Tag: 2021

Hotting up for August 2021: Things to Do Across Wiltshire and Beyond

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 we’re doing the right thing, or not, August is warming up to be stonker. Events of all types are flung up each day, it’s hard to keep track and up-to-date, nevertheless I try.

Fingers crossed it doesn’t go Pete Tong. Such a divided issue with good arguments on each side, I’m 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, they’re second nature now. The government passed the buck, it is up to us, each and everyone of us to think for ourselves, respect other’s decisions on how to act, but I appeal, act responsibly and long may this continue.

Without further-a-do then, here’s what we’ve found on Devizine for August. It’s 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, it’s 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 Children’s 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 – 3pm. £4 per child. Recommended age 6 and above, all children must be accompanied. Meet at the town bridge entrance to Monkton Park. There’s 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 Kid’s Art Club at Wiltshire Scrapstore starts on Bowden Hill, Lacock. Sessions from 10:30 am – 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.

There’s an interesting-sounding new family musical written and produced by Mel Lawman staged at Bath’s 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 HoneyStreet’s 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, it’s 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 Swindon’s Vic, Jive Talkin’ perform the Bee Gees at Chippenham’s Neeld Hall and it’s 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 there’s 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 Kid’s Art Club at Wiltshire Scrapstore on Thursday and Friday, and The Cake Lady takes The Farm Cookery School’s +8 Holiday Club.

Friday night, I’ve got Stop Stop playing Swindon’s Vic, and that’s 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, Shepard’s Pie at Wanborough’s The Harrow, and Webb, formally known as Ryan Webb has this EP launch party at Swindon’s 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, it’s 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 Company’s 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; ol’ time favourite show tunes from the 40s, 50s & 60s and a heart-warming tribute to Dame Vera Lynn.

Friday 20th and Jack Dee’s new show, Warm Up is at Chippenham’s Neeld Hall. I’ve 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 Pewsey’s 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. Anne‐Marie, Dizzee Rascal and Clean Bandit headline Live at Lydiard 2021.

Howlin’ Mat plays The Southgate, Devizes, while Sex Pistol’s tribute Pretty Vacant are at Swindon’s 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 it’s Summer Kid’s 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 – you don’t 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 Lamb’s Heartbeats appearing Sunday.

A theatrical outdoor re-telling of Kenneth Grahame’s classic, Wind in the Willows on Saturday 28th August at Corsham’s Pound Arts. And Sunday, a Magical show where beautiful Princesses become Pop Stars, Pop Princesses comes to Wyvern Theatre, Swindon.

Meanwhile, it’s the welcomed Triple JD Band at The Southgate, Devizes and HarrowFest at Wanborough’s The Harrow, featuring Jamie R Hawkins, The Blind Lemon Experience and more…

Summer Solstice Celebrations Looking Likely at Stonehenge

With the green light given for the A303 tunnel at Stonehenge, the lockdown restrictions at winter solstice and EH’s solstice parking fee demands, it’s understandable we haven’t seen a positive message from the pagan high priest, Uther Pendragon for a while. But this week proved different. If Uther used emojis on his social media posts it would be near all smiley faces, but he’s not the type to, so there wasn’t!

Nevertheless, the leader of the warrior and political arm of the modern druid movement, The Loyal Arthurian Warband, reported back from a virtual RT meeting with English Heritage, Police and other interested parties, save Wiltshire Council who Uther noted, “steadfastly refused to attend.”

Assurances about this year’s summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge appear positive. Urther called for “assurances from EH and their partnering ‘authorities’ that there are no plans to restrict access by ticket and/or advance booking, or to take part in any Goverment pilot or other such ‘trial’ that restricts access to ‘all-comers’ due to perceived health issues or certification. And that no pilgrims will be denied entrance, save for those who’s anti social behavior dictates such.”

“EH are continuing to make plans and arrangments,” Urther reported, “for the managed open access to go ahead as scheduled for the night of 20th/dawn of the 21st June, subject to the lifting of Government restrictions, due to end by this point.”

On the eve of lockdown last year, English Heritage said, “we know how appealing it is to come to Stonehenge for Winter Solstice, but we are asking everyone to stay safe and to watch the sunset and sunrise online instead. We look forward to welcoming people back for solstice next year.” And with that, and this positive development, we hope things will run smoothly for 2021.

Shiine Weekender Festival 2021

Imagine, a festival. Right now, imagining Joe Bloggs from the down the road clonking the ivory and singing a ditty down your local is wishful thinking. It’s hard to envisage an autumn a year away, and I accept, not ideal to invest in a ticket until you are sure this fiasco is blown over. However, if we don’t least assume it will have and buy advance tickets for events, there will be nought sorted for when we can and are itching to go out.

While festivals, for me, are something of a past reality, I just know I’m going to aching to get out as much as feasible. So, we have to tip our hats at those ambitious organisers trying to arrange bonza events on the hope things will return to relative normal. Here’s a blinding example, the Shiine On Weekender at Butlins Minehead. It’s not due until November 2021, when if it hasn’t blown over by then, I think we’ll be clinically insane! Check out the knockout line up.

The festival returns for it’s sixth year, with Feeder, Cast, Peter Hook & The Light, The Coral, Black Grape, Glasvegas and The Bluetones all headlining. Plus 808 State, Asian Dub Foundation, Sice Boo & The Radleys, Ned’s Acoustic Dustbin, Jim Bob, Chameleons, The Pigeon Detectives, Milltown Brothers, Neville Staple Band, and more. Ding dong, I say, tickets are on sale now.

The rest of this piece I’m copy and pasting direct from the press release, save a bit of typing! Go knock yourselves out.

Staking its place as a stalwart of the UK’s Winter festival scene, the Shiiine On Weekender returns for its sixth instalment on the 12th, 13th and 14th November 2021 and boasts an unbeatable crop of indie and dance as always.

Taking over Butlin’s Minehead Arena for a long-weekend escape of music and mayhem, the fest will be hosting a trio of legendary headline acts of the highest order…

Getting the festival underway in style, Friday night headliners FEEDER will see dynamic duo Grant Nicholas & Taka Hirose blasting through over 20 years of hits, from ‘Buck Rogers’ to ‘Just A Day’ and airing cuts from their revitalised comeback LP of 2019: ‘Tallulah’. Marking the 25th anniversary of their seminal ‘All Change’ album, Saturday night will see CAST top the bill with their electrifying live show to remind us just why they were crowned ‘The Who of the 90s’; expect a healthy dose of classics in a confirmed Greatest Hits set too. PLUS, closing-out the Shiiine On Weekender with a Sunday showdown of pure substance: PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT will bring a set brim-full of Joy Division and New Order’s very finest moments.

Giving plenty of reasons to get down the front early, there will be superior supporting sets across the weekend from some long-established festival heroes. Merseyside psych-pop sorcerers THE CORAL (Friday), Shaun Ryder’s rabble-rousers BLACK GRAPE, plus a long overdue return from Scottish shoegazers GLASVEGAS (Sunday), will throw down the gauntlet to the headliners each night.

And of course, the mainstage is just the tip of the iceberg. Revealing its full and complete billing today, the Shiiine On Weekender will pack the holiday park with incendiary indie acts from all eras….

There’ll be sets by Brit-Pop powerhouses like THE BLUETONES who will be arriving for an all-guns blazing greatest hits slot; PLUS, a Shiiine On 2021 festival exclusive set from SICE BOO & THE RADLEYS, which will see Sice reunited with the Boo Radleys rhythm section Tim Brown and Rob Cieka to ‘Wake Up, Boo!’ and their many dormant classics at long last. There will also be sets from The Seahorses’ CHRIS HELME, JAMES ATKIN (of EMF), REPUBLICA, BENTLEY RHYTHM ACE, MOLLY

HALF HEAD, THE CLONE ROSES, and THE SPACE MONKEYS will all be flying the flag for that seminal era of British music.

Elsewhere, 21st Century alternative torchbearers like HUMANIST, THE PIGEON DETECTIVES and GOLDIE LOOKIN’ CHAIN will be showcasing their own tried-and-tested modern festival anthems.

Showing the kids how it’s done, vintage indie veterans including: CHAMELEONS, NED’S ACOUSTIC DUSTBIN, JIM BOB (of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine), THE MILLTOWN BROTHERS, and the JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET will be bringing timeless tunes and experience to the fest.

And with a packed programme of music day and night, the entertainment won’t stop when the mainstage lights go up. Throwing their doors open from 10pm – 4 am, the Shiiine On Weekender’s Centre Stage and Reds Stage promises to be the-place-to-be for top tunes late into the night. Full live sets from proven party starters inc. Acid House innovators 808 STATE, original rude boy NEVILLE STAPLE BAND (ex-The Specials), plus an unmissable closing party set from Electronic/Dub overlords: ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION. In addition, late-night slots from ALISON LIMERICK, DUB PISTOLS, SHADES OF RHYTHM, SUNSCREEM, plus DJ sets from SLIPMATT, JON DASILVA (Hacienda), RHODA DAKAR (Bodysnatchers), radio legends STEVE LAMACQ (BBC 6 Music) and CLINT BOON (XS Manchester / Inspiral Carpets) will ensure there’s good reason to keep the candles burning at both ends.

Announcing nearly 80 artists and performers today, the Shiiine On Weekender can also confirm a huge array of new and established acts who will also be making tracks for the seaside resort come this November. Across the weekend, look out for: ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE, DEJA VEGA, TOM HINGLEY, MARTIN BLUNT, ANDY BUSH, HOLY APES, MATT McMANAMON, THE WALTONES, SECTION 25, THE CHESTERFIELDS, MIDWAY STILL, THE CLAUSE, THE SHAKES, PSYCHO COMEDY, DERMO, DJ MILF, PHIL SMITH, LEO STANLEY, SHADER, UKE2, OASIS (UK), TAM COYLE, DIRTY LACES, CUT GLASS KINGS, THE ROOM IN THE WOOD, THE JACQUES, CROSS WIRES, THE IDLE HANDS, THE MALAKITES, GOOD MIXER, TRAPPSY, DAN FULHAM, WELSH LEE,  LEE HOWE,  DJ STARKEY, DAVID DUTTON, MISFIT MAN, ALEX LIPINSKI, NIRVANALOT, and STEVE ADJ; all of whom will be making the festival’s sixth edition its biggest and best yet.

It’s not all just about the bands either. The Shiiine On Weekender will also be throwing one big holiday park house-party to rival the best, crammed end-to-end with even more entertainment inducing: CLUB NIGHTS, POOL PARTIES, LIVE COMEDY, CINEMA SCREENINGS, a SOCIAL RECLUSE EXHIBITION and much, much more. 

TICKET DETAILS

Taking place 12th, 13th, 14th November 2021, tickets and packages for the SHIIINE ON WEEKENDER 2021 at Butlin’s Minehead Arena, Somerset are on sale now. All packages include 3 nights’ accommodation on-site at the Butlin’s Minehead Holiday Resort. (A deposit scheme is also available for customers who wish to pay by instalments.)

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE:

Home

EXCLUSIVE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

** PLUS, early bird customers who use the promo code NCB10 will also be offered a discounted rate. This is an 18+ event only. For more T&Cs please visit the website.