, if there is a suggestion of criminal offences, be they wildlife crime or other public order, assault offences or intelligence lead us to believe there is/was a likelihood of it happening officers would attend. The Rural Crime Team will also be looking to deter/capture hare coursers.โ
So, it really is left up to the public to capture evidence rather than the fully-convinced police to monitor the goings on, despite mounting evidence many hunts do illegally kill foxes and the apparent trial is but a smokescreen, even if this particular hunt doesnโt.
Perhaps an oversight by Wiltshire Police to send an officer actively engaged in hunting, or considering her hobby is legal, nothing inconsistent is taking place here, but it cannot assist them particularly well to uphold impartial evaluation, and police the meet accordingly. It could be said PC Laura Hughes puts her career above her pastime, and policed the event accordingly, but some questions need to be raised as violence broke out between protesters and hunters at the event and it seemed, via videos, to be uncontrolled and out of hand.
Iโd even say, policing this protest must have been no easy feat, and pressure on Laura and other officers to maintain the peace on such a dividing rural issue should be credited and valid, their contribution to policing should be upheld and acknowledged. Perhaps it was a wise choice to have someone who knew enough on the subject and understands the issues at hand?
While the protests staged by hunt sabs may be viewed as unwelcomed by some villagers, who else is there to insure nothing illegal is happening? How does Philip view the presence of hunt sabs? I asked him if their efforts are helpful to the police, if they work together, or if they are seen as an unwelcomed vigilante group?
โHunt protestors and monitors are not viewed as a vigilante group,โ he replied, โthey have a passionate concern for the welfare of wildlife and this is understood and supported by the police and where criminal offences are suspected we urge them to come forward to provide their evidence.โ
Evidence such as this shocking video from Surry Hunt Sabs, of the Boxing Day Royal Artillery Hunt at Chitterne? Warning: there are some shocking scenes depicted here:
Somewhere just outside Westbury a sizable barn hosted the most memorable new year’s eve raves in the mid-nineties, but Iโd never have imagined then,โฆ
by Ian DiddamsImages by Josie Mae-Ross and Infrogmation Tennessee Williamsโ quasi autobiographical drama โA Streetcar Named Desireโ was first performed in 1947 as theโฆ
Okay, so, Iโm aย little behind, recently opting to perfect my couch potato posture and consider hibernation, meaning Iโve not yet mentioned Kirsty Clinchโsโฆ
From Devizes to Marlborough and back, last weekend, Sunday 19th December saw a repeat of last yearโs Tractor & Tinsel Run, and Devizes Young Farmersโ fundraising event attracted masses of attention. Our man Andy was at the scene and I leave his thoughts on it here, I just wanted to add my tuppence too; you know me! Firstly, I offer thanks to the Devizes Young Farmers and congratulations on the success of the day.……
Raising for both Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Alzheimerโs Society, the Devizes Young Farmers told me they haven’t got a grand total yet, โwe will let the Just Giving page run for a while.โ For which you can find by clicking here, if you wish to donate.
Confirming this was their second year, they added it was the, โfirst year for the night run though!โ So popular it virtually broke local social media groups with videos, images and messages of congratulations. I had to ask them if they think this could become something of annual Christmas tradition. โWe have discussed doing it bi-annually, however it gets such good feedback and response from the public, we are considering doing it annually.โ
In fact, the only negative feedback on social media has been concerns about the environmental impact. Puts me between somewhat of a rock and hard place, being the eventโs popularity and the amazing fundraising achievement. I figured Iโd ask local โgreenโ experts for their thoughts on the issue, rather than play party to social media ranting; and before you throw your toys out of the pram and ingeniously change the D in my name, Darren, for a K, I think youโll be pleasantly surprised by their responses!
In the global scheme of things, I consider the environmental impact of a fleet of tractors pottering around town to be but a pinprick, and Graham for Sustainable Devizes was equally constructive. โWe have very little engagement with farmers locally,โ he begun, โyet they are essential to protecting the environment and biodiversity.ย Our approach to sustainability is to take practical steps and form partnerships.ย When we campaign it is to start practical projects that will make changes and not to make criticisms of any particular group.ย We wish to engage with farmers on big issues such as protecting biodiversity rather than take positions on individual actions which have laudable aims.โ
Council Green Party Candidate, the aptly named Margaret Green, was similarly supportive, โI agree that raising money for charity is a good thing and assume that the tractor mileage for the event is a donation from the farmers. I think the event has a positive outcome for the community,โ she replied, โIn terms of climate crisis and emission reduction, farmers are ideally placed to deliver positive outcomes in the form of increasing biodiversity through wildflower meadows (potentially associated with local energy production in solar farms). Their transition to reduced use of pesticides and fertilisers also benefits the soil’s ability to sequester carbon, a key element in a sustainable future. As stewards of our landscape farmers are our friends!โ
Naturally the real test would be from the Devizes and Marlborough Extinction Rebellion group, who were somewhat lost for words, noting โlike quite a few charity events, it’s also a polluting event,โ but even they werenโt overly negative! So, to those whinging on social media today about the environmental impact, Iโd suggest they put that in their vapes and puff it!
It now leaves me with the great pleasure to pass you onto roving reporter on the scene, Andy Fawthrop, for his thoughts. All I will add is; I believe the hashtag #nothingeverhappensinDevizes is a splendid piece of ironic overstatement created, correct me if Iโm wrong, by local satirist (among other things) Mr Ian Diddams, therefore not to be taken to heart!
Tractors & Tinsel
Andy Fawthrop
Thereโs a bit of a (joking) saying that โnothing ever happens in Devizesโ, a phrase that deserves to be fully buried and forgotten for just how incredibly inaccurate it now is.……
Whilst in Pyongyang they parade their missile-launchers, and in Moscow they show off their tanks and troops, this bit of rural Wiltshire did something rather better last Sunday by showcasing its own arsenal of terrifying hardware โ tractors! And not just a few tractors, but loads and loads of tractors. Decked out with tinsel. And Christmas trees. And Santa Clauses. And truly it was enough to frighten the pants off any super-power even thinking of ever invading The Vize.
Along with hundreds of others gathered along the route all the way out to Marlborough and in the Market Place in Devizes, my inner tractor-man came suddenly to the fore. And what a sight we witnessed, as the massed squadrons of agricultural machinery drove past us, headlights shining, horns blaring, drivers waving. And this was no mere token gesture, but over 150 colourful beasts roaring past us for the best part of an hour.
Thanks to Devizes Young Farmers for their amazing vision and organisation, for the second year running, in the middle of deep mid-winter, we had another fantastic display of hardware as tractors rolled through the country lanes of Wiltshire on their way back to T.H. Whiteโs gathering ground. Rwanda might be famous for its gorillas in the mist, but in this neck of the woods we had tractors in the fog. And not just the once either โ this year for the first time we got a reprise of the shorter D-Town loop in the winter darkness. Itโs said that there are some weird folk, like our doughty editor, who simply donโt โgetโ tractors, but I canโt understand that at all. Personally, I was mesmerised โ like a John Deere caught in the headlights, you might say.
Of course part of the (unintended) entertainment was spotting the looks of horror on the faces of the drivers of cars trying to pass through the town, suddenly finding themselves between a massive JCB or CASE, and a flotilla of Massey-Fergusons, wondering what level of hell theyโd suddenly found themselves in โ absolutely priceless!
To say that was a great success is surely an under-statement. You only had to be there looking at the childrenโs faces (and those of a few slightly leaky-eyed men of a certain age) to realise what a lot of joy and excitement this all brought to the town. And social media was bending under the sheer weight of photos and videos posted online, as local folk let all their friends know far and wide just what an amazing town this is.
So itโs a massive โhats offโ to Devizes Young Farmers, and everyone else involved in organising such a fantastic bit of rural entertainment.ย It was wonderful, it was awe-inspiring, it was totally bonkers.ย And a great event out in the open air in the lead-up to Crimbo.ย Letโs just hope it now becomes an annual and traditional fixture in the D-Town โNothingeverhappensโ Calendar!
Editorโs note; I only โdonโt getโ tractors without fridges and stereos as standard, otherwise I’m virtually Wurzel!
With Black Friday just a few weeks away, Wiltshire based Blackmore Computers Ltd, is encouraging people to think pre-loved if theyโre planning on buyingโฆ
Congratulations to Rosalind Ambler and Paul Snook from Devizes Writers Group… At the National Community Radio Awards held in Cardiff on 16th November Together!,โฆ
Two of the county’s top retrospective cover bands meet for a double-bill of action in Market Lavington This Saturday. Calneโs indie rock five-piece Sixโฆ
Again we find ourselves congratulating and thanking young Chloe Boyle for fantastic fundraising efforts for Devizes homeless charity OpenDoorsโฆ. With friends and family sheโฆ
Images: Chris Watkins Media It was lovely to spend Sunday afternoon at Devizesโ Wharf Theatre, to see how this yearโs pantomime Hansel & Gretel,โฆ
Make no mistake, thereโs a civil war under our noses, which comes to an apex when blood-thirsty predators triumphantly parade their wrongdoing on a day when most of us struggle out of bed to reach the fridge. Judge for yourselves whoโs the goodies and whoโs the baddies here, but pray tell me youโre not party to this obnoxious pageant? I mean, hardly โChristmassy,โ is it, unless of course, Santa puts a bullet in the head of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for not keeping up with the herd?
Posing a question in a headline, Iโve learned, attracts hits. Usual method is for me to then waffle endlessly, circling the question but never really answering it, until, only sometimes, at the conclusion. Iโm gonna swap, answer it now, get it out in the open. Can we stop Boxing Day hunts across Wiltshire?
Donโt be disillusioned, and apologises for bursting any bubbles; the answer is no, not a chance, pal.
Despite good news last week that the Wilton Hunt Ball has been postponed due to the omicron outbreak, we all know pandemic restrictions last year didnโt bother them, and with reference to breaking news of government Christmas parties, flaunting the law for the most powerful in society doesnโt need investigating, according to police.
I mean, whatever did happen to the inquiry as to how hunting organisations pushed for a drink-driving Avon Huntsmaster to stand as Wiltshire PCC, costing the taxpayer over ยฃ3million for a re-election? The carpet is looking lumpy, how much more can be brushed under it?
Every avenue I explore on this subject gets blocked, no one in any position of power to help wants to address the issue. That is a total and utter disgrace and they should, quite frankly, hold their heads in shame.
Make no mistake, Boxing Day Hunts arenโt the bee-all-and-end-all of hunting, but theyโre the most important hunt on the annual calendar, because the audience it attracts. The Countryside Alliance will try convince you droves arrive in support. True, Boxing Day hunts aim to condone and promote the tenet, crucial in their campaign to turn the Hunting Act 2004 on its head. Though many onlookers remain oblivious to the cruel realities, while others will be lobbying against it.
If all is not lost, councils of both county, town and parish levels can take action, if they wanted, ban it on their land, or at least refuse to accept invitations to, and disallow council land to be used to meet, thus reducing the celebration of blood sports and gradually eradicating the archaic and brutal custom.
In a heartfelt campaign, non-profit organisation, Keep the Ban, urge concerned folk to contact their councillors, celebrating success when Keswick Town Council in Cumbria decided to revoke their invitation to the John Peel Hunt. Locally, the wonderful Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs informed me Bradford-on-Avon Town Council โhave banned both hunting and culling on their land at town council levelโ but reckoned, โitโs mostly symbolic, although there are definitely council owned farms (tenant farmers of WCC) that do cull, so a wider wildlife protection policy is probably going to be more use.โ
However, fresh from a meeting, Alison Kent, Clerk to Pewsey Parish Council replied yesterday, โthe decision was to allow the Tedworth Hunt to meet in the car park on Monday 27th.โ A local hunt which the Wiltshire Hunt Sabs claim โweaponised their horses against sabs.โ Why would they do this, without anything to hide?
Armed Tedworth Hunters
My first port of call is Wiltshire Councillor Laura Mayes, who despite as Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, this is not her area of expertise, it must be said, is always willing to humour me and answer my endless questions on any random subject, and I thank her for her help. Although, her answer was unswerving; โI have done some digging and asked Cabinet colleagues and we all agreed that WC has no power to take any action, re trail-hunting as it is currently a legal activity. Any illegal activity would be a police matter.โ
Wiltshire Council may convince themselves nothing illegal is happening, yet I argue, like a speeding driver, for them, the thrill of the activity outweighs the carnage it might cause. Iโm no prude, I can understand it must be exhilarating to ride across the hillsides in pursuit of a target, addictive even, given hunting is ingrained in their psyche, passed down through generations. If an arsonist wandered into a fireworks factory with a lighter, would WC turn a blind eye, safe in the knowledge setting it alight would be illegal, therefore the arsonist would resist the temptation of their own obsession?
Countryside Alliance website outrightly states they oppose the hunting Act 2004, claiming itโs โbad for rural communities,โ even, and, get your head around this brazen irony, โbad for animal welfare,โ and a โwaste of police resources.โ If they feel like this, and nothing is done to prevent them, how on Godโs earth can you expect them to not pursue a wild animal if it was to be caught in heat of the moment on this supposed fake trail?
Letโs take the last part of the CAโs stance; on Boxing Day police resources will be stretched, on a day theyโd rather be peaceful Iโd wager, because theyโll need to be present across the country where the crowds gather to observe this pretentiously parade of their unforgiving activity as a magnificent pageant. I have to wonder how much police time is spent keeping an eye on the hunters against policing the meetings. I also emailed Wiltshire Police to ask how they would actually patrol a hunt, horseback Iโd imagine being the only effective method.
I also wished to enquire what their relationship with the hunt sabs was like, if they supported the portfolio sabs are building to suggest unlawful acts are indeed taking place. Only this week, they posted a video to their Facebook page clearly showing The Royal Artillery Hunt rioting on two deer in an SSSI area on Salisbury Plain Training Area on Saturday 4th December, and Huntsman, Charles Carter, did nothing to call them off; something the Daily Mail suggested put the sabs โat warโ with the Army.
A spokesperson for the sabs told me, โIf something is being used as a smokescreen for a crime then either itโs an illegal activity or the law needs addressing!โ Face it, Western Huntsman John Sampson in Penzance, was only found guilty of being in charge of dogs which killed a cat caught in the hunt on a Cornish housing estate, because a neighbour filmed him from their window, shamelessly lobbing the catโs dead body into a nearby garden. If it wasnโt filmed, there would be no evidence. A clear indication hunters need monitoring, but while my press office contact with Wiltshire Police is usually responsive, they felt the matter needed to be addressed by the Rural Crime Unit, and passing my queries onto them was the end of our communication.
Should the police wish to respond, I can amend this appropriately, but time is pushing forward to Boxing Day, and my only line of information comes from The Wiltshire Hunt Sabs themselves. Far from a Batman-Chief Commissioner Gordan relationship, where Gordan doesnโt necessarily like the vigilante but compromises on the grounds they share the same goal, the Hunt Sabs were keen to criticise Police.
โI can show you a clip of an officer blocking a byway,โ the sabs expressed, โwhen challenged he demanded evidence that they were illegally hunting, which the sab asked โwell if you stop blocking the public right of way, I can get you some.โ He refused.โ Whatever happened to inspectorโs hunch aside, if investigation isnโt gathered by official resources, someone has to, furthermore, isnโt the officer acting unlawfully in blocking the byway, itโs a public right of way?
โYeah,โ the sabs replied, โaccessing the byway was first a small section of ORPA (other routes of public access) so even though he had no idea what the public access rights where, he still chose to block it, even after offering to show him on an OS Map.โ
Playing devilโs advocate, I supposed, his defence would be they were potentially there to โstart troubleโ when the hunters were doing nothing illegal. But how can he tell if the police donโt even follow the hunt? Have the Sabs ever seen police patrolling a hunt, keeping up with it to insure nothing illegal occurs?
โThereโs no history of us starting trouble,โ they replied. โThe hunts always claim that but we donโt. Weโre just there to make sure they donโt kill. Wilts Police have never to my knowledge ever patrolled a hunt. Any time they are there it is to โkeep the peace,โ which in reality means blocking us from stopping them killing. The police donโt even know the law; on one hunt recently, two officers turned up and had to Google it on the way. I had to explain to them everything that was happening, and to be fair they listened, but initially they were too quick to take the huntโs word that they were legally hunting. They have no training on this, I personally have emailed the rural crime team and asked, theyโre not interested.โ
I gulp at this, as while Wiltshire rural crime unit certainly isnโt responsive, the sabs said Gloucestershire Police now have โoperation hunt,โ and have said they will go out to hunts. But the real hard pill to swallow was my contact with The Wiltshire Hunt Sabs felt contacting the authorities was futile, adding in their understandable frustrations, โI canโt see them doing much, I personally have given up bothering with them.โ
Still, all they ask for doing the tasks the police you pay for should be, is the price of a coffee to help their campaign funding, and they ask you sound your objection to Pewsey Parish Council for allowing the Tedworth Hunt to meet in their carpark, or contacting your MP and councillors in general, as Boxing Day Hunts go further than simply potentially bludgeoning a fox or any other animal which might accidently stumble into the crossfire, to death, but also act as a celebration and promotion of such cruelty.
I wish the season of goodwill to all men could extend to all life, all godโs creatures great and small, and Iโm a realist who cannot accept nothing unlawful is happening here, when photograph and video evidence is there for all to see that clearly it is, and I thank the sabs for their time when others in power barely gave theirs, and for the difficult and arduous task they take on.
by Ian Diddamsimages by Playing Up Theatre Company When is a mousetrap not a mousetrap? When itโs written by Tom StoppardโฆIf you have seen โTheโฆ
Wiltshire Music Centre is delighted to announce the new appointments ofย Danielย Clark as Artistic Director, andย Sarahย Robertson as Executive Director.ย Danielย andย Sarahย join Wiltshire Music Centre in a new co-leadershipโฆ
By Mick Brianphotos by Chris Watkins Media Disney aficionados will need no introduction to โThe Little Mermaid,โ Disneyโs 1989 film about mermaids falling in loveโฆ
Remember, remember, weโre moving into November; leaves, loads of โem! Being as we are no longer doing weekly roundups, hereโs some highlights of events inโฆ
The simple answer is yes, very concerned. Following the publication of an article in Melksham Newsโs last issue questioning the councilโs public notice policy, Wiltshireโฆ
Sunday saw Ian Diddams reading his Christmassy self-penned yarn at The Vaults, which over the past few years has become something of a decidedly anticipated yuletide tradition among Devizes socialites, not to mention raising wonga for local charities.
Directed downwards to, what is fittingly described as a vault, within the Vaults, a communal gathering amassed. With the ethos of a โquiet bar,โ the welcoming and cosy Vaults is the perfect place for the art of conversation, and in turn, the superlative place for an event of the spoken word in town. It has hosted sporadic poetry slams, including Devizes Arts Festival ones with poet, Josephine Corcoran.
Previous readings from the amusing and talented writer Ian Diddams have mostly been parody, usually taking a recognised fictional serial, such as last yearโs Sherlock Holmes, and placing it within an unsubtle comparison to Devizes, sprinkled with characters suspiciously resembling a variety of known locals. Combined with a truckload of locally-related gags, the effect is laugh-out-loud funny for its audience. This time, while still lampooning, the signage underneath his microphone resembling the florescent warning logos of the governmentโs national TV pandemic announcements, but reading โTaking the Piss,โ gave a clue this one would be somewhat different.
Ideal to prevent things from getting samey, Ian took an alternative angle; a satirical stab at national politics, this time, sardonically capturing the current mood of the country and distaste for the cabinet. This was convenient for me, I pondered during the first interval, being I was subject to one his character assassinations in last yearโs online version, and didnโt see how references to a toothless Cockney milkman would quite fit in with this synopsis. Ian, however saw opportunity to sprinkle the tale with a few local caricatures, and did so; I was not left out, something one should see as an honour, I guess!
Taking the viral Handforth Parish Council Zoom meetings, where the toxic Jackie Weaver became the unlikeliest of reality tv stars, as a base, Ian worked a story read through a yearโs worth of minutes taken of meetings by an imaginary village, Little Twittingtonโs Christmas Club. Deliberately badly disguised characters bore remarkable resemblances to MPs, the most obvious and well-placed being a Pritti Patel-a-like, taking the role of Weaver, with her conceited habit of banning and blocking anyone who disagreed with her.
Chaos ensued, gradually building from the bureaucratic nonsense and general pomposity of village or small-town politics, thus partially retaining Ianโs trademark reflection on local affairs, but soaked in an undercurrent of Brexit, handling of the pandemic, perpetual scandals, mishandling and unashamedly backhanding of government.
Taking a subject out of its usual context to display how utterly preposterous it is, is possibly the hardest form of satire to perfect and convey convincingly to an audience, and Sir Ian of the Diddams knocked it out of the park. It must be noted, to mock something so meticulously is partly to recreate the style of it, so if the performance felt drawn-out, it only was so as it reflected the subject it was ridiculing; ever been exhilarated by a village parish council meeting? I rest my case.
Though this meant belly-laughs from the crowd were perhaps lesser than his previous stories, the overall impact was greater. Iโve no doubt this was both the trickiest one to pen, and in so much, the finest one to date; a stroke of genius.
As usual, the reading was separated by poetry, read by our own man in the field, Andy Fawthrop, who also manned the bar, and Devizes own poet Laurette, or laundrette at least, the absolutely brilliant Gail Foster. The multi-skilled master, Andy, gave us some particularly adroit and amusing poems with thoughtful seasonal prose, as is his style. The apex of which was a hilarious recollection of appearing in a school nativity.
Meanwhile Gail gave us a partial seasonal selection, with an amusing personification of the fairy at the top of the Christmas tree, a sombre and powerful pagan reflection of yule, and then she preceded to bring the house down by airing her dirty washing in public, the one of which if youโve not heard, and are not an unsuspecting and lesser-endowed pipe-fitter from Grimsby, Iโll leave no spoiler.
All this spoken word madness made for my most entertaining Sunday for the longest, which might not be the most fitting accolade it deserves, being I spend most Sunday afternoonโs snoozing on the sofa in front of a Disney-Pixar classic not of my choosing, yet it is doubly satisfying to note a substantial contribution to local homeless charity, Devizes OpenDoors was raised. And if you missed it, I believe photographer Stephen McGrath captured it on film, which will be available to view soon, for a small contribution to OpenDoors. Send us the link, Steve, and weโll share it here, as this was something youโd be sorry you missed, if you did, bookmark the occasion for a possible next yearโs must-do.
A Right Christmas Carry-Con The Movie!
And here it is. Thanks to Steve McGrath for video production. All we ask is that you please donate to Devizes OpenDoors after viewing; there’s a link on the YouTube page, or donate directly HERE, thank you.
Dumping pumpkins in the woods is bad for wildlife says Forestry England. As millions of pumpkins hit supermarket shelves and make their way to gardens,โฆ
If Phil Cooperโs 2018 โThoughts and Observations,โ was one of the first albums we ever reviewed here on Devizine, itโs been a while since Iโveโฆ
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts announced their upcoming project, YEA Devizes today. Made possible by a grant from National Grid Electricity Transmissionโs Community Grant Programme, theโฆ
Alberta Cross, along with the up-and-coming local bands Something Moves and BroccoliBoy, will perform at a charity gig on Saturday 30th November at 23 Bathโฆ
Chippenhamโs young folk singer-songwriter Meg, or M3G if you want to get numeric, will release her 6th single The Mist on Friday 18th October, andโฆ
Our very own illustrious orchestra, The Fulltone Orchestra, are staging live performances of Enyaโs 1988 breakthrough album, Watermark in Basingstoke, Bath and Cheltenham later thisโฆ
Working five years or more as a delivery driver for a local butcher, you witness some pretty awful hygiene practises while passing through numerous commercial kitchens. Yet via this experience I conclude, bad hygiene is not confined to any particular sort of eatery or of any class of establishment.
I delivered to everything from greasy spoons to Londonโs top hotels and restaurants, and in some standards are exceptionally high, whereas others are dreadfully dirty and pertain some terrible practises. Iโve walked through dog turd infested backyards, told to leave raw meat under the baking sun, Iโve seen a fish flipped onto the floor from a frying pan and promptly picked up and put back into the pan, and I could go on putting you off your tea, but never could I suggest such shocking things are only found in lower-priced establishments, the โposhโ hotels and restaurants were equally as bad, often arguably worse.
Three days ago, freelance reporter, Beth Gavaghn broke news of four Wiltshire establishments which โhave been given a zero rating by food hygiene inspectors,โpublished in the Gazette & Herald. Nothing wrong with this, you might suggest, itโs handy for the public to know these places rated low, and if you do suggest, Iโd agree. My issue is with the structure of this, quite frankly, shoddy journalism, and if not shoddy, some bad choices made it undeniably bias.
The headline reads, โTrowbridge Chinese takeaway Happy Valley gets zero rating.โ Aside grammatical errors, three of the four establishments are cherrypicked to be fleetingly noted, while Happy Valley took the brunt of the report, and was singled out in the headline. Billy Batchers Butchers in Shrewton and Sprinkles Gelato in Salisbury both scored equally low following an inspection, five months AFTER Happy Valley, but barely got a mention. The Bell at Great Cheverell also received a zero rating but mention of it was rushed through, despite being assessed at the same time as the Chinese Takeaway.
Not forgoing these inspections were made in March 2021, for The Bell and Happy Valley, and in August of the same year for Billy Batchers Butchers and Sprinkles Gelato, so for all their sakes, some update on work theyโve done to improve since would be handy to know, but I feel impelled to ponder, just why the one establishment was singled out? Did the reporter receive an adverse fortune cookie there, perhaps?!
Itโs no good asking you guys, who are understandably as much in dark over this as me. I despatched a direct message to Beth via Twitter, two days ago and await a reply; just wanted to throw it out there, really, being there was plenty of time to reply, and that what I asked isnโt too OTT. That being: If other establishments also received the same low rating, why have you focussed and highlighted one in particular? That hardly seems fair. Well, are you with me? Does it sound fair to you?
Any reasoning would be speculation; I could, but I wonโt go there. YetIโm not holding out much hope of a reply, unless she was to read this and shudder, oh, nasty blogger; Iโd best dream up and despatch a quickfire excuse, but I had to note, further scrolling on the Gazette & Herald Facebook page revealed a sponsored advertorial for, coincidently, the Bell at Great Cheverell. โPaid partnership,โ being the professional term, indicating backhanding cash to get reapproval, an avenue perhaps the Chinese Takeaway couldnโt afford to take, will get you off the hook; and you thought TripAdvisor reviews were skewered.
Conflicting, or simply the answer to our query, Iโm not sure, but evidently, money talks. It should be importantly noted, a zero rating doesnโt mean an establishment must close, rather make significant improvements, and I would see no reason to be put off eating at any of them, the Bell is a rather splendid pub, and Iโm certain they would have strived to improve on this rating. The others I am unaware of, but Iโm sure in these uncertain times for any small business this exposure was superfluous and unwelcome; if all establishments scored equally, so should the balance of the report.
It is not your job, Newsquest, to wreck one business in favour of another. Heck, guys, Iโd have given you a glowing review for a bag of prawn crackers; donโt bow to this injustice!
And readers, youโve got your own mind, use it; accepting unedited and unsolicited submissions makes a newspaper look cheap and nasty, and I donโt believe that is what we want from local press; weโve enough from Wiltshire Live, donโt stoop to their level, G&H.
Forget the feud between Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, this is England’s West Country rivals The Skimmity Hitchers and Monkey Bizzle in a vicious rapโฆ
Itโs been a fantastic summer for Wiltshireโs indie-pop favourites Talk in Code. I think Iโve caught them live at least four times, and only onceโฆ
I was chatting to Josh Oldfield last week, a Devizes singer-songwriter I believe weโll be hearing a lot more of. Though this interview was pendingโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Josie Mae-Ross Noel Coward is probably best known for โBlithe Spiritโ but he in fact wrote sixty-five stage plays over aโฆ
Comedy in Devizes is a rare thing, unless you count visitors turning right at the Shaneโs Castle junction, reading opinions on the Devizes Issues (butโฆ
A Devizes resident, Simon Frankland on a Sunday stroll with his dog, stops to take a snap of an odd concrete rectangle on the grass verge of London Road, opposite the Aster Group building. Posting it to Facebook group, The Devizes Issue caused something of a mysterious stir, because while it rather resembles one of those seventies litter bins, Mr Frankland pointed out it is not, rather it is a YMCA war memorial, dedicating a long-lost garden to the fallen; who knew?
Some did it seems, after publishing this, so please read on to the updated section at the end, where some assumptions I gave are corrected, but the saga continues as more information about it is speculated on social media. The plot thickens, but the one thing we’re certain of it is not a bin, so don’t use it as one!
Begging for some to throw toys from their prams that it is disrespectful to use it as a bin, which by the paper and bottles wedged into it, and doggy poo bags surrounding it, appears it has been for some time, it must be said, you cannot blame folk because, left to the powers of nature, it does look uncannily like a bin, especially if passing by it on a dark winter evening, hurrying on a busy main road. Even those, apparently responsible for its upkeep, Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council, agree it does.
But if it was clearly marked and renovated, yes, of course, it would be disrespectful. There appears to be some markings engraved on the stone, but it is so worn they are near illegible and undefinable. Curiously, despite its rudimentary rectangular design, the reason it has been left to dilapidation, is its very being, and the location of its being.
Iโm not here to point the blame at anyone, as it seems it has been understandably overlooked. Though it is based in Devizes, Town Councillor Iain Wallis believes it is the jurisdiction of the Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council, as his area stops at St James Church. Though the parish council admits while it is their responsibility, they appear equally unaware of it as others, and they think the design of it certainly lies with Devizes Town Council.
An antiquated boundary, an unfortunate bad design, premonition of a council litter bin thirty years prior, are likely the reason for it being overlooked and misused; a monument discounted through being on the borderline, near gardens of the barracks long closed down; you canโt stop the hands of time, but we can realise and respond accordingly to correct it.
As a consequence of me bringing the post to the attention of Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council, an email and a photo has been sent to the chair and clerk, and a parish councillor replied, โno doubts it will get sorted, as we have the RBL Seend Secretary as one of our Parish Councillors.โ
Seems failproof, but Iโm certain if it doesnโt happen through official procedures, our fabulous and trusty CUDS will be on the mission, as someone pointed out, they could just put a flower bed around it. It wouldnโt cost a fortune to make it identifiable, and then if someone still drops a doggie poo bag by it, Facebook police are rightful to have pop!
Allโs well that ends well; i figured. We hope it will at least be renovated so it is clear what it is, and hopefully itโs meaning will be restored. Much as some whinge about social media, the power of such a post has to be admired, on a Sunday too; good job Simon!
Important update: contrary to my original assumptions about the monument, I’ve kindly heard from John Merritt, who has opened a Pandora’s box, by explaining it was placed as a result of the efforts of former Mayor of Devizes, Jim Thorpe, and was “unveilled” on 15th of August 2015.
Others have speculated it was merely moved at that point, from Hopton Estate outside the old Kennet Council offices to where it is now, so furthermore, it could actually be the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, or even the defunct Kennet Council, which may explain why it has been left to dilapidate.
Yet John’s revelation explained its existence, it perplexed me even more as to why it was designed to resemble a bin. Asking for it really.
John’s answer was simple and direct, “because nobody cares,” and he shared a letter he personally penned to the Gazette and Herald at the time, expressing dissatisfaction that despite Jim’s sterling efforts to get the stone to prominence, this particular ceremony was not intended to mark VJ Day. Along with traffic in Marlborough not being stopped for the occasion, John added, “contributes to the feelings of those who served in the Far East campaign that they are still the Forgotten Army.” A letter you really need to read to fully comprehend.
I apologise for my assumptions on this issue, and hope it did not offend. I can see this becoming “the war memorial bin saga,” but in light of this update, I’d argue all the more reason to at least renovate it so it is clearly not used for litter.
Personally, you know, I have a tin; that’s my war memorial. I take it out every Remembrance Day and browse through the keepsakes my Nan handed down to me. There’s photos, medels, letters from the war office, a notebook of my grandad’s movements with entries which alarmingly gets vauger as time goes on, and a Christmas dinner flyer 1947, signed on the reverse by all his fellow soldiers. It also interests my children too, who I’ll try my upmost to recite the stories he told me. For me, that’s my stone, and it would never be used as a bin.
Seems like an age since I last visited Bradford-on-Avonโs wonderful Wiltshire Music Centre, though Iโve been listing their vast range of events on our calendar.โฆ
Wiltshire Music Events UK has hosted tons of memorable events locally, from CrownFest and The Marley Experience at Devizes Corn Exchange, to more everyday gigsโฆ
The “Business Fit For Future” programme has launched with startups across Wiltshire seizing the opportunity to participate in free online business planning workshops. This initiativeโฆ
Featured Photo: Forestry England/Crown copyright Planned timber harvesting is set to begin at popular walking destination, West Woods, from the end of September until Marchโฆ
Despite the population of Devizes throwing confetti and paint at each other in their most celebrated annual ritual, I believe I picked the right weekendโฆ
The newly drafted forest plan for West Woods and Collingbourne is open for public consultation until Monday 7 October. The plan outlines how each woodland willโฆ
Devizes-based event medical company, GWP reported their rapid response vehicle was broken into over the weekend, and approximately ยฃ1,000 worth of vital lifesaving equipment and uniform was stolen.…
We make a point of avoiding local news items, rather concentrate on feelgood magazine stories. Leave the hard work and nitty-gritty to Newsquest I say!
But sometimes occurrences come along, such as this, which beggars belief at the audacity and sheer stupidity of some. So, if I am to report on a news item, I reserve my prerogative to cast an opinion, without justification, and today that is directed to the perpetrators of this crime; You. Stole. From. An. Ambulance, for crying out loud, I urge you to read that back to yourself and pray you never need the use of one yourself.
GWP ask the public to please look out for anyone offering kit or uniform, and if anyone has CCTV footage of New Park Street Devizes, they would be very grateful if you could get in touch.
Last weekend the company provided medical provisions for Midsomer Norton Town Council’s Christmas light switch on, followed by Bradford on Avon Town Council, and a dance event by Oxford County Council. They also start a month-long worth of provisions for Stourhead National Trust and Forest Green Rovers Football Club.
GWP said “they’ve taken about ยฃ1000 worth of equipment, but more worryingly is the paramedic marked uniform.”
At first I figured it was just for money, and hadn’t even contemplated the security issues of potentially posing as medical staff. GWP replied, “equipment like the defibrillator is worth money, but yes, posing as medical staff is a big security concern. Especially after last month, someone pretending to be a nurse from the local GP surgery, St James, was uncovered.”
We hope the thieves can be found as soon as possible, and give our support and gratitude to the staff of GWP.
Today though, staff are trying to focus on the positives, showing the new branding added to their ambulance, by local graphics company Kennet Sign & Display, ready to go to Forest Green Rovers Football Club; keep up the great work!
Local newspapers ran with a yarn of snow blizzards, due Saturday, and illustrated the clickbait with scenes of worst weather of yore. The laughable reality was there was a blustery storm which bought five minutes of flurry.
I donโt conscribe to sensationalising, neither need to interview for the emblematic promotion of a new product. The Lost Trades arenโt yet announcing a second album, neither have they memoirs published; there wasnโt a good reason to interview them. They didnโt whet appetites broadcasting a follow-up album when I asked them the standard โwhatโs nextโ question, rather spoke about strategies.
I was eager to catch up with them though; havenโt seen them for ages, and they were happy to oblige, because theyโre nice like that! Theyโd finished a soundcheck supporting Focus for a Long Street Blues Club gig at Devizesโ Corn Exchange, which Andy kindly reviewed.
No matter how theyโve been gigging further afield and stamping a benchmark for folk harmony trios internationally with The Bird, The Book and the Barrel, their feet remain on the ground, and this is, after all, their original stomping ground. Two thirds from Devizes, Jamie R Hawkins and Tamsin Quin, while Phil Cooper is from Trowbridge, the latter of whom casually asked prior to the interview what I could write about them which I havenโt already.
Fair cop, since day dot Devizine followed all three, Tamsin crowdfunding her debut album, Gypsy Blood was our first article in 2017, a review of Philโs Thoughts & Observations closely followed, and I met Jamie slightly later, at the Saddleback Festivalโs Battle of the Bands in 2018.
Tamsin and Jamie at Battle of the Bands, 2018, with George Wilding, Claire, Mike Barham, Jordan Whatley, Jack Moore and Sally Dobson. Image by Nick Padmore
The three musicians closely associated themselves with each other, producing and recording, assisting with gigs and collaborating sporadically, until a natural bond had formed and it made sense to form a trio. The news of The Lost Trades we broke in December 2019, a year of lockdown followed their debut gig at Trowbridgeโs Pump, but a period which has seen them improve tenfold, together, on their already high standard.
Both the name the Lost Trades and the album name, The Bird, The Book and the Barrel derives from their surnames; Cooper is a barrel-maker, Hawkins the bird and Quins were counsels or scribes, hence the book. Figuring a blithe beginning, being my rare organisational skills surprised them with a typed sheet of questions, I thought Iโd ask if Phil minded being referred to as a barrel! He said he didnโt, but do they call him it?
Phil Cooper solo
โFrom now on,โ Jamie laughed while Tamsin christened it his new name. Phil retorted โthat makes you Jamie โthe birdโ Hawkins,โ and I added I liked a bird with a beard, which isnโt exactly true but it broke the ice, if there was some to break, which there wasnโt, so I donโt know why I mentioned it!
The Trades know me well, in this, I pointed out a milkman is a something of a lost trade, and wondered if they had space for me, perhaps in the corner, with a triangle! Jamie noted I could be a โbottle fourth member!โ While they pondered if there were to be any sensible questions, I broadened it with, โor is three the magic number?โ
Phil was first to confirm, the others agreed humbly. Tamsin expanded, โhaving three of us thereโs no scope for two people going against two other people, you know? Itโs always equal.โ
โYeah, democratically it works really well,โ Jamie added. โThereโs always a mediator,โ Tammy motioned, โit works well like that.โ Phil enhanced, โfrom a harmony point of view, I mean, donโt tell any barbershop quartets this but three is the magic number!โ To be honest, Iโm all out of befriending barbershop quartets these days anyway.
I offered it was great to see them back in Devizes, because it was, and I asked them where was the furthest so far, theyโd played. Being, Iโd imagine, the map-man of the trio, Phil called Eastbourne.
But are they booked for many festivals this summer? โYes,โ Phil replied, but couldnโt spill the beans. The Lost Trades are getting a lot of bookings, which is understandable. The only characteristic variance I noted seemed to be Tamsin, who once conveyed a slightly anxious persona when performing but is now rightfully brewing with confidence. More importantly, all three seem so at ease with the Tradesโ success, loving the moment, and theyโre bonded even tighter.
This is the point I slipped in the standard โwhatโs next,โ and asked, โwhere do you take it from here?โ
โWell, we have a strategy, you see?โ Tamsin whispered, โfirst was getting our name out to our fans, and building up this joint fanbase, which is what weโve worked on. And now weโre trying to build our name up in the folk world. So, hitting the folk clubs.โ And theyโve been getting blinding reviews from folk magazines. โAnd a lot of radio-play from specialist folk shows as well,โ Phil added, โup in Cambridge,โ he exampled. Nationally, or even internationally, I queried. โYeah,โ Phil answered proudly, โin Canada, and Italy.โ
I supposed lockdown live streaming helped in this exporting, despite lack of profit. Phil nodded, โit certainly tied us over, when we werenโt able to do anything, and kept us in peopleโs minds.โ Tamsin assured, โat this stage in our career itโs not about making money, itโs more about getting our name known and reputation built up.โ
To prevent it getting too cosy, I had something more challenging up my sleeve. As individuals The Lost Trades are no strangers to diversifying genres and sounds. Phil in particular, who even delves into electronica with a side project called BCC. Yet the Lost Trades is narrow in ethos, like a corporate identity, being strictly a folk trio, even in design of covers and promotional material. Make no mistake, this works, and is a great formula, but I asked how they could future prevent criticism that itโs getting โsamey.โ In this I gave the example of the Adele single.
โThe fact thereโs three songwriters in the band, all with different styes, will help keep us fresh,โ Phil explained, โand like you say, we do all like to switch and try other things. I think it will happen, but obviously weโve put this folk package together, and the music is very much modern folk, going to Americana.โ I nodded, in theme too, content is modern. Tamsin added โAlso that weโre playing multi-instruments too, which keeps us fresh.โ
Debut gig at the Pump, Trowbridge
It was perhaps a tricky question, but you only need to listen to The Bird, The Book and the Barrel to note there is room for experimentation within the genre, and The Lost Trades wish to engage this. Phil expressed, โthe folk thing is less about the music and more about how we present ourselves, as a brand, if you like.โ
On reflection of their earliest songs as the trio, and knowing them as individual performers, I sense each song in style and writing are pitched by one of them to the trio; I could pick out that one was very Jamie, or very Phil, but the lines are blurred on the newer songs, melded so much I cannot pick out whoโs idea or who wrote any particular song; is this what theyโre working towards, complete harmonising? It was the longest question with the shortest answer, they nodded throughout me asking it. โI guess so,โ Jamie replied, โthereโs lots of methods and approaches weโve yet to try out; thatโs another reason why I think weโll stay fresh.โ
โOne of the reasons the later stuff is harder to tell is,โ Phil expanded, โthe earlier stuff the other two were harmonising with whoever had the lead vocal, but the stuff we did towards the end of the album didnโt have a lead vocal, it was all about the three voices all the way through. We could get samey if we did just that, so weโll keep the solo voice every now and then, just to keep it interesting.โ
Lost Trades at the Southgate, Devizes
Tamsin added, โAlso, as weโve grown together musically, weโre writing songs specifically for the band. We write our own solo songs and ones which we think, oh, this one would sound better as a harmony; we tailor it to be a band song.โ
Sure, feels like a progression happening naturally, as they work closer together. โIt already did,โ Phil said when I suggested this, โwhen working on the album there was two or three songs which didnโt exist until a month before the recording. We put them together really quickly, and yes, they were very much that kinda organic feel.โ
Mentioning the impending lockdown as they first formed, I wondered if they felt there was positives which came from it. Phil called the album a massive positive, which if youโve heard it, you can only agree. โThere were songs on there written about what we were going through at the timeโฆ.โ
Tamsin responded too, โlots of the songs we wrote when we were feeling down about having to cancel the tour, for example โWinning Daysโ was where Jamie and I were feeling miserable, and Phil said โright Iโm going to write a song to cheer us up.โ
โI think, perversely,โ Phil added, โthe fact weโd built up friends on our side, and to suddenly have it swept away, we got a massive outpouring of love towards us, and that has probably put us on a run up the ladder, that maybe we wouldnโt have got at that point.โ
I beg to differ on this one, sensing this shadow of modesty in them, when really, this massive outpouring of love towards them wouldโve been inevitable with or without the restrictions of lockdown, because this grouping just works; whether you are folkโs greatest devotee, or not.
For the final question I returned blithe, as I sensed they were busting to get to the stage; โhave you ever been interviewed before with questions as stupid as these ones, and did you expect anything less?!โ
The one who remained most silent during the interview, Jamie, made a funny noise of which Iโm unsure if it was positive or negative, but it rolled out a belly laugh, Phil pleaded the fifth on it, and Tamsin voiced in the background she thought they were โlovelyโ questions, because thatโs our Tammy, Devizes loves her, we love all three; Trowbridge and Devizes finest musical export; I give you The Lost Trades, who I lost; by the time I stopped the record button, they were gone, up on stage, to do what they love, and long may it be so!
If there’s been welcomed stand-ins for the monthly Jon Amor Trio residency at the Southgate in Devizes recently, Ruzz Evans and Eddie Martin, Jon โtheโฆ
Supporters of local live music know, least they should do by now, that Swindon is the place to head this following weekend, 12th-15th September, becauseโฆ
Devizes-own indie-pop-punk youth sensation Nothing Rhymes With Orange smashed the Exchange on Friday as a farewell to their local fanbase. They pursue a music courseโฆ
Reports of another road traffic accident at the notorious Black Dog Crossroads near Lavington today coincides with Wiltshire Councillor for the Lavington constituency, Dominic Munsโฆ
For that certain some-Karen who drove through town last weekend, jumped on social media to waffle off the clichรฉ rant โnothing happens in Devizes,โ butโฆ
Finally, after a missed year (best to write 2020 off the map) our Christmas festival was back on Friday and as illuminating as ever….
With enchanting light displays, bombastic fireworks, specialist stalls (in the Marketplace, the Corn exchange and the Shambles), seasonal music performed with gusto, the spectacular parade beaming with all its glorious homemade creations and of course our signature local atmosphere, the festival had it all and showed our little town is getting back into the groove of doing what it does best: the kind of spirited events you’ll only find down in Devizes.
On a funny note, much to the amusement of both me and the woman sitting opposite, we both got an accidental front row seat to the firework display, which was suitably loud!
Once the parade, the fireworks and the music had faded into the night, I caught the beginning of an artistic shadow puppet show with beautifully built wooden Reindeer.
Having all of this right on my doorstep has got me right into the Christmas spirit. After all, aren’t we lucky to live here in the most wonderful time of the year?
Christmas is coming and Devizes is the place to be!
Trowbridge-Devizes finest musical export for a decade or two, acoustic folk vocal harmony trio, The Lost Trades, step out for a nationwide tour this September.โฆ
The Fulltone Orchestra has confirmed today that their annual festival will take place on The Green in Devizes from 25th โ 27th July 2025โฆ. โItโsโฆ
Chandra, Hindu God of the Moon, with his own NASA X-ray observatory named after him, and also frontman of a self-named friendly Bristol-based four-piece pop-punkโฆ
Paul’s self-made cover to his latest single, Some Days depicts a fellow sitting under a tree pondering life, while an autumn zephyr blows leaves aroundโฆ
Itโs when you hear those American addresses, like house number 21,456 Park Avenue, you realise Long Street in Devizes is a long street only comparableโฆ
Impressive, in a word, is the Lawrence Art Societyโs annual exhibition at Devizes Town Hall this year, in both quality and quantity; you’ll be amazedโฆ
Not just on the premise of tea and nibbles, I find myself at Bath Road Business Centre. The Wharf Theatreโs old prop store has been gloriously converted into a recording studio, of a sort, by a company which once set up base in Fromeโs Old Fire Station, Visual Radio Arts.
My initial reaction to the name was, hasnโt visual radio been done before, at the turn of the last century? They called it television! Over a bourbon biscuit, Iโm gonna brave-up, come right out and ask founder Phil Moakes what defines visual radio as opposed to television or video, surrounded by his team, co-producer Maggie Gregory and presenters Patrick Moss, Carl Sutterby and Sara Vian, the latter of whom chuckled it was a good question; phew!
The only absent presenter I didn’t get to meet was Chris Watson, who, sensibly, turned up after I had gone. Independently Chris runs the site Music Eye, which does what it says on the tin, particularly prompting his readership to emerging talent.
โIf I watch a television program thereโs a relationship between what you see and what you hear,โ Phil begun, โif you close or eyes and just listen to the audio, youโre missing the story because itโs partially being played out on video, and visa-versa. So, my argument is, visual radio should work on both mediums equally; if you close your eyes, you can still hear the band, you donโt need the pictures, but when you open them, the pictures are there, therefore, if you wanted, you could run the whole show on radio.โ
Patrick added, โwhich is how it started.โ This visual experience with the ethos of radio started little over five years ago as a project through Frome FM. Visual Radio Arts has blossomed since with a plethora of upcoming bands and solo musicians, both signed and unsigned, queuing to feature on episodes. Browsing their website, where their back catalogue is freely available to view, it seems our paths have crossed several times, just not met until now. But as many artists I know and whom have been featured on Devizine in the past, acts like Malone-Sibun, The Lost Trades, Kevin Brown, Strange Folk, and more recently, ร lesund, thereโs a multitude of ones new to me.
Likewise, Iโm hopeful the move to Devizes will encourage a partial shift of our local bands to jump on this most excellent opportunity, and I ran off some namedropping of my own. Fact is, being on the same wavelength, itโs a match made in heaven, oh, we could have talked all night! Though, as these programs are primarily a promotional tool, theyโve come from far and wide already, either headhunted by Visual Arts Radio or enquired.
If this era of lockdown raised the appeal of online gigs through streaming, itโs been a scramble in the dark to both improve on the quality and earn from them. We discussed the worth of Facebook live streaming, how other sites followed suit, on ticketed events and the inevitably of bandwidths unable to handle the traffic. If the novelty of watching your favourite artists perform with a backdrop of their washing on a clothes horse is wearing thin, Visual Arts Radio is for you.
It presents artists professionally with quality editing, and Phil was keen to point out the ethos of presenting an entire forty-plus minute, uninterrupted set, with a possible interview at the finale, rather than the unpredictability of a live stream, or this goldfish attention-span weโve currently acquired scrolling through endless three-minute videos. It was at this point, I suggested they were โthe New Grey Whistle Test,โ to which they agreed, and in considering this ground-breaking show, perhaps Visual Arts Radio isnโt something entirely original, but right here and now, it most certainly is a unique venture that I, for one, am welcoming to Devizes with open arms.
Phil seemed focused on music, โWhat Iโd like to do is have a variety of styles and shapes, so weโve got a mix of solos, acoustic, maybe doing folk, and rock bands,โ he explained, though open to suggestions, I wondered how this opportunity might suit other arts. Comedy, for example, which by the nature of the beast, couldnโt surely be visual. Phil pointed out theyโve had poetry in the past, which would obviously work audio. This moved from comedy music acts like Corky, or Calneโs Real Cheesemakers, and onto any bands which used props, like the visual experience of a Boot Hill All Stars show, of whom Phil replied had been in the studio already.
โI think weโve moved on from where we first started,โ Phil continued, โwhen we first started it was all about music, but I think five years later, weโve kind of worked out what and how is our best game. And, so if something came along, and it was visual comedy, then weโd probably have a think, see how it would work, but weโd probably still do it, because I think the world has moved on, and more prone to want to see pictures.โ
The move to Devizes is easier on commuting for Phil and Maggie, and thereโs hoping bands locally will find it more suitable, calling in acts producing original material, from Swindon and beyond who thought Frome mightโve been a trek. Visual Arts Radio certainly have a wonderful space, large enough to accommodate the brass section of a ska band, for instance, and the possibilities I anticipate will build a working relationship with Devizine in the future. Iโm glad to be invited to view bands and musicians performing here, of which we can feature and link direct to their website, where you can enjoy a full set from them.
Sure, is a groovy prospect, but for now, do browse their fantastic website, check the back catalogue of awesome performances and enjoy; more to follow shortlyโฆโฆ
Following on from last monthโs email, this is a final reminder that yearโs Imberbus service will be running this coming Saturday โ 17th August 2024.โฆ
Hereโs our bitesize look at whatโs happening in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming weekโฆ. Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go thereโฆ
by Ben Niamor A first outing on Saturday to Sound Knowledge for Devizes favourite Elles Bailey, whose latest album dropped Friday, and this mini tourโฆ
Tickets are limited and selling fast for a staged reading of Oscar Wildeโs most renowned comedy masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, performed in theโฆ
People from the Swindon community flocked to protect their town and itโs residents, in anticipation of the rumoured far right anti-immigration march through their townโฆ
New single out today from Swindon-based gothic-folk duo, Canuteโs Plastic Army, and itโs three yeses from meโฆCan one person give three yeses? Iโm way pastโฆ
Itโs good news from Devizes Fire Station, that the fire at the recycling plant at Stert has been contained. Early this evening, the station reported the fire is now under control and contained, after two nights of fighting the flames.
โWe’ve not long returned from our relief crew at the waste yard,โ they reported, โSlow but steady progress is being made by all crews with, the assistance of on-site staff, using their machinery to get in amongst the waste pile to extinguish in a safe area before being re-sited elsewhere. There will be DWFRS crews there for the foreseeable future and there are still large amounts of smoke in the area so we ask local residents to keep their windows and doors shut.โ
It is expected crews will be on scene for a number of days, maintaining a watching brief and smoke will continue to affect the area. Making national news, it must bring into question practises at the Grist centre, in good time, being the second incident of a fire at the site since 2014, when February saw a week-long burning and bellowing smoke from the site spread across the area.
But I believe it is time to sincerely thank the firefighters involved in containing the incident so effectively, crews from Devizes, Calne, Trowbridge and Pewsey; you guys and girls rock!
Planning an update tomorrow, Grist Environmental said, โwe would like to apologise to the residents of Devizes, Stert, Etchilhampton and the neighbouring villages, for any inconvenience caused by smoke from the fire, and for members of the public delayed by the traffic control at Monument Hill. We are grateful that no injuries or damage has been caused by this unfortunate fire, and we are thankful for the support of our tremendous staff who enabled us to continue operating throughout the day.โ
Second impressive single from young Salisbury singer-songwriter Rosie Jay is released today. Sing Another Love Song; a sound of the summerโฆ.. Her debut breakupโฆ
If it’s been a fantastic weekend on Devizes Green with the orchestral Full-Tone Festival, further out of town scooterists, mods, skins and anyone elseโฆ
Up the road again for the first of a string of Long Street Blues gigs during November. You spend ages waiting for a gig to come along, then three come all at once. Added to the musical offerings of Devizes Arts Festival and TITCo these past few days, and itโs been a musically busy week in D-Town where, as everybody knows full well by now, nothing ever happens……
Support act for the evening was local favourite Tom Harris, playing mostly his own material, but throwing in the odd cover to leaven the mix. I particularly liked his rendition of โWith A Little Help From My Friendsโ. Tomโs songs are intense and enthusiastic, yet infectious and winning. He chatted and sang his way through his set, winning over his audience.
Tom Harris; best shirt on!
Main act for the evening, having made it all the way from Aberdeen (by way of Hartlepool) was the powerful and energetic quartet The Gerry Jablonski Band. Consisting of Gerry himself on guitar and vocals, Pete Narojczyk on harmonica, Lewis Fraser on drums and Grigor Leslie on bass, the band set off at furious pace, letting us know early on that they werenโt here to pussyfoot around. They knew what they were about, they were loud, they were confident and they seemed determined to pack in plenty of songs.
Through two strong sets, there was the minimum of chat, but just enough to engage the audience. The music was rough and muscular, but with plenty of hooks and melodies. Early on we had a number called โKossโ, written in memory of Freeโs Paul Kossoff, and the lyrics managed to cleverly name-check many of the bandโs greatest hits. The bass was thumping, the harmonica was squealing and howling and, driven by Gerryโs imperative and rapid lead guitar, the band were on a mission.
Much as I loved it, I was just beginning to think at the end of the first set that perhaps some numbers were a little samey. But then the band came out in the second set and proved me quite wrong, with quieter numbers, more light and shade, more subtlety. A highlight was one short number sung by โ shock! horror! โ Lewis Fraser the drummer, accompanied only by some (for once) quiet reflective guitar from Gerry. Most of the heavy lifting in the sets was, as you might expect, by Gerry himself. There was a look and feel of the younger Marriott to me about his demeanour. Overall the band worked hard as a unit and fully deserved their raucous encore.
Jam-packed July! If thereโs always lots to do throughout the year, July especially so! Hereโs what weโve found in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming weekโฆ.โฆ
Gallivanting through festival season omits crucial visits to my local watering hole; I’ve missed it sooo much, and now feel thoroughly refreshedโฆ with a hintโฆ
Featured Image by Simon Folkard Following the announcement earlier this year about the cancellation of the Devizes International Street Festival due the loss of Artsโฆ
Jam-packed July! If thereโs always lots to do throughout the year, July especially so! Hereโs what weโve found in the wilds of Wiltshire this comingโฆ
The 50th Anniversary of the now legendary Village Pump Festival, which was brought back to the UK festival circuit in 2018 by director Nicholas Reed,โฆ
If youโre like me and leave shopping to the last-minute Christmas eve frenzied dash like a headless turkey, or even if you’re arranging next yearโs already, hereโs some local Christmas gifts and ideas, which will build up, I hope, to a virtual Christmas market, a warm winter wonderland!
Surfing through the Net, with a one-maned open search engine, over Facebook we go, laughing all the way! Hey, crafty crafters, cheeky chefs and any other local creative types, I havenโt got a naughty or nice list, so donโt make me hunt you down. I know youโre busy, but it takes a second or three, and costs nought, to message us at Devizine and get your Christmassy products and ideas listed here, on our online local Yuletide market.
So, do bookmark this page and drop back in regularly, as it will be updated.
And for those who prefer the physical, there’s a list of Christmas Craft Markets at the bottom of this list, just keep on scrollin’!
Real Christmas Trees in Devizes
Back at the Bell on the Green this year from the 26th November, as it has been for 23 years, real Christmas trees will be for sale. You can pre order your trees for click and collect or delivery at www.merryChristmastrees.co.uk
AbraKadabra
AbraKadabra make these wonderful handmade magic seed-bombs, always popular at Christmas! Contact them via Facebook or Esty, and if you are in Devizes, put the discount code DEVIZES at checkout and youโll get free postage!
Alan Watters
Rowde artist Alan Watters has limited edition signed and mounted prints of his recent drawing of a highland cow, and gives some of the proceeds to charity. This picture is also a signed cow greetings card with each print and posting worldwide. Have a look at https://alansfineart.com if interested. Cost is just ยฃ30 with delivery included.
Arthe
From the creators of Devizes-ownartistic, hectic, eclectic, chaotic, linguistic, poetic, bombastic, fantastic, and perhaps a little anarchistic, kawaii bear, Arthe, there’s some groovy greeting cards and gifts on their website, tote bags, mugs, tees, etc; check it out funk soul bears.
Andy Fawthrop
Whilst some people might have spent their Lockdown baking banana bread or stockpiling toilet rolls, our very own roving reporter, Andy was hard at it, writing short stories. These have now been published in three volumes. There’s 49 new stories in all, featuring the usual gentle topics of murder, blackmail, mistaken identity, revenge, infidelity, piracy, robbery and…oh…well, anyway, they’re jolly entertaining, and by turns spooky, bizarre or comic. You can buy them direct from Andy for a tenner each, or order them through the wonderful Jo at Devizes Books, or even buy them from Amazon (paperbacks ยฃ10, Kindle downloads ยฃ3). “They would obviously make ideal Christmas presents,” Andy says, “particularly for that special person that you don’t like very much.” I’ve read his “stuff” and beg to differ.
Beeze’s
Easy choice, you just know Beeze’s in Devizes’ Ginnel are going to have some great ideas for Christmas gifts; they’ve got a whole Christmas Collection, not to mention Little Beeze’s toys next door. Chocolate message bars? Say no more!
Devizes-based Blossom Hill Cards has five Christmas wonderful card designs, with all proceeds going to Alzheimerโs Society. You can buy them HERE.
Cositas Bonitas
The brilliant shareware craft shop in Sidmouth Street Devizes, Cositas Bonitas is a must stop off on your Christmas shop, you will be spoiled for choice. Check out Facebook, to see what I mean!
The Little Eco Shop, Devizes
I’m so glad to hear the Little Eco Shop is back. Go there for zero waste Christmas Eco wrapping essentials. Recycled craft wrapping paper in brown, green and red. Compostable brown paper tape. Christmas patterned brown paper tape (perfect for jazzing up the paper) Natural twine. Coloured twine made from recycled plastic. Paper bows. Craft card tags. Make your own elf Christmas crackers.
Such a lovely name for this Devizes-based small decoupage business; so it’s mainly bottles and jars, with lights or wooden hearts hanging plaques, but owner Cassie tells me, “pretty much anything I can get my hands on that will work!”Join her Facebook group for more details.
Caroline Le Bourgeois
If you’re lucky to find this amazing wildlife artist at the Shambles, or many local fairs and markets, her cute pictures would make a perfect wall hanging gift, or greetings cards. If not, her website is here.
Dollies Dimples
Devizes-based Dollies Dimples makes these charming secret pocket tins with personalisation, visit their Etsy shop here.
The Healthy Life Company
From Green and Blacks, Montezuma, Moo Free and Clipper tea advent calendars to Vaughn’s Kitchen Christmas Cake Packs, the Healthy Life in Devizes’ Little Brittox is more than muesli. With a reduced carbon footprint focus, they have a pop-up gift shop each year, with those gifts that you wonโt find elsewhere on the high street. For a healthy, planet-friendly Christmas, visit The Healthy Life, or on Facebook.
FM by Gem
Perfume, the ideal gift; Gemma is your local FM rep with everything from real discounted perfumes, to home fragrances, makeup and even cleaning products. You will need to join this Facebook group to find out more.
Shaz’s Chutneys and Pickles!
Shaz’s homemade chutneys, pickles and hampers are up for grabs from the Southgate, Devizes. With a 5 star Food Hygiene Rating, they do look tasty!
The Devizine Compilation Album, of Course!
If youโre not fussed about unwrapping gifts, I could shamelessly plug our Devizine compilation album. It canโt be on CD, because itโs far too mahoosive, it would need approximately 6 discs to cram onto, ergo you can download it, and your money goes to Juliaโs House Childrenโs Hospices. And on it youโll find the very best of what local music has to offer, I pinky promise you that much!
Newly opened in Devizes, The White Chalk Gallery would be the perfect stopping place on any Christmas shop, there’s handmade jewellery and sculptured pots as well as art, and will you just look at these two needle felted cutties made from pure wool by Jo Lilley @miceandmole. Find the White Chalk Gallery in Devizes Market Place, or website here.
Simon Folkard Photography
Amazing photographer Simon Folkard has a range of Devizes themed Christmas cards, as well as his celebrated calendars. He will be at the Corn Exchange’s Christmas fayre on Saturday 15th November, look him up or contact him via Facebook.
The Gourmet Brownie Kitchen
The way to a manโs heart this festive season I can tell you, for Iโm dreaming of a brownie Christmas, and no one, I repeat, no one makes a brownie as good as The Gourmet Brownie Kitchen. Currently based at Poulshot Farm Lodge, plans are afoot for a new shop, but while it looks like Devizes, itโs all top secret at the moment, so keep in the loop via Facebook, and visit their website! UPDATE: it’ll be on Maryport Street; yay!
Kit Tags
Personalise your kit bags with combat proof tags, here!
Will Do Studio
On a Bauble or hanging decoration, personalisation is trending, Westbury’s Will Do Studio have personalised Christmas ornaments. Write your wishes on the bauble and give it to the person who is important to you. Add any text and make this souvenir on the Christmas tree.
I could recommend a billion albums, but this debut from our brilliant The Lost Trades would be my pickermost for the yule season, it’s just sooo nice! And yes, they have this on CD, so you can gift-wrap it! Buy it here.
Hannah Cantellow Studio
From Poulshot’s to Lockeridge’s village halls, Hannah runs linocut Christmas card workshops, a great way to create multiple cards yourself. Youโll be able to make and handprint a set of 10 Christmas cards and a carved block to take away with you, which youโll be able to print again and again. All materials, tools, design templates and refreshments are provided (however, youโre welcome to bring your own design if you prefer.) Check the website for dates and booking.
Wix n Scents
Based at Castle Combe, who wouldn’t want a pug or boxer fart scented candle, I ask you? Other scents are available! Check them out here.
Christmas Shopping in Devizes
Our friends at InDevizes has created this map of all the independent shops around Devizes, for refence when out there shopping, and the cafes too, naturally!
Coming over all Oliva Newton John? Prefer the physical? Yeah, for shopaholics thereโs nothing like trampling around a craft market this time of year, so Iโve also included a list of known Christmas craft fayres locally. If I missed yours, my gift to you is I can add it, which is not quite as good as socks or a Lynx deodorant set, but cโest la vie.
Oh, and send me them via our Facebook page, with your name and age, and we’ll decide winners in December. If anyone of the lovely businesses we’ve helped by plugging their wares could offer a prize, do let me know!!
Jam-packed July! If thereโs always lots to do throughout the year, July especially so!ย ย Hereโs what weโve found in the wilds of Wiltshire this comingโฆ
With the unfortunate cancellation of Devizes International Street Festival this year due to Arts Council cuts, all eyes are on our wonderful Hillworth Park nextโฆ
Need to keep informed and updated on the general election and its effect locally? Don’t bother with national media sources, everything you need to vomitโฆ
Jam-packed July! If thereโs always lots to do throughout the year, July especially so! Hereโs what weโve found in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming weekโฆ.โฆ
With the danceable penultimate act attracting a packed crowd, I observed a young teenager, who, on spotting a disregarded beer bottle, picked it up andโฆ
By Mick BrianPhotos by cast and arenaphotography William Shakespeareโs tragedy, inspired by real life eleventh century Scottish kings, is well known by anybody thatโs doneโฆ
Spoiled Rotten in Devizes this November you are. In what is usually a quiet month leading up to yule, the easing of lockdown has detonated the month, opening it up as anyoneโs game. Itโs just so good to see a chockful event calendar for the whole county, and so many event organisers making a Rocky Balboa style comeback.
Dave and Deborah at the Southgate
Aside our dependable Southgate, whoโve led the way for events in Devizes, and continue to provide top notch live music every weekend, free I might add, itโs exciting to see the Cavalier, The Muck & Dundar, and even the Condado Lounge in the running.
There are some big guns coming out too, as we welcome back the Wharf Theatre, who hosted The Paul Simon Story last weekend, and the return of the Invitation Theatre Company from Tuesday (9th) to Saturday (13th) this coming week. The Long Street Blues Club are back in force with three gigs this month, the Gerry Jablonski Band Saturday 13th, Force on the 20th, which is such a whopper itโs coming out of The Corn Exchange rather than usual Cons Club, and the Antonio Forcione Quartet on the 27th.
If itโs sounding good so far, weโve not even touched on Devizes Eisteddfod from Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th, The Lawrence Art Societyโs exhibition at the Town Hall from 25th to the 27th, and of course DOCA bring the Winter Festival and lantern parade on the 26th.
With all that Iโve mentioned it would be understandable to have overlooked the icing on the cake; Devizes Arts Festival surprisingly pops up to host some awesome events this month, when itโs usually confined to more summery months. Despite weโve outlined the individual gigs lined up at the Arts Festival, back when it was announced in August, such has lockdown caused much jiggery-pokery with the dates of such things, and not forgoing Iโd suspect the Arts Festival got itchy fingers and simply couldnโt wait until summertime to present us with some amazing performances, these things need reminders, so here I am!
Though the opening gig, Thursdayโs Ronnie Scottโs All Stars Jazz Club Tour has sold out, tickets for the others are on the table awaiting your attention, plus, of course thereโs free fringe events across town too. Letโs have another look at whatโs on offer here, to wet your appetite shall we?
Under the banner, โthe show must go on,โ the Arts Festival are delighted to welcome Sally Barker to Devizes, on the 13th. In this new show โSandy, Joni & Meโ she will bring some of the songs of both Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny to the stage, exploring the singer/songwriter legacy that was forged in the early โ70s.
Veteran folk-blues singer/songwriter Sally Barker became Tom Jonesโ finalist on The Voice UK 2014 after reducing her mentor, and many watching the TV, to tears with her performances. Sally has toured with Sir Tom, Bob Dylan and Robert Plant amongst others. Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans said, โSally changes the atmosphere in a room when she sings.โ
And Friday 19th is Motown Gold time at the Corn Exchange. Dust off your dancing shoes for a fabulous evening from a fantastic band. Motown Gold celebrate the finest songs from the timeless Motown and Classic Soul era, which kind of speaks for itself.
As for free Fringe events, The Muck & Dundar have loop pedal guru Arif Najak bringing laid-back reggae sounds on Friday 12th. Sunday 14th is at New Society, where youโll find Bristolโs dynamic jazz vocalist Lucy Moon, performing energetic swing and classic swing-era tunes to liven up your Sunday lunchtime. Booking is essential for this one, contact New Society to reserve your table.
Thereโs a couple more fringe events before the Arts Festivalโs grand Motown finale; South Walesโs Big Sky are at The Crown on Wednesday 17th, with roots rock infused with touches of blues, country and psychedelia, they are known for being one of the few bands containing brothers who have not yet had an on-stage altercation! And Thursday 18th sees Mark Harrison at the Three Crowns. An original and interesting songwriter, a stunning guitarist, and a master storyteller.
It is, in all my years of running Devizine, the biggest November Iโve ever seen! But the Devizes Arts Festival doesnโt stop there, this is just filling a gap. I asked artistic director Margaret Bryant if there will be something in the pipeline for a summer arts festival too, and she replied โyes, weโre already planning 2022!โ
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, just look forward to November; get your Devizes Arts Festival tickets here, for all other gigs and events, see our event calendar for links and info; see you out and about, folks!
by Ian Diddamsphotos by Richard Fletcher & Lisa Hounsome The concept of historical brutal dictatorships and comedy is not necessarily one that one considers asโฆ
A leopard doesn’t change its spots, and neither does a British Lion. Watch other Devizes pubs change landlord, decor, attractions, and styles. Watch them close,โฆ
We’re talking with Wiltshire Police about spiking in the area, how common it is, how to best prevent being a victim of it, and what to do if you suspect you’ve been “spiked.”
Thereโs been a truckload of media coverage of โspikingโ nationally, with a notion towards a trend of using needles rather than the more common practises of topping up a drink or dropping a drug into a drink. If anything, itโs made me realise how totally out of touch I am with modern clubbing. While it mayโve been a while since I got my groove thang on, which I feel imperative to add I can still cut-a-rug as good as any twentysomething, clubbing was a religion in my younger years, and I retain, just about, fond memories of carefree dancing the night away; but you donโt want to hear about that!
Therefore, Iโm saddened and literally sickened to hear stories in the press of youngsters whoโd rather stay in than risk being spiked, and those whoโve been victims. So, Iโve called upon Wiltshire Police, to find out how common this appalling trend is in the county, what people can do to both prevent it, and what action they should take if they suspect theyโve been spiked.
Wiltshire Police told me, โThis issue has caused a lot of interest recently and we are keen as a Force to make sure the story is being told correctly and the actual picture in Wiltshire is being shown.โ Still, Iโd like to think cases in our county are low, and figures for the past three years in Wiltshire, supplied by Wiltshire Policeโs Business Intelligence Unit show while twelve incidents were reported in 2019, this was reduced to eight incidents in 2020, which I suppose lockdown had an effect, because unfortunately, this year another twelve incidents have been reported. Police are keen to point out, these figures include instances where spiking may be mentioned in the summary of the incident but may not later be confirmed, and they relate to drink spiking, not needle spiking.
Yet this leaves me pondering incidents which go unreported, and Iโm alarmed to read the charity Talk To FRANK website suggesting โwhile the aim may be to incapacitate someone enough to rob or sexually assault them, sometimes it is just intended as a joke โ a bad joke as it is very dangerous.โ
Beggarโs belief someone would do this as a prank, and in turn, I must say, Iโve had trouble angling this article. Firstly, if youโre a regular reader youโll be aware I attempt sprinkling humour into my words, but thereโs nothing funny to this issue. Secondly, I originally thought Iโd have something concrete to say to anyone considering spiking another person, but I changed my mind; I have nothing to say to you which youโd probably take heed of, and I could legally publish.
The concentration has to be on sending a message to potential victims, which could be anyone. Iโd like to advise you not to let these nasty bastards spoil your fun, but at the same time I implore you to stay safe.
Watch your drink at all times, remain within a group of trusted friends, and if you believe youโve been spiked, try not to panic, but find support from friends. I accept this is easier said than done, the drugs these idiots use can be seriously intoxicating, things are going to get wobbly, so much more than having too many drinks, which should act as the indicator something is amiss, especially if youโve taken account of how much youโve drunk.
You may question whatโs happening, where you are, even who you are, commonly used drugs like ketamine and Rohypnol are seriously debilitating, so getting help urgently is paramount. Wiltshire Police say, โwe would encourage anyone who believes they have been the victim of spiking or have witnessed it to contact us on 101. Any reports of spiking will be investigated and taken seriously.โ Details of prevention on Wiltshire Policeโs website can be found here, please read it.
FRANK gives tips to stay safe: Plan your night out, including your journey there and back. Make sure the venue you are going to is licensed โ venues are required to take steps to ensure the safety of their customers. When going to a pub, club or party avoid going alone. Friends can look out for one another. Stay aware of whatโs going on around you and keep away from situations you donโt feel comfortable with. Think very carefully about whether you should leave a pub, club or party with someone youโve just met, and make sure your mobile phone has plenty of charge in it before you leave home and keep your mobile safe.
Iโm pleased to read nightclubs like The Chapel in Salisbury and Tree Swindon freely distribute โbottle stoppers,โ but contacting another two local nightclubs, I received no response when asking them what theyโre doing to prevent such incidents. While I know itโs not an easy issue, I urge them to reconsider policies such as no glass on dancefloors, hoping they can provide a plastic alternative. ย ย
Wiltshire Police have launched Project Vigilant, with operations being carried out on a frequent basis to proactively prevent violence and sexual offences. You can read more about Project Vigilant on the Wiltshire Police website. A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said: โWe continue to work closely with licensed premises and our partners across the county through initiatives like Project Vigilant to ensure everything is being done to spot the signs of predatory behaviour.โ
FRANK continues onto how to avoid drink spiking, suggesting always buy your own drink and watch it being poured. Don’t accept drinks from strangers. Never leave your drink unattended while you dance or go to the toilet. Don’t drink or taste anyone else’s drink. Throw your drink away if you think it tastes odd.
There is also an initiative led by Wiltshire Council called Ask For Angela, which the Police supports. The scheme helps people who are on a date or who have met someone at a venue and feel unsafe get help from bar staff. Anyone who feels unsafe in such a situation can get help from bar staff by simply asking to speak to “Angela.โ ย Staff will then assist the person in leaving the venue discreetly and getting home or to a place of safety. This could mean taking the distressed person out of sight, calling for a taxi and making sure they get home okay or even asking the person causing distress to leave the venue if appropriate. Details about this are here.
To conclude, Iโd just like to reaffirm my appeal you stay safe by taking heed of the advice, because although the media are focussing on needle spiking, spiking your drink is far more common and easier to execute. Prof Adam Winstock from the Global Drugs Survey says it would be difficult to inject someone with drugs in a night out situation, โneedles have to be inserted with a level of care – and that’s when you’ve got the patient sitting in front of you with skin and no clothes. The idea these things can be randomly given through clothes in a club is just not that likely.โ But not impossible, and dropping a pill into a drink, well, this is far simpler, so go out and have fun, but be aware, please.
Cool, Man Andy Fawthrop Devizes Arts Festivalโs programme continued on Thursday night, and it was time for a little jazz.ย As I often say (apparently)โฆ
A Lunchtime Amuse-Bouche by Andy Fawthrop Devizes Arts Festivalโs programme continued on Thursday afternoon with a lunchtime classical concert in the beautiful surroundings of theโฆ
Masterclass by Andy Fawthrop Devizes Arts Festivalโs programme continued last night, and it was the turn of another big name to grace the stage ofโฆ
Over the coming weeks I’m having cuppas with candidates of the Melksham-Devizes constituency crazy enough to indulge my political ignorance and endure my inane waffling;โฆ
World Class Piano by Andy Fawthrop And, following a lively few days of varied events over this last weekend, weโre now into Devizes Arts Festivalโsโฆ
Another trip up the hill to the Con Club for the latest pop-up session of Long Street Blues Club, and another great night with a busy and enthusiastic audience.
Support act for the night was Bristol-based Damian Arketta, a new name for me, but Iโm always happy to listen to new talent. Damian played a lot of his own stuff, which I found generally unremarkable, and a rather awkward cover of Heard It Thruโ The Grapevine. To be honest I found his singing style a little strident and shouty, and there was nothing special in his playing โ no subtlety or nuance. To me the applause sounded polite and supportive, rather than genuinely enthusiastic, but Iโm aware that views may differ. Thinking that I was perhaps being a little harsh on the guy, I asked around a bit and found a somewhat Marmite response โ some folks thought he was really good, whilst others (like me) were far less enthusiastic. Overall, however, you simply canโt like everyone, and Iโll just say that he didnโt really float my boat.
Main act for the night were the legendary Climax Blues Band.ย The band were originally formed way back in 1968 by Colin Cooper who led the band with Pete Haycock through great success and recognition through the 1970s and 1980s.ย The current 6-piece line-up, however, are a different set of guys now, but thatโs not to say they donโt have plenty of track record between them.
Why am I telling you all this?ย Well there was much chat from frontman Graham Dee about the journey the band was undertaking in trying to blend the music from their historic roots, the material theyโve inherited, with the songs theyโre writing and delivering today, the completely new material.ย The band, quite rightly, want to move forward and to develop.ย And the result, to my mind, was a complete success.ย They delivered two good long sets of blended soulful, boogie-woogie, funky, bluesy music.ย There was also a jazzy feel at times, as the musicians took their solos, then blending easily back into the groove.ย The band looked and sounded comfortable, giving the music the space to breathe.ย Deeโs gravelly vocals, combined with Alridgeโs seductive sax notes, added superb subtlety and tone to the driving rhythm section.
Dee was a terrific frontman, looking and sounding the part of the bandโs MC, coaxing and encouraging all the musicians in turn as they took flight. His rapport with the audience was spot-on โ confidential, cheeky, honest, down-to-earth. And, yes, he did mention from time to time that the band had a new album out (Hands Of Time)! He also led the audience in a great call-and-response treatment of โItโs A Family Affairโ โ exhausting, but great fun. It was infectious, it was engaging, it was a great performance
Overall another great night at the club โ great value to listen to world-class musicians in our own back yard. Well done to Ian Hopkins and his team! And thereโs loads more good stuff in the pipeline too โ see the listings below.
So โ you know what youโve got to do โ get out there and support live music!
Seven-piece sui generis ensemble The Cable Street Collective were everything I expected them to be last night at The Corn Exchange; another impressive booking forโฆ
As if the FullTone Festival isnโt exciting enough for Devizes, the Town Council has allowed them an extra day, on the Friday 26th Julyโฆ.. Seeingโฆ
Andy Fawthrop Itโs All In The Genes Today Devizes Arts Festival presentation took on a more serious and talkative tone with another marquee signing takingโฆ
The first gig and club night by Devizes Youth Action Group exclusively for secondary school aged youth in Devizes back in February was hugely successful,โฆ
Hereโs what weโve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this coming week. Donโt forget your sunscreen and a nice party umbrella! Everything listedโฆ
Have you had โthe visitโ yet? Your local councillor house-calling hand-in-hand with Conservative candidate Michelle Donelan? I have. At least it broke up my busyโฆ
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts are in the thick of planning for the LanternParade and Winter Festival, set to take place at the Market Place on Friday the 26th and Saturday 27th of November, but it looks doubtful the usual mass-gathering to see Santa Claus switching on the Christmas lights will be possible this year.
Divided in opinion on controlling the pandemic and vaccinations we may be, but Iโm certain, though disappointed, it would be an understandable move to spread the festival out for safety reasons, as it did so well with the townโs celebrated International Street Festival in the summer. Not forgoing, weโll all agree, the last person we need to test positive at this time of year, is Santa!
โTraditionally Devizes Lantern Parade,โ DOCA announced, โa huge magical community event comes to our streets on the last Friday of November, it is usually part of the Town Councils Light Switch on. Things may be a little different this year.โ
But, letโs look forward for the positives; posters are going up around town this coming week, lantern making workshops in schools and at the Wiltshire Museum will take place on the 7th and 21st of November, and DOCA is gearing up to present the town with a wonderful parade and market. โWe can confirm that we will have an amazing festive market,โ they delight to inform, โwith carefully selected sellers and makers bringing unique gifts, tasty food, and drinks to our Market Place.โ
โThe Makeryโ in the Corn Exchange will hold independent crafter stalls on both days, where youโll find beautiful handmade gifts. Fantasy Radio will be playing festival tunes in the Market Place, Devizes Town Band will bring class brass to the Market Place, from 6-7pm each evening, with fireworks straight afterwards, and the highlight lantern parade starting off at 6:30pm.
There is a revised route for the parade, DOCA advises checking maps on lampposts around the town. Collect your lanterns from St. Johnโs Church between 5pm until 6pm. Leave unwanted lanterns under the Christmas Tree in the Market Place for recycling.
Other first-time things to look out for include the Air Giants, outside the Corn Exchange and the Town Hall at 5:30pm and 8:30pm. Amazing gentle giants, Triffid and Luma are huge illuminated, emotionally expressive, soft robotic creatures. โYou may think the wind is blowing them, but they can actually sense you and will interact with you as you approach them,โ DOCA claim. This I have to see for myself; who knows, by the end of the evening weโll be best buddies and probably stop off for a pint at the British!
Also look out for Ghost Caribou; part caribou, part spirit, roam a mystical world after dark. That being outside the Mayflower on Long Street at 5:30pm and 7:10pm, and theyโll go walkabout along the High Street and Long Street afterwards. Join them as they clear a space to perform their other-worldly ceremony, with music, song and shadow puppets they tell stories of lost homes, impossible migrations and seeds of hope before continuing the journey into their hauntingly beautiful dream-world of the night.
Spooky! Hope to catch you there, with mulled wine and mittens! Find out more, HERE.
If the opening Friday evening of Devizes Arts Festival was amazing for lively pirate-punk craziness, Saturday night was too for precisely opposite reasons. Bristol’s soulstressโฆ
With a rolling hook in the chorus, piano riff over acoustic guitar and a heartfelt narrative, hereโs a promising debut single from Salisburyโs young singer-songwriterโฆ
Land ahoy me hearties! Devizes Corn Exchange was boarded last night by Cornish punk pirates Jolly Roger, for a frivolous and swashbuckling opening to Devizesโฆ
Images used with kind permission of Pacific Curd Photography West Wilts and Somerset folk-rock collective Courting Ghosts are about to release their debut album, Fallingโฆ
We’ve been chatting with the Community Organiser and Campaigns Manager of Devizes and District Foodbank, Alex Montegriffo, about an important free community conversation on Mondayโฆ
By Ian DiddamsPhotos by Gail Foster In 1971 Ken Russell enchanted film audiences with โThe Devilsโ, which incorporated nuns in the story โ somewhat controversially.โฆ
Friday evening in the liveliest of Devizes pubs, The Three Crowns, with Devizes best upcoming band, Nothing Rhymes With Orange pulling a two hour setโฆ
In recognition of his selfless ministry and leadership of St James Church, where the community and residents are at the core of everything, birthday boyโฆ
Who in Devizes has been upsetting the local gutter press now?! Detached from a relatively good idea, Wiltshire 999โs, a blog which once reported current crimes and police matters, a tabloid version called Wiltshire Live has risen like a phoenix from the ashes, most likely to prove more profitable.
With their Facebook page constantly phishing for personal info, it publishes regular slapdash magazine style articles gaining popularity as it trundles. Unlike the historically founded Newsquest group which publishes newspapers such as the Swindon Advertiser and Gazette & Herald, without the restraints of mainstream journalism it is able to deliver some shock tactical pieces, it seems with a penchant for highlighting Devizes as a pretty dire place to live.
Reactionary it maybe, every angry click appeases its advertisers, Iโm sure many Devizes residents have seen yesterdayโs posts on local Facebook pages by the journalist herself, which states out of 22 areas of Wiltshire, measured by a crime-rate map, designed by an independent website, Devizes has the โgreatest spread of crime out of all of the Wiltshire’s areas included in this database.โ
Gut reaction to this is understandably to deny it, be shocked and exasperated, because we live here and we love it, and we walk around feeling relatively safe. Those who have lived elsewhere perhaps even more aware Devizes is not Wiltshireโs answer to Mexicoโs Tijuana, where approximately seven people are murdered daily, yet neither is Wiltshire Live making it out to be. It does clearly state the county is in the top ten safest places in the country, already knocking some severity off the claim.
Originally then I determined to scrutinise this โcrime-map,โ ready to criticise the website for defamatory claims on Devizes, but hey-ho, story checks out; miserably, Devizes does score highest, but only in the way the reporter was reading it. Starter for ten, the โcrime mapโ runs on quantity against population percentage, so effectively an all-out bloodthirsty massacre scores a point, equally does a Parkinsonโs sufferer caught with a spliff in his own garden, or a chancing teenager pinching a porkpie from Morrisons.
Tranquil Devizes, photographed yesterday!
There is no judgement on the severity of the crime, then, only that it was reported. Again, in Wiltshire Liveโs defence, it does say itโs, โvital to consider, is that many crimes sadly go unreported, making statistics like these never 100% accurate,โ ergo, if Devizes currently has the greatest spread of crime out of all of the Wiltshire’s areas included in this database, something failed to mention is that Devizes also has a knack of reporting incidents, and thatโs surely the mainstay to solving and counteracting them, rather then, ha, you know, just reporting scare stories for hits; correct me if Iโm wrong.
So, reading the data differently, Devizes has 988 reported crimes, against Swindonโs 11,503, Salisburyโs 3,177 and even Melksham, with a similar population, weighs in greater than Devizes, with 1,064. Much as Iโd liked to have changed my angle on this story, and defend Wiltshire Live, today I find another, separate story, saying โpolice are investigating a new TikTok trend called ‘heartbeat challenge’ – where kids play loud music outside a house and kick the front door in time to the beat.โ While this is obviously happening nationally if not internationally, Wiltshire Live informs โhouses in Wiltshire have been targeted,โ and then adds the cliff-hanger, โincluding a home in Devizes.โ One has to wonder why Devizes has been singled out, named and shamed, when homes across the county have been hit by the appalling prank.
The issue I have is, running scare stories for clickbait like this is counterproductive against suggesting methods to help reduce crime, it only exists to sensationalise, in my honest opinion. Because an article like this is followed by many not bothered to read it fully, consequently resulting in a bombardment of social media comments like Chinese whispers. The article is shabby, given another six months another small town could top our terrible statistic, in journalistic jargon โitโs got legs,โ yet not through content, rather the social media storm in a teacup itโll no doubt cause.
Firstly, to face the blame game is the young, obviously. Too wrapped up with other social media sites to defend themselves on โfogieโ Facebook, itโs fair to say many a petty crime is caused by younger people, bored with nothing better to be doing, because playgrounds are in state of disrepair, activities and social clubs have been axed or underfunded, and theyโre set an example by a lying, lawbreaking government set to increase the rate of criminal activity in order to make themselves look better. In times of discontent crime rates rise as a consequence, history proves this.
Letโs look at the most serious of crimes, taking anotherโs life. In Devizes last year we had an arson attack, police arrested a man on suspicion of murder, who was twenty. Karl Quincey was 35 when he was convicted of killing Barry Cooper in 2008. Michael Chudley was 63 when he shot James Ward in the head with a sawn-off shotgun in 2013. None of them best described as โyoung,โ unless youโre Bill Wyman. Even ancient murderers in Devizes disproves this banal theory, The Devizes Petticoat Murder, Benjamin Purnell was 51 when he was charged with the wilful murder of his wife, Emily, in 1889.
Devizes at its best; proper job fantastic!
One commenter duly noted out of the 988 reported crimes, 978 were bike theft, to receive a plethora of amused emojis in response, although according to the crimerate website, and despite a known spate of bike theft, itโs not true. Rather, more shockingly โThe most common crimes in Devizes are violence and sexual offences, with 457 offences during 2020, giving a crime rate of 39. This is 10% higher than 2019’s figure of 411 offences and a difference of 3.95 from 2019’s crime rate of 35. Devizes’s least common crime is robbery, with 5 offences recorded in 2020, a decrease of 80% from 2019’s figure of 9 crimes.โ
So, there is a decrease in there, failed to be mentioned in the article. But whoa, sexual offences are on the increase, in all parts of the county. This, in a week when scare stories about drink โspikingโ in clubland rolled mainstream media, young girls suggesting they donโt bother going out anymore due to the danger of drugs being either put in drinks or even injected when in close proximity. In running an entertainment guide, I want to encourage people to go out, but to enjoy themselves, yet Iโm in the dark here, not been โclubbingโ sinceโฆ…well, Iโm not intending to disclose how long!
Therefore, it was deeply concerning to of read this trend, and Iโve contacted both Devizes Police and The Exchange nightclub in Devizes for their thoughts, on what theyโre doing to best prevent this, and what to do if you think youโve been spiked. Most of all, I was interested to know how common this was in Devizes, because, and I even said this, even though incidents have been reported in Salisbury and Swindon, I felt clubbers here were less likely to be victims, because Devizes was far safer. And I still believe it is, despite this damming report.
Should I change my angle on this too, I wonder, and go with on premise set out by Wiltshire Live, that youโre statistically more likely to be a victim in Devizes than any other small town in Wiltshire, as I would hate to think Iโve projected the notion itโs not something to worry too much about, provided you take the precautions set out by those organisations I contacted? Who knows, because Iโm still awaiting replies from both the Exchange and Police. A shame if they feel it superfluous to respond, when youโd think itโs a message in their benefit to get out.
Hold the front page, I plead with both organisations to reply, so we can advise how to avoid such terrible incidents, because Iโm not writing this shit for prestige or cold cash, Iโm writing from the heart, and care not if you wish to advertise your business here, or if this gets sufficient hits for Word Ads.
Furthermore, if youโve been affected by a sexual offence like being spiked, in Devizes, and feel youโve some advice to give others, please do contact us, your anonymity will be respected.
Iโll say it how it is, thank you, and it is that Devizes is no more dangerous than any other Wiltshire market town, in my opinion, based on wandering around at night hunting gigs and cider! It is disheartening to hear crime is on the increase, yet I strongly suspect this is true nationwide, and I bid while you take care out there, not to rise to the bait and fear for your safety in such a great place to live.
There, given my tuppence, for what itโs worth, can I have my tea now?!
Itโs going to be all strawberries and cheese baps in pith helmets swinging in trouserland bedlam, with chap-hop shenanigans galore at the Barge on Honeystreetโฆ
ย Abrilli, sole Director and owner of Tonka Bean Cafe Bar in Devizes announced today, due to โsignificant changes in personal and financial circumstances due toโฆ
Iโm guilty, I admit, I think many of us are, driven by a hurtling civilisation, an archaic method of consumer comfort, but 38.5 million plastic bottles are bought in the UK every day, taking hundreds of years to break down, and yet we use it to store products that we consume within minutes. It doesn’t make sense. Sustainable Devizes say โthere’s a better way than throwaway.โ
I need a big loud label, to spell out the bottle is made from recycled plastics, and I will choose that over another, but is this enough? Only 9% of plastic ever produced globally has actually been recycled.
Me, from a generation dragged unwillingly along to household Tupperware parties as a nipper, to watch my mother replace old metal tins passed down generations in favour of hard plastic containers. A cohort wrapped in clingfilm, disposable plastic bags, and grandmotherโs whining ignored; that โwe didnโt have this when we were young,โ they returned the pop bottle for a penny, put the milk bottle on the doorstep, they took a butter dish to the shop and the shopkeeper plonked a new knob of butter on it.
As my daughter frowns, labels me โgen x,โ or wrongly, โboomer,โ jumping Gretaโs bandwagon and blaming me personally, I try to justify my actions by whimpering โwe knew no better.โ But we do now; Nan was right all along, and she didnโt even know it, she just done what everyone else did, no difference than me trapped in this pressured, mass-consumer superstore modern era, have we the time and resources for every customer to queue, each grasping a butter dish? Have we the time left to causally pass off the notion our common practises need to change?
The plastic crisis is part of the climate crisis. 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels. One in every ten barrels of oil is being used to manufacture new plastic. Itโs a no-brainer, we need to drastically reduce the amount of plastic we produce. We need to ditch disposable plastic and embrace reusable products wherever possible. We can free where we live from single-use plastic.
Sustainable Devizes is on a mission to help Devizes become a Plastic Free Community, possible? Only if we all rally to change our habits. Talking to local businesses, working with local schools, engaging with the Council and organising community events, such as this one, with soup and cake, to twist my arm!
Sustainable Devizes will be at St Andrew’s Church on Wednesday 3rd November, presenting a free community film screening of the award-winning 2019 documentary The Story of Plastic. Stating, โplastic pollution is a global crisis, but one that can have local solutions.โ Sustainable Devizes invites you to join them, their newly-formed Plastic Free Devizes group, to arrive at 7pm, when a bowl of homemade and plant-based soup and a slice of cake will be served, and the film to start at 7:30.
This screening is timed to coincide with the first week of COP26, so will also give us a chance to discuss our hopes and fears for what that might bring, for those that want to stay for a conversation after the film.
Tickets for the event are free, but booking is required, follow this link, so they know how much soup and cake to make! There will be a small charge (ยฃ3.50) for food to cover costs. Donations welcome if you’d like to see more events like this in future. As this is in an indoor event, St Andrewโs would ask that you please wear a facemask (whilst not eating) if you are able.
White Horse Opera members, Soprano Barbara Gompels, Mezzo Soprano Paula Boyagis, Tenor Carlos Alonso together with pianist Tony James join forces with international cellist Anupโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Chris Watkins Ruth Ellis was hanged aged 28 years old, by Albert Pierrepoint the official executioner in the UK, at Hollowayโฆ
A group of local women and their families are gathering together to lay a huge installation of childrenโs clothes outside the office of Justin Tomlinsonโฆ
A month after Wiltshire Councilโs Climate Strategy was criticised by the Wiltshire Climate Alliance for lacking โambition and commitment to achieving its goal of seeking to make Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030,โ Iโm horrified, yet not surprised to see social media pages still maintaining climate change is a hoax, when I thought all was pretty much conclusive, and a majority, aside political opinion, accepted that climate change is real, and is happening.
I was checking out a Facebook page called โClimate Change is a Hoax,โ because, for the same reason I occasionally click on the fascist GB News site, I enjoy deliberately annoying myself with the stupidity of far-right illogic! With a laughable forty-one โlikes,โ it hardly carries much clout, neither many of its shared articles remained live after factchecking algorithms stripped them bare. But one YouTube video by Canadian conspiracy theorists, The Climate Discussion Nexus does give sensible argument against climate change, just when I tarnished them with the same brush as flat-earth theorists.
The content of the video portrays Michael Mann akin to a narcissistic nerdy schoolkid, who assumes his homework is superior to everyone elseโs, simply because he did it, and claims other researcherโs papers have been poo-pooed by the IPCC in favour for Mannโs. While I shrug, the United Nations owns the IPCC, and is an intergovernmental body, itโs not completely impossible climate change has been exaggerated for this supposed purpose of โcontrolling the masses,โ or for any other bizarre reasoning they invent, I have to question, what if they are wrong? Furthermore, quotes from the โaboutโ section of the Facebook page such as โdon’t let the globalists and socialists destroy our lives,โ is so chockful of falsehoods and propaganda I donโt know where to begin. Least not when the majority of the world today seems to politically side on the right, who commonly seem to debunk climate change, and so-called globalists and socialists are not in power anyway. Hence the reason the world spins on its axis and nothing much appears to get done to tackle the issue.
Come in, letโs squabble, oh, apologies, just step over that cataclysmic natural disaster someone left out asking to be tripped over, thereโs a good fellow.
So, what if either side of the argument is wrong? If those who believe in climate change are wrong, weโve been duped and possibly even burdened by a bunch of passive reformist lefties, which sounds far better than previous historic oppressing by purists and conservative philosophies, which always seems to result in bloodthirsty wars. So, we dust ourselves off, mix plastics with household waste again, break out our diesel Chelsea tractors and drive to the abattoir for steak pie.
However, if those who believe climate change is a hoax are wrong, weโve either caused the extinction of all life on earth, including ourselves, or least ignored the chance to slow or prevent it from happening. Seriously, you have to ask yourself which possible outcome youโd prefer. Personally, Iโm thinking being oppressed by lefties, which equates to eating lentils and maybe listening to Buffalo Springfield, then allowing everyone to die in catastrophic disasters, is the better option of the two, but hey, thatโs just me.
Therefore, it goes without saying, on a local level, Iโm keen to hear what climate change specialists think of our county councilโs climate strategy, being theyโve a majority conservative seating, and by my reckoning, seems while not every conservative is a climate change denier, all climate change deniers seem to have a conservative ethos. Suspicious some lurk in Bythesea Road, I asked the Wiltshire Climate Alliance, who formed from a meeting of over twenty interest groups from across Wiltshire a year after the moment Wiltshire Council acknowledged that there was a climate emergency and set themselves a target to make Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030. Which was in 2019, even though a seminal paper by Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius first predicted changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and noted they could substantially alter the surface temperature through the greenhouse effect, in 1896, you know, these things take time.
Wiltshire Climate Alliance (WCA) welcomes the fact that Wiltshire Council is developing a Climate Strategy but laments its lack of ambition and commitment to achieving its goal of seeking to make Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030. Bill Jarvis of WCAโs Steering Group described it as, โrecognising that major changes are needed but lacking any commitment or timescale for reducing emissions outside of the Councilโs own operations,โ adding that โthere is little sense of the urgency needed for taking action, and a dependency on future plans and policies that may take us in the opposite direction.โ
And there was me thinking they didnโt bother trimming the hedgerows of the A361 because of โreforestation,โ our minute contribution to a worldwide area the size of China which needs to be restored to forest before it having much effect. The WCA continue, about the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, predicting the world is likely to exceed 2C between the early 2040s and 50s, and while UN Secretary-General Antรณnio Guterres said, โthe alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable,โ The WCA extends this locally by saying, โthis renewed urgency doesnโt come across in Wiltshire Councilโs Strategy, which speaks of โexploringโ and โinvestigatingโ the kinds of policies and actions that should by now be in place and well underway.โ
The Tyndall Centre calculated, in 2019, that โwith no change to current emissions Wiltshire would use up all its budget [to 2050] within seven years.โ Ergo, I have to agree, if it seems there will be no significant change to policy or action for at least another two years, where is there any sense of urgency? Apply this ludicrous lucidity to a did I leave the kettle on moment, and your house is potentially toast, my friend.
โFuture delivery plansโ are the order of the Council, yet the WCA explain, โstabilising the climate requires rapid, deep and sustained emissions reductions. It is particularly concerning that the Strategy provides no detail of how its objectives will be delivered.โ
They worry Wiltshire Councilโs decarbonisation objectives will be no more than a โwish listโ in the Local Plan, Local Transport Plan and other plans, most of which have completely contrary objectives and will not be in place for at least two years. WCA would like to see the Strategy go further, and recommend a moratorium on implementing climate destructive, high emission plans and policies until such time as detailed carbon reduction delivery plans have been adopted, and it has set out its concerns.
Wiltshire Climate Alliance is keen to continue to support Wiltshire Council and its councillors in taking the urgent action that is now required. โThe solutions are clear,โ they say, โachievable and a large number are touched on in this document. However, they require political will to make them happen. There is limited need for more evidence gathering, investigations and assessments. But there is an urgent need for more ambition and immediate action in areas in which others are already showing leadership.โ
Okay look, I’m no tree hugger, love a bacon butty, and, Iโm willing to admit, my presumptions climate change deniers lurk at county hall is a scare story evolved from the content of worldwide keyboard warriors, adamant on spreading myths. But it is exasperating, becoming tiresome, and dreadfully perilous to assume theyโve no influence at any level of politics. Hereโs hoping the WCA can urge Wiltshireโs residents and its elected representatives to join in demanding better, as the steering group say, โclimate denial must not be replaced by delaying climate action.โ
by Ian Diddamsimages from Mark Harrison Facebook Last summer I was lucky enough to see Mark Harrison play at the โTangled Rootsโ festival over Radstockโฆ
In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to smear the campaign of opposition candidate for Wiltshire Police Crime Commissioner, independent Mike Rees, it seemsโฆ
Entertainment events in the county blossoming out of lockdown came to a pinnacle this weekend. We were spoiled for choice, and without cloning technology the decision wouldโve been a toughy for me, if it hadnโt had been for the no-brainer; the sixth annual outing of local supergroup, The Female of the Species at Melkshamโs brilliant Assembly Hall.
From the moment I was pinged the lowdown on this event my heartstrings spasmed, five bandโs fantastic frontwomen in their own right united for the rare, Community Civic award-winning, fundraising bonanza which has become somewhat equal in legend around these parts as a Spice Girls reunion. And perhaps what is more, the proceeds this year were directed at another personal superheroine, Carmela Chillery-Watson.
Super-heroic is a term I donโt use lightly, and not out of sympathy for Carmelaโs rare strain of muscular dystrophy. Over the past two years Iโve followed the progress of Carmela and her familyโs fight against this muscle-wasting condition, since mum, Lucy sent Devizine a fundraising event poster and I figured I could do more, which consequently saw me take to my milk-round dressed in my Spiderman onesie! For, now at seven years old, Carmelaโs zest for life and amiable charisma is an inspiration to everyone she meets. I found it rubs off on you with immediate effect, something hordes of international celebrities have also now discovered.
Bringing this celebrity herself now back home to Wiltshire for a fundraising event, I was not only delighted to meet her and her family again, but mightily impressed with her handling of fame. Carmela responds accordingly to mounting attention, never excluding or shunning any individual yet finding the time to address them all equally; a skill many a celeb could learn from. ย
With a bombardment of unfortunate planning episodes, Jools of the reggae-ska band Train to Skaville confessed, โit was a nightmare trying to get this event off the ground,โ it truly became a sense of itโll be alright on the night, and the party went off with an explosive boom. The amalgamated wealth of experience, proficiency and professionalism of The Female of the Species shone through; they are deadlier than the male.
Dedication too, to overcome obstacles, apexed by performer and musical director, Nicky Davis of bands People Like Us and the Reason, who took a fall during rehearsals to personify the performance idiom, break a leg. Frustrated by her vocal restrictions slouched at the keyboard, the second half of the show proved too tempting, and Nicky manged to make it onto her feet to sing behind the keys, rather more like Jerry Lee Lewis than Elton John in style!
But we are getting ahead of ourselves now, for full credits have to be awarded to support act, Melksham-based Plan of Action. Unbeknown to me, this male trio with a female bassist took me by surprise. Based on previous FOTS supports, I was expecting soothing acoustics, yet Plan of Action done what it suggested on the tin, and executed said plan in a hard rock fashion akin to the Foo-Fighters covers they blasted with certain precision. They then beseeched their benchmark, rather than redefined their style, to cover Wilson Pickettโs Mustang Sally in hard-edged blues fashion, and finished more retro than they started with rock classics such as Billy Idolโs Rebel Yell.
Not only did they fire up the audience superbly in preparation, but their fanbase also resolved the terror of who would be first to break the dancefloor reservations. Now there was no stopping the crowd, as Female of the Species drummer, Pip Phillips of People Like Us was first to appear, foot-peddling the bass drum to build anticipation while the girls came onstage under an impressive light show.
Second tune in, Nicky Davis led them in an accomplished cover of Hotel California, and solo soul singer Julia Hanratty followed lead on Stevie Wonderโs Superstition, as is the Female of the Species code of conduct; memorable pop covers ranging the spectrums of their individual tastes. That said, we had none of the two-tone of Joolsโ Train to Skaville, although she did an outstanding lead on Deacon Blueโs Real Gone Kid.
With affections towards uncompromising rock, Charmaigne Andrewsโ AC/DC Highway to Hell boosted the crowd, but not before an early highlight for me; Juliaโs absolutely outstanding cover of Aretha Franklinโs Respect, something Iโd not advise any singer to attempt, as with Nicky last time, who gorgeously portrayed Heard it Through the Grapevine, Julia clearly knocked this one clear out of the park.
Claire Perry of Big Mamaโs Banned not only brings range to the repertoire, but witty if saucy repartee to the show, unsurpassed during the break where Carmela joined her to announce raffle prize-winners. Sporting Wonder Woman headgear for the second half, they raised the roof of the Assembly Hall, as much as they raised serious funds for the cause.
Aforementioned, Nicky stood for the second half despite her plastered leg, as they played through memorable covers, dancefloor fillers, and perfected songs youโd be excused from thinking, oh my, theyโre covering that?Bohemian Rhapsody, Grease Lightening, Oh, Sweet Child of Mine, and Jackoโs Beat It for examples. Joolโs cover of Kirsty MacCollโs New England, Claireโs Iโll Put a Spell on You, Charmaigne leading on Republicaโs Ready to Go, the show continued past my bus time, but I could faintly hear Mr Blue Skies while I waited!
Yeah, hereโs a thing I hadnโt thought of before; escaping the Devizes westwards for the evening is surprisingly possible via public transport, and it wasnโt a drunken fallout zone, like the Boot Hill All Starโs hilarious song, Night Bus, which I imagined, rather a mediocre and tranquil bus journey!
The last bus on the 273 route leaves Bath at 11:30, and gets to the Sham at ten-to-midnight; blooming marvellous, for Melksham have a real gem with the Assembly Hall. Drinks are affordable, the service well-staffed, the atmosphere is hospitable and theyโre continuing to bring outstanding shows and events to the Sham.
All in all, this show was professional yet communal, absolutely fantastic and spellbindingly electric; if another comes along, I suggest you donโt miss out. But I must finish in thanking the Female of the Species and all involved for supporting such an amazing cause, and local girl; and to Carmela, you are a superstar.
If we spoke only last month about Wiltshire Councilโs threats to prosecute Wiltshire Music Events over posters advertising a Bob Marley tribute event in Devizes,โฆ
By Florence Lee Images by Kiesha Films โThey promised hardcore shenanigans which never fall below 180 bpmโ SHOX: After seeing Shox in February I wasโฆ
Girls, girls, girls, we love them here at Devizine, especially our esteemed all-female local supergroup The Female of the Species. 2024 will be their ninthโฆ
Two teen Devizes punker bands appear on Trowbridgeโs Pump triple-bill this Saturday, as the search for the Future of Trowbridge reaches its eighth instalment; unsureโฆ
Closing date for Entries is Tuesday 12th October, for The Devizes Eisteddfod, a five-day competitive festival of music, drama, speech, dance, writing, art and photography for people of all ages, who may enter individually or through a school or group. Entries are still open for the Music, Speech, Drama and Pre-adjudicated classes at the 2021 Eisteddfod, Thursday – Saturday 18th – 20th November 2021. Entries to made on their website: https://www.devizes-eisteddfod.org.uk/
The Devizes Eisteddfod In its 75th year, and is back for November 2021, the program of events looks like this:
There will be some foot-tapping folky goodness at the wonderful Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon on Friday. This year’s Bradford Roots Festival may be aโฆ
After an inaugural midweek gig with local legend Andrew Hurst this month, it seems Bromham’s St Nicholas Church could be the unexpected new rural musicโฆ
Spring has sprung! There were two snails on my milk-float this morning, opening โdoing it,โ without shame; absolute filth! โฆ. I should have filmed itโฆ
By Mick Brian.Images by Chris Watkins Media Mention the name of the author โAgatha Christieโ and most people will immediately think of her two mainโฆ
Calne Music and Arts Festival (CMAF) is a community celebration of music and the arts, which takes place during a ten-day period at the beginning of October each year, and this year is of no exception.
The festival aims not only to provide entertainment for the people of Calne and surrounding villages, but also to promote local musical and artistic talent. It was inaugurated in 1974 and has grown substantially over the years, showcasing some exceptional talent, whilst reaching a wide cross section of the community.
Starter for ten, thereโs an art exhibition at Marden House, home to most of the festival. The exhibition presents hundreds of pieces from beginners to internationally exhibiting artists from in and around Calne. Opening times: Saturday 2nd: 10:00am โ 4pm – Please note the Family Day will be in progress. Sunday 3rd: 10:00am – 02:00pm & 04:00pm โ 05:00pm. Monday 4th to Friday 8th: 10:00am โ midday and 01.15pm โ 05:00pm. Saturday 9th: 11:00am – 02:00pm โ Free Artists Talk 10:00am โ midday.
Thereโs a Festival Club, a wine bar at Marden House, open before evening events and for interval drinks. Light lunches, snacks and drinks will be available throughout the Family Day, Saturday 2nd October. Coffee and cakes are also available on weekday evenings after the main event when there is a free late evening concert. Light lunches will be served following the weekday lunchtime concerts.
So, it starts off on Saturday 2nd October with a Family Day at the Pocket Park, and the evening sees Calne based family trio, The Shelburne Ensemble, comprising of Laurence Davies, French horn, violinist Siรขn McInally and pianist Helen Davies. Laurence until recently has been principal horn for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, of which Siรขn is still a member.
Lorna Davies
The shows, exhibits and events come in thick and fast, see the program here. Highlights include guitar teacher at Marlborough College, Mark Willcocks with a classical guitar and Renaissance lute, and an evening with Will Blake and the PSG Choir, both on Monday 4th. Returning jazz favourite, Catherine Sykes on 5th, Bath-based folk quartet Concrete Prairie on Thursday 7th and The Bonfire Radicals on the Friday.
Wiltshire Councilโs ambitious plans to resurface all the roads in Devizes before the next ice age have been cancelled because rare dinosaur fossils have beenโฆ
November was one crazy month for our friend and researcher from the Regional History Centre at the University of the West of England, Brian Edwards.โฆ
With howling, coarse baritones Nick Fletcher, the main vocalist of Marlboroughโs gothic duo, Deadlight Dance chants, โhere comes the rain, and I love the rain,โฆ
Stemming from an unfinished book of Eric Ravilious’s illustrations (including that of Westbury White Horse) which resurfaced in 2012 and which museum director David Dawson collected for Wiltshire Museum, the Eric Ravilious: Downland Man exhibition has been put together by guest curator James Russell (creator of a previous Ravilious exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 2015) and tells the story of the fascinating man’s life and his iconic portraits of English landscapes.
With 9 years in the works and 4 years active planning, it has already attracted around 700 pre-booked visitors from all over the country.
Featuring loans from a number of National Museums, it’s a marvelous and recognisable sight to see for any southwesterner, with Ravilious’s signature realistically vivid, painstakingly gorgeous watercolours of countryside and landmarks right on the doorstep of Devizes locals.
See it while you can. The Exhibit runs from 25th September – 30th January 2022. In memory of Eric Ravilious (1903 – 1942).
How will the Wharf Theatre follow the huge success of Jesus Christ Superstar? I can tell you this much; it will be Glorious!
How do I know? Press release, see, the production is called Glorious, and itโs the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, dubbed โThe Worst Singer in the World!โ A play by Peter Quilter, directed by Liz Sharman, neither of whom have obviously heard me singing in the shower!
It enjoyed a West End run, starring Maureen Lipman, and takes a more humorous approach to its subject matter than the recent Meryl Streep film. Our wonderful Wharf Theatre in Devizes are running it from Monday 25th โ Saturday 30th October, shows at 7.30pm.
Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) was an American soprano, socialite and philanthropist.ย Her love of music and performing became evident at a young age when she played the piano and performed at various functions under the name of โLittle Miss Fosterโ; on one occasion even performing at the White House.
After graduating high school, she nursed dreams of going to Europe to study music but her father staunchly refused. When an accident then left her unable to play the piano to the level she had previously, she reluctantly pursued a career as a piano teacher.
In 1909, after one failed marriage, she met British actor, St Clair Bayfield, who remained her partner for the rest of her life. That same year her father died and, having been left a considerable fortune, she seized the opportunity to pursue her singing dreams despite having little obvious talent.
The poet William Meredith wrote that a Jenkins recital, โwas never exactly an aesthetic experience, or only to the degree that an early Christian among the lions provided aesthetic experience; it was chiefly immolatory, and Madame Jenkins was always eaten, in the end.โ
In the 1920โs she began financing her own shows and with her charm and shining costumes she did, in many ways, find success. In reality she was both adored and mocked by her audiences but although now considered possibly the worst opera singer in the world, who sang out of tune and had no discernible rhythm people still remember her.
One especially amusing anecdote tells of Florenceโs high-pitched scream when in a taxi once, which collided with another car. Arriving home, she made haste for her piano, confirming, least to herself, that the note she had shrieked was the mythical F above high C, a pitch she had never before been able to reach. Ecstatic, she refused to press charges against either involved party, and even sent the taxi driver a box of expensive cigars.
But the most perplexing question surrounding her life was whether she was in on the joke, or honestly believed she had vocal talent, this remains a matter of debate. This hilarious farce picks up her story in 1940โs New York, and sounds a blast!
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd http://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Tickets can be purchased by ringing 03336 663 366; from the website Wharftheatre.co.uk and at the Devizes Community Hub and Library on Sheep Street.
An exodus of musical lovers and, I’d assume, a healthy handful of friends and family, trekked southwards through winter’s final ambush last night, to enjoyโฆ
The first Kamikaze moth of the year dive-bombed my face the other morning. Forget blossoming trees and tulips, that’s a milkmanโs sure sign of springโฆbecauseโฆ
The Liberal Democratโs are today celebrating a historic election win in the heart of Marlborough, in the first contested Town Council election for thirteen yearsโฆ.โฆ
After a larger quantity of social media teasers than previous years, Devizes Arts Festival has today revealed their full line-up for 2024. Better take aโฆ
Hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshire, hold onto your hats! Everything listed here is on our event calendar; goโฆ
Image: Czampal Iโm laughing, not at the Glasto lineup, but the incalculable comments of negativity it has encouraged in Facebookland. It should be said though,โฆ
Ian Diddams Written by Jonathan LarsonPresented by Maple Theatre Company It’s always hard reviewing a show that one has seen multiple times before, performed byโฆ
In true Royston Vasey style, unfortunately due to time and resources we donโt review international music as we did during lockdown, choosing to focus moreโฆ
“We want to be there for every seriously ill child that needs us,” say Julia’s House, “but to care for families in your community, we need your support. As part of our Together We Care Appeal, we’re creating a giant bear sculpture and aiming to cover it with the faces of everyone who cares about seriously ill children in Wiltshire – that’s YOU!“
Join them in The Brittox, Devizes, this Friday 24th, Salisbury Market Place on Saturday 25th, or Chippenham High Street on Sunday 26th.
Have your photo taken at their selfie tent, and your photo will be added to the We Care Bear. Once created, the bear will tour different towns across the county before going on permanent display at their hospice in Devizes, so the families they look after will be reminded of your support whenever they arrive at the hospice.
When can I see the finished bear? Julia’s House will announce the dates soon for when you can see your photo on the finished Julia’s House We Care Bear. Sign up for an email newsletter to get your paws on the latest bear action:ย https://www.juliashouse.org/enews
Don’t forget our wonderful compilation album, download it here, all proceeds go to Julia’s House
On International Womenโs Day a group of women from the Swindon community decided to organise a clothes memorial for the over 11,500 Palestinian children killedโฆ
Wowzers! Huge congratulations and a colossal thanks to young Chloe Boyle from Devizes, who is planning to spend the night of April 5th sleeping outsideโฆ
Newly formed and locally based collective Palooza hosted their opening night at The Exchange nightclub in Devizes yesterday, offering house music with universal appeal andโฆ
Salisbury-based event organisation Wiltshire Music Events has been ordered to remove posters advertising the Marley Experience gig at the Devizes Corn Exchange on 13th April,โฆ
The fifth single coming out from Chippenham singer-songwriter M3g on Friday, Ashes of Memory, and if Iโve said in the past what separates Meg fromโฆ
Swindonโs sonic indie popsters Atari Pilot are a prolific bunch, and have a new single out called The Rules Never Changeโฆ. And, they donโt. Thereโsโฆ
It really feels as if the old times are back with the very welcome return of Strakersโ Comedy Night at the Corn Exchange.ย A fairly packed audience of about 200, with long early queues at the bar, settled down for something we all needed โ a great night of laugh-out-loud comedy.ย It did initially have the feel of a massed estate agentsโ night out and bonding session, but once we finally got under way, all of that was forgotten.
First up was Kane Brown who wasted no time in warming to his first couple of themes โ a black man in a very white town, and the obvious need to take the piss out of the sponsor of tonightโs event.ย Kane was quick-fire, calm, relaxed and made an immediate bond with his audience.ย It could be argued that he was scoring into an empty net, such was the crowdโs desire to have a good laugh after such a long lay-off, but in fact it was much better than that.ย Kane had a very nice line in nostalgia themes โ salted crisps, the choke on cars, old TV technology โ and his slot seemed to slip by in no time.ย Very assured, very funny and an obvious hit with the crowd.
Next up came Rod Woodward, veteran of the corporate comedy circuit, TV, Royal Variety show etc.ย Rod played the โIโm very Welshโ card early, followed it with low-level machine-gunning of the Strakers (a theme was developing here) and rounded out with routines on Ryanair, and the dangers of going clothes shopping with a married partner. Another great performance, also hilarious, and a great way to end the first half.
Following the half-time scrums at the bar, and the queues for the loos, the second half offered up a couple more comics.ย First of these was Ali Cook, another very experienced performer in terms of TV work, Edinburgh Festival and the corporate circuit. Ali combined his comedic patter with a number of sleight-of-hand magic tricks, effortlessly pulling victims (sorry โ โassistantsโ) out of the crowd to help him on stage.ย Routines involved card-tricks, apparently eating goldfish, and smashing an i-Phone to pieces.ย Another clear hit with the crowd.
Last on stage was the wild-looking, long-haired Canadian Craig Campbell. Here was a real force of nature from the get-go. Having just done a none-too-easy gig for UK troops quarantined after recently returning from Afghanistan, Craig had a lot to say on the subject. At first this really took the audience with him, but then he appeared to lose a good few people with his crude, shouty, expletive-ridden rants about not very much in particular. He managed to pull them round with a very good story about the Dutch and the Danes, but then went off into another blizzard of shouting. A few people around me were making their excuses and leaving at this point, but other sections of the audience found him very funny. He lost me towards the end Iโm afraid. I donโt mind bad language well-used, but Craig seemed to rely on the f-word almost completely to get his laughs, a thin cover for fairly sparse material. So, something of a Marmite type of performer.
Still โ to badly paraphrase a certain rock legend โ three out of four ainโt bad.ย Overall a great night, lots of laughs, and a very welcome extra step to getting our lives back again.ย Thanks to Strakers for putting the show on โ great stuff!
Featured Image: The Westbury White Horse ยฉ Towner Eastbourne
Finally opening at Wiltshire Museum on 25 September 2021 is Eric Ravilious: Downland Man, something we previewed on Devizine in October 2019, but, sadly, lockdown prevented.
This major exhibition explores for the first time the celebrated artistโs lifelong fascination for the chalk hills of southern England, particularly Wiltshire and Sussex.
The exhibition will feature more than 20 works borrowed from national collections and private collectors, including iconic watercolours such as The Westbury Horse and The Wilmington Giant, alongside other rarely-seen works.ย The exhibition is supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund.ย Created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, the Weston Loan Programme is the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.
Central to the exhibition are several of Raviliousโs best-loved watercolours of chalk figures made in 1939 in preparation for a childrenโs book, Downland Man. The book was never completed, and for many years the prototype or โdummyโ made by Ravilious was believed lost. When it resurfaced in 2012 this precious item was bought at auction by Wiltshire Museum. It will be included in the exhibition alongside some of the artistโs watercolours, aerial photographs, annotated Ordnance Survey maps, postcards and books that relate to the Ravilious works on show – material drawn largely from Wiltshire Museumโs own collection.
The exhibition will offer a new view of Eric Ravilious (1903-42) as a chronicler of the landscape he knew better than any other.ย From his student days until the last year of his life, Ravilious returned again and again to the Downs, inspired particularly by the relationship between landscape and people.ย Watercolours and wood engravings included in the exhibition show dew ponds and farmyards, a cement works and a field roller, modern military fortifications and ancient monuments.ย
Eric Ravilious: Downland Man is curated by James Russell, previously curator of the 2015 blockbuster Ravilious at Dulwich Picture Gallery. He said โI studied History at Cambridge and Iโm always intrigued by the social and cultural context of artistsโ work. When it comes to downland history and archaeology Wiltshire Museum has an unrivalled collection, making this exhibition a unique opportunity to shed new light on Ravilious โ an artist who is well-known these days but still little understood. With watercolours such as โChalk Pathsโ and โThe Vale of the White Horseโ on display, visitors are in for a treat.โ
Heather Ault, Exhibitions Officer said: โThis is a wonderful opportunity for Wiltshire Museum to exhibit such beautiful works by Ravilious.ย The exhibition will be an absolute delightโ.
Sophia Weston, Trustee of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: โWe are delighted that the Weston Loan Programme has been able to support the display of these important works by Eric Ravilious in Wiltshire โ an area of the country which repeatedly inspired this much-loved artist. The exhibition will bring his evocative landscapes to new audiences and shed light on material little-known by the public.โ
Members of Swindon Palestine Solidarity made themselves heard at the Labour Party fundraising dinner, where Jess Phillips MP was the guest of honour, protesting atโฆ
Swindon indie popsters Talk in Code return tomorrow (1st March) with a new single, Something Of Nothing โฆ..hold tight to your Deely-Boppers, things are aboutโฆ
Think early nineties dance-indie crossover and the Madchester circuit might understandably spring to mind. Yet Pop Will Eat Itself were Brunmies, The Shamen were Scots,โฆ
I trouble procrastinating upon being gifted a previously released CD from an artist for review, unfortunately they land on the backburner, prioritising upcoming news items.โฆ
Ian Diddams Regular readers of Devizine may be well accustomed to hearing the name โVince Bellโ. For those less frequent readers or those that haveโฆ
Bit Wintery, innit? Calendars are going forward, weather is going backwards! Hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshire, hold ontoโฆ
So, youโre planning to go out-out, the decision rests on music or a night of comedy. An unnecessary dilemma, no need for a crystal ball, tarot cards or Paul the psychic octopus, you can do both in the land of chips n ham. In fact, if you happen to own a psychic octopus, this will be right up your street.
Iโve been waffling on the subject of comical music of recent, reviewing release from Monkey Bizzle, Death of Guitar Pop, Mr B, and Scott Lavene, but hereโs an evening not to be missed for your dancing shoes and funny bone alike.
Professor Elemental
Lord of whimsy himself, Brightonโs steampunk chap-hop artist Professor Elemental, whoโs been in a friendly feud with the very same Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, goes head-to-head with Calneโs nonsensical Real Cheesemakers, and the ref will be Chippenhamโs own legend and Edinburgh Festival favourite Wil Hodgson in a night not to be missed or dissed.
The Real Cheesemakers
One randomly selected lyric of Professor Elemental might whet your appetite, โthis oneโs for the crusty festivals and shows, where a fan tries to hug me and I get a dreadlock up my nose,โ and honey, heโs got rhymes you havenโt heard yet. Expect hilarity at the Old Town Tavern on 16th October, demand trousers, horses and dinosaurs, tickets are eight quid, a brown one on the door. Facebook yo bad self, tell ’em you want in.
Hey, teacher! Leave those sausage rolls alone. Hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshire, hold onto your hats, there beโฆ
West-side in the Lavingtons last night, tumbleweeds could’ve blown along the High Street as an army of highway operatives rode into the village with heavyโฆ
Featured image by LoraDore After an impressive forty-five years of Guiding in Worton, through Brownies, Guides, Young Leadership, and as the Unit Leader there forโฆ
Hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshire, hold onto your hats, letโs lots to get throughโฆ.. Everything listed here isโฆ
This Saturday sees Bristol’s Hip Hop phenonium, The Scribes bringing their Boombox show to The Pump, Trowbridge, and will be the group’s only performance inโฆ
Little doubt Frank Turner is the top of his game, the prolific indie-rockerโs ninth studio album, โFTHCโ is highly anticipated….
The previously released lead single, โThe Gatheringโ only gives a small insight into the new direction of the record. Though Frank is not only able to feature guest appearances from Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Biffy Clyro and more, the supporting tour allows him to cherry-pick venues and promoters.
Frank will be doing a unique tour playing all thirty-nine English historic counties, plus nine districts of Scotland, eight counties in Wales, six in N. Ireland and a further eight counties in Ireland. The ambition is to reach all of his fans with his new record and play where most artists will not go.
Sheer Music is the obvious choice for the west country, and promoter, Kieran J Moore is delighted to have been asked. Frank has chosen The Forum in Bath for his Somerset date, which will be Friday 18th February 2022.
The beautiful art-deco Forum gave Frank one of his last shows from his previous album tour, just prior to lockdown. The venue remains a firm favourite with artists and fans alike. It will be Sheerโs first show at the historic venue, Mr Moore says, โitโs an opportunity weโre truly honoured and excited about being given!โ
Image: Clair McAllister
Given the nature of the show and the current climate, (itโs as if no one was allowed out for a year or more!) tickets will be snatched quickly, so a heads up for Turner fans, that tickets will be available in the following structure;
Album Pre Order for Pre-Sale: Tuesday, 21 September @ 5PM BST
Album Order Pre-Sale: Wednesday, 22 September @ 12PM BST โ Friday, 24 September @ 12PM BST
Promoter Pre-Sale: Thursday, 23 September @ 12PM BST
As part of the global Kidical Mass movement, this event combined a family-friendly cycle ride with aย protest, calling for safe streets for everyone. The rideโฆ
On Saturday, people from across Swindon came to Swindon Palestine Solidarityโs charity dinner to raise funds for Medical Aid Palestine and raise awareness of theโฆ
To international acclaim on the folk circuit, weโve loved to follow the progress of the Lost Trades since day dot, when Phil Cooper enthusiastically toldโฆ
One reason why I enjoyed Jesus Christ Superstar at Devizes Wharf Theatre yesterday evening, is similar to why I like sci-fi and fantasy genres.
No, hear me out, long winded it maybe, but thereโs a point! With sci-fi you can take an earth-bound concept, and moving it from its usual perimeters, see it for what it truly is, without being predetermined via propaganda or personal opinion. Example; racism. Take a green coloured race of aliens fighting with a blue race, and from outside looking in you can see how completely meaningless and rash it is.
Jesus Christ Superstar throws out preconceptions of this renowned Easter story, bought about by biblical re-enactments and more commonly accepted adaptions. In essence, itโs a rock opera, opera is tragedy, and rock music is modernised, least it was when Tim Rice and Andrew Llyod Webber created it.
I often wonder what it was like for Michael Jackson, in the limo to the show, mobbed by obsessive devotees throwing themselves unashamedly at him. In a way, the tragic desolation and isolation of fame is more the subject in question, rather than the biblical Easter story. Just like our sci-fi scenario, it never suggests a religious connection, never states definitively that Jesus is the son of God. It takes the story out of the usual context and reconnects the dots.
The set is deliberately void, mostly of black backdrop, and props are minimal. Rather than a school playโs amateurishly painted scene, the darkness leaves the setting to your imagination. While Nazareth and Rome are mentioned, thereโs no depiction of it. The concentration is flowed into the characters and music. For Jesus here is unlike another representation; in fact, Iโd argue Brian from Monty Pythonโs โLife ofโ is closer! Played convincingly by Jordan Overton, if this was intentional, I found Jesus actually quite irritating. Far from blasphemous given the circumstances, for here heโs unforgiving, frustrated at the mounting iconic hysteria surrounding him. Probably more likely how it would be, especially in the modern era.
If Jordan made a grand job of it, more so did the surrounding characters, for Judas is Jerry if Jesus is Tom, the tension between the two the narrative. Arguably Peter Assiratiโs performance is passionately executed greater, the focus on his despair is equal pegging, as Judas feels overexposure will be Jesusโs ruin. Like washed up rock stars or actors in the modern era, we know from tragedies like Marylin Monroe, to Whitney and Kurt Cobain, the feeling is real. In a way then, the lines between protagonist and antagonist are blurred, another reason why I liked this piece of musical theatre.
More general is the third reason; the Wharf is such a splendid asset to Devizes. This historic shoebox theatre central to town is so welcoming, if the doormat was curled at the edge staff would lie over it so you donโt trip. Chat in the auditorium is not of condescending theatre-goers and thespians, rather an almost family ambience with an age demographic to match. As with most venues, lockdown flogged this theatre, kicking it while it was down. Those who can, bearing in mind ticket stubs here are far more reasonably priced than city playhouses, are dutybound to help it to its feet. I witnessed said devotion firmly in place already, as Jesus Christ Superstar plays to a full house.
The fourth reason I enjoyed it is simply the surprise element. I went in critical, didnโt expect to actually like it, given the theme tuneโs school playground variant of yore, set to ridicule it with Yamahas and dustbin lids, was wedged in my mind. Anyone younger will have to ask Alexa about this; Iโve exposed my age enough already!
I tip my hat to the performances of additional characters, Pete Winterton casted perfectly for the seventies-fashioned game show host version of Herod, breathing one humorous element to the tragedy, at least! Francis Holmes as Caiaphas made for the textbook managerial role and convincingly bellowed his solo with professionalism.
Emma Holmes and Chris Smithโs recitals of Simon and Peter, respectively, being especially poignant. None so much though as Mary Magdalene, played by Cassy Swann, who, with her astute expressions of woe and loyalty, her superior voice commanded the stage above all else. In this, full credit has also to be awarded to Victoria Warren, music director, and the band, Jennifer Cardno, Bob Ball, Claire Borovac and John Joy, for limited to a four-piece, amalgamated the show to epic and euphoric proportions.
You should note, if you go see this, at the time, amidst the hullabaloo surrounding its controversial subject, it took the best part of decade to alter from rock opera album to the stage in London, and only because of its success in the USA. True music fans will recognise this more as an album of music than a play, ergo the dynamics of elaborate stage effects are deliberately stripped back, the opening of Jesus Christ Superstar rightfully displays the band playing the overture prior to actors taking their stance. But go see it you should; decide quick and seize a ticket post haste. Itโs only running at the Wharf Theatre until this Saturday, the 18th September, and last time I checked, tickets are up for grabs weekdays, Saturday is sold out.
Please buy our compilation album of local music, all proceeds go to Julia’s House, thank you!
WIN 2 tickets to Gary in Punderland @ Devizes Corn Exchange by clicking on the poster!
A third instalment of space rock swirls and cosmic heavy duty guitar riffs was unleashed in January from our homegrown purveyors of psychedelia, Cracked Machine.โฆ
Feeel the melody that’s in the (Devizes) air! If the nineties house clubbing revival is whatโs happening elsewhere around the nation, we have to admit,โฆ
Hey you, Feb already, hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshireโฆโฆ Everything listed here is on our event calendar; goโฆ
Perhaps best known as the frontman of Afro Celt Sound System, the Belgium-based artist N’Faly Kouyatรฉ will be hitting the road for nine intimate showsโฆ
The Importance of Being Earnest is rather like a newfound interest in jazz, you must โunlearnโ the four-beat pop you’re accustomed to, to fully appreciateโฆ
Okay, Iโll get my coat. Leave it to the professionals, one of whom announced this morning, Devizes is on his hitlist. Husband of comedy supremo Sarah Millican, and king of the one-liners, Gary Delaney delivers his hilarious tour, “Gary in Punderland,โ to our honoured little town on Thursday 5th May 2022, appearing at the Corn Exchange……
The double Sony Award Winner and Chortle Award nominee is a regular on Mock The Week. Gary is the only comic ever to have got two gags in the same top 10 for Daveโs TV Funniest Jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe, and his current tour took in over 200 venues; weโre so glad to hear heโs heading our way. After selling out his Andover show, and in the absence of a Swindon show, it was decided that Devizes offered the best central location, and easiest access in Wiltshire to attract his fans. Devizions love a bit of joking about, look at the councillors we elected….ba boom!!
If youโre hunting for snark, Garyโs got it covered! Not one to get too bogged down in serious stuff, like political and social observations, he leaves that to other comedians. Gary Delaney is known for his machinegun rapid, quick fire one liners, which take you away from your daily lives for the evening, something Iโd imagine we all could do with. He loves each and every gag, and you canโt help but be carried away by his infectious charm. Heโs like a cheeky schoolboy who can barely hide his glee with each and every punchline.
Courtesy of Sheer Music, weโve been holding onto this news for a while, aching to tell you, honest! So, if youโre ready to dive into a rabbit hole of the best jokes in the world, star of Live at the Apollo and sell-out sensation Gary Delaney is your man.
WIN A COUPLE OF TICKETS!!
But to help you prepare, and you know, to celebrate this fantastic news, I want you to think up your best one liner, the very crรจme de la crรจme of your wit, and either send it to us using the box below, or commenting on the Facebook share of this article. Facebook users, ensure youโve liked our page, invited your friends to like it too, and shared the post; I will be checking!
Also, ensure you have commented on the official Devizine Facebook page’s post, and not those shared to other groups and pages, I cannot trace them all, hunting for your joke, no matter how bad it might be; for that’s a joke in itself!
Closing Date for this competition: 4th October 2021. You must be over 18 to enter the competition.
Meanwhile Iโm going to arrange for a score of top comedy judges to decide on the best one, (which will more than likely be my daughter and I, or if we can, Gary Delaney might help!) and they will WIN TWO FREE TICKETS! Note, this event is strictly 16+, and wheelchair access and seats are available.
Otherwise, tickets are set at ยฃ20, and available from SeeTickets and TicketSource online.
Hey frozen duckling, hereโs whatโs happening over the coming week in the wilds of Wiltshireโฆโฆ Everything listed here is on our event calendar; go thereโฆ
Devizes-based chocolate engineer Holly Garner, 2023 Chocolate Champion for the Southwest, has launched her new chocolate classes for the first half of 2024โฆโฆ From learningโฆ
Tuesday before Christmas Iโm in New Society. I gazed across to a table by the window, recalling an optimistic response from local Labour candidate Rachaelโฆ
A Gallery of Rogues, huh? Can’t be, they look okay to me; it’s always the quiet one. I’m just pleased to hear the Devizes Musical Theatre is back and coming to a Market Lavington Community Hall near you!
Presenting a complete performance of “Trial by Jury,” W.S Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan together witha collection of other ditties, performed by members of the cast, and directed by Laura Deacon and Susan Braunton.
On the 21st October 1965, Devizes Musical Theatre (formerly named ‘Devizes Light Operatic Society’)ย was born. A society committed to the arts, with an emphasis on fun, team work and a love for all things musical. Since, ‘DMT’ has grown into the talented, passionate and friendly society that it is today.
The society performs two full-scale productions each year with a number of concerts and showcases alongside these. In two sections; youth (‘DMT Footlights’) or adult, aged 8 or 80 they have something for you! On stage, behind the scenes or front of house alike, they are always keen to welcome new people.
Rehearsals began in a back garden and they’re now ready to bring you a large slice of G&S, followed by a pot pourri of songs. A light-hearted evening’s entertainment for all the family, on 11th September. Doors at 7:30pm, ยฃ7 payable on the door. Or email chairman@devizesmusicaltheatre.co.uk to reserve your tickets.
Fashionably late for the party, apologies, the fellow Iโm not sure if he minds me calling โthe Mike Oldfield of Swindon,โ though itโs meant asโฆ
Bristolโs fine purveyors of idiosyncratic folk-raving, Ushti Baba, who if youโre in Devizes you might recall played Street Festival in 2022, have a new singleโฆ..โฆ
With an album review in the pipeline for Dad which includes vocals from Sienna, our Swindon princess of melancholic poignancy has a new single, Timeslipsโฆ..โฆ
Our favourite loud Brit-popping local Geordie and gang are back with a second album. Theyโre calling it Gazelles, after the previously released single opener Endlessโฆ
Featured Image: FullTone Festival, Devizes 2023 by Gail Foster Onwards with our look through all the big local events and festivals coming our way inโฆ
There are two giant kangaroos hopping through Long Street in Devizes, one bantering to a passer-by in a mock-Aussie accent, โno, I’m not into bondage, you can’t tie me down, sport!โ
Meanwhile a gypsy woman riding a quad-cycle with a double bass attached follows a dapper man in top hat and tails, playing a piano on wheels, adorned with flowery ornaments and mirrors, past the Nationwide on Maryport Street. This isn’t your archetypal afternoon in town, this is a scattered post-lockdown version of DOCAโs beloved Devizes Street Festival, and while this isn’t going to be quite as simple for me to angle this time around, it is, unarguably, something fantastic.
With the main stage outside the Corn Exchange missing this year, there was no centrepiece binding the annual event together, therefore from the outside looking in, one could perceive it being all rather mishmash. I feel this was intentional, to avoid crowding, and a wise move considering the circumstances. The crucial point is, the magic was still there, for all ages; side stalls, street food, fairground rides, static and wandering circus acts and street theatre all played as colourful and lively part of the street festival as it ever did, it was just dispersed around the town centre.
If the lack of live music was a shame this time around, least it drew attention to side attractions. I’ve a particular penchant for the offbeat street theatre, fondly reminding me of sunny Glastonbury festivals of yore. It is, then, precisely this, and the variety of side attractions, especially catering for children which spells out to me, this is so much more than the perceived monumental piss-up locals dub, โBlack Rat Monday,” with its monocultured ethos of cider-swigging debauchery.
However, and this is a big however, if DOCA wishes to cast off this label, that is it’s prerogative to do so, but they should note the nickname is not to be taken seriously, it is all part of a running joke in true west country fashion, an inward banter of ironic overstatement. Folk know it’s more than the sum of downing as much cider as they can, that’s the joke. Backside of the coin, though, a large part of the community does want exactly that. Far from loutish behaviour, the spirit of eat, drink and be merry is imbedded in our history.
But, as of yet, there’s no indication DOCA wish to cast the namesake off, being despite informing The British Lion, after their mainstay position serving the apple poison about-centre for a mere couple of decades, that their presence is no longer required, they themselves sold Black Rat cider solely other than Pimmโs, at their own bar. I sigh at this, considered titling this piece, “a shame,” but supposed later, DOCA’s overheads must be ginormous, laying such a memorable and legendary event on for free, scraping a tad back from sales of said cider plays a small part and the need to do this is understandable.
I’m impartial on this one, not here to cast accusations or play a blame game, taking on board, and agreeing with much of the hearsay and rumours revolving through the natives, though. Local politics isnโt my bag, if there’s monopolising tactics at the root of this, I think that’s unfair and certainly not in the community spirit of the event, at all.
And there it lies, in a word; community. Keep the “international” in the title, by all means, I, and I believe I speak for most of us when I say bringing the worldwide stage to our doorsteps with a plethora of top world music acts is a wonderful idea and we love DOCA for it, but this doubles-up, and always did, as a festival for the community. DOCA abide by this with plentiful locally sourced side attractions, but personally I think we need to honour local talent too.
I’d welcome artistic director Loz to give me a bell come the time for booking acts, and be it from my own personal judgement or a Facebook poll, ask me to name two local acts who deserve to be on the main stage billing. And at least two do, those who’ve excelled through these challenging times and take a little piece of Devizes with them around the country. If it’s a mouthful to call it, โthe Devizes International Community Street Festival,โ then just โDevizes Street Festivalโ will suffice.
Of course, DOCA did take heed, and allowed a secondary local music stage in 2019, of which Pete and Jackie of Vinyl Realm completely funded and organised. This was something beautiful, and became a key feature of the street festival that year. But no matter how large this goes, it will always feel like a bolt-on, when what I’d really appreciate is the pick of local talent up on that main stage.
There, said my piece, and don’t wish to end on a sour note, not that it was, just constructive criticism. Children are trampolining in Sidmouth Street, while a couple of, what can only be described as “rock n roll slappers” entice passers-by to peak into their ‘peepshow’ wooden box at the other end. Limbo dancers outside the town hall, with a man rolling around inside an oversized metal hull-a-hoop, and a giant exoskeleton puppet wanders down the Brittox, stopping to sniff the hanging baskets. How can I possibly be critical about any of this? Rising against the challenges, DOCA made an absolutely fantastic show of colour, curiosity and entertainment, amidst vibrant atmosphere, this is a town-wide show unlike any other and should never be taken for granted.
I tip my hat to DOCA as a samba band play by the Market Place cross, but I feel impelled to check out the British Lion, all things considered, and that lengthy beer garden sure is alive with punters, those loyal to the Black Rat. Tom Harris, Pat Ward, Claire et all, play unplugged as a barbeque for Dorothy House sizzles and friends gather to mark their appreciation of โthe British.โ And that is the true meaning of “community,” it doesn’t need props and extravagant shows, it just takes hospitality and compromise.
That said I’m pleased to see those trampolines, extending the street festival out from the Market Place, as it’s a stone throw from the welcoming pub, and combined it into the event rather than making it feel out on a limb, and for that, for the whole bank holiday weekend, what with Full Tone frenzy too, Devizes is truly great, when it works together. The British Lion is an institution here in the โVizes, the reliably stable free house has stood the test of time with little need to fix its unbroken charm. This is the only regular gig on their calendar which sees them gallivanting from their bar and making an appearance in the Market Place, something which has become equally as traditional as the event itself. It is a shame not to have them present this year. Competition is healthily, remember, a range of breweries can compromise and find a solution, of that, I’m certain, and look forward to the possibility it will be so in future years.
The third single from Billy in the Lowground in as many months was released today, they’ve been ploughing their own furrow since 1991, been meaning to mention them, no time like the present…. No Chance for a Slow Dance sees no chance of slowing down for this Bristol folk rock collective, it’s a foot-tappin’ hoedownโฆ
The Tedworth Hunt intend to stage a meeting in Pewsey this Boxing Day, despite not making an application to the Parish Councilโฆ.. Their usual meeting place is moved to Fairground Field, behind the petrol station, as the Pewsey Parish Council have not received an application for them to congress at their usual spot, the parishโฆ
It’s an average Saturday night in Devizes, a day before Christmas eve and there’s no grand event at the Corn Exchange, no Long Street Blues night, nothing spectacular to highlight. There’s a festive buzz in town, but it’s slight. Some choose to stay home, only a scattering adorned with tinsel, and fairy lights hats, outโฆ
Featured Image: Colin Rayner Photography It wonโt be long before the only Quality Street left in the tin are empty wrappers and those toffee pennies no one likes, youโre swapping your Santa hat for your festival jesters one and thinking what a mess you can get yourself into in local fields. Yep, bar humbug, for justโฆ
You’re so gullible sometimes, you know that?! It’s not even nearly April Fools yet; I wouldn’t know how to abandon Devizine even if I wanted to, and I’m certainly not going let criticism get to me, for if that were the case, I’d have given up years ago!! Playing the victim card as some doโฆ
Renowned professor and historian, David Olusoga will be heading to Fromeโs Cheese & Grain on 12 January 2024 to speak on โthe state of the British Union and why black history mattersโ…. History is now front-page news, and is contested as never before. Statues have fallen and the reputations of great men have been calledโฆ
By T.B.D and D Rose for Devizine.The author can be reached at housetyg@gmail.com This month the historic Cooper Tires factory in Melksham which began the Avon Tyres brand closes after more than 130 years of tyre production, with 350 workers losing their jobs….. The rubber factory in Limpley Stoke moved to what was once aโฆ
Stop for the Noddy Holder moment, itโs Christmas! Our weekly roundup of what weโve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire is a bumper edition this week, taking us right up to New Yearโs Eve, cos Iโll be a busy as Santa on a mission this yule, and only get the standard two daysโฆ
If The Southgate is Devizesโ finest and most reliable pub music venue, it’s usually favoured by an adult crowd. Yet it’s without doubt that Nothing Rhymes With Orange is the most cherished Gen Z band in town. Having not played Devizes since summer, it was a certainty such a free gig wouldย crash the age demographicโฆ
Something I was trying to skive off doing this year, being time consuming, is a local Christmas shopping piece, but then this terrible roadworks situation occurred, and not knowing when it would end I invited local businesses with websites and/or delivery options to send us their links. Now we can happily declare DEVIZES IS OPEN,โฆ
Thatโs it, one big blowout of a bank holiday weekend and August is kaput. Nights drawing in, the fall will be here before you can say โwas that it, summer?โ Given last years blazing heatwave, while we were couped up, this summerโs been comparatively damp, you couldโve have made it up. There were lots of great things to do, and that doesnโt show signs of slowing through next month.
So, check in and scroll down to see whatโs happening this bank holiday, whereโs thereโs more than enough just in Devizes alone to keep us busy. Awesome, firstly, to see Swindonโs indie-pop stars, Talk in Code will join our favourite Daydream Runaways, for the first Friday night of music down at The Southgate. Then the town goes festival crazy, for three solid days! Full-Tone Festival hits the Green, Saturday and Sunday, and Monday you have to get down to the Market Place for our wonderful, Devizes Street Festival and the Colour Rush.
September 2021Once youโve gotten over that, September then, hereโs the highlights:
Running now until the 4th, Four artists exhibit at Trowbridge Town Hall. A selection of 2D and 3D works by local artists Deborah Clement, Sonja Kuratle, Jennie Quigley and Jane Scrivener.
It was in August 1979 that arguably Swindon’s greatest-ever band, XTC, released their first commercially successful album, 42 years on, original drummer Terry Chambers pays tribute as EXTC, at Swindonโs Victoria on Thursday 2nd.
Following night, Friday 3rd, the Pink Floyd-Fleetwood Mac double-tribute act, Pink Mac will stand on the same stage, at the Vic, while The Wiltshire Blues & Soul Club presents an evening with Sloe Train at Owl Lodge in Lacock, and Corshamโs Pound Arts has comedy with the brilliantly titled โRescheduled Rescheduled Rescheduled Time Show Tour 2021โ by Rob Auton.
Burbage celebrates their the 24th Beer, Cider and Music Festival, with Humdinger and Kova me Badd.
Saturday 4th and thereโs a Greatest Showman Sing-a-Long with the Twilight Cinema at Hillworth Park, yet it will be loud down Devizes Southgate, with a welcome return of NervEndings, Fangs & The Tyrants sound equally as loud, theyโre at Swindonโs Vic. For a more chilled evening, Cara Dillon plays the Neeld. An extraordinary, captivating Irish singer Mojo magazine claims to be โquite possibly the worldโs most beautiful female voice.โ
It is also good to see the Melksham Assembly Hall back in the biz, they have Travelling Wilbury tribute, The Unravelling Wilburys! And thereโs a unique blend of melodic folk-pop blowing out from Trowbridge Town Hall as Bristol band Sugarmoon come to town.
One to overshadow the lot, is The Concert at the Kings at All Cannings, happening over the weekend. Great line-up for Rock against Cancer, as ever, with Billy Ocean headlining Saturday and 10CC on Sunday, albeit they seem completely unresponsive to messages from us. While I accept the strength of booked acts alone means they need no local press presence, itโs a shame they wonโt care to respond; it would be great to cover this.
Ah well, Sunday rocks anyway, with an incredible booking by The Southgate, mind-blowingly awesome US blues outfit of Well-Hung Heart, with a local twist, Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse play. Not to be missed. Westwards, Schtumm presents Will Lawton & The Alchemists with support by Hazir at the Queens Head, Box, and north, Syteria play the Vic, with Adam & The Hellcats and Awakening Savannah.
Oh, and The Lions Clubs of Trowbridge & Westbury have their White Horse Classic & Vintage Vehicle Show on Sunday 5th too!
Second weekend of September and things just get better, from Thursday to Sunday, the place to be is Swindon. The free roaming festival is back, with a line-up across too many venues to list, see the poster. The Swindon Shuffle is truly a testament to local music, everyone who is anyone will be there, in the words of Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Itโs time for Jesus Christ Superstar to magically appear in Devizes, as the Wharf Theatre showcases the retro musical, opening Friday 10th, running until 18th.
A hidden gem in the heart of the Wylye valley, the Vintage Nostalgia Festival begins too, running until Sunday at Stockton Park, near Warminster. Sarah Mai Rhythm & Blues Band, Great Scott, Shana Mai and the Mayhems all headline, with those crazy The Ukey D’ukes and our favourites The Roughcut Rebels also play. Lucky if youโre off to the Tangled Roots Festival in Radstock, all sold out.
Closer to home though, Saturday 11th sees the Stert Country House Car Boot Sale, for Cancer Research, the Corsham Street Fair, Women in Rock at the Neeld and The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight at Swindonโs MECA. Eddie Martinโs solo album launch, Birdcage Sessions, at the Southgate, Devizes and the awesome Will Lawton and the Alchemists are at Trowbridge Town Hall. Two Tone All Skaโs play Chippenhamโs Consti Club.
Staying in Trowbridge, Rockhoppaz at the Park for an Alzheimerโs Support Gig on Sunday 12th. Meanwhile itโs Hillworth Proms in the Park with Devizes Town Band, and the incredible homegrown guitar virtuoso, Innes Sibun is at The Southgate. ย
Third weeks into September, find some jazz with Emma Harris & Graham Dent Duo at Il Ponte Ristorante Italiano, in Bradford-on-Avon. By Thursday 16th, The Derellas play the Vic, and a welcomed reopening of the the Seend Community Centre sees our good friends Celtic Roots Collective play on Friday 17th.
Also Friday, in Swindon, Road Trip play The Vic, and Hawkwind, yes, Hawkwind at MECA!
Itโs Dauntsey Academy Scarecrow Trail and thereโs a Happy Circus in aid of Nursteed School in Devizes on Saturday 18th, and the welcomed return of Devizes Long Street Blues Club, with the Billy Walton Band. People Like Us are playing The Churchill Arms in West Lavington, ELO Beatles Beyond at Melksham Assembly Hall, and the amazing Onika Venus is at Trowbridge Town Hall.
Sunday 19th sees the Rock The Rec for Macmillan Cancer Support, free fundraiser at Calne Recreation Club.
On Thursday 23rd Antoine & Owena support the The Lost Trades at Komedia, Bath, Steve Knightley plays the Neeld, and thereโs โAn autobiographical journey of a deaf person trapped in a hearing worldโ calledLouder Is Not Always Clearer at Pound Arts.
Tom Odell is at Marlborough College Memorial Hall on Friday 24th, and Fossil Fools play the Vic in Swindon.
Sat 25th sees the opening of the Devizes Food & Drink Festival, with the market. A Full Preview of everything happening at HERE. The HooDoos do The Southgate.
Meanwhile, Melksham Rock n Roll Club presents Johnnie Fox & The Hunters, Juice Menace play Trowbridge Town Hall. Wildwood Kin at Christ Church, Old Town, Swindon, and, this will go off; Talk in Code, The Dirty Smooth & The Vooz at the Vic, while tributes to Katy Perry vs Taylor Swift @ MECA.
Award for the most interesting thing to do this Saturday goes to Pound Arts. Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats is a production which contains distressing themes, images covering topics including migration and political assassination, plus a dog onstage; make of that what you will!
By the end of the month things look a little sportier, with bookworms, Sunday 26th is The Hullavington Full Marathon & 10K, travel author and TV presenter Simon Reeve talks at Dauntseys on Wednesday 29th, Thursday sees the opening of Marlborough Literature Festival.
But this list is by no means exhaustive, stuff to do is coming in all the time, making it near impossible to keep up, you need to regularly check our event calendar. Help me to help you by letting me know of your events, and if youโve the time, write us a preview or review, I canโt be everywhere at once, and sometimes get so overloaded I just want to slouch on the sofa watching Netflix!
I’m enjoy Monday’s stream from the wonderful Visual Radio Arts, recorded right here in Devizes. They’ve been hosting some great shows recently, from Richard Wileman and Amy Fry, John Watterson, and the Honey Pot. Thisโฆ
Itโs beginning to look a lot likeโฆ. our weekly roundup of what weโve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this weekโฆ.. How many sleeps are left? I cheat, I have two sleeps aโฆ
Ha! And you all thought ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ would be the go-to Chris Rea song while getting across Devizes, but in fact it’s ‘The Road to Hell!’ If you had the bizarre notion thatโฆ
Just when I think every musician within a ten-mile radius is under our radar, another one pops up, and usually, they produce electronic music. So, I say, look, I know Devizes is a blues town,โฆ
So yeah, I thought Iโd be funny by commenting โcanโt waitโ on Chippenhamโs upcoming folk singer-songwriter Megโs Facebook post announcing her latest single, because, you see, itโs called Waitingโฆ. okay, Iโll get my coatโฆ. Releasedโฆ
Featured Image: Colin Rayner Photography If Iโve recently been singing the praises of arts diversity in Bradford-on-Avon, centred around the Wiltshire Music Centre and not yet touched upon the various other venues such as theโฆ
Itโs beginning to look a lot likeโฆ. our weekly roundup of what weโve found to do in the wilds of Wiltshire this weekโฆ.. Please be aware this is not comprehensive and new events can andโฆ
Okay, they’ve given me a seat number but I can’t imagine Itโll hold me for long. Soukous is infectious, in a word. The dance music of the Congolese, Kasai Masai wears its crown in theโฆ
Is that ex still playing on your mind? It’s been an age, mate, but no amount of friendsโ attempts to console you will help, or Domino’s pizza. You need a good old road closure. Yep,โฆ
Mustโve been a sweaty August night last year at our trusty Southgate, when I turned up on the off chance, and staggered home mightily impressed at the levels of swinging juke joint just one husbandโฆ
Amidst the controversial decision by Emily Eavis to headline Jay-Z at Glastonbury Festival in 2008, in which included Noel Gallagher throwing his toys from his pram, while UK press went on a bender about an imagined ethos of exactly what Glasto is, and what it should be presenting, I read an American article hitting back with the headline โis Glastonbury big enough for Jay Z?โ
One has to ponder if the author who penned such piffle in retaliation had ever seen Glastonbury, let alone been, and had any inkling what it means to so many people. On this basis I thought of, but then rejected, this headline to be โis Devizes big enough for the Full-Tone Orchestra?!โ
Organiser and better half of the composer, Jemma Brown tells me the capacity of the Green is 3,000 but next weekendโs (28th-29th August) event is restricted to half, โso everyone feels safe.โ But, itโs not a question of โis Devizes big enough for the Full-Tone Orchestra,โ rather our fortunate premise, the Full-Tone Orchestra is now a part of Devizes, no less than the brewery or canal. Theyโve ventured to other local towns, Marlborough College, Swindonโs Wyvern, to present their eclectic genre orchestra, but Devizes is home sweet home, and 95% of shows have been based here.
Here’s the biting point, and something Iโve come to understand better, staging such an event like this is not pocket money. Yes, Full-Tone successfully crowdfunded to put on a free show in the Market Place in 2019, but this is not an avenue any event organiser can slog and expect to come up trumps each time.
For an entertainment package as stupendous as Full-Tone to be in our humble dwelling, it needs and deserves our support, and while a majority will tell you so on the street, ears to the ground unearth some rather inexcusable and inappropriate notions. Firstly, you cannot expect anyone to provide you a free show annually, just because they did once before, and secondly, itโs an โerm,โ to the idea Full-Tone is some kind of commercial enterprise gaining only to profit. โItโs just not why weโre doing it,โ Jemma pledges, โweโre doing it to bring an orchestra into the centre of Devizes and for the love of all things music!โ
At this conjunction, just one weekend away from the show, you have to ask yourself, would the same level of display as 2019โs Market Place not become tiresomely samey after a while? Full-Tone wish to expand on the experience, to progress and make it better. โThe sound and lighting will be fabulous and to do that we have to pay good dollar!โ Jemma tells me, and to do such, ticket sales is the only option.
Phew, glad I got that off my chest! Can we all be friends again? Anyone putting on any event right now needs our backing and deserves a medal, in my honest opinion. Anyone organising an event must worry itโs either going to go two ways, overloaded with a cabin-fevered raging mob or fail to impress enough to drag apprehensive troops out from their lockdown shelters, as if the hospitality industry isnโt it in enough deep water. My chat with Jemma today went onto me mentioning a time I was juggling the attention of three gigs in Devizes in one night; a time we took live music for granted, and looking back now, well, you go figure.
Least we can be sure, unlike Emily Eavis and her longing to update her fatherโs institution, Noel Gallagher wonโt be on a wobbler because an upcoming US hip hop star is upstaging him! 28th-29th August sees the sixty-piece Full-Tone Orchestra present a very local affair, not only their all-encompassing themes, from big band and film scores to euphoric dance anthems, but Pete Lambโs Heartbeats, jazz singer Archie Combe and The Red Bandits on Sunday.
Itโs been some years since I sat in Rowde School after school hours. No, not like a kid in detention, rather to see the orchestra rehearsing the Star Wars theme. I believe Jemma was encouraging me to direct my satirical rant column from Index;Wiltshire, No Surprises Living in Devizes to more positive pastures, which kind of went totally against the concept of the column. But it was running fast out of ammo, because, underneath it all, Devizes is a great town and I love living here.
Hence, Devizine was born, a sort of counter-strike against all the negativity I once brushed Devizes with. So, if you want to blame someone, Jemma is also an accessory! The icing on that cake will be a Devizes rendezvous on the Green; hope to see you there!
To look around our beautiful landscapes youโd be understanding of visitors who assume itโs a barren outback with nothing going on, but we know different;โฆ
How did you celebrate your seventeenth birthday? Did you pop up to Glasgow to accompany The Charlatans, on bagpipes, at the historic Barrowlands ballroom, andโฆ
Photographs by Simon Folkard Astronomical winter starts on the 22nd December, yโ know, but the Met Office uses a meteorological definition of seasons, making theโฆ
Wiltshire-based charity, Wicked Weather Watch (WWW), is looking to expand its innovative approach to climate education with their upcoming Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign….. Theโฆ
Everything to do in Wiltshire this coming week, right in one handy listing, you know the drill, jump to it, preferably before putting your Christmasโฆ
Top marks and a gold star for this album, released tomorrow, Friday 20th August; Bad Press, of which youโll hear no such thing as bad press from me, and Iโd be interested in how anyone could find an angle to do such. Yet if the title is subtle irony, more so is the band name, Captain Accident & The Disasters.
From the band name alone itโs understandable for one to perceive their output as comical or zany, but far from it. Here is some sublime, concentrated reggae and rock steady, bouncy and carefree, yes, but astutely written, covering some acute themes as well as the general tenet of rock steady; forlorn or unabridged romance. Neither am I willing to accept the talent here is any way an accident, and the band is anything but a disaster!
Twenty seconds into Bad Press is all you need to realise why David Rodigan speaks so highly of Cardiffโs Captain Accident & The Disasters, and they were invited back to tour with legends Toots & the Maytals after their 2016 UK tour, as the official full-tour support in 2017 and again in 2018. Which they did, and Captain Accident was asked to join the band onstage to perform Monkey Man on guitar. If it wasnโt for lockdown and the tragic passing of Toots Hibbert last year, they would have been on the European tour that year also.
Other than the wonderful sunshine reggae vibe, thereโs not a great deal else going on in Bad Press, yet thereโs no need to be. The band stick to the tried and tested formula, the mellow plod of traditional one-drop reggae, occasionally more steppers upbeat with only subtle ska or dub elements coming through. Note importantly, they do this with bells on. It doesnโt attempt to swerve off with experimentation. All tracks flow with precision and a highly polished sound produced with traditional instruments. At no time will Bad Press replicate a previous tune through dubplate principles, neither will a dancehall DJ toast over it, or a drum n bass riff be thrust unexpectedly at you; good, honest and exceptionally beautiful roots, rock reggae is what you get.
If themes reflect lovers rock or rock steady on occasion, itโs nicely done, and in others, where more sombre subject matter arises thereโs no militancy, rather the longstanding carefree reggae ethos of not worrying, dancing reservations away, as every little thing will be alright. Neither does Rasta etiquettes or such biblical or cultural references come into play, making this reggae for the masses as well as aficionados. Itโs just, ah, tingly, and apt for all!
Despite the bandโs output, three previous albums being self-produced, their beguiling festival friendly sound has rocketed their success with a national fan-base growing by the day. I fully believe Bad Press will seal the deal.
Ten songs strong, I couldnโt pick a favourite. As I believe I said, it flows, blessing your ears with inspirational sound. In Redemption Song familiarities the content of the opening tune casts an eye on Armageddon, but pessimism doesnโt deject or depress you, and the title, โNot the End of the World,โ says it all. The aforementioned carefree attitude carries over with the catchy โBest Shoes,โ the upbeat melody cutting to plod as Captain Accident aptly quotes Marley, โwhen the music hits you, you feel no pain.โ
And such is unswaying general premise throughout, returning to one-drop for the beautiful โPlaying Field,โ which truly showcases the writing skill on righteousness and equality. Swapping back to the common hopeless romantic theme, โWings,โ will melt you, like the referenced wings of Icarus. Followed by the most ska-ish, the buoyant โMiami Incorporating.โ
There is nothing here to rightfully label this with bad press, perhaps the blithest tune being the โDark n Stormy,โ with a rum subject, thereโs a real Caribbean feel, yet the most interestingly intertwined is the rock-inspired guitar previous song, โPuttinโ Up a Fight,โ because it clarifies this โreggae for all,โ notion Iโve attempted to convey. I hope this comes across, especially in these local parts where the genre is often misunderstood and misrepresented. If your knowledge of reggae doesnโt extend much past Bob Marley & The Wailers in their international prime, you will love this. Yet, for bods like me, a humongous enthusiast, it fills me with a glorious passion that the traditional aspects of reggae will never be lost in a sea of dancehall, reggaeton and dubstep.
Ah, they’re all worthy, to me, but aside, reggae got soul, and you NEED this album in your life!
Intriguing and divergent is my two word summary of the latest exhibition at Devizes’ Wiltshire Museum, from one who grew up with first-hand second Worldโฆ
Devizes celebrated rum bar, The Muck & Dundar are hosting a dub reggae night with Omega Nebula on Saturday, and received this weekโs prestigious awardโฆ
This week the organiser proudly presented a cheque for a whopping ยฃ9537.75 to Prospect Hospice staff. The third year of My Dadโs Bigger Than Yourโฆ
Contemporary folk rock in the UK tends to come in three formats which never the twain shall meet, usually. Firstly you’ve got your acoustic goodnessโฆ
If our ground-breaking heroes of boom bap, the Scribes bring the noise during live performances and bless any venue with crowd-pleasing positive vibes, yet areโฆ
Snotty nose, change of weather, otherwise Iโd have dragged my sorry ass down to Underground, formerly Level III in Swindon for last weekendโs Children inโฆ
With just a couple of days until the second Wiltshire PCC election, the first defunct by the Conservatives, local Tory supporters are rallying, keen to criticise and form an online hate campaign against the independent candidate, Mike Rees.
Should we flip this into a positive, clearly, it’s troubling them?!
After Conservatives corrupted the process of the original election by pitching candidate Johnathan Seed for the post, and cost Wiltshire taxpayers ยฃ1.4 million for a re-election, when it was discovered, on top of his suspicious activities as hunts master, drink driving convictions disallowed him from standing, it’s little wonder those able to think outside the box might be frustrated by the extravagant and costly campaign for the new conservative candidate Phillip Wilkinson. Especially being he’s tipped to win, based on Wiltshire’s silent majority historically being so blinded by Tory propaganda.
Phillip himself has rightfully been on the sharp end of some challenging questions on his own Facebook page, and has decided the hostile approach is the most suitable. Rudely responding to anyone with a genuine question he might not like the angle of, he’s also bashfully bantered about shooting people, wonkily suggested his military experience is favourable over the experience of policing, in a policing role and anyone dare criticise has been banned from his page. Iโm willing to accept this is an oversight on his part, and etiquette on social media is not his field of expertise, still it projects the image of a punitive and unfairly harsh police crime commissioner.
I’m of the opinion here, and don’t let me sway yours, but cannot help but feel the only vision whereby military experience is superior over policing experience for a policing role, is that of Priti Patel’s, where clearly a Gestapo militia is needed to combat a naturally occurring rebellion from an oppressive regime; are we expecting or encouraging, even, a civil war, or are we just after someone to solve common crimes in our county?
In any other circumstance, say a sleeping Shire where crime is comparatively tame, an outstanding retired policeman might be more appropriate for the role, simply down to his on-hand experience. Promote from within though seems to be an outmoded concept, favoured by delusions of grandeur that every politician is super heroic. Evidently proved wrong by the colossal chain to scandals and corruptions of recent; nothing funny to say about it unfortunately, you canโt write comedy like it.
Lie: He is associated with the Conservative Party, says so on his campaign leaflet!
There is nothing within these public inquiries on his Facebook page to suggest any allegiance to any other candidate, but while other candidates are available, Mike seems to be tenaciously linked. Fact of the matter, I’ve scanned Phillip’s page and find no interaction, be it positive or negative on his page from Mike himself or anyone else involved in his campaign, rather the Lib Dem candidate Brian Mathews, who has rightfully dared challenge Phillip on some of his pledges. Although Lib Dem candidate Liz Webster drew a second-place last time around, the focus seems to entirely rest on Mike.
Tory Devizes Town Councillor Iain Wallis on “the Devizes Issues.”
Spilling outwards from his own page, it’s clear the objective is to slate the independent candidate. While Tory Devizes Town Councillor and admin of the second most popular Facebook group in the town, Iain Wallis is adamant his group is unbiased, he took it upon himself to outright ban any post concerning or promoting Mike Rees on Sunday evening. A step up from outright banning of anyone who attempts to question the conservative candidate. A clear indication the group is about as unbiased as GBeebies, who axed a presenter for a gesture of equality and replaced him with a known fascist lunatic who might be dangerous if it wasn’t for the fact, he’s a man made completely out of foreskin.
Weโve been here before, call a spade a spade, this is clearly an act to condemn the opposition, and should not belong on a supposedly general local Facebook group.
Is it too much to ask for a level playing field, or can we agree Mr Wallis is not Mark Zuckerberg, and other sources for expressing opinion on local issues online are available?! Time to use them and not depend on petty bias Facebook groups political point-scoring.
In another turn of affairs, on an uncensored Devizes Facebook group where Phillip is admittedly quite harshly criticised, keyboard warriors gathered to immediately point the finger at Mike’s supporters, again, despite there being no reference to him at all the post. Local online meeting points have become assuming while others jump the bandwagon; it’s even gone as far to suggest the support people are showing for Mike is, bizarrely, counterproductive to his campaign and, in another it suggests its angle is perpetrated by “loony lefties!”
Have to shudder at the laughable idiocy displayed here; Labour do have their own guy, Mr Junab Ali, you know? One which incorrectly aforementioned “loony lefties” can opt to vote for, and most likely would. Truth be told, support for the independent candidate is coming from all walks of life, class and political orientation, simply because common sense prevails, a man of past experience is favourable for such an important role, over a politician, no matter what colour rosette they pop on their top pocket. No point in calling an electrician for a plumbing job.
Besides, the hypocrisy is better measured by the bleeding obvious fact that Mike is independent, he’s apolitical, and his whole campaign is based on the PCC role not being a political one, rather the only allegiance he has being with the people the police are supposed to serve! Mr Spock would surely agree with the logic. In speaking several times to Mike, at no time did the subject of politics even arise, and Mike gave no indication to his own political preference.
Not forgoing, the former Detective Superintendent who solved the murder of Sian O’Callaghan, Steve Fulcher is backing Mike Rees, as would, I suspect most police officers, and hardly any of them could be described as โloony lefties!โ
Mike Rees with Steve Fulcher
It would be a wonder where on earth the notion of left-wing sway in an independent campaigner derives from, if not this underlying concern, seemingly the average conservative thinker assumes anyone with the slightest concern for towing the Tory line completely, comprehensively and without question, must therefore be some kind of imaginary leftist extremist and as reformist as Jeremy Corbynโs vest.
This is about as shallow as it gets, for the time being. I have to wonder what dirt they’ll pathetically attempt to smear on him next, he probably pulled down the Edward Colston statue, organised the suffragette movement, or is secretly Watt Tyler leader of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt!
Ah, bless โem; you have to salute their comradeship and solidarity, if not their canopy of disillusionment disallowing them gumption. You believe what you will; Iโm getting no kudos here, no reason to back any side other than my own self-assurance Mike is without question the chap for the job. And in that thereโs no reason for me to be dishonest. Mike is a genuine guy with time for everyone, hardened by the force, firm but fair, the man for the job.
At the time he threw me off the group for suggesting it was unfair to the conservatives to throw money at their campaign, when the outstanding debt in still is dispute, Iain Wallis was keen to suggest I met with Phillip; โif you get the chance to interview Philip, you should take it. He is a good man.โ And that’s precisely the argument misrepresented here; they’ve missed the entire point. I’ve not criticised the guy in any way, I’m in no doubt he’s a good guy with personality and charisma. I’m certain he’s effective at his previous roles, and I’m in awe and grateful for the service he has undergone to defend the crown and country. I would never mock any of this at all, rather salute him for this. It’s the hill of these beans though, which I don’t think is in anyway better for the PCC role than a man of previous experience, and it’s as simple as that.
I’d go as far as to say I didnโt even want to come to this party today. I’ve not the time left to interview all candidates, man gotta have a break now and then, and so I decided not to interview any of them. You can read Mike’s interview here. I’d sooner take a backseat on this journey, but messages I’ve received show me this is clearly an issue which folk want me to rant on, therefore I’m always willing to please, if my tuppence is worth anything!
Meanwhile, on Brian’s Campaign trial there’s a petition to Make the Conservatives pay for the re-election bill, click to sign it.
Meanwhile, on Brian’s Campaign trial there’s a petition to Make the Conservatives pay for the re-election bill, click to sign it.
As for labelling this website as bias, I would, if it was, but I’m only here to follow my gut reaction, more often than not supporting the underdog and the righteous; that’s my only ethos, what rosette you wear is up to you, I’d sooner we were all friends, but while extremism is flooding the conservative party, I cannot be in support of it, and deliberately associating the opposition with any negative commentary about their own is unfair, uncalled for downright deliberately devious. I only hope this will blow up in their faces, and the good folk will decide enough is enough, and vote out politics in this PCC election, for the display of deception is clearly being corrupted and this gives me little faith for a well serving police force should the Conservatives win.
Hereโs the thing, did you realise Monday marked the second anniversary of when Wonder Woman joined me on my milk round?! Yeah, true, and we raised some wonga for her alter-ego Carmelaโs fund and fight against muscular dystrophy. And now Carmela is not only a tiny best friend of mine, but huge inspiration to us all and something of celeb now too.
Star of her own fun childrenโs book you can buy in Devizes Books to raise funds for her campaign, as well as hobnobbing with the stars, Iโm delighted this evening to hear, some other of my favourite girls are reforming their supergroup to raise some funds in her name too.
Pre-lockdown, girl members of six bands annually joined for a fundraising one-off gig, and it was always something explosive, fun and a darn awesome night. Nicky Davis from Warminster based People Like Us and The Reason, Glastonburyโs Julia Greenland from Soulville Express & Delta Swing, Fromeโs Claire Perry from Big Mamma Banned & The Misfitz, solo artist Charmaigne Andrews from Melksham, and Julie Moreton from Trowbridgeโs Train to Skaville and Jules & The Odd Men, will come together once again, at the Melksham Assembly on 16th October, for a show not to be missed.
This, for me, is all too much to take in, girls, girls, girls, Iโm not sure I can control myself. The Female of the Species raised just over ยฃ3,000 in 2018 for the fantastic youth community project, Young Melksham, and for all their efforts, they were selected for a Community Civic Award.
This time all of your pennies from the tenner tickets will go to Carmelaโs Fight Against Muscular Dystrophy, and those tickets are here.
Support will come from Melksham rock, blues and alternative covers and original band Plan of Action. Seriously folks, put this is your diary.
Halfway up the grand staircase of Trowbridge Town Hall, where it splits into left or right, my daughter, permanently two paces ahead of me, asked me which way now. Iโd noted a sign to the art exhibit Iโve been aching to check out, so I called it. Problem was, the show is called โUp,โ to which her only rejoinder couldโve been, โyes, I know itโs up, but which way?!!โ
If I had reservations about the unpredictably positive response in asking if she wanted to come, being sports is her thing and creativity perhaps not so much, it was only that she might drag me around Usain-Bolt-going-for-gold fashion. Key to my pitch was that, essentially, the most appropriate movement in which to pigeonhole artist Tom Miller was street art, secondarily only to the fact she was โbored, with nothing better to do anyway!โ
But itโs not her incentive on entry which is important here, rather her reaction inside the exhibit, and if she enjoyed it, which she did, anyone with a mere slither of a passing interest in art will we wowed by this show. For me, it was up my street and knocking loudly on my door.
Native to Trowbridge, Tom Miller exhibits at his hometown until 20th August, not long left to pay it a worthy visit. For yeah, Miller typically uses spray paint as street artists do, but only as a base for these canvases. He thickly layers acrylics and oils over it, amalgamating mediums as much as influences, in explosions of colour and meticulous and intricate detail. The result is staggering.
Swirls of psychedelia snake your eyes across them, akin to underground comix or yore, and in particular S. Clay Wilson. They can be themed darkly, with elements of cyberpunk, or lighter, fine art, impressionism is at play too. Yet thereโs a nod to pop art, capturing humorous elements, wide-ranging themes from flowers to ice creams, and contemporary cultural icons, such as The Simpsons can be discovered on closer examination. Then, as you pan out, you begin to focus on a central point, the composition vortexes into a subject, often random, but themed to suit the surroundings. It is also a clear running concept to repeat the central subject atop the first, but slightly smaller in scale, and perhaps the topper most of one below, larger, like a play with a hall of mirrors.
Apt to mention a hall of mirrors, as thereโs generally something fairground going on here, if the repetition of the central subject is cubist, it would be like viewing cubist art whilst on the waltzer. On a few occasions the subject can feel tangible, as fine art, expressionism, but with Millerโs style brashly expanding the realms of normality, somewhere along the lines. For this, and the running theme of these scaled duplications, Edvard Munch meets Marcel Duchamp in Salvador Daliโs studio, as the lines of expressionism, futurism and surrealism blur into dada in such a way only pop artists couldโve dreamed of.
But, as I said, if your knowledge of art doesnโt stretch to the influences and movements Iโve cited, none of it really matters, as why I contemplated Renรฉ Magritte, my daughter also examined the concepts and discovered subjects. Like a Whereโs Wally book, you could circle this exhibit twenty times and still discover something youโd not noticed before in these canvases.
Added to the pieces, thereโs some sublime charcoal sketches, showing his workings and thought process. Thereโs also a bio, with printed matter showing the various private commissions and frescos which obviously couldnโt come to the exhibit, for quintessentially, Miller is a street artist, and in Bristol and round and about Trowbridge thereโs some excellent examples. The brilliant finale to this show is, once youโve left, you can make a beeline to Stallard Street to find such a wall with Millerโs art displayed, and in the same ethos as whatโs on display inside. This added an extra dimension to the enthralling exhibit.
Plus, Iโm pleased to say, Usain-Bolt had no influence over my daughterโs pace through the show, she took her time, examined everything and came out with some exceptionally precise observations. This is ideal to enthuse a non-art lover equally as much as one who is, as good street art does, but with the extra dimension of this influx of various art movement influences. Go see it, but hurry; it’s only running until 20th August!
Not forgoing Trowbridge Town Hall is a friendly place, where I gossiped and namedropped to the man on reception. Thereโs a vast and amazing array of events planned over the coming months, from the yoga classes to the PSG Choir and from Moo Moo Music for little ones to an impressive gig line up from the likes of Will Lawton & the Alchemists on 11th September, Onika Venus on 18th, Juice Menace on 25th, and on the list goes onโฆ.
Residents from communities across Swindon are organising another show of solidarity with the people of Palestine….. They are inviting everyone to join them at 2pmโฆ
Steve Vick International (SVI), a leading innovator in pipeline engineering solutions, is thrilled to announce the renewal of their sponsorship agreement with the Wiltshire Musicโฆ
Boo! Weโve got everything to do in Wiltshire this coming week, leading us into Halloween and the end of the monthโฆ..as we always doโฆ.boo! Itโsโฆ
Creators of original music who may psychologically build a hierarchy with them atop, tribute acts on the bottom and cover bands hovering somewhere between, tendโฆ
Here we are again, dรฉjร vu. Iโm taking to knocking our previews Iโve done before, stating back in early March last year, โapparently, the UK just cannot live too long without spending An Evening with Andy Hamilton and so heโs back for another short run of his โup close and personalโ show this summer, just to keep us happy.โ And went onto inform the show comes to Swindonโs Wyvern Theatre on a date in May, which obviously didnโt, like just about everything, didnโt happen.
Iโm glad to announce one of the most noted comedy writers and directors of the last few decades, Andy Hamilton has been rescheduled for Sunday 19th September, same place, letโs just pretend 2020 didnโt happen, shall we?
Because, sigh, and thank the stars for copy and paste, this is an evening of reminiscence and revelation, which looks back over his forty years in comedy and sixty(ish) years on the planet.
Audiences will have the opportunity to ask Andy questions on any topic as he takes a look back at his very extensive professional career in comedy. Beginning in 1976 as a contributor to Radio 4โs Weekending, Andy went on to pick up a raft of awards for co-writing and co-directing such household TV classics as Drop The Dead Donkey and Outnumbered.
His TV satires turned up the heat on Westminster with Ballot Monkeys and Power Monkeys, and he and his co-writer Guy Jenkin also penned and directed the hit British comedy feature film What We Did On Our Holiday. โIn the spring,โ I wrote last time around, โtheir latest sitcom Kate & Koji, starring Brenda Blethyn and Jimmy Akingbola, will air on ITV.โ Of which it did, consisting of six episodes which concluded in April, and a second series is in the pipeline.
Andyโs numerous TV and radio credits include Have I Got News For You,QI, Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers, The News Quiz, Iโm Sorry I Havenโt A Clue and Old Harryโs Game. Andyโs debut novel, The Star Witness, is available via Outbound, and his handwritten (yes, handwritten!) epic fairy-tale comedy novel, Longhand was published last September.
Tickets for his show, An Evening with Andy Hamilton on 19th September at Swindonโs Wyvern Theatre are here.
4Youth (South West) are pleased to announce the beginning of a 2.5 year street-based youth work project based in Devizes, Wiltshire on Monday and Thursday evenings………โฆ
Gliding through October at colossal speed, with temporary bursts of cold spells hinting winter at us, and some, some I repeat, faintly whispering the C word;โฆ
Devizes Town Councillors voted unanimously to adopt a Single-Use Plastic Policy and appointed Councillor Vanessa Tanner as the Plastic Free Champion for the town, at aโฆ
An early and rarely-performed play, ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ has feisty heroines, lovelorn & bickering young men, dictatorial parents, foolish suitors, cross-dressing, letters galore, wild outlaws,โฆ
Here I am again, like Huey Lewisโฆ..with the news. No national headlines though, no, thatโs all too depressing, just the lowdown on things to do thisโฆ
If my Saturday’s entertainment at The Pump was decidedly offbeat and a tad bizarre, what with chap-hop, pith helmets and vintage jazz played through a washtubโฆ
With Jesus Christ Superstar coming to Devizesโ Wharf Theatre, Iโm pondering, just how outrageous was it at the time, and how has adaptations and satires of biblical stories become more acceptable? ย
So yeah, from what I remember, knee-high to a puppy at the time, he came down from heaven on a Yamaha, pulled a skid, killed a kid, trapped his balls in a dustbin lid.
Other rhymes circulated school playgrounds nationwide, but all the variations of the Jesus Christ Superstar theme were considered on the topper-most level of naughtiness, most likely because we figured it lampooned Jesus. When in all actual fact, above the tittering of school children, had the damage not already been done by the very thing we were parodying?
In a competitive era when the concept album had come of age, so rock musicals and rock opera were becoming fashionable, one had to raise the controversy bar in order to get noticed. With Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat already under their belts and bugging religious zealots, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice knew blasphemy long before Madge frolicked with an ethnic Jesus in Like a Prayer.
Cover story was, by twisting the Easter story into modern terminology and themes, it reached out to a new generation, but many didnโt see it that way. Banned briefly by the BBC for being sacrilegious, Christian and Jewish orders despised the album alike, and the musical was banned in South Africa and Hungary.
Such was the narrative, focussing on Judas rather than Jesus, his fears the compassionate movement had become a cult, Jesusโs declarations being besmirched by his followers, and this was a dangerous game which would attract the attention of the Romans, not forgoing it was condoning the common assumption Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, it might seem an unusual choice for the Wharf Theatre in Devizes. Yet, if anything, the degrading in offensiveness of Jesus Christ Superstar, is symbolic of how far weโve progressed and become more accepting towards biblical adaptations and ret-cons.
After all Monty Pythonโs Life of Brian was only eight short years away, and today we live in a world where Homer Simpson prays for doughnuts, Trey Parker and Matt Stone depict Jesus in a boxing match with Satan or else hosting a call-in chat show called โJesus and Pals,โ and even locally where The Boot Hill All Stars sing a song about a โtiny Jesusโ crucified on a hot cross bun!
For extreme retroactive continuity of the character of Judas, though, Iโd highly recommend the self-published series by author Roy Bright, whereby, punished by God with immortality and banished to Earth, Judas rights his wrong by becoming a super-heroic, Hollywood-fashioned action hero!
Still, the revival of the controversial musical is trending, which through the aforementioned hullabaloo, took best part of decade to alter from rock opera album to the stage in London, and only because of its success in the USA. A new production was staged at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Ontario, in 2011, and by the 45th anniversary of its run, on Broadway, it returned to London at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
Whether you were intrigued or outraged at the time, or if like me, too young to form an opinion further than the amusing notion of Jesusโs nad-sack caught in a dustbin lid, to see it now might cast a different perspective on the synopsis than how it was perceived at the time, and you can do exactly that, a stone throw away.
A rescheduled performance from last year, The Really Useful Group Ltd presents Jesus Christ Superstar at Devizes Wharf Theatre from Friday 10th to Saturday 18th September. The strapline runs, Jesus must be stoppedโฆ. which is tricky to say the least, I mean, on a Yamaha and all!
It will, at last, be open to a full house, after restrictions have reduced capacity of our lovely theatre, and Devizine wishes it well. โIt has been a long hard wait,โ expresses publicity manager Karen, โas we were due to stage this just days after the first lockdown was announced.โ And further to this, plans are ahead for the Christmas panto, Dick Whittington, with auditions on Wednesday next week, 18th August.
The box office is also open for the adaption of The Navy Lark, a classic radio comedy which originally featured Leslie Phillips, Dennis Price, Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee, on 2nd October, and Just Like That! The Tommy Cooper Show on the 16th.
The end of October sees an hilarious farce play, based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, dubbed โthe worst singer in the worldโ in 1940s New York, running from 25th to the 30th of October, and a one-off on the 16th November, Dan Clews portrays Paul Simon in The Paul Simon Story.
Wharf Theatre
Tickets can be purchased by ringing 03336 663 366; from the website Wharftheatre.co.uk and at the Devizes Community Hub and Library on Sheep Street.
With a wide selection of family-friendly and retro board games, RPGs such as Magic the Gathering, Warhammer and Pokรฉmon,ย and serving tea, coffee, cakes and, oh,โฆ
Wiltshire Council are asking public transport users, residents, businesses and visitors in the county to take part in a public transport review, to help shapeโฆ
Righty-oh, no time for messing about, weโve lots to get throughโฆ. What have I become?!! Thereโs always time for messing around. Hereโs a snapshot ofโฆ
Devizes teenagers from Wiltshire Army Cadets recently gave up their Saturday morning to help with a community gardening project on Windsor Drive in Devizes….. Theโฆ
Featured Image: Gail Foster If the most popular band to come out of Devizes recently, Nothing Rhymes With Orange are really gathering pace and attentionโฆ
What a brilliant initiative on the Green in Devizes this week, and a pleasure to see what can only be described as a โmobile youth club.โ It pitched up every day this week, with kids of all ages enjoying the facilities it provides. Me, ageing, either sleeping, working or complaining about sleeping or working, managed to completely overlook its very existence, while my kids and better half were aware of it.
Why am I the last to know about everything? Because I canโt be expected to look past my phone these days, relying on the book of face for my news, in-between sleeping and working! Councillor Jonathon Hunter Facebook posted about it, I inquired, perhaps unintentionally sternly, but only as a senior moment, I couldnโt see from the photos quite what the deal was!
So, I ventured down to see for myself, and aside the drizzle, it was in full swing. A volleyball net currently unattended, collapsible football goals with a group playing between them just beyond it, and at the van, children are surfing the net, or else playing a Tony Hawks skateboarding game on a console. Thereโs drinks, sweets and doughnuts aplenty, and Steve Dewar stands proudly by it.
Other features of the mobile youth club include a rock-climbing wall, which couldnโt come out to play because of the rain.
I was surprised to hear it had been in operation for five years. โIโve been running Potterne Youth Club for about ten years,โ Steve explained, and moved onto why it hadnโt been advertised on Facebook and other social media. โThe reality is we donโt, because Facebook isnโt the best place to communicate with teenagers. Itโs detached work; what we do is pitch up and engage with the young people there, we do it throughout the whole week, and day-on-day thereโs an increase.โ
Steve couldnโt see the point in me mentioning his mobile youth club, adamant the best form of communication for younger people is face-to-face, and besides, it was the last day it pitched on the Green, moving onto Trowbridge next week. I beg to differ, for if only to pay tribute to this guy and the wonderful work he does. In the plight of social facilities for children and youth clubs multiplied by this post-lockdown era, what Steve does here is at last as positive spin and proof amidst the doom and gloom of public services, thereโs still saints like Steve, out their engaging youth the best way he knows how.
The opposite effect of a lack of amenities for youth is unfortunately anti-social behaviour, juvenile crime and possible drinking and drug taking, as we all know. Steve mentioned how the charity aided awareness and prevention of these difficult predicaments. But all the time, parents were always viewed as runners-up, his focus was entirely on the wellbeing of the children, except when he offered me a doughnut, kindly donated by Morrisons! The youth demographic there was all-encompassing, and clearly, they all enjoyed it equally.
Itโs certainly evident here, social media is not needed to make kids aware of an occasion, it works by word-of-mouth as it always has. Grown up with it fed to them, rather itโs the adults who engage more with the internet, and while kids are still out, running, jumping and playing sports and games outdoors, a large majority of generation X are glued to their devises, ironically whinging that the kids are glued to their devises! I knew this, Iโm guilty too, but it was great to actually witness evidence of it happening in our own town.
Steve also noted he attends local schools to let them know about the project. The van moves across the county, planning to pitch up in Trowbridge. โWeโd love to do it more,โ Steve expressed, โas a concept we could run this throughout the entire summer holidays, but because I work in schools termtime as well, my wife would kill me if I spent my entire summer holiday doing this! And also, financially as a charity, we get a little bit funding, and if we had more, we would plan to do more.โ
And I conclude, ultimately, what an absolutely fantastic and inspiring guy, I tip my hat to Steve Dewar, and ask science, can we clone this chap?! We need more facilities like this, operating throughout the county and school holidays, we need more Steves!
If Devizes was a woman, my patient and understanding wife would be livid because I’m smitten, and I’m about to explain my reasoning. Please humour me best you canโฆ.. Starter for ten, ignore the sensationalising of a few roadworks by the local press, it’s having no negative effect on congestion, and ignore political sway, forโฆ
The Winter Solstice at either Stonehenge or Avebury remains one of the most awaited Pagan celebrations of the year, with thousands of visitors gathering to mark the longest night of the year. Attendance levels have risen at Stonehenge since the lifting of restrictions, allowing participants to once again commune with one another and get upโฆ
The Future Smiths, a new community-driven organisation set up to advance entrepreneurship and innovation, is proud to announce an exciting initiative aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners in our region…. “Future Forge” Business Growth Programme โ January 9th to March 6th The Future Smiths are inviting applications for their highly anticipated “Future Forge” businessโฆ
Join Devizes Opendoors for The Big Sleep Out 2023 and raise funds to help homeless and vulnerable adults here in Devizes get the support they needโฆ.. Youโll experience a small taste of the difficulties homeless people have to deal with including freezing cold, vulnerability and the difficulty of carrying on your day with little sleep.โฆ
Okay so, we’ve had the cat burglar, now we’ve got the mat burglar! In a Facebook post to make you wonder if you’ve travelled back in time to April 1st, Devizes Police reported an appeal for identification of a man who attempted a burglary in the early hours of August 27th at Lower Wharf. Hisโฆ
The parish of St John with St Mary in Devizes has won a prestigious award for its plans for St Maryโs Church on New Park Street in the town…. Last Friday, the town centre parish won the Innovation prize at the annual awards of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for Salisbury, the church body which examinesโฆ
A sad state of affairs in which it is equal in measure that the campaign against Swindon venue MECA hosting known far right extremist and racist celebrity Katie Hopkins will have a diverse effect in actually promoting the event, the reactions to the outcry highlights how deep and ingrained the issue of racism is locally.โฆ
Summer is done and dusted, youโve got to lower yourself onto the toilet seat that little bit steadier, as we move into autumn. Still, the silver lining is thereโs always lots to do locally; hereโs what weโve found coming up this weekโฆ. Not comprehensive, as I tell you each time, more will be added toโฆ
The sun certainly shone on Devizes yesterday as the Devizes Food & Drink Festival kicked off with its celebrated free foodie market in, aptly, the Market Place…… You should take note itโs not the be-all-and-end-all of the festival, only the starter. The Devizes Food & Drinks Festival combines twenty-four separate events over nine days, endingโฆ
Saturday 4th November Underground, 73 Commercial Road, Swindon, SN1 5NX Swindon’s biggest indie pop Talk In Code are working alongside Underground, based on Commercial Road in Swindon, our local live music venue to run a “Swindon Rocks for Children In Need” live music charity event on Saturday 4th November. With four local bands on the bill (Talk In Code,โฆ
Have you missed our wonderful annual Arts Festival, Devizions; too hungry for it to return to wait for next summer? I know I have. Never fear, Devizes Arts Festival offers an interim while we wait for 2022, under the motto, โThe Show Must Go On.โ Three fantastic musical events at the Corn Exchange and Town Hall over the month of November; and theyโre tasty, very, very tasty.
For starters, a taster of Londonโs legendary Ronnie Scottโs Jazz Club is coming to Devizes on the 11th. Celebrating 60-years since the founding of one of the worldโs most iconic music venues, the Ronnie Scottโs All Stars take to the road to celebrate the โRonnie Scottโs Storyโ.
Direct from Londonโs world-famous jazz club and combining world class live jazz alongside rare archive photos and video footage, The Ronnie Scottโs All Stars, take you on a guided, musical tour of this music institution. Set amongst the dive bars and jazz juke joints of Londonโs Soho, we hear about the desperate hand-to-mouth finances of the early years and the frequent police raids.
Hear how Ronnieโs became neutral ground within rival gang territory and their scrapes with gangsters including the Krays who were rumoured to have taken Ronnie and Pete โfor a little driveโ! Life at Ronnieโs is evocatively re-imagined through tales of the clubโs past visitors, from pop stars, film stars and politicians to comedians and royalty, but above all, the musicians.
But thatโs not all, The Arts Festival are delighted to welcome Sally Barker to Devizes, on the 13th November. In this new show โSandy, Joni & Meโ she will bring some of the songs of both Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny to the stage, exploring the singer/songwriter legacy that was forged in the early โ70s.
Veteran folk-blues singer/songwriter Sally Barker became Tom Jonesโ finalist on The Voice UK 2014 after reducing her mentor, and many watching the TV, to tears with her performances. Sally has toured with Sir Tom, Bob Dylan and Robert Plant amongst others. Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans said, โSally changes the atmosphere in a room when she sings.โ
And Friday 19th November is Motown Gold time at the Corn Exchange. Dust off your dancing shoes for a fabulous evening from a fantastic band. Motown Gold celebrate the finest songs from the timeless Motown and Classic Soul era, which kind of speaks for itself.
Online tickets are not yet up on the Arts Festival Website, but will be available from Devizes Books. Events are ยฃ21 for Ronnie Scottโs, ยฃ16 for Sally Barker and ยฃ18 for the Motown evening. To keep in touch with them, get onto their mailing list.
And you could look the part on the evenings, as The Show Must Go On facemask, and similar tote bags, T-shirts, badges, note books and more are available from www.theatresupportfund.co.uk which supports the NHSCovid19 Appeal, the Theatre Support Fund, the Fleabag Support Fund and Acting for Others. There’s currently 20% of all merchandise.
Devizine would like to welcome back The Devizes Arts Festival, and wish the team the very best for these great events.
As the headline suggests, itโs Bandcamp Friday, August 6, 2021, when the music platform waivers its fees, from midnight-to-midnight Pacific Time. Thereโs no better time to buy our awesome fundraising compilation album as an average 93% of your tenner will go to Juliaโs House Childrenโs Hospice.
Bandcamp Friday has been operating since March of 2020, on the first Friday of every month. Bandcamp is a wonderful site, it doesnโt prioritise signed artists, but level pegs all musicians. They waivered their shares to help support the many artists who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic. You can explore Bandcamp forever, finding your favourite artists, local music, or do as I like do sometimes, and venture off for a musical journey beyond your usual haunts. You can trek to a country and find all manner of musical styles youโve never heard before, safe in the knowledge, unlike streaming sites, it is fair trade for the artists.
Streaming sites offer a pittance of revenue share to the artist, they have to get millions of listens to make the price of sausage roll, whereas Bandcamp is a buying service, where merchandising can be added too. This is why I chose the site to launch our compilation album. Money comes straight over to us when you buy, and weโve currently raised over ยฃ150 for Juliaโs House, please help us to raise this bar.
Besides, itโs a cracking album, where if youโre in the local area, name your favourite local artist, and I thereโs a high chance theyโll be on it, and I guarantee youโll discover some new ones too. 46 full length songs of various genres, thoughtfully placed in sections according to those genres, to create a soundscape encompassing everything thatโs amazing about both our local music scene, and beyond, artists weโve featured on Devizine in the past.
In fact, I call it an album, but a โboxsetโ would be a more appropriate term if it was a physical product. Unfortunately, it is only as a download, as to make it an album would take over 5 CDS, and the expense of producing a product is too much to risk taking any profits made for the charity. I would be keen to hear from a business willing to sponsor the production of a small run of CDs, but as it is, download it is. Thereโs a good thing with download, your purchase is stored in a cloud, so youโll never lose it as you have unlimited downloads of it. You can transfer it from one devise to another, you could burn it onto your own CD, if you wished.
It will never fail to amaze me, just how many musicians rallied to donate a song to this project, and Iโm forever grateful to them all. Artists you should branch out to, and buy some of their albums and singles, as Iโve handpicked these fantastic people, so you can be rest-assured of their quality and talent.
For detailed track listing click here, but hereโs the lowdown of who youโll be hearing on this musical journey of over three hours, in order of appearence: Pete Lamb & Cliff Hall, King Dukes, Erin Bardwell, Timid Deer, Duck n Cuvver, Strange Folk, Strange Tales, Paul Lappin, Billy Green 3, Jon Veale, Wilding, Barrelhouse, Richard Davies & The Dissidents, Tom Harris, Will Lawton โ Evanescence, Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective, Kirsty Clinch, Richard Wileman, Nigel G. Lowndes, Kier Cronin, Sam Bishop, Mr Love & Justice, Barmy Park, The Truzzy Boys, Daydream Runaways, Talk in Code, Longcoats, Atari Pilot, Andy J Williams, The Dirty Smooth, SexJazz, Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue, The Boot Hill All Stars, Mr Tea & The Minions, Cosmic Shuffling, Blondie & Ska,The Birth of Bonoyster, The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show, Julie Meikle and Mel Reeves, Meru Michael, Cutsmith, The Tremor Tones, Big Ship Alliance, Feat Johnny2Bad, Robbie Levi & Stones, Urban Lions, Neonian, First Born Losers.
The Devizes Corn Exchange is holding vaccine clinics on Wednesday 4th of August, Friday 6th ( Pfizer only) and Saturday 7th August ( Astra and Pfizer) between 8.30 and 5pm each day.
They are accepting walk-ins, you do not need to book. If this is to be your second vaccine, you must be at 8 weeks between your first vaccine, as per government recommendations.
The Corn Exchange The Market Place Devizes SN10 1HS
Devizine would like to extend its eternal gratitude to all the staff and volunteers working so hard at the Corn Exchange, and I hope that speaks for the town. I’m thinking we should organise a club-together, get them each all a small gift of thanks from Devizes folk. What do you think?
A festival of gluttonous magnitude descends on Devizes, as the market town welcomes the return of The Devizes Food & Drink Festival. As per-usual, with the exception of the write-off year last, no corner has been left unturned in order to burst the box office when tickets go live on in fortnight, Monday 16th August.
Running later this year, Saturday 25th September to Sunday 3rd October, The Devizes Food & Drink Festival has a full schedule and a variety of interesting food and drink related events, of which I will attempt to sum up here, without getting the munchies and having to nip off for a fish finger sandwichโฆ what? Nothing wrong with a fish finger sandwich, staple diet, mate!
The celebrated Street Food & Artisan Market kicks the show off, itsโ free, itโs my favourite in years gone by, primarily because of the free Fโs; Food, Festival and Free! From 10am to 4pm, on Saturday 25th September, Devizes Market Place will be โcheese toastie oozing deliciously,โ with a generous selection of stalls, sampling wonderful dishes and take-home buys from local producers and traders, not forgetting the Wadworth Bar and live music.
Soul food, also on that day, as author of two successful cookery books and currently cooking up a storm on Weekend Best, ITV Saturday mornings with Martin and Roman Kemp, Shivi Ramoutar will be demonstrating pulled pork shoulder tacos with a pineapple salsa and jerk mayo, 10.30 at the Corn Exchange for ยฃ3.
Food writer and columnist for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Great Taste Award judge and author of several cookery books, Xanthe Clay will help save on the washing up with a demonstration of delicious one-pan dishes at midday, for another ยฃ3.
Kitty Tait, the teenager from Oxfordshire whoโs setting the baking world alight at The Orange Bakery in Watlington, Oxfordshire, is on from 2pm at Corn Exchange.
And the evening can be spent at Belle Bathrooms on Sidmouth Street where you can dine somewhere different.
On Sunday, forget the Wurzels, you can get some scrumpy โround โere; itโs all down to Bromhamโs Cider Shed at 11.45, where craft cider maker, Roger Blake conducts you through the cider-making journey from apple blossom to bottle, seeing orchard, press and end product.
Later, for the younger, Hillworth park has a teddy bearโs picnic, for just ยฃ2.50, for storytelling, games, and a healthy picnic. There will be a special guest, possibly the largest teddy in all Devizes โ the Juliaโs House Bear.
Salem Chapel, on New Park Street is where to dine somewhere different on Monday 27th September, lunchtime Loaves & Fishes, and Eveโs Pudding and enjoy a glimpse of days gone by in Devizes courtesy of local historian Dave Buxton.
Peter Vaughan shows you how to prepare some deliciously fragrant dishes from Goa, at his Cookery School, on Hopton. The cuisine is a unique mix of Mediterranean with a tropical Indian blend.
And Monday evening could be spent at The Literary & Scientific Institute for the Great Foodie Quiz, or stargazing in a pod at Erlestoke for an out-of-this-world five course meal.
Zooming back to earth Tuesday, to have lunch among the flowers of Superior Plants in Market Lavington, and an evening meal at the Bear Hotel. The five-course menu will be created by Wadworthโs Executive Development Chef, Andrew Scott, who has worked in several Michelin starred restaurants as well as appearing on BBC2โs Great British Menu, and the meal will be paired with wines chosen and described by experts from Wadworthโs wine supplier Bibendum.
Gin masterclass, is a wise way to end Wednesday 29th September, at the The Vaults on St Johnโs Street. Local distillery Scout & Sage invite you to learn all about gin, or Devizes Books presents readings from Kipling, Tagore, a Plain Tale from the Raj and some Spike Milligan, with three courses of the delicious cuisine of the sub-continent, at St Johnโs Parish Rooms.
Cheese Hall, at Devizes Town Hall has foodie written all over it. An illustrated talk by art historian Clare Ford-Wille on Food in Art from the Romans to Cezanne on Thursday 30th September. Or perhaps a murder mystery dinner might be your thing? Also at Devizes Town Hall, with The All Cannings Players, bringing you a murder story, Rough Justice, involving an amateur dramatics group, and, naturally, a three-course dinner.
Friday 1st October, is foraging day, meeting points will be supplied with tickets, as small group walks search for edible and usable plants within the boundaries of Devizes. Lunch at the studio of Devizes contemporary artist, Bee Thomas, or take an expert tutorial at Wadworthโs Brewery in signwriting with Wadworthโs sign painter, Wayne Ritchings.
Then the firm fixture on the festival calendar, Friday, the Come Dine With Us experience without the cameras and annoying narration!
A new weekend upon them, thereโs an invitation to Horton House Farm on Saturday 2nd October, and the grounds of Parkdale House has a steam engine, on the old Devizes Branch Line; you could be dining underneath the arches, barbecue style.
But thus, this sees the end of The Devizes Food & Drink Festival, with one of the most ingenious events the festival has launched. The World Food event, free at the Corn Exchange Sunday 3rd October from 12.30. Explore the globe on a plate. An event for all the family, where local residents with far flung roots invite you to sample a family favourite from their homeland. Basically, you get little taster portions for 50p a pop. Such a novel idea, and wonderful way to end the festival
ย Iโm hungry mentioning all this, anyone got a biscuit? No, not a garibaldi, I want nothing less than custard cream, thank you! More info, and to book tickets, click here.
What would get your gamer relation, (because every family has one!) leaping out of their game chair, putting their controller on charge and aching to get out into the real world?!
Yeah, I know, right, not much, other than perhaps their favourite savoury snack, and then theyโll drift back towards the console, proclaiming thereโs a new level needs completing or something about NPCs trying to eat them. How about a trek to Bristol? Tricky, but maybe if you told them The History of Video Games has every console at hand, a truckload of vintage arcade games and an exhibition theyโd pass off a snog with Lara Croft for.
Running now and through the summer holidays until 12th September, on the ground floor of The Galleries shopping in Broadmead, a ยฃ12 ticket will gain you access to the video game heaven thatโll make your gamer explode into golden rings upon witnessing. And, I stress, gamers of ALL ages. One Facebook user asked if they had the Star Wars game, presumably they meant the 1983 Atari arcade first-person rail shooter. The answer a definite yes, but it was currently being fixed. Another asked what consoles they have, that answer was simply, โthem all.โ
Theyโve got everything from the Konami Dance Revolution to the Original Sega Rally, the like I could imagine Dads dragging kids kicking and screaming away from their Minecraft servers and forcing them to play Asteroids or Pac-Man.
Divided into three sections, History of Video Games, Replay Board Game Cafe and the Generation Games Exhibition, organisers advise to plan ahead, tickets sell out fast; theyโre like the easter egg in Adventure. The days are spread over three sessions with only a capacity of 65; you could be like Jet Set Willy trying to get out of the Attic, if you donโt buy in advance, or am I showing my age now?!
Checking out the little Thai cuisine delivery service in Devizes, Thaiday Friday; why am I the last to know about these things?!
Iโve no gripe with Andy, I couldnโt have, heโs standing at my door clutching some takeaway Thai curry. And my grumble certainly isnโt with his partner, Som, whoโs lovingly cooked it. Itโs with some of you, you know who you are! I do have bad moods, and they can be known to last for anything up to thirty seconds. The Thaiday Friday Facebook page has received over 400 likes, and not one of you thought to tell me about it. Well, your dirty little secret is out!
Thaiday Friday is the โlockdown projectโ of Andy and Som of Devizes, each Friday they deliver a different homecooked Thai dish to your door. While we have some great established takeaways in town, variety lacks, Thai cuisine one of them, and you know what they say about variety; aptly, itโs something about spices.
If theyโve found a gap in the market, and set up as a registered business, Andy seemed ambiguous with the prospect of expanding the project. Heโs worked as a DJ for over 35 years, and Som is the breakfast chef at The Bear Hotel, so theyโve their hands full already. Besides, overthinking something can be its downfall, the beauty of this idea is its simplicity.
โWe sell out most weeks,โ Andy told me, making me wonder why we need review it at all. But Iโm not about to argue, as I said, heโs standing at my door clutching some takeaway Thai curry! After hoofing it down, and cleaning my plate dry, (which I may/may not have licked,) I see why it needs a mention, deffo. Though Iโve not a great deal of experience with Thai cuisine, ergo nothing to evenly compare it with, I knows what I likes, and this was simply delicious.
Those few times I have had Thai curry, itโs always been green, like itโs an English set standard. This Friday though, itโs a welcoming, warm orange tint; chicken Massaman curry, apparently, with chickpeas, sweet potato and cashew nuts, accompanied with soft Thai Jasmin rice. โWe rotate five dishes on weekly basis,โ Andy explained, โMassaman, yellow curry, Panang curry, red curry and green curry, all with Thai Jasmin rice.โ
Choice maybe limited, no restaurant menu here, rather a quaint homecooked operation of which you can check to see whatโs cooking and order via their Facebook page. If you have to hold your hands up and praise the ingenuity here, the proof is, as they say, in the pudding. You can choose if you want it hot or just lightly spiced, of which we opted for the latter.
Like Marilyn Monroe, without the legs for it, I do like it hot, but lesser so, I considered, you can really taste the quality. And it is quality, restaurant-standard. The chicken fresh and succulent, the sweet potato smooth and the whole combination of cashews, chickpeas and the incomparable sauce were to die for.
Massaman is a rich, relatively mild fusion dish, not over-sweet, savoury, and just, velvety. Is this the cinnamon at work, the palm sugar or cardamom? Do I look like Jay Rayner to you? That was rhetorical, you donโt have to answer it. To compare to Indian curry though, this was far more delicately composed and lighter; it was sweet, to a degree, savoury to another and creamy, just a bit. With Indian curry I find itโs either one end or the other, here curry is balanced to perfection, from someone proficient and obviously passionate about bringing you a taste of her home; thatโs my amateurish opinion!
Thanks Som and Andy, but I couldn’t finish it all!
Portions were plentiful, but size is unimportant compared to the notion; hereโs something unique to our little market town, and for which Thaiday Friday thoroughly deserves top marks, and a little more. This is undoubtedly the completion to a perfect Friday night in.
If July saw the gradual return to normality, and cautiously events crawled back with a welcomed but awkward feeling, while it may be hugely debatable if weโre doing the right thing, or not, August is warming up to be stonker. Events of all types are flung up each day, itโs hard to keep track and up-to-date, nevertheless I try.
Fingers crossed it doesnโt go Pete Tong. Such a divided issue with good arguments on each side, Iโm not about to start ranting for either, but I salute everyone organising events, at great risk to themselves financially. All I will say is, it is vital for the success of any event and the continuation of them in general, that we still apply certain rules, restrictions set by the organisers, and adopt the necessary etiquette when attending them. We know what the precautions are, theyโre second nature now. The government passed the buck, it is up to us, each and everyone of us to think for ourselves, respect otherโs decisions on how to act, but I appeal, act responsibly and long may this continue.
Without further-a-do then, hereโs what weโve found on Devizine for August. Itโs far easier to knock this article up with providing too many links, they can be found at the event calendar, and for family events throughout the school holidays, check here; but please do check for updates, itโs never an exhaustive thing, new events are being added. Said that bit before, but it is even more vital to check ahead, to ensure events are going ahead as planned, and what restrictions might be in place at them individually. Have a great August, stay safe.
Week 1:
Kicking off on Monday August 2nd with the +5 Holiday Club at The Farm Cookery School. Tuesday 3rd and running until Thursday 5th August, RW Football School Summer Football Camp are at Green Lane, Devizes, ages 6-11.
Wednesday August 4th, then. Chippenham Museum host a Childrenโs Art Walk. Take a walk, through Monkton Park for this fun arty session. You will receive a pack with pencils, crayons and plenty of paper and join local artist Kirsty Jones to explore the wonderful setting of the park.2pm โ 3pm. ยฃ4 per child. Recommended age 6 and above, all children must be accompanied. Meet at the town bridge entrance to Monkton Park. Thereโs also the +8 Holiday Club @ The Farm Cookery School.
Wednesday also sees the first Junior Actors with Lucia, for school years 6-9, for the Youth Theatre Summer Workshop at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes.
Thursday 5th and the Summer Kidโs Art Club at Wiltshire Scrapstore starts on Bowden Hill, Lacock. Sessions from 10:30 am โ 12:00 pm, run every Thursday and Friday through August.
Our first August festival starts Thursday, Wickham Festival in Hampshire, where Van the Man headlines, and the Love Summer Festival at Plympton, Devon starts Friday.
Thereโs an interesting-sounding new family musical written and produced by Mel Lawman staged at Bathโs Forum on Friday 6th -Saturday 7th Miss Red. Devizes folk support this, because our homegrown talented twelve-year-old, Jessica Self from Centre Stage Academy of Dance in Devizes and Stagecoach Trowbridge is in the cast, playing Daisy Blewitt. We wish you all the best, Jessica.
Friday 6th also sees the Salisbury Comedy Festival start, Black Sabbath tribute, Supernaut play the Vic in Swindon, and HoneyStreetโs Barge will be kicking as the Mid Life Krisis Collective head down there.
On Saturday 7th time for Sheer Music to put aside their lockdown TV presenting skills and get on with what they do best, hosting gigs. And what a way to start, itโs Frank Turner at the Cheese & Grain. Also, catch the amazing Kevin Brown the Southgate, Devizes, and those mods, The Roughcut Rebels play the Greyhound in Trowbridge.
The wonderful Strange Folk are at The Three Horseshoes in Bradford on Avon. Concord Drive, Transfer Window and Man in Vest play Swindonโs Vic, Jive Talkinโ perform the Bee Gees at Chippenhamโs Neeld Hall and itโs The Bath Festival Finale Weekend, where McFly headline.
For Sunday chilling, on the 8th, get down to the Queens Head in Box where Schtumm presents The Lost Trades with support from Lee Broderick, alternatively the Neeld play The Rod Stewart Songbook.
Week 2:
Monday 9th August thereโs a +8 Holiday Club, The Farm Cookery School and +11 on Tuesday.
Wednesday sees another Youth Theatre Summer Workshop, at Devizes, the Wharf Theatre, check their website for details. Chippenham Museum also hosts a Writing & Performance Workshop with performer Ruth Hill, for ages 8 and above. More Summer Kidโs Art Club at Wiltshire Scrapstore on Thursday and Friday, and The Cake Lady takes The Farm Cookery Schoolโs +8 Holiday Club.
Friday night, Iโve got Stop Stop playing Swindonโs Vic, and thatโs it so far.
Saturday 14th, Cobbs at Hungerford have a charity Emergency Service Day, should be fun for the little ones. For the grownups, cider fest at the Civic in Trowbridge with the Mangled Wurzels.
Lewis Clark is at The Southgate, Devizes, Shepardโs Pie at Wanboroughโs The Harrow, and Webb, formally known as Ryan Webb has this EP launch party at Swindonโs Vic, with Broken Empire and Land Captains in support. Hope to get a copy of this for reviewing, some clog in the pipeline at the moment. But hey, itโs also Buckfest at Marlborough The Roebuck where the loud and proud Humdigger headline.
Bedpost, Transfer Window and Pool play the Vic in Swindon on Sunday.
Week 3:
+11 Holiday Club at The Farm Cookery School on Monday 16th, and the RW Football School are in Melksham. Suitable for ages 6+, Pound Arts welcome Scratchworks Theatre Companyโs joyful and mischievous show to Corsham Almshouses, for an outdoor performance of The Grimm Sisters.
A welcomed return of events at Melksham Assembly Hall on Thursday 19th, with Neil Sands Bringing Back the Good Times; olโ time favourite show tunes from the 40s, 50s & 60s and a heart-warming tribute to Dame Vera Lynn.
Friday 20th and Jack Deeโs new show, Warm Up is at Chippenhamโs Neeld Hall. Iโve nothing else for Friday night yet, but Saturday21st, woah, festival time!
First up, is where I plan to be, Mantonfest, near Marlborough, with Blondie tribute Dirty Harry, Dr Feelgood, Barrelhouse, Richard Davies & The Dissidents and many more. Over the downs, OakStock at Pewseyโs Royal Oak is another safe bet; Amy Winehouse, Rag n Bone Man tributes, alongside the brilliant Illingsworth.
Meanwhile the rescheduled Bath Reggae Festival takes place, with Maxi Priest, Aswad, Big Mountain, Dawn Penn, Hollie Cook and more. AnneโMarie, Dizzee Rascal and Clean Bandit headline Live at Lydiard 2021.
Howlinโ Mat plays The Southgate, Devizes, while Sex Pistolโs tribute Pretty Vacant are at Swindonโs Vic, with support by The Half Wits and Subject Ex.
Week 4:
Monday 23rd August is +8 Holiday Club at The Farm Cookery School, and Tuesday is11+.From Tuesday until Thursday, The RW Football School Summer Football Camp returns to Green Lane, Devizes, for ages 6-11.
Chippenham Museum has a one-hour workshop to create your own simple mini scrap book inspired by their latest exhibition on Wednesday, for ages 6+.
Thursday and Friday itโs Summer Kidโs Art Club at Wiltshire Scrapstore. And Thursday 26th August sees an Olympic Gold Medallist, Alex Danson running a Hockey Masterclass at Devizes Hockey Club. Open to all hockey players aged 11-18 โ you donโt have to be a member of DHC.
All weekender at The Barge on Honeystreet, when Honey Fest kicks off Thursday, with a grand local line-up, including The Lost Trades, The Blunders, and Chicken Shed Zeppelin, to name but a few.
The Southgate is the place to head towards on Friday in Devizes, where my personal indie-pop favourites, (not that I should have favourites) Daydream Runaways are booked in. Also, the highly anticipated FullTone Festival returns to Devizes Green, all weekend, with the Full Tone Orchestra and Pete Lambโs Heartbeats appearing Sunday.
A theatrical outdoor re-telling of Kenneth Grahameโs classic, Wind in the Willows on Saturday 28th August at Corshamโs Pound Arts. And Sunday, a Magical show where beautiful Princesses become Pop Stars, Pop Princesses comes to Wyvern Theatre, Swindon.
Meanwhile, itโs the welcomed Triple JD Band at The Southgate, Devizes and HarrowFest at Wanboroughโs The Harrow, featuring Jamie R Hawkins, The Blind Lemon Experience and moreโฆ
Whether, for you, it was a case of our maintaining our heritage for future generations, Pagan rights, as an economical attraction, saving the tax-payer a cool two-billion-plus, or the devastating environmental damage, no one can deny Stonehenge is our countyโs world-renowned historic monument; we cherish it.
Come on, admit it, even Clark Griswold had more idea than Transport Secretary Grant Shapps! Last week I was imagining this article to be rant, major bad news, as the tunnel project risked the future of site, the surroundings and its right to be a World Heritage Site, and for what? The legacy of Boris? To shave a few minutes off commuting times?
But no, I will have to angle my antagonising elsewhere, because the High Court has today held that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps acted unlawfully when granting permission for a dual carriageway and short tunnel through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site; at long last logic presides over power!
The judge found that the Secretary of State unlawfully failed to consider less-damaging ways of relieving the existing A303. UNESCOโs World Heritage Committee, and others have repeatedly called for a longer tunnel so as to protect the whole of the WHS. Just days before the judgment UNESCOโs Committee warned that if the shorter tunnel goes ahead, then Stonehenge might be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger next year.
As part of his judgement, Mr Justice Holgate noted the Transport Secretaryโs acceptance that the road scheme would have caused permanent and irreversible harm to the WHS.
The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site is delighted, โwe are enormously grateful to our legal team for their work on the case. We also acknowledge the brilliant work of the Stonehenge Alliance, and the hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide who have, over many years, passionately supported the campaign to protect our internationally famous WHS. We are especially indebted to over 3,000 individuals who have helped to fund the legal action to date.โ
John Adams, OBE, SSWHS Director and Acting Chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance, said, โwe could not be more pleased about the outcome of the legal challenge. The Stonehenge Alliance has campaigned from the start for a longer tunnel if a tunnel should be considered necessary. Ideally, such a tunnel would begin and end outside the WHS. But now that we are facing a climate emergency, it is all the more important that this ruling should be a wake-up call for the Government. It should look again at its roads programme and take action to reduce road traffic and eliminate any need to build new and wider roads that threaten the environment as well as our cultural heritage.โ
But weโre not clear out of the water yet. SSWHS awaits the Secretary of Stateโs decision on whether he will appeal against the judgement. Should he do so, the legal battle will continue to save the Stonehenge landscape for future generations to marvel at and enjoy. Continue to support the campaign, more details here: https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/
Planned for Saturday 28th August, from midday until 10pm, an all-day festival in Swindonโs Town Gardens will be getting Swindon rockinโ, and itโs all in aid of The Prospect Hospice.
Prospect Hospice has offered end-of-life care services in Swindon and north east Wiltshire since 1980.
The unconventional yet catchy named, โThe My Dadโs Bigger Than Your Dad Festivalโ is being organised by the people behind The Swindon Shuffle in partnership with South Swindon Parish Council, is being held in tribute to Dave Young, the former landlord of The Victoria and 12 Bar, who sadly died in early June at the Prospect Hospice after a hard-fought battle against cancer.
The charity festival, will be held at Town Gardens Bowl, a venue I thought was in a state of disrepair, after finding it walking through the park in Old Town as a student. Showing my age now, as it was refurbished in the mid-1990s, and is currently being used by the South Swindon Parish Council for a summer program of outdoor theatre!
Since 1936 the auditorium-styled Bowl has hosted many musical events. Standing in a grass-banked ย ย amphitheatre, created by quarry workings in the eighteenth century, itโs a beautiful setting known its outstanding acoustics.
Swindon Railway Band at the Town Gardens, Old Town
Organiser Ed Dyer, of The Swindon Shuffle, said: โDuring their tenure at The Victoria and the 12 Bar, Dave, along with his wife Anna, revitalised the Swindon music scene, offering opportunities to hundreds of local musicians to show off and develop their talents. The pair created friendships and a lasting music family that still endures, leaving an indelible stamp on this town and many of the people within it.โ
โItโs only fitting that this legacy is recognised by throwing a great big musical party and raising as much money as possible for Prospect, who helped keep David comfortable in his last months.โ
The festival is now calling on local businesses to come forward to help fund the event so that as much money as possible can be raised for the charity. They are also looking for volunteers who want to show their support.
Sheryl Crouch, head of income at Prospect Hospice, said: โWeโve been so pleased to have been chosen as the local charity to benefit from this fantastic bank holiday music event in memory of the groups wonderful friend, I really canโt thank them enough. I can see the passion in the team to raise vital funds for the hospice after we cared for Annaโs husband Dave at the end of his life.โ
โSupport like this means a huge deal to us, especially at the moment when weโve been unable to fundraise in our traditional ways but continue to offer specialist care to those who need it. I wish them all the very best for a successful and enjoyable event and weโll be here to support them wherever we can.โ
The organisers are made up of several key members of the Swindon music scene, including Andy Loddington, the man behind Summer Breeze and Jamie Hill, editor of The Ocelot. They are also working very closely with Anna Sprawson, the widow of Dave Young, who said: โDaveโs death has been a tragic loss to all who knew him. He was so full of life and gave so much to others whether it was his family and friends or to the music community.โ
โI couldnโt think of a better way to celebrate his life and all he meant to others by holding this one-day festival in aid of the Prospect Hospice who helped us all during such difficult times. We canโt do enough for this wonderful charity and weโre hoping to raise as much money as possible so they can continue helping more families in their time of need.โ
Press Cutting from May 1993, the Boys From County Hell deut gig.
The stellar musical line up is headed by Davidโs former folk-punk band, The Boys From County Hell, reuniting for the occasion to perform for the first time in more than a decade. They toured the internationally to huge acclaim.
Gaz Brookfield & The Company of Thieves. Image: Jennifer Berry
Joining them will be Daveโs last band, the legendary punk covers outfit The Chaos Brothers along with Gaz Brookfield & The Company of Thieves, with whom he toured the UK as sound engineer.
Also featuring are a host of acts who were all championed by David in one way or another during his time as a cornerstone of the local music scene, including parody-party covers act Kova Me Badd, ska-punk band Slagerij, blues-funk three-piece Hip Route, and reggae act The Erin Bardwell Trio, and more are in the working. One only has to look at the diversity and quantity of acts queuing to play the legendary Swindon Shuffle, to know, the team have the experience to pull off a most fitting and memorable concert.
Erin Bardwell
South Swindon Parish Council, who manage Town Gardens have also offered their full support to the festival. Cllr Neil Hopkins, Chair of Leisure, Environment and Amenities said, โWe are really pleased to be working in partnership with The Shuffle, in support of what promises to be a fantastic family-friendly music festival in the heart of Town Gardens, in aid of Prospect Hospice.โ
Dave Young. Image: Graham Bradfield
The festival is now calling on local businesses to come forward to help fund the event so that as much money as possible can be raised for the charity as well as volunteers to help on the day. Businesses and volunteers can get in touch with the team via email โ mdbtydfestival@gmail.com
โThe My Dadโs Bigger Than Your Dad Festivalโ will be held at Town Gardens Bowl on Saturday 28 August, from midday until 10pm. Tickets are available online via seetickets.com or in person at Holmes Music and The Tuppenny in Swindon and Sound Knowledge in Marlborough.
Tickets:
Early Bird (18+) – ยฃ15
Adult Ticket (18+) – ยฃ20
Concession Ticket (10-17 years) – ยฃ12
Child Ticket (Under 10 years old) โ Free
Family Ticket โ two adults and two concessions – ยฃ50
Generally, the hospitality industry is cutthroat and fast paced, a constant competition to keep up with trends and modern consumer behaviour. While Devizes is like any other town, with pubs and restaurants striving to be the next big thing, that culture is subtle at the best of times, most folk of our bustling but quaint Wiltshire market town crave precisely the opposite. Let’s be honest with ourselves here, we think its ‘nice’ when something new crops up, but secretly we don’t fully embrace change and modernisation, rather we favour tradition and dependability; that’s what gives Devizes its simplicity and charm.
One such mainstay is the freehouse, the British Lion, shortened to “the British,” to locals. It’s never changed as long as I’ve known it and been here. It focuses on an ‘if it isn’t broken it doesn’t need fixing” ethos, breathing tradtion through its rafters. The British Lion is a fixed institution, a pub of reliability; what you see is what you get, and you know full well what to expect. The landlord, Mike has run it since the dawn of civilisation, the efficiency, ambince and philosophy remains as it always was. And that’s why we congratulate it today, for having been awarded a Golden award as part of CAMRA (Campaignย for Real Ale) Official 50th anniversary celebrations. Well done to Mike and the team at the British, and throughly well deserved.
CAMRA awards director explained, “winners were chosen for their successes in standing the test of time; for being characterful and community-focused, and for consistently pouring great pints. I applaudย these pubsย for their dedication, for being community stalwarts and campaigning heroes.โ
One of only three pubs in the entire South West region to win the award, the British Lion’s key feature, other than it’s steeping tradition and splendid and spacious beer garden, is it’s dedication to bringing its punters a wide selection of beverages, often unavailable elsewhere in town, and supportive of smaller brewers.
To walk into the British and suddenly find its changed into a neon, glitzy wine bar would be utterly unbelievable to locals, who’ve relied on this mainstay in our pub culture for so long, and everyone has an amusing story to tell about a particular night, or other, in this fine establishment where nothing is over-complicated, or striving to keep up with the Jones’s. And, might I say, through “black rat monday,” to many fond memories in there myself, long may it live on!
Got your ticket for Manton-Fest yet? Well, hurry up, I need you to give me a lift!
โTickets for this summerโs Manton-Fest are up for grabs, a one-day festival Iโve heard only good things about;โ thatโs what I said in a preview last January, oblivious to what was about to be thrown up in our faces. At least all my typing did not go to waste with this one preview, as Manton-Fest is back for 2021 and set to go ahead on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday, the 21st.
Here comes a clip-show then, part-copy and paste, as some of the faithful acts booked for last year are intending to come to this one. As Iโve said before, write off 2020, pretend it didnโt happen, and look forward to this summer. Nesting in the water meadow of Manton Grange, below Treacle Brolly, Manton-Fest is surely one to put in your diary.
The tickets are online only: ยฃ30 for adults, ยฃ10 for teenagers 12 to 15 years and ยฃ5 for 7 to 11 years. But hurry, as thereโs a pre-crowd; tickets bought in 2020 are valid for 2021 and ticket numbers will be restricted to allow social distancing.
The headliner is Edinburghโs Blondie tribute, Dirty Harry. While thereโs Blondie tributes aplenty, the band say, โthe essence of Dirty Harry is to put on a show Blondie would give the nod to and in true punk style.โ Call me, Iโm convinced, and slightly hot under the collar. Iโm lucky enough to have seen the real McCoy, so expect me to be critical!
The legendary hard-driving rock n roll- blues virtuosos, Dr Feelgood are also booked. A band which never left the road, from forming in 1971 to lead vocalist, Lee Brilleaux’s untimely passing in 1994, theyโre still strong.
The Ex-Men are next on the hierarchy, as the name suggests, itโs an amalgamation group made up of Alan Sagar ex-Big Country, Graham Pollock ex-The Hollies, Peter Barton ex-The Animals, Phil Bates ex-ELO and Geoff Hammond ex-Denny Laine; you get the idea. A stimulating sounding assembly, with a wealth of experience between them it couldnโt possibly go wrong.
Vintage blues with a hard-edge groove is the ethos of Barrelhouse, a band who delivered such a mind-blowingly addictive riff on our (plug) 4Juliaโs House album, and one Iโm very much looking forward to. Another unticked on my must-see tick-list is the excellent Richard Davies and The Dissidents. Since glowingly reviewing their album Human Traffic, theyโve also kindly contributed a track to our Juliaโs House album, an outtake from the album.
Richard Davis & The Dissidents
Lancashire singer-songwriter Joe Martin returns after being a hit in previous years. Josie & The Outlaw are โMantonFest veterans,โ a 4-piece Americana multi-genre band, blending rock n roll and rhythm & blues into country. Marlborough based beat-combo Catfish are a returning favourite, and Skedaddle are Mantonโs very own six-piece semi-acoustic band.
All of this, and perhaps more, will be compered by Marie Lennon for BBC Radio Wiltshire. This festival has a long history, with Katrina & The Waves, Toyah, The Troggs and Led Zeppelin tribute Whole Lotta Led on the billings, so they know what theyโre doing; me, Iโm looking forward to finally breaking my MantonFest cherry; is there time to buy a festival-jester’s hat?!
Okay, clever clogs among us Iโm sure will tell me the Eskimo Nebula is a bipolar double-shell planetary nebula, 6,500 light-years away which is surroundedโฆ
According to the confines of youth cultures of yore, I shouldnโt like Marlborough-based duo Deadlight Danceโs debut album, Beyond Reverence, as while attempts to fitโฆ
By Ian Diddams Three women meet at university in 1983. Mixed backgrounds, sexual preferences, dreams. From early reticence, to friendship, to love. Sharing despair, hope,โฆ
Oh yes, itโs coming, you can feel it in the air; or is that more rain? Take a deep breath, because hereโs our lowdown on stuff to keep your darling princesses and special little guys busy during the summer break, across our area, to retain some of your sanity and keep you from maxinโ your Wine Warehouse loyalty card.
Ongoing and regularly updated, bookmark this, mums and dads, and check back from time as more stuff will hopefully be added. Please note Devizine cannot accept responsibility for the safety of links outside of this site, the cancelation or failure of organisers to maintain events listed. Thanks, enjoy your summer holidays, and stay safe!
Submissions: use the contact form at the bottom to tell us about your event, and I will add it onto our list!
JULY
From Saturday July 10th: Wild World Heroes Summer Reading Challenge @ Devizes Library
Join the Wild World Heroes Summer Reading Challenge for four- to 11-year-olds from Sat 10 July. The fun free challenge helps children improve their reading skills whilst having fun, itโs also great for good mental health. Children are challenged is to read six library books over the summer (including eBooks), so come into the library from this Saturday and pick up your bag of materials (including a map of Wilderville and stickers) while stocks last! Medals and certificates for children who complete the challenge will be available for collection after Monday 2 August.
Running from Tuesday 13th until Saturday 17th July, The Wharf Theatre in Devizes presents Collected Grimm Tales, by the Brothers Grimm, directed by Debby Wilkinson.
Familiar and less known stories from the Brothers Grimm are brought to the stage in this acclaimed adaptation. Using a physical and non-natural style of performance, these are stories that will journey into the warped world of imagination. We will see Hansel and Gretel, Ashputtel, Rumpelstiltskin and others, all performed by a small, adult cast on a simple set. The audience will be required to use their imagination and fully embrace the living power of theatre. Suitable for adults and children alike!
Wednesday July 14th: Starcrazy โ Open-Air Theatre back again at Ogbourne Maizey
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY BILL SCOTT, WITH ORIGINAL MUSIC BY TOM ADAMS
October 1957: the world lives in fear of nuclear war, Russia has launched Sputnik 1, UFOs are cropping up everywhere, MI5 is on high alert and Stanley is building something in his garden shed.
He may live in suburbia but, in his mind, Stanley is voyaging through outer space. He hopes to make contact with other life forms. His neighbour, Gwen, thinks he should be exploring the unknown much closer to homeโฆ
A cosmic comedy about obsession and the rekindling of love, hope and possibility
Estimated running time: 1hr 10 mins, no interval
Everyone welcome, but as a guide we recommend the show for age 7+
Saturday July 17th – Saturday July 24th: Charlie & Stan @ Theatre Royal Bath
In 1910, the then unknown Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel set sail from Liverpool to New York as part of Fred Karno’s famous music hall troupe. On the voyage, they shared a cabin, they shared comedy routines and they shared laughter. Inspired by real life events, Told by an Idiot’s acclaimed production is the remarkable story of the greatest double act that nearly was and is a hilarious and deeply moving homage to two men who changed the world of comedy forever. Tickets from ยฃ23. Children best seats ยฃ22.50 at all performances.
Friday July 16th: Under 5’s Coffee and Craft Morning @ Wiltshire Scrapstore
Friday July 16th: King Arthur at Manor Farm, Upton Cheyney
Local theatrical tour of a fun and farcical family adventure by The Last Baguette. Suitable for ages 5+
Somewhere in England, a long time ago, a very, very, very long time ago. So long ago that nobody quite knows whether it happened or not. Or where it happened or not. A boy pulled a sword from a stone and became King. A story of the old world, with knights, wizards, mist and magic. This fun and farcical adventure is deliberately anarchic and anachronistic re-telling of the Arthurian Legend with live music, physical comedy and lo-fi acrobatics. And some silly jokesโฆ
This is an outdoor production, please bring your own chairs, blankets. The field at Manor Farm will be open from 6pm for picnics, prior to the 7pm performance. The tour continues, courtesy of Pound Arts, see below for other venue dates.
Saturday July 17th: Food Glorious Food Photography Day: Cricketts Lane & Lords Mead Allotments, Chippenham.
Join the Photo Club and Chippenham Museum at a local Chippenham allotment to learn how to capture portraits of fresh produce. These free sessions take place on Saturday 17 July at the following times: Time: 10am โ 12pm Ages: 9-14years. Location: Cricketts Lane. Time: 12:30-2:30pm Ages: 15-18 years. Location: Cricketts Lane.
These free sessions are part of a celebration of locally grown and seasonal produce by The Food School have been made possible through funding from Chippenham Borough Lands Charity.
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July: the Southern Counties Organ Festival on The Large Green Devizes.
Sunday July 18th: King Arthur at Kington Langley Recreation Ground.
See above (Friday July 16th)
Monday July 19th: The Farm Cookery School
Kids who can cook, well, I say, have to be the best kind of kids ever! The Farm Cookery School at Netherstreet Farm near Bromham has a great summer programme, in a kitchen divided into 6 Covid-Safe Acrylic โCookery Podsโ. Each pod is suitable for 2 children to share.
Starting Monday 19th July with a Cookery Camp, for children aged 11+ where the young chefs get to come along for 2 days (8.30am โ 4.00pm) to learn all about food; make breakfast, lunch & snacks to eat at the school, then make tea and desserts which they will take home with them. The camp includes 2 days of tuition, ingredients, recipes & meals.
I’ll list the events here, simply with a brief title, as there’s so many good ones!
Monday July 19th – September 12th: Under the Moon @ Longleat
Discover the wonderful creatures of the dark who have inhabited The Longhouse under the light of the Moon. Then explore Longleatโs nocturnal wildlife with dramatically enlarged straw sculptures in the open air.
Experience the astounding astronomical work of art by UK artist, Luke Jerram, titled the Museum of the Moon, as you wander up close to the orbital illuminator of the night. This 6 metre suspended replica of our Moon was created using detailed NASA imagery with each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture representing 6km of the moonโs surface!
Then observe the fascinating flora and fauna of the dark such as bioluminescent algae, blind cave fish, and the slender loris. Discover the mysterious creatures of dark with illuminating insights on their adaptations like why the blind cavefish have no eyes and emperor scorpions glow a bluish-green under UV light.
Step outside of The Longhouse and the wildlife exploration continues with a focus on the native animals active around the Park at night. Discover more about the barn owl, fox, mole, snail and others as we celebrate our nocturnal wildlife with huge straw sculptures.
Join us for a summer of exploration of new and native animals
Need to know
This exhibition is designed to be a sensory, calm experience, utilising the wide space of The Longhouse.
The Longhouse is fully accessible.
The number of guests in the Longhouse will be monitored and managed throughout the day to maintain safe social distancing and guest comfort.
Friday July 23rd: King Arthur at Sherston Village Hall
See above (Friday July 16th)
Saturday July 24th: Bromham Teddy Bear Trail
Bromham Carnival mayโve been cancelled but there will be a Teddy Bear Trail on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th July. This year’s theme will be ’60 Years of Family Films’ with 40+ Teddies around the village, created and generously sponsored by local businesses and individuals. See how many you can guess – and enjoy a walk round the beautiful village of Bromham. Refreshments available. Entry forms ยฃ2.50 each available from the Social Centre in New Road.
Tuesday July 27th: Devizes Tennis Club Holiday Camp
Anyone for tennis? Summer camps start on 27th July at Devizes Tennis Club, ongoing sessions from 10am-3pm, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until 19th August.
Wednesday July 28th: Youth Theatre Summer Workshop @ the Wharf Theatre
Iโve given details of Devizesโ Wharf Theatreโs exciting ongoing Youth Theatre, which starts the full courses towards the end of September. But, in addition to the fuller workshops the Wharf are also offering two Summer Workshops this year. These will offer an opportunity to have fun and participate in various drama activities. Whilst they will give you a flavour of the work you could be exploring over the forthcoming terms these are stand-alone sessions and are open to all. The first is Senior Actors with Lou is on Wednesday July 28th, for school years 10-13.
Wednesday July 28th: Summer Holiday Workshops @ Chippenham Museum: Make an Embroidery Sampler.
Ages 8 and above. 10.30am โ 12.30pm Join Members of the Bath Textile Artist Group to make an embroidery sampler at Chippenham Museum. Once it was only girls who used to have fun with samplers but now anyone can have a go. Come and explore the history of samplers and start to stich your own. You will learn different stitches and can choose a range of motifs to produce your own design or sew a prepared piece. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced stitcher there will be something for you.
Wednesday July 28th: Bath Rugby Summer Camp coming to Devizes RFC
Bath Rugby coaches are back on the road again and coming to a rugby club near you! A full summer of coaching activity has been planned across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset ensuring that everybody has the chance to get involved. And what’s more, we have a session at Devizes RFC on Wednesday 28th July! The camp is designed for U7’s through to U16’s looking to hone their skills and is open to all abilities.
Thursday July 29th: Fireman Sam Saves the Circus @ Bath Forum
When all of his friends go away, Norman Price decides to find adventure in Pontypandy and become the star of a visiting circus. But with a tiger on the loose and faulty lights, the adventure soon turns to danger. Can Fireman Sam come to the rescue and save the circus?
Join Sam, Penny, Elvis, Station Officer Steele and Norman in an all singing, dancing, action-packed show. You can become a fire-fighter cadet and then watch the magic of the circus.
So, come along to Pontypandy and watch the adventures unfold!
This event is being sold as a socially distanced event at the present time, but should government guidelines allow, socially distanced seating may not be in place at the time of the event. Book Here
Friday July 30th: King Arthur at The Corsham Almshouse
See above (Friday July 16th)
Saturday 31st July: MFor 2021 @ Lydiard Park
If you fancy taking your kids to a local family festival with acts theyโll enjoy, rather than being dragged along to, check out MFor 2021 at Swindonโs Lydiard Park. Craig David, TS5, Sigala, Raye, Ella Henderson, Gracey & more! Lots of entertainment is included in the Saturday ticket price and you are promised a fantastic music line-up. Under 5s go FREE.
The Great Poppy Party @ The Crown, Bishops Cannings
Wednesday August 4th: Youth Theatre Summer Workshop @ the Wharf Theatre
Iโve given details of Devizesโ Wharf Theatreโs exciting ongoing Youth Theatre, which starts the full courses towards the end of September. But, in addition to the fuller workshops the Wharf are also offering two Summer Workshops this year. These will offer an opportunity to have fun and participate in various drama activities. Whilst they will give you a flavour of the work you could be exploring over the forthcoming terms these are stand-alone sessions and are open to all. The first Junior Actors with Lucia workshop is on Wednesday August 4th, for school years 6-9.
Wednesday August 4th:Childrenโs Art Walk by Chippenham Museum
2pm โ 3pm. ยฃ4 per child. Recommended age 6 and above, all children must be accompanied. Meet at the town bridge entrance to Monkton Park.
Take a walk through Monkton Park with a bit of a difference. For this fun arty session, you will receive a pack with pencils, crayons and plenty of paper and join local artist Kirsty Jones to explore the wonderful setting of the park.
Thursday 5th and 6th August: Summer Kid’s Art Club @ Wiltshire Scrapstore, Bowden Hill, Lacock
Sessions from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at Wiltshire Scrapstore, run every Thursday and Friday through August, starting on the 5th. https://www.wiltshirescrapstore.org.uk/
Friday 6th -Saturday 7th: Miss Red @ Bath Forum
An interesting sounding new family musical written and produced by Mel Lawman is staged at Bathโs Forum early August. Devizes folk support this, because our homegrown talented twelve-year-old Jessica Self from Centre Stage Academy of Dance in Devizes and Stagecoach Trowbridge is in the cast, playing Daisy Blewitt. We wish you all the best, Jessica.
Iโve given details of Devizesโ Wharf Theatreโs exciting ongoing Youth Theatre, which starts the full courses towards the end of September. But, in addition to the fuller workshops the Wharf are also offering two Summer Workshops this year. These will offer an opportunity to have fun and participate in various drama activities. Whilst they will give you a flavour of the work you could be exploring over the forthcoming terms these are stand-alone sessions and are open to all. The second workshop for Senior Actors with Lou, for school years 10-13 and Junior Actors with Lucia workshop, for school years 6-9.
Writing & Performance Workshop by Chippenham Museum
9.30am โ 3.30pm. Ages 8 and above, please bring a packed lunch.
Come and join writer, facilitator and performer Ruth Hill for a day of writing and performing. In the morning you will write something inspired by the museumโs exhibition which focusses on local Victorian diarist Rev. Francis Kilvert. Using the exhibition for inspiration, you will write stories, poems and scripts. Ruth will help you create a piece of work you are proud of and in the afternoon, you will work together to direct, stage and perform your pieces of writing to a small audience of your family and friends. You can take part as a writer, performer, director or all three. Come and develop your skills, whether you love writing and performing, or just want to give it a go.
Thursday 12th โ Friday 13th: Summer Kid’s Art Club @ Wiltshire Scrapstore, Bowden Hill, Lacock
Sessions from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at Wiltshire Scrapstore, run every Thursday and Friday through August, starting on the 5th. https://www.wiltshirescrapstore.org.uk/
Saturday 14th August: Charity Emergency Service Day @ Cobbs, Hungerford
A police car and van, fire responder car, and fire truck are visiting Cobbs. A free event hoping to raise some money and put a little love back into our emergency services, to say thank you for the incredible job that they do. There will be a raffle. Please note: If you would like breakfast or lunch in the cafe, book a table in advance: www.cobbsfarmshops.co.uk/book-a-table
Friday August 20th: The Grimm Sisters @ Corsham Almshouses (outdoor theatre)
Suitable for ages 6+. Pound Arts are excited to welcome Scratchworks Theatre Companyโs joyful and mischievous brand-new show to Corsham, for an outdoor performance at Corsham Almshouses. Please bring along chairs, blankets, cushions, afternoon teas and picnics. The venue will be open one hour prior to the performance start time for audience to arrive, settle in and get comfortable.
Saturday August 21st: Live at Lydiard 2021
Another one-day festival at Swindonโs Lydiard Park, with AnneโMarie, Dizzee Rascal and Clean Bandit headlining. Information is vague on this one, but by the line-up it sounds family-friendly.
In this one-hour workshop create your own simple mini scrap book inspired by our latest exhibition. Use words, photos and your own drawings to explore this popular Victorian pastime.
Thursday 26th โ Friday 27th: Summer Kid’s Art Club @ Wiltshire Scrapstore, Bowden Hill, Lacock
Sessions from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at Wiltshire Scrapstore, run every Thursday and Friday through August, starting on the 5th. https://www.wiltshirescrapstore.org.uk/
Thursday 26th August: Alex Danson Hockey Masterclass @ Devizes Hockey Club
Olympic Gold Medallist Alex Danson runs a hockey masterclass. Open to all hockey players aged 11-18 – you donโt have to be a member of DHC.
Fri 27th
Saturday 28th: The Fulltone Festival 2021 @ The Green, Devizes
WIND IN THE WILLOWS, 28 August, 6.30pm @ Pound Arts.
A theatrical outdoor re-telling of Kenneth Grahameโs classic, performed in The Pound arts centre car park. Calf 2 Cow wowed a sold out crowd here at the arts centre back in June with their outdoor theatrical extravaganza “The Wave”, and now they’re back! This time they’re retelling a classic children’s tale, known the world over, with a modern gig-theatre twist. https://mailchi.mp/poundarts/wind-in-the-willows-a-theatrical-outdoor-experience
Sunday August 29th: Pop Princesses @ Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
A Magical show where beautiful Princesses become Pop Stars! This is the childrenโs pop concert with a big difference. A musical spectacular starring four fabulous Fairy tale Princesses who just love to sing! Itโs the perfect mix. Featuring a soundtrack of top pop hits from artists such as Little Mix, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and internet sensation, JoJo Siwa, plus songs from all your favourite Films and Musicals.
Mon 30th
Tues 31st
September:
Wed 1st
Thurs 2nd
Fri 3rd
Saturday 4th September: Twilight Cinema in the Park @ Hillworth Park, Devizes
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Hillworth announce this yearโs Twilight Cinema film is the Greatest Showman Sing-a-Long!! Pre-film music, pop-up bars, and food. Tickets.
Saturday 4th September:Horrible Histories Live @ Bath Forum
We all want to meet people from history! The trouble is everyone is dead!
So itโs time to prepare for Horrible Histories live on stage with the acclaimed production of Gorgeous Georgians and Vile Victorians!
Are you ready to swing with a Georgian king? Can you see eye to eye with Admiral Nelson? Does the Duke the Wellington get the boot? Dare you dance the Tyburn jig? Will you be saved by Florence Nightingale? Find out what a baby farmer did and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria!
Donโt miss this horrible history of Britain with the nasty bits left in!
Chippenhamโs folk singer-songwriter Meg gets our early song of the week this week, and The Cycle is only her debut single…. Iโve spoken twice toโฆ
Kempston joystick! There’s a new single from Swindonโs sonic indie-rock blasters Atari Pilot, and it seems theyโre waiting for the summer to fall. Hint, guys,โฆ
Schools are back, summer has finally arrived, hereโs what weโve got this coming week…… Not comprehensive, more will be added to our event calendar asโฆ
Not as the title might suggest…. Since I peaked too soon over the bank holiday, coupled with working it, yeah, I sadly missed Monday’s entertainmentโฆ
Let’s face facts, they’re not referring to their average age here, are they?! Todayโs topic is belting through town like a headless chicken escaping Colonelโฆ
First thing Iโve got to do this week is to congratulate Carmela Chillery-Watson, our seven-year-old local heroine, for being chosen by WellChild, the national charity for sick children as their inspirational child in her age category. The celebration finale came last week, with a ceremony in which Harry Duke of Sussex presented her the award, amidst a star-studded audience.
I couldnโt agree more with WellChildโs excellent choice, being personally inspired by Carmela. Itโs been a little less than two years ago when Carmelaโs mum Lucy sent a fundraising poster for me to share on Devizine, and after talking to her about her daughterโs rare form of muscular dystrophy I thought, you know what, I could do more than this to help. And yes, it ended in a warm August morning, delivering milk, as is my โrealโ job, dressed in my Spiderman onesie!
Lucy had suggested Carmela prefers Wonder Woman as a superhero, but the practicalities, not forgoing the visual impact of me in blue star-studded hot pants might be pushing it too far! So, Carmela joined me for a short stint, to deliver the bottles, dressed as Wonder Woman, and we raised approximately ยฃ1,500 for some specialist equipment to make her life somewhat easier.
The apt association with Wonder Woman stuck for Carmela, whoโs various fundraising efforts caught the attention of Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot last year, and she kindly donated over ยฃ3,000. Inspired by the superhero, Carmela took on 300km in 30 days dressed as her hero, but it really did take it out of her with. There were days spent in pain and suffering with vertigo sickness, due to her spine curvatures and strain on her weak muscles.
A similar gauntlet is laid this year, the aim being a united 1,500 miles, the total it takes from Wiltshire to where they filmed Wonder Woman in Southern Italy. Commencing on the 1st September, the family hope to do it with the help of teams, raising money towards the medical research, in hope of giving effected children hope of a future or even just a treatment to slow the progression down. More information here.
And progress on a cure, or at least slowing the process down has recently had a breakthrough. INews Science & Environment Correspondent, Tom Bawden reported; โa cure for muscular dystrophy is on the horizon after gene editing experiments in mice completely eradicated the disease. Although far more research is needed to test the technique in humans the researchers are hopeful the process could one day be used in the NHS,โ just last week.
Therefore, itโs been long overdue to catch up with the Chillery-Watson family, to congratulate them for the award, find out if the breakthrough treatment applies to Carmelaโs rare strain of the disease, but mostly, to get the gossip on the celebrities sheโs been meeting, making her something of a celeb now herself!
Click here to buy the book!
โI donโt think I ever met a celebrity until Carmela came along,โ Lucy replied to my verbal probing about the renowned faces I see her pictured with. I suggested pictures posted on Carmelaโs Facebook Page with Harry, she seemed to have her husband Darren pushed aside while displaying a flirty-face in his presence! โIโve always got a flirty-face on!โ she laughed, โweโve met Harry once before, and he really is a great guy to chat to. Heโs been patron of this sick childโs charity since 2007. Heโs very passionate about it, I think because he gets it from his mum. Carmela was telling him her rude jokes!โ she giggled.
I pointed out that Carmela has got so used to being in the spotlight. โSheโs so blasรฉ about it!โ Lucy said, โitโs my fault because we wanted to get awareness out there, and itโs helped her confidence. She has gone through stages of low self-esteem, particularly now as she comes to terms with what her limitations are. So doing things like this makes her feel a little bit important. It boosts her self-esteem.โ
Amanda Holden was one of Carmelaโs chosen celebs to have turned up. โWhat a great chick she is,โ Lucy responded, โso, so, one of us; she doesnโt mince her words, and made us feel at ease.โ One I do know, Rolling Stoneโs Ronnie Wood was there, she told me, but another was one my age made me ask my daughter for her identity, revealed to be pop star Anne-Marie, who sang live at the ceremony. Lucy praised her voice, but moved onto Ed Sheeran, claiming he was shy.
โThroughout lockdown,โ we moved onto, โshe did loads because she had to. With muscular dystrophy you canโt sit down all the time, because you get joint contractions, you get tight muscles and itโs irreversible, you have to keep that balance, and thatโs very difficult.โ
The gene therapy advances I wanted to mention. โThe one weโre hopeful with is LCMD Research Foundation.โ A family in the USA with the same condition to Carmela, but more severe. โThey found some researchers in Spain willing to take on the gene therapy project specific for Carmelaโs type, if they raise two million,โ Lucy explained, stating theyโve already raised half in just six months. Lucy was unsure what strain the INews Science & Environment Correspondent reported on was specifically for, โbut is also promising news.โ
Somewhere in the conversation I doubted she would even remember me, the mere mortal milkman, now sheโs rubbing shoulders with all these icons and celebs. But in the perfect finale to our chinwag, Carmela broke her bedtime procedure to disrupt the sombre and mature themes we were discussing, and bounded in to say hello. I confess, this part melted my heart, itโs been so long through lockdown since Iโve seen her, and was delighted to note, she knew me and remembered our shared work-shift almost two years ago.
Cheekily, I asked Carmela if she had a favourite celeb she met, and she confirmed they were Anne-Marie and Amanda Holden; mine too! Amanda in particular, I pointed out, being I had to inquire to who Anne-Marie was, truth be told. Intent on keeping me on my pegging, Carmela asked me, โhave you heard Anne-Marieโs voiceโฆ.โ of which I was intending to reply a yes; now I have, when she added, โbut, in real life?!โ To which I can only confess she had this one over on me!
โWell,โ Carmela added, โyou could always come to the WellChild as our guest.โ Lucy laughed; sheโs invited a number of guests already. Well, every celeb needs their entourage.
But I did finish on my surprise she recalled me, being sheโd met all these โimportant people, when all Iโve been doing is putting milk bottles down.โ Carmela replied, while dancing, โitโs very important for you to put the milk bottles down.โ And itโs responses like that which makes her such a special person, and her zest for life is truly inspiring for all ages; the very motive, I might plug, for me to channel efforts into this compilation album for Juliaโs House, who I might add, provide support to Carmela with regular home visits.
All images ยฉGail Foster It may be a wrap for another successful Full-Tone Festival in Devizes this bank holiday weekend, but talking to conductor Anthonyโฆ
Imagine, it’s only just eight pm on the opening day of Honey-Fest at the legendary Barge on HoneyStreet, and the haystack-filled marquee is already positivelyโฆ
Another wonderful nugget of lonely contemplation from the chillaxed Britpop kahuna, Paul Lappin, formerly of Swindon now residing in the South of France. Unfortunately Youโฆ
Righty-ho then, this weekโs rodeo roundup of all the lovely fings to Scooby-Doo across Wiltshireโs rolling landscape is rather like when you went on holidayโฆ
Could it be, I wonder this Sunday morning after a grand evening at our dependable Southgate, that being couped up and unable to play to a live audience for what feels like a decade, has planted fire in the bellies of musicians and a drive to return to the spotlight in an explosively intense and mind-blowing manner?
Image by Nick Padmore
It certainly felt this way with the Boot Hill All Stars giving it their all, last weekend at Honey Street’s Barge, and again, last night where a โPlus Friends,โ gig took place at the Gate, in the blaze of glory local folk have come to expect from the homegrown talented musicians involved.
Image by Nick Padmore
As far from a band name as a desperate attempt to rehash a once-trendy US sitcom, Plus Friends is the banner for a looser formulation, Iโm assuming, to temporarily disassociate the trio of Phil Cooper, Jamie R Hawkins and Tamsin Quin from their Lost Trades Americana branding and allow themselves the freedom to adlib and play in unison their separate songs as solo artists, generally rock out, and perhaps throw in a cover at will, as they did with a finale of Talking Headsโ Road to Nowhere. Though covers were scarce, the crowd know these guys only too well, and their original penned songs.
Plus, and, most importantly where the โplusโ part falls neatly into place, to add a fourth member in par rather than โsupport,โ that being the modest acoustic local legend, Vince Bell. Not forgoing this allowance also saw Jamieโs eldest son occasionally join them on percussion, adding to the overall โfamilyโ nature of the homecoming gig.
Image by Nick Padmore
And that’s precisely how it felt for punters and performers alike, a true community recovering from isolation the best way they know how. โThis is how it should be,โ delighted photographer Nick Padmore told me at the end. Because while the Southgate’s dedication to bringing variety, and artists who might well be unbeknown to Devizes is most welcomed, nothing raises the roof quite like Vince belting out his satirical prose about his hometown and the crowds joyously joining in with the โand you ain’t ever leaving!โ chorus.
Image by Nick Padmore
It hallmarks everything great about this splendid occasion, and a true Devizes-fashioned return of live music with homegrown talent abound.
But it’s not just the brilliance of Vince, Tammy, Jamie and birthday-boy Phil, to perform with bells on, which made the evening, rather the friendly assembly of local live music aficionados too, with their meeting of the โsame olโ facesโ not fully grouped since lockdown begun. And, in turn, the Southgate to accommodate them so welcomingly within current regulations.
Image by Nick Padmore
Thereโs a streamlined table service, its dedicated staff have the efficiency of McDonaldโs, and the genuine friendliness of Disneyland. Though such comparisons should end there, for The Southgate is far from the mechanism of commercialism, rather a rustic haven for those seeking a โrealโ West Country pub experience, and within it, creating a free music venue that performers are queuing to play.
Itโs without doubt the sum of all these parts made it so many chose our Southgate over Gareth’s squad on the tele-box, a brief โfootballs coming homeโ chant raised by Jamie being the only reference to the Euros necessary. No, weโre happy here, thank you. Content to hear the welcoming homely vocals of Tamsin Quin, the passionately executed sentimental writings of Jamie as he rings out solo classics such as his tribute to his dad, the rockier side to Phil Cooper as he selects a tune from his solo lockdown album, These Revelation Games and the beautifully arranged understated lyrics of Vince as they so eloquently weave a tapestry of narrative. And as my opening presumption noted, they delivered it with such Jack-in-the-box passion, what once would have been a pretty standard gig down the Gate was more akin to a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Oh yes, more of that, please!
Image by Nick Padmore
And our wish is granted, as The Southgateโs gig calendar is building as if 2020 never happened; next Saturday, 10th July sees Swindonโs premier ska covers band The Skandals, with ex-Skanxter Carl Humphries returning as frontman. Sunday is the turn of Essexโs finest Americana roots band, Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective.
One weekend after is all you need to wait until reggae duo Jon Lewis & Jah-man Aggrey, TwoManTing, on Saturday 17th, Rockport Blues on 24th, and Blind River Scareโs Tim Manning rocks up on the final Saturday of July. The dates are booked into August too, with Kevin Brown on the 7th and the brilliant Strange Folk on the 9th October, but you can bet your bottom dollar dates in-between these will crop up very soon, check the event guide as I attempt to keep ahead and update it without getting too frustrated with cancelations, or the Southgateโs Facebook page, where the spirit of live music lives on, as proved last night.
Update: check the board, not the Facebook!
All Images used with kind permission of Nick Padmore
Our compilation album is out now and raising money for Julia’s House Children’s Hospices; click to download your copy!
Got your ticket to MantonFest yet? Hurry up, I need a lift!
Blue Sky Festival returns to Corshamโs Pound Arts this July. The thriving arts centre will be filled with music, dance, film, family entertainment and workshops, plus outdoor theatre. There really is something for everyone, including Claymation model-making workshops with Aardman Animations, music from upcoming Americana soulstress Lady Nade, and the breath-taking folky ambiance of Emily Barker, and comedy from Lucy Porter, who youโll know from Live At The Apollo, Would I Lie To You and QI.
Lady Nade
Kicking off on the 5th and continuing throughout until 11th, thereโs theatre for the very youngest, check out the The Bug Hotel and thereโs even a Bug Making Workshop. Fly in/Drive in Cinemas, pre-school workshops where you will create your very own broomstick and hat before flying into the auditorium to watch a free, short family film, on 7th and 8th July.
Absurdist-fiction author and New York Times Bestseller Jasper Fforde does an authorโs talk on the 9th July, and the 10th is the All Day Aardman Filmathon with an Aardman Model Making Workshop aimed at children aged 6 and above.
And itโs the 8th July, at 8:00pm when the wonderful Lady Nade takes the stage, Emily Barker on the Saturday the 10th. Sunday polishes off the festival with Lucy Porter, after Apocalyptic Circus return to The Pound with a visually striking, highly skilled circus and comedy show for all the family called My House.
Other events planned throughout the festival include a Blue-Sky Mural project, a Silent Disco, Fun Community Singalong Workshop, Jimmy Jams Breakfast Storytime with Gav Cross, work in progress from the Debut Dance Company.
As a nipper Iโd spend days, entire school holidays, making mixtapes as if I worked for Now, Thatโs What I Call Music! In the era before hi-fi, Iโd sit holding a microphone to the radioโs speaker, adventurously attempting to anticipate when Tony Blackburn was going to talk over the tune, and just when In the Air Tonight peaked with Philโs crashing drums, my dad would shout up the stairs that my tea was ready; eternally caught on tape, at least until my Walkman screwed up the cassette.
Crude to look back, even when I advanced to tape-to-tape, I discovered if I pressed the pause button very slowly on the recording cassette deck, it would slide into the next song, and with a second of grinding squeal Howard Jones glided into Yazoo!! Always the DJ, just never with the tech! Rest assured; this doesnโt happen on this, our Various Artists compilation album, 4 Juliaโs House. And oh, have I got some news about that?!
Huh? Yes, I have, and here it isโฆ. ย
We did it! Thanks once again to all our fabulous contributing artists, our third instalment of detailed sleeve notes will follow shortly, but for now, I couldnโt wait another day, therefore, Iโve released it half a day early, this afternoon!
Now all that needs to happen is to get promoting it, and you can help by sharing news of this on your social media pages, thank you. Bloggers and media please get in touch, and help me raise some funds for Juliaโs House.
Iโve embedded a player, in which you should be able to get a full try before you buy, I believe you get three listens before itโll default and tell you to buy it. I hope you enjoy, it has been a mission and half, but one Iโd gladly do again.
Please note: there are many artists giving it, โoh no, I was going to send you a track!โ Fear not, there is still time, as Iโll causally start collecting tunes for a volume 2, and when the time is ready and we have enough songs, we will do it. It might be for another charity, Iโd personally like to do another raising funds for The Devizes & District Opportunity Centre, but thatโs unconfirmed as of yet.
You know, sometimes I think I could raise more money with less effort by trekking down through the Market Place in a bath of cold baked beans, but I wanted to bring you a treasured item comprising of so many great artists weโve featured, or will be featuring in the near future on Devizine. Never before has all these artists been on one huge album like this, and look, even if you donโt care for a particular tune, thereโs 46 of them, check my maths as I pride myself on being exceptionally rubbish at it, but I make that 22p a track, and all for such a worthy cause!
โWe are so grateful to Devizine and all of the local artists who are taking part in the charity album to raise funds for Juliaโs House. We donโt receive any government funding for the care we give to families in Wiltshire, so the support we receive from our local community is so important.โ
Claudia Hickin, Community Fundraiser at Juliaโs House
devizine.com 