We’ve been on about the other big Devizes events we’re looking forward to across July, but on the 24th to the 26th it’ll be time to get up on your feet, put your braces together and your boots on your feet, and give us some of that old moonstomping, at Devizes Scooter Rally. And it’s only three weeks away; time enough to wash that Fred Perry…..
There’s no complicated reason for a way of putting this, I love Devizes Scooter Rally! With a few photos I’ll attempt to explain why.
Firstly though, note; I don’t got no hairdryer, no need for anything on two wheels, I’m dodgy enough on four! I go for the music, the drink and the great company; of which is plentiful.
Last year the site significantly expanded as The Beat headlined, at least Ranking Roger’s son Ranking Junior paid homage to his father and the original lineup. Needless to say it was well-received and off the scale; I called it the best one yet. But it’s only a fraction of why I love Devizes Scooter Rally!
I think it’s at the maximum scale the Scooter Club feels comfortable with. That’s understandable, any bigger could potentially lessen that community feel which has attracted the niche market of scooterists and retrospective youth cultures, and blessed this rally with a renowned reputation nationwide.
This year sees lesser-known names on the lineup but all tried, tested and loved by the Scooter Club. Bands this year include the Butterfly Collective returning for their second year, newcomers Skamageddon, Bootleg Blondie,Marquis Drive, The Decatonics and all-time club favourite All That Soul.
It is not about big names, rather throwing one heck of a great party, and that is what they do every year without fail. Kick it off, Colonel!
Here’s a snap of Goldsteppers, who played the 2024 Rally, and I reckon were my favourite band to ever play here. They had this total dedication to recreating an original Jamaican ska sound. Even if I grew up with the Two-Tone movement it only served to fuel my obsession with its roots. Through my eclectic tastes I need to do Devizine, I reserve my rights to declare officially, that original Jamaican ska and reggae are my desert island discs, my favourite style of music. And, we simply don’t get nearly enough of this around these backwaters. But this is only another fraction of why I love Devizes Scooter Rally!
Here’s a picture of All That Soul from a previous year. They’re coming again this year, and if you think perfectly mimicking those Motown classics is asking too much, All That Soul do, do sublimely and on a level I’ve only ever witnessed before when watching All That Soul! Awl, those Northern Soul boys are welcomed here too; throw down some talc and call me Andrea! But, that’s only a fraction of why I love Devizes Scooter Rally too.
It’s all weekend, it’s affordable, there’s free camping. On a local level I believe those with only a passing interest have cottoned onto its brilliance, and even the council have accepted it’s an important annual date on the town’s event calendar. Scooterists from all over the country fly back and forth down Caen Hill, spending money in town; an economic advantage but still, only a fraction of why I love Devizes Scooter Rally!
The biggest chunk on my pie chart of why I love Devizes Scooter Rally, can be best illustrated by these last two snaps. Co-founder of the Devizes Scooter Club Martin Gibbs has been busy painting barrels with the logos and colours associated with the variety of movements which combined make up the ethos of the rally. And there’s the thing….
Everyone at the Scooter Club muck in, use their relevant skills and work tirelessly to create this extravaganza. With their reflection on reggae, their combined efforts is rather akin to a Caribbean carnival, whereby participants will labour all year on their decoration, dress and floats. The Devizes Scooter Club built this bar themselves, they built this bangarang (but not necessarily on rock n roll!!) And you best believe it, this bar takes some heavyweight usage!
You’ve never seen such a busy bar, and members of the club and their families slave night and day, serving attendees with their booze quota until the point they drop from exhaustion! With a lost voice and physically drained from tending the busiest bar this side of Munich’s Theresienwiese during Oktoberfest, my wonderful sister-in-law still drives my sorry drunken ass home afterwards; I’m so grateful, it’s become our thing!!
That’s my major point, that’s why I love Devizes Scooter Rally most; the team behind it, giving 500%, mucking in, and creating this wonderful annual event. And this reflects into those attending, only expanding on this real community feel, done only so for the spirit of the day, and love of doing it!
That’s the magic of Devizes Scooter Rally, in a nutshell. In Jamaican patois you’d be a bubu, or here, a fool, to miss it!
What was once counterculture hedonism is now as mainstream as a package holiday. In the UK music festivals are fashionable, approved and plentiful. Ten years ago I might have added “profitable” to those observations, but with the market flooded, “risky” might be a more suitable word. For the punter though, it means options, but if you’re only annually able to budget for one or two, it means decisions and dilemmas…..
Across the country and wider you could trek, adding to your expenses. For complete and utter festival-heads and perhaps thrill-seeking younger generations it’s a cost worth digesting to savour that certain experience. For those with passing interest, first timers, or older festival goers simply wanting convenience, looking for festivals closer to home is the desired option, and locally we’ve our fair whack of quality choice. The trouble with so many on our doorstep is, which ones?
I really cannot make the decision for you. And I’m not about to suggest any of them are necessarily better than another, because, quite simply, they are not. I can only evaluate them in accordance to their individual style and ethos, and you must decide which ones sound more appealing to you personally, deal?!
A separate never-ending list I could publish of festivals within a relatively short radius of Devizes, and I endeavour to add as many as I can find on our event calendar. To lessen the task there’s fewer within the county I’d recommend. Minety and Mantonfest most, good allrounders with top headline acts and devotion to locally sourced acts. Bath’s Party in the City, HoneyFest at The Barge on Honeystreet, and Ramsfest in Ramsbury, all this weekend alone.
From dance festival Shindig at Charlton Park to Chippenham Folk Festival, The Curcus Festival in Somerset and Old Town Festival in Swindon, May alone is jam-packed, ending with Bradford-on-Avon Music Festival and of course, free and local to us, I have to mention Rowdefest; although I’m hosting the entertainment there, don’t let it put you off!
Of course it all depends on what you want out of your festival. During high season, June and July, if you’re a hardcore raver The Existence Festival near Malmsbury will be up your street, whereas for the more commercial, Melksham’s Wiltshire Throwback Festival is poptastic. Trowbridge Festival for those seeking a wide range of original local music, and so many town festivals welcome this ethos too, such as Inspire Warminster.
Some are as established as Womad, and some blossoming. Going with what you know is a fair game, Marlborough folk return every year to Mantonfest through familiarity, similarly with Potterne Beer Fest, but you should consider the underdogs too; striving to gain reputation can often mean a team dedicated to really pulling off a show.
The same rules apply if you are to stay in Devizes, and it’s fair shout. We punch above our weight. Aside from our wonderful curated arts festival operating multi-venue, and those memorable odd days like carnival, The British Lion’s Black Rat Monday, and the Lions on the Green, you have four main options for pay festivals. Unusually, while the two established events are niche, the upcoming ones have more general appeal. But the base of your dilemma of which to attend should rather be on personal preference, because, in their own unique ways, all of them are equally as good as the others. If that comes across crawling, it’s really not; go to them all and judge for yourself!!
Listed here with no priority, then, other to assist the flow of the article, are an overview of the big four of Devizes, which may/may not help your decision!
In a word; FullTone, on the weekend of 11th-12th July. It’s unique and magnificent. Spawned from a classical free party in the Market Place seven years ago, The FullTone Festival has become a beloved institution in Devizes, a pay orchestral dance music crossover, eclectic enough to incorporate upcoming local indie bands, stage shows and attract some big names to town.
Image: Gail Foster
Licensing regulations reduced last year’s FullTone to concentrate almost entirely on their namesake in-house orchestra. This year, with a relocation from The Green to Lower Park Farm, things are quite the opposite. Not only camping onsite can be introduced, FullTone boasts Jason Donovan, The Wurzels and Rozalla, alongside eclectic tributes and from jazz to themed orchestra concerts.
Of course, Park Farm has been home to the Devizes Scooter Rally for the past six years, after its inaugural rally in Rowde, the same year as FullTone, 2019. 24th-26th July this year, Devizes Scooter Rally doesn’t hold a major headliner like FullTone. They tried this last year to great effect. The Beat headlining elevated the rally’s attendance and reputation within the nationwide scooterist scene.
There was a feeling the rally last year had obtained the maximum expansion for the organisers’ preference and to retain a community feel, of which it excels in. And herein lies the most persuasive argument for attending. The Devizes Scooter Rally doesn’t require a big name, the reputation it has built, and its angle incorporating retrospective youth cultures is plenty to guarantee, even though you might not have a scooter or only a passing interest in ska and soul, if you go to Devizes Scooter Rally you’re in for one heck of a cracking party!
The other two festivals in Devizes, I’d call the underdogs for they’re new in comparison, but should be equally considered as FullTone and the Scooter Rally, especially if you’ve eclectic tastes and/or are looking for an amazing family experience.
If both aforementioned are on Park Farm, the site holds its own; The Park Farm Festival is on Saturday July 18th. In only its second year, and if last time things leant towards rock, this year sees a wider aiming family program, with tributes to Queen, Abba, Slade and Madness. Park Farm deserves your full consideration, because despite being new it’s organised by the creators of MantonFest, a brilliant Marlborough festival with twenty-five years under its belt and a reputation for excellence.
Mantonfest 2023
Tributes, yeah, tried and tested at previous Mantonfests. I’ve seen Badness, One Vision, and Slyde, at MantonFest and guarantee they’re among the very best of tributes around. Park Farm has a full program, including our very own Jon Amor Trio, and just like the Rally and Fulltone, there’s a free shuttle bus running to and from the site to the town. It may need to find its feet, but last year was absolutely brilliant and loved by everyone who made the effort to go.
The only one not on Park Farm is last here but certainly not least. Crownfest returns to The Crown at Bishops Cannings on Saturday 4th July, after a few years break due to landlord changes. It is great to see it back on our calendar, as the years we did Crownfest it was one of most memorable local affairs, ever! The thing is with Crownfest, things are looking bigger and better than before. And it’s undoubtedly the best for its focus on local acts. Some of the best are listed here, George Wilding, Ruby Darbyshire, Lucas Hardy, and none other than Talk in Code.
Crownfest is a landmark charity music festival, garnished with some of the finest local acts, highly recommended by us at Devizine, and supporting Wiltshire Hope and Harmony, a charity providing essential support to those with SEN needs and to families caring for loved ones living with conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s, as well as those at end of life, offering compassion, dignity, and a true sense of hope. And, on our recommendation there will be ant music, supplied by one my all time favourite tributes, Ant Trouble; we are the family!
I’ve been waffling far too long about your blind date with a festival, it’s time to be Cilla; “here’s Graham with a quick reminder!”
Will it be number one, the glitter, Prosecco and everybody’s freeeee to feel good festival with a full orchestra behind Jason Donovan?!
Will it be number two, the boots and braces moonstomping madness hairdryer extravaganza, with a seemingly never-ending supply of beer?!
Will it be number three, the friendly, family, outside chance, with John Amor, Barrelhouse and magnificent tribute acts to rock you; cum feel the noise for the dancing queen!
Or will it be number four, the grandest pub festival you’ll likely to find, set in a beautiful beer garden under the magnificent spiral church of Bishops Cannings, and with Tina, Ant music and a real dedication to supporting local live music?
Or will it be all of them?! Do it, be a festival slapper! Date the lot, and the Devizes Arts Festival, Food & Drink Festival, Black Rat Monday, carnival, Lions on the Green, and if I see you at any, mine’s a pint of cider, cheers mucker!
If there’s been hearsay and ballyhoo about the date clash of two major but individually different events in Devizes this week, I hold my hand up for stirring the pot, yet try to attend both and find fair balance. But at the dawning of them, as magical as the FullTone Festival is, it cannot be argued, Devizes Scooter Rally was the success story this weekend…..
My afternoon was spent, Muck & Dundar piña colada in hand, in the magnificence of FullTone’s mighty stage, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons striking out with the acoustics of the gods, in awe at glitter-faced violinist Katy Smith and the orchestra behind.
It is unquestionably a fantastic event. Though Devizine isn’t my employment, neither a public service, it’s a hobby, its opinions driven by the personal preferences of the authors. As much as I pretend to be classically cultured, there’s another gig I’m impelled by preference to explore; Devizes Scooter Rally.
Handbags and gladrags for a cider guzzling retrospective camping adventure on the future site of FullTone, Park Farm. The scope for expansion for FullTone is available here, even if townsfolk accustomed to a freebie from their deckchair on the small green might whinge, at least the date will not clash and Devizions can enjoy both next year, if they so wished. Yet if the clash must remain, my devotion is towards the Rally, because it’s more my cuppa.
I’m standing upfield with the “Colonel” of Devizes Scooter Club Adam Ford and his partner Lauren Gibbs, watching the sun setting across the vast expanse of tents, campers and scooters; neither sure nor fussed over stats, but the site is at least 25% fuller than last year, which was recordbreaking too. They, club members, and volunteers have been here all week, setting up this magnificent spectacle, now feeling the fatigue but maintaining smiles, and the bar staff continue regardless of lost voices and aching feet. The club built the fantastic bar themselves, and once the rally is opened this testament to their conscientiousness never creates a dull moment.
The sound reputation the rally has built, both locally and nationwide has boosted attendance figures, the headlining of Ranking Jnr’s incarnation of The Beat assisted. A bold move to introduce a renowned name, but the Club needs to discuss just how willing they are to expand the rally, the issues it may raise, but in general the consensus seemed to be that in fear of losing the communal and hospitable atmosphere, this year’s Rally might be as large as they are willing to take it. I like this, for the atmosphere is sublimely buzzing, yet it retains a friendly, family vibe.
The spirit of the attendees, or the overall “vibe” is key to its success, and something no matter how much dosh you throw at the mechanics or promotion of an event, you can’t manufacture. It just happens, via the altruism and motivation of the organisers, presenting an affordable occasion welcoming all. The scooterists flock here from every corner of the country, the locals are now keen to come too, because there’s no boundaries or prejudices dividing them. It is also, undoubtedly the nostalgia they all love, a merger of youth cultures of yore, and, for the younger attendees, its influence on today. This, and the certitude ska, reggae, and soul is irresistibly danceable, and for the locals, genres something rarely provided here.
Devizes Scooter Rally is top of its own class. Other largescale rallies have debatably lost their communal atmosphere through their expansion, and those at the lower end of the scale do not pack the same powerful punch. Five bands are booked, there’s lengthy breaks between them filled with the renowned DJ Terry Hendrick, and no one batters an eyelid in botheration. This isn’t exactly a festival even though it might appear so, more a gathering of likeminded, out to party like there’s no tomorrow! They gather to chat, drink and be merry; that’s the motto reflected.
The Butterfly Collective, the penultimate Saturday night act seemed far more polished and diverse than last year, and took us on a grand historic musical journey of covers, relevant yet era-spanning and anthemic. What would finalise the live acts was bubbling the anticipation and excitement of the crowds jamming themselves into the marque.
Two-Tone pioneering bands striving towards chart success in the early eighties attempted it in different ways. The Specials upheld politically-motivated teenage anguish, The Bodysnatchers used their frontgirl for feminist awareness, Madness locked into a carefree fairground sound to appease the youngest, but The Beat achieved it by combining musical styles which would change the nature of pop. Punk, ska, soul and reggae, even Latino influences were not off the cards for The Beat. Though, as seemingly mandatory of the Two-Tone style, an Afro-Caribbean toaster was provided, and his unforgettable name was Ranking Roger.
2019 Ranking Roger sadly passed away aged just 56. We heard a heartwarming homage to him in both speech and song from his son Matthew Murphy, aka Ranking Junior, and though subtle not to sombre the mood, it was emotional. The remaining time was spent absolutely and categorically rocking the crowd with a combination of self-penned songs in the skanking fashion of The Beat yet updated with subtle dancehall and obviously classics from the original lineup when the concentration leaned on his father rather than Dave Wakeling. In so much we weren’t treated to tunes like Can’t Get Used to Losing You, but at the height of the party mood, Mirror in the Bathroom, Full Stop, Hands Off…She’s Mine and an updated Stand Down Margaret did more than suffice.
It was off the scale, a perfect balance of testament to his father and his own progression, akin to Ziggy Marley, a high but deserved accolade. Through his youthfulness was the drive in the show, the same zest and raw energy his father would’ve delivered in his prime, and that was simply delicious, respectful and infectious.
Once the steam had lessened and the night bit in, Terry would supply the other end of the musical difference of contemporary scooterists, Northern Soul. So if the soul dancers were persuaded by genre to hover outside while Ranking Junior’s The Beat took on this timeless extravaganza, the dancefloor was now theirs to show off their fancy moves, and they did!
What a fantastic, peaking blinder on our doorstep, I only hope I’ve done it justice trying to express how bloody marvelous it was, especially the afternoon after the cider I consumed! Devizes Scooter Club, friends and family sure know to throw an unforgettable shindig, and maximum respect to them for the diligence and efforts they put into putting this rally firmly on the map, again. It just gets better each time!
Contemplated headlining this “Clash of the Titans,” but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes can peacefully contain two major events on the same weekend, and, potentially, everyone comes up smiling because they attract different target audiences. But if the practicalities and ethos of both events differ enough for townsfolk to calculate a decision on which they’d prefer to attend, when you think about it there’s also some striking similarities between the two….
Next weekend sees two major Devizes events happening simultaneously, FullTone Festival and Devizes Scooter Rally. Me? My eclectic tastes and desire to impartially cover as much goings-on as possible puts me in a dilemma, but for most it’s a no-brainer which they’d rather go to. FullTone, central in town, celebrates our homegrown orchestra, with classically trained and theatrical musicians and singers. Though it leans towards representing pop too, classical is the root, and you can chill among friends on a deckchair absorbing the magnitude of something akin to Last Night of the Proms, whilst close to both home and some lardy cake!
Whereas The Scooter Rally, out on the Whistley Road, appeases scooter enthusiasts from near and far, though not exclusively, but either usually have a retrospective penchant for soul, reggae, and dancing to it like there’s no tomorrow! If production is slighter here, it’s ample for its needs; technically engineering sound for ska bands with a brass section, keys and all other gubbings can be nearly as challenging as an orchestra, but the Rally has never failed us yet with precision and high quality output. You. Will. Have. A peaky blinder, guaranteed!
Slide and Decide!
On cost, yes, FullTone comes at a price, but as I’ve stated many times before, when you’re held spellbound in the epicentre of that domed stage, captured by its acoustic magnificence, you’ll soon see where the money is spent; on matchless production, coordination, planning and the highest quality performances. The Scooter Rally prides itself on affordability, but somehow doesn’t skip on quality, which is miraculous in itself. There you will feel like part of something really rather communal and will never be left feeling anyone is out to rip you off; similar to FullTone under the premise “you get what you pay for.”
The ambience this creates at the Rally is second to none; drinks prices match the fairness of the ticket stub, camping is included, showers are provided free, and unlike any preconceived notion, mods and skinheads would rather cuddle you than nick your purse!! As an orchestral event it goes without saying, Fulltone also has the hospitality Hagrid would get returning to Hogwarts. Still, the music offering and type of crowd are vastly different, we could suggest by social class, but again, there’s a good mix at both too.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two Image: Gail Foster
So, where’s the other similarities, you ask, or I’d imagine you might, as they sound completely different kettles of fish, agreed.
I’ll tell you the easiest comparisons first, both are in Devizes; yay! Secondly, both are blooming fantastic, worthy of your hard-earned cash. Both are about the same age, and have become stalwart and beloved annual occasions, both locally and further afield. The attraction nationally of both benefit the town financially.
The other major similarity is uniqueness; if there’s nothing else quite like either in Devizes, it’s fair to argue there’s not much quite like either nationwide. Where else would you find an entire magical weekend covering every aspect of the capabilities of a seventy-piece orchestra, theatrical productions and additions catering for a wider demographic? I cannot think of another event anything like FullTone.
Similarly, scooter rallies tend to only come at two ends of the extreme. There’s long established overpriced rallies of glorious magnitude, and then there’s a pub selling undercooked hotdogs for a tenner, with an uninspiring local mod band perpetually playing Wonderwall. Devizes Scooter Rally sits between the two. You might pay the same price as the lower end of the scale, but you’ll receive all the glory of the upper end, and with a hospitable, local feel to it. I’m not making this up. I’ve spoken to folk who travelled up from Cornwall and folk who trekked down from Manchester to attend Devizes Scooter Rally simply because, and I quote “there’s nothing quite like it.”
And “highest quality performances,” did I state about FullTone? This year Devizes Scooter Club has only gone and booked The Beat! Yes, The Beat, the legendary Two-Tone popsters remembered for hits like Mirror in the Bathroom, Hands off She’s Mine, and Can’t Get Used to Losing You. Although Ranking Junior, son of the late Roger Charlery, aka Ranking Roger has settled into the shoes of his father and fronts a reformation of The Beat, it’s a welcomed addition for the Rally to pull in a big name. They are joined by four other bands including Specials and Small Faces tributes, and top northern soul DJs. Devizes Scooter Rally has the space to expand, booking such a renowned headliner suggests they’re willing to take it on.
Meanwhile, FullTone this year has concentrated efforts on exhibiting the orchestra’s projects, which they’ve exported to other towns and cities, such as a homage to Enya’s Watermark album, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, rather than introducing local acts outside of the sphere of orchestral music. Although Friday offers a youth showcase and organiser Jemma Brown’s Devizes Music Academy production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Saturday hosts the Big Sound Choir, and Sunday finds the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra on stage at 1pm. If FullTone feels a tad more inclusive this year, it doesn’t need nor has the capacity to expand, it is an incredible experience within itself, as it is.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two Image: Gail Foster
Tickets for FullTone next weekend (25th-27th August) are HERE. For Devizes Scooter Rally, also next weekend (26th-27th July) Facebook message the Devizes Scooter Club, or call 078088 49965.
Not forgoing both The Trowbridge Festival and Swindon’s My Dads Festival are also next weekend and come highly recommended from us. Wiltshire Soul & Blues Club have Owlfest at their secret Lacock location on Sunday, and Tidworth have a freebie festival. And if you cannot make your mind up, or gawd bless you cannot afford any of these, on Friday 25th find The Elvis & Orbison at Devizes Corn Exchange. Saturday sees The Reason at The Three Crowns, Barney Kenny is down The Southgate, there’s an Elton John tribute in Potterne, and Verdi’s La Traviata at Seend Community Hall….but you’d know all this if you checked the Devizine event calendar, and you’d be informed of everything going on!
Clashes over summer months are inevitable, we’ve a busy schedule around here and it is an honour to bring them all to your attention. Yeah, there’s similarities between these two giants, but at the same time, they’re different enough to not affect the sales of each in these trying times, I hope, and whatever you choose it’s better than staying home, crying into a bag of cheap cheesy puffs and watching “Pointless Celebrities;” (there’s a clue in it’s very name!!)
Or am I being too nice and impartial for Devizes with this article?! It’ll never get a Facebook share without some conflict. No, the secret is out, we all know which is the better of the two, “there can be only one;” let the fight to the bitter end commence!
Matthew Murphy, or Ranking Junior, son of the late Roger Charlery, aka Ranking Roger vocalist of eighties Two-Tone ska band, The Beat and new wave collective General Public has settled into the shoes of his father and now fronts a reformation of The Beat, which tours extensively. This includes our blossoming scooter rally in Devizes this coming summer….
If there’s two types of scooter rally and scooterist festivals in the UK, the boss events like Skamouth and BSRA nationals, and those locally-based eensy events constituting little more than a beer garden with DJ, showy hairdryers and undercooked hotdogs, Devizes Scooter Club’s annual rally has sat between the opposing levels, aspiring to better the value of municipal rallies. In its fifth year, Devizes Scooter Rally sets a president above them, striving to create the kind of environment more suitable for those mainstream “boss” events, yet retains the communal atmosphere of smaller events; that’s its magnitude; it is a blessing to our town to host it.
It does this by staging an impressive, tried and tested lineup in a hospitable and affordable atmosphere. It’s the Mardi Gras of the club, and members work tirelessly to welcome guests and design the perfect setting. This is not me flattering them, last year I spoke to several guests at the rally, from all over the UK, who stated, (in their own subtle and slightly dribbling way) the reason they love this event is precisely this balance between the electric atmosphere of a local event yet packing the punch of an established larger one…or words to that effect!
Whilst music at the rally has always been first-class, names might not be so recognisable to those outside the scooterist niche. This is set to change, as Birmingham’s The Beat were one of the key bands in the UK ska revival of the late ‘70s and ‘80s, and managed to crossover to the mainstream. You’ll all remember Mirror in the Bathroom, Hands off She’s Mine, and so many others, my personal favourite, Can’t Get Used to Losing You. You’ll all be up dancing, and making that essential Full Stop, I’m sure.
Set for the weekend of 25th-27th July, the rally for 2025 also boasts The return of the Butterfly Collective, Small Faces tribute, Small Fakers, Wardour Street, Cardiff’s The Brew, and DJs of the Soul Pressure sound system, but, thing is, you’ve only a couple of days to get your early bird wristband. Facebook message the Devizes Scooter Club, or call 078088 49965 now!
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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 else with a penchant for the merger of such retrospective subcultures gathered for an equally thrilling event, Devizes Scooter Rally 2024, backed by the shack of a soul boss, most turnin’, stormin’, sound o’soul….
You’ll have to excuse parts omitted and see this as an overall piece, because in trying to juggle both events there were times I was going between them, times I stopped home for my chips, and times when I generally slouched on the sofa contemplating getting my arse in gear! But what I did catch at Devizes Scooter Club’s most prestigious annual do, was off the scale brilliant; I expected no less based on their past rallies.
It might also be a smidgen inequitable on Full-Tone that I spent more time at the Rally. It’s walking distance from home, not having a scooter myself, and such is my right to satisfy what’s more my cuppa; the dirty down jollity of working class revelry! Note, then, despite eclectic tastes required to do this blog, my first music love will forever be ska and consequently reggae; it’s the offbeat, see? It’s that little jump, mek ya wanna skank up da riddim, not forgoing the heavy basslines or class brass. Unfortunately, it’s something we’re rarely blessed with here, so when it is in my neighbourhood, anything and everything else must get put on the backburner.
And moreover, when we do get ska or reggae around these backwaters, it’s not usually of the quality we’ll see today at the Rally. And there lies my reason for savouring the opportunity against an orchestral happening elsewhere in town, fantastic as it was. The epiphany came with the finale of the Saturday, when London’s Goldsteppers stepped up to the challenge and truly blew me off my little dancing feet.
Band changeovers were quicker than the queue at the bar, which is no fault of the exceptionally hard-working bar staff, rather the given after navigating winding B-roads on a hairdryer on wheels, the punters camp up, and drink, they drink a lot!
After an electric set by Southampton’s Butterfly Collective, who had already raised the level with a varied melting pot of Kinks to Happy Mondays, and finishing on a reggae classic, I arrived back in the tent to be sublimely slotted into my comfort zone by these Gold-stepping Bobby Dazzlers. The beautiful sound of ska, seemingly attentive to original ska and rock steady, an often overlooked linkage between ska and reggae despite being the most creative period in Jamaican recording history, rather than the commonplace Two-Tone cover bands.
Alton Ellis, early Wailers songs and other cherry-picked rarities were given the Goldsteppers makeover, and it was something to behold. I could say this was the best ska band I’ve seen, but I’ve seen Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff et al, so I think they’ll understand and be satisfied when I say this was the perfect and best homage to that golden era of reggae I’ve witnessed for many a year.
Staying true to the original compositions and delivered with an unmatched tightness, so accomplished were Goldsteppers, their own originals didn’t sound out of place, and were welcomed by the frenzied crowd. The archetypal Pressure Drop from The Maytals, the classics came brassy and bassy, with astute attention to detail, passion and pitched with perfect banter. And while we’re talking brass is class, it should be noted the enthusiastic frontman, who introduced himself to me as Sam, unless I misheard, also blew saxophone with incredible clout; legend! Dammit, if they even, for humorous effect, ska’d up a cover of Wham’s Edge of Heaven and made it sound like Justin Hinds & The Dominoes recorded it in 1964!
But what Goldsteppers did for reggae greats, headliners on the Friday, All That Soul, did for The Motown and Stax years. I’ve seen this show before, The Scooter Club booked them for a gig some years ago, this time only furthered my conviction that there’s no better homage to sixties classic soul in the UK, currently, than All That Soul. They were divine, on vocals, timing and showmanship, creating a sensation impossible not to savour in awe. Are we on Soul Train in 1969 right now?! No, still in a field near Devizes!
You could say this would suit a function, like a wedding, and many function bands attempt classic soul covers, varying in quality; it only depends on the level of your alcohol intoxication in how enjoyable they are! But not with All That Soul; you could go stone cold sober and come up dancing, because there’s nothing commonplace about them, neither cliché; it’s a billion levels up from the best function band you could possibly book with any amount of generosity from your bank manager!
I only caught the end of the Decatonics’ set, but they sounded bloody awesome too, guess I was caught chatting to all those friendly faces on arrival. Because Devizes Scooter Rally is so communal, so hospitable it borders on one big happy family occasion.
Aside from bringing financial gain to Devizes as scooterists putt-putt off on ride-outs and to explore town, it’s an asset to our locality through being a well-organised and respected event. Our blossoming Scooter Rally is an attraction midway between your average scooter rally, which can often be no more than a local cover band and a bloke flogging hotdogs while enthusiasts chat shop, and an over commercialised large scale and renowned rally which borders festival proportions and consequently losses its edge and appeal.
So, while there’s space to grow this event, it’s perfect the way it currently is, and damn, it’s one amazingly unforgettable weekend for locals with only a passing interest, as much as it is for all the national aficionados who gathered on the site with the winks of knowledge that they’ve discovered a secret rally on top of its prime right now.
Devizes Scooter Rally is set to rev into 2025 already, set on the 25th-27th July. Same time, same place next year then? You betcha life, from me, and you really need to experience it too, with me, on the dancefloor, with your boots and braces! We got three million miles to reach the moon, So let’s start getting happy now….
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Next weekend (26th-28th July) is a biggie in our humble town, there’s the FullTone Festival on the Green, and Devizes Scooter Club revs up for their fourth Scooter Rally too. Which one is for you? Are they so obviously such vastly different events, your mind is made up already, or is it a dilemma of which to attend?
We cannot ignore the elephant in the room; do I think it’s a shame there’s a date clash on two of our best events in Devizes this summer? Yes, of course I do, but that’s the way the cookie crumbled, and here I intend in the order of fairness, to reason on both the differences and similarities between them, such that they attract different crowds.
Though both events differ, both also attract people into town therefore are financial assets, and most importantly whichever you attend you’re guaranteed a great time.
Me? I’m covering both, the idea is, at best, to hover between them, it could fail. I’m not ruling that out, but I’m too spontaneous for silly things like planning! Besides, I continually toil with what makes large events such as these good, you know? What are the perimeters on my scorecard when they differ so? It’s not as easy as you may think!
A recent subsidiary of this thought process came via the Minety Music Festival a few weekends ago. I liked that, liked it a lot. It was a level above the “average” festival we hold here. Though neither the Rally nor FullTone can be described as average by any stretch of the imagination. Both punching above their weight and both are possibly the best time you’re likely to get in Devizes, until such a time Disney builds a theme park at Hopton!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image Gail Foster
The premise was that Minety provided three stages and so many other things going on between them. I raced from stage to stage hoping to take in as much as possible, but to see it all was impossible.
I once argued that while FullTone is a monumentally awesome event, it didn’t meet my criteria of being a festival as such, on account it is a single stage hosted by the orchestra though allowing a few other acts in between. It was surely defined better as a conglomerate of concerts. I come from the Glasto school of thought, whereby a festival is multiple elements coming together in one big mesh. But, that’s a pedestal.
I’ve changed my mind on this, as FullTone have extended the ethos of different acts over the years, plus the orchestra and all its elements is a country mile above a set group like a rock band gig. Plus again, it seems these days putting a man with a guitar under a gazebo and flogging undercooked hotdogs constitutes a “festival,” and thus I must go along with that even if unwillingly!
You only need to look at the development of FullTone’s program over the past years to know this isn’t a true reflection. Look at the surprise Friday night add-on where Six will be re-enacted and popular youth acts like NRWO and Ruby Darbyshire play. And besides, the upside of the single stage format means you don’t miss any of what you’ve laid down your dollar for, and believe me, you’ll love Ruby, or Talk in Code equally as much as Kerry and Ricardo pulling out a Queen set, or dancing the night away to eighties reconstructions by a full orchestra; that diversity is something you’ll not find elsewhere, in Devizes if not internationally.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image Gail Foster
Similarly the Scooter Rally is a single stage, but the class acts booked will see something of a rarity in town. You don’t find live reggae or ska acts on the pub circuit here, it’s costly. And being all the acts are tried and tested; All That Soul, for one example, will provide the ultimate tribute to the Motown sound on a level high above others locally, as they did at a Scooter Club night of yore. Overall The Rally is a godsend on our event calendar. Making it a given that both these events, while different, share success because they book the very best entertainers within their separate niches.
It can be the little touches which maketh the occasion. The Scooter Rally providing free transportation to and from the site to Devizes is something other event organisers should take heed of.
Both examples of the assurance quality acts is not something which has been skipped on, serves as mahoosive pros to the single stage format, because you’ll not want to miss any of it trudging from stage to stage. It’s an opinion, rather like a GCSE RE question; there’s no wrong answer.
Last weekend I was in the green room tent at Picnic in the Park, and it’s there which changed my mind on this opinion-based query. I met festival maker Sam, who looked exhausted, dropping off fire extinguishers at various locations, and I pointed out the fact that rarely do organisers get the opportunity to enjoy the event like a punter as there’s always something to be lugged around, moved, and catered for.
I had a taste of this when volunteering for a Street Festival of yore, constantly running wheelie bins to and fro like a videogame character, while being asked the bleeding obvious by attendees!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image: Gail Foster
At Picnic in the Park I also spoke to Simon the sound engineer, chatting about the last Scooter Rally he expressed the work involved in accommodating a ska band compared to the average four-piece rock band. There were so many more lines to collate, what with the usual brass section. This made me ponder the technical requirements of a full orchestra at FullTone, and singers and, crickey, I can’t imagine what else!
The reason I involve myself in events is partially because I’m in communication with the organisers and if they need a hand I’m willing to muck in. The second reason is to understand exactly what, and how much goes into organising such events we promote on Devizine, so I can sympathise with the hard work they do to provide us with such grand entertainment.
So I find myself evaluating between all parts; the punter, the organisers and the acts, trying to find middle ground. Sometimes bands get frustrated with organisers, and visa versa, sometimes punters get annoyed if not everything is perfect, but the reasons for any frustration at events is because bringing all the elements together, ensuring every loop has been tied, and every regulation is accounted for, is a mammoth process taking incalculable hours, intricate planning, and manpower, which punters simply don’t take into consideration at the box office.
True, cost is paramount to the punter, now more than ever. You look at the price and think, what am I getting for my money? I agree, I do this too, it’s only natural. But more and more, as I witness the inner workings of such large events, what efforts are put into them, mostly behind the scenes, or often taken for granted, it never ceases to amaze me, especially being for all their efforts organisers rarely get to sit back and enjoy the day as a punter would.
For example, take FullTone‘s stage. Its shape has become iconic in Devizes. The acoustics are absolutely incredible and unlike any other outdoor event locally. The cost of this, the construction and the managing of it, to bring you an experience you’ll remember forever, is worthy of the ticket price alone, and we’ve not accounted for the numerous site jobs, from the erection of the fence, securing the event to insuring food and bar stalls are rightfully placed, and so much more.
Take the campsite at the Scooter Rally as another example, you’ve got revellers drinking, vehicles moving to and fro, punters enjoying themselves, and everything they’ll not consider has to be considered by organisers, fire safety, first aid, and again, so much more. It’s a headache for the most hardened skinhead!
Conclusion, there’s more than meets the eye in arranging any event or working them, none more than these big ones, and that’s why they cost. You either meet such a cost or lose the opportunity, and then what? Are we reduced to living on Facebook?!
I also accept the idea, as you are a paying customer that it is your right to override such considerations, but hey, as a customer you’ll be the first to complain if things don’t go precisely to plan! I know I will; jump to it, organisers, do my bidding!!
The bottom line is, though for slightly different reasons, both the Scooter Rally and FullTone Festival will be amazing events, among the very best Devizes has to offer, and whichever you choose, the weekend looks set to be a cracker.
Know that FullTone will be the last for a while, and if it does return it pledges to be something quite different. Know also, that, The Rally is highly enjoyable, a hospitable and solely unique event around these backwaters. It doesn’t even adopt the tagline festival, but compares to one in considering it’s way above your average scooter rally. You’ve got seven quality live acts over the two days, most other rallies struggle to provide one cheapest ska or Britpop cover band on their circuit.
But I’m not asking you to stand and stare, or shed a tear for the plight of the organisers, for they do it for the love of it, and if they didn’t they wouldn’t. All I’m saying is, the colossal labour, the attention to detail which goes into staging these occasions should be considered when deciding if you’re going, to either, or if you’re going to stay in with a bag of Lidl cheesy puffs, watching reruns of Come Dine with Me on the telebox, or another annoying show where other people, somewhere else, are enjoying themselves!
You don’t need to concern yourself in what’s in someone you don’t know, or never likely to know’s knicker draw, when you could be skanking up the Whistley Road like you’re Suggs on a day out in Camden, or lounging in your deckchair on the Green, immersed in the unmatchable acoustics of the FullTone Orchestra, like you’re King Charles in the royal box at The Albert Hall!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image: Gail Foster
Furthermore, while this particular article concentrates on events within the castle on the dividing line, further options are available to you outside that boundary. Trowbridge Festival, Potterne Festival and even a little occasion called Womad are also set on the same weekend. May this also suit to assure you we report such impartially, and as a labour of love rather than for financial gain. Therefore there is no just reason for us to be dishonest or biassed. Organisers and artists we may oblige, but the priority in retaining said honesty is aimed foremost towards the sake of the customers. Ergo, whilst we’re respectful of all the hard work which goes into event management, we might not condone our analysis of it to be deliberately or unfairly critical, we more simply won’t report on it, we will tell you, the customer, fairly, however, if it rocks our world and would also rock yours.
And now you know where we stand, I hope you can take heed when I repeat myself, which while I accept is a symptom of middle-age, it stands affirmed whatever event we’ve mentioned you should choose to attend, based on previous year’s experience, it comes guaranteed you’ll have a fantastic time!
Phew, I’m glad I’ve got that off my chest. Now, pass me my tie-dye t-shirt and festival jester’s hat, and let’s party!
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There’s colossal pride and respect in Devizes Scooter Club, which transforms into motivation in staging their events, and none more grand than the Devizes Scooter Rally, set for 26th-28th July this year at Lower Park Farm; backed by the shack of a soul boss, most turnin’, stormin’ sound o’soul!
To presume a scooter rally is akin to a caravan club, where enthusiasts saunter a field gawking at each other’s hairdryers all day, endlessly waffling about cylinder head nuts, is partially true; your atypical rally could be only this, sprinkled with warm lager and a DJ if you’re lucky. But in just its 4th year Devizes Scooter Rally is not this niche, it’s family-orientated fun for anyone with so much as a passing interest in scooters, enveloping retrospective mod, soul and skinhead cultures.
This thing, I swear, borders festival proportions and ethos, with camping and showers, a busy bar, food, vintage clothes and parts side stalls, and boasts six tried and tested live music acts. And the music doesn’t stop while a band sets up; you’re treated to Terry Hendrick’s Soul Pressure sound system, undoubtedly the UK’s finest Northern soul, boss reggae and ska DJ. Terry showed me a picture once of him hanging out with the late Toots Hibbert, and it didn’t feel too much like gloating!!
We’re lucky to have this on our doorstep, last year I chatted with a young lone mod who rode up from Crediton, and traditional skinheads from Manchester. It’s all bringing money to our area, but more importantly it’s a brilliant weekend.
There’s a mixture on the lineup, All That Soul we’ve not seen since a Scooter Club gig of yore, the most entertaining homage to the Motown sound. Similarly with The Dectonics. The Butterfly Collective debuted the rally last year with an engaging set of mod classics and undetectable originals. There’s a wildcard Slade tribute, and Goldsteppers and Skamageddon are new to me, but the latter speaks for itself!
The vital element to this unique and soul-fuelled weekend of boss reggae vibes, talc on the dancefloor and scooter ride-outs is its affordable price tag:
A weekend wristband is £30.00 including camping. Friday and Saturday all-day passes are £15.00, to camp add £5. Saturday Day only (10am – 5pm ) is £5. Accompanied children under 18 go free.
Reason for mentioning it at all is, if you’re thinking, “hey, that might be something I’d enjoy but fear it might be a bit insular and I’d be going home early, crying into my Ed Sheeran CD,”, you won’t be if you give it a try! You’ll find those scooter lot are a frivolous and friendly bunch who not only know how to party, but will welcome you to join them!
So, work it up one time, work it two time, shack it, back it! Devizes Scooter Rally is on, baby love, my baby love! I need you, oh, how I need you, but all you do is treat me bad, break my heart and leave me sad! Don’t Throw your love away, get a wristband HERE.
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