Highest season of goodwill praises must go to Chrissy Chapman today, who raised over £500 (at the last count) for His Grace Children’s Centre in Uganda, with a little help from talented friends….
Years back as soloist singer-songwriter One Trick Pony, Chrissy organised annual fundraising gigs at the Southgate around Christmas time, but now tuned up a notch with her incredible Americana band Burn the Midnight Oil behind her it was a high noon lock up and load for a Sunday afternoon hoedown at the Muck and Dunder rum bar in Devizes. The better half, Mrs Devizine, has been asking me to take her somewhere tropical, so given such an opportunity, we bused it to The Brittox.
With Burn The Midnight Oil rightfully grasping the top slot with the same intensity as me holding my pineapple vase of piña colada, all kicked off at half-two with Gary Hewitt-Long performing a rare acoustic set. New to the game, and while I obviously cannot condone a satirical song aimed at a certain rogue local councillor, Gary was unnecessarily bashful, as he acoustically played out some great originals to warm the crowd!
Perhaps it was the crowd which, understandably nerved him; it sure was building, as Martin Rea sauntered through them, sporting a fashionable bum bag and dishing out raffle tickets.
A Wiltshire duo new to me, One Plus One may offer sums even I can handle in name, but their performance was delightful. A proficient and lovable pop cover duo to please any event, One Plus One is guitarist Dave, and Emily on vocals, confident to take on an Amy Winehouse cover or two and come up trumps. Chapel Roan’s Pink Pony Club also got a superb makeover, and they polished it off with the seasonal Fairytale of New York; why not?
Maybe only because our modest local folk legend Vince Bell, who followed, also planned to finalise his sublime set with the UK’s best loved Christmas song, with his wife Lisa as Kirsty MacColl. Though more musical theatre, no stranger to the limelight, Lisa nailed it, and the handsome, pretty, and the queens of New Devizes City crowd never minded the doubled up cover and sang the chorus.
Vince also offered Chrissy the accompanying chair for a spellbinding middle duet they supposed they should record, and they should. But beginning his set with his divine self-penned melancholic earworms, garnished in percussive rhythm guitar mastery akin to flamenco, and raising the spirit with the more spritely Spiderman Pajamas, Vince is a local treasure and never fails to charm.
Exactly a year after we first interviewed the original lineup, Burn The Midnight Oil came bursting on and delivered their awesome set with unified passion and precision, seemingly lapping up every minute. You’d be excused for assuming this band has been playing together for decades despite it being less than a year in the new format.
They appeased the audience with a taste of what they’ve been working on, looked fantabulous, and, most importantly, put 210% into their show. Yet it was arguably the sum of all these parts and the community festive spirit, which made it the wonderful afternoon it was.
It’s nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisbury’s Radio Odstock picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil and they gained air time, but the interview was published short of year ago now, and the band have had significant changes to the lineup and their style. So, I the time is nigh to poke my bulbous nose in and interrupt their rehearsal again…..
Formerly a trio, bassist Chris Lane remains with Chrissy Chapman up front, but guitarist Andy Jacobs sadly passed away this year. “Andy was an amazing musician and really helped carve out our initial sonic signature,” Chrissy told me. “We’ve always wanted to acknowledge his creative contributions, given that music ran through him like the letters in a stick of rock. However, for reasons I can’t discuss out of respect for everyone involved, the band collectively decided that it was no longer suitable for Andy to remain involved. We’ve made every attempt to show him grace since that decision but there was a negative backlash. Regardless, we were all very sad to hear he passed away shortly after, and our sympathies remain with his family and loved ones. We’re committed to remembering him in the best light.”
“There was definitely concern about doing the songs justice after we parted ways with Andy,” Chrissy continued. “Eventually, though, we made a conscious effort to develop a new sound that honoured the music while allowing John the creative freedom. The core of our sound now focuses on doing the songs justice rather than trying to replicate what Andy originally brought to the table and embracing the natural evolution of our sound that draws from all of our influences.”
The Original Trio of Chrissy, Chris and Andy
John Lane joined as guitarist, but was making me a cuppa while I was chatting with Ron Riordan, the new drummer. They’ve both been instrumental in forging a new direction for the band, literally! John said of Andy’s passing, “as part of getting through that phase the band has grown,” and Ron added it had “evolved.”
Turning to Chrissy I jested that when we did the original interview, she had suggested they didn’t need a drummer! “Well,” she explained, “we always needed a drummer, but we were able to perform at the time without a drummer because we were percussive enough. And it went down really well. A couple of venues, we did three gigs before we got Ron, a brilliant drummer!”
Ron stepped in immediately at a crossover period between Andy and John, a proficient drummer who told me he had played in a few ska bands in Swindon, “I started playing drums when I was about nine, in orchestras and learnt to read music, that type of thing.” I smiled; he looks like he can blast a Two-Tone riff. “That’s the thing though,” Chrissy said, “because straight away we had DOCA’s Winter of Festive Ales booked. So it was like, everybody had to jump on really, really quickly. And we wanted to use that as an opportunity to do the originals.”
It was on the strength of the demo I asked them to play RowdeFest, I hadn’t seen them performing before. But the committee was encouraging me to find a covers band. “We followed your advice about doing the covers,” Chrissy said, though it wasn’t really advise, rather a way to get them booked! I’m so glad they did, they were dynamite and feedback was overwhelming. The kind of band you’d think had been on the circuit for years. “I felt that we were at the party at the end of the day!” John remarked, and they certainly was.
“What was nice about that is it the focus was about ‘let’s give people a show’ rather than it just being about ‘let’s get our songs out’,” Chrissy explained. “Your influence was about getting a show to give to people, keeping people up on their feet, so and not allowing those breathers.” I did encourage them to ensure they blasted some originals out too, though, which they did!
“We tried to dress it on different levels of the visual,” John stressed, “wearing the outfits, the recognition of known songs, and the come on, party time!”
“Yeah, it worked, didn’t it?” I replied, a template to liven up a pub gig, and Burn the Midnight Oil are certainly getting them. The Queen’s Tap in Swindon and Kings Arms in Amesbury their recent outings, but how do they feel about how far they’ve come?
“Given that the new face of us being coming up a four piece with Andy’s departure in January, to get that in the space of a year, well, less than a year,” Chrissy said, “as a new lineup, I think it’s quite incredible.”
It’s the added drums which changes it, I supposed, surely essential for a harder rock feel.
“It changes the scale of the presentation,” John added. “It’s now got drive and rhythm rather than being listening for the lyric. It’s actually motivated, it hooks into people’s natural sense of rhythm, and you can’t help it. First thing people take in is rhythm, then melody, last of all, lyrics. So if you hook the first bit, you don’t get the second one, then they come back for the lyrics. So we’re attacking it from the best angle.”
Here was were I felt a healthy division between John and Chrissy’s perspective, as she began to speak on where she drew inspiration from in the writing and a change in direction from intrapersonal to interpersonal. She drew from personal relationships and her faith, implying her writing was key, but the difference was never confrontational and a good blend of opinion is surely necessary to compose the elements of a song professionally.
“I had a tsunami of a creative spell, and wrote twenty songs in as many days. So we’re now, everybody’s having to play catch up, trying to get them polished!” Chrissy explained. She labelled her past songs as an “angsty teenage phase,” and felt her songwriting about “good guy/scumbags” had evolved and matured into “something more universal. It’s not so much like a diary, it’s definitely becoming more cryptic. It’s pulling in a different kind of imagery and symbolism. And then, because I’m faith-based as well, I’ve given a lot of inspiration taking verses from the Bible that have really helped me through difficult times. I’m weaving them, not to be preachy, but just to be like, this is my story.”
“We’d like the two songs we did at the award ceremony, to polish it up more, get a scratch track done, and then we’re going to go back to Matt Miller’s Dusty Shed, who did the original three.”
“We can’t really use the original EP anymore. And also, it’s fair to say with John’s influences, and the way that we’re allowing space for his creative flow to come into it, it just sounds different.”
John pointed out his mixer was adequate when I pondered if they needed a producer. Chrissy replied while it would be “fantastic,” she crunched numbers and said they, “really want to get onto the festival circuit, and that means having tracks done ASAP.”
Captivating to listen to Chrissy delving deeper into the inspiration behind her songwriting and the maturity she felt it levelling to, in which she exclaimed with much delight, “it’s definitely been refreshing having John’s influence, him sharing how he sees it as a viewer. Because you write what you know, and unfortunately, I’ve been exposed to quite a lot of things that I don’t think many people would ever want to be exposed to. And being able to find hope and joy in some of the songs and being able to write happier songs. For the first time ever, I’ve written two love songs! I’ve never written love songs before! So, there definitely seems to be more universal themes.”
Yet as fascinating as it is, hearing Chrissy’s writing motivations, John revealing the technical side to their development, Ron adding splices of drummer-fashioned wit, and together them trying to summarise their change in direction whether it be a more rock-blues or dark-country, only to finally decide it unnecessary to pigeonhole it anyway, it makes for a laborious read, so I thought I’d inject a light-hearted, more physical observation with Chris, who otherwise, I suspect, would’ve remained silent, save occasionally strumming his bass!
It was that I heard Jimi Hendrix had extremely long fingers, I noted so too did Chris, and wondered if he considered it an asset to playing guitar! John jested, “it’s like watching a spider running up and down a hot plate!” Ron pointed out his stumpy fingers, “I’m a drummer; I’ve just tried to learn the bass guitar and I can’t get my hands anywhere round the neck of the guitar like Chris can!”
Chris exampled pianists’ tendency to have stumpy fingers. “You look at Elton Joh or Les Dawson, they’ve all short fingers, but they can play like crazy! I can get away with some stuff, but some of it’s more, arguably, bad habit than good! But I can get away with having long fingers rather than good habits!”
A fellow of far fewer words than the front girl, evidently, but when he does its witty self-mocking is worth it’s weight in gold and sparked a humorous angle to the interview in which, while Chrissy justified his dexterity and nimbleness, Ron favoured to joke about Chris’s dancing on stage, “which is brilliant. I love it!”
John praised the firmness of Chris’ bass, “you’re methodical, you’re listening. I’m done wondering if he’s bored to death as I explain something to him, as he’s sitting there taking it in. It’s not till you go and think he’s got it.”
They all seemed content with each other, and John effectively “keeping them in line,” and this brought up the subject that they abstained from drinking while performing. “One rule I was pretty adamant about,” John explained while Chrissy and Ron laughed about being “hyper,” “is drink and music don’t mix. If you’re going to load it up, don’t expect to be any good at the music.Because we’re there to make the party for everybody else.”
“Yeah,” Chrissy joshed, “so I’m not allowed to have a pre-shot of tequila, which is really good because I definitely noticed a habit where I needed the Dutch courage in order to get up and I started realising, this is a bad habit that I don’t want to become dependent on. So it’s two-wayed. You were definitely enforcing it. And I tried to be more mindful of it and just get up despite feeling nervous. And I get nervous every single time still.”
Aside the notion everyone gets butterflies, we moved between passionate subjects like the local circuits and venues and getting further afield, and we ventured back into songwriting inspirations, but I wanted them to nail it into a summary. “In a nutshell,” Chrissy said, “we’re focusing on rhythm and melody so that the lyrics can shine through. And we’re drawing inspiration from real life. Trying to make them more universal and a punchy sound. Rocky, bluesy, layers musically and lyrically; say that, Darren!”
Okay, I will! And if you want to hear this band progressing, follow their socials for gig updates. They’ll be in Devizes on Sunday 14th December, at that tropical holiday resort in the Brittox, The Muck & Dunder, with a fundraiser for Ugandan orphanage His Grace Children Centre Bugiri, which they’ve organised themselves.
In true Christian spirit Chrissy annually organises a fundraiser around the yuletide, which she did as a soloist ironically titled One Trick Pony. Ironic because, she lent her vocals to drum n bass tracks, returned to town to learn guitar and perform acoustically, and now there’s Burn the Midnight Oil; a proficient four-piece who, merging experiences in varied genres, refuse to pigeonhole their developing style, and has an angelic vocalist with a penchant undaunted to delve deep into her psyche and faith for inspiration, and oh yeah, a bassist with long fingers!
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Best part of a week since Stone Circle Music Events’ Wiltshire Music Awards and I’m still at one thousand feet about what we achieved, and dealing with a cascade of feedback. While some of it has been appreciated constructive criticism, that crazy playground called social media is such that some comments have become unfair, misinformed or even blatantly untrue. I prefer to remain positive, thanks all the same! And here we are, beginning to see positive after effects of the whole grand shebang……
I’ve loved seeing winning and runner-up acts, if not just posting pictures and videos of themselves proudly grasping their trophies, but using their win as an accolade on gig posters and bios. If that’s not a positive outcome in a time when the whole hospitality industry is at its knees, I frankly don’t know what is. Try proving me wrong on this, I double-dare you and might even throw in a Twix for first prize!
There was also the whole “convention” side to the event too, which saw networking between musicians and venues, radio stations and promoters, and the general get-together of folk usually individually dispatched to their respective gigs on a weekend. I have already seen gig posters with added support acts who didn’t know each other before last Saturday, and radio plays for bands featured.
From my good friend Charlotte reuniting with Lifetime Achievement winner Peter Lamb, the producer who took her hopeful nineties girl band under his professional direction, to Fantasy Radio DJ, Mark Lister, who mentioned the awards on Scott Mills Radio 2 morning show, the attention the awards are seeing is phenomenal and the after effects are beginning to flourish.
If Sunday’s piece was a reflection on the night as a whole and a statement of the issues we unfortunately faced. Let today be about our fantastic acts who performed, for that’s where sparks flew and obviously the nature of what we were celebrating.
In order of appearance. Go on, admit it, you didn’t know the sublime Miss Ruby Darbyshire would be present, did you? I managed to not let the cat out of the bag about our opening special guest, despite my excitement!
At eighteen, Ruby is as her name suggests, a gemstone on our circuit. A multi-instrumentalist with bagpipes under her championship belt, a singer-songwriter with an exceptionally soulful voice which puts expression into her diligently crafted writing. Originally the plan was for Ruby to blow a tune of her own choice from her bagpipes and scoot off to another gig in Bradford-on-Avon, returning later in the evening. But we couldn’t let her go without at least another song, her magnum opus to date, Crowded Lightbringer, and then she played a second. It was the best opening ever, even if I was blindly operating the curtains like a bell ringer!
Hey, honestly, I was a raver in the nineties and viewed Britpop as regressive, but I now see its worth and respect the succeeding generation who see them as classics. Being such, we see a lot of cover bands performing Britpop anthems, with varying degrees of skill. The Britpop Boys have been on my must-see list for donkeys but our paths hadn’t crossed before. I’m glad that’s sorted and sound, for they were off the scale brilliant and totally ‘avin’ it are kid.
I was sitting on the stage’s sideline in awe of The Britpop Boys, it could’ve been Madchester in 1996. The sound and appearance held me spellbound, and I felt I should write to The Oxford Dictionary to redefine the word “cool” as “see Britpop Boys!” Yeah, they did Wonderwall, of course they did, but if it’s a cliche cover choice for most, it’s because it’s a beautiful crowdpleaser, and had to be done given only three songs. The ultimate thing about this was, they knocked it out of the Corn Exchange and into the stratosphere; I’ve never heard it done with such attention to detail and precision to honour the original.
If I’ve seen one new band begin wobbly and develop over time I’ve seen a hundred. But Burn the Midnight Oil is one of my most favourite newcomers to the Wiltshire music scene, for the simple reason that it feels like they’ve been here forever, as their ability to deliver crisp blues-rock originals and stamp covers with their own divinity is something to behold. Like mobile phones, you think, how did we ever survive without Burn the Midnight Oil?!
It’s as if they honed their skills over decades and perfected the harmony of a classic rock band in their eighties which toured since their twenties, even if they might have, they did so individually, but that seam never shows. Their perfect performance proved this, it was nothing short of brilliant, fresh and invigorating, showing us what they’ve been working on, a beguiling harder rock sound; they look the part, they sound it too, I have high hopes for them.
Ben was great as a soloist, Pat was too, together it’s a magical connection to charm the pants off a donkey. This cover act could easily work anywhere, from crusty cider festival to wedding reception, it’s got universal appeal. Their set was amazing, Ben might have accidentally hit me on the head with his guitar but they were awesome, and I’ve had worse on my rock n roll journey!!
It might’ve knocked some sense into me, but I know what I liked anyway, and Matchbox Mutiny are high on that list.
George went next, and yeah, this is where we had technical sound issues. Professional till the end, George worked through it, and as a stalwart spirit on our circuit, George is modestly legendary, for his back catalogue of sublime originals and new songs flourishing to his entertaining interactive solo covers show. See our mention of the warm up gig from Friday at the Three Crowns, if you don’t already understand why we love Mr Wilding!
With various issues arising the evening was in need of a reset. I apologise, I announced an interval, thinking Lucas could prepare and we could hold a team talk. Just like George Wilding, Lucas is professional and motivated to the core. He came out like a boxer for a championship belt fight, psyched up for it and couldn’t wait for the bell! Therefore I attempted to recall the interval idea as quickly as possible, because Lucas Hardy was like a greyhound out of the trap! And what an outstanding performance, rinsed with sheer brilliance, Lucas is no stranger to award winning, it’s easy to see why.
As it was it was impossible to estimate how much time the award giving and other acts would take, I apologise if we wrongly assumed time was against us and lengthy speeches were deemed something unpredictable enough to encourage people to keep them short if at all. The original plan therefore was that our Devizes homegrown heroes, the teenage band which shook the rafters of this market town and deployed their exceptional talent to Bristol to further the phenomenon of Nothing Rhymes With Orange, were to play out until the end.
We finished earlier than expected, the barriers broke down, and there to help create a needed frenzy of excitement, ready and eager, was this successful Devizes export, for a hometown return like no other. Nothing Rhymes With Orange were mindblowingly fantastic before they left for Uni, now it’s a monster.
I was ecstatic to see the guys again, and they threw everything into their solid performance, as they always do. They return to Devizes for the Arts Festival, something we would’ve been singing from the highest tree about anyway, but after last Saturday, it’s surely unmissable.
I’ve given my thanks already, I’d like to do it again, to all our performing acts, for you made the ceremony, you furnished it with your brilliance, and that was what the night was always supposed to be about; cheers!
As a result of probably the most productive meeting yet, yesterday, about The Wiltshire Music Awards, we can now reveal the most amazing line-up of local music acts who will be performing between the announcements at our grand ceremony on Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, and a few other points we should mention too…..
Easy bit first for our glitzy and glamorous night, there will be professional sound and lighting provided by Brian Mundy and his team at BSM Stage Tech, and a bar, in which you won’t have to buy me a drink because I’m hosting and I don’t want to slur my words, word my slurs or anything along those silly lines!
It makes us all very proud to announce this wonderful lineup. Devizes own Burn The Midnight Oil will open the evening’s entertainment. They’ve come so far in such a short space of time with their own brand of breezy blues-rock, we’re excited to see them perform.
Our lovable legend George Wilding is a name most of you should know, and he’s coming to play a few songs, of course he is! Award winning Lucas Hardy is coming too. Loved on the Salisbury circuit, Lucas will delight you, for what will be, I believe, his first time playing in Devizes; I could be wrong!
Ben Borrill and Pat Ward, aka Matchbox Mutiny, will be there, the lively Devizes-based duo who never fail to charm. Then there’s Salisbury-based Joylon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta – a duo who raised the roof off the Three Crowns recently, but I knew it was coming as Rachel’s supreme vocal range and Joylon’s professional accompanying will enthral all.
There’s a champagne supernova trip back to the nineties with The Britpop Boys,renowned for blasting those sing-a-long anthems across the county and beyond.
And here’s our last big secret exposed, Devizes homegrown indie-rock phenomenon Nothing Rhymes With Orange will polish off the evening. They created a storm locally a few years ago as a teen sensation, the likes of which I claimed to be the “Beatlemania of Devizes!” Now studying together at Bristol Uni, their popularity has spread nationwide. Back home they have inspired a new generation to form bands, and we welcome them back delighted.
Image: Gail Foster
Make no mistake, all these acts have had a tremendous year, and deserve to be nominated for awards, as are the many other names hiding in our golden envelopes too. Myself, DJ Mark Anthony and possibly a few guest names will be announcing the winners and runners-up, and these wonderful acts will perform just two or three songs each between the announcements; it’s going to be a show!
A show which, we hope, showcases, highlights and celebrates the wealth of musical talent we have here in Wiltshire, in a manner more celebratory than competitive. While many others and not just those performing have high chances of bagging a trophy, by no means is it exhaustive. There are so many others, producing music, promoting, hosting and creating amazing initiatives to fundraise and to teach, we know this, and I intend to highlight as many as I can at the ceremony, because the list is lengthy enough already to cram into one evening, making it comprehensive is a minefield!
The results of the awards was set by public votes and a panel of expert judges, which we genuinely believe to have been a fair system, causing it to be agonising for us to see the entire county trimmed to this much, but if everyone supports this we hope there will be subsequent years of Wiltshire Music Awards to follow. Years in which we will continuously review in order to improve on.
One point, whilst feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive, one niggly raised was tickets. We have to fund this one way or another. We are asking for sponsorships, many have helped and we thank them. In order to make this work, yes, we are asking everyone who wishes to attend, including those nominated, to buy a ticket, of which we have made as reasonably priced as possible. If you have been nominated for an award within our top ten, you are cordially invited to attend, but along with everyone else we do ask you to please purchase a ticket; there is no other expense asked of you other than this.
As much as we would love to see all the winners and runners-up in person, or a representative on your behalf, on the night to be presented with an award, if you cannot make it due to other commitments we understand, and your award will be given to you at a suitable date thereafter. Important point then: You DO NOT need to attend the ceremony to receive the award if you do not wish to, but please consider that we have to fund this, that we have worked hard on getting this off the ground, and would appreciate your support with it. Wiltshire Music Awards has been created by a genuine team dedicated to the local music scene. Allow me to get all Charles & Eddie on your ass at this conjunction, “would I lie to you, baby?!!”
Whoa, back on the positives; thankfully I won’t be singing but the experts will, this is going to be cracking night, one for the history books, and I hope to see you there! Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, tickets HERE.
Images by Hans Shell, Ruth Wordley, Helen’s PolarPix and Bird is the Word
If you’re going to write on a subject you must research it, but if you’re going to write well about it you need to get involved in order to understand the details often hidden to outside observers….
I learned this a year into creating Devizine, when I decided to hold an anniversary gig. Event organiser Dean Czerwionka basically held my hand through it, as I hadn’t a Scooby-Doo of the immensity of variables involved. Since then, I’ve dug myself deeper into the practical, to understand those obstacles and overcome them, so when being critical, I’m aware of how much work goes into putting events on.
Did you seriously buy that baloney?! Really, I’m an attention-seeking party animal who loves to showcase, whenever feasible, the talents of those I spend hours tapping my keyboard to review, then steal all the credit for it! The whole balancing on a learning curve stuff is only a bonus ball! But it is a delight, whenever the opportunity arises, to witness the actualities of my labour, and one such opportunity occurred yesterday, a short walk from my home.
Rowdefest happened Saturday in my village, an idea to retain aspects of a traditional fete yet modernise it to reflect a mini-festival, in which I had to get my foot in the door of.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, but for myself and the committee, Rowdefest 2025 started months ago, with tea, cake and planning at Barbara’s house. Then, an amount of WhatsApp messages, a Facebook chat coordinating the band’s specs with Simon Stockley, the solo sound engineer worth an entire team of professionals.
RowdeFest Committee pose at the end!
Then there’s the mountains I didn’t climb; Clare’s tribulations to provide a bar, Liz’s organisational skills to provide food vans, sponsors and collect raffle prizes, Kirsty creating a book stall, Geraldine and Angie tying things together, tea, cake and a photo exhibition in the church, chairperson Sue binding our meandering meetings into some kind of order, and so much more from many villagers and parish councillors mucking in, till the point on Friday I was driving a milk-float down Rowde Court Road with a huge tent on it and it all suddenly felt real!
Event organising with a team is wrought with disagreements, problem solving, worries which drag you to examine speculating weather apps daily, and fingers-crossed assurances everything will be alright on the night….thankfully it was, so Rowde was blessed with a hugely successful, beautiful occasion. An equally huge thanks and congratulations must go to all involved in its making, but none so much as our chief, Barbara. Even if one of them was me, I still reserve the right to report on it, for there is no flattery necessary, feedback from others gives me the confidence to say this was as fantastic as I perceived it as!
Devizes Jubilee Morris Dancers
For me personally, it was all about community merriment, and of course, the entertainment. Under the premise we wanted lively bands I took to organising a lineup consisting entirely of tried and tested locally sourced talents, and calling in a few favours! Opening the event then, the Devizes Jubilee Morris Dancers arrived, did their thing literally with bells on, and got the blossoming crowds engaging in a final routine.
Between the two Morris dancing sections, Mat Fucci of Fucci Fit teased the crowds with a workout, and under the beating sun they got as physical as Olvia Newton-John in 1981, or near to it!
ANdrew Hurst with Lucianne Worthy
Then the live music started with my wildcard, the experimental imaginations of music scholar and tutor, Andrew Hurst. With exceptional bassist Lucianne Worthy, they whisked the audience through multi-instrumental tangents, wonderfully.
Talk in Code
Usually a headline act next, and it was only 3pm, with the crowds still on our village’s own delicious Rowdey Cow ice cream rather than ciders! Wiltshire’s finest indie-pop darlings, Talk in Code kindly pepped it up, making a pitstop on their way to Swindon’s Castle venue. Blasting their eighties pop flavoured originals gorgeously across our small playing field was an indicator this was going to go off rather different from your average village fete!
That was my doing, and apologise if it came as a shock to some sensitive residents. What attendees didn’t witness was me, once being informed about their complaints, slightly sulking in guilt behind the scenes. Yes, what started as a village fete had now gone full-blown festival, which I believed was the intention and well advertised as such. My resolution was, other than gorging on biscuits, that, in times like this, we have to go with the majority. As the huge crowd gathered, of all ages, appeared to be lapping it up, dancing and cherishing every moment, coupled with the expressions of delight I witnessed on the faces of some disabled children in wheelchairs when I held the gate open for them, well, they counteract a billion complainers for me, and I’m certain there was far, far fewer of them than that!
Talk in Code with Peggy-Sue Ford of Don’t Stop the Music radio show
Talk in Code shines like a beacon to everything dedication can achieve on our local circuits, and their reputation builds with every appearance; I was overjoyed to see them, as, like anyone they meet, they’ve become my friends. The second act tends to be more modest with their skills, but The Sarah C Ryan Band will always be one of my most favourite bands. They deliver a sublime melodious panache in style and sound, the kind I liken to Fleetwood Mac, but my daughter suggested Florence and The Machine; either works.
The Sarah C Ryan Band
Through cooler originals and the odd cover, Sarah and her band held the crowd spellbound, after wondering if anything would equal Talk in Code, now they were assured I had many more tricks up my sleeve!
Thieves
WIth the crowd simmered, time to allow Thieves to do their thing. Semi-acoustic vibes, I’d go out on a limb and suggest this is the finest Americania you’ll find around these waters. Authentic bluegrass to rootsy blues, this wonderfully accomplished four-piece vocal harmonise on a level which left our unsuspecting attendees around the hay bales spellbound and those in the know nodding impressively. It was the set to end all sets, setting the scene to bliss, as I wandered receiving everyone’s approval, but I had one more band yet to introduce.
Burn The Midnight Oil
Given the chance, Talk in Code might’ve headlined, safe in the knowledge of what they will deliver. Despite knowing front-girl Chrissy Chapman for many years, and fondly reviewing her vocal collaborations on drum n bass tunes, when she put together Burn The Midnight Oil I met with the original lineup to interview them and hear a little rehearsal, but regrettably, I still hadn’t had the opportunity to tick them off my must-see list.
Okay, so, I took a chance here, suspecting they’d be good, and heard all the good reports, but I didn’t begin to imagine just how good. Burn the Midnight Oil totally rocked the finale, with fantastic originals slipped unnoticed into a set of covers, they made the perfect end to the day. Dressed in a divine white dress of sentimental value to Chrissy, she took her accomplished band and the audience on an elevated hour plus expedition of bluesy rock which no one wanted to ever come to an end. It was total and utter dynamite!
Alannah Myles’ Blue Velvet rang out across our playing field, as we gathered the committee and volunteers to be cheered before an encore. Chrissy has a confident stage presence. Her interactions with the audience were so professional, I had to take a double-look to check if it was still my dear friend up there!
But, that’s the magic right there, to take our talented locals and celebrate their skills as they deserve to be celebrated, allow them to shine with the freedom of expression to deliver works they’ve written and composed, disperse them with classics if they wish to, and introduce the quality of local talent to audiences which may not have the opportunity to follow our local live music scene. That was my objective, as that is alway my objective, and I thank the Rowdefest committee for allowing me to do that in my own village, rather than hiking up Dunkirk Hill again, or trekking further afield; Bradford-on-Avon had a town music festival on, at a level our village couldn’t compete with, but those at RowdeFest wouldn’t have cared at that point; it was magical.
Bramblerose Designs
Okay, I’m still at one thousand feet about what we accomplished yesterday, but I don’t believe time will water my excitement down. This should go down in the village history books, and if not, it will always be remembered by me. Again my sincere thanks goes to all involved, the committee, the attendees which included MP Brian Matthew, and our media friends Bird is the Word, Peggy-Sue Ford and Alan Watters of our village magazine, but especially the acts and Simon, who came to my rescue; thank you all, for your time, dedication and for superbly rocking my village!
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With the sun peeking out and the rain clouds temporarily parting I had the opportunity to head on down to Bands on The Bridge, a mini festival-style event at the Bridge Inn on the outskirts of Devizes. Organised by Kingston Media – in a step away from their usual publicity/catering work – the event saw eight bands and solo performers stretched across the afternoon and evening of the Bank Holiday Saturday, all in aid of Dorothy House and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
From the moment of entering, you could feel a strong sense of excitement, and although the crowd wasn’t big, they definitely had the enthusiasm side nailed as each of the performers was met with cheers and dancing.
The first band I had the opportunity to see that evening was Burn the Midnight Oil. They started with a cover of Dreams and soon had everyone singing along, before launching into a set of original songs, which saw dancing, cowboy hats and even people howling like wolves for a short time (there was more context to it than that, I promise!).
Although all songs they played – other than one – were originals, they played them which such skill that without knowing their setlist beforehand you wouldn’t have known that they weren’t just covers of songs that you just didn’t know, which can take a lot of skill to do right. All their songs were great, but I’d like to give a mention specifically to Scapegoat and Werewolf, which were my two favourites of the evening. It was clear their focus was on well played and polished originals, which they were fantastic at and which the audience clearly appreciated.
Dreamcatcher came quickly next, a band that originally started as a Fleetwood Mac tribute, but their tastes broadened to encompass a load more songs of the same sort of style – although rest assured, they still had a healthy dose of Fleetwood throughout. Their 45 minutes setlist saw a variety of different songs, broken strings and even the sun (for a short appearance, which had everyone cheering) with a main focus on stuff from the 60s and 70s, the sort of songs that everyone would know and have a little dance to.
The Dreamcatchers played well, and despite the small crowds, it was clear the audience enjoyed their material and it fit in well for that kind of event.
By far the most appreciated band of the evening were The 789s, a Bristol based events band. It’s fair to say they were some of the most skilled players of the evening, with their four-person line up seeing drums, bass, guitar and vocals. Once again, their setlist focused on well-known and easily danceable songs, seeing performances of Come On Eileen, Don’t Look Back In Anger and many more that had everyone excited.
I had a quick chat with their lead singer Ally who said a lot of the songs she enjoys performing are 70s funk and disco style numbers and that that was what she grew up with around the house. Their high energy songs soon had everyone up dancing and singing along and it seemed that 45 minutes wasn’t enough for the audience, after two back-to-back encores at the end of their set leading to a few extra songs, which were just as impressive as – if not better – than the rest of their set.
With their skilled instrumentalists, incredible talented singers and a well-polished setlist I thought it was perfect for this kind of event and clearly the rest of the audience agreed. Ally went on to say that the energy people gave her made it a really fun gig to be playing at.
The last performance of the evening saw headliner Almost Elton take to the stage. By this point the audience were invested in whatever performance would come next, so he was met with a great reception after setting up a keyboard and mic followed by a quick outfit change into a feathered coat and a not entirely convincing wig.
He had a longer set than others, and being an Elton John tribute act ran through all the favourite songs of Mr John – even bringing some random audience members on stage to ‘help’ with the vocals on Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. It was a good way to round off an event like this, everyone knew the songs, everyone sang along and everyone danced.
All in all, Kingston Media pulled off an enjoyable event with some fantastic performers throughout the evening. As well as the four I’ve babbled about above I’ve heard great things of both Jane Bennet’s and The Sitting Ducks’ sets (and actually all of the rest of the performers) and was sad to miss them.
Although the crowds were a little small, that is completely normal and to be expected for the first year of this sort of event (and in fact, their first ever event of this type). They had the traditional festival atmosphere nailed and a great venue to go along with it. So, here’s hoping for it to be done again next year, maybe with a bit more sun though?!
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It’s happening on Saturday 31st May from 1-7pm, it’s free, you can roly-poly down Dunkirk Hill, and join our village family fete-like festival at the Rowde Small Playing Field (next to the church); no pressure, but I think you’ll like it!
Burn The Midnight Oil
Already confirmed we have music from Thieves, Adam Woodhouse’s marvellous Americana quartet. With a village connection, the most wonderful new band on everyone’s lips, Burn The Midnight Oil are playing too. The incredible Sarah C Ryan Band are up for it, and local legend Andrew Hurst is also on the blossoming line-up.
Sarah C Ryan Band
And I believe we may have some super-duper, and I mean super, surprises, like, “possibly” the best indie pop band in Wiltshire, and acoustic god, and oh, did I say it’s super-duper?!
Hold the front page!! More great acts to be confirmed!
Update: Wiltshire’s finest indie-pop band Talk In Code have just confirmed; you’ll love these guys!
Thieves
There’s Devizes Jubilee Morris dancers, children’s activities, face painting, food and drink and side stalls, and more. You all should know by now Rowde has the best ice cream this side of Italy, so yes, Rowdey Cow are sure to be there.
Talk in Code
It is all free, but, you lovely people, we really need some kind donations on the gate, if you can, so we can ensure we can make it an annual occasion.
If you’ve an idea for a side stall, please let us know and I’ll pitch it to the committee, they don’t bite, or at least I’ve seen no evidence of it yet.
Andrew Hurst
I’m even over-excited to share the poster with you! Subject to alterations, as if I could possibly find any more room on it for other acts yet to confirm, the poster has been collated by me, but is also the fine artistic work of three pupils from Rowde Academy. So a huge thank you to Luca Dowling, Theo Doherty, and Lila Ransome for their inspirational pictures, which were incorporated into our poster.
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Far from burning the midnight oil, it’s a weekday afternoon and I’m with a cuppa, at a rehearsal for a blossoming Devizes-based trio, Burn the Midnight Oil. If you’ve ever thought nothing great comes from open mics, this might be the thing to change your mind….
It’s early days, forming in September, they’ve created a corporate identity, recorded a three-track demo they’re planning to launch, are busy writing more songs, and sound as if they’ve been on the local circuit forever. I wanted to catch up with Burn the Midnight Oil to find out how they’ve come so far so quickly, dig a little deeper into their backgrounds and generally poke my nose into their business.
First clue, they’ve varying areas and degrees of experience in music, but have found common ground through their medical issues. Front girl Chrissy, aka Steen, spoke of her PMDD, GAD and ADHD, and coming to faith during Covid at Devizes’ St James. “There was a day I was like, really, really sobbing my heart out, and praying,” she expressed, claiming she heard the “biggest, boomiest voice ever say ‘sing,’ and two weeks later I was having videocall with a huge hip hop artist who was part of Foreign Beggars, which were massive during the 90s and early noughties.” Landing a deal working for a record label Chrissy liaised with drum and bass producers, who asked her to “jump in on the tracks,” and she supplied vocals on tunes from artists like Beskar.
“It feels a bit serendipitous,” she said, “because I had no experience working as a social media manager, I had no business connecting with somebody who’s quite prestigious and I had no right to just jump on some tracks and with my first EP release going straight onto one of the biggest drum & bass labels in the UK.” To which she compared the unforeseen development to meeting the band members, Andy ‘Big Bird’ Jacobs and bassist Chris Lane.
Chrissy explained Chris has Marfan syndrome, “I’ve known Chris for a while, but he’s very introverted,” she elucidated, progressing onto finding a mutual neurodivergent connection and being a support system for each other. Chrissy formed a duo with a bassist called One Trick Pony, performed at a few open mics and organised charity fundraisers at the Southgate over the past two Christmases. When the bassist was unavailable due to other band commitments Chris stepped in, and they spawned the idea to reform the duo under a new name. Though not present at the beginning of our chat, Chris did turn up toward the end, either shy or forgetful as to just how many bands he’s currently engaged in!
Present and vocal throughout, lead guitarist Andy, told of a car accident which affected his nerves, and most of the dexterity in his fingers. Prior to this, Andy spoke of being a “very successful professional guitarist in London,” a session and theatrical guitar player, citing Shirley Bassey as an artist he had worked with.
“I could still play a bit,” he explained, “but my career was over, which was a bit of a downer.” Playing his part in an amateur blues band, Andy went into social care management, “but Covid triggered an illness in me called Barry Syndrome,” he told me, “Which completely paralysed me from my neck down overnight. I was in hospital for six months. My wife was told I probably wouldn’t last the night. On the two occasions I didn’t see her for six months because there was no access, I was told I’d never walk again.”
Andy put his recovery down to the bicycle in the gym, and though he didn’t imagine he would play guitar again, he expressed, “it was all a bit tragic and horrible, but slowly I got a little bit back and I started picking the guitar up again. After about six months, I came out of hospital. I just started playing again, just acoustic, and I that’s when I went up to The Crown [open mic at The Crown, Bishops Cannings] and I played a couple of pieces there.” Within those pieces, he asked Chrissy to sing them.
They trialled a drummer, “but he wasn’t the right fit and he knew he wasn’t,” Chrissy said. “So he very graciously said I’m going to walk away from this because I’m not the right drummer for you, which is a really nice thing to say. But I think we’re percussive enough with how we play.” Considering their medical tribulations they joked about getting the legendary one-armed drummer from Def Leppard. “You know, like one arm, one leg, not as long as they’re opposite sides of one another, one each side, that would be silly!”
Now, if music is therapeutic, I wanted to gage if that was their reasoning for the band, but burning the midnight oil isn’t best medically advised over a strong cup of coco and an early night! Chrissy explained the band name derived from her staying awake all night drafting the songwriting, rather than the notion they were rock, rolling, and burning the candle at both ends.
Chrissy passionately talked of being a survivor of domestic abuse. “If you’re a woman with ADHD, you’re more likely to attract people with narcissistic tendencies,” she explained, justifying her “horrible cycle” she’s trying to break, “of quite abusive relationships,” and how this is reflected in her songwriting. “There’s a lot of resilience and hope that comes from the songs. I’m on a journey of healing. I think we’re all on a journey of healing, and I’ve always used the music as a form of therapy. If I can get my experiences onto paper, it’s like I’m not affected by it.”
Andy agreed, spoke of his consistent neurological pain, “but when I’m playing it just goes. I don’t think about it. I’m just so intense in the music. I mean, it’s just my passion.” He began reminiscing of his instant attraction to guitar when, on his first day at secondary school, the music teacher putting a guitar in his hand, and that was his calling. “I wanted to be a professional guitar player, and nothing would stop me.”
If this is all beginning to feel like I’m in a support group here, the proof is the pudding, and the three tracks they’ve put down so far suggests otherwise. With harmonica and wavering strings opening, Lock Up has a rootsy blues feel, Chrissy’s vocals poignantly express the theme of the arrival of mysterious and dubious fellow, expertly, and the whole vibe is nonchalant and smooth.
Scapegoat ushers in a more upbeat bluegrass air, with a deadpan subject, and Werewolf posing similar tenet, yet tips back into blues, and probably contains the most beguiling hook. Throughout though, there’s an intelligent balance between Americana and UK folk-rock, bags of potential, and the stylised promise of a blossoming band heading for something far greater.
In trying to think of a suitable female-fronted comparison, I changed to consider The Doors in the end, for the composition of three individuals with varying influences combining to create a timeless sound is how I’d pitch them both. On songwriting Chrissy connoted a song she was working on called Devil You Know,“because statistically you’re more likely, as a woman, to be raped by somebody you know,” she said. “It’s not about being dragged into the bushes, and that’s been my experience I’m really trying to connect with, those darker sides of life experiences, because life’s hard, it’s not any an easy ride for anyone.” Using a metaphor comparing a paper cut to a broken leg, Chrissy conveyed an expression she said she was fond of, that “pain is pain. I really want to connect with people of over-shared experiences like this, in the hopes that music could be healing.”
It’s the most common conviction of dedicated singer-songwriters to want your audience to identify with your outpourings, otherwise your voice is just an instrument, and you are just a pop singer. Though within the masses of potential for Burn the Midnight Oil I hear scope for commercial viability, it’s through their personal reflections and devotion to support one another which I feel will strengthen their ability to convey the image they desire. After a successful first gig last weekend at The Kings Arms in Amesbury, arranged by Wiltshire Music Events, Burn the Midnight Oil are looking forward to a fundraiser at the Devizes Southgate on Sunday 22nd December. See the poster below, there’s raffle prizes et al.
Chrissy has a solo set at the Lamb in Urchfont this afternoon (15th Dec) supporting Vince Bell, the most modest of Devizes acoustic legends, who Chrissy cited as assisting her in developing her songwriting talent. Promising things are afoot here, and you’ll be chuffed with yourself to witness it blossoming, I believe.
“Seeing us as a brand and my understanding of working in the industry,” Chrissy figured, “is like, actually the music isn’t the product, we’re the product and I really want to share that journey, make it personal for everybody.”
With folk songs drafted about the origins of tiramisu, odes to Morticia and Gomez Addams, Steen justified her thought processes and random muses, the latter being an “epitome of a really healthy, loving relationship,” in a tenacious yet optimistic manner to direct her developing subjects didn’t all focus on “the bad things that happened to me.” Though I find it’s the ability to use such as metaphoric examples and include them into a combination which will really make the hairs on the back of our necks stand up, and they’ve the greatest potential to do this.
I’m hoping one day I can write a happy song,” she mused, “but the style is, well, you know, you don’t choose the songs, the songs choose you.” And so ensued a conversation about the differences between the melancholy of Dylan and wild romantic images Springsteen tended to paint, for there’s always exceptions to the rule, they both broke their own style at times, but pictures, I think you’ve got this one now; Burn the Midnight Oil is a name we will be hearing a lot of over next year.
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