‘Devizes & Beyond’ is a collection of original poems in traditional forms and digital photography, inspired by life in Devizes and the occasional foray into the world outside. The exhibition covers eight areas of life from shopping to spirituality and is a colourful and poignant snapshot of what it is to be human in this beautiful place and brief moment of time, and the physical and metaphysical journeys we take on different forms of transport and through life itself. (Gail Foster)
Those are Gailโs own words in her description of her exhibition this week at St. Maryโs; she has become a well known poet and photographic artist in our town, and it is a joy to behold this body of work on public display. There are various sections to peruse and ponder over, smile, weep and reflect upon, from “Shopping” and “Spirituality”, as Gail mentions already, to “Community”, “People”, “Transport”, “Creatures” and “Landscapes”. And the eponymous section โDevizes & Beyondโ.
Some areas unsurprisingly cross over โฆ โCommunityโ and โPeopleโ, โDevizes & Beyondโ and โLandscapesโ, but that is no criticismโฆ such is the breadth of Gailโs work and interests this is probably to be expected. What is presented is certainly worthy of at least thirty minutes of anybodyโs time, and the calm, serene surroundings of St. Maryโs permits us all to take a while to sit and reflect on what we are witnessing and cerebrally imbibing.
We are treated to some two hundred and eighty two photographs, and eight poems within those eight sections. In the vein of the crossovers mentioned above, some poems lend themselves to being a sisterhood together : The beautiful, heart rendingly poignant โChildren of the Avenuesโ reflecting upon the lives past and future of the offspring of The Avenues, especially the September 2019, immediately pre-Covid, schoolsโ intakes holds the same gentle and reflective space as โBlink ~ Seven Stanzas for the Seven Ages of Manโ harnessing the concepts within Shakespeareโs monologue in โAs You Like Itโ. Similarly โSinging Riverโ and โThis Barrow Strewn Landโ share a love for the Wiltshire great outdoors and its magical and wistfully timeless beauty.
Treat yourself to an indulgence with the exhibition of photographs of all sections and youโll undoubtedly spot someone you know, a beloved place, something or somewhere to make you laugh, smile, weep โ or even halt you with a jolt. Gail is not shy to show warts and all eitherโฆ we live in such a beautiful part of the world and her wonderful photographic eye captures so many shots that are truly stunning, worthy of any great exhibitionโฆ but she also grabs the mundane parts of everyday life that are the reality of living in a small town. For every framed shot of a church yard entrance, a shaft of light in the Ginnel, thereโs the kebab shop building site, a hearse, a crowded bus.
All of these display Gailโs wonderful eye, and patience, and her lifetime of living in, and love of, Devizes, but if there is one section that truly encapsulates the author and artist that is Gail Foster it is that of spiritualityโฆ her inner peace and connections with an ancient land, and organised religion, of ancient chalk-lands, stones and timeless vistas, and pagan and church ceremonies.
This exhibition covers so much, it is impossible to encapsulate it all in mere words. One will still be taking it all in for some while afterwards โ Iโve been mulling over this piece for almost two days and I should probably take longer but I am mindful that we need to all experience this display so its imperative I publish this as soon as possible. To paraphrase Peter Quince, a Shakespearean character from โA Midsummer Nightโs Dreamโโฆ.
I entreat you, desire you, and require you to visit Gailโs exhibition this week. Entry is free, open daily 10.00am to 3 p.m. until Sunday 26th April, plus an evening opening opn Friday 24th April from 6pm to 8pm.
And finallyโฆ to enjoy Gailโs eight poems from this exhibition in perpetuity, they are included in her next book, โ”Singing River – a book of poetry”, which can be bought from Devizes Books from Friday 24th. Get it early on Friday and you may be able to meet the author over the weekend to have it signed!
Some four years since his last release under his own name, Lavingtonโs electronica composer Moray McDonald presents a soundtrack; the music he wrote and produced for Devizesโ Wharf Theatre’s production of Kit Marloweโs Doctor Faustus, which was performed back in Januaryโฆ..
It was one of those rare occasions I stepped in to cover the dress rehearsal as our regular theatre critic Ian, was busy, stuffing a bucketload of Rice Krispies in the play! And Iโm glad I did. I was uncertain if Iโd take to director Liz Seabourneโs recreation of this Elizabethan gothic black comedy, but came out of there thoroughly enthralled. The composition of the playโs many components made it one of the best plays Iโve seen; the script, acting and production, yet it wouldnโt have been half as spookily ambient if it wasnโt for Morayโs soundtrack.ย
Image:@jenimeadephotography
They may only be nine snippets of sound, but with the music on Bandcamp at name your price, listening to it took me back to the play, and reminiscing at just how brilliantly sinister it was. Acts of Black Magic starts us off, an eerie soundscape, with harpsichord strings and jingling foolโs caps, Somewhat to Delight has an unnerving medieval court jester feel to it, grinning devilishly, and then weโre back on soundscapes, and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March gets a spooky underscore.
We swap from a soundscape to orchestral with each brief track, The Seven Deadly Sins nods playfully to Celtic folk dance, whereas the following Devilโs Attack lends more to Buranaโs O Fortuna, but all are equally unsettlingly devilish or scary faerie. If anything it displays the diversity at Morayโs skilled hands, being his concentration has recently been on his Cephid project, a ground-breaking album of electronica,Sparks in the Darkness, which we fondly reviewed in 2023, and enjoyed a rare and intimate live performance of at Bath’s Rondo Theatre.
by Ian Diddamsimages by Gail Foster ‘Devizes & Beyond’ is a collection of original poems in traditional forms and digital photography, inspired by life inโฆ
Some four years since his last release under his own name, Lavingtonโs electronica composer Moray McDonald presents a soundtrack; the music he wrote and producedโฆ
Can we please draw a red line under Pewsey’s Moonrakers St George’s Cross facade fiasco now Wiltshire Council has u-turned on a proposal forcing landlordโฆ
If options for urbanites seeking experiential or themed dining experiences are boundless, theyโre lesser so in our rural backwaters. Yet, weโve returned from a deliciousโฆ
Thereโs a cold remote ambience of burrowing doubt in the opening of Westburyโs singer-songwriter Serenโs debut song, in which, as the title suggests, she usesโฆ
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If not too distracted when bumping into townsfolk and village friends, you might remember to get more of a cheese you liked or that essential part for the vacuum cleaner…..
As regular readers of Devizine will know, one of the understated pleasures of Devizes is having a wander around on market days. From the listed buildings to the independent shops, our market day wanderings are significantly enhanced by the character of the townโs historic environment, and an enduring community spirit enriches the charming thoroughfares and myriad of routeways to and from the Market Place.
Farmers & Artisan Market
In 1724 the famous antiquary William Stukeley believed Devizes hosted โone of the best weekly markets in Englandโ. In the previous century the Wiltshire born antiquary John Aubrey thought Devizes hosted the best fish market in Wiltshire, and in the early 16th century that father of English history, John Leland, stated the โmarket is very celebrateโ. The townโs Thursday market dates to at least 1609, a regular potter around market stalls in Devizes dates to at least 1228 and around the stalls at fairs even earlier that century.
Hence, those visiting the Thursday market in the present are directly linking with a tradition that has periodically been celebrated as noteworthy and has survived hundreds of years of change. And because of this, your present day experience of the cultural footprint could prove influential.
The Brittox: Devizes Jubilee Morris celebrate 2021’s ‘Devizes is Open’ event following the Covid restrictions, and Daddy Longlegs entertain on Easter Monday 2026.
A Town of Culture?
Having been ranked third among the countryโs most quintessential market towns in 2025, Devizes is now bidding to become the U.K. Town of Culture 2028, which offers a top prize of ยฃ3 million as just one of a rollout of substantial financial awards. Towns must at this stage hope to have matched the relevant competition criteria to make the shortlist, which would elicit a ยฃ60,000 grant to support the development of a full application.
In addition to a famous flight of Georgian canal locks and a globally important collection in the Wiltshire Museum on Long Street, Devizes also has a reputation for a busy seasonal programme of festivals, markets and other social and educational events in addition to many places of worship, cultural hubs and active clubs. The lengthy list of cultural happenings covers anything from wildlife to nightlife and every experience from a punishing Westminster canoe race to tinsel tractor runs. The flip side is potentially overlooking something each of us does with regularity without ever thinking how rich and diverse it is in terms of a cultural experience.
Stalls in The Shambles
What might a Town of Culture look, sound and smell like?
If you are familiar with the sights, sounds and smells of a market day mooch, then you may no longer notice the familiar market day hubbub: a soundtrack punctuated by the calls, banter and chats with market traders. You may not give a second thought to the welcome and directions you offered a newbie visitor. You will though notice the music, dance and drama brought by street entertainers, and the art that may be encountered in many forms from the stalls to the windows and interiors of independent shops.
The Ginnel
โTell us about the unique story and culture of your town.โ
Few will have heard of the once legally renowned court case โThe Mayor and Burgesses of Devizes v. Clark,โ that established the right of a jury to find a general verdict. The unique precedent from 1835 is possibly overlooked now and the butcher Jacob Clark of Maryport Street is entirely forgotten.
The gist of this court case was that Clark sold meat from his home on two successive Thursdays in 1833, when the Corporation held the right to charge butchers to sell to the public from their market stalls.
What interests us with the Town of Culture bid in mind, is not only that the Corporation established in law that their market and right to charge for stalls was ancient, but the arguments that were detailed about the civil authority customarily maintaining a safe adequate โknownโ environment, where โlarge assemblagesโ of the public can bear witness to transactions and events without travelling any great distance. It could have been written with the criteria set by the Town of Culture in mind.
The official Town of Culture requirements include a safe, supportive, nonโdiscriminatory environment accessible to all ages – a programme that reaches multiple audiences and offers opportunities for creative content – evidence of capacity, capability, and effective processes to deliver the programme successfully – strengthening or rejuvenating cultural and heritage infrastructure with realistic expectations. The history and modern day experience of the market in Devizes delivers all this and more.
Lilly waits in anticipation outside the bakery.
โCulture is for Everyoneโ
We may never stop to think about it, but a magnificent cross section of local, regional and distant communities are represented on market days. From villagers to townsfolk and tourists threading their way around, to street performers, grassroots artists and other creatively active innovators; market days welcomes them all.
Every decade within living memory is represented on the townโs pavements, and anyone and everyone that isnโt housebound is unconsciously participating in a market day pageant. From prams and pushchairs to rollator walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters; these enabling wheeled wonders of our age are everywhere to be witnessed, as are many a responsible human with their pet dog on a lead.
Just sit on any bench in the Brittox and witness how many times you are lapped by elderly phone scrollers, middle age headphone wearers and teenage skateboarders. They are not all in their own world of course: a street performer recently remarked how young people engage with the informal music in the Brittox, stopping to listen and throwing coins into a hat or guitar case.
As outlandish as it may seem then, your wanderings on a Thursday could bear witness to an experience that ticks all the criteria boxes to underpin a bid to become the U.K. Town of Culture 2028. There is surely nothing that is more inclusive, culturally rich and diverse in our lives than a weekly market day dawdle in Devizes. This cultural experience is for everyone from their pram to their very last leg and it is entirely free at the point of delivery.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to our friends โshop indie InDevizesโ for both the excellent map and much encouragement https://www.indevizes.org.uk/
Many thanks also to David Dawson, Devizes Jubilee Morris and Daddy Longlegs for their assistance. Many thanks also to all the wonderful dogs and humans that featured in doodles which were redrawn and moved around to work up the final sketches.
Brian Edwards is a Visiting Research Fellow at The Regional History Centre, UWE Bristol.
The biggest risk for any media reporting negatively on illegal raves is that, in their youth, their fifty-plus target audience probably attended illegal raves themselves!โฆ
Devizes Music Academy is set to bring joy, energy and a whole lot of sparkle to the stage with its latest musical theatre production,ย Sister Actย laterโฆ
Thimbles on standby, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts are calling all creative craftspeople and makers to their new project, The Makers Exchange. Itโs a new craftโฆ
Whether you’ve a bizarre inclination to meet the Addams Family in the flesh and figure this might be your closest opportunity, you couldn’t think ofโฆ
Itโs a question Iโve asked Chippenham singer-songwriter Harmony Asia on each rare occasion I catch her for a chat; if sheโs planning to capture aโฆ
If options for urbanites seeking experiential or themed dining experiences are boundless, theyโre lesser so in our rural backwaters. Yet, weโve returned from a delicious and most memorable Sunday lunch at The Water Gypsy, a working longboat pop-up licensed restaurant cruising the Kennet & Avon Canal; itโs the unique and enjoyable experience you really need to sample for yourselfโฆ..
In order to do so you can either check their website or social media for availability and mooring in your area, as they stop at various locations throughout the summer, autumn and Christmas seasonโฆ. but chase them up and book you must! This spring season has started their third year, and its popularity is such it gets booked quickly. Until your lucky occasion, I can only try to express in words just how scrumptious and wonderful our experience of it was, and boy, it was!
Drawn to The Shed at Dulwich social experiment, where pranksters tricked TripAdvisor into ranking their shed #1 restaurant in London, to the โmiddle ageโ scene in Monty Pythonโs Meaning of Life, where Idle and Jones play an American couple dining in a torture chamber, some quirky dining enterprises can be unnecessarily extreme, some exploit desire to discover unique dining experiences rather than conform to parochial restaurant culture. Howbeit, if seeking such experiences you must, The Water Gypsy presents a most honourable, comforting and hospitable repast; Polly and Hank run the show, balance cooking with being perfect hosts, and stop at nothing to ensure youโre fed in finest fettle.
Being theyโre currently moored in Devizes, it was a short appetite-boosting walk along the towpath and we boarded this beautifully decorated and pristine boat, warmed by a log burner, welcomed affectionately and seated on the only communal table set for twelve guests. You could liken the reception, and the whole occasion, more to a dinner party than sitting alone in a restaurant.
Life on the canal may not always be the romantic setting of freedom preconceived, but The Water Gypsy hones on that idyllic image, glimpses into the fantastical.
Drinks are served, and you are not rushed here. Itโs all finest ingredients, homemade and using local produce, which they proudly transform into tapas-style plates that celebrate sharing and connection. A grazing board, chockfull of dips and tapenade arrived, with pesto topped crostini, charcuterie skewers antipastisti with melon, avocado & prawns, Moroccan carrot puff pastry with orange and thyme syrup, and harissa tahini yoghurt, and, and, oh, look Iโm no Jay Rayner, donโt even sport a goatee, Iโm only now aware how my tastebuds will love me forevermore!
Pescatarian and vegan are catered for, but our main courses were beef estofado, a scrummy slow-cooked Peruvian stew, and delicately sliced hasselback potatoes, sticky pork glazed in garlic and ginger, with spicy Asian broccoli, and chicken tikka skewers with tomato saladโฆ.need I say more for clues to the way to my heart? Food heaven in gypsy ornamentation charm, canalside!
A perfectly baked brownie with strawberries and ice cream polished me off, though the other choice was a rather smashing looking cheese board, which Newsquest reporter Jamie opted for, and while tempted to nick his grapes, such was the hospitable atmosphere and such was the gorgeous food so beautifully presented, I thought Iโd best behave!
Herein arrives the time when, in a typical restaurant, youโre encouraged to get your coat, but Iโve already observed a washtub and broomhandle propped up in the corner, and identified their owners; weโre in for some entertainment, and I couldnโt think of anyone more apt for the occasion.
Polly wants Sunday afternoons to have an additional live music finale, and while weโve pondered some alternatives, boaters themselves, Nipper and Jellylegs Johnson drop in to tantalise us audibly the same way and with the same proficiency Polly has done with our palate. Itโs a show you could never tire from, nor find fault with. The Devilโs Doorbell, cheeky, quirky duo passionately recreating jazz and blues roots with homemade instruments, skiffle, bucketloads of charisma and more double entendres than Finbar Saunders remaking the entire backlog of Carry-On films.
There was an encore singalong, and with conversation and wine flowing, the atmosphere was unlike anything youโd find at a restaurant. The Water Gypsy is, by very definition, the most pleasant and divine, not to mention scrummy, dining experience this side of Milliways, Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe, only this one is a bit closer, just along the towpath!
David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone. Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council used evidence, against a group of Devizes Town councillorsโ more circumstantial landโฆ
Retrieved footage from a stolen drone of the Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs reveals the Beaufont Hunt making a fox kill earlier this month, and itโs undeniableโฆ
Thereโs a cold remote ambience of burrowing doubt in the opening of Westburyโs singer-songwriter Serenโs debut song, in which, as the title suggests, she uses a worm analogy to convey shadows of diffidence. Yet, it is a breath of fresh air of resilience, and an exhaustive equilibrium in which to express sorrow and build from a simple honest riff to a sublime and encapsulating stentorianโฆ..
Worm, released today, is impressive. Itโs a richly layered spring-like emerge, a hedgehog poking his nose out of his winter nest. If isolation is a trap, Serenโs uplifting vocals are the escape route, and in this itโs a message to herself which will profoundly convex to others through association; the key to good folk music. Though, it is an urban myth that you can cut an earthworm into two and both parts will live, Seren uses the comparison to the numbness of her mood, not for dividing or multiplying herself, rather to โsee if I feel a thing.โ
A reflection on a burrowing exercise from emotional blunting, then, hiding, and waiting for a storm to emerge; this song should be that onset squall, for whilst it uses classic singer-songwriter folk hinting towards Sandy Denny or Maddy Prior influences, the beauty of Serenโs vocal range melancholically penetrates through the numbness of its subject; the formula of an experienced artist, of how Tammy Wynette could woo an audience. Though Worms equally captures, it depends more on mood observation than the literal narrative of the likes of Wynette.
โI wrote the song when I was sixteen, in October, a few months into starting my first year at college,โ Seren explained, โthe song was linked to struggles with mental health that I have had around that time and before, and how it was making me feel. Itโs a song that was very personal and something that will forever hold meaning for me.โ
So, Iโve not had the pleasure of meeting Seren yet, nor seen her perform. I booked her for our double-bill with M3G for our first evening at the newly opened Fold in The Lamb, Devizes based on the strength of the few social media videos she has posted and M3Gโs recommendation; theyโve worked together before. This song strengthens my faith that this will be an amazing night, for, like M3G, Seren holds a rare skill to encapsulate through honesty and fidelity to her music. You need to listen to Worm, and if you do, Iโll see you on Friday 24th April; yeah you got me, itโs a gig plug, but even if it wasnโt, in writing and acoustic combo, Worm is this prodigious and breathtaking!
Just who is Theodore Thump? A wise pet rabbit? The mysterious sixth Beach Boy? This album newly released from Shedric, Swindon soloist and groovist ofโฆ
Buzzwords, like โturbo,โ or โsonicโ are cliche, overused trends which gain popularity because they sound impressive, even if they are empty of meaning. I avoidโฆ
Itโs always nice to hear when an inaugural local event is successful, especially one as unique and original as Marlborough School of Languagesโ annual Fiesta.โฆ
Right here, right now in Devizes, Palooza spawned and has become the fast-growing house music event brand in Wiltshire. They’ve beenย invited backย to perform atย Fatboy Slimโsโฆ
Featured Image: Helen Polaxpix What has Devizesโ greatest millennial musical export, England rugby player Jodie Ounsley’s ghost writer, some scummy mummies, a professor of biology atโฆ
Hurrah, at last! Only The Brave is the debut song from Burn The Midnight Oilโs revised lineup; something Iโve been anticipating since watching them rehearseโฆ
Devizes Music Academy is set to bring joy, energy and a whole lot of sparkle to the stage with its latest musical theatre production,ย Sister Actย later this week…..ย
Following the outstanding success of previous productionsย SIXย andย Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie, the Academy continues its run of ambitious, high-quality youth theatre with this feel-good favourite, based on the much-loved film.
Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer who is placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a crime. What unfolds is a heartwarming and often hilarious journey of friendship, transformation and finding your voice – all set to a vibrant score inspired by disco, gospel and Motown.
Directed by Jemma Brown, with her team Sarah Davies and Teresa Isaacson, the production showcases a cast of talented young performers who have taken on an extraordinary challenge – learning their lines, music and choreography in advance, and bringing the entire show together in just five days. They are performing the show in the round – where the audience surround the stage – itโs a truly exciting project.
Jemma said, โThis show is just full of joy. Itโs bold, uplifting and all about finding your place and your voice, which feels incredibly important for young people. What always amazes me is what this group achieves in such a short space of time – the commitment, the teamwork, the energy. Itโs genuinely quite special to watch it all come together.โ
Ruby Phipps, who plays Deloris and previously appeared inย SIXย andย Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie, said, โIโm absolutely loving being part ofย Sister Act. Deloris is such a fun role to play, and the music is just incredible. What makes it really special though is doing it with this group – everyone works so hard and supports each other, and it all comes together so quickly. Itโs such a great experience.โ
At its heart, Sister Act is a story about community, acceptance and individuality – themes that resonate strongly both on and off the stage.
The production also highlights the powerful role the arts can play in young peopleโs lives, helping to build confidence, resilience and a strong sense of belonging.
โIn a world where it can sometimes be hard to see the positives, this show is a reminder of what young people can achieve when they are given encouragement, belief and the chance to shine,โ Jemma added.
With a brilliant cast, an infectious soundtrack and a huge sense of fun,ย Sister Actย promises an uplifting night of theatre for audiences of all ages. And the Academy is already looking ahead, with plans to take on the iconicย Les Misรฉrablesย next year.
Sister Act Jnr is at Devizes Corn Exchange on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th April. Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/dma or from Devizes Books.
Four Dauntsey’s Sixth-Formers have been awarded travel scholarships, and plan to cycle all the way from their school to Bonn in Germany, shortly after completingโฆ
Leading Wiltshire digital entrepreneur Natalie Luckham, AI Educator and founder of award-winning Wiltshire social media consultancy Naturally Social is hosting a free โIntroduction to AIโโฆ
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts key into the town’s majority demographic for its first annual event of the year, mature couples, with an affection for samplingโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 entered an exciting new era when Stone Circle Music Events announced was as official sponsor and organiser. Backed by theirโฆ
Easter 2026: I could speculate The Three Crowns was still the place to be in Devizes, but thought it best to check! I’m not the gathering-shit-from-Facebook type journalist, pal, I’m the milkman who needs an unwinding cider or six on a Saturday. I took matters into my own hands; things I must endure for the cause of investigative journalism!
Three-piece Trowbridge punkers Marty’s Fake Family were second on the new south-facing stage, The Reason rocked it first, on Friday. Landlord Simon explained the sound now projects into the carpark causing it to be less of a neighbourly nuance, but, while the space might be more confined, it gives lift and stance to the performers, and marks a boundary so equipment isn’t at risk. Waddies are spending money on this establishment, there is no reason to wonder why when you attend.
Marty’s Fake Family know which buttons to press; they’ve played here before, and what they do fits like a glove. They kick off as they mean to go on, fiery rock with embers of their metal and punk roots, and giving it 200%. Though, they mellow early for Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, jesting it’s the only ballad they do. If we’re being eased in gently it remains loud and proud, though the crowd is slighter, and older; the age demographic dips at 10pm and the pub fills to bursting point. Millennials and Gen Z are economically conditioned, I guesstimate taking advantage of Spoons’ prices and moving on to where the action is when sufficiently wobbly.
And The Three Crowns know exactly how to play it. A young friend of my family perfectly summarised; “there’s nowhere else to go in Devizes.” Technically there is, yet the Crowns appease them with an efficient cashless bar, and comfort food, appetising burgers and wings. But the central attraction is a lively covers band to which they can sing along to timeless pop classics, loudly, and party surprisingly civilly compared to youths of previous generations. Some take Scissor Sisters’ advice and take their mammas out all night, but age is meaningless for Three Crowns regulars, the vibe fits all.
Marty’s Fake Family absolutely rocked the crowd with bells on. They’ve been doing similarly proficient shows locally for eight years. If you want your venue/event to be a library-esque original music appreciation society, avoid them as theyโre living and loving it in the cover band moment, and Martyโs Fake Family needs 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to operate their flux capacitor; great Scotts, what a night; The Three Crowns can produce the power requirement!
Like Busted and McFly, bassist Dan confirmed their namesake relates to Back to the Future, and explained they started with metal intentions but, tongue in cheek, wanted to do Abba songs. โThe rest of the band thought it was a shit idea, but it stuck,โ he told me… before running off to the loo at breaktime.
Their repertoire spans like the Tardis, anything from any era crowd-pleasingly loud, and they do it with zest and punk passion. So, tunes like American Idiot and Teenage Dirtbag need no adaptation, Blur’s Song Two, All Sit Down by James, and The Cranberries’ Zombie guaranteed to excite, alongside eighties rock, ZZ Top, Sumner of โ69, et al. But they’ve rabbits in their hats as the evening progresses; punky versions of Abba, Eurythmics meld into Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, and return to Sweet Caroline proclaiming to walk 500 miles and every other crowd-pleaser youโve no need to request; there’s even a rock n roll medley finale. They tick every cover band box, stamp their authority, and certainly seal my approval.
Seems the Three Crowns retains their everyday staple entertainment status quo in Devizes, has been top of their game for some time, and show no sign of letting up. Perhaps we need to award at least one more crown to its name for sustaining this dominion; four, five or even six Crowns maybe?!!
by Ian Diddams images by Chris Watkins media โChicagoโ is a stand out example of the musical theatre genre โ great songs, great characters, greatโฆ
After much deliberation, Devizine is to pull out of any further organisation of the Wiltshire Music Awardsโฆ.. It has not been an easy decision, andโฆ
It seems Shrove Tuesday celebrations in Devizes have fallen as flat as aโฆ.well, you get the gagโฆ Traditionally organised by Age Concern Wiltshire, and oftenโฆ
The mighty mighty Minety Music Festival announced The Bluetones as their Sunday headliner at their Eames Laurie Main Stage, and The Dub Pistols on theโฆ
The celebrated Shindig Festival at Malmesbury’s Charton Park announced their headline act for May bank holiday 2026, and being that it’s Bob Vylan, it isโฆ
Thimbles on standby, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts are calling all creative craftspeople and makers to their new project, The Makers Exchange. Itโs a new craft market celebrating the South Westโs most skilled makers, and it will take place at the historic Devizes Corn Exchange on the 23rd and 24th Mayโฆ..
The event offers visitors the chance to explore a vibrant marketplace of contemporary craft, meet the makers behind the work, and experience live demonstrations and workshops.
Across the weekend, the Corn Exchange will be filled with beautifully presented stalls featuring ceramics, textiles, woodwork, jewellery, clothing, and homewares, all designed and made by the makers themselves.
Highlights include live demonstrations by Marion Wright, renowned for traditional signwriting and decorative painting, and Amy Whittingham, whose bold, chunky glass chains feature separate, moving links, cast individually through a fascinating process.
The weekend begins on Friday 22nd May with The Ideas Exchange, an informative evening gathering for creative people featuring a talk and demonstration by knitwear designer and farmer Katie Allen of Cotmarsh Farm, followed by drinks and conversation.
Visitors will also have the chance to engage in hands-on experiences, including a drop-in cyanotype printing area by Bloemen & Blue, with proceeds supporting the marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage.
On a crafty mission to bring high-quality, community-focused arts to Devizes and the surrounding area, DOCA presents professional indoor and outdoor arts experiences, creating participatory opportunities working with local, national and international artists.ย
The Makers Exchange is a celebration of contemporary craft in the South West, bringing together the regionโs finest designer-makers. The event is designed to connect makers and the public, offering an immersive experience where visitors can see skills in action, try their hand at creative techniques, and take home beautifully made, unique pieces.
Rowde’s printmaker Hannah Cantellow
The makers include, Marlborough knitwear designer Katie Allen, Plymouth glass artist Amy Whittingham, signwriter Marion Wright, Bath Sashiko tutor Jessica Way, Bristol woodworker Geoff Hannis, Bromhamโs cyanotype artist Libby Mornement of Bloemen & Blue, Wiltshire Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild, and members of the Guild of Traditional Upholsterers.
But, whoโd thought it, Rowde is the creative cradle, with three makers featured in the event?! Rowde’s printmaker Hannah Cantellow, lampshade maker Aimรฉe Alice Payton, and cabinet maker Thorn Smith. Seriously, I better polish up on my Fuzzy Felts!
The Ideas Exchange on Friday 22nd May runs from 6:30-9pm at The Peppermill Hotel, and is ยฃ10. The Makers Exchange is at Devizes Corn Exchange from the 23rd and the 24th May from 10:30 to 4:30pm, and costs just two pounds, with children going free.
For full details, workshop bookings, and tickets, visit:
Fromeโs Cheese & Grain will host a celebration of the life of local music promoter Phil Moakes, who sadly passed away last July, aged just 66โฆ
Party at the End of the World will be on Sunday 10th May and will be a special event in celebration of Philโs life, alongside his family and friends. The evening features a fantastic line-up, including The Utopia Strong, Arch Garrison, Richard, Chantelle & Amy, Kavus Torabi, Thee Jolly Rotter, Hodmadoddery, and Sara Vian, and will be hosted by Martin Dimery.
Kavus Torabi fronted Gong, one of Philโs favourite bands, The Utopia Strong are from Glastonbury with professional snooker player Steve Davis, and Sara Vian was one of many presenters at Philโs Visual Radio Arts project.
Phil Moakes was a keen musician, and played keys in local bands throughout the seventies and eighties, including The Replacements and Wasted Space. For Frome he would become not only a legendary music promoter and media broadcaster, but a prominent community leader advocating the arts. He served as a Somerset County Councillor, founded Frome FM, and was a former Chair of the Cheese and Grain Board of Trustees.
โPhil played a pivotal role in the development of the Cheese and Grain,โ a spokesperson for the Cheese & Grain said, โand was instrumental in securing the venueโs long-term future during some of its most challenging years. His dedication, leadership, and belief in the venue and its staff helped shape it into the vibrant cultural hub it is today.โ
Phil Moakesโ last vision was a project called Visual Radio Arts, which started as a Frome FM project in 2016, and independently branched out to create promotional gig videos for artists from Fromeโs Old Fire Station. It was in 2021 when I first met Phil, having relocated with his family to Royal Wotton Bassett, he had moved the studio to Bath Road in Devizes.
In the lockdown era musicians took to streaming gigs from their homes, often amateurly and with varying results. Visual Radio Arts offered a professional option, to capture bands live, akin to The Old Grey Whistle Test, and many artists took up the offer to perform.ย
Being new to the area, I think Phil wanted me to suggest local acts who might like to be hosted on Visual Radio Arts. Anyone I namedropped were already on Philโs radar, but it didnโt stop us having a passionate and lengthy chat about the local music scene. Questioning Phil on the financial structure of Visual Radio Arts was all quite vague; it seemed his only motivation was the promotion of the musicians.
โWe remain profoundly grateful for Philโs vision, support,โ The Cheese & Grain continued, โand the lasting legacy he leaves behind, not only within the Cheese and Grain, but across the wider Frome community. In celebration of his life and in honour of this legacy, all funds raised from the event will be donated to support the vital work of Fair Frome.โ
Fair Frome is a foodbank charity offering sustainable services and support, raising awareness of the issues of poverty across Frome.ย
Whether you’ve a bizarre inclination to meet the Addams Family in the flesh and figure this might be your closest opportunity, you couldn’t think of anything worse, or you’ve absolutely no opinion on the matter whatsoever, Devizes Musical Theatre’s Addams Family Musical is a must-see!
Invited to the dress rehearsal yesterday, The Addams Family Musical opens tonight, Wednesday 1st, and runs to Saturday 4th April, at Dauntseyโs School, and I can confirm it’s creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky and absolutely brilliant. I left delighted and more charmed than spooked.ย
The Addams Family began as a panel in the New Yorker by Charles Addams, a cartoonist alleged to be nearly as weird as the characters he created, but it was the gothic sitcom of the sixties which most will fondly recall, and Barry Sonnenfeldโs nineties movie adaptations brought them into contemporary culture.
The popularity of a recent television spinoff about the family’s daughter Wednesday fares well with the timeliness of this production, especially being the story of this musical centres around Wednesday coming of age too. Within the beloved setting of the Addams Family franchise, it follows a classic musical plot of forbidden love with a happy ending.
It tells of losing inhibitions and that love is calmly discussing your differences. But, no more spoilers from me! Rest assured you’re in capable hands, because the casting on this is impeccable, and its appearance is the best weโve seen so far from Devizes Musical Theatre; itโs a ghoulish visual feast.
I couldnโt pick a favourite part, they were all exceptional. Gary Robson makes a convincing Gomez, the father, but Dolly May was born for the part of his wife Morticia, it would seem, and the chemistry between them was magnetic. Likewise for Wednesday, played so utterly wonderfully by Grace Sheridan, and the object of her desires, Lucas, in which Oscar Thorley played with superb ease; if Oscar is his name, well, he should win one!
In contrast to the family traits, Lucasโ parents Lucy Burgess and Simon Hoy presented them with professional quality, particularly when their influences are altered by the course of the narrative. Then you have the steadfast extra family members, pouring the comedy into it, such as the Grandma, Debby Wilkinson, whose haunting cackle alone would be plentiful for comic effect, without the need for her grinning smirks and ambling around the stage.
Cameron Williams plays Frankensteinโs Prometheus butler Lurch, who is still amazing, despite having nothing but a growl, because thereโs a twist, at the end, and Iโll say no more. The troubled son Pugsley, played with magic by Georgia Saunders is key to a plot twist, and is so convincing in the relationship with his sister, she may as well be a sibling to Grace.ย
Attending a dress rehearsal has slight differences to the actual show, one thing you wouldnโt see at the show was when, at the interval, Ben Griffiths-Mills, who plays the disturbingly innocent Uncle Fester, came to address the director Lyn Taylor, who happened to be sitting beside me. The Addams Family is more music and fun than spooky, the most shocking part of my evening was not in the show, rather when Ben spoke in his normal voice to Lyn, as I was so utterly convinced by his sublime performance as Fester, I expected him to speak with the quirky high-pitched accent of Fester! And this sums the experience up, so credible it is, I had to remind myself these were actors in character; in that, Thing wasn’t wandering around the school at night, and if forced to pick a favourite, Uncle Ben Fester would probably be it!
Such is the attention to detail, I reveal thereโs not just a random collective of excellent dancers too, but theyโre separate characters of the ghostly ancestors the Addams have venerated, and each dances around their crypts according to their back stories and fate; the program identifies them, and the cast highlight the show.
Iโve mentioned the dubious double-meaning of the word โamateurโ used in the term โamateur dramaticsโ before, being a noun for โunprofessionalโ doesnโt necessarily mean the subject it refers to is โrubbish,โ as second definitions suggest. I did so in a review of a Devizes Musical Theatre production, because, while everyone volunteers, the standard, attention to detail, and production values are so high you could assume youโre at the West End. This notion has never been more relevant than with their latest production, The Addams Family Musical; if youโre going, youโre in for a treatโฆand definitely not a trick.
When people come to see ’em, They really are a scream, The Addams Family may not have the same box office clout as Devizes Musical Theatre producing a Disney fairy-tale; thereโs a few tickets left for a performance which usually sells out. Do not be distracted by the quirky choice of production, as this was DMT at their very best.
Drizzly Sundayโฆagain. Iโve just finished designing the poster, so allow me to reveal the lineup for Rowdefest this coming May, might cheer us up aโฆ
It could be bigger than Diggers! See what I did there? Okay, you youngsters might need Google, but while you’re researching Chippenham’s hedonistic past, aโฆ
There’s no sophomore slump for Monkey Bizzle; prolific in their art, these rural chav-choppers return with a second album, Agricultural Appropriation, only five years andโฆ
Picturedrone, the new owners of the old Palace Cinema in Devizes announced today that the cinema will have a grand reopening as early as May, and media personality turned controversial comedian Katie Hopkins has accepted an invitation to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated establishmentโฆ.
May is set to be an exciting time in Devizes, when the cinema will finally be reopened. We are told the work is near complete and the company plans to reopen in May, though an exact date remains unconfirmed. The townโs only cinema closed in July 2021, with broken promises to reopen under new management. But the new owners, Picturedrone Cinemas, met spiralling costs with the extensive refurbishment. The good news is, The Wiltshire Reform Party has stepped in to help fund the project.
Aiming for a traditional, multi-use, Roman Colosseum styled venue, the cinema will also house the Wiltshire Reform headquarters and provide them with a space to hold popular conferences and rallies. Flagpoles will align the Market Place outside, restoring pride in our country and providing dogs and drunks with somewhere to relieve themselves. They really have thought of everything, even the reintroduction of white dog shit.
Harmless and loved by all, Katie Hopkins is expected to deliver one of her hilarious hate speech comedy routines before she cuts the ribbon and Devizes cinema will be open once again, to patriots and Brexiteers only. Then there will be a screening of โMein Kampf: The Movie,โ an animated cartoon adaptation of Reform’s beloved bible, aimed at children.
โWe’re eternally grateful to the Wiltshire Reform party for their donation,โ a spokesperson for Picturedrone said, โI mean, who needs equality, basic morals, Trowbridge’s Oden, or a health service, when you can stuff hotdogs while watching โ1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Storyโ on the big screen, in the comfort of your own town, yell abusive gibberish and puke Wetherspoons lager into your popcorn?โ
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Reform said, โwe’re making cinema great again. It will be like the good old days of British cinema, Zulu, Dad’s Army and The Black and White Minstrel Show. There will be snogging and fingering in the back row, and chewing gum will be squashed into every chair. Their springs will jut out of the material piercing every bottom; just as uncomfortable as our make-it-up-as-we-go manifesto. And of course, you will be allowed to smoke cigarettes inside, in fact, that’s compulsory.โ
โIf you visit the cinema in Devizes you can rest assured your family will not be exposed to dangerous leftie woke films. They will not be shown. No films of forced diversity, gendered power shifts, anything by Mark Ruffalo, or any containing boats, save perhaps โTitanicโ; just films with good old traditional family values, like โShowgirlsโ and โLolita.โ
The Ivana Trump biopic The Apprentice will be the first film screened at the reopened cinema, and is expected to attract huge interest.
A spokesperson for Devizes Town Council told Devizine they think this is, โa great initiative and an asset to our town.โ They continued to express their delight and said, โI’m looking forward to the cinema reopening and inviting Danny Kruger back to Devizes so I can kiss the hem of his petticoat in the dark. We’re grateful for Reform’s contribution. I think all Devizes Town Councillors should show their gratitude by switching their chosen party affiliation to Reform, and if they don’t, I’ll ban them from my popular Facebook page, or call Donald to carpet bomb the town, thus liberating our people from the oppressive regime of The Devizes Gardens, or Guardians, or whatever stupid name they call themselves.โ
Devizes wet wipe residents active on the Devizes Tissues (but bitter) Facebook group are said to have โshot their loadโ upon hearing the news about โsexyโ Katie Hopkinsโ appearance, as excitement builds for the town’s many gammon flagshaggers. Bert, a local fake profile, deliberately provoking poll maker and anchor with a capital W is said to be โbesides himself,โ likely because no one else would.ย
Hopefully, by next April Fools Day a visit to the cinema in Devizes will be a usual occurrence, and we will all be marching there in Nigel Faragรผhrer football kit uniform. Thank you, Reform, and the Russian oligarchs who are gaslighting your fascist propaganda. I’m so happy about the cinema and its โfree fagsโ policy, and, being as thick as a Hungry Horse’s Big Plate Special slice of gammon with the political awareness of a small pickled egg, I’m voting for you now.
Featured Image:@jenimeadephotography Just another rainy Saturday afternoon in Devizes, whereby I watched a profound fellow dramatically sacrifice himself to the devil, then popped to Morrisonsโฆ
Stone Circle Music Events announced today that all proceeds of CrownFest will be donated to Wiltshire Hope & Harmonyโs Dementia Choir. CrownFest is an all-dayโฆ
If Devizes Scooter Rally has already established its base at Whistley Roadโs Park Farm and Full-Tone are moving to these new pastures, last year theโฆ
Itโs a Friday, just polishing off a big boy breakfast at New Society. Got the window seat; I ponder how beautiful Devizes Market Place looks from up here, and how we often take it for granted. Thereโs Ben Reed, Wiltshire Councillor for Devizes North, waving at me from below; heโs coming up for carrot cake, and to chew the fat over the first year with the Liberal Democrats at the helm of Wiltshire Councilโฆ. priorities; not till Iโve finished my sausages!
There was minimal bumps driving here, in comparison to how it has been. The Council are slowly playing catch up with our dilapidated roads, but potholes remains firm on my agenda, because while the main roads are getting TLC, it feels like Devizes is being left out. Despite a lesser public issue visibly, isnโt the spiralling costs of social care more important than potholes, or are the two holistically connected, if these potholes drive us to insanity?! Ben? He starts talking pubs; Iโve made a friend!
Far from being something Ben has researched, โbut,โ he started, โI think thirteen pubs might be the most of any council division in Wiltshire. It’s nice to have places to stop when you’re out and about delivering and canvassing.โ For the record, it was relevant. I was praising the cafรฉ.
It also served as an introduction to Benโs enthusiastic bearing on the area he manages, explaining its diversity he continued, โthere’s quite a lot of social housing, retirement complexes, and all the businesses. So, quite a lot going on.โ
It is through this enthusiasm Iโll acknowledge while the public are keen to pick easy targets, like potholes, thereโs so many other duties to being a Councillor we rarely contemplate. Ben told me he was due to meet an elderly lady straight after this who lives in Long Street and finds it difficult getting around town. โI’m going to try and work out what her routes are,โ he said, โand maybe look at whether there are things I can report on the My Wilts app.โ Pausing to consider pedestrians navigating our wobbly pavements might better take their chances on the dodgy roads, Iโm determined to turn him to the subject of potholes! Is Devizes being left out?!
โIt does feel a bit like that,โ Ben agreed. โfrankly, it’s going to be a problem for a while because the backlog is huge.โ I will, later in our chat, praise Ben for his Councillor Facebook page, where, unlike others, thereโs no negativity bashing the opposition, just feelgood posts, but sometimes fact is fact, the previous Conservative Wiltshire Council seriously neglected road repairs, leaving us in this state and passing the buck.
โI’ll try to steer away from being too tribal,โ Ben affirmed, โbecause I don’t think it’s very helpful, but as I understand it, there was quite a bow wave of funding in the last couple of years as the election approached. I don’t know whether there was a realisation that this was a problem, but if you go back further than that, and this isn’t this isn’t particularly a Wiltshire problem, going back to 2010, when the Conservative government first came in, local authority funding across the board was really slashed. And highways were one of the things that councils chose to take the money away from. So there was a period where we fell behind with those preventative jobs. And now we’re chasing our tails. It’s a never-ending problem, and when you get a winter like we’ve just had with so much rain and then that freezesโฆ.โ
As it being a national issue, Iโve seen better roads in other counties. Yet, we may believe Wiltshire hits the hotlist for the worst roads, probably because we use them regularly. But research suggests Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and others, long before Wiltshire gets a mention.
I could scrutinise the previous Conservative-led Wiltshire Council until suppertime, and Iโm pleased someone else now has a stab at it. But, councillors on the opposition and ex-councillors who lost their seats, are quick to raise issues visible to the public, like the pothole debacle, whereas they wouldโve avoided the subject when The Conservatives were in charge.
In considering the often unmentioned tasks, such as social care costs, exampling the Trowbridge car park fiasco, which I talked to Taylor Wright about, I worry thereโs too much time taken up with political point scoring, and the council is far more disputative and argumentative now that the Tories are on the back foot and Reform makes their impact, against all common sense. To summarise, Iโm gonna ask Ben how a council is supposed to find solutions to important and pressing countywide problems, when they spend months bickering about a carpark!
โYeah,โ Ben nods, Iโm onto something! โI found probably the least enjoyable element so far has been those council meetings. It’s difficult to see some of the tactics as anything other than obstructive, unfortunately. The way funding is and the way policies get brought forward is the council officers look at our manifesto and make suggestions and then the administration says yes, or, can we tweak this, and quite often the things we end up doing are probably the things, to be completely honest, that the Conservatives would have done if they’d if they’d still been in power, and yet they end up opposing what often are, as far as I can see, the most the most sensible measures, and the carpark is a good example, I think.โ
โIt’s a strange situation,โ Ben justifies the carpark fiasco thus, โhaving to provide free parking, and this covenant. But you’ll see this week, NCP, the big carpark developer, have gone into administration. So, if they’re not making money on carparks that they can actually charge people to park in, then you can see what a liability a carpark that we’re not allowed to charge for is. And it’s got to be rebuilt. And it’s going to cost us far more now than it would have been to incentivise the developer to knock it down and, you know, build something nice for Trowbridge.โ
I can play โrealโ journalist, try to gauge Ben for marketable controversy by name-dropping troublesome local political busybodies, but he’s not taking the bait! I’m unconcerned, for that’s never my objective. New to politics, Ben was keen to express he’d never been the opposition, so doesnโt know what it feels like. Though, he comes across as genuine, an earnest and honest guy, tucking into his carrot cake.
There’s a phrase, โa week is a long time in politics,โ maybe it’s the opposite for local politics; it’s early days for this new Wiltshire Council and perhaps, optimistically, we need to be patient to see any fruition at base level.
The carpark was only an example, I was more after dirt on the bickering. Issues regarding waste, reducing the bin collections, and Reformโs pathetic failed bid to end net zero were all hitting points for the opposition, that we discussed later in our chat. I suggested we need some education on how to reduce waste, not just waste being collected, to which he agreed.
Disappointed by the reaction from the opposition and that โthe petition that’s running doesn’t really go into detail,โ Ben was keen to talk bins, and to defend the motion. โYour black bin collections are being reduced from two weekly to three weekly,โ Ben said, but expressed, โalongside that, a weekly food waste collection is being introduced. So if you look at a six week period, people will actually be getting more for their money. There will be more collections over the year, just different collections, and hopefully there should be a lot less in the residual waste when the food waste comes out.โ Besides, he pointed out, it’s a government requirement, โwe have to we have to do it.โ
For the opposition itโs a soundbite, easy to highlight your waste collection wonโt be as regular under the Lib Dems, ย but Ben explained, โit’s just not true. One type of bin collection has been reduced, but you’ve got a new one which is a lot more frequent.Sadly, there is a bit of game playing.โ
On the general bickering, โI do find that very energy-sapping,โ Ben replied. โI try and stay away from it as much as I can. I think for the Conservative group, it’s a real change for them. It’s a period of adjustment. They’ve been in charge of Wiltshire Council pretty much from the outset. And I think, well, I hope they’ll find a bit of a friendlier way of conducting themselves. Because opposition is about fair criticism, it’s about scrutiny. They’re perfectly entitled to raise complaints. The roads, you know, it’s difficult to see how we can be criticised too much on those at the moment. Up until last month, we were working on the old Conservative budget. We’ve allocated some additional capital spend for the next few years. Hopefully we can get away from kind of reactive maintenance.โ
โJanuary, there were 2,700 pothole repairs, which is a record month ever. It’s an unwanted record, but, I think up to mid-March, they did about 5,000. And there’s normally, I think about 15,000 done a year. That’s quite a lot ahead of schedule. They’ll be concentrating on repairs until June and then hopefully they’ll get to a place where they can look at preventative maintenance. Station Road is a case in point. It’s been due for a proper resurfacing, but you can’t do that while Northgate Street is still closed. So as soon as that’s open, I’ll be pushing for Station Road to have its resurfacing, and they’ll come to Northgate Street later.โ
It makes me wonder, that they created a road repair taskforce, if the workers are allowed to think for themselves and bypass the red tape, because thatโs what appears to delay the process. You download the app, report one pothole at a time in a road of thousands, which goes through evaluation processes, paperwork, venturing out to spray-paint a square around it, or pop a cone in there. Whereas a taskforce could deal with it immediately. Because I see a repaired stretch of road, and often thereโs potholes centimetres after it! Are they restricted to deal with what it says on a piece of paperwork, and not permitted to think, โhey, we’ve got a bit of spare tarmac, we could just carry on a wee bit, and cover that trench too?!โ
โI’m told that there is a bit of leeway for that,โ Ben stressed. โPotholes get prioritised, a defect or a pothole gets categorised. So, if it’s in a particularly dangerous area, or of a particular size or depth, then it gets a P1, and it’s supposed to be repaired within 24 hours. If there’s a crew going around doing those, they probably will ignore some smaller ones and just get the ones on their list ticked off. So that’s probably why that arises. But I think in practice, if there’s a massive priority one pothole and then some quite big ones obviously visible nearby, they probably would repair those before they move on, I’d like to think. But it depends how busy they are and what they’ve got on their list for that day.โ
I canโt really argue with that, state of our roads, they must be busy bees! Ben also suggested technical issues with the MyWilts app needs reviewing, that issues raised by the public can be marked as closed even if the issue hasnโt been resolved. โI don’t think they should be closed until they’re repaired,โ he said, โwe’ll see what the review of the app comes up with, in terms of improvements.โ
Itโs not the roads though taking up the budget, annoying as it is to hit a pothole, the bigger picture is knowing vulnerable people are safely cared for. โPeople often don’t realise that the bulk of our funding, whether that’s from government or from council tax payments, is pretty much spent before we even decide what to do with it. And social care takes up a really big chunk of that. So, children’s and adults, vulnerable people’s services is, I forget the exact percentage, but it’s certainly over 60% of all Wiltshire Council’s expenditure.โ
โThat’s an ever-increasing chunk,โ Benjustified, โwhich makes it really difficult to find money for other statutory services, like library services are statutory, highways too, obviously. Once you get beyond that, you’re really having to find pennies to do things. Leisure, for instance, is not a statutory service, but Wiltshire’s managed to keep a reasonable number of leisure centres. I think, compared to some local authorities, we’ve done quite well there, building a new leisure centre in Trowbridge, which is coming on very well.โ
โBut yeah, social care is the headline thing, I think, for councils. And it’s very important to look after people who need help. I’m recently been added to the Children’s Select Committee, which is the main scrutiny committee for all the children’s services. They look at how schools are performing, school attendance, and the leisure and youth services we offer. I’m really enjoying that actually. I don’t have children, so I thought, well, maybe this isn’t the right committee for me. But no, of all the committees I’m on, I think I get most out of that. So yeah, it’s been good.โ
We talked for some time on MPs, praising Brian Matthew, and we agreed switching parties, as Danny Kruger recently did in Marlborough should meet with a by-election. But the focus needed shifting back to council level, so I asked Ben what he thought the biggest changes at Wiltshire Council has been, and how transparent they are.
โWe certainly want it to feel people are closer to their council,โ Ben responded. โThey can ask questions and get answers, and then we will be, transparent with people. Yeah, there’s criticism been levelled about, some meetings go into part two, which is confidential business. And, like the carpark, we were accused of doing things behind closed doors. But this is completely standard stuff that happened under the last administration. If there’s commercial sensitive information, then it doesn’t, or personal; if individuals are being spoken about, that isn’t going to be in the public domain. And that’s the same everywhere.โ
The opposition play on this, and it reflects badly?
โWell, it does,โ Ben agreed. โThere’s no reason why people shouldn’t take what they’re reading from them at face value. But to be honest, I wish more people would tune in to the council meetings on YouTube. Because to me, If you watch a bit of that, then it’s pretty clear, to me at least, who’s trying to get things done, and who’s trying to stop things moving forward.โ
With public engagement, prior to the meeting, Ben stressed surgeries arenโt popular. I said he shouldnโt take it personally, as they often happen during the working day, and supposed many of us, myself guilty too, prefer to have a whinge on Facebook rather than address the councillors in person!
โProbably, yeah,โ he figured.โ I want to make sure if someone does want to get in touch with me, they can. So the more channels and opportunities there are for that, the better. And that’s partly on me to go out to events and knock on people’s doors and sort my focused newsletters out three or four times a year. But, it does need someone to make the effort to drop me a line. It can be a phone call, an e-mail, a Facebook message. They can come and see me at a surgery. I am trying to do the surgeries evenings or weekends, so hopefully a bit friendlier times for people.โ
โI’ll answer comments on Facebook if I think I sensibly can. Sometimes people make comments, and you can understand why, people let off steam, but maybe they donโt know the full facts of what the issue is. And sometimes it’s complex to explain that. So it’s difficult on a Facebook message.โ
And people can take it the wrong way. It’s just words. Herein I raised the Kebab Shop fire as an example, an issue Ben confirmed had been his most pressing, and being such a complex one, has learned not to โover promise.โ He originally said the site will be demolished in February, weโre moving into April. Devizes is a lovely place, but it’s easy to think the town’s in a state, and everything that’s promised is just pie in the sky.
โWhat would be a worry for a town is if there wasn’t these developments happening,โ Ben replied, โif it wasn’t a place where developers wanted to invest and create new facilities and new homes.โ
โDevizes, seems to be moving in the right direction, and I know it’s frustrating with the delays, but I think there’s so much light at the end of the tunnel. Northgate Street, the kebab house, there’s been a perfect storm, but itโs really unfortunate in terms of the location, the type of building and the damage that was done, ended up being propped up like it was.โ
โQuite apart from the human aspect of it and the loss of business and livelihoods, and the neighbouring properties are both quite badly damaged as well. Hopefully they can get on and get it repaired. And it has dragged. If I’d been able to hire a wrecking ball and pitch up there myself, I would have done it!โ
โIt was not the easiest thing to inherit. It was six months after the fire that I won the election, and at that stage, I don’t think the owner had worked through all the insurance issues. But eventually the demolition application went in. They were supposed to do it in February, as you say. They hadn’t finalised the partition wall agreement, because they need to make sure when they knock it down that they don’t do more damage to number one and number three. And then the contractor wasn’t available until April. So we are where we are.โ
Our chat continued onto Station Roadโs resurface and its traffic flow. Ben agreed lessons needed learning between the Highway’s team and Building control team, and he raised other issues, such as the condemned old Royal Oak building.
โThey’re converting it into apartments,โ he said. โIt was a terrible state, but it’s a listed building, so it’s really good to see it getting back into use. Unfortunately, they’re going to need to close half of New Park Street to sort out the water and electricity connections. So, I’ve been talking with the traffic team at Wiltshire Council, about when is a good time; there’s no good time! I think the offer they’ve made to the developer is do it overnight, so there won’t be any closures in the day. So, we’re waiting for that to be scheduled.โ
โItโs only a short closure, but what we don’t want is any overlap with Northgate Street still being closed. So, the highways team are always balancing these things against each other.โ
It was great to meet and chat with Ben, for thereโs many issues which need clarification. Short newspaper articles on a relative single subject cannot provide as much information, and being surgeries arenโt popular and the public tend to need matchsticks to keep their eyes open watching a video of council meetings, it is all too easy to be misinformed about Wiltshire Council! I believe social media posts from the opposition parties should be taken with a pinch of salt, and while criticism is fair game, things are looking positive a year into the newly elected Lib Dem council.
Dubiously biased and ruled with an iron fist, the mighty admin of the once popular Devizes Facebook group, Devizes Issues, is using the iconic Greatโฆ
David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone. Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council used evidence, against a group of Devizes Town councillorsโ more circumstantial land grab pitch, at Wiltshire Councilโs Community Governance Review, and just like David, triumphantlyโฆ..
More war of words than any military action, though the latter would’ve made a better scoop for me, the underdogs came up trumps in a surprising result!
Rather than admit it’s for financial reasons, the Devizes Town councillors fluttered around premises such as they were rattled by messages from residentsโ misunderstandings as to what council they came under, plus staking a claim to the Lidl store, in their pitch to the council to transfer areas of the town currently run by Bishops Cannings Parish Council to Devizes Town Council instead.
But the parish council had strong evidence in their arsenal, that theyโre successful in community commitments, and used villagersโ statements to present a more heartfelt plea. They even mentioned football, for what the commendable Bishop’s Cannings FC has done for all ages and abilities with their local grassroots football team supersedes any other local club, and serves the whole community of Devizes and its many other villages.
The Committee voted by 5 votes to 3 to recommend that the semi-urban area and the rural area south of Nurtsteed School should both be retained within the Parish of Bishops Cannings.ย
Though the battle was won, it’s dubious if the war is over, for while this will not be subject to further consultation, it will go to a free vote amongst Wiltshire Councillors, likely in July.
Chair of Bishops Cannings Parish Council, Cllr Darren Bone sent a message to the residents. He said, โCllr Iain Wallis of Devizes Town Council and Simon Williams, the Town Clerk, made a joint presentation in which they tried to persuade the Committee that the only correct result would be the wholesale transfer of the semi-urban area of Bishops Cannings Parish to Devizes. They also sought the transfer of rural land south of Nursteed School. Some of the arguments were new. All were subjective and offered without evidence. They tried to convince the Committee that 1200 homes and the families of over 2000 electors would all be better off under the control of Devizes.โ
โIn response, I introduced Mr Chris Nicholls, whose letter in support of the Parish Council and the retention of the semi-urban area was included in our detailed submission to the Committee. I am indebted to Chris for his honest, passionate statement. It was well-received and carried weight.โ
โI then addressed the Committee in turn, countering the vague notions which had been put forward by representatives of Devizes Town Council. The wealth of verified, tangible evidence presented previously by Bishops Cannings Parish Council in its submission and in person was reiterated. We sought a clear and unambiguous recommendation that the Parishโs boundaries should remain as they currently were. Further agreement was sought for a change of name for the Parish.โ
But the good news for Bishops Cannings Parish Council wasn’t over yet. Unexpectedly, once the committee debated the issue, they voted to consult with both Devizes and Bishops Cannings Councils, and the public on whether two potential transfers should occur, albeit this time from Devizes Town Council to Bishops Cannings Parish. Whoa there, it’s all gone a bit Treaty of Versailles here, if Devizes has to surrender significant territory, guaranteed someone’s knickers are going to get in a twist!
Despite it being a more common occurrence, where land is urbanly adjoined to a town, community governance reviews tend to side with the town, in this case it seems it was not only a loss for the Devizes Town councillors, but a complete backfire!
Cllr Darren Bone continued his message to the people of Bishops Cannings, โToday was a good day for the Parish of Bishops Cannings, for the Council and for its 2,628 electors and their families. The Councilโs transformation, achievements and intent were universally praised by the Committee. Special thanks go to Mr Nicholls and to Cllr Philip Whitehead, our Unitary Councillor, who both spoke powerfully and eloquently.โ
Congratulations to Bishops Cannings Parish Council; treat yourself to a cupcake, while the Devizes Town councillors can have some humble pie!
The first time I heard the name Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours, I presumed their sound might be folk or blues inspired. Judging a book by its cover, because while this Wiltshire collective’s debut single How it Feels might pertain such elements, I was pleasantly surprised to find it also jumping with feelgood soul….
Taken from an upcoming album of the same name, How it Feels is brass-blowing, high energy, sunny side of the street music, and I’d wager we all need a bit of that these days.
Piano-driven rock, gripping onto early Springsteen, or Elton John even, uptempo yet melodic, with an instant and irresistible hook. Yet when I listened, I was filled with imaginations of later new wave mod, when it became the staple pop of the eighties; this wouldn’t look out of place on a Style Council album. I’ll tell you how How itFeels feels; it feels alive and kicking!
Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours are quite the expert collective. Dave Turner is the bluebearded frontman pianist, Helen Robertson plays cello and adds those soulful backing vocals with Phil Cooper, who is also on bass.
All backed by guitarist Rich Godfrey and drummer Coby Franklin-Turner. The brass section knocking the energy into this song is provided by trumpeter and flugel horn player John Hare.
Shame I missed them at 7 Hills last weekend now I’ve heard this cracking single, but made up they’ll be at our newly opened The Fold this Friday, 27th March, at The Lamb in Devizes, with JP Oldfield in support. It’s free, hope to see you there?!
It was back in October when we revealed CrownFest at The Crown in Bishopโs Cannings was returning this summer, and January when we last mentioned it, because the organisers Stone Circle announced that its proceeds will be donated to Wiltshire Hope & Harmonyโs Dementia Choir. I like to tease you during those cold winter months, and get us looking forward to warmer days coming…..
Now the time is nearly upon us; frosty starts but some glorious sunshine brings a sigh of relief, as spring has sprung. Time to remind ourselves of some of the local festivals on our horizon, but this isnโt about simply regurgitating what weโve already said about CrownFest, because thereโs been a few updates since, worthy of your attentionโฆ..
What is new, is that the music will be presented over two stages rather than the single stage. Acoustic acts will be in the marquee, while bigger bands will be soundchecking and warming up on the main stage. This is great news, for continuous entertainment, and youโd have to wonder otherwise, just how theyโd squeeze so many acts into just one day.
And, before I waffle too far, that one day is the 4th July 2026; closer than you might think!
Tickets available HERE. A standard adult is only ยฃ32, children are ยฃ10, and thereโs a ยฃ75 family bundle option too.
So, what Iโve already told you: Kinishaโs renowned Simply the Best Tina Turner Tribute and Adam & The Ants tribute Ant Trouble headline, closely followed by Wiltshireโs premier indie-pop favourites and winners of six Wiltshire Music Awards, Talk in Code. Purveyors of Irish & Celtic folk The Publicans will also be playing, along with Salisburyโs rock cover band Innovator, rock covers band Tipsy Gypsies, the one and only George Wilding, Mother Ukes, and the blooming marvelous Lucas Hardy.
And if all that isnโt already enough, what you might not have noticed, is some fantastic additional acts recently added. Firstly, the sublime Ruby Darbyshire is now on the lineup, who is worth the ticket price alone! Young Calne singer-songwriter, Braydon Lee, is a name on everyoneโs lips right now, we fondly reviewed his latest single, and heโs coming too. Eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist Dylan Bratley also made the team; a new name to us but Iโve just checked out his rather cool Noah Kahan cover on TikTok, looking forward to hearing him live.
Lastly, is an upcoming Salisbury sixth form band, organiser Eddie Prestidge likened to Nothing Rhymes With Orange, called Five Nights at Adyans. The Salisbury Journal recently mentioned them playing Wiltshire Creativeโs โGlow with the Flowโ event for young musicians at Salisbury Art Centre. They revealed โthe band is composed of four boys, Jasper Hill, Owen Morgan, Thomas Clark, and Toby Allen, who are all currently in Lower Sixth at Bishop Wordsworthโs school, and have been friends since they were in Year Seven. The influence behind their name is a play on the famous video game โFive Nights at Freddyโsโ, combined with the influence from their classmate called Adyan, whom they often bring up on stage.โย
This kind of leaves me wondering what Adyan does, if heโs like a young Bez from the Happy Mondays, and if he will show up at CrownFest! Adyan or no Adyan, CrownFest is getting better and better, the latest poster unusually puts the lesser-known acts above the headliners, showing a real dedication to upcoming performers, and thatโs a great look! All roads lead to Bishops Cannings this coming 4th July…. get on one of them!
The difference between punk and goth is that as a punk you reject society, as a goth society rejects you. Being society lives mostly online today, that’s probably why my spam filter assumes proposals from exiled middle eastern princes to deposit bitcoin into my bank, and machines to extend oneโs manhood are of interest to a regional entertainment blog, but a local goth duo’s new album should be hidden in a spam folder.
Algorithms now pressure me into having to rush this out, despite noting on social media, Deadlight Dance are releasing their third album, Vox Populi tomorrow (Friday 20th March), which they launched at The White Bear in Devizes last Sunday. Have Nick and Tim got in the humph with me?!
They are Eurythmics-covering retro goths after all, who seem to be dealing with the apocalypse with new songs and a spot of gardening. I’ve always been nice about what they do and thought the feeling was mutual! Not at all; seems after a quick Facebook message, the glitch is real, and the email was discovered; and just like the issues Nick and Tim describe, โthe populist rhetoric, the age of the oligarch where the rapid development of A.I. and deepfakery is upending reality, and โstraight-talkingโ chancers who claim to represent the majority are stoking the smouldering embers of fascism,โ these are the depressing first world problems which need addressing, and with them in mind, isnโt it overdue to rekindle the era of the goth spirit?
Recorded as usual at Mooncalf Studio with legendary purple-bearded producer Nick Beere, it feels at times as if Deadlight Dance are canvassing for compassion as humanity gears up to vote for the collapse of civilised society. โItโs dark,โ agrees Nick Fletcher, โbut there is hope there. You donโt talk about these things unless you want to do something about it.โ
โLight and shade,โ says his partner in sound, Tim Emery. โHopefully thereโs something forย everyone. For some people, everything will be for them.โ
With all edgy synths blazing, Gloss opens Vox Populi, dramatically and attacking the beauty industry, its harmful lies and unrealistic standards in an era most pop stars are encouraging them. We reviewed this as a single last October, where I vowed to shave my eyebrows off and draw them back on with a Sharpie. The exploitative nature of the cosmetics industry, the first deep and eerie original song of eight, which speak of algorithmic existences; gaslighting by the elite, the paradox of โhumaneโ food production, identities and the preconceptions that can shape them, the corporatisation of the militaryโฆ and gardening.
โThere are some important horticultural and botanical references,โ says Nick, reassuringly. The poisonous evergreen shrub Daphne odora, being an example, as the second tune, a poignant plodding shoegazer and followed by a surprisingly jocund ballad which gracefully reminds of the playful moments of The Cure.
Red Flags warns of danger, but takes no prisoners, Lachrymal is as dismayed as Fields of the Nephilim, Glass Walls is uptempo, furious and robust by design, an enclosed space frameless and seamless, but perhaps not maximising natural light, for thatโs simply not goth!
The Theatre of Absurd thuds us back into the dark, with anticipatory anxiety and New Order beats. Followed by the first of two cover songs, Eurythmicsโ Sweet Dreams. Deadlight Dance comforts you here with familiarity and reminiscence, but stamp their own authoritative pounce on this, and the second, Princeโs When You Were Mine, both of which feature guest vocalist Sian and drummer Mike Dymond, the latter of whom first played with Nick and Tim when they were sixth formers.
Thereโs an underlying retro sensation with all that Deadlight Dance produces, that not all electronica was lost to Stock Aitken Waterman, and neither will it be with smug grinned Simon Cowell. And something wholly satisfying that post punk artists of yore inspired Nick and Tim to form a band, and, acne replaced by wrinkles, thirty years later, amidst a global pandemic and a growing whirlwind of social and political chaos, they felt that the time was right to continue the journey. But what is more, is that younger punk bands, like those gravitating towards DIY labels like Sketchbook, are continuing the theme, and, I reckon, would take Deadlight Dance with similar respect to the aforementioned post-punk artists who inspired Nick and Tim. At least they should if or when they hear this album.
While there is always a coherent thought process behind them all, their previous releases, 2024โs acoustic covers album The Wiltshire Gothic, and the literature-themed EP Chapter & Verse of the same year, held a running theme more rigidly. The dystopian or unnerving observations of the modern era subjects behind Vox Populi is subtler, and this feels like the fashion of their debut Beyond Reverence, only with the natural progression, experience and diligence of those three years. And it shows, this is a most excellent album, once again.
Vox Populi is released worldwide to stream, and own as a CD, vinyl LP and download,ย through Ray Records on Friday 20th March. Check out details on their website HERE.
Christmas has come early for foxes and normal humans with any slither of compassion remaining, as the government announced the righteous move to ban trailโฆ
Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โEโ) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโฆ
Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing theirโฆ
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in theโฆ
Part 1: An Introduction March 1936: newlywed French telecommunications engineer Pierre Schaeffer relocates to Paris from Strasbourg and finds work in radio broadcasting. He embarksโฆ
Yesterday Wiltshire Council published an โupdateโ on the lane closure on Northgate Street in Devizes as the fire which caused it reaches its first anniversary.โฆ
Right here, right now in Devizes, Palooza spawned and has become the fast-growing house music event brand in Wiltshire. They’ve beenย invited backย to perform atย Fatboy Slimโs All Back To Minehead 2026, following a standout appearance at last yearโs event. The highly anticipated festival takes placeย 6โ9 November 2026ย and brings together some of the biggest names in dance music for a full weekend of music, energy and unforgettable moments…..
Joining an exceptional lineup that includesย DJ EZ, Erol Alkan, Horse Meat Disco, Simon Pegg, Sarah Story, Darren Emerson, Eats Everything, Kirollus, Olive F, Woody Cook, Elliot Schooling, Liam Palmer, Krafty Kuts, Dr Banana, Arielle Freeย and many more, Palooza will once again bring its signature blend ofย house, classics, anthems and underground soundsย to the iconic Minehead weekender.
Known for itsย high-energy dancefloors and community-driven atmosphere, Palooza has built a strong reputation on the UKโs underground scene, making its return to All Back To Minehead a significant milestone for the brand. The invitation back to the lineup reflects the impact of last yearโs performance and the growing recognition of Paloozaโs unique sound and vibe.
โWeโre buzzing to be invited back,โ said Greg Spencer from Palooza. โLast year was incredible, and to return alongside such a huge lineup is a real honour. Weโre bringing even more energy this time.โ
All Back To Minehead continues to be one of the UKโs most celebrated dance music weekends, combining world-class DJs with a unique holiday atmosphere and a packed schedule of activities across the resort.
Join the St Johnโs Choir and talented soloists for a heart-warming evening of festive favourites, carols, and candlelit Christmas atmosphere this Friday 12 th Decemberโฆ
This afternoon I find myself contemplating what the future holds for historical discovery and learning for all ages, fun and educational exhibits and events inโฆ
Featured Image: Barbora Mrazkova My apologies, for Marlboroughโs singer-songwriter Gus Whiteโs debut album For Now, Anyway has been sitting on the backburner, and itโs moreโฆ
Having to unfortunately miss Devizesโ blues extravaganza on Friday, I crossed the borderline on Saturday to get my prescribed dosage of Talk in Codeโฆwith aโฆ
No, I didnโt imagine for a second they would, but upcoming Take the Stage winners, alt-rock emo four-piece, Butane Skies have released their second song,โฆ
Featured Image by Giulia Spadafora Ooo, a handclap uncomplicated chorus is the hook in Lady Ladeโs latest offering of soulful pop. Itโs timelessly cool andโฆ
Spring is on its way, and we’re looking forward to a season of great live music across the county. You’ve only got to keep your best eye on our ever-updating event calendar to realise the vast and varying options open to you. But here, in Devizes, there’s one particular place I’m personally excited about, the return of The Foldโฆ.
Organised principally by JP Oldfield, the legendary Fold returns with open mic nights on the first Tuesday of each month, Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours headline a freebie with JP in support on Friday 27th March, and the one and only Gaz Brookfield returns to The Fold in a blaze of glory on the 5th June.
But with JPโs reputation spreading like wildfire, he cannot always be at The Fold; I mean, we were just chatting about him supporting Imarhan at Bristolโs The Fleece on Monday, and the many other gigs heโs getting in the area. So, between Bluebeard and Gaz, and not for my ego, well, not entirely, I’m delighted Devizine can be involved with this project.
A Devizine takeover at The Fold, on Friday 24th April, that’s what I’m here to tell you about; bung it your diary now! It’s been too long since we’ve put a gig on. This is happening, the only requirement needed from you is to please support it. In order to encourage your excitement to match my own, we’ve done two things.
Firstly, while we need to fund it somehow, we’re keeping ticket prices as low as possible. Just like it was 1979, this is a pay what you can gig, but I plead that you consider this at the door, that the more you can pay the more we can give you in return, rebuild the Fold, and provide Devizes with some great acts in a comfy, intimate venue and at affordable prices. Please, flash a little cash, not for me, but for our musicians.
My second objective, and I know JP and I are singing off the same songsheet on this even if his singing is ten thousand miles above my own breathtaking shower concertos, is to bring to Devizes the amazing acts we see elsewhere, who haven’t yet made a Devizes debut, or who have rarely played here before. Musicians and bands which I think, โthe good folk in Devizes would love this, they deserve to see this!โ And that’s precisely what we’ve done for our first Fold takeover.
We’re hosting two local upcoming singer-songwriters, firstly Meg, or M3G as she prefers, who I’ve been waffling on about for ages, with deserved praise, and my daughter scribbled a great interview with her some years ago.
M3G is an indie folk singer-songwriter from Chippenham. Her music mixes authentic lyrics with soaring vocals. Recently supporting the likes of Frank Turner, Jools Holland, Gaz Brookfield and The Lottery Winners. A regular at Trowbridgeโs Pump, the venue now run by Kieran J Moore, who created Sheer Music at this very venue, The Fold; small world.
Her bio also says she’s โdescribed as, โBeautiful and Captivatingโ by a local music magazine,โ which I’m suspicious was me! And โshe brings a unique perspective and humour to the stage,โ which sums it perfectly, if I do say so myself! Her recent singles, like โRooksโ , were produced by Phil Cooper, who you should know from The Lost Trades, and also will be at the Fold with Bluebeard on the 27th March; again, small world!
M3G’s style is uniquely wonderful and personal, something I advise you really need to see for yourself; hereโs your chance. I also introduce you to Take the Stage finalist Seren, a Warminster based young folk singer-songwriter with a voice you wonโt forget.ย
Seren performs a mixture of original songs and covers. โMy favourite covers to perform are Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, and Black Star by Radiohead,โ she tells me. โI first started performing in May 2024, and since then I have performed at CorFest 2025, Swinterfest, and have supported Irish folk musicians in Salisbury including The Henry Girls, Daoirรญ Farrell, and Tim Eady and Mike McGoldrick. I am inspired by a mix of artists/musicians and genres such as folk, indie, pop, indie rock, and jazz.โ
Both of a similar age, M3G and Seren have worked together before, supporting each other, and after performing solo, promise to duet in a rare finale session. I canโt wait, I advised MantonFest to book Meg a couple of years ago, but I believe this will be both their Devizes debuts. I hope you can join me in bringing these two sublime performers to town and really give them the warmest of Devizes welcomes, on the 24th April; put it in your diaries now!!
Facebook event thingy, here, let us know you’re coming. If you are coming, I promise not to sing myself. Oh, and give the Facebook page a follow too, for updates there.
Hurrah, at last! Only The Brave is the debut song from Burn The Midnight Oilโs revised lineup; something Iโve been anticipating since watching them rehearse at Devizesโ HK Studios, just before last yearโs Awards. But if my expectations of a recording from this new Devizes based phenomenon was perched on the summit of the highest mountain, gaining a sneaky preview before its release on Friday (13th March) far from disappointed, in fact Iโm now soaring above cloudsโฆ.
I know pressing a CD is a financial risk for any upcoming band against bunging it on streaming platforms, but Iโd urge them to go for it. In the relatively short time Burn The Midnight Oil have been gigging under this current format, theyโve become the kind of band youโd see live and make haste for their merch stand in hope to return home grasping a piece of what you just experienced. Based on this first of a few singles coming out of Martin Spencerโs Badger Set Studio in Potterne, a compilation album would be a real keepsake.
Itโs hasty and gearing, a rich and refreshing design on a timeless formula; the folk-rock-blues combo conveying enduring, moreish and matured pop, with that driving beat, with that irresistible rolling guitar riff, and with the smooth-as-velvet female vocals soothing a biting narrative. Causal listening itโs feelgood, but in depth itโs fighting against the odds and rising above adversities.
Itโs the song for the comeback scene of an epic movie. Youโre on the edge of your seat, identifying with the character, either relating your own experiences, or more simply distinguishing their plight is their drive, but you cannot sympathise, because like Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor, or Natasha Bedingfield, sheโs weaponised it, risen above it regardless, and taken control of her own destiny; Alanis Morissette of Devizes.
Yet the most marvellous thing about Only the Brave is, Chrissy โSteenโ Chapman can equally hold the vocal power of any of the aforementioned female big hitters, kick the meaning behind the song into touch, and her backing band accompanies her with such tight precision, itโs something to behold. In essence, it has the perfect combination for the memorable and relevant tune you wonโt mind having stuck in your head!
I cannot wait to hear the others, but for now, pre-save this beauty HERE. Find them rootin and tootin their thing live by following them on Facebook, HERE.ย Attend CapFest as seen below, for their next Devizes show.
Words by Ollie MacKenzie. Featured Image by Barbora Mrazkova.ย The creative process can be a winding, long, and often confusing journey. Seeing a project comeโฆ
Whoโs ready for walking in the winter wonderland?! Devizes sets to magically transform into a winter wonderland this Friday when The Winter Festival and Lanternโฆ
One part of Swindon was in perfect harmony last night, and I donโt mean the traffic circumnavigating the Magic Roundabout. Rather The Lost Trades wereโฆ
If your average Tuesday night in Devizes might feel like The Day The Earth Stood Still, it certainly felt this way for me yesterday; I was at an open mic, down The Foldโฆ..
Yeah, you read that right, the back room of The Lamb which launched Kieranโs Sheer Music a decade or so ago, a Devizes to Trow-Vegas success story many hold fond memories of. Since then it seems itโs been rather dormant up there, so Iโm sure it will come as a delight to many to hear this once popular, intimate space is reopening, because this open mic night is only the beginning.
The open mic will continue, each first Tuesday of the month, and the weekends hopes to see regular affordable ticketed gigs. Iโve got to stop saying โTuesdayโ now, because in my mind Iโm voicing it as Miranda, probably because Iโm a smidgen over-excited to bring you this fantastic news!
The project has been masterminded by Sally at the Lamb, who has renovated the Fold, and Josh Oldfield, who will be running nights there. Furthermore, on occasions when Josh is gigging elsewhere, Devizine is allowed to use it, and in a joint venture, we hope to bring some great gigs to town.
The legend that is Gaz Brookfield returns to The Fold in a blaze of glory on the 5th June, with our faithful JP in support. But the Fold opens earlier; officially on Friday 27th March, when piano-driven pop-rock trio, Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours headline with JP again in support. This one is free, save a tip jar for the acts.
Devizineโs first night hosting there will be Friday 24th April.
Iโm sorting it out now, do not fear! My concept is to bring in some exciting new and original acts to Devizes, or at the very least ones who have rarely played here, despite me bashing on about them within the pages of Devizine! Starting with an acoustic folk night; save the date, for we have two of Chippenhamโs finest young singer-songwriters, Meg and Seren promising to play for us on the 24th April.
Meg, Image by Kiesha
Details on this and other gigs at the Fold will follow. For now letโs just say last night was a great start to reinventing the venue. A humble and hospitable evening, as most open mics are; shame I rarely get to attend any because they usually occur on weekday evenings.
With performers at opposite sides of the timeline, a promising acoustic guitar sporting Billy went first, followed by Ronnie unplugged with an electric. Eyebrows were raised further when young bassist, Meadow, backed Ed Dowdeswell, stepson of Jamie R Hawkins, who, though containing elements of brilliant songwriting and riffs clearly rubbed off from Jamie, is carving a name for himself independently, and quite rightly so.
A smidgen more mature musicians, Jim and Ray, blessed us with some folk-blues covers. And between them and our wonderful Sammi Evans, Sammiโs son Kristian also sang quite wonderfully for the very first time; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Sammi is always a delight to see live, but her set ended abruptly due to guitar string snap, and golden axeman Brian took his place and pumped some gorgeous blues covers our way; Big Mamma Thornton, though, nicely placed sir!
Young Amelia may have been penultimate on the roster, but was the ultimate voice, and known throughout the free world of Devizes, Gordy and Tim polished this fantastic inaugural reopening of The Fold off expertly. I left feeling this will be something very special added to our busy live music circuit here in Devizes, and I hope to see you there soon!
Grand opening with Bluebeard and the Desperate Hours and JP Oldfield will be free on 27th March. The next open mic is due April 2nd. We take over with Meg and Seren on 24th April, Gaz arrives on 5th June, and thereโs more to follow; exciting news!ย Open mics are just nice, aren’t they?!
Raging expressions of angered feminist teenage anguish this month, perfectly delivered by Steatopygous via their mindblowing debut album Songs of Salome, I hail as theโฆ
Itโs nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโs Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil andโฆ
Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts key into the town’s majority demographic for its first annual event of the year, mature couples, with an affection for sampling the widest varieties of beers and ales. In this The Winter of Festive Ales may function parochially, but is not only extremely popular and is revitalising from the torpor of winter, it also raises vital funds for DOCA to stage more family-driven events freely throughout the coming yearโฆ..
Cabaret and music acts usually perform, yet are secondary in importance to the sampling of the booze for the average amateur connoisseur attending; no issue there, because that’s the ethos of the event. In reviewing an event my top priority is awarded if it โdoes what it says on the tin.โ The Winter of Festive Ales at the Corn Exchange received top marks in that department, we tried maple syrup and blueberry stouts, mango cider and plenty of other interesting and delicious fusions selected by Stealth Brewery, The Southgate and The Pour House, and Padfield Porkies pies are undeniably knockout.
With cabaret it can therefore be quirky and perhaps out on a limb, which I’d consider a deliberately lethargic roller-skater, a ragamuffin Basil Brush styled wolf, and a chequered suit bloke putting four ping-pong balls in his mouth is; the drink influences greater belly laughs. But for the music, one might opt for the demographic’s preferred genres, of blues or roots driven prog rock.
Being honest the fact Talk in Code headlined this year surprised but delighted me, with their original eighties-nineties indie-pop fusion, but I didn’t need ponder if this was the best choice, because, yet again, Talk in Code proved they fit into any box, without even having to change their set to suit. They more simply, do what they do, and it’s infectious to all.
Said this before, where Talk in Code can charm a food festival, fete, or anywhere from a Pride festival to a bike meet. They come up trumps at FullTone, supporting an eighties tribute like The Pet Shop Boys Actually, and equally thrill at grassroots venues such as Bradford-on-Avon’s Three Horseshoes. Though I might advise it is best to see Talk in Code in Swindon where their fanbase is largest and the vibes alight most, for every random event across the nation they display their sublime sound, and forthcoming personas at, the positivity in their style rubs off, building to a phenomenon, known only too well by their adoring fanbase, the Talkers.
You can find the Talkers at any Talk in Code gig, they reside at the front attired in merch, encouraging other punters to dance. Else, afterwards they’ll chat with band members like family. Unlike a pop band who might hide in a green room, they mingle. Aside from the hive mind of their fans, though, there’s a dedicated corporate identity, a brand with clever marketing which supports the music. This completes the Talk in Code effect, displayed triumphantly, even here, at the Winter of Festive Ales in Devizes last night.
The event splits into two ticketed sessions, one quieter in the afternoon for the real ale connoisseurs to rap about body, fruitiness and alcohol content, the later evening session more lively and entertaining. Yep, Talk in Code will deliver this with bells on.
For the average punter whose kids have likely fled the nest, the early start time of the evening session might suit as more ale can, and will be consumed. For us with teenagers in need of picking up from Saturday jobs, feeding and watering, it unfortunately meant we missed The Wholesome Soul Duo and some cabaret. And I was looking forward to this soul duo, who often take the early Sunday gig at The Southgate, having yet to cross them off my must-see list. I know a raffle must come towards the end, but if I remain slightlyย dubious about the arrangement of acts, thinking Talk in Code could’ve finalised the evening, rather than winding it down too early, and The Wholesome Soul Duo be pushed to a later slot than 6pm, that’s only due to personal commitments. Itโs a quality, well-organised and enjoyable event with plenty of time for quantities of alcohol consumption, which confirms Devizes is a town of culture; drinking culture at least! Whatever the outcome of an award, residents here know it is.
And this is the just opening, the beginning of a year of seasonal events across the town, either blossoming or established, many of which, with a sprinkling of dedicated volunteers, DOCA will stage, host and gift to, not only the population, but attracting visitors from afar. For this alone, we love and thank everyone who comes together to make DOCA a thing. The Winter of Festive Ales is vital to the funding of it, and remains to be a fantastic, Devizes fashioned occasion worthy of your hard-earned cash.
In thanking everyone who supported this year’s Wiltshire Music Awards, Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events revealed his intentions of continuing with the awardsโฆ
Featured Image: Lillie Eiger Frome Festival is launching itsย โ25 for 25โย fundraising campaign with a very special concert featuring three locally based acts:ย Tom Mothย โ best knownโฆ
Iโve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quinโฆ
Rolling out a Barrelhouse of fun, you can have blues on the run, tomorrow (7th November) when Marlborough’s finest groovy vintage blues virtuosos Barrelhouse releaseโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ben Swann and Ian Diddams Self-appointed โMoroseโ Mark Harrison was once again on totally top form at Komedia last Sunday entertainingโฆ
Wiltshire Council confirmed Blue Badge holders can park freely in council-operated car parks again, following a vote at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 21โฆ
Featured Image Credit: Jamie Carter Special guests Lightning Seeds to Support Forest Live, Forestry Englandโs summer concert series presented with Cuffe & Taylor, has announcedโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 entered an exciting new era when Stone Circle Music Events announced was as official sponsor and organiser. Backed by their Galway, Ireland office, the company continues to grow as a major force in event production in the South West of England.…
Joining them are theย Kingston Group, bringing extensive industry experience within Wiltshire. Together the partnership will build on the success of 2025, and deliver an enhanced awards experience.
This yearโs Wiltshire Music Award ceremony will feature upgraded audio-visual production, large screens, professional camera coverage, an experienced compรจre, and a headline star appearance. A new county-wide marketing campaign will ensure the entire region is engaged.
Committed to rotating locations, The Wiltshire Music Awards 2026 ceremony will be held at White Horse View Events Centre, beneath the iconic Westbury White Horse, hosting up to 400 guests seated at tables.
Nominations open on the 1st May, and close 1st June 2026, with the Awards Ceremony due to take place on Saturday 26th September 2026.
Seeking Volunteers
The Wiltshire Music Awards are seeking volunteers, and invite anyone who cares about local artists, live venues, grassroots music, and giving people a platform to shine, to contact them. Together we wish to deliver the countyโs biggest celebration of live music and grassroots talent.
We would truly love to hear from you, whether you have experience in event planning or simply a passion and some time to give, your contribution could help make 2026 our most inclusive and inspiring year yet.
Please get in touch at: hello@wiltshiremusicevents.uk
Perform at the Wiltshire Music Awards Evening
We are now inviting talented artists from across Wiltshire to take the stage at our upcoming Awards Evening. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your music, celebrate the local scene, and perform in front of an engaged live audience.
If you perform anywhere in the county of Wiltshire and would like to be part of this special night, weโd love to hear from you.
To express your interest, please email: patrick@stonecirclemusicevents.uk
Yes! Wakemansโ Journey To The Centre of Devizes!
by Andy Fawthrop
Rumours are swirling round that D-Town is about to launch a bid to be named the UK Town of Culture, and you have to think that we have to be in with a chance. Letโs face it – any competition that doesnโt use the state of the local roads as one of its yardsticks has to be worth entering….
And, as if by magic, up pops an event that, once again, proves that weโre punching above our weight.ย Weโve already highlighted here in Devizine some of the amazing stuff thatโs coming up over the coming months that will put us in with a shout, but last night at the Corn Exchange just went to prove what we can do here in our little town if we put our mind to it.
Despite relatively little advertising of the event, over 400 people snapped up tickets to see the return of rock legend Rick Wakeman to the stage last night, in a one-off โwarm-upโ gig for his forthcoming US tour, this time accompanied by son Oliver.ย I guess it was a case of โIf You Knew, You Knewโ, and the event was a complete sell-out from weeks ago.ย The room was so packed that the sound guys had to set up shop in the hallโs kitchen area and to work their magic through the hatch.ย It was a bit tight in there, but we were all friends, so that didnโt matter one little bit.
The Wakemans are no strangers to this particular stage.ย Rick appeared here a couple of years back with his outfit KGB (another cracking night that was), and his other son Adam has twice appeared with his band Jazz Sabbath (also highly recommended).ย Looks like Longcroft Productions have got the inside track with the Wakeman family.
Rickman senior breezed onto the stage, belying his 76 years, and proceeded to wow the room with his first piece on the grand piano. He was shortly followed by elder son Oliver, and the two keyboard wizards then proceeded to deliver a two-hour plus show of absolutely stunning musicianship. Moving easily between the five different keyboards on stage, the two men played a wide range of pieces including both relatively recent compositions, as well a goodly smattering of block-busters from the huge back catalogue. And Rick told us that as a โwarm-upโ it was chance for them to experiment a little. โYouโre getting more here than the Americans are going to get. You deserve it more than they do!โ Cue rapturous applause.
Image: Oliver Wakeman
It wasnโt just the music though. Father and son are both born raconteurs, and interspersed the items on the set list with some wonderful anecdotes. We had stories of rescue dogs, marriages and weddings, of the Wakeman parents, of encounters with unwilling pub landlords, and even of previous encounters with our local Moonrakers. Some of which might help explain why โHow Much Is That Doggy In The Window?โ and โSweet Georgia Brownโ made short, yet unsurprising appearances in the set-list. There was a lovely running gag about the exact date of Oliverโs birth, and how old he was at various times in the stories. And it was great to see the obvious warmth and respect between the two men.
And of course there was plenty of time across the two hours (interrupted only by what Rick referred to as โthe Bladder Breakโ) to explore themes from their musical pasts. Both men have featured at various times in the different line-ups of Prog superstars Yes, from the 1970s onwards. So there was a mash-up arrangement named โThe Yes Suiteโ, followed by several of Rickโs solo ventures – โThe Six Wives of Henry VIIIโ, โMyths & Legends of King Arthurโ, and the stunning โJourney To The Centre Of The Earthโ. We also journeyed round some older stuff from The Strawbs and David Bowieโs โLife On Marsโ.
Musically it was an absolute master-class. To say that these guys know their way around a keyboard is to massively understate just how good they were. As a nightโs entertainment it was engrossing. Of course there was plenty of whooping and cheering, and a standing ovation. And of course there was a two-hander encore. Can I give it more than ten out of ten? I would if I could.
And before the Wakemans finally disappear into the night, swirling cloaks and hair about their persons, just a word about the back-room boys. You donโt get fabulous nights out like this without an enormous amount of background work and logistics. So hats off to Paul Chandler of Longcroft Productions for even daring to bring this one off show to D-Town. And hereโs also to the piano suppliers, to the piano-tuner, to the sound and light guys, to Wadworth for sponsoring, to the Corn Exchange staff and to the small army of volunteers. A true team effort to bring together a really amazingly good night. Bravo to all concerned.
Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโs already racing upโฆ
It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโs young indie band Between The Linesโ demo singleโฆ
A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโs bitter about not getting his dream jobโฆ.. If this mysterious dudeโsโฆ
Itโs not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have doneโฆ
If Devizesโ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโs Park Farm for next summerโs extravaganza, what better way to give it the rusticโฆ
โChicagoโ is a stand out example of the musical theatre genre โ great songs, great characters, great murdersโฆ It’s the story of Roxie Hart, slayer of her lover, her perennial doormat husband Amos Hart, her fellow murderess prison sidekick/enemy Velma Kelly, and those in authority Mama Morton the prison governess and defence attorney Billy Flynn.
Stage Coachโs โFurther Stagesโ group of teens present this teen edition of this blockbuster musical at the Wharf Theatre this week, under the direction of Rhea Burke and production of Freddie and Chris Underwood.
Itโs a fast-paced show incorporating the full triple threat of acting, singing and dance and the cast do not disappoint โ to the extent that itโs difficult to split any of those three as โbestโ. Whether complex harmonies and split timings from ensemble singing, excellent characterisation from the principals or the outstanding ensemble choreography the troupe should be proud of what they have createdโฆ for many of them it is their first foray onto a full theatre stage with tech.
Isla Brett plays Roxie Hart to a tee โฆ demure, frustrated but ultimately ambitious, and Darcey Scully contrasts wonderfully as Velma Kelly, sassy, forward and driven. Freya Osborne sleazes her way as Mama Morton, and Leon Marshall smooths slickly as the slickly smooth Billy Flynn. Olivier Baran contrasts believably as the underdog and love-struck Amos Hart.
Isla and Leon work sublimely together as ventriloquist and dummy in the press conference scene โ itโs a standard scene of course but the two pull it off perfectly, Isla especially superb as the frozen, shiny faced doll at Billy Flynnโs control in โWe both reached for the gunโ.
The rest of the cast โ Antonia Harvey, Evelyn Brewer, Keri-Ann Bridgeman, Antonia Harvey, Evelyn Morris, Mollie Wright, Aimee Self and Safiya Reda โ move from multiple characters while singing and dancing โฆ the press, death row murderesses, public and minor principals Mary Sunshine, Fred Casely, Fogarty and clerk.
The set is a simple and delightful black box, dressed with silvery drapes to rear, stage blocks and two chairs. The side walls display mock Chicago newspaper front pages declaring the various inmates’ alleged murdersโฆ Full credit must be given to the costume team of Wacky Wardrobe and the Wharf in-house teamโฆ flapper dresses to the fore, sharp suit for Flynn and suitably dweeby looks for Amos to mention a few.
โChicagoโ is a BIG show to put on with its physical demands especially, and iconic numbers, and Stage Coach delivers with aplomb here. Itโs a show that gives its audience everything โฆ passion, pathos, and prisonโฆ and โAll That Jazzโ.
No one knows why, apparently, but fish are dying in our canal; everyone says wait for the EA report, except for the fish. A town full of road works, burnt out buildings and roads which look like weโve suffered a doodlebug air raid, but thereโs glitch in the Matrix; itโs temporarily stopped chucking it down with a perpetual drizzle of ice rain, and I saw a cold early-rising hedgehog this morning. When I see my first hedgehog I assume spring might yet be on its way; chin up.
The Government (should you wish to call it that) has launched the first ever UK Town of Culture competition, and Devizes Town Council thinks weโre in for a chance here; best of luck with that! Town Councillors are looking to collaborate with local groups, organisations and individuals in putting together an Expression of Interest that showcases our amazing community spirit and the rich story we have to tell as a Town; thereโs work to be done!
Councillors are holding an initial meeting on Thursday 26th February at 6pm in the Assembly Room at the Town Hall and it is open to everyone who is interested in collaborating on this project. A big yes to this, whatever we can do to help …..without having to attend a town council meeting, just ask!
Meanwhile, rather than fix their problems, other town councils, like Melksham’s, are making national news sellotaping pictures of the journalists they donโt like very much onto punchballs for embarrassingly pathetic potshots, namely Joe McCann of Melksham News.
We have a good relationship with Joe at Melksham News here at Devizine; the butt of a seriously pathetic joke at Melksham Town Council simply for doing his job has seriously backfired. Donโt mess with the press, we stand united. Could this become a trend? I wonder who’s face might get onto a punchball at Devizes Town Council?!
Moi? I’d be honoured, mโlord!!
No, look, honest guv, or .gov.uk, Iโm here to help. I don’t want a medal, but think we can PROVE Devizes is actually a great place to live, and deserves to be a Town of Culture. There’s lots going on culturally. Iโm only here to tell you what, donโt give me the third degree simply for doing it in a satirical way, because it only serves a purpose; making this an entertaining read rather than a list of events, which you can find anyway, on our event calendar. Iโm nice, no, really!
So, last week of February: DOCAโs Festival of Winter Ales is at The Corn Exchange on Saturday 28th. Weโve previewed it, read further here and hope to see you there for a beer!
March
March is a bit dry, to be honest. Wiltshire Museum, though, begins the exhibit John Piper in the South Country which opens on Saturday 7th March and runs until the 7th June. I hope to be at the opening ceremony and will report my findings.
Sir Alan Ayckbournโs How the Other Half Loves opens at The Wharf Theatre on Monday 16th March, running until the 21st. Thereโs a comedy night at the Corn Exchange on Friday 20th, and Jimmy Royal & the Regals play Long Street Blues Club on the 21st, so things are starting to look up.
The first โBig Oneโ in Devizes is at the end of March, when Kingston Media host The Bands By The Green, on the Saturday 28th. In support of Julianโs House, they promise a family afternoon of live music from 1:30pm, featuring Charlie Greenwood, Kelly Dale, This Way Up, Simplicity, Crackerjack, and Foo Lizzy. Tickets HERE.
Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race starts at the wharf on Friday 3rd, and someone was recently complaining this doesnโt attract much attention, so weโre mentioning it here, donโt blame me!!
By the 5th itโs Easter, find lots going on from our updating events calendar, but behold, an Easter Egg Hunt at Hillworth Park.
Friday 10th sees Devizes Music Academy present Sister Act at The Corn Exchange, which runs until the 12th.
Tuesday night out, anyone? Long Street Blues Club were instrumental in helping establish King King in their early days and this superb band is now firmly established as one of the premier Blues Rock acts in the country. They return to the Devizes Corn Exchange on Tuesday 21st.
May
The annual Cancer Research Car Boot Sale at Stert Country House starts off May, on Saturday 16th, unless thereโs anything Iโve missed? The event calendar updates, this will not, so please, bookmark it into your favourites and check in regularly, because the further we get into the year, the less events we currently know about. This is a teaser of whatโs to come, do not, I repeat, do not, get your summer dresses and sun hats on just yet!
Saturday 23rd sees two new DOCA events, Out & About, where they look at acts in the Community, and the DOCA Festival of Discovery. More to follow on these, but save the date.
Friday 29th sees The Wharf Acting Coโs Whoโs Play is it Anyway, the show theyโre taking to the Edinburgh Fringe; this is an exclusive sneaky peak. More on this HERE, plus Lou Coxโs Having a Baby and the Sh!t They Donโt Tell You in Books, also appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe, of which you can also catch at the Wharf Theatre on Saturday 30th.
The Devizes Arts Festival kicks off the same weekend, and it is Rowdefest on Saturday 30th; we had a great time with this last year, and this year looks to be just as great if not more. Barrelhouse headline, with the sublime Ruby Darbyshire; handpicked by me personally!
June
Devizes Arts Festival, runs until June 14th; hereโs everything we know so far, well nearly everything; thereโs a surprise Iโve been told to button my lip about. They trust me too much! Monday 1st June Anthony Horowitz: A Life in Murder, Tuesday 2nd, Patrick Grant in Conversation, Thursday 4th, Hot Mess, and Friday 5th sees the Robert Vincent Band, and Milton Jones on Friday 12th June; thatโs all we have for now, watch this space.
Saturday June 13th sees the Wiltshire Steam & Vintage Rally returning to Park Farm near Devizes. Sunday 14th is the Devizes Lions family funday and car show, Lions on The Green.
July
Ooh, got a big one here for you! July kicks off Saturday 4th with the awaited return of CrownFest at The Crown in Bishopโs Cannings, and this one looks unmissable, with more artists being added all the time. The current poster weโve got needs updating, I believe Ruby is coming and a host of others. Iโm looking forward to Ant Trouble, because I picked this one, Stand and Deliver, your ticket money or your life!!
But the month is jam-packed; Town of Culture, box ticked! Saturday 11th and it is the most unique festival around these parts; FullTone. If a sixty piece orchestra playing out of their new location on Park Farm doesnโt quite tempt you enough, The Wurzels and Jason Donovan might! Preview HERE; gorgeous, darling!
Friday 17th sees the Classic Ibiza thang at Bowood House. Saturday 18th and youโll find Devizes Vegan Market, aptly in the Market Place. Sunday 19th and abracadabra; DOCA will transform Hillworth Park into a Magic Garden.
But, hey, this one is going to be big and needs your attention! Park Farm Festival returns for it’s second year on Saturday 18th. Lovely as this was last time, it needs you. More universal and family appeal than last year, Jon Amor Trio is playing, with well, look at the poster, look, and read our preview!
Friday 24th, and itโs the legendary Devizes Scooter Rally– all weekend! A fantastic event, you donโt need a scooter, but some dancing shoes are essential footwear. You will love All That Soulโs sublime Motown makeovers, and thereโs a Blondie tribute, a separate venue for those talc dusters and lots of good time reggae and ska.
August
As I said earlier, weโve lots more to add and lots more to find out about, so keep this frequency clear, and love Devizine. You can go to a meeting to etch out a plan to make Devizes a town of culture, but itโs me here, on me tod, typing this out for your attention; donโt you forget about us!
So, letโs rush through what little we know about the later months; Saturday 29th August is Confetti Battle & Colour Rush. Monday 31st will, of course, be Black Rat Monday at The British Lion in which you are duty-bound to attend!
September
Saturday 5th is Devizes Carnival.
Devizes Food and Drink Festival is on from Saturday September 19th to Sunday Sept 27th. The festival is run and managed locally, entirely by volunteers and will offer 20+ original food and drink experiences, kicking off with an Artisan Producer Market in the Market Place on the 19th and finishing with the World Food Tasting Experience on Sunday 27th in the Corn Exchange.
The rest of our event calendar is looking blank. Help me fill them in as we go, and hereโs looking to a fantastic 2026, town of culture award, or not, we strive on, we know Devizes is great!
After much deliberation, Devizine is to pull out of any further organisation of the Wiltshire Music Awardsโฆ..
It has not been an easy decision, and I remain super-proud of what Ed and I achieved last year, getting this special occasion off the ground. The Wiltshire Music Awards takes complex organisation. Therefore, I feel I cannot commit to the workload involved this year effectively enough for what the event deserves whilst continuing to run Devizine too.
Obviously, I’m still dedicated to supporting and promoting the Wiltshire Music Awards through Devizine for this and subsequent years. I also still believe it’s a very worthy cause, highlighting what a fantastic live music scene we have in Wiltshire and rewarding those who continue to contribute to it.
Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events said, โwe want to publicly thank Darren for the time, effort, and genuine passion he has poured into the awards and into the wider Wiltshire music scene. The spirit of collaboration and encouragement heโs brought has helped shape what this event stands for; celebrating local talent, lifting one another up, and strengthening our creative community.โ
Nominations for this yearโs Wiltshire Music Awards will open on 1st May. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Eddie, who has been a pleasure and an inspiration to work with, as I am certain we will maintain the same good working relationship for the future awards and many other events. And to wish all the best for the future of the Wiltshire Music Awards.
It seems Shrove Tuesday celebrations in Devizes have fallen as flat as aโฆ.well, you get the gagโฆ
Traditionally organised by Age Concern Wiltshire, and often supported by local partners like the Black Swan Hotel, which provided the pancakes, and the Devizes Rotary Club, pancake races in Devizes were an annual occasion, aptly on Pancake Day.
Originally held in the Market Place and shifted over to Hillworth Park in later years, you may have fond memories of trying to win a running race, giggling whilst tossing pancakes in frying pans, but these days it all seems to be lost; correct me if I’m wrong, you usually do!
What happened to pancake races in Devizes? Was it stopped during the lockdown? Seems not, the last one I can find evidence of was in 2015, and appeared on a now archived blog called Devizes Days.
Was it stopped because of health and safety reasons? Sounds possible, but other towns, such as Bradford-on-Avon, continue the tradition. Why not Devizes?
I mean, hey, if you want to get technical, the indulgence of Pancake Day is that final day of feasting before fasting for Lent, and being everyone stuffs pancakes but no one actually fasts, maybe the powers that be got a bit over zealous with punishment for our sins?!
Or, perhaps, and most likely, it’s just because everyone has too much to do in their daily rat race to organise a pancake race, which is a sad sign of the times. You know, kids don’t know how to play conkers anymore? Could pancake races be just as obsolete? Or could we revive it? I’d be happy to help, provided there’s sugar and lemon juice.
I feel sorry for the kids today; “No, you can’t have social media!”
“Can we run around tossing pancakes then?”
“Absolutely no chance!!”
I mean, we’d probably have to have frying pans made from foam and a soft landing surface. Pancakes would probably need to be dairy free, and disclaimers would need parent signatures, and failing to find a location to do this might result in the whole thing being played out in Minecraft, but still, it’s a thought. Do let me know yoursโฆ..who stopped pancake races, and why?!
Now, you know when you see a fundraising advert and think, I’d like to raise some wonga for this or that cause, but further reading reveals you’re expected to take on an extreme mission like trekking the Great Wall on a unicycle made from coat hangers, or scaling Everest in just clogs and your wife’s undercrackers? Well, this one is a smidgen easier, and it’s something Devizions take great pride in accomplishingโฆ..
Yes, the end of February is nigh, when Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts asks the good folk of Devizes to raise some needed funds, which they inevitably pump back into a system supplying said good folk with a year of free events such as carnival and the Winter Festival, so it’s for their own benefit. And all they need to do to help is drink fine ale and enjoy some quality entertainment. Throw down the gauntlet, why don’t you DOCA, and roll out the barrel, for this is a challenge I’m confident both you and I can really get behind!
This happens annually at The Corn Exchange, and this year’s is on Saturday 28th February. I’m told a fair amount of tickets are still up for grabs, so after reading this don’t vegetate playing Royal Match on your phone, put it to good use and buy yourself a pass to The Festival of Winter Ales. And here’s seven darn good (or at least reasonable) reasons why I think you should:
As usual the event is divided into two sessions, one of quieter reflection for the true ale connoisseur in the afternoon, and the evening more lively session, for the party people; how amicable and considerate.
Equifinal, though, is pies, and the extensive range of booze, from the dark ales experts of The Southgate and Stealth Brew Co, to IPAs, American pale ales, ciders, perry, and, if you donโt mind handing your hard-earned cash to TVโs tax-avoiding billionaire gammon, Clarkson, the Pour House brings Hawkstone Lager!
Also predetermined whatever session you rock up to, is a raffle, and Social Club Cabaret starring puppeteer and self-acclaimed all-round nutter Dik Downey, some aerialโfusion salsa with Amy G, and The Amazing Malcolm, who may or may not be the same amazing Malcolm who runs Stealth Brewery, but if it is, I want at least half of my money back; bless him!
Everyone’s favourites, and who certainly gets my seal of approval, Talk in Code are headlining the evening session, with their unique take on indie-pop originals, although I’m informed they recently took vow of beverage abstinence and said I could drink all their beer.
Those immortalised in Lego lads, Talk in Code are supported by The Wholesome Soul Trio, regulars at The Southgate, and though Iโve yet to tick them off my must-see list, Iโve heard nothing but good things about their classic playlist of soul and funk with improvised solos.
Even the afternoon session looks intriguing, as Iโve not heard of either act, but singer Amy Irvine is accompanied by local legend John E. Wright, so must be doing something Wright! And A Call from Tomorrow are a young indie covers duo from Wiltshire we wish the very best of luck.
And the last good reason is that physical tickets are available to purchase at Devizes Books; so you could treat yourself to a copy of my outrageous murder-mystery whodunnit-whocares novel while youโre there!!
A gameshow unlike any other is set to take local actors to the world stage. The Wharf Theatre is proud to present the debut of a brand-new show, “Whose Play is it Anyway?”
Set to enjoy a week-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 from August 17th to the 22nd, this innovative original production offers a fresh perspective on contemporary storytelling, using a gameshow format to explore a range of devised, scripted and improvised pieces, many created by the talented cast themselves. As part of the game, each performance order will be left to chance, creating a unique experience every time.
Join your host, Barry Ruffles and his glamorous assistant, Jenny Flannel as they present 18 pieces of theatre in 50 minutes; all you have to do is guess the genre, playwright or year to win a speedboat, cuddly toy or a holiday for two on the Isle of Fernando!
Prior to the Fringe, the show will preview at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, running from 29th to the 30th May, Bristolโs Alma Tavern and the Shaftesbury Art Centre; giving West Country audiences an opportunity to experience the production ahead of its official festival run.
Whether youโre a seasoned Fringe attendee or a first-time visitor, Whose Play Is It Anyway promises to entertain. The show will be performed at the SpaceUK, located at the heart of Edinburghโs bustling festival district. Tickets are available from [Ticket Provider] and can be purchased online or at the venue box office.
Lou Cox, director of The Wharf Acting Company, who perform & devised this show, is also taking her solo show, Having a Baby and The Sh!t They Donโt Tell You in Books, for a week at the Edinburgh Fringe. Inspired by the loss of her baby girl, Lou described the play as a โcomedic and brutally honest one-woman show which gifts audiences an emotional, and at times highly entertaining, whirlwind of witty anecdotes and graphic storytelling, with an ending no mother could ever imagine.โ And this one too will be performed at The Wharf Theatre, also running from 29th to the 30th May, of which the previous run was reviewed by Helen, HERE.
Are you sitting down, as this may come as a shock? Residents of the Springfield Road estate in Rowde should be feeling rather privileged at the moment, as bucking the countywide trend of having roads which look like Mars has suffered a doodlebug air-raid, it’s actually been resurfaced!
Not all of them seem satisfied they’ve the only road in the county which is, comparatively, as smooth as a baby’s botty though, and have taken to their local Facebook group, Rowde all About it, to whinge about the inconvenience of waiting an extra day before work could commence due to poor weather, as they probably would’ve whinged about the state of the road beforehand! Awl, that’s Facebook for you; an adult’s playground for venting Karen’s petty fury.
The operation has run just as smooth, with jolly-faced roadworkers jumping at the opportunity to move some cones and allow residents access; it breaks up the monotonous teabreaks. One resident lightened the mood on the Facebook group by suggesting offering them tea and chocolate digestives was key to their friendly attitude, though we’ve no proof of this because I’m keeping all my biscuits for myself.
It is, though, quite a delight to drive on a road in Wiltshire without worrying for your wheel alignment and suspension, if a smidgen eerie. And, of course, once you’ve got to the main road it’s back to the usual sensation of cycling a penny-farthing over a lunar landscape, but hey, for a moment there it’s driving heaven.
Okay, so a few motorist residents didn’t read the social media posts nor see the cones and massive signs stating no parking for the duration of the repair, leaving sweeping gaps untreated, but they finally caught on, moved them, and the roadworkers are rubbing their hands together for a Sunday bonus; all is well.
Residents are advised to drive slowly across the new tarmac, to delay in its inevitable dilapidation. It’s a flipping housing estate, for crying out loud! An estate with the rare blessing in modern times, whereby children can still play relatively safely outside, so it’s in everyone’s best interests to drive through it with caution in the first bloody place!
Bearing in mind this is a busy estate, where some residents are in the habit of parking wherever the hell they fancy, despite the inconvenience it may cause for other residents, and those headless chicken non-residents swerving through, using it as a short cut to avoid Marsh Lane.
Thereโs an ever- increasing population using Springfield Road, accumulating by the questionable requirements of gradually extending the estate with further Lego houses, when it would’ve been far better to accept the expansion was inevitable years ago, and build it a new access road from the other side of the school; but planning is for other counties.
Not forgoing the colossal construction traffic used to bring these part-built monstrosities past the school gates and playpark without pavements, and through the already busy estate, leaving people wondering how the area obtained such dilapidated roads in the first place!
But not only is the road smooth, for a moment in time, there’s the additional Facebook group story of a rogue โcarerโ who apparently โdrives like a maniac,โ revealing their misdoings by apparently telling the road workers to โf-off,โ which kind of makes it all worthwhile being in the group, and should remain as a stern message to all roadworkers not to piss off carers, because theyโve got caring to do, god dammit, and if anyone gets in their way of caring, wellโฆ.
Yay! We made it to Feb, in one piece, just! I might even be persuaded to break out of hibernation. If youโve been hibernating too, maybe itโs time to throw caution to the wind, poke your twitching snout from your cubbyhole and have a nose about. If you do, hereโs some special recommendations of things to engage you, shake you up, and possibly warm you up for spring, but there will be much more on our ever-updating event calendar, so keep it on your browser, you lovely little hedgehogsโฆ..
Get your shoes on, because as we speak, Sunday 1st, it’s the Jon Amor Trio monthly residency at the Southgate, with guest Gary Cain.
Monday 2nd has the regular Book Club from 7pm at The Pour House; great books, great chat, great people!
Wednesday 4th and it’s Acoustic Jam night at The Southgate.
Thursday 5th, please note the Supporting Menโs Mental Health group now meet in Sidmouth Street. Devizes Film Club is at The Wharf Theatre, presenting Limbo, a stirring drama, laced with deadpan humour, about Syrian refugees, stuck on a remote Scottish island while they await the results of their asylum claims.
The Mayor’s Charity Ball is at The Corn Exchange, with a delicious three-course meal, dancing to live entertainment, raffle, and your formal photograph taken by a professional photographer to remember the evening, supporting three wonderful local charities: Devizes Opendoors, Devizes Foodbank, and the Devizes & District MS Society. Oh, and there’s a Bingo and Adult Cabaret in Potterne.
Oooh, Friday 13th and everyone over the age of 55 can dance the day away at a Wiltshire Age UK Daytime Disco at the Devizes Corn Exchange, a fun, friendly afternoon filled with classic hits from the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s, Or choc-out with The Rocher Experience at Hollychocs in Poulshot!
Find the wonderful voice of Kate at the Pelican, of whom I’ve likened to Alison Moyet in the past.
Saturday 14th, find a Half Term Chocolate Experience for one adult & child or teenat Hollychocs in Poulshot. Menopause Cafe at The Pour House from 10.30am – coffee & chat about all things menopause.
Funked Up are getting, well, funked up for Valentines at The Three Crowns, and Doctor Doctor plays The Southgate. Del-Boy sings his heart out for a Valentines special at the Pelican. Aaron Garrett as seen on The Voice comes to Devizes Conservative Club for a night of Soul in Motion, and they’ll be Painting Get Together in Urchfont.
Sunday 15th finds Will Edmunds from 5pm at The Southgate.
Tuesday 17th and Potterne Pantomime opens Sleeping Beauty at Potterne Village Hall, which runs up to Saturday 21st.
Wednesday 18th and it’s Acoustic Jam night at The Southgate.
The Wharf Theatre has Chicago – Teen Edition, a dazzling adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical tailored for teenage performers, which runs a matinee and evening performance on Saturday too.
Roll over Beethoven, because the greatest tribute to Jeff Lynneโs Electric Light Orchestra is at Devizes Corn Exchange; Blue Sky Tour present ELO Encounter.
Oh, and please find the amazing Vince Bell at the Crown, Bishop’s Cannings.
Saturday 21st sees Sad Dad Club making their debut at The Three Crowns, should be good, Last Train Smokinโ plays The Southgate and John E Wright is at the Pelican.
For the first time ever, Rick Wakeman will tour with his son, Oliver, in their brand-new WAKEMAN & SON show! Although the pair have shared the stage on special occasionsโincluding the unforgettable Myths And Legends of King Arthur performance at Londonโs O2โthey have never toured togetherโฆ until now……
Saturday 28th and what a finale to the month; DOCA’s Devizes Festival of Winter Ales is at the C0rn Exchange. In collaboration with The Pourhouse, The Southgate Inn and Stealth Brewery, expect a huge selection of wintery ales, craft beer and ciders from the countryโs best independent breweries. DOCA adds great music and cabaret into the mix, with โA Call from Tomorrowโ, โWholesome Trioโ and โTalk in Codeโ already confirmed. With a quieter session in the afternoon and something a little more upbeat in the evening, you can choose either a relaxed or more lively experience.
Festival of Winter Ales is a key fundraising event, supporting DOCAโs free programme of events. Come along and support us, snap up a fantastic raffle prize and have some quality time with friends.
The event will run in two sessions across the day: Early (11am-5pm) and Late (5:30-11pm), with a tasty selection of hot pies and savouries provided by local suppliers. Physical tickets available to purchase at Devizes Books.
And that’s all we’ve found for February in Devizes, so far. But updates will happen on our event calendar, so keep your best eye on that. And if you’re not in Devizes, our event calendar covers all Wiltshire from Bath to Marlborough and Swindon to Salisbury, so check in with us too, but I’m sorry I can’t do all this for every town; Don’t cha wish your gig guide was hot like ours? Don’t cha wish your gig guide was a freak like ours?! Don’t cha? Don’t cha?!
Do you live in Devizes? Are you sure? Sure sure? Sure sure sure?! You could actually be living under the oppressive regime of Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council and not even know about it! But fear not blinkered comrades, an elite task force from Devizes Town Council is coming to liberate you!
The border between Devizes and Bishop’s Cannings extends the Cannings side into the parts of the north-east of the town. Other than historic squabbles over who owns the Moonrakers fable, it has been pretty much alright and no one really gave a toss about it since it was first established around 1080, when Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, built the castle.
Suddenly, nine hundred and forty-six years later, it’s not, apparently. Devizes Town councillors are so furious about redirecting emails sent to them from folk unaware they come under Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council, like copy and paste was never invented, they’re plotting to invade and conquer the Devizes area of Bishop’s Canningsโ parish, best guess, for national security! If, bizarrely, it sounds textbook Trump, perhaps it is, perhaps it’s not, and that all depends on who you talk to; sort it out, Osmund!
Needless to suggest, Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council are unhappy, and say no, you can take our ScrewFix but you’ll never take our Lidl! So, if you live in North Fields, Cannings Hill, Corn Croft, Laywood, Wellington Drive or Marlborough Close, you could be moving to either North Fields, Cannings Hill, Corn Croft, Laywood, Wellington Drive or Marlborough Close soon whilst remaining exactly where you currently are, whether you like it or not; breaking news!
It may seem like a storm in a teacup, a petty spaff between councils, but what does it really mean for the residents of those areas? Again, this largely depends on who you speak to about it.
Community Governance Review, happens every five years or so, apparently, whereby a town or parish council can whimper like Oliver Twist to Wiltshire Council, requesting they shift a border to better financially aid themselves, and I’m sorry to Devizes Town Council, for the want to remain impartial, but it does look this way from where I’m standing. Even the trusty Gazelle and Herod reported it as an โunsolicited and brazen land grab.โ
Those residents on Facebook are being told by the Devizes Town Council task force, that it’s nothing to worry about, it happens all the time. But hang on a cotton-picking minute, the moving of this particular boundary has not happened before, has it? Not since 1080! And, if you’re not in a certain Facebook group with a bad habit of banning folk, youโve probably been left totally in the dark about the whole shebang.
Even the Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council themselves were NOT informed, until one councillor happened to stumble across it on Facebook, apparently. A spokesperson for the parish council told me, โwe saw this agenda on Facebook at Thursday lunchtime. Thank the lord I looked otherwise we still wouldn’t know. Devizes Town Council met with Wiltshire Council on the 10th December. They’ve had plenty of time to chat to us about their intentions. They formed their task group on the 8th January, releasing a four page report on Thursday.โ
You’d have thought it would be basic etiquette and good manners to have at least dropped them a line, though a spokesperson from Devizes Town Council, not involved with the task force, was surprised to hear they had not been informed. They assured me no malice is intended and they’d support a good working relationship, but Devizes Town Council voted to ask Wiltshire Council to redraw the boundaries on Tuesday, an emergency meeting of Bishop’s Cannings Parish Council was held Thursday; it’s all up in the air and reactions appear quite understandably handbags raised at dawn.
Wiltshire Times reporting the issue, at least I think this was the right post!!
The task force, we are told, consists of two Conservative councillors; Iain Wallis, who as he is desperately holding onto a Devizes North seat, would benefit from the extra residencies, especially being geographically the further the border is moved outward from town the more affluent residents tend to be, and more likely to vote Conservative. And Richard Oliver, no stranger to landgrabs; taking over Roundway in the 2017 Community Governance Review, where Roundway civil parish was abolished and became a ward of Devizes parish. Thereโs a third councillor on the task force, Guardian, Andy Geddes, maybe just there to even up the parties, who knows?!
โIt makes sense for this urbanised part of the parish of Bishops Cannings to be in Devizes,โ Iain is reported to have said, and there’s reasoning in this, I believe, I mean, these aforementioned areas are in Devizes town, after all, just. He continued to say โthey also access services in the town centre, such as the Leisure Centre, which is subsidised by Devizes Town Council rate payers.โ And, whamo! There it is!
These areas have been fortunate enough to pay a lower council tax rate, but still have access to the services of the town. Yet, for the Leisure Centre, for example, weโre all paying customers, arenโt we? And able to access this facility even if we live under a parish council outside of town, or are those from Potterne, Rowde, Chirton or the many other villages surrounding Devizes going to be taken over, otherwise they cannot dip a little toe in the Devizes pool?! Living on the outskirts of town, in these areas mentioned, youโre not much closer to town then if you live in Rowde or Poulshot.
โYou cannot use the increase in council tax as a reason not to move the boundary. It all has to be around governance and how being with Devizes Town Council will improve the lives of the residents,” my Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council spokesperson laughed, exampling a Band D rate under Devizes Town Council would be ยฃ228, whereas the same band under Bishopโs Cannings would only be ยฃ67. โI’d want to see a ton of improvements for that increase!โ
They pointed out playparks, telling me Bishopโs Cannings Parish Council has invested over ยฃ50K in Le Marchant Park, but Devizes Town Council, โclosed Brickley Park for over a year.โ Thereโs also been much discussion over catchment areas for schools, and that residents in those areas could find it more difficult to obtain places at schools such as Lavington. Our spokesperson for Devizes Town Council deflected this as false; again, โdepending on who you talk toโ is the running theme throughout the early stages of this proposal, but we are certain their council tax will be upped considerably, for questionably the same services.
โBishops Cannings Parish Council would strongly oppose such an attempt,โ they told the Gazette. โIn our view, this would be a retrograde step, with adverse implications for all residents living within those areas.โ
So, the jury is out on the implications for the residents, and while Iโm trying to piece this together impartially, I cannot help think it was irresponsible for the village council not to be informed, and the lack of communication between these two councils. But the bottom line is, if the implications for the residents of these areas are to be as adverse as the parish council suggest they will, surely those residents should have their say by the way of a referendum? Or are Devizes Town Council going to storm militarily into Bishopโs Cannings with a Devizes ICE, “De-Ice” squad, and kidnap the parish clerk?! Then we really have a story!!
Just another rainy Saturday afternoon in Devizes, whereby I watched a profound fellow dramatically sacrifice himself to the devil, then popped to Morrisons for a Toblerone! The supermarket felt insignificant and plastic after the epic conclusion of Doctor Faustus at the Wharf Theatre, which opens on Monday 26th and runs until Saturday 31st Januaryโฆ..
Treated to the final dress rehearsal, as our regular theatrical scribe Ian Diddams is stuffing a bucketload of Rice Krispies in this one, of which one couldnโt fail to notice! Marvellous as it is to pay Devizesโ one and only cosy theatre a visit, it leaves me in the dilemma that Iโve not the extensive theatre knowledge which Ian has, therefore, you have to make do with me simply saying what I like, or donโt.
Image @jenimeadephotography
In this case itโs the former. My mind is, with its lack of education for classic theatre, still contemplating exactly how fantastic director Liz Seabourne and her team has presented this astounding play, and the more it boggles the greater the levels of fantastic I unearth, converting me to thespian; hand me some white tights! Even though the character Dr Faustus is damned, this is another damn fine production from our wonderful theatre, rich in lighting effects, amazing costumes and makeup, and a sublime original soundtrack from our master of electronica, Moray McDonald.
Image @jenimeadephotography
Born Catholic, English sixteenth century playwright Christopher โKitโ Marlowe, of whom scholars suggest greatly influenced Shakespeare, was reputed to be an atheist and thereโs a lot in the content of Dr Faustus which implies this. Whilst it doesnโt criticise religion outright in the modern sense, it certainly lampoons it, with the Pope getting a kick up the backside, for example.
Dr John Faustus condemns the academics of the science and philosophy of his era and justifies turning his hand to the dark arts, but religion he cannot escape from. Played with certain perfection by Pete Wallis, Faustus is tricky to relate to, a Renaissance egotistical Germanic tyrant, characteristics usually reserved for an antagonist; I wondered if Trump might identify with him better than I. Yet, there’s something humble about his yearning, in his curious nature for the unorthodox, to fulfil a quest of celebrity status, like a sixteenth century Vanilla Ice. Still, I couldnโt help feeling the ponce made his bedโฆ.
Image @jenimeadephotography
Bit dodgy, he summons a human-despising conceited demon, Mephistopheles, played with absolute magnificence by Charlotte Howard. Mephistopheles acts as a kind of Cruella de Vil agent to the devil, who encourages Faustus to sign a contract with his blood; his soul for unlimited magic, which he treks the known world with, entertaining Kings and Emperors like Paul Daniels discovered voodoo. Though Mephistopheles is no Debbie McGee. Without too many spoilers, it doesn’t end well for Faustus, who learns thereโs only one way out, once his twenty-four year contract with the devil expires, and itโs not a gold watch.ย
Image @jenimeadephotography
If this Elizabethan forbidden thrill-seeker, overloaded with as many theatrical tricks as devils and demons, sounds seriously dark and gothic, it certainly is, but not without hilariously timeless comedy, brilliantly diluting the tragedy. Thereโs occasions when itโs virtually pantomime, when the devil, played with radiant vaudeville evilness by Oli Beech, a far cry from the panto dameโs sidekick at Christmas, personifies the seven deadly sins as a circus cabaret to tempt the Doc, and upon the thievery of one of Faustusโ spell books by two commoners, played side-splittingly like stereotypical moonrakers by Jessica Phillips and Ian Diddams. It is these elements which brings the archaic seriousness down a peg and makes this play equally suitable for those, like me, not so clued up on classic plays.
Image: Mij Hazel
As the many earthbound or spiritual side-characters come and go with pace, the thirteen strong performers cover various parts, and those unmentioned so far, Chris Smith, Alison Andre, Emma Comfort, Cathay Chappell, Julie Baker, Paul Snook, Sam Burrows and Amy Chappelle also require the highest of praise; there is so much work put into this, the mind, as I stated earlier, is still boggling. It entertained me, and I strongly suspect it will be some significant time before my mind stops boggling about it, way past the lifespan of the Toblerone!
Bag yourself some tickets for this HERE, unless you’re a demon!
This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโs a selloutโฆ
In association with PF Events, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts introduces a Young Urban Digitals course in video mapping and projection mapping for sixteen to twentyโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Penny Clegg and Shakespeare Live โAntony & Cleopatraโ is one of Shakespeareโs four โRoman Playsโ, and chronologically is set after โJuliusโฆ
Unlike Buck Rogers, who made it to the 25th century six hundred years early, Devizesโ most modest acoustic virtuoso arrives at the 21st just shortโฆ
Being a singer in a tribute or covers band is nerve-wracking. Though tributes can hide behind a mask, a cover band frontperson can be reassured only by the notion that friends are backing them; blame the drummer! But a soloist, singing their mind acoustically is in another ballpark. Stripped back, alone, exposing your innermost thoughts, desires or even personal issues to an audience takes some bottle. It’s a test of courage for the most egotistical, the mental equivalent of standing naked. Yet a majority of those who do, I find, are actually modest and reserved.
In an interview with Peggy-Sue Ford last year, Aberystwyth born now Devizes-based singer-songwriter, Sammi Evans, expressed both her excitement and terror at playing live on the show, opened up about her troubled childhood, ADHD, and being a self-certified โscatter-brain,โ and in doing so created one of the most interesting and touching of Peggy’s Don’t Stop The Music shows on Swindon 105.5.ย
The last time I met Sammi she was showing me the artwork of her upcoming debut single, explaining how the purple background and gothic font gave it a sense of corporate identity, as well, holding her phone with a subtle tremble, telling me how anxious she was about releasing it. That single, TheShadow, came out a couple of days ago, and thus, Sammi has traversed the local open mic nights, jams at the Southgate, and pub gig circuit, to a recording artist; that thought alone would goosebump the least nervous!
The song’s subject reflects this anxiety, it drags you into a dark closet, and hauntingly honest, questions the listener if they experience similar ghostly fears. Sammiโs vocals are academia aesthetic, rich with a focused ethereal and melancholic soundscape. But it is through an impressive arrangement by Martin Spencer of Potterne’s Badger Set studio, which adds to the other-worldly ambience, with a tinkering piano breathing a touch of gothic horror film score, even subtle classical crossover about the otherwise poignant acoustic guitar marvel.ย
Hey look, Iโve been to art college and know about light and shadow. If the shadow depicted in this song is metaphorically actualising foreboding as shadows and monsters lurking within them, the quality of the song contravenes its subject, upon its release. It might have felt that way in Sammiโs mind at the time of writing it, but releasing it mightโve been that face your fear moment of diving off the top board into the pool. And now itโs out there, perhaps more art for artโs sake and prosperity than fame and fortune, she should consider it an exhilaration of accomplishment, because it’s really rather wonderful.
It should then act as the opposite to shadow. This debut single is a light source, beaming directly above Sammi Evans, which casts only a minimal shadow at her footprint, if at all, and, I hope, reduces any seeds of doubt that she can write thought-provoking lyrics and compose them into songs with illuminating results. I look forward to hearing more, Sammi! x
Now in its seventh year, and at its new and better venue, Park Farm on the edge of Devizes, itโs full steam ahead for The Fulltone Festival โ26. From the 11thโ12th July Fulltone is set to ignite Wiltshire with an epic weekend of live musicโฆ..
Promising a โspectacular, joy-filled weekend of live music which brings together orchestral power, iconic artists and a true summer festival atmosphere in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside,โ The Fulltone Festival is a uniquely magnificent show. Presented by The Fulltone Orchestra, the festival features a fifty-piece live orchestra, major guest performers, celebrated tribute acts and genre-spanning concerts, from cinematic classical masterpieces and symphonic rock to dance anthems, Motown classics and sing-along crowd favourites.
Designed as a family-friendly, inclusive festival, Fulltone โ26 offers free entry for children under 14, accessible ticket pricing, on-site camping and a relaxed, welcoming environment that encourages audiences of all ages to experience live music together. The event arena is packed full of great food and drink stalls, as well as allowing picnics. Thereโsย parking on site and a shuttle bus taking people from the town to the event. Itโs exceptionally well organised, with Event Director Tanya Earley at the helm of the eventโs operations again.
Image: Gail Foster
The weekend begins for campers on Friday evening with a campsite DJ warming them up. Saturday and Sunday are packed with unmissable performances across the weekend. Audiences can enjoy an electrifying programme including orchestral performances of Holstโs The Planets paired with the Star Wars Suite and Symphonic Queen, featuring Ricardo Afonso who is back by popular demand, as featured in The Voice.
The guests this year are particularly special. West Country legends The Wurzels gives Fulltone the key to their combine harvester, and Jemma virtually yelped down the phone at me at the thought international pop icon Jason Donovan headlining a huge Sunday night eighties spectacular finale; thereโs going to be too many broken hearts in Devizes that weekend (okay, youโve got to be of a certain age to get that gag!)
Thereโs also some ska madness with nutty boys tribute Mainly Madness, and Seriously Collins, celebrating the music of Phil Collins and Genesis. Special guests are expected with a Best of Motown show, and everybody will officially be free to feel good when Devizesโ very own BBC Introducing DJ James Threlfall teams with nineties singer Rozalla, for some dance anthem floorfillers. Even the poster has more colourful zap and zest to it than ever before, and conveys Fulltone 26 will be one youโll never forget!
Conductor and founder Anthony Brown said, โFulltone is all about the thrill of live music and the magic that happens when people experience it together. For 2026, weโre bringing an extraordinary mix of sounds and styles to Park Farm, from breathtaking orchestralย moments to songs people know and love. Our aim is simple: for everyone who comes to feel uplifted, connected and part of something special.โ
Tickets are on sale now. Early Bird tickets are available until 28 February 2026. Weekend and day tickets are on sale now, with under-14s attending free when accompanied by a paying adult. Weekend passes offer the best value.
You can find full details and tickets here: www.fto.org.uk/events and theyโre Especially for You; see what I did there?!
Stone Circle Music Events announced today that all proceeds of CrownFest will be donated to Wiltshire Hope & Harmonyโs Dementia Choir. CrownFest is an all-day family festival, happening on 4th July 2026 at The Crown, Bishops Cannings, Devizes…..
Due to perform over two stages will be Kinishaโs renowned Simply the Best Tina Turner Tribute, Adam & The Ants tribute Ant Trouble, Wiltshireโs premier indie-pop favourites and winners of six Wiltshire Music Awards , Talk in Code, purveyors of Irish & Celtic folk The Publicans, Salisburyโs rock cover band Innovator, rock covers band Tipsy Gypsies, George Wilding, Ruby Darbyshire, Mother Ukes, and Lucas Hardy, with more acts to be confirmed.
Stone Circle Music Events connects the timeless energy of live music with the rich landscapes of Wiltshire and Galway, and specialise in events which feel local, authentic, and unforgettable. There will be a selection of food, stalls, and camping is provided for an additional ยฃ15. Early bird tickets are already available for purchase.
Founder of Stone Circle Music Events, Patrick OโSullivan said, โwe are delighted to announce the proceeds of CrownFest will go towards Wiltshire Hope and Harmony. The charity won a special award at the Wiltshire Music Awards, and we continue to support them.โ
Devizine is so happy to see the return of this marvellous local festival, but even more excited to see it grow through Stone Circle’s expertise, and this announcement is surely the icing on the cake. So many families are affected by dementia, Wiltshire Hope and Harmony is such a great and worthy cause.
Wiltshire Hope and Harmony is a community-focused organisation in Wiltshire which uses the power of music therapy to bring people together and improve wellbeing. Their work centres on inclusive, therapeutic music-based groups and activities designed to support individuals and families from various backgrounds.ย Their passion and commitment drive their mission, to create a harmonious environment for All Together, and they inspire change and hope in our community.
Their Community Music Therapy Groups run free, therapeutic music sessions led by registered and trained music therapists, supported by volunteers.
Tunes Chill and Chat sessions are stay-and-play groups aimed at families with babies or children who have special educational needs (SEN) or additional needs.
The Dementia Choir & Cafรฉ is a weekly choir and social cafรฉ designed for people living with dementia, along with their carers, families, and support staff; helping participants connect and express themselves through song.
Founder member of Wiltshire Hope and Harmony, Lisa Williams was fortunate to discover firsthand the transformational power of music therapy whilst training for her Masterโs Degree in Music Therapy in 2018. Lisa was privileged to train with the visionary team at the University of the West of England and their Aphasia Choir. Determined to form a local choir and cafรฉ, Lisa founded The Royal Wootton Bassett Dementia Choir & Cafรฉ after her graduation in 2020. ย
The Covid pandemic slowed the project, but in 2023 the Royal Wootton Bassett Dementia Choir and Cafe was formed. The Choir has since worked with hundreds of people living with dementia and associated conditions, and currently meets weekly, either at their ‘home’ in St Bartholomewโs Church hall, or else on ‘tour’ visiting local care homes, community venues and churches.
Wiltshire Hope and Harmony also supply support for other groups, tailoring them for people with various needs, including sensory impairments or English as an additional language. They offer volunteering and engagement opportunities, from musicians and singers, to support roles and trustees, helping expand their reach and impact in the community.
If Devizes Scooter Rally has already established its base at Whistley Roadโs Park Farm and Full-Tone are moving to these new pastures, last year the site saw a superb inaugural festival of its own making, Park Farm Music Festival, with the expert knowledge of the good folk who brought us Mantonfest. Itโs happening again this year and looks set to be even better than last year; I kid you not! Early bird tickets went on sale today, and the lineup has been revealed; letโs poke our noses in and pretend summer is on its way, shall we?!
Starter for ten, Mantonfest is a longstanding cherished gem on Marlborough’s event calendar, a family friendly festival which has stood the test of time, and folk return annually like itโs a pilgrimage; you can rest assured youโre in good hands. I hailed Mantonfest as โthe friendliest festival youโre ever likely to attend.โย
While Park Farm Music Festival may yet have to establish itself to the same level of excellence, last yearโs first time was an absolute blinder, bringing a taste of Mantonfest to Devizes and leaving folk hanging on the hope this would become a regular extravaganza.
This year the stage is set again for Mantonfestโs house band, the awesome groovy vintage blues boys, Barrelhouse, but in essence the organisers are keen not to present something completely Marlborough; weโre in Devizes now, mucker, if weโre going to have blues we NEED Jon Amor to come along too! And theyโve answered this call, The Jon Amor Trio need no introduction to Devizes; Iโm glad to see their name on the lineup, Iโm certain all of the town will be too.
Onto the headliners, yes, it is tribute act top heavy, which works a treat for Mantonfest. In this you should note, the organisers do not skip on quality when it comes to tributes, all are tried and tested. Iโve bore witness to most of them, and will bet my pet budgerigarโs life that youโre in for a wonderful day. Last year there was an emphasis on hard rock, with astounding AC/DC and Nirvana tributes, while this year looks to have more universal appeal.
If Queen tributes are two to a penny, despite being a tricky act to replicate, and some Iโve seen were great, One Vision played Mantonfest two years ago, and, just, wow, Iโve never seen it done with such quality, attention to detail and finesse as this one. I could definitely call this the best Queen tribute Iโve seen, perhaps in my top five of all the tributes Iโve seen.
Inferno, an Abba tribute Iโve not seen before, but itโs Abba, what could possibly go wrong? As I said, the organisers take no compromise when it comes to booking only the very best tributes, so, dancing queens, have no concern. The next two I have seen, Madness and Bad Manners tribute, Badness, and Slyde, as you might’ve guessed, a tribute to Slade, are both brilliant, for precisely similar reasons.
Slyde played a Christmas do at Marlborough College Memorial Hall, where support Barrelhouse were on fire, and Sylde polished off the evening with a plethora of, not only Slade hits but just about every seventies singalong pop hit I could imagine, with the sprinkling of glam only Noddy Holder couldโve brought to each classic. And it was Christmas, so he aptly called it, and yes, it was something to behold. If One Vision is on my top five, Slyde must also be.
Now, Badness, ironic name, thereโs nothing bad about the performance, but only, perhaps in the way they will totally and utterly rule the audience with a spellbinding show of their own. They do not attempt to mimic Madness, like Slyde they offer a repertoire of classic hits from the era their homage was in their prime, only this time itโs obviously Two-Tone ska and new wave, and you will be skanking. Furthermore, youโll be under no illusion Badness are attempting to precisely mimic Madness, they only pay homage to them, and are uniquely themselves, add their own spin to it, particularly with the most hilarious stage banter youโre ever likely to witness.
Has that tempted you? Because Iโm getting excited just typing this recommendation! Theyโll have a big outdoor stage, brilliant sound and lighting, plenty of room to dance, lots of trade stalls, a range of food and drink outlets and showers for those camping. Theyโll be running a FREE shuttle bus to and from the The Bear Hotel hourly, gazebos and picnics are welcome, so too are campervans, caravans, and tents.
Early bird tickets are up for grabs: Adults – ยฃ30. Youth (Age 13-17) – ยฃ20. Child (Age 7-12) – ยฃ10. Under 7’s – Free. Campervans/Caravans – ยฃ30. Camping – ยฃ20. Itโs on Saturday 18th July. Book HERE.
Swindonโs finest Chicago and Texas blues covers band Last Train Smokinโ are also on the fantastic roster, along with rock covers band Strange Horizons. Is it summer yet?!
by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Media and Ian Diddams Whilst probably best known for his editorship of โPrivate Eyeโ magazine and thirty-five yearsโฆ
I mean, Devizes own contemporary blues throwback, JP is getting bookings, and rightly so. He’s off to Trowbridgeโs Lamb next Saturday for a double-billโฆ
Dubiously biased and ruled with an iron fist, the mighty admin of the once popular Devizes Facebook group, Devizes Issues, is using the iconic Great War โLord Kitchener Wants Youโ recruitment poster by Alfred Leete to plead for volunteer moderators; jump to it, comrades!
Why? Wouldnโt a picture of some Care Bears, or an AI image of some mugs with frustrated expressions be more suitable? Meanwhile, admins of the alternative group, Devizes Issues (but bitter) are asking, โerm, any1 no like what is, a, like, moderator?โย
Tragically, it’s estimated 900,000 British lives were lost during the first world war, and the poster played its part in convincing young people to sign their own death warrants. To pastiche it for such a petty purpose is disturbing, or at least extremely dark humour. Though it proves either the admin hasnโt lost his unsettling sense of humour under all the pressure, or heโs flipped on a Trump level and intends to invade the Potterne Pages Facebook page for reasons of national security!
You might think youโre only signing up to delete the occasional lefty meme, but youโll be handed a tin hat and rifle, and be ordered to march towards The Patch, just you wait and see!
Coincidently the town councillor admin of Devizes Issues has banned a similar number, simply for having a differing opinion on a subject, or using vulgar words, like poo, Gary Lineker, or Devizine. Face it, your king, country and local Facebook group needs youโฆ.to ban your besties; do your duty and enlist now!
I’ve been banned, you’ve been banned, we’ve all been triggered by the obsessive Conservative propaganda on the group at least once, which resulted in the chip on the shoulder unashamedly displayed herein, and a lifetime ban; he thrives on the power trip like General Ludendorff inhaling his super-strength gas in the Wonder Woman movie. Haven’t seen it yet? Thatโs because you spend too much time sucking up to admin on local Facebook groups, you fascist booklicker!
Occasionally, it’s an urban myth that someone will hand him a little bag of Haribo, he’ll cheer up for a whole three seconds and invite the odd Facebook user back in; โvewy well. I shall welease… Wodewick!โ If you’ve been bestowed this honour you’ll know how exciting it feels to be suddenly wanted again. I congratulate you, suggest you’re ideal for the important role, though I fear there’s little chance of it ever happening to me; ashamed I hold my head in my hands, cry here in my own little corner of freedom.
But I don’t envy him for running a group akin to a Devizes GB News, it canโt be an easy task, bless his cotton socks. If it were me I’d be sorry I started the fiasco now, do the right thing and archive the virulent exercise. Especially being the group isn’t as labelled. It’s not a local issues group at all, rather the prime issue in Devizes itself, a not very cleverly disguised conflict of interests and only a platform for Conservative campaigning. Perhaps if it labelled itself appropriately people wouldnโt mock it so, and he might not need recruits to moderate it; vicious circle, but the best laugh today on an otherwise toxic social media platform.
โIt’s not all that glitter is gold,โ Bob Marley sung, โhalf the story has never been told.โ Okay, he was referring to 400 years of institutionalised slave trading on an international and industrial scale, whereas weโre on about a Trowbridge multistorey carparkโฆ..
And anyway, the story is there for all to see; Wiltshire Council meetings are videoed and published on YouTube. If youโve not the time to lodge two matchsticks into your eyes and strain for an epic four hours, you might rely on wonky social media opinion, where Iโd favour itโs not really about a carpark, rather political point-scoring from some still bitter that they lost their control of County Hall.
If we were positively peddling towards fresh notions from a LibDem headed Wiltshire Council, a full council meeting on Tuesday 7th January jabbed a stick into the spokes. Despite both Conservatives and Reform nationally criticising each other, when they locally gang up they can sway the vote. The meeting took on two major issues, the first was increasing council tax on second homes, where Conservative and Reform councillors voted against, and, in his oversized suit, ex-Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer contemptuously scoffed at the poor on a Marie Antoinette level.
Using the analogy, โif youโve got one car, and you buy another, should you pay extra tax because youโve got two cars?โ Councillor Clewer arrogantly justified voting it down. Not in a financially stable economy, no, but our reality differs, and whoโs fault is that?!
If you want a car analogy, Richard, try this sucker for size; โif I buy a car from a mate I thought was trustworthy, and it broke down three miles down the road, should he pay for the repair?!โ Fourteen years of Conservative austerity focussed entirely on the working class; they did this, they caused the deficit, and refuse to contribute to fix it.
Taylor Wright, Wiltshire Councillor for Devizes East called the meeting โa deeply disappointing moment for Wiltshire.โ I love this guy- not like that, you filthy sort; heโs a young family man with fresh ideas of equality! In voting it down, Taylor stated, โthey chose to prioritise, in their own words, โthe 0.5% of householdsโ in Wiltshire who can afford a second property over the needs of the remaining 99.5% of residents.โ
Taylor mentioned struggling families, the cost of living, โyoung people locked out of the housing market,โ and โcommunities crying out for investment in services,โ hailing the decision swayed by this Conservative and Reform swarming โa missed opportunity to make a small but meaningful step towards fairness.โ Tempting me to originally concentrate on this issue rather than the second major issue raised, the future of a dilapidating Trowbridge carpark, because that felt like a storm in a teacup, I needed a bath, and whatโs that got do with Devizes anyway?!
Cue Devizes town councillor and ex-Wiltshire one, Iain Wallis, who posted on his dubiously bias Facebook group Devizes Issues that โLib Dem administration plan to gift a developer and carpark and ยฃ2.5m of our money defeated,โ in glorious jubilation. In it he stated โthis overturns the cabinetโs wishes which were largely discussed in secret and once again prioritises us in the rest of Wiltshire rather than subsiding Trowbridge.โ
While deliberately newspeak, itโs not entirely false, save it being far from a โgift,โ and I donโt get how it was all secret if videos are published, but again, Taylor Wright explained โplainlyโ why he voted in favour of disposing of the asset, even though, he said, โI know the headline figure of ยฃ2.5 million sounds shocking at first glance.โ Through this source we see how misleading Mr Wallisโs post is; bearing in mind he lost his county council seat, itโs a shame thereโs a bitterness projected in his tone, persuading him to miss half the story.
โThe car park itself is in serious disrepair. Independent assessments show that within the next ten years it is highly likely to require full demolition and rebuild. The estimated cost of that work is up to ยฃ8 million,โ Taylor fills in the gaps. โIf Wiltshire Council keeps the car park, that ยฃ8 million bill will fall on all Wiltshire taxpayers โ including residents in Devizes, who gain no benefit from free parking in Trowbridge.โ
So yeah, the price tag to solve this might be ยฃ2.5m, but the option suggested by the Cons and Reform would be significantly higher, something Mr Wallis omitted from his post. I think a chat with Taylor is as overdue as my bathโฆโฆ
Our chat didnโt dwell on Mr Wallisโs post, it only serves to illustrate how bending the truth to suit a narrative is misleading. I wanted to discover the options presented to the councillors, and why some favoured dishing out ยฃ8million of taxpayerโs dosh to save a dysfunctional and dilapidated carpark. โI cannot believe itโs as controversial as it is,โ Taylor agreed, and with a heavy sigh explained how Iain had posted again, accusing him of lying.
I put this concept to Taylor, that rather than it being about a carpark, it was bitterness or even a punishment for the change in control of the council. โYeah, thereโs a lot of that,โ he concurred. You may recall a day when St Stephenโs free carpark fed into a busy shopping centre, but that era is sadly all gone. โBecause of a legal covenant tied to the shopping centre, parking must remain free. That means the site cannot generate any income, now or in the future, no matter who owns it,โ Taylor explained.
โitโs dilapidated,โ he said, โso the benefits of having free parking for it are slim. I think people are frustrated, in Trowbridge specifically, of the ability to park free, but that doesnโt benefit anyone in Devizes, unless you occasionally visit Trowbridge, but it shouldnโt come from our council tax. Calne has free parking, but the town council pay that, as do other townโs councils pay for their parking, so if Trowbridge are willing to pay to continue that is beside the point. Itโs Trowbridge paying for Trowbridge, and I donโt have a problem with that.โ
โBut my logic on paying the ยฃ2.5 million to dispose of that asset, I understand the headline โCouncillors Giving ย half a million and a carpark to a developerโ sounds horrendous, but when look into the detail, which I donโt believe some of my Conservative colleagues have, theyโve heard Lib Dems are proposing something, letโs oppose it; the building is coming down, itโs crumbling, weโre doing patchwork jobs, including one for half a million recently to try to keep it going for a few more years and for safety concerns, but we need to get rid of this asset, because itโs not an asset, itโs a major liability. Commercial properties can have ย a negative value, in this case itโs been assessed independently, and it has negative value because of the liability. The only value it has to anyone would be the owner of the other half of the covenant, which is the shop centre owner.โ
โThere are other options,โ Taylor expressed, โbut not good ones. The other would be to fully develop the site at a cost, estimated to be in the region of ยฃ8 million. Iโm not suggesting the Conservatives are pushing for that, but if the building gets to a point where itโs so dilapidated weโre instructed to rebuild it, which we could be, that will be the cost. The other option is to find another developer to take on the site and pay us, but theyโd be paying us for a site which is falling apart and in need of a rebuild, and by law cannot make any money. So, why anyone would buy it from usโฆcommercially it makes no sense.โ
On the idea of the council buying the site despite itโs negative value , Taylor explained, โwe did explore the possibility of changeling the convent in court, but were given a 60% chance of success and a highly placed judge in this field recommended we donโt do this, because if we lose the shopping centre owner could counteract us, claiming because itโs in such a shoddy state, we do need to completely rebuild it. So, whilst the initial cost ย for the legal action might be low, what follows from it could be extremely expensive, and us being immediately forced to demolish and rebuild the carpark, hence we saw that option as too high risk.โ
So, once the free parking scheme was an asset, and we all thought we were parking for free, now whimpering itโs unfair for one town to have free parking when others donโt seems superfluous; itโs a burden or curse, weโre paying for in the end. The issue only remaining is how to solve it cost effectively; an issue not caused by the new council, but one they inherited. Leaving me confused still as to the opposition to demolish it.
โIt was their business to pursue the other two options,โ Taylor explained, โthey wanted to seek other developers who might be interested in purchasing the property, but as I said, theyโre going to come with the same caveats, the covenant prevents it making money, and it needs to be rebuilt, so the idea of another developer paying us for something which is a liability is laughable from a commercial sense. They might find a another developer who will take it for the ยฃ2.5 million contribution to redevelopment, but again, theyโll still be subject to the covenant so weโd be paying for it to be redeveloped for a developer whoโs not going to make any money from it. So, again, it doesnโt make commercial sense, but the large proportion of conservative councillors were looking at challenging it in court, and yes, itโs possible it could win, but is unlikely. And also, if we lose we face our costs and the other sideโs too, and, potentially, accountancy on the basis of dilapidation and having to rebuild the whole thing immediately. All options are risky. As much as ยฃ2.5 million is a huge amount, and I take no pleasure in signing off on spending it, for this purpose I think itโs a terrible way to spend money, but, at least to my mind, we donโt have any other sensible option.โ
Not to end this on a sour note, I did joke the Reform councillors probably wanted to keep it to hang flags off of, and Taylor expressed the opinion of one, Chris Brautigam, who has been โreally pushing to hold onto the site, as heโs a Trowbridge councillor, and I can understand his reasoning. Itโs based on wanting to keep the carpark free for the residents of Trowbridge, which is a valid objective, and one of the most respectable reasons to want to hold onto it; heโs doing it for his residents, and has campaigned hard and respectfully for that, and I congratulate him, but I donโt think itโs the right move, for my residents.โ
How what seemed like an open and shut case became such a major issue is concerning evidence petty bitterness and political point-scoring is consuming the council, where time could be better spent on solving issues. โWe were floored when this became controversial,โ Taylor said, โweโd a pre-meeting, where this was one where we said this will be fine, itโs obvious this is right path, and there was no way to disagree with it. There might be a couple of Trowbridge councillors who might disagree, but all in, itโs probably go through quite easily. And then, all of a sudden, Armageddon kicked off! It took us all by surprise.โ
It all left me pondering more generally, on if the objections was driven by traditionalism, that there was hope high street shopping would return in a trend rebelling from internet shopping. โThere was an option to buy the shopping centre,โ Taylor revealed, โwhich as weโve seen with other councils up and down the country,โ and he exampled his hometown of Woking, whoโs council purchased the shopping centre and โare now in a billion pounds worth of debt over the building costs and lack of revenue it generates. I donโt think councils have an business owning shopping centres.โ
The biting reality is that all towns are unfortunately losing shops, but if you visit a town like Devizes, where many will complain weโre losing shops, itโs still relatively busy because the trend has changed and we adopt now a cafรฉ culture where visiting town is a treat; you buy a light lunch or coffee, and browse, less everyday functionally for goods, but more ascetically, and a crumbling seventies Bauhaus carpark, once functional, is not ascetically pleasing, perhaps more an eyesore, and discouraging people to visit.
I thank Taylor Wright for his time, and enlightening us. Itโs best to take social media posts with a pinch of salt, especially when they come with political bias; itโs been reported comments with opinions differing from that given by the admin on the aforementioned Devizes Issues one, have been deleted and persons have faced being banned from the group. We always must dig a little deeper to find the truth.
If past years seem to be racing by me on roller-skates, now theyโre in Formula 1 cars! 2025, in a word, was โaverage,โ though the Devizine annual stats fell for a second year, at 6% lower than 2024; you lot still here?!
Iโm not concerned about that, you filthy traitors; youโve been digesting the clickbait of that Gazelle & Herod again, havenโt you?!! Ah, truth is I have been staying home, hibernating a lot like a lightweight couch potato; probably an age thing, most likely a financial thing too; weโve got hyperinflation to make Robert Mugabe envious. But we keep a stiff upper lip as the world plummets into chaos, our little corner of it remains a pretty nice place to live (if a bit Tory,) where you can block pavements with hoarding or nick a cardboard sheep from a church and get away with it. None of which we are here to highlight, we focus on the best bits, and slag off the worst with a sprinkling of satire; if you donโt like it, you know where to go!
Hits took a hit because I bit my tongue on many local political or social issues this year, to concentrate more on arts and entertainment, but folk love a good shit stir rather than being told about some talented locals doing good. Plus, Iโm sick to the back teeth with any dependence on Facebook shares, itโs become a toxic playground for so-called adults and AI bots pretending to be human to boost propaganda. I think Iโm going to be one of those smiling insanely old men, content to feed the ducks in the park, rather than ranting at anyone younger than me within range, but Iโve the right to change my mind on this!
They also took a hit because Iโve been actively engaged in two fantastic major events, RowdeFest and The Wiltshire Music Awards. The latter in particular used up much of my time, but hey, I think they were worth it. The Awards really brought together a wealth of people involved in the Wiltshire music scene, caused me to wear a suit, and we hope to build on this with future years.
The other contributing factor to the downfall of hits to the website might have been me writing a new book, something I rarely get the time for, but was certain I wanted it published by Christmas. I made that deadline and Murder at the Scribbling Horse is officially out; you read it yet? No, didn’t think so!
But lots more happened in 2025, and those we featured are briefed below; we couldโve done more but I think we put out a lot of content; you have to give me some time to play pointless block puzzle games on my phone. Thank you to all our contributors, Ian, Andy, Lois and the few guest writers who have submitted this year. We always need more writers to make this as comprehensive as possible; it is about as flexible as it can possibly be, you can be a fruitcake, we donโt mind, so do get in touch if you can help.
Please continue to support us, we thank you all for your dedication to Devizine; hereโs to 2026; try best to avoid the fascist division, millionaires triggered by being disallowed to rip wild animals to death, the US or Russian bombs heading our way, the complete disregard for funding environmental projects while they spend billions fighting for the last scraps of oil, any world leader kidnapping, painting roundabouts, and the usage of anti-terror laws to arrest pensioners peacefully campaigning against genocide.
Just follow us instead, enjoying a pint in a pub and listening to live music, played by real people, focus on youth projects rather than fables of hooliganism, focus on talented individuals doing good rather than bitter clickbait and national headlines, and be here, in the warm and truth, with Devizine; we tell it like it is, and donโt purvey bullshit!
January
Just as this year starts with a review of the last, so did 2025, but not before I took a visit to the Swindon Story Shed. Forestry England invited dog walkers to Nightingale Wood, apparently to celebrate Walk Your Dog Month; surely every month is walk your dog month?! The second feature film for director Keith Wilhelm Kopp and writer Laurence Guy, First Christmas entered development. We covered how My Dadโs Bigger Than Your Dad Festival raised ยฃ11,500 for Prospect Hospice, and thereโs moreโฆ.
Jamsters began at Devizes Southgate, an initiative to provide a Friday night platform for loose groupings and associations created at their regular jam sessions each Wednesday. We announced The Beat were to headline Devizes Scooter Rally, that Nick Hodgson formerly of the Kaiser Chiefsโ new band, Everyone Says Hi had an instore at Marlboroughโs Sound Knowledge, and we unfortunately said goodbye to the now disbanded People Like Us; sorely missed.
The original line up of People Like Us
We had new singles from Nothing Rhymes With Orange, a new album from Illingworth, and fuller sessions from Kaya Street. Andy reviewed the first Devizes International Blues Festival, Ian covered Jerusalem at the Mission Theatre, and Veronicaโs Room at The Wharf Theatre.
We previewed OakFest at the Royal Oak in Pewsey, La Belle Hรฉlรจne, White Horse Operaโs Debut at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes Musical Theatreโs Beauty & The Beast, Henge at The Cheese & Grain, and Bradford-on-Avon Green Man Festival which unfortunately this year is in jeopardy, and we welcomed Caffe Vialottie to Devizes, our most popular article of the year.
Februaryย
It may be topical now, but weโve always been supporting the hunting ban, and in February reported how Beaufort Hunters attacked Wiltshire Hunt Sabsโ drone. We sadly confirmed Devizes Street Festival was cancelled for the second year in a row, and The Emporium in Devizes was to close, but Devizes would get a new youth centre.
Previews included, Marlborough School of Languagesโ Summer Fiesta, Jazz Sabbath at the Corn Exchange. We announced The Brand New Heavies were to headline Minety, tickets for DOCAโs Winter Ales were running out, and that I was to organise the music for Rowdefest in May, probably my favourite memory of 2025.
We featured Melkshamโs teen band Between the Lines, reviewed JP Oldfieldโs debut EP Bouffon, Jamie Hawkinsโ short film Teeth, and new singles from I See Orange and Sam Bishop. Swinterfest broke me out of my hibernation, and I also got out to see the fantastic Static Moves at the Three Crowns, plus Cephidโs Sparks in the Darkness at The Rondo, which was mindblowing!
March
We announced that Devizes auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son were relocating to the Old Emporium, Soupchick was to take over The Hillworth Park Cafe, that after the fire in Northgate Street Devizes Kebab Van successfully relocated to Folly Road, that Devizes was to have a new festival, Park Farm Festival, and of course the very first Wiltshire Music Awards.
We featured the Belladonna Treatment, had a wonderful local reflection on the Trump & Zelenskiy meeting from a Ukrainian living in Wiltshire, and it was one of my all-time favourite interviews with eighties legend Owen Paul ahead of a Devizes gig.
We reviewed The Killer & The Catalyst, Devizes author Dave McKennaโs novelette, Geckoโs new album, and singles by Chloe Hepburn and George Wilding.
Previewed Devizes Arts Festival, Exchange Comedy in Devizes, Swindon Palestine Solidarityโs Charity Iftar, CUDSโ Devizes Town Litter Pick for GB Spring Clean, and Hells Bells AC/DC tribute coming to Devizes! We listed the results of Salisbury Music Awards.
I managed to make it out to see The Devilโs Doorbell and JP Oldfield at the Cellar Bar, Ruby Darbyshire at the Southgate, and Cracked Machine with Tom Harris in support, too. Ian gave us Blood Brothers at The Mission Theatre and Flatpack at The Rondo, and Pip Aldridge reviewed our Fulltone Orchestra at Tewkesbury Abbey.
I ranted on the state of the roads, and for fun ran a Take Our Wiltshire Pothole or Moon Crater Quiz Challenge!!
April
Ah, All Fools Day, a golden opportunity for us, in which last year we told the fib that funk godfather George Clinton was exiled to the Wiltshire village of Urchfont, created funk music there and it was covered up by their parish council! You might assume it was hardly viable, but some fell for it, and messaged in their outraged reports of โfake news!โ
We looked into DOCAโs new youth initiative Yea Devizes, and while we published our usual extensive list of Easter holiday activities, we also previewed DOCAโs Junk Street drumming workshop.
I visited The Hillworth Park Cafe, where Soupchick took over, hailed Devizes DJ Greg Spencer, the creator of Palooza house nights, who made the prestigious bill of Fatboy Slimโs All Back to Minehead festival, and reviewed the now sadly defunct No Alarms No Devizes playing at the Three Crowns. Discovered Fran Daisy at Swindonโs Plough, and Henge at the Cheese & Grain was a high contender for my gig of the year; out of this world!
We had a guest review from Melissa Loveday on Devizes Music Academyโs Something About Jamie, which though Iโm sorry to have missed, I did catch them playing it out at FullTone Festival in the summer. I did attend Devizes Musical Theatreโs Beauty & the Beast at Dauntseyโs School and the opening of Un/Common People, Folk Culture in Wessex, a fascinating exhibition at Wiltshire Museum.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Reviewed Hannah Rose Plattโs album Fragile Creatures, probably the best album we covered last year. The website for Wiltshire Music Awards went live and people held on to cast their votes in May.
We exposed Reform candidate Calne Violette Simpson for her Facebook profile picture showing her hunting antelope in South Africa, and Devizes South Conservative candidate Sarah Batchelor, who committed election fraud, up and left with her tail between her legs and almost running Bishops Canningโs Crown into the ground. Thankfully it seems the new owners are turning it around and recreating the village hub it once was.
May
I was honoured and delighted to organise the music for our village fete, which has in the last few years been run by a lovely independent committee, safe from a questionable parish council. It was a wonderful sunny day and the highlight of my year. I called in some favours and presented an amazing lineup for a free fete, featuring, in order of appearance, The Jubilee Morris Dancers, Andrew Hurst who brought bassist Lucianne Worthy with him, Talk in Code, The Sarah C Ryan Band, Thieves, and Burn The Midnight Oil. Being it was the last day of the month, I didnโt write about it until June.
I paid a Sunday afternoon visit to Devizes amazing record shop Vinyl Realm, when Deadlight Dance were attacked by wasps and still managed an amazing unplugged acoustic set. Ben Niamor reviewed Jake Martin at Swindonโs Castle with SOP, and Ian gave us his views on Sweeney Todd at St. Augustineโs Catholic College in Trowbridge, and the Diary of Anne Frank at The Wharf Theatre in Devizes, which was so good I had to go myself. Lois covered newcomers Kingston Mediaโs Bands at the Bridge in Horton.
I previewed the Bradford-on-Avon Live Music Festival, despite it clashing with our Rowdefest! Also, Ruby Darbyshire who performed at Silverwood Schoolโs open evening. Andy provided a preview of Chippenham Folk Festival, and Lois provided us with previews of Australian Folk singer Ernest Aines at Swindonโs Deanery Theatre and David Olusoga at the Cheese & Grain.
Announced the opening of voting for Wiltshire Music Awards, that Devizes-based The Big Sound Choir was to perform with Aled Jones at St Georgeโs in Bristol, and that Bird is The Word were taking over music organisation at Bradford-on-Avonโs Boathouse.
We featured how Lucas Hardy was collaborating with Rosie Jay, and Fromeโs James Hollingsworth, who was bringing his solo recreation of Pink Floydโs Wish You Were Here album to the Devizes Southgate and elsewhere, and reviewed his album with Griffiths, Lost in the Winds of Time.
I reviewed Clock Radioโs album Turfing out the Maniacs, Ruzz Guitarโs Between Two Worlds album, Playing Solitaire; Phil Cooperโs first solo album for five years, Thievesโ debut EP, a new single from George Wilding, and one from Auralcandy featuring vocals from Sienna Wileman. A feature of a Melksham marketing expert launching AI training courses was met with controversy, yeah, I get that!
June
If we were all busy with the Devizes Arts Festival, we were previwing summer events like a new festival for Devizes, Park Farm, clashing with an amazing day at the Three Crowns for an air ambulance fundraiser, and I finalyy got over my hangover and ego, and gave coverage of Rowdefest; highlight of my year!ย
Andy reviewed White Horse Operaโs Cosi Fan Tutte and The Lost Trades at the Piggybank, Ian did The Mikado at the Mission, The Taming of the Shrew at the Rondo, and of course we all did our bit for the Devizes Arts Festival. Andy also covered an extensive weekend when The Lions were on the Green in Devizes, we had Crammer Watch Day too, and Devizes Arts Festival did a fringe gig at the British Lion; summer lovinโ. The highlight of this had to be Whereโs the Cat, the Wharf Theatreโs writing groupโs hilarious reenactment of the Moonrakers fable at the Crammer, which I felt obliged to cover too.
Eddie and I were guests on Peggy-Sueโs Donโt Stop the Music show on Swindon 105.5, chatting about the awards. We met Henry the chocolate duck raising funds for cystic fibrosis at HollyChocs, previewed Supergrass headlining Frome Festival, a genderqueered Shakespearean performance at Bathโs Rondo, and Swindon Palestine Solidarity events. Lois did Idles at Bristolโs Block Party.
I reviewed The Hotcakes of Wildfireโs album Shoes & Acid, ranted on vocal minorities triggered by events of cultural diversity, and did a No Surprises column promising to return the feature, but promises are made to be broken! Thereโs simply too much to whinge about, and for my health, I need to see the glass half-full.
Bands at The Bridge
Thatโs all for now, folks. Do not fear, itโs still summer in our minds, and weโll kick off in July for the second part. I know, our goldfish attention spans cannot take in a whole year in one article, what with so much brilliant stuff which happened over the year, so come back when Iโve officially emptied the Quality Street tin and completed the last half of this review of 2025; but I must say, I think the first half was better!!
Ah, let’s talk about Talk in Code one more time this year, because we’re secret Talkers here, and everything has been awesome this year for them, but now they’re being immortalised as Lego minifigures!
Surely, the piece of resistance of local merch, it doesn’t get better than this! Lego minifigures have become something of a collectors item over the years, and the finest local indie popsters have a Lego inspired fan reward scheme they’re calling TICBRIX; genuine awesomeness!
Now open, all you’ve got to do is attend their gigs, which is a pleasure in itself, collect stamps on a loyalty card, and collect the band figures. Pick up the cards at the merch desk at any show, get it stamped, and after every two Talk in Code shows, you can claim your FREE minifigure and badge from the merch desk.
With four members in the band, it’s going to take you eight shows to complete your collection, but thatโs not all. At the halfway point, youโll be eligible for a bespoke, Lego stage set for them to all play on, complete with a bass guitar, extra guitar, drumsticks and even a Sneddsโ luxury beard upgrade!
Personally, I feel inclined to hotfoot it up the loft to find my bricks and build a spaceship for them to gig on because they’re out of this world! Spaceship!!!!
Some early 2026 performances from the guys include 17th Jan at The Kings Arms in Amesbury and also at Devizes Winter of Festive Ales at The Corn Exchange on 28th February. On the 28th of March, there’s a Talkers Show by personal invite only at The Hop in Swindon. Join the Talkers WhatsApp group to get in on that and be in the know of other gigs by texting โadd meโ with your first name to 07725 138077. All welcome unless you’re from the planet Duplo!
Oramics and its Place in the Progression of Electronic Music
In 1997 I was a 24 year-old factory worker, keen to learn all tasks on the production line to work my way up, but suddenly the run of the ladder was pulled too high for me to reach. Shift managers who had were axed, were replaced by โteam leaders,โ that of precisely the same duties and responsibilities, though you needed a diploma to apply.
The government tried to thwart my only other life objective three years past, to party; they had failed. I worked in the factory now for one reason, to fund this escapism. Once free, the Criminal Justice Bill ensured someone profited from our jollity, as rave culture was pushed into nightclubs and legal paid events.
If The Prodigy were right, this was music for the jilted generation, perhaps so too was Luigi Russolo in his 1913 futurist manifesto L’arte dei Rumori (The Art of Noises,) when he argued that the ear would become accustomed to a new sonic palette of industrial soundscapes, and musicians would require a new approach to instrumentation and composition. Though Iโd not have contemplated the noises of the factory manipulating my music perceptions at the time, I was aware of how Kraftwerk were influenced by the sounds of traffic for Autobahn.
Neither would I have given much thought to the development of electronic music; my time with analogue pop of punk and Two-Tone was short-lived. Through new wave post-punk and electronica to American hip hop and electro, and the rebellion from the hit factories exploiting it; rave culture, I had grown up with electronics as a staple to music and knew no different.
Pre-internet research on the subject wouldโve been a needle in a haystack, even if Iโd the motivation to study it. In my naivety I assumed one thing, that Kraftwerk created electronic music, because Iโd seen a clip of them on the BBC program Tomorrow’s World. Though the show made no claim to this, I was only two on the 25th September 1975, when it originally aired.
Ralf Hรผtter and Florian Schneiderโs Kraftwerk were certainly pioneers who popularised the krautrock genre worldwide. The industrial links between Dusseldorf and Detroit and creative ones between Berlin and New York were influences reflected, which turned the cogs of hip hop and house. And now, here I was, in a meadow near Luton, at Universeโs Tribal Gathering, where I figured weโd come full circle.
Kraftwerk played their one and only festival, it was monumental. The once monocultured rave phenomenon had divided into copious subgenres, Universe were the first to fully embrace this with a tent dedicated to each division. Yet from each tent masses united at the main stage, some DJs refusing to play their set because theyโd miss this performance. Reflecting back on it now, I cannot deny it was something to behold, but Iโve since discovered they wasnโt the complete roots to electronic music I assumed they were. Its complex international evolution includes too many names to mention, but this fascinating insight has been encouraged by my study into one important innovator largely uncredited, born here in Devizes, Daphne Oram.
We outlined her work briefly in the introduction to this series of articles, and with help from Daphneโs niece, Carolyn Scales, we delved into her upbringing in Devizes, and how influences in engineering meshed with her love of music. Now we need to fit her role into this vast evolution of electronic music, by looking at Oramics, discovering how that influenced the progression, and why it is not as well documented and I believe it should be.
Once Daphne left the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1959, she coined the term Oramics, a name for her studio in Tower Folly, a converted oast house at Fairseat in Kent, her technique for creating graphical sound, and the Oramics Machine which spawned from it.
Carolyn described The Oramics Machine as, โan early synthesiser,โ but as with Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin who created photoelectronic instrument the ANS synthesizer, historical records rarely reference them. The first commercial synthesizer is credited to American engineer Robert Moog a few years later in 1964. Precursors to Moog mentions Harald Bode who laid the groundwork for separate sound-modifying modules used in the Moog design, the Hammond Organ Companyโs Novachord in the late 1930s, Canadian engineer Hugh Le Caineโs Electronic Sackbut, Herbert Belar and Harry Olsonโs RCA Mark I and II Sound Synthesizers, and some cite Thaddeus Cahillโs Telharmonium, an electromechanical sound generator from 1897, which weighed in over two-hundred tons.
The original Oramics Machine was the size of an office photocopier, so was also too cumbersome for the average musician. By its definition, itโs a synthesiser but worked differently; the composer/musician drew onto a set of 35mm film strips which ran past a series of photo-electric cells, generating electrical signals to control amplitude, timbre, frequency and duration.
The reason for the omission, Carolyn suggested, was because The Oramics Machine was lost after her passing. โDr Mick Griersonโs team tracked it down to France in 2008. Working with the Science Museum. Griersonโs study provided the first full contextualisation of the machine, an assessment of its historical importance, and a detailed description of its workings. The machine became a central part of the Science Museum exhibition Oramics to Electronica, originally planned to run for six months in 2011. The showโs press and public uptake saw it extended a further four years.โ
Perhaps inspired by Moogโs development of the Minimoog, Daphne worked on a Mini-Oramics, but never completed a prototype. Goldsmiths’ PhD student Tom Richards, who pored over the unfinished project and built it over forty years later, suggested โthere were a lot of reasons why she didnโt launch Mini-Oramics. She was working on her own, and wasnโt affiliated to a large organisation or university.ย She had ups and downs in her life, and at the time she was working on Mini-Oramics, she also worried that her approach to musical research was out of fashion when compared to chance-based and computerised techniques. She was unable to secure the further funding she needed and she eventually moved on to other research.โ
If funding and the ferocity of music technologyโs progression at this time surpassed Daphne, both her music and written works were visionary. If you thought Pete Tongโs Heritage Orchestra was pushing new boundaries in 2004, Carolyn noted, โin 1948, Daphne created a piece for double orchestra, turntable and live electronics called Still Point, long thought of as the earliest composition to include real-time electronic transformation of instrumental sounds.โ Again, Still Point was never performed and was considered lost. โDr James Bulley found fragments in the Oram archive,โ she continued, โand working collaboratively with Dr Shiva Feshareki, began a reconstruction, later finding the full score in the belongings of composer Hugh Davies.โ
โA performance was commissioned by BBC Proms and performed by turntablist Shiva Feshareki, Bulley, and the London Contemporary Orchestra in 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall, reaching a substantial audience live and via BBC Radio 3,โ Carolyn explained. โThe reaction was one of awe, with the piece described as โthrillingโ. Critical responses suggested that this realisation of Oramโs previously untested ideas represented a challenge to electronic musicโs received history.โ
The more I research the more I find examples suggesting Daphneโs work was so avant-garde, abstract or insistent on anthropological creativity against trending dehumanised mathematical methods, she was set apart from the contemporary canon of self-generating computer music, positioning her work in a kind of unique scientific-spiritual space, combining technical rigor with a romantic model of artistic expression. This would frustrate her, when projects were either underfunded or too radical for others to follow, and they were consequently lost in time.
In 1971 she authored a book titled An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics, wherein lies a quote often cited in discussions about music technology: โWe will be entering a strange world where composers will be mingling with capacitors, computers will be controlling crotchets and, maybe, memory, music and magnetism will lead us towards metaphysics.โ
Daphne visiting her parents in Devizes
It was also her dedication to authorial control, while cybernetic-influenced composers embraced self-generating systems with indeterminacy, which caused Oram’s approach to differ from the era’s prevailing trends, despite this cybernetic orientation. Exemplifying the generosity of her father, James, Mayor of Devizes, Daphne actively supported composersโ rights to royalties while she was a Trustee of The Performing Rights Society in the 1970s.
Daphne Oram suffered two strokes during the nineties, and passed away in Maidstone on the 5th January 2003. Yet on Daphneโs centenary, where much of the world remains dubious about the ethics of artificial intelligence, we must debate her legacy, for my final part of the series.
Oh, and if you were wondering, all I saw of Kraftwerk at Tribal Gathering was the fluorescent outlines of their boilersuits!
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes
Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in the sphere of electronic music and music technology. On the first Thursday of the month The Barbican held a concert commemorating Daphne’s centenary, where sound and music fair access partner, Nonclassical, in partnership with The Oram Trust and Oram Awards played commissioned reimagined works from various contemporary electronic artists, inspired from tapes in Daphne’s archive. This has been released as the album, Vari/ations: An Ode To Oram.
London university Goldsmiths acquired Daphneโs archive in 2006, bringing her work into the wider public domain, after decades of relative obscurity. In the male dominated realm of electronic music, this has presented a better understanding of Daphne as a visionary in the early development of the genre, and in turn inspired female musicians and producers.
But our story begins rather differently, in the late nineteen-twenties, at Belle Vue House, Devizes, where a much younger Daphne is caught trying to climb inside the family piano! Daphne’s niece Carolyn Scales explained, โshe was asked โwhy are you doing that?โ and Daphne replied, she wanted the piano to make a sound between the notes on the keyboard.โ
Daphne with brother John
Iโm grateful to Carolyn for providing some fascinating background into Daphneโs family and childhood in Devizes, something overlooked by the insurmountable information available regarding her work.
โAll the siblings enjoyed listening to classical music but only Daphne had the ability to create music,โ she told me. โIdaโs sisters often joined her to play trios and quartets at Belle Vue House while James did learn to play the cello but was happy to stand aside for more competent players. In his defence Jamesโs fatherโs diaries only mention one musical instrument at their home, a piano declared by a piano tuner as not worthy of tuning. Maybe we underestimate the strength of our Oram artistic genes.โ
Daphne at five months, with mother, Ida, brothers Arthur and John
Daphne Blake Oram was born on the 31st December 1925, to James Oram (1890-1964) and Ida nee Talbot (1887-1972.) โIda ,โ Carolyn explained, โwho at heart seems to have been a natural party goer, was plagued by ill health. Daphne was born in Ivy House Nursing Home not because of a fear of losing Daphne but because of Idaโs problems with her legs. In the first photograph of Daphne she is being held by Ida who is sitting in a wicker bath chair with Arthur and John in front of their new home of Belle Vue House.โ
โIda was born in Braintree, Essex into a family of drapers,โ Carolyn said, โwho soon moved to a shop on Maryport Street, Devizes, opposite the top of The Brittox, which they ran from 1888 until 1914. Unfortunately Idaโs father Alfred died in 1896 leaving her mother Alice nee Blake to run the business.โ She continued to describe Aliceโs six children helping at the shop, and its failure, though Ida was in charge of the millinery department, and how later there was a room in Belle Vue House devoted to her hats. Carolyn told of Idaโs painting hobby, in watercolours, oils and other mediums.
Talbot family with parents. Ida on swing with her twin
Daphneโs father, James, was known in Devizes as โJimโ or โJimmy.โ He was not Irish but proud of his upbringing off the coast of County Mayo, and โnever lost his soft Irish brogue.โ His father Arthur Oram was a farmer and land agent in one of the most deprived parts of rural Ireland, hit hard by the famines of the early 1800s, and as such it was a natural breeding ground for agrarian discontent, later producing some prominent members of the IRA. This caused James to be keenly aware of local injustices.
โIn 1961, when James took us to see where he was born,โ Carolyn expressed, โhe told us he was upset that he was not allowed to go to school with his friends. They were Catholic and he was a Protestant and to highlight the differences James and his siblings had to travel to school in Newport by pony and trap, rather than walk to the local school.โ
โI feel sure that our father John was correct in saying that if James had stayed in Ireland he would have become a renowned barrister. Unfortunately, just as James left school there was a change in the familyโs fortunes as The Congested Districts Board on behalf of the British Government were, quite rightly buying estates and redistributing the land among farmers living on tenanted, uneconomic smallholdings.โ
Therefore, instead of attending university at sixteen James travelled to Devizes, to help his uncle (by marriage,) Alfred Hinxman, the manager of the Devizes branch of a Salisbury coal merchant. James lived in Devizes for the rest his life, managing the coal merchant until his retirement. Overseeing the distribution of coal in the southwest during the Second World War, James was so horrified by the profiteering he didnโt take a penny for his efforts and received a MBE.
James Oram, Devizes Mayor
โJames soon became a trusted member of the community,โ Carolyn said, โactive in its civic life, as a magistrate and a school governor. This included being Mayor of Devizes during The Abdication and coronation of George VI.โ
โJames also successfully became involved in many businesses including The Devizes Brick and Tile Co. Somehow James also found time for his interest in local history and was a member of various local societies. He could have become wealthy but instead gave away his excess income after ensuring that his family lived in a comfortable style. Every Sunday dinner during the depression of the 1930s they would discuss the families that the brickworks supported, carefully working out if they would have the money to feed their children. The discussion would end by choosing someone who was struggling to hire to cut the Belle Vue House lawn during the following week.โ
The Devizes Brick and Tile Co. Photograph by HR Edmonds
Jamesโ generous nature rubbed off on his children. Daphne actively supported composersโ rights to royalties while she was a Trustee of The Performing Rights Society in the 1970s. โIn particular,โ Carolyn noted, โDaphne helped to set up the PRS Membersโ Fund that continues to support those registered with the PRS and their families when they are in need of financial help. During the 1980s Daphne arranged Christmas hampers for these families.โ
Before Daphne was born the family lived in rooms above the coal merchantโs office at 7 High Street, Devizes. James wanted Belle Vue House, empty at the time but out of his price range, until the state of dilapidation dropped far enough, which was just as Daphne was being born. The house would have been at the end of Belle Vue Road, now replaced by Waiblingen Way housing estate.
Retired designer Paul Bryant, who still resides locally told me he grew up close to Belle Vue House, and recalled her returning to the family home and, โthe excitement that was generated when she was awarded grants from the Gulbenkian Foundation.โ Paul expressed โit is heartening to see the ancient horse chestnut tree, then at the end of the Oram’s garden, still surviving in Waiblingen Way.โ Meanwhile, local musician Peter Easton has written in request for a blue plaque to be erected in Daphneโs honour.
Daphne, with the grass roller at Belle Vue House, Devizes
Carolyn explained how the siblingโs engineering abilities can also be traced to the Oram side of the family. โTheir great uncle John had designed machinery to make barrels for Rockefellerโs oil, and their uncle Arthur oversaw many civil engineering projects in the Indus Valley, now in Pakistan.โ
โArthur, aged 9 and John, aged 5 were to share a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room that James agreed they would turn into a workshop,โ Carolyn said. โThey had already started their own tool kits and Arthur was delighted when James added a foot controlled fret saw.โ
In a letter to John dated April 2003, Arthur wrote it would be the 77th anniversary of their move from the High Street to Belle Vue House: โEvery 20th April was the day of an annual fair on the Green, and Hitlerโs birthday. That one in 1926 was a very special wet Tuesday for us. Our mother was taken the half-mile in a big closed Bath Chair drawn by a man holding the long handle in front, because of her illness with a bad knee. She was helped into their old oak bed in the drawing room, on the right of the door towards the fireplace. In that room there was placed, near the door, the old radio that our mother had bought some years before from proceeds of her Barbola work, with its two bright emitter valves and six volt battery, from which we had news through the general strike of 1926.โ
โLater the workshop became home to Johnโs lathe and of great interest to Daphne. John told me that he was sometimes very mean to Daphne when she came to the workshop. At first she had to stay outside the open door and be silent, if she passed that test she was allowed to stand just inside the door for a while before coming closer to John and even helping when possible. John taught Daphne to use a lathe and she had one of his old lathes at Tower Folly, albeit by then worn and no longer a precision tool. John also admitted to teasing Daphne over his Meccano set that she wanted to play with. Daphne had to watch John make, say a crane ,then he would tighten all the nuts and bolts before walking away leaving Daphne to dismantle his work.โ
Daphne visits her parents in Devizes
Carolyn said, โthere were three main early influences on Arthur, John and Daphne namely their father James, mother Ida and their home which gave them space to both work together and follow their own particular interests.โ
Iโm eternally grateful to Carolyn Scales, Daphne’s niece, for a fascinating insight into Daphneโs early years and family life, and for the photographs too. It seems her curious childhood nature was focused on what makes music, and her engineering skills were honed early, enhanced by her intrigue and not being allowed to assist by her elder brothers. This led her to create the Oramics Machine, her early synthesiser, built in the 1960s, but lost after her death. We should concentrate our efforts on Daphneโs work in the third part, and how it shaped modern music……
All images are taken with permission from the personal collection of Carolyn Scales with thanks. ยฉ2025 Carolyn Scales. Please ask permission before use.
Highest season of goodwill praises must go to Chrissy Chapman today, who raised over ยฃ500 (at the last count) for His Grace Childrenโs Centre in Uganda, with a little help from talented friendsโฆ.
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 piรฑa 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.
March 1936: newlywed French telecommunications engineer Pierre Schaeffer relocates to Paris from Strasbourg and finds work in radio broadcasting. He embarks on early radiophonic experiments. Fifteen years of his research, his inventions of various electronic instruments, and collaborations with Pierre Henry would lead them to found Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrรจte. Musique concrรจte would be the root of the utilisation of modified recorded sound through audio signal processing and tape techniques.
Across the channel, itโs the St. Clementโs Fair in Devizes. The town hall is decorated with a foliage of oranges and lemons, and the โBells of St Clementโsโ was recited with handbells to declare the fair open. Devizes Congregationsts arranged a small eisteddfod, which would be the origins of todayโs Devizes Eisteddfod, founded ten years later to raise funds for the Congregational Church, opposite Wadworthโs Brewery.
The connection? Well, two cups were awarded by the minister Rev. W.S.H Hallett; one for Ruth Mead for a vocal solo, and the second to eleven-year-old Daphne Oram, for a pianoforte solo. The daughter of James and Ida Oram, Daphne was educated at Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, where she was tutored in piano and musical composition.
Daphne Oram as a young girl dressed as Alice in Wonderland with family, for the Devizes Carnival: Source Wiltshire Museum
At seventeen Daphne moved to London, turned down a place at the Royal College of Music, to become a junior sound engineer at the BBC, where she would โshadowโ concerts with a pre-recorded version, allowing the broadcast to continue despite interference or blackouts due to air raids.
Throughout the 1940s Daphne devoted herself to the pioneering of electronic sound, labouring into the night composing various pieces, most far too avant-garde for the traditionalist BBC bosses to consider publishing. Promoted to music studio manager after a decade, she eventually convinced the BBC to the benefits of electronic music and musique concrรฉte for use in programming; particularly for The BBC Third Programme, replaced by BBC Radio 3. By 1957 they caved, and Daphne was appointed the original co-director of The BBC Radiophonic Workshop with Senior Studio Manager Desmond Briscoe.
Their early efforts were for radio: radiophonic poems, effects for prevalent sci-fi serials like Quatermass and The Pit, and comedy sounds for The Goon Show. Yet Daphneโs motivation remained in electronic music production, and she resigned in 1959 to freelance, moving again to Kent.
Daphne Oram was way ahead of her time, a visionary frustrated with the direction The Radiophonic Workshop was heading, because electronic music was still in its infancy, especially the acceptance of it. The workshop continued without her and eventually branched into music, as television took over.
A trainee assistant studio manager called Delia Derbyshire joined the workshop, creating numerous scores and effects for television programmes. Most notably in 1963, when Derbyshire electronically modified Ron Grainerโs Doctor Who theme, hailed as the pinnacle moment in the advancement of electronic music in Britain. Though, BBC bureaucracy as it was, Delia was never credited on-screen for it until twelve years after her passing, in a 2013 fiftieth anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Her work has since been acknowledged and revered, whilst Daphne Oram remains a relatively unsung heroine in the development of electronic music.
Image: Daphne Oram
Futurist Luigi Russolo argues in a 1913 letter to composer Francesco Pratella, a manifesto referred to as The Art of Noises, that the ear will become accustomed to noises of urbanisation and industrial soundscapes, and thus mankind will develop a new sonic palette as technology progresses. A fascinating and accurate theory into the evolution of sound, in which Russolo encouraged musicians to listen to city sounds, which will putatively be the cymatics of future music.
I find myself reasoning if this explains why electronic music today is most popular in urban environments rather than rural. Due to music famed promoter Mel Bush, Devizes retains an affection for the blues, using authentic analogue instruments. Producers of electronic music are rare here. If you want dance music, which greater acquires the usage of technology than rock, blues, or folk, you may need to head towards Bristol, Swindon, or Salisbury.
But coming from a more urban background and growing up in the eighties and nineties, personally Iโve never outcasted electronics in music. Even if a musician is using analogue methods to create music, they will at the least use the internet to promote them. With eclectic tastes, I also love electronica, hip hop, dub, and dance music, and I love to explore the origins of it. So, this research project has me fascinated, the life and work of Daphne Oram, and her growing up in Devizes. I wondered how she became involved.
A graphical sound technique where shapes etched into filmstrips are read by photo-electric cells and transformed into for various parameters of sound is called Oramics, after its creator Daphne Oram at her Oramics Studios in Kent. She expressed hope that her work on Oramics would โplant seeds that would mature in the 21st century.โ Her legacy is commemorated in the annual Oram Awards, and the 2022 BBC Masterbrand Sonic, was internally known as “Daphne,” but still in her hometown sheโs not widely known, neither are her early years spent in Devizes well documented.
This month, Daphne would have celebrated her one-hundredth birthday. So, join me in an exploration of her life and work in a series of articles. We will talk with Daphneโs niece, Carolyn Scales, about her early years in Devizes, explore her work further, and talk with a local producer of electronic music about her legacy and the impact her work has on them. Because one thing is certain, without Daphne Oram music today would sound vastly different, at least it would in the UK, and during the boom of pop, as you should be aware, Britain led the way. I believe that it is worth commemorating and honouring her here in her birthplace, Devizes.
Yesterday Wiltshire Council published an โupdateโ on the lane closure on Northgate Street in Devizes as the fire which caused it reaches its first anniversary. Only, it’s more a โreminderโ than an โupdate!โ
It begins, โthe fire, in November 2024, caused significant damage to the Grade II-listed property and since then the council has had to install a single lane closure to keep people safe. The council recognises the inconvenience this is causing and is committed to reopening the road as soon as possible.โย Yeah, knew that bit already.
It continued justifiable, stating โthe council has no legal powers to compel the building owner to take further action.โ Then the Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council, Mel Jacob, said how frustrating it all was, and how they were โkeen to get the road reopened as soon as we can.โ Knew that bit as well.
Fair enough, red tape and all that baloney I get, but the remainder of the information simply says what an inconvenience it’s been, and its impact on the community; who knew that bit?!
ย It suggests they’re in talks, but pledges โmore positive news on the road early in the new year.โ If the word โupdateโ needs replacing with โreminder,โ the word โmoreโ here should be swapped out for โsome,โ for as of yet it seems there isn’t any news about it at all, let alone โpositiveโ news; just some chatting, possibly over tea and cake. Youโve got a new bus shelter, be happy!
But hey, even if I cannot confirm about the tea and cake, it’s 14 sleeps until Santa, so let’s keep our glasses half-full, and hope he miraculously brings a resolution in his sack. For there’s been a few advantages, such as free town centre parking for the most daring and cheeky!
And think of it this way, the serious risk of turning right into Station Road from the mini-roundabout has been lessened by its more consistent usage; it seems now the occasional driver coming from the town direction acknowledges it as a roundabout, actually observes and obeys that technical hitch in the highway code known to others as โthe right of way!โ
Before all this a right turn there was a white-knuckle ride only for the daredevil stuntman or those on the school run; there were more bumps there than on the road to Potterne.
But one roundabout up into town, immortalised as โThe Brewery Roundabout,โ has been a fascinating study into levels of human kindness in Devizes. As whilst drivers can exit the Market Place there, there’s no traffic crossing the roundabout in which to allow them their right of way. At peak times this can be challenging and a smidgen annoying. My last count of human kindness, as traffic flows at a snail’s pace from the congested New Park Street, was a fantastic new record of eighteen inconsiderate to one thoughtful driver!
Those in the know about levels of human kindness in Devizes will nip down the Station Road junction from the Market Place, if they wish to ever exit the town westward, and being this road is narrow with parking spaces, it’s become a two-way rat run, whereby the 20mph limit is considered only for “snowflakes.”ย
All of which could’ve been avoided if there was a thing called โplanning,โ whereby Station Road couldโve been reduced to one way coming out of the Market Place, and the single lane from the Brewery roundabout was used for coming into the Market Place. But no worries, because Wiltshire Council are talking about it. It’s not progress, is it? It’s more like poking a dead dog with a stick, hoping it might get up and run.
Join the St Johnโs Choir and talented soloists for a heart-warming evening of festive favourites, carols, and candlelit Christmas atmosphere this Friday 12 th December at 7.30pm…..
The spectacular, and oldest church in Devizes, St Johnโs Church has a Christmas Concert on Friday with All proceeds go to Juliaโs House and St John’s Church.
Tickets are ยฃ10 for adults, free for accompanied children. Tickets are available via Ticketsource, Devizes Books, or by scanning the QR code in the poster below.
This afternoon I find myself contemplating what the future holds for historical discovery and learning for all ages, fun and educational exhibits and events in Wiltshire; and it looks positive! Devizes is blessed to have Wiltshire Museum already, but the future looks even better, the future isโฆ. Assizes!
Wiltshire Museum announced today, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded ยฃ8.5 million towards the ยฃ14.8 million Assizes for Devizes project to transform the derelict Assize Court building into a spectacular new home for the Museum. Derelict for decades, the once huge court house of architectural distinction, on the Heritage At Risk register, The Assize Court has been a sour issue for too long, and in its current condition is sadly an eyesore. The project will restore its historic features, and breathe new life into the building; Wiltshire Museum and in turn, Devizes will thrive.
Since 1874 The Wiltshire Museum has been delighting visitors at Long Street in Devizes, and is home to nationally important designated collections, including stunning treasures from the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site landscape. It also hosts many exhibits, educational events and lectures for all ages, childrenโs craft workshops and so much more.
Director of Wiltshire Museum David Dawson said, “we are delighted that the Heritage Fund has demonstrated its confidence in our plans to transform the former Devizes Assize Court into the new home for a reimagined Wiltshire Museum. At last we will be able to give the museumโs internationally significant collections a fitting home, while rescuing an important at-risk listed building and providing a focal point for town centre renewal. We are grateful to National Lottery players, our loyal members and our other funders, existing and future, for their commitment and support.โ
Peter Troughton, CVO CBE, Chair of Devizes Assize Court Trust, which initially saved the building by purchasing it in 2018 with the support of generous donors, said, โthe National Lottery Heritage Fund award to the Wiltshire Museum is fantastic news! It will transform the museum, save the historic Assize Court building and give the people of Devizes a community hub like no other. It will be an enormous help to the campaign to achieve the vision for the award-winning museum, already supported by the town, Wiltshire County Council and leading charitable foundations.โ
On the first day of advent, a time of peace and joy to the world et al, Devizes Police report on a โlarge unlicenced music eventโ at the weekend, (spelling mistake included) in Great Cheverell. Am I the only fifty-something who’s thinking โgreat, let them be?!โ Not according to Facebook commentsโฆ..
UME they called it. UME? It was a rave, wasn’t it?! Perish the thought calling it a rave might encourage a resurgence of nineties skullduggery, when we partied without a care in the fields of England. Freedom of expression and the need to take a moment to enjoy life I favour to deem it, during an era of hyperinflation, playing the blame game after committing financial suicide, with media promoting a facist uprising, and a government labelling anyone who campaigns against genocide a terrorist. Can we let our hair down here, mate? Not on your Nelly, I’m confiscating your hi-fi!
โOfficers were called to reports of the event at approximately 12.50am on November 30th,โ they said. In other words, some comfortable living, curtain-twitching huckmucker got their knickers in a twist that they might not be able to hear a pin drop in their chocolate box village, for one lone night out of a kazillion.ย
โThere were approximately 100-150 people present and a moderately advanced set up with generators, large speakers and stage area,โ the Devizes Police report informed Facebook users,ย and G&H reporter Jason jumped the bandwagon for further hopeful outcry and clickbait. Hold on a cotton-picking minute;ย didn’t they call it โlarge?โ At the summit of the rave era in 1992, 40,000 revellers attended Castlemorton; let’s keep this in perspective, eh? It wasn’t a rave or a โlarge UME,โ it was some friends throwing a party, wasn’t it?! You can fit more people into the Devizes Conservative Club!
Sensationalism continued upon the announcement, โthree people have been arrested for drug related offences.โ Hold the front page. Police could make more arrests for drugs on a single night in any of our town centres, and you know this.
Though it is with great respect for the police, we gratefully hear externally that they turned up three times but the event was allowed to continue. โDue to the event taking place on MOD land, officers liaised with the military, and an effective plan was put in place to minimise the disruption to the local community and address the illegal gathering,โ the Police continued.
And that’s the correct action to take in my honest and experienced opinion. Police providing a presence is usually welcomed for the need of safety and advice. No one really wants to piss off the neighbours, they just want to party.
โOn this occasion, we seized a large amount of sound equipment and generators from the site,โ they also said, which is a shame, because such equipment is expensive and it undermines the motivation to put such events on. Do police confiscate the horns and hounds of the Beaufort Hunt as they rampage across the countryside slaughtering wildlife for kicks?
I raved through acid house and into jungle, and no matter how many years rack up between those happy daze and now, I can never comprehend how or why the authorities concluded we were doing as much harm as they claimed we were. Sure, it was rebellious, it was unlicensed, and uncontrolled, but we policed ourselves, we tided up afterwards, we respected the land and the residents too.
It was only later, post Castlemorton, when the government clamped down, restricted us, and forcibly closed down parties that anarchy and anger against the system ensued, just as did in the early eighties with the free festival scene. Let’s learn from our mistakes and prevent history repeating, again.
The trick surely is then, to call a compromise, accept that people want to party and not all can afford festival tickets, and allow these events some leeway. For there’s a lot worse they could be doing. Judging by the positive comments on these reportsโ shares on Facebook, I’m not alone in that notion.
Being honest with myself though, I’m unsure if I’m more hacked off with police confiscating the equipment or the fact I didn’t go myself, but really, who needs an Uncle Albert in the corner, reciting his memories of parties of yore?!!ย
Ohโฆa slice of onion from my bratwurst plopped into my mulled wine; where does one go to complain about this?! Other than that, Devizes Town Council and DOCA’s Winter Festival was the best one for many years, officially opening yuletide in Devizesโฆ..
Over time the simple premise of switching the Christmas tree lights on has become a large-scale event which differs in traditions from town to town, possibly competitive even. Some here envy the Sham’s monstrosity of an electronic tree sculpture, others favour our real tree. Wotton Bassett hosts great lively rock bands, like Barrelhouse this year. But while I love those guys, nothing says Christmas to me more than Devizes Town Band brassing off the seasonal Shakin Stevens classic. And, face it, Trowbridgeโs lantern parade was an idea they nicked from us, which we may/may not have pinched from Chinese New Year, but who’s splitting hairs?!
In the modern era I’ve no experience of other town’s shenanigans in which to compare Devizesโ efforts with. I just know and am more than content with the spectacular show we stage here. A massive well done and thanks to all involved, it was a magnificent occasion, much better than last and other previous years.
To start at the end, fireworks were welcomed back after last year’s dubious light show replacement. Despite them being dubbed โsilent fireworksโ the effect was near equally impressive. Perhaps Fantasy Radio blasting out the decibels made up for the lack of explosions, and everyone’s dogs could join in the fun. I thought the radio couldโve been turned down a notch, during intervals of the Devizes Town Band playing, to enhance them when they did, but thereโs no telling radio DJs!
And as for light shows, St John’s looked absolutely magnificent. It’s one thing to project images onto a wall, it’s another to use it to compliment a 900 year old beautiful church, where children and PTAs usually just collect their lanterns and wait in relative darkness!
The Market Place was also transformed into a visual feast, a bustling market with plenty of food and drink options. Devizes Town Band proudly showcased on a grand stage was a new great idea, and excited faces of all ages gathered to watch the lantern parade. It is a wonderful, popular family occasion, this year being one of the very best.
The town came out to play. Folk gathered at the end of the lantern parade by The Corn Exchange, though, were unfenced and naturally pushed forward so Santa’s sleigh on a trailer was forced to stop there and let the lantern bearers pass behind it, rather than park sensibly by the stage. This was the only technical error, as their view of the lanterns were now obscured by Father Christmas and the Mayor offloading with a stepladder! But Devizes is Devizes, and we retain our astute sense of humour regardless. As Santa dismounted and the lanterns passed behind, folk shouted in jest, โget out of the way Santa!โ โYou can’t park there!โ and โit’s not all about you!!โ
And from the basic children’s lanterns to the regular spaceman, chickens and even the odd Minecraft Ghast, the parade swept through the Market Place gloriously, and we cheered Father Christmas as we counted down the moment the tree lights would glitter and Christmas in Devizes begins for another year.
But it’s not just about wandering through the stalls, deciding what food and drink to treat yourself to and perhaps buying fudge, or auntie a jar of chilli jam, because while you did, entertaining street theatre and glittery ladies on stilts (who I failed to pick up the phone numbers of) bustled through.
The best had to be those giant stockings moving around and charming the kids with puppet bears chatting; that was a stroke of genius. I know if I was five and saw that I’d probably have wet myself with excitement, but now I’m fifty-somethingโฆwell, best check for a wet patch just to be certain!! No, that was a mulled wine spillage as a piece of onion plopped into it; thought I’d told you that?!
I did bump into Santa though who was off-duty and, at the time, mysteriously carrying a stepladder. Being as I’ve been good-ish all year, I acted like I’d met Mick Jagger and posed for a photo with him; a quality occurrence which made my night!
But it wasn’t any one element of the event which made it, it was the colossal show they staged, all the elements so well coordinated and coming together in unity which caused this to be so magical. The expressions of joy on children and drunkโs faces was priceless and from the maker’s market to the teacup rides, everyone seemed to be having fun, even the weather was agreeable!
If I was triggered in the week by Facebook whingers witch-hunting DOCA, the newspaper reporting it, or anyone else they could blame, (like, bizarrely, Americans) for their own agitations at the name of this event, for not, apparently, being religious enough, and I said I hope they donโt come if they were only to wine-hole, Iโve changed my mind. I wish they did come now. Theyโd have seen for themselves the evening had plenty of Christmas spirit and Christmassy elements to it, whilst embracing many other aspects of winter too, and nobody really gave thought or the slightest botheration to its name, they just wanted to enjoy the moment. And they did.
The work that went into this by all involved, mostly volunteers, was absolutely incredible, and I hope it will pave the way for a new chapter in the work of DOCA, of which Devizes should be grateful and proud.
So, until next year weโll be rockin’ around the Christmas tree, letting the Christmas spirit ring, having pumpkin pie, later, and possibly doing some caroling; if thatโs still not Christmassy enough for disgruntled keyboard warriors next year Iโll dress up as the Archangel Gabriel, if they so wish, so they can winch me up and suspend me across the Market Place where everyone below will see my Grinch boxersโฆ.donโt tempt me!!
by Mick Brianimages from Lauren Arena-McCann The playwright Tom Stoppard is probably best known for his work โRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadโ, his absurdistโฆ
You might think it’s a laryngologist’s dream come true, this Lewis Capaldi-led decade’s penchant for the blue-eyed soul singersโ melismatic strain to cause Mickโฆ
Nothing cruel about our George Wilding; with his perfect match and another local legend of local music, Jolyon Dixon, they’re knocking out great singlesโฆ
Thereโs a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level,โฆ
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Whoโs ready for walking in the winter wonderland?! Devizes sets to magically transform into a winter wonderland this Friday when The Winter Festival and Lantern Parade opens in the Market Place; excited?! Well, I say magically, it actually takes a lot of hard work to put on; thank you to DOCA and all the volunteers. A spokesperson for DOCA was confident things were all good last week, and was only worried about the weather forecastโฆ..
At present my thoroughly unreliable weather app suggests a 43% chance of rain, but keep your glass of mulled wine half full at least, thatโs considerably less than 50%, and going on current climate, the rain is sporadic and light. DOCA promises the festival to be โour most enchanting yet, with a full day and evening of festivities, creative workshops, stunning street performances, and a mesmerizing lantern parade.โ Looking into it with a bit more detail and including everything else going on might yet put me on the good list!
The grand finale, the Lantern Parade & Fireworks details firstly. Father Christmas will be making a special appearance at St. Johnโs Churchyard from 5:30pm to 6:10pm. At 6pm the parade gathers at St. Johnโs Church Gate. 6:15pm the parade starts, winding through the town centre. 7pm is the Light Switch-On at The Market Place. 7:05pm there will be silent fireworks, best viewed from The Market Place; Iโve not seen silent fireworks before, certainly not heard them!
As is tradition, Devizes Town Band will entertain while the Market Place will be alive with market stalls, tasty tucker and drinks, and shopping opportunities. The Makery Market will be showcasing unique, handmade treasures from local crafters and makers from 12 noon to 8:30pm Friday, and from 11am to 6pm on Saturday, at the Corn Exchange.
The beloved winter warmer, DOCAโs famous mulled wine stall will be running on Friday only, from noon to 8:30pm. Of course, lots of our shops, cafes and bars will remain open. Someone did post a request for a list of shops staying open on local Facebook groups, like they canโt do this without Google Maps! You got legs? Use them! Be like Dora and explore! But hey, hereโs what we knowโฆ..
The Shambles is a magical place at Christmas, with projections by Young Urban Digitals & PF Events, a specially created animated light artwork made by local young people. Savannah Sweets, Biddles, SoupChick and Sunabody Care pottery and bodycare will be open. Cositas Bonitas, The Healthy Life and many other shops will stay open late across town. Cafes too, including the new beauty salon come cafe, Velvet & Bloom, and hot rum totty outside The Muck and Dunder.
Thereโs a mystery โlive bandโ outside The Pour House, and a choir concert at St Andrewโs Church. The Unpredictables at The Three Crowns comes highly recommended, DJ Random at The Southgate too, and a Lantern Parade Disco Party at The Pelican Inn. Snow White is the running panto at The Wharf Theatre, and itโs brilliant!
From 5pm onwards, find some spectacular street performances around the Market Place. Bristolโs infamous roaming band, The Ambling Band will bring infectious energy with their blend of pink and brass. The Glitter Belles are dazzling high-rise performers with sculptural creations straight from the 1970s disco era. Keep your eyes peeled for Stockings Up, a pair of gigantic Christmas stockings bursting with presents and magically strolling around town, two women on stilts covered head to toe in glitter ball costumes and silver glitter, a woman in a red coat talking to a puppet bear in a larger than life sized Christmas stocking and The Flying Buttresses, an illuminated tree with books that light up attached.
From 4 to 8:30pm find, at St. Johnโs Churchyard, an Illuminated Garden, an enchanted world of light and magic with stunning lanterns created by DOCA community workshops. Another light installation will be Chirp & Drift by Kathy Hinde, a mesmerizing installation where illuminated instruments chatter in Morse code messages, accompanied by gentle harmonies from accordion reeds hidden within. After a few glasses of mulled wine you might also be chattering in Morse code!
Also look out for an old piano also by Kathy Hinde, a kinetic sound sculpture with videos of birds projected onto the strings, and Emergency Exit Artsโ Giant butterflies; but remember, a giant butterfly is for life, not just for Christmas.
Creative Workshops also feature. Wellard & Wild Botanical Workshops on Friday 28th at various times. From Kokedama to terrariums, epiphytes to festive wreaths, learn traditional methods to create beautiful botanical designs. Contemporary Wreath Making on Friday 28th from 2pm to 5pm at The Ceres Hall of the Corn Exchange, where you can create your own stunning, brightly-coloured wreath using repurposed plastics, berries, and sequins. Learn millinery flower-making techniques with accomplished maker Nancy Rose Stott. And there is Tin Can Brooch Making on Sunday 30th from 2pm to 5pm, at The Southgate Inn, where you can design and sew a unique brooch using reclaimed materials.
Donโt forget the Window Wanderland Trail, running from Friday 28th November to Monday 1st December. For more info on all this and to book workshops, check out DOCA website. For everything else going on locally, keep this frequency clear and love Devizine!
Other stuff going on: Saturday thereโs a jumble sale in St Andrewโs Church. A clothes swap in The Shambles. Lights Switch On in Waiblingen Way. Innes Sibun is at The Southgate, the Buzzing Fridges at The Three Crowns, and The Liverpool Echoes at The Conservative Club.
Letโs get Christmassy; cue the Shakinโ Stevens, children playing, having fun, it’s the season, love and understanding, but not too much snow falling please, Shaky!
One part of Swindon was in perfect harmony last night, and I donโt mean the traffic circumnavigating the Magic Roundabout. Rather The Lost Trades were at the Hop in Old Town, honouring a postponed gig from Septemberโฆ..
SoP Live, who run a regular Thursday night music club at The Castle, plenty of other gigs, and coordinate the Swindon Shuffle and Swinterfest, arranged this eveningโs entertainment at The Hop, the largest of pubs on the Devizes Road area of Old Town with the perfect upstairs function room to turn into a temporary folk club.
A slight music appreciation collective gathered, seated and respectfully keen to value live music of this calibre. On previous occasions when the Lost Trades played here, organiser Ed Dyer explained, โwere packed out,โ and factors of the lesser crowd were discussed; it couldโve been because it was rescheduled. While free pub gigs thrive equally to overpriced pop star concerts, add even the smallest price to less mainstream acts, as this gig did, sadly seems can reduce its attraction. What we all need to be mindful of is the safety net; dedicated and erudite promoters like SoP guarantee tried and tested acts, ergo paying a small ticket stub is worthwhile for a better class of live music than a pub throwing any old band in for peanuts. Ah, you get what you pay for, but to disregard this notion is to lose venues and promoters. The saddest thing is, that is happeningโฆ.now. Support them, or become a skint Swifty, your choice.
Whilst Jamie R Hawkins and Phil Cooper of The Lost Trades are no strangers to playing a pub gig solo, the key to the Lost Trades works best at folk festivals and clubs, and arts centres. It is fantastic to think this local export is nationwide now, and judging on their performance last night, something Iโve not caught for what seems like an age, itโs thoroughly deserved. Thereโs a sense of elevation in their delivery of these soothing vocal harmonies, a consistent strive of improvement, which if it isnโt at its peak now, the summit would be on an angelic level.
Such a while it has been, Tamsin Quin left the trio and has been replaced by Jess Vincent, and I was yet to see that working live, despite fondly mentioning their latest single, Float Me On Your River. As well as performing some other new songs, they opened with this, and notwithstanding Tamsin has a distinguishable voice, Jess makes the quintessential substitution, an exemplar to the ethos of The Lost Trades. Her wonderful vocal range and proficient percussion complement Phil and Jamieโs expressions on equal terms as Tamsinโs, and so The Lost Trades are once again at the top of their game.
And a sublime performance it was, but not before a support act new to me played a divine set of fiddle, guitar and occasional loop pedal folk covers. Half of One is a Swindon duo, fiddler Geoff Roberts and guitarist Neil Mercer, and theyโve played together in folk band SGO who recently disbanded, and who Iโm well aware of, and dance band Cowshed Ceilidh Collective. We were treated to some gorgeous English folk pieces, others from the likes of Sam Sweeny, Show of Handsโ Steve Knightly, and a wonderfully delivered Great War song for Remembrance I missed the name of and cannot find online! It was a spellbinding support, which couldโve been the headline for any folk club.
As folk, The Lost Trades have always stated itโs โmodern folk,โ and with electric guitars and some subject matter I see this, but thereโs something uniquely captivating about them which makes it timeless and conjures images of The Carter Family. I may not have been lucky enough to have seen The Everley Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel, but The Lost Trades are vocal harmony perfection to me!
Available at Devizes Books, or message Devizine for a copy!
Following the excitement and success of the first meeting of โYour Partyโ in Swindon, a second meeting has been arranged for 18th September 7.30โฆ
It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across theโฆ
There’s something to be said for the function duo route with universal appeal, you could be working somewhere hot! Powerhouse vocal harmony duo Reflectionsโฆ
Treated to a sneaky dress rehearsal of this year’s pantomime at Devizesโ one and only Wharf Theatre last night, if forced to sum it up in a word, the word would be โdelightfulโฆ..โ
With Ian dedicated to all things theatrical here on Devizine, panto is reserved for my tuppence; that has become as much a Christmas tradition as Brussel sprouts! Snow White is the choice to loosely base the crazy and fun shenanigans around this time, and while I usually attend just to announce what a treat you’ll miss out on unless you’ve a ticket, this time the Wharf has doubled the run to a fortnight, so it’s not sold out … .yet. The question remains, is it worth your while?
The answer is not hiding behind you. Oh, yes it is! Of course it’s worthwhile, silly!
The time, dedication and professionalism which goes into each and every pantomime at the Wharf is something the team behind them should be proud of. This year sees some unity with various local theatre groups, and their talents bless the show. โThis year we see people coming from Stagecoach, Potterne Panto, Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatics Society, Centre Stage Dance Academy, Devizes Musical Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, and Melksham Music and Drama,โ director and chairman of The Wharf Theatre, Pete Winterton informed, and with additional scriptwriting from Helen Pritchard, Pete wrote and directed this yearโs panto.
Helen plays the face of the magic mirror, brutally honest yet cheeky with the Evil Queen, played with passion and skill by Georgina Watson, from PVADS and who undoubtedly performs the best solo. Yet a truly magnificent antagonist is never a thing without a trusty sidekick, and, no stranger to the Wharf and Stagecoach, twelve-year-old Gigi Underwood takes that role superbly.
Georgina Claridge, perfect to play Snow White, choreographed the show, which, even at the dress rehearsal stage, looked polished. Archer Lee plays the prince, Rory Lee is his chaperone Dandy. Thereโs a delightful team of seven young dancing villagers, Kira Drezanics, Maisie Lee, Bea Stacey, Myrah Williams, Madeleine Newman, Phoebe Newman, and Coco Fuller, ranging from nine years to thirteen years old and bubbling with talent.
Of course thereโs also seven, only slightly smaller people, a running copyright infringement gag, which mysteriously fades after time, and theyโre returned to being called dwarfs without explanation, or hopefully, lawsuit, but does a panto need explaining?! If the show is loosely based on Snow White, the seven โassociatesโ of Snow White are a unit of parodies, the most bizarre being Corrin Bishop, who plays a politician version, wittily just waving and shaking hands with the audience akin to a silent film star. Jessica Bone as Nurse seems the natural leader, but Jenni Prescott and Ben Byran add humour with roles called Misery and Snorey, respectively. Kelly Williams and Cameron Williams are either shy and throaty, but the icing on this cake is the youngest and smallest, Smiley, played by Stagecoach student Ella Cook, whose natural flair for dramatics charms.
Then, even more important than any plot, for there is a basic runoff narrative from Uncle Waltโs adaptation of the Brothers Grimmโs Sneewittchen, is the comical Dame and their sidekick. There can be no other team better chosen from these wild woods than Adam Sturges, who dons the drag so divinely, to play Dolly, and his partner Oli Beech to play their son James. Oli and Adam are stalwarts at the Wharf, playing apart they both shine but as a duo they are comical genius, naturally proficient at improv and breaking the fourth wall to take these essential roles, delivering them with hilarity, and binding the panto with joyful audience participation.
If panto at the Wharf follows its own methods which bucks traditions of pantomime, Snow White is no exception, and that is what makes it unexpectedly fun. Nitpicking, I thought it unorthodox to not end the first half with a song, though they right this wrong with such a fantastic musical finale it makes up for it. But, Iโm left wondering if slapstick is a thing of the past. Because, cliche or perhaps not politically correct, there was a lack of visual humour in this show; is it too risque for modern kids to see a custard pie in the face?!
Though little ones will not tire of this, itโs fantastic, yet summarised, and doesnโt extend to unnecessary proportions. The humour rests majorly on gags, many of local direction; mocking neighbouring towns, etc. But there are the customary encouraged singalongs, games, and fun pop song adaptations for all ages to love. Thereโs amusing treats, like the mysterious characters appearing from the woods, and the ingeniously adapted charactersโ traits.
Pantomime is the golden opportunity to introduce young people to the theatre, and is the one occasion when those not regular theatre-goers will take a chance. Snow White is a delight, an enjoyable family treat; go see it and start Christmas. The children will be delighted; I was and Iโm a 52 and three quarters-year old kid!
Snow White opens on Tuesday 25th November and runs until Saturday 6th December. Curtains at 7:30pm, two matiness at 2:30pm on the Saturdays. Tickets HERE or at Devizes Books.
Itโs beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Rowdey Cow cafe and ice cream parlour; their Christmas Tree Light Switch On is this Friday, the 21st Novemberโฆ..
If you thought an ice cream parlour was restricted to summertime, think again! Itโs the first time the Rowdey Cow near Devizes has held a Christmas light switch on event, and we wish them all the best with it. The fun begins at 5:30pm, and the lights will sparkle at 6pm.
Ice cream might only be for the daring, but theyโve marshmallow toasting and festive food & drinks, plus gift stalls, Christmas crafts, and a cozy Christmas film of which theyโre asking children to vote for their favourite on their Facebook page; Iโm voting Arthur Christmas, hands down!
Free mince pies and mulled wine if you turn up before the big light switch on at 6pm. They promise a very special guest too. I think I might be able to guess who it might be, and Iโve been good all year, well, good-ish!
And if you cannot make it, there’s lots of chances to have Breakfast with Santa at various dates in December, see HERE.
Raging expressions of angered feminist teenage anguish this month, perfectly delivered by Steatopygous via their mindblowing debut album Songs of Salome, I hail as the pinnacle of Sketchbook Records to date. But it’s only been a year since Simon formed the label. It’s DIY, a contemporary local counterculture ethos; welcome to the Wiltshire underground of the now; there’s more to discoverโฆ.
There was me, showing my age, assuming Gen Z required Google to know โcassette tape!โ But, due to the expense of pressing vinyl and burning CDs, Sketchbook’s Simon looks towards this affordable format, with digital downloads also, to showcase the upcoming talents he finds working at Trowbridgeโs Pump.
December marks the labelโs first year. A demo by Steatopygous was put onto hand-designed cassettes to punt to Pump visitors last year, but Simon has taken on other bands to feature. Yes, we must praise Steatopygousโ album, but we must also highlight the others too, as theyโre released onto Bandcamp for all to access….and buy, people, buy!
โVinyl has gotten way too expensive and takes way too long to manufacture to make it feasible for short runs,โ he explained when chatting about the Steatopygous demo. โFor this release, Kieran recorded the band for free, it cost less than ยฃ80 for the blanks which I’ve dubbed at home myself. Eliza’s making the inlays by hand and we’ve been able to turn it around in 3 weeks. A 7″ would be, like, ยฃ800 for 100 copies and take months to arrive. A cassette means I can just give the band twenty or so tapes to sell themselves, knowing I can make the money back on the rest, and even if I don’t, it’s been such a fun thing to do that it really doesn’t matter. And that’s punk rock, right?!โ
Take it from someone who contributed to more punk zines than I care to recall, that is precisely punk! The trading of tapes was the pre-internet equivalent of file sharing, and similarly with photocopied zines, with good intentions variably more sharing or swapping, their distributors sucked it up as a labour of love. I know I did, but Iโve a cathedral of tapes, vinyl, zines and comix, which hold sentimental value, mostly from swapsies.
It may seem surprising to note the DIY ethos remains today, and Iโm glad to hear of it. In reviewing them I take into consideration these are produced on shoestrings, that theyโre young upcoming acts, and itโs going to sound raw. But just like Ol’ Dirty Bastard in more ways than one, I like it raw!!
Working backwards through the discography thenโฆ..
Steatopygous: Songs of Salome
Recorded and mixed in summer 2025 at Nine Volt Leap Studios with Dominic Bailey-Clay, and released this month, Songs of Salome, is a brave and stupendous collection of six outrageous riot grrrl screamo punk tracks, from a Devizes-based female-fronted young band named after the state of having substantial levels of tissue on the buttocks and thighs! Implying, not only a running theme on the psychoanalysis of body image and societyโs expectations, but also that they donโt give a flying fuck if you think they create nothing more than a โscreamy noise,โ will twist any such misdemeaning negatives into positives, and post them as stories on their social media; just one of the two-fingers up at the status quo aspects I love about Steatopygous!
Yet itโs not only the idea if theyโre not pissing someone off theyโre not doing it properly which makes them punk, thereโs solid riffs of what I shouldnโt describe as โtraditional punk,โ because thatโs surely an oxymoron to be spat at; nothing about punk was ever traditional, but I guess what I mean is, it reflects punkโs origins honourably, while still pushing the anger it conveyed to future generations. And in this, I cannot compare them to another of the same subgenre and ask them to excuse my ignorance of nineties riot grrl bands, like Bikini Kill or Bratmobile, though theyโve inspired me to listen to them now, and my finding is, if Steatopygous strives to be an English equivalent, theyโre not just on the right road, they make them look tame by comparison.
No one I know of is expressing their poetic frustrations quite like Steatopygous, these six songs prove it. If you identify, if you rethink, itโs in your face if you want it or not. Wall Plug Slug is self-harm themed, depressing in ballad, but still easing us in gently. Cassowary takes no prisoners of patriarchy and sexual relationships, something which rings throughout the album. Marieโs Wedding Song takes us to riffs and themes The Slits might have, but Little Boy is the most poignantly contemporaryโฆ. and screamy, making grunge sound like easy listening!
Sceptic really raised an eyebrow when I reviewed it earlier this month, Female CD simply thrashes out till the end of this monster; itโs breathtaking, doesnโt come up for air, and overall, Steatopygous are provocateurs against whatโs acceptable, and Songs of Salome launches it back at you in a desirable frenzy, and I donโt believe they care.
Itโs an outstanding debut of which I encourage them to drive more in the same direction, avoiding any requests to sell it out.
Until the Last Sunflower: Between Maturity
If mainstream labels require a textbook style artists are contracted to adhere to, the beauty of counterculture is there are no barriers. Until The Last Sunflower is Trowbridgeโs Joshua Allen. Between Maturity wasrecorded in a bedroom early 2025, released in May, and is so vastly different from Songs of Salome itโs at the opposite side of the scale.ย
It includes tags unfamiliar to me, but โsadcoreโ and โslowcoreโ speak for themselves. Lo-fi ambient rock, Iโd best pigeonhole it; poignant shards of thoughts and observations from a young eye, dubbed with basslines, piano or acoustic guitar, sometimes building layers, harking back to Spiritized or even the mellowed nu-cool of Bristolโs nineties trip hop scene at its jazzier moments.
Yet its eight tracks literally require horizontal listening. With the deep prose of Syd Barrett being dumped at sixteen years old, I’d have to have had a really shit day to totally appreciate this, but shit days aplenty and Morrisey is a prick anyway; this is melancholy done smoothly!
The lengthy lowercase track names attend to the curious: perks of being a wallflower, please let me forget this memory; just this one, i miss my selfish and ignorant youth, and particularly, cupid vs disgusting men who take advantage of little children. And it certainly takes a gulp of melancholic dejection in an ambience more provoking than chilling. For this, it bucks positivity like raindrops, happy to watch them dribble down a window pane; sombre, emotive, mindful music, I like, on a particular day.
Hurts Worse: Love is Death and Death is all that’s Left
Released last April, Hurts Worse are Mikey and Emma, from Nebraska. A not so sober Simon messaged them to ask if they wanted to do a tape, โand somehow they said yes,โ he explained!
This is a collection of eight from their various singles and EPs. Again, dark slowcore, you might gather from the title. Death, graves, bleeding hearts and the one tune most commercially viable called โif you love me please check yes next to the skull carved in my desk,โ give an overall of morose subject matters, but it rolls so smoothly, gloomy and angry but not bad tempered in sound. Itโs romance at its most bitter, Coldplay gone sour, and for such itโs unique and moreish.
Kurt Alexander: I stepped out into the world and it no longer exists and all was good.
Also released in April, this is a compilation of two albums, originally released late in 2024. Again, best pigeonholed as slowcore punk, though thereโs moments upping the tempo, akin to folktronica. Itโs dreamer than the others and breaks for some refined bridges of funky bass guitar, electronica and voice samples of poetry or recordings of phone calls.
Itโs seventeen tracks strong, often short, experimental in that one blip is the previous tune backwards, and in production I get vibes of Money Markโs Keyboard Repair. Though I think the downtempo Bristol nineties scene also takes an influence, probably why Iโd favour it over the previous two mentioned, personally. But thereโs rock here too, crashing metal guitars and acoustic guitar tunes over violin, but so subtly dubbed, it really is an interesting melting pot. If thereโs emotive prose like the past couple mentioned itโs done soulfully, and less bitter. Think; Tricky was an indie kid.
Nobody’s Dad: Mixtape
โNot a dad?โ this band asks on their Insta account, โdon’t worry, neither are we,โ leaving no explanation what to do if you are, but you still love this band! I reserve my right to play this mixtape on the school run in dadโs taxi; see how they like that!! The thing is, age is only a state of mind, I absolutely love this, so does my son!
Released in January, this is undoubtedly the most universal and commercially viable of Sketchbookโs back catalogue. That enthral shoegaze sound, female-fronted, drifting and dreamy with hints of grunge. Angel opens the four tracks, with a kick, and Iโm contemplating The Cranberries as a comparison. Margo is a please return to me ballad, and is sublime.
You Donโt Communicate, and Youโre all I Ever Wanna Be rock it back out, smoothly with those gorgeous grunge layers, akin to I See Orange, and leaving you aching for more. I think Iโve found a new favourite thing. Nobodyโs Dad deserves a renowned producer to refine this, as itโs yeah, raw, but booming with so much potential, and thatโs the nature of a DIY label like Sketchbook, opening eyes to upcoming talent without the professional angle of โhow can I make money from this?โ Nobody’s Dad, huh?! Topping this dad’s playlist now.
Kurt Alexanderโs cassette covers are individually unique hand-dubbed with green or orange paint and they used a typewriter for the text. Eliza from Steatopygous hand designs their covers and a number of others too. Thereโs a timeless and individual charm about DIY punk culture which Sketchbook embraces, and in days of AI this is wonderfully personal, genuine, and uncommercially dedicated to a fashion of yore.
I look forward to hearing whatโs next, and of course, Sketchbook presents gigs at The Pump, the next is a Christmas party with Nobodyโs Dad, Parkii and Kurt Alexander on Saturday 13th December; the kids are alright.
Formerly known as Judas Goat and the Bellwether, the now renamed band have announced the release of their latest single, โDrill Baby Drillโ (coming outโฆ
Photograph byย Simon Folkard It’s been a rocky road for Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts (DOCA) these last few years, and I didn’t mean the crushed biscuitsโฆ
What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch themโฆ
Valedictorian graduate of Bates College in Maine, and with a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, neuroscientist Lisa Genova self-published her debut novel, Still Alice inโฆ
If you need a reason to understand why I was so excited about The Sarah C Ryan Band coming to RowdeFest back in May, you wasn’t there!! And if you wasn’t, well, I’m not going to pick on you, just leave said example below and let you decide…..
My Radio Silence, recorded for a session at Crescent Records Studio in Swindon, back in July 2024, has recently been published on YouTube for prosperity, and shows precisely why I so absolutely, totally 100% love this band! It’s so breezy and cool…. I’m going to shut my cake hole and let you enjoy the video…..
Swindon’s annual colossal fundraising event The Shuffle is a testament to local live music, which raises funds for Prospect Hospice. If you’re ever going toโฆ
There was a geographical population imbalance this bank holiday Monday in Devizes which risked the entire town conically sloping into the back of Morrisons; noโฆ
Itโs nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโs Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil and they gained air time, but the interview was published short of year ago now, and the band have had significant changes to the lineup and their style. So, I the time is nigh to poke my bulbous nose in and interrupt their rehearsal againโฆ..
Formerly a trio, bassist Chris Lane remains with Chrissy Chapman up front,ย but guitarist Andy Jacobs sadly passed away this year. โAndy was an amazing musician and really helped carve out our initial sonic signature,โ Chrissy told me. โWeโve always wanted to acknowledge his creative contributions, given that music ran through him like the letters in a stick of rock. However, for reasons I canโt discuss out of respect for everyone involved, the band collectively decided that it was no longer suitable for Andy to remain involved. Weโve made every attempt to show him grace since that decision but there was a negative backlash. Regardless, we were all very sad to hear he passed away shortly after, and our sympathies remain with his family and loved ones. Weโre committed to remembering him in the best light.โ
โThere was definitely concern about doing the songs justice after we parted ways with Andy,โ Chrissy continued. โEventually, though, we made a conscious effort to develop a new sound that honoured the music while allowing John the creative freedom. The core of our sound now focuses on doing the songs justice rather than trying to replicate what Andy originally brought to the table and embracing the natural evolution of our sound that draws from all of our influences.โ
The Original Trio of Chrissy, Chris and Andy
John Lane joined as guitarist, but was making me a cuppa while I was chatting with Ron Riordan, the new drummer. Theyโve both been instrumental in forging a new direction for the band, literally! John said of Andyโs passing, โas part of getting through that phase the band has grown,โ and Ron added it had โevolved.โ
Turning to Chrissy I jested that when we did the original interview, she had suggested they didn’t need a drummer! โWell,โ she explained, โwe always needed a drummer, but we were able to perform at the time without a drummer because we were percussive enough. And it went down really well. A couple of venues, we did three gigs before we got Ron, a brilliant drummer!โ
Ron stepped in immediately at a crossover period between Andy and John, a proficient drummer who told me he had played in a few ska bands in Swindon, โI started playing drums when I was about nine, in orchestras and learnt to read music, that type of thing.โ I smiled; he looks like he can blast a Two-Tone riff. โThat’s the thing though,โ Chrissy said, โbecause straight away we had DOCAโs Winter of Festive Ales booked. So it was like, everybody had to jump on really, really quickly. And we wanted to use that as an opportunity to do the originals.โ
It was on the strength of the demo I asked them to play RowdeFest, I hadnโt seen them performing before. But the committee was encouraging me to find a covers band. โWe followed your advice about doing the covers,โ Chrissy said, though it wasnโt really advise, rather a way to get them booked! Iโm so glad they did, they were dynamite and feedback was overwhelming. The kind of band youโd think had been on the circuit for years. โI felt that we were at the party at the end of the day!โ John remarked, and they certainly was.
โWhat was nice about that is it the focus was about โlet’s give people a showโ rather than it just being about โlet’s get our songs outโ,โ Chrissy explained. โYour influence was about getting a show to give to people, keeping people up on their feet, so and not allowing those breathers.โ I did encourage them to ensure they blasted some originals out too, though, which they did!
โWe tried to dress it on different levels of the visual,โ John stressed, โwearing the outfits, the recognition of known songs, and the come on, party time!โ
โYeah, it worked, didn’t it?โ I replied, a template to liven up a pub gig, and Burn the Midnight Oil are certainly getting them. The Queenโs Tap in Swindon and Kings Arms in Amesbury their recent outings, but how do they feel about how far theyโve come?
โGiven that the new face of us being coming up a four piece with Andy’s departure in January, to get that in the space of a year, well, less than a year,โ Chrissy said, โas a new lineup, I think it’s quite incredible.โ
Itโs the added drums which changes it, I supposed, surely essential for a harder rock feel.
โIt changes the scale of the presentation,โ John added. โIt’s now got drive and rhythm rather than being listening for the lyric. It’s actually motivated, it hooks into people’s natural sense of rhythm, and you can’t help it. First thing people take in is rhythm, then melody, last of all, lyrics. So if you hook the first bit, you don’t get the second one, then they come back for the lyrics. So we’re attacking it from the best angle.โ
Here was were I felt a healthy division between John and Chrissyโs perspective, as she began to speak on where she drew inspiration from in the writing and a change in direction from intrapersonal to interpersonal. She drew from personal relationships and her faith, implying her writing was key, but the difference was never confrontational and a good blend of opinion is surely necessary to compose the elements of a song professionally.
โI had a tsunami of a creative spell, and wrote twenty songs in as many days. So we’re now, everybody’s having to play catch up, trying to get them polished!โ Chrissy explained. She labelled her past songs as an โangsty teenage phase,โ and felt her songwriting about โgood guy/scumbagsโ had evolved and matured into โsomething more universal. It’s not so much like a diary, it’s definitely becoming more cryptic. It’s pulling in a different kind of imagery and symbolism. And then, because I’m faith-based as well, I’ve given a lot of inspiration taking verses from the Bible that have really helped me through difficult times. I’m weaving them, not to be preachy, but just to be like, this is my story.โ
โWeโd like the two songs we did at the award ceremony, to polish it up more, get a scratch track done, and then we’re going to go back to Matt Millerโs Dusty Shed, who did the original three.โ
โWe can’t really use the original EP anymore. And also, it’s fair to say with John’s influences, and the way that we’re allowing space for his creative flow to come into it, it just sounds different.โ
John pointed out his mixer was adequate when I pondered if they needed a producer. Chrissy replied while it would be โfantastic,โ she crunched numbers and said they, โreally want to get onto the festival circuit, and that means having tracks done ASAP.โ
Captivating to listen to Chrissy delving deeper into the inspiration behind her songwriting and the maturity she felt it levelling to, in which she exclaimed with much delight, โit’s definitely been refreshing having John’s influence, him sharing how he sees it as a viewer. Because you write what you know, and unfortunately, I’ve been exposed to quite a lot of things that I don’t think many people would ever want to be exposed to. And being able to find hope and joy in some of the songs and being able to write happier songs. For the first time ever, I’ve written two love songs! I’ve never written love songs before! So, there definitely seems to be more universal themes.โ
Yet as fascinating as it is, hearing Chrissyโs writing motivations, John revealing the technical side to their development, Ron adding splices of drummer-fashioned wit, and together them trying to summarise their change in direction whether it be a more rock-blues or dark-country, only to finally decide it unnecessary to pigeonhole it anyway, it makes for a laborious read, so I thought I’d inject a light-hearted, more physical observation with Chris, who otherwise, I suspect, wouldโve remained silent, save occasionally strumming his bass!
It was that I heard Jimi Hendrix had extremely long fingers, I noted so too did Chris, and wondered if he considered it an asset to playing guitar! John jested, โit’s like watching a spider running up and down a hot plate!โ Ron pointed out his stumpy fingers, โI’m a drummer; I’ve just tried to learn the bass guitar and I can’t get my hands anywhere round the neck of the guitar like Chris can!โ
Chris exampled pianistsโ tendency to have stumpy fingers. โYou look at Elton Joh or Les Dawson, theyโve all short fingers, but they can play like crazy! I can get away with some stuff, but some of it’s more, arguably, bad habit than good! But I can get away with having long fingers rather than good habits!โ
A fellow of far fewer words than the front girl, evidently, but when he does its witty self-mocking is worth itโs weight in gold and sparked a humorous angle to the interview in which, while Chrissy justified his dexterity and nimbleness, Ron favoured to joke about Chrisโs dancing on stage, โwhich is brilliant. I love it!โ
John praised the firmness of Chrisโ bass, โyou’re methodical, you’re listening. I’m done wondering if he’s bored to death as I explain something to him, as heโs sitting there taking it in. It’s not till you go and think he’s got it.โ
They all seemed content with each other, and John effectively โkeeping them in line,โ and this brought up the subject that they abstained from drinking while performing. โOne rule I was pretty adamant about,โ John explained while Chrissy and Ron laughed about being โhyper,โ โis drink and music don’t mix. If you’re going to load it up, don’t expect to be any good at the music.Because we’re there to make the party for everybody else.โ
โYeah,โ Chrissy joshed, โso I’m not allowed to have a pre-shot of tequila, which is really good because I definitely noticed a habit where I needed the Dutch courage in order to get up and I started realising, this is a bad habit that I don’t want to become dependent on. So itโs two-wayed. You were definitely enforcing it. And I tried to be more mindful of it and just get up despite feeling nervous. And I get nervous every single time still.โ
Aside the notion everyone gets butterflies, we moved between passionate subjects like the local circuits and venues and getting further afield, and we ventured back into songwriting inspirations, but I wanted them to nail it into a summary. โIn a nutshell,โ Chrissy said, โweโre focusing on rhythm and melody so that the lyrics can shine through. And we’re drawing inspiration from real life. Trying to make them more universal and a punchy sound. Rocky, bluesy, layers musically and lyrically; say that, Darren!โ
Okay, I will! And if you want to hear this band progressing, follow their socials for gig updates. Theyโll be in Devizes on Sunday 14th December, at that tropical holiday resort in the Brittox, The Muck & Dunder, with a fundraiser for Ugandan orphanage His Grace Children Centre Bugiri, which theyโve organised themselves.
In true Christian spirit Chrissy annually organises a fundraiser around the yuletide, which she did as a soloist ironically titled One Trick Pony. Ironic because, she lent her vocals to drum n bass tracks, returned to town to learn guitar and perform acoustically, ย and now thereโs Burn the Midnight Oil; a proficient four-piece who, merging experiences in varied genres, refuse to ย pigeonhole their developing style, and has an angelic vocalist with a penchant undaunted to delve deep into her psyche and faith for inspiration, and oh yeah, a bassist with long fingers!
Whilst dispersing highly flammable hydrocarbon gases into the atmosphere is not advisory, Butane Skies is a name increasingly exploding on local circuits. The young andโฆ
The excitement and hope generated by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announcing a new political party has reached Swindonโฆ.. A broad range of people haveโฆ
If I was bowled over backwards by Rubyโs teaser single last week, its title, Crowned Lightbringer, now also belongs to this five-track EP, released today,โฆ
Image: John Kisch Legendary songwriter and original Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell has announced a run of UK dates this November, accompanied by special guests Theโฆ
Devizine can reveal how a new book by a local author might possibly be the reason why Devizine isn’t as funny as it used to beโฆ.
Devizine, it used to be funny, but sadly it seems it’s not so much anymore. Who took the banana skin from under its flip-flop? Who failed to give it a raspberry on the bouncy belly? Editor and creator of Devizine, Darren Worrow might have discovered why.
He said, โIt’s a disgrace. This so-called author Darren Worrow has channelled all his pathetic attempts at humour into his new book Murder at the Scribbling Horse, and hardly bothered sharing anything the slightest bit amusing here on Devizine, as he once did; typical liberties from a loony leftie! And now he expects me to blow my own trumpet and sing his praises; what a pretentious twat! Shamelessly plugging his own book on his own website is surely proof.โ
โSet in the fictional Wiltshire market town of Slapam-on-the-Fye, which is nothing like any real Wiltshire market town you might know of, it claims to be a murder-mystery, but the only true thing it murders is English literature.โ
โNeither is there any subtlety in it either, like there is with Devizine,โ Worrow waffled on sorrowfully wallowing. โWorrow takes no prisoners, has gone all out and created an absolute work of filth; an offensive joke book with a sham narrative, just so he can say disgusting things about various celebrities, politicians and anyone else he doesnโt like, despite the good honest work they’re doing to keep Britain free from logic and empathy.โ
โWith the mouth of a sailor, it downright disregards any level of intelligence locals might possess, and paints them all as so utterly idiotic the narration of the story has to be conveyed through the point of view of the pub dog; I donโt think thatโs funny at all. The dog is a depressing nihilist, who uses the opportunity to put the human world to rights, rather than getting on with telling the story, thatโs why it stacks up over 500 pages. 500 plus pages of meandering woke filth, I might add.โ
โUsing a facade of a murder mystery, in which the frontman to a tribute act is murdered in the pub whilst they organise a fundraising music festival, as the plot thickens like moulded yogurt around his genitalia, it goes as far as disgracefully making a mockery out of petty local politics too. It’s the biggest crime against pop since David Bowie and Mick Jaggerโs cover of Dancing in the Street. I’d rather lick that yogurt off than buy this book, but that’s probably what this sick perverted tyrant wants us to do.โ
โYou’re not going to enjoy reading it, as tea can scold you if dropped in your lap through laughing too much. Therefore I call upon Steer Karma and the government to ban this book for health and safety reasons.โ
โThis thing wouldnโt have been published under Farage, you know? And thousands of flagpoles will now have to be erected to counteract the unpatriotic damage done, at the taxpayer’s expense too.โ
The author of the book, Darren Worrow, rebukes comments made by the Devizine editor, Darren Worrow. โThat guy is as thick as a Boxing Day turd and pissing into the wind,โ he said. โOther than the fact I have released a new book, the rest is slanderous lies and Devizine will be hearing from my lawyers. Murder at the Scribbling Horse is a fascinating psychological study and critique of the modern world, questioning our nonacceptance of aging and the social and political issues it raises; with added knob jokes.โ
The author became irate, claiming, โfor eight long years I’ve been tirelessly promoting everyone else for peanuts. I’ve not even had the opportunity of taking a bath since, and I look like a Yeti past its sell by date. It’s about time I thought about myself for a change, and everyone can bloody well return the favour by buying my book!โ
Eighties post-punk sensations Johnny Bunion and the Verrucasโ most successful album, The Legend of Castle Grey Scholl, 1981.
Whatever happened to Johnny Bunion? His legend burnt out long before his candle ever did.
But the more pressing question must be, was it connected to the murder at the Scribbling Horse public house in the narrow-minded Wiltshire market town of Slapam-on-the-Fye, some forty plus years later? And if so, how?
To answer this you’ll need to research, and my book, Murder at the Scribbling Horse will be the only way to do that.
If there’s ever any proceeds from the book, they will go to a much needed new Lynx Africa deodorant set, and a Brazilian back, sack and crack wax for the obnoxious author; the twat needs it, he looks like Posie from the Flumpsโ rustic vajazzle.
Seriously though, being funny is the only thing I’m serious about. If you laughed at any part of this internal press release you’re a bit weird, and the ideal target audience for my book! You’re going to laugh a kazillion times (thatโs a zillion zillions) more with a copy Murder at the Scribbling Horse in your grubby mitts. And even if youโve no sense of humour, you know a good Christmas present idea when you see one!
You can buy the paperback online here. And the e-book here. It’s out for global distribution but buying direct from Lulu cuts out the middle man and gives the best royalties to the authors.ย
Not for sale to children or the over sensitive, though; as if I needed to say!
Murder at the Scribbling Horse is available at Devizes Books for a reduced price of ยฃ20, and next Saturday 22nd November, I’ll be in the shop praying to the Norse god of biscuits someone might stop by and purchase a signed copy at the super reduced price of ยฃ20!
If you cannot make it, you can message me and I’ll personally deliver you a copy if you live locally. I still need to work out posting & packaging costs, so message me if it needs posting and Iโll let you know about that asap. Happy reading…well, I say that but do I really mean it, I mean, really?!
Atmospherically anthemic and reinforced with that infectious rhythmic groove weโve come to love Talk in Code for, More Than Friends is chockfull of it, and itโs their latest single, to be released on Friday 22nd August 2025 via Regent Street Recordsโฆ. Even if youโre accounted for now, happily married and matured like a fine wine,โฆ
by Mick Brian With Sandcastles Productions marking its debut production with Charlie McGuireโs original play Glass House, the cast and crew behind this production are clearly anything but inexperienced as the piece delivers its thrills and emotional beats at every turn. What Glass Houseย ultimately delivers is a play packed with fascinating questions about the nature ofโฆ
โMore deadlier than the maleโ is my usual corny pun for this, but if supergroup Female of the Species returns to Melksham this September, it looks like the last time Iโll be able to use itโฆ. September 2017, when Devizine had merely eight articles published, I previewed a charity fundraising event in Melksham, The Femaleโฆ
Iโve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quin with Jess Vincent way back in February, and its immediate impact clearly says a Lost Trades classicโฆ..
If some previous songs of The Lost Trades had a lead vocal, theyโre not the Spice Girls so I couldnโt pick a favourite, and the trio are truly at their best when there isnโt a lead and the song centralises on their astounding harmony! Float Me On Your River is one of those, four minutes plus of a simple sentimental premise with a sublime delivery. The new addition Jess fits like a glove to Phil Cooper and Jamie R Hawkinsโ vocal range, and the song rings out with the quality passionate ambiance we’ve come to expect from the trio.
It comes with an accompanying video from Jamieโs Side Owl video production project which, if nothing else, suggests The Lost Trades like their sandwiches cut into triangles; these things are important to note.
Rolling out a Barrelhouse of fun, you can have blues on the run, tomorrow (7th November) when Marlborough’s finest groovy vintage blues virtuosos Barrelhouse release Open for Business, their third studio album indicative of their astounding live showโฆ..
Tim and Stuart’s dramatic guitar riff from the off,Dave Growcott’s drums kick in and Open for Business doesn’t wait around for you to hang your barn jacket on the juke joint’s hall tree. Nick’s growling harmonica strides into the room next, all guns blazing, and we’re like a greyhound out of the traps when Martin grits his teeth and presents his deep encapsulating howl.
If the black cat bone mentioned as the title of the opening tune is a hoodoo lucky charm for protection and luck, it’s unnecessary, expeditiously it magically assures you’re in for a rocky ride to the dusty crossroad, with minimal pitstops and without the need of any such luck.
It doesn’t calm the zest frenzy until the third track either, an absolutely sublimely haunting cover of The Beatlesโ Come Together, where Hedi’s backing vocals compliment Martin’s with such unbelievable harmony it smooths out the pace welcomingly.
Things go country for a ballad to Lydia, which I snooped through the interweb searching for an original version only to be informed by Nick Beere, more than just a mouth organ, rather the producer and engineer behind the album via his studio Mooncalf, that guitarist Tim wrote the song. Reason for my research being, itโs magnificence is instant, it simply sounds like a singalong country classic akin to The Band’s The Weight, which is also superbly covered penultimately on the album, btw. Then it’s back to full steam blues workout when they repropel Muddy’s mojo, a second Muddy classic into the melting pot, and belt the living daylights into Canned Heat’s On The Road Again.
Classic Americana come edgy blues rock cover choices, the ambience of Barrelhouse I’m illustrating you might wrongly convey in generalisation as โthey’re a serious bunch of hard rock dudes,โ but there’s a subtle frivolousness in their delivery which charms a crowd. Their labour of love is reflected joyfully outward to an audience without a pretentious mood, and fondly thrown back at them with an enthralled response, making their shows atmospherically interactive and thrilling. The experience in comparison to your atypical morose blues band is one rather of danceable merriment; a tick from me.
Mantonfest 2023 Image Gail Foster
If a song is original it’s hard to distinguish them from classic covers, Barrelhouse combines them into a seamless show, and makes an irresistible party album. A party appealing to Mantonfest’s youthful fanbase, who’ll invade the dance area when Barrelhouse mount the stage, and impress the matured Devizes blues aficionados with equal measure.
A Bo Diddley beat polishes this album as a grand finale, but if polished ramped serious blues cuts melds with an effervescent delivery is their working formula, its true beauty rests in the simplicity of its production. There’s no technical studio skullduggery here, no manufactured overdubs; what you hear is what happened in real time. Each song is recorded in a single take, making it not just authentic but the perfect representation of their energetic and entertaining live show. Something the band pride themselves in. If you’ve ever seen an amazing band live, only to be disappointed by the CD you brought because it didn’t match the splendour rawness of their performance, this is not the case here. Open for Business is taking the Barrelhouse show home with you. That’s why it’s a keeper.
But donโt take my word for it, next Saturday (15th Nov) sees the album launched at St Peterโs Marlborough, with support from 7pm. Itโs free and copies of the album will be available on CD and vinyl. And if you canโt wait for that, this coming Saturday (8th Nov) Barrelhouse will turn the Devizes Southgate into their own juke joint, a legendary occasion blossoming in modern folklore, as Devizes loves the blues and word got out via a toothless milkman.
Failing these options, theyโll be donning Santa hats and bringing out the tinsel at the Bear in Marlborough on 20th December, when you can almost taste the pigs in blankets in the ether.
Wiltshire Council confirmed Blue Badge holders can park freely in council-operated car parks again, following a vote at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 21 October; you might think the majority would support the notion, but misinformation against it is being spread by an ex-Wiltshire Councillor and current Devizes Town Councillor on their popular Facebook groupโฆ..
Confirmation on the lift was published on the Wiltshire Council website, 22nd October 2025, stating โwith full Council now backing the change, Blue Badge holders are once again able to park free of charge in all Wiltshire Council car parks.โ The scheme forcing disabled blue badge holders to pay for parking was introduced by the former Conservative-led council in 2022.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said, โI’m delighted that Full Council has supported this important change. Reinstating free parking for Blue Badge holders is a significant step towards making Wiltshire a more inclusive and accessible county. There are more than 30,000 Blue Badge holders in Wiltshire, many of whom face mobility challenges or rely on others for transport. This policy recognises the barriers they face and promotes fairness, independence and dignity. We know that many Blue Badge holders also experience lower levels of income, and this policy change will help them financially, too.โ
But it was matters of finance which sparked debate on local social media groups last week. Devizes Town Councillor Iain Wallis published a statement on his own-managed Facebook group Devizes Issues, claiming Wiltshire taxpayers will foot the bill in their council tax. I thought Iโd fact-check this because I pondered that simply lifting the charges surely wouldnโt incur too much cost, if anything.
It seems the ‘subsidising’ of Blue Badge holder parking comes out of the general car parking revenue account, NOT our council tax.
M&D Lib Dem Campaign Organiser Nathan liaised with some councillors to provide some clarity. It seems the ‘subsidising’ of Blue Badge holder parking comes out of the general car parking revenue account, NOT our council tax. โAny surplus from that account is reinvested into transport schemes,โ he continued to explain, โso if anyone is subsidising it, it’s other car park users. However, what it does is allow blue badge holders better access to shops and other facilities, which should lead to better profits, so more corporation tax is paid in.โ
The Wiltshire Council press release stresses, โwe’re updating the signage as soon as we can,โ so obviously thereโs a small cost there, but otherwise, it actually stands to potentially generate revenue via corporation tax gained by better retail profit. But aside, the bottom line is, the cost to update signage wouldnโt have been necessary at all if the previous Conservative-led Wiltshire Council hadnโt enforced parking charges on disabled drivers in the first place.
Dammit, Janet, this is going to backfire on the Tory ex-councillor with a reputation for banishing users of his Facebook group who spread apparent โmisinformation,โ but then, he should not be spreading misinformation himself, surely?! Ooh, could I speculate the spread of misinformation on Devizes Issues is acceptable if it fits a certain narrative approved by the admin? Whoโd have possibly imagined it?!
Looky here, the last thing I want to do, or would ever do, is make verbal personal attacks on anyone. Though, when calling out the spread of misinformation concerning local matters, this one town councillor and ex-Wilsthire councillorโs name pops up frequently. While he may favour playing the victim card, as he has done with us in the past, this serves only to fact check claims made, and is not intended to be a personal attack. It never was personal and it certainly isnโt now.
It is simply that, even if you are fit and able to walk or travel by bus, and you think disabled people paying for parking doesnโt affect you, it might one day not be the case. Ergo, if you are fit and able, you are perfectly within your rights to find free parking elsewhere even if it means a short walk and you pay nothing towards the small cost of changing some signage; storm in a teacup!
Disabled people may not have that option, and therefore the introduction of parking charges for blue badge holders was an unjust stealth tax by the former Conservative-led Council. In conclusion, it is evident and unfortunate that you should take what you read on Devizes Issues with a pinch of salt. The move by Wiltshire Council should be viewed as a benefit to the communities it serves, and they should be congratulated for reversing the decision to charge disabled people for parking fees.
Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโs already racing up the iTunes country musicchartsโฆ.
Itโs one thing to get your song out locally, but Kirsty was excited to announce that she, โwoke up this morning, and we are still in the top 10 of the iTunes country music charts and 180 in the overall charts, not only that, last night I saw we hit 7!โ
In collaboration with the Caenhill Countryside Centre, a charity project which brings countryside learning to children and communities west of Devizes near the Caen Hill locks, The Best Christmas Ever was mastered by Peter Lamb, with Kara Robertson and Lorna Carroll. Kirtsy describes it as โcheesy but addictive, cute but meaningful, and it definitely has a twist dance and country vibe to it!โ
Founder of First Melodies Music School, Kirsty has even choreographed a fun dance routine to learn too. A video of Kirsty showing us the moves is on social media, (Facebook – Instagram) and encourages children to send their own video of them doing the dance.
The preferred way to buy it is on iTunes, because itโs raising funds for the charity, and will go towards the future of the farm project and the animals there. โIt makes me incredibly happy and proud as an independent artist,โ Kirsty said, โthatโs always been told they are not good enough!โ No idea who wouldโve dreamed of saying this, but they deserve a sack of coal from Santa this year!
โLetโs keep the hype going until Christmas,โ Kirsty says; we agree and send you Christmassy blessings! Christmas number one, I say, with your help: download the song HERE.
A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโs bitter about not getting his dream jobโฆ..
If this mysterious dudeโs August invective track at racist talk show host Jeremy Kyle, and his patronising attitude, it feels like him telling me heโs โnot one for holding a grudge,โ might have a smidgen of irony too! His grungy pop-punk response to his career rejection might be biting satire, but amusing with it.
Eight and a half years ago, he claims, he was cruelly denied his dream job by what appeared to be a corrupt interview process. Perhaps it was to take over from Kyle, but Joyrobber reveals nothing, even after I badgered him for a clue to his identity.
What we do know is it was produced by Sugarpill Productions, a parody of hip hop pioneering label Sugarhill, has the vocal engineering talents of Jolyon Dixon, and is rather catchy with a highly amusing hook. I Didn’t Want Your Stupid Job Anyway is indicative of how we all might feel after a failed interview but being British, we bit our tongue. A bolshy after-contemplation with dry implications, in a Weezer skater-punk two-fingers up fashion.
I donโt believe for a second heโs pleading for sympathy, just to get the frustration off his chest by thrashing a guitar at it. If youโve been there too, youโll identify, making me like this more than the debut single, because Iโve an incalculable history of bodged job interviews, likely because they were all knobs as well!
Itโs up on Spotify, downloadable from Bandcamp with a โname your priceโ option, and itโs Marmite, love it or hate it, it remains a sticky spreadable extract to get over your dysphoria, but not sing at the Job Centre.
Itโs not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have done since they were founded in 1978โฆ..
Devizes Chamber Choir is a group of around thirty singers, with a broad repertoire from acapella, through chamber works to major choral masterpieces including The Creation and Elijah. Their programme comprises of three seasonal concerts annually, a spring concert of standard classical works, a summer concert of lighter music and a seasonal Christmas concert of carols, and obviously itโs the latter which is coming up next; deck the halls!
The Devizes Chamber Choirโs Christmas Concert of Seasonal Carols and Songs will be held on Saturday 6th December 2025 at St. Andrewโs Church, Long Street, Devizes, with Music Director and Conductor, Shaun Holley.
They are a non-auditioned choir, so there is no singing test, but they do expect an ability to read music and of course an enthusiasm to sing. If you are interested in joining the choir, come along to a rehearsal to meet them. Look at them on the featured photo, it doesn’t look like they bite, (though Devizine cannot be held responsible if I’m wrong!) They rehearse on Tuesday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:30pm, at St. Andrewโs Church, Long Street, Devizes.
Best part of a week since Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards and Iโm still at one thousand feet about what we achieved, and dealing with a cascade of feedback. While some of it has been appreciated constructive criticism, that crazy playground called social media is such that some comments have become unfair, misinformed or even blatantly untrue. I prefer to remain positive, thanks all the same! And here we are, beginning to see positive after effects of the whole grand shebangโฆโฆ
Iโve loved seeing winning and runner-up acts, if not just posting pictures and videos of themselves proudly grasping their trophies, but using their win as an accolade on gig posters and bios. If thatโs not a positive outcome in a time when the whole hospitality industry is at its knees, I frankly don’t know what is. Try proving me wrong on this, I double-dare you and might even throw in a Twix for first prize!
There was also the whole โconventionโ side to the event too, which saw networking between musicians and venues, radio stations and promoters, and the general get-together of folk usually individually dispatched to their respective gigs on a weekend. I have already seen gig posters with added support acts who didnโt know each other before last Saturday, and radio plays for bands featured.
From my good friend Charlotte reuniting with Lifetime Achievement winner Peter Lamb, the producer who took her hopeful nineties girl band under his professional direction, to Fantasy Radio DJ, Mark Lister, who mentioned the awards on Scott Mills Radio 2 morning show, the attention the awards are seeing is phenomenal and the after effects are beginning to flourish.
If Sunday’s piece was a reflection on the night as a whole and a statement of the issues we unfortunately faced. Let today be about our fantastic acts who performed, for that’s where sparks flew and obviously the nature of what we were celebrating.
In order of appearance. Go on, admit it, you didn’t know the sublime Miss Ruby Darbyshire would be present, did you? I managed to not let the cat out of the bag about our opening special guest, despite my excitement!
At eighteen, Ruby is as her name suggests, a gemstone on our circuit. A multi-instrumentalist with bagpipes under her championship belt, a singer-songwriter with an exceptionally soulful voice which puts expression into her diligently crafted writing. Originally the plan was for Ruby to blow a tune of her own choice from her bagpipes and scoot off to another gig in Bradford-on-Avon, returning later in the evening. But we couldn’t let her go without at least another song, her magnum opus to date, Crowded Lightbringer, and then she played a second. It was the best opening ever, even if I was blindly operating the curtains like a bell ringer!
Hey, honestly, I was a raver in the nineties and viewed Britpop as regressive, but I now see its worth and respect the succeeding generation who see them as classics. Being such, we see a lot of cover bands performing Britpop anthems, with varying degrees of skill. The Britpop Boys have been on my must-see list for donkeys but our paths hadnโt crossed before. Iโm glad thatโs sorted and sound, for they were off the scale brilliant and totally โavinโ it are kid.
I was sitting on the stageโs sideline in awe of The Britpop Boys, it couldโve been Madchester in 1996. The sound and appearance held me spellbound, and I felt I should write to The Oxford Dictionary to redefine the word โcoolโ as โsee Britpop Boys!โ Yeah, they did Wonderwall, of course they did, but if itโs a cliche cover choice for most, itโs because itโs a beautiful crowdpleaser, and had to be done given only three songs. The ultimate thing about this was, they knocked it out of the Corn Exchange and into the stratosphere; Iโve never heard it done with such attention to detail and precision to honour the original.
If Iโve seen one new band begin wobbly and develop over time Iโve seen a hundred. But Burn the Midnight Oil is one of my most favourite newcomers to the Wiltshire music scene, for the simple reason that it feels like theyโve been here forever, as their ability to deliver crisp blues-rock originals and stamp covers with their own divinity is something to behold. Like mobile phones, you think, how did we ever survive without Burn the Midnight Oil?!
Itโs as if they honed their skills over decades and perfected the harmony of a classic rock band in their eighties which toured since their twenties, even if they might have, they did so individually, but that seam never shows. Their perfect performance proved this, it was nothing short of brilliant, fresh and invigorating, showing us what theyโve been working on, a beguiling harder rock sound; they look the part, they sound it too, I have high hopes for them.
Ben was great as a soloist, Pat was too, together itโs a magical connection to charm the pants off a donkey. This cover act could easily work anywhere, from crusty cider festival to wedding reception, itโs got universal appeal. Their set was amazing, Ben might have accidentally hit me on the head with his guitar but they were awesome, and Iโve had worse on my rock n roll journey!!
It mightโve knocked some sense into me, but I know what I liked anyway, and Matchbox Mutiny are high on that list.
George went next, and yeah, this is where we had technical sound issues. Professional till the end, George worked through it, and as a stalwart spirit on our circuit, George is modestly legendary, for his back catalogue of sublime originals and new songs flourishing to his entertaining interactive solo covers show. See our mention of the warm up gig from Friday at the Three Crowns, if you donโt already understand why we love Mr Wilding!
With various issues arising the evening was in need of a reset. I apologise, I announced an interval, thinking Lucas could prepare and we could hold a team talk. Just like George Wilding, Lucas is professional and motivated to the core. He came out like a boxer for a championship belt fight, psyched up for it and couldnโt wait for the bell! Therefore I attempted to recall the interval idea as quickly as possible, because Lucas Hardy was like a greyhound out of the trap! And what an outstanding performance, rinsed with sheer brilliance, Lucas is no stranger to award winning, itโs easy to see why.
As it was it was impossible to estimate how much time the award giving and other acts would take, I apologise if we wrongly assumed time was against us and lengthy speeches were deemed something unpredictable enough to encourage people to keep them short if at all. The original plan therefore was that our Devizes homegrown heroes, the teenage band which shook the rafters of this market town and deployed their exceptional talent to Bristol to further the phenomenon of Nothing Rhymes With Orange, were to play out until the end.
We finished earlier than expected, the barriers broke down, and there to help create a needed frenzy of excitement, ready and eager, was this successful Devizes export, for a hometown return like no other. Nothing Rhymes With Orange were mindblowingly fantastic before they left for Uni, now itโs a monster.
I was ecstatic to see the guys again, and they threw everything into their solid performance, as they always do. They return to Devizes for the Arts Festival, something we wouldโve been singing from the highest tree about anyway, but after last Saturday, itโs surely unmissable.
Iโve given my thanks already, Iโd like to do it again, to all our performing acts, for you made the ceremony, you furnished it with your brilliance, and that was what the night was always supposed to be about; cheers!
If you believe AI, TikTok and the rest of it all suppress Gen Zโs outlets to convey anger and rage, resulting in a generation of anxiety and mental health concerns, I might take your point as marginally valid, but Iโd add politely as I possibly could, โhave you, perchance, had the pleasure of listening to Steatopygous? Theyโre from Devizes, donโt you know?!โ Then Iโd await the pending detonation of a shocked expressionโฆ..
Thatโs punk, and what it set out to do decades ago, and that is the quality hidden within the rolling drums, raging guitars and screaming vocals of this homegrown riot grrrl four-piece who with their latest single Septic will shake the foundations for as far as itโs willing to travel. Septic, if anything previous from Steatopygous will be the baseplate on how they move from here. Whilst it remains DIY, as it should, it has the produced balance of natural progression and leaves you anticipating whatโs to come from this emerging band.
Itโs punk on a SmallTown Tigers level, in your face and demanding you pay attention.
On the theme of body image, it takes no prisoners. Fronted by Poppy Hillier with bassist Eliza Brindle, drummer Ewan Middleton and an additional Rufus on guitar who wrote the song, Steatopygous, youโve really gone and done it now; this is a pinnacle track to your development as a force to be reckoned with, this is outrageous, and I love it!
If Devizesโ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโs Park Farm for next summerโs extravaganza, what better way to give it the rustic feel than The Wurzels, who have just been announced on the line-up?!
If Somersetโs Scrumpy and Western genre has fermented longer than a cider press from folk roots, itโs surely The Wurzels who brought mass attention to it with their number one parody of Melanieโs Brand New Key, The Combine Harvester. The staggering thing about this is, it was in 1976, but whatโs more staggering, is people are still singing it today, and likely will be at FullTone Festival on 11th & 12th July 2026!
Organiser of FullTone, Jemma Brown said of the booking, โthere’s not much more we can say to that!โ But you know me, Iโve always got something to say, and Iโm saying that is a fantastic surprise which only remains to add to the already brilliant show the orchestra and guest acts will deliver.
What else we do know at this early stage, is the huge fifty-piece orchestra will play through sets of Holstโs The Planets & Star Wars, a Symphonic Queen with Ricardo Afonso, The Best of Motown, an eighties spectacular and Devizes-own BBC radio DJ James Threlfall will be on the dance anthems.
If I wonder what songs the Wurzels will play, top choice has to be Iโll Never Get a Scrumpy Here, which contains the line, โ’Cos you never get surprises livin’ in Devizes,โ and spurred my rant column of the same name, you might remember it. I did write to them to ask permission, they were too busy drinking cider to be in any way concerned. I asked if it was sly stab at our brewery, or that Devizes was as far eastward they favour to venture, but they explained it was used because it rhymed! Well, they’re venturing here in July, and if they give us the key, we can all have a brand new combine harvester.
Well, we did it! I sincerely hope you had a great night at the first Wiltshire Music Awards as we filled the Devizes Corn Exchange with a cross-section of people involved in the music scene of Wiltshire, musicians and fans. Positive feedback already, and a few teething issues, noted, which we must take onboard and learn fromโฆ.
But for those who unfortunately couldnโt make it, I guess you are eager to hear the results. Letโs do this easy bit first! But before we do, I ask you, please, to take a few issues into consideration. Firstly, there was a monumental process to arrange, coordinate and launch during and also months prior to the ceremony. From the voting process and organisation of a panel of judges, to decorating the tables and corresponding all those trophies to each category.
So many volunteered their time to help with this, and we are extremely grateful to them. Overall, the management of the whole process and ceremony was carried out by Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events. Eddie worked arduously on this project, and was dedicated to creating an extravagant event to be remembered. With the help of so many volunteers, myself included, stage tech and the staff of the Corn Exchange, I believe we achieved this to the best of our abilities, and a fantastic evening was had by most.
There should have been one more trophy, it shouldโve been big, extra shiny, and presented to Eddie for his dedication and the tireless work he put into this. Exhausted, Eddie fell ill a few days before the ceremony, but strode through it the best that he could. The end result of this was that he was rushed into hospital a few hours prior to the conclusion of the ceremony. I have heard from him this morning, and heโs doing okay.
If you witnessed me on the sideline, rushing up and down the stairs like a headless chicken, it wasnโt my step aerobics workout, it was because I was honouring my part as co-host on stage but attempting to coordinate the floor as well, as best as possible, as Ed seriously needed to take a step back. Whilst the beginning therefore went to plan, as the evening progressed we stumbled on issues, but I ask you to please take this into consideration if youโre intending to criticise the evening on social media. I apologise for any breakdowns in communication, but the condition was out of our control and we strived through best we could.
Results
The results, then. Congratulations to everyone who bagged an award, commiserations to those who did not. To those unable to attend, we have trophies reserved for you and will arrange the best way to get them to you as soon as possible.
Best Venue. Sponsored by Pat Robertson of Trowbridge Motor Supplies ltd.
Runners Up: The Royal Oak, Pewsey. The Vic, Swindon.
Winner: The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon.
Best DJ: Sponsored by Mark Anthony Burdge.
Runners Up: Maurice Menghini – DJ Mister M. Mark Lister of Fantasy Radio.
Winner: Paul Alexander of Solstice Sounds, This is How We Do It Entertainment.
Best Drummer.
Runners Up: Tom Gilkes. Callum Rawlings.
Winner: Jamie Oโ Sullivan.
Best Bassist. Presented by Alex Morgan of Waldrop Salisbury Sounds.
Runners Up: Nick Gorman. Nick Beere.
Winner: Mark Turner.
Best Guitarist.
Runners Up: Alastair Sneddon. Nick Beere.
Winner: Jolyon Dixon.
Best Duo.
Runners Up: Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta. The Sylvertones.
Winner: Matchbox Mutiny.
Best Covers Band. Sponsored by Simon Woolley of The Three Crowns, Devizes.
Runners Up: Pinky & The Slapcats. The Unpredictables.
Winner: The Brit-Pop Boys.
Best Original Band: Sponsored By Peggy-Sue Ford of Donโt Stop the Music on Swindon 105.5 Radio.
Runners Up: Nothing Rhymes With Orange. Burn The Midnight Oil.
Winner: Talk in Code.
Best Tribute Act.
Runners Up: Painted Bird. BC/DC.
Winner: Mick Jogger & The Stones Experience.
Best Female Artist.
Runners Up: Sammi Evans. Rosie Jay.
Winner: Ruby Darbyshire.
Best Male Artist. Presented by Lesley Scholes of Fantasy Radio.
Runners Up: Lucas Hardy. Vince Bell.
Winner: George Wilding.
Best Original Song.
Runners Up: I Donโt Give a Damn by Rosie Jay. Do I Really Have The Blues by JP Oldfield.
Winner: All In by Talk in Code.
Best Instrumentalist.
Runners Up: Ruby Darbyshire. Andrew Hurst.
Winner: Jolyon Dixon.
Rising Star New Comer.
Runners Up: Ruby Darbyshire. Rosie Jay.
Winner: JP Oldfield.
Best Vocalist.
Runners Up: Chris Stevens. Lucas Hardy.
Winner: Rachel Sinnetta.
There were four special awards given out on the evening which didnโt receive runner-up places as according to the information given to the hosts. If there was an oversight about this, we apologise.
Outstanding Contribution to The Wiltshire Music Scene was won by Colin Holton of Salisbury Live.
Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community was won by Jo Baines Robbins.
A Special Award was given to Wiltshire Hop & Harmony, The Wotton Bassett Dementia Choir. The Second Special Award was presented to Brian Mundy of BMS Stage Tech.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Peter Lamb.
Ruby Darbyshire opened the evening with a bagpipe song and two others, as a surprise special guest.
We also had live performances from Nothing Rhymes With Orange, Burn The Midnight Oil, Lucas Hardy, Matchbox Mutiny, George Wilding, and The Britpop Boys. Due to technical issues, Jolyon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta were unable to perform.
I would like to sincerely thank our panel of judges.
And, Ruby and Brian Darbyshire
The Britpop Boys
Burn The Midnight Oil
Matchbox Mutiny
Lucas Hardy
Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta
George Wilding
Nothing Rhymes With Orange
Sponsors:
Val Bewley VB Arts Studios
Alex Organ Wardrop Salisbury Sounds
Colin Howton Salisbury Live
Pam Robertson – Trowbridge Motor Supplies
Simon Woolley – Three Crowns, Devizes
Peggy-Sue Ford – Swindon 105.5 Radio
Mark Jones & Lesley Scholes- Fantasy Radio
And a sponsor and our host DJ Mark Anothony and wife Sandra.
Thanks to Anya and Marc of Soupchick.
To Ian and all the staff at the Corn Exchange
To Brian Mundy and BMS Stage Tech.
To everyone who got behind this, I thank you.
Anthony & Jemma Brown for helping us set up.
Charlotte & Moray MacDonald for help on the front desk.
But massive thanks goes to Eddie Prestidge and Stone Circle Music Events
And finally, thank you for coming, supporting the local live music scene.
This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโs a sellout show celebrating our countyโs music scene, with a lot of local acts performing between the announcements of the results of a public voting system. The legend who is Mr George Wilding kicked off proceedings with what was supposed to be a warm-up party last night at The Three Crownsโฆ..
The temperature dropped and the rain came in, and if that didnโt make the term โwarm-up partyโ seem a smidgen dubious, Iโm not sure if anyone else attending the awards other than myself, Jolyon Dixon setting up the PA and George himself made it to the evening; best guess theyโre saving themselves for the big day today! Nevertheless, it was a fair turnout and those who did come were treated to Gerogeโs human jukebox show and came up trumps, singing and dancing the October chill away.
Equally ambiguous as the warm-up is the term โhuman jukeboxโ to describe Gerogeโs show, for if a jukebox doesnโt have the song you want it cannot play it. George has a plethora of classics in his repertoire, the audience are encouraged to shout them out, and should they request something George hasnโt a handle on, heโll attempt it anyway, play a riff of it, and declare he doesnโt know it in his droll way. He might try a medley of the parts he does know with other songs of the same artist, he might look to the audience to help with lyrics, and if all this fails it becomes part of his amusing and interactive show.
Far from a man with a guitar and a setlist who frowns at the idea of requests, does his shift and pulls out. George took no break, played overtime, and seemingly adored every minute. I gather this was his mainstay while working the cruise ships and imagine the cruisers delightedly returning each evening, but such voyages for George are on the backburner and while he doesnโt mind running a covers show, heโs otherwise in the studio with producer Jolyon Dixon building a catalogue of original tracks in which he is toying with the idea of releasing as an album.
But the Three Crowns love a covers show, and George delivered such in this interactive way there can be no arguing his brilliance to entertain and his skill as a musician. So, should an audience member request, as one did, The Eaglesโ Hotel California and he ponders itโs a bit slow to fit with the pace of previous songs, heโll up the tempo. An apt Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head opened the show, and George will set the ball rolling, but once the audience catch the drift, heโs never without a request, and will either attempt the most obscure or tell them in the most charming way that theyโre really testing him!
As it was I requested The Ronnettesโ Be My Baby, aware the soulful doowop earworm was a personal favourite George used to regularly put in his set and put his own stamp on. He nodded in fond remembrance, and the regulars approved, dancing on the cobblestones. But I only asked for one, the rest left up to the modest crowd, really feeling they were part of something unique and special, because thatโs Georgeโs ability and thatโs what has made him one of our fondest favourites on the circuit for many a moon. โTotal ledge,โ I understand is the gen z terminology!
I cannot tell you if he is to receive an award tonight, but I believe he deserves to; I will announce the winners here as soon as I recover tonight, for those who cannot make it! If youโve not got a ticket for the awards, thereโs a whole list of events happening on our event calendar; just look at it! Just look and see how many are music gigs, and realise the strength of our local music scene. That is what we celebrate tonight, and yeah, George will be singing a song, along with many others. Iโm on curtain duty! See you there!
In association with PF Events, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts introduces a Young Urban Digitals course in video mapping and projection mapping for sixteen to twenty years oldsโฆ.
Itโs an introductory session on video mapping and projection mapping, hosted by PF Events and run by a professional video engineer. These sessions will cover the basics of projection mapping and introduce attendees to the software used to create beautiful works of technological art.
These will be preliminary sessions used to build the content for the final video map that will be projected onto St Johns Church on the night of the lantern parade on the 28th November.
This is an opportunity to gain an Arts Award certificate while training and learning. You’ll produce a record/log to tell the story of your journey through the process of making this work of art. You’ll learn about relevant artists who create similar work, and share your journey with others.
Training will be at The Lounge on 25 Sidmouth Street, Devizes SN10 1LD, on dates 15th, 22nd and 28th of November, from 09:30 – 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:00, 16:30 to 20:20 on event day, 28th November. Ages sixteen to twenty are welcome and up to twenty-five for SEND participants.
There are limited places available so enrol quickly to avoid disappointment!
Thereโs albums Iโll go in blind and either be pleasantly surprised, or not. Then thereโs ones which I know Iโm going to love before the first notes ring out. Quite familiar with Swindonโs beloved Dylanesque singer-songwriter Jol Rose, Ragged Stories is another notch in his sublime discography you simply have to listen to on repeatโฆ.
Similarly thereโs many attempting Americana, a few leave themselves open for criticisms of clichรฉ or authenticity while others refine it with a certain level of finesse, then thereโs Jol Rose. Prolific writer and recording artist, but a perfectionist with that defining quality to paint mind masterpieces through his music.
Though Jol has no standalone anthem, there never seems to be a magnum opus and fans select a wide range of his songs as their personal favourites. His portfolio is never samey, nor completed. Euro ballad Meet me in Berlin makes an appearance on this new album, and is one of my favourites from last yearโs album, Peace, Love & Americana. But this is a stripped back acoustic version, and thatโs the thread through a variety of themes and temperaments; this Jol, raw.
Thereโs other stories of travels; two songs venturing over to the USA it wouldnโt be Americana without, and some Road Boogie to boot. But itโs not without ditties of homebased subjects too. If Springsteen writes romantically of New Jersey gangland warfare, why canโt Jol humbly justify Swindonโs attractiveness with a certain beguiling jollity?! But if Swindon Saturday Night is tongue-in-cheek, Not My Cherie takes cheekiness to a whole other level, as a jokey French rejection from Swindon Conservative Councillor Cherie Adams.
Yet if Not My Cherie doubles-up as his social political observations and Liars & Thieves, makes its political stab humorously, the others on this sixteen songs strong album are far more poignant than satirical. A battle with corruption, Eucalyptus Lullaby opens the album, with the lines, โAs I lie on a bed made of ashes, and ponder the wreckage below, I survey all the things brought upon us, by ignoring what we should have known,โ which confirmed weโre in for brilliantly constructed anti-establishment prose.
Perhaps none more than Day & Night Collide, underlining our anger and ignorance hiding our fears in regards to immigration. If you only listen to one song before going to a polling station, make it this one.
Afternoon Nightmares, is relationship bittersweet, the most Dylanesque, and yes, Jol tackles romance themes with equal edge. In its simplicity Beautiful Denial is gracefully wonderful, but my biggest surprise came via Love Story, a simple title which does what it says on the tin, and you might recognise it, but Jol stamps his mark, and makes this Taylor Swift cover his own.
Just man and guitar, the pure essence of sole quality, and in Jol Rose it is exceptional, this album showcases it without pretence or ignorance. Heโs a figure of reality in a world gone sour, and he expresses it sublimely.
CD of Ragged Stories is available from Jol Rose’s website HERE.
A feast of Salisbury musicians have recorded the single Edge of Reason, a powerful tribute to the irreplaceable ThomโฏBelk, a champion of Salisburyโs music sceneโฆ
Devizes Food & Drink Festival launched their 2025 programme of events today. Running from Saturday 20th to the 28th September, the Box Office opens onlineโฆ
With your standard festivals two-to-a-penny, some consisting of not much more than a bloke with a guitar in a pub selling undercooked and overpriced hotdogs,โฆ
Contemplated headlining this โClash of the Titans,โ but that evokes the idea of a dramatic power struggle with fierce consequences rather than proof Devizes canโฆ
Popular award-winning artisan chocolate business Hollychocs has announced that its Beanery Cafรฉ will close on Saturday 23rd August, marking exactly two years since its openingโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Sandcastle Productions A very new addition to Bath based theatre companies, Sandcastles Productions brings their self penned piece of theatre toโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams, Next Stage Theatre Company and Mike Stevens Florian Zeller is a contemporary French playwright and screenwriter, who received criticalโฆ
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Unlike Buck Rogers, who made it to the 25th century six hundred years early, Devizesโ most modest acoustic virtuoso arrives at the 21st just short of twenty-six years late! We’re looking at Vince Bell‘s EP, Songs, Poetry and Motivation, as it makes off for a futuristic online adventureโฆ..
Devizes knows โour Springsteenโ Vince, loves Vince, unless they’re selling tickets for โThe Bin.โ โIt’s three quid to get in,โ Vince jests in a song popular with locals, as reasoning for not attending the town’s only nightclub, which is actually quite reasonable these days! Its references strictly imply Devizes, but the concepts could relate to another market town, that song of his. Composed of contemporary scuttlebutt and twisting it into urban legend for intoxicated natives to chant the chorus’ self-mocking punchline about never leaving, back at him, if Vince is, (and deserves to be leaving at least on a national tour,) branching worldwide, this one rightfully doesn’t appear on the EP.
When plugging his new Spotify account to me, we meandered onto the better between the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, after he confessed his family encouraged him to put his songs online. A self-deprecating retrospective attitude relayed in Spiderman Pajamas, which also doesn’t appear on the EP, and was likely the reasoning behind the world waiting so long for Vince to give into the virtual realm.
Vince doesn’t have stars in his eyes, he’s an unassuming musician who sees it as an eternal labour of love. Yet in true folk fashion, his guitar finesse is equal to his delivery of some genius wordplay, and that love for more universal observations are of those five tracks which made his own exceptionally high level of EP grade. Songs of local satire or retrospective are adored here, but concentrated observations are more universally acceptable.
Though the opening title Lisa’s Kitchen has obvious personal, homely connotations. Itโs a five minute sketch comparing the cliche places of solitude to the simplicity of a family kitchen, and an apology for casually acting on promises made in the freedom of this daydreamy oasis of mรฉnage calm.
The guitar riff rolls intensely after this, and things arenโt so calming. Haunting like embers randomly sparking from a campfire, for First Fire of Winter. This song is a summary of the contemplating sentiments evoked by a fire; of trust and conviction, weakness against strength, pain of loss and fire in a heart of longlost boys homecoming. When Vince mentions โsubmissive machines in a world thatโs gone too farโ, and โGodโs own simulation,โ itโs a vehemence against war, yet while the poetry is poignant enough, itโs the urge in his delivery which drives the sentient home.
With a more lighthearted and playful muse, Monkey Puzzle Tree is a metaphor for the progression of time and the difficulty in the acceptance of ageing. Whereas in Preacher, Leaders and Dealers, the contentment in delivering fear are compared and contrasted from all three classifications, and is delicately expressed with perfect pathos.
Weโre Between Earth & Paradise for the finale to this outstanding EP. Thereโs an instrumental two-minute opening where intricate guitar-work sets a scene of seemingly encapsulating the beauty of nature. Despite the title, thereโs still dark pressure in the narrative in the form of bleak news stories, but it offers an escape with a virtually heavenly premise. And in this, it sums up the EP and Vinceโs impressive ability to conjure and project vivid images and lucid ideas within his music, a rare gift.
Though this is commonplace in the celebrated artist, so too is modesty and undervaluing of oneโs own work, risking it falling into obscurity unless we take it upon ourselves to shout about how engrossed, entertained or enthralled we were, on their behalf. Vince has, and here I am, advising you to take heed, not because heโs a friendly guy locally gigging on my circuit, though he is, but because Vinceโs music is breathtakingly brilliant and deserves a far wider accolade than that which a Wiltshire market town can provide.ย This EP proves it.
Oh yeah, catch him down the Southgate, Devizes, on Thursday 30th October 2025 for a session with Tamsin Quin; see what Iโm on about if you donโt know already!
Less than a week to go until the first ever Stone Circle Music Events’ Wiltshire Music Awards at the Corn Exchange, Devizes. We’re not printing a programme of events, so here’s everything you need to know about the ceremony this coming weekend….exciting, isn’t it?!
Firstly, all tickets have now sold out, sorry! But if you’re coming or not, there will be a free warm up party on Friday 24th October at the Three Crowns Devizes, where we will be entertained by the incredible George Wilding. Everyone is welcome!
And now onto Awards Ceremony on Saturday 25th October 2025.
The doors open at 17:30pm. The bar will be open, and we have scrumptious tucker available from Soupchick. Chilli beef or vegan alternative with rice, with nachos, cheese, sour cream and guacamole toppings; ยฃ7:50 for a bowl, I’m in!
Please arrive as soon as possible so we can get everyone seated. There will be music in the hall. I’ve come over all Jive Bunny, and created a mega-mix of local music! I’ve tried to display the diversity and quality of the Wiltshire Music Scene and cram as many songs as I can into one hour; it’s been no easy task.
Being I accept you’ll all be chatting rather than listening, I’m kinda proud of my virtual DJ skills, so for prosperity I’ve leave the mix here so you can listen at your own risk!
Tracks are listed here; apologies if your song isn’t there, I tried to include as many as possible.
Jamie R Hawkins – Not Going Anywhere, Gaz Brookfield – Tale of Gunner Haines, Tamsin Quin – Home, Griffiths & Hollingsworth – Ocean, Andrew Hurst – Tower of Fallen Heroes, Timid Deer – Shallows, Kirsty Clinch – Stay With Us, Deadlight Dance – Samurai Sunset, Will Lawton & Ludwig Mack – Atlantic โO, M3G – Waiting, Phil Cooper – Bijou, Concrete Prairie – I Wish You Well, JP Oldfield – Magpie, Jol Rose – Make Some Hay, Thieves – Iโm Coming Back, SโGo – King of The Fairies, Sarah C Ryan Band – Woman in White The Worried Men – Manacle Alley, Junkyard Dogs – Suzie Q, Deadlight Dance – Love Will Tear Us Apart, The First Book of English Magic – Richard Wileman, Barrelhouse – Mainline Voodoo, Aural Candy & Sienna Wileman – Mirrorball, Jon Amor – Peppercorn, Daisy Chapman – Waterloo Sunset, Canuteโs Plastic Army – Hollow Children of Men, George Wilding – Dirty Dream Balloon, Ruby Darbyshire – Donโt Give Up Now, 41 Fords – Emily, Liddington Hill – Maid of Mayhem, Ursa Way – Chasing the Sun, Boot Hill All Stars – Night Bus, I See Orange – Doll Guts, The Belladonna Treatment – Bits of Elation, NervEndings – Democracy Manifest, Nothing Rhymes with Orange – Monday, Talk in Code – All In, Cephid – Terminus, Subject A – Paradise.
Now, the Awards Ceremony begins at 18:30…. on the dot!
Please make sure you are seated by 18:20. If this sounds all a bit like orders barked at you from your cub scout leader, there’s good reason: We’ve got a lot to squeeze in, and secondly, you don’t want to miss the opening of the show, believe me!!
Weโre not revealing our very special guest opening the show, so don’t even try bribing me with booze! Then you’ll meet the hosts, DJ Mark Anthony and myself.
Stone Circle Wiltshire Music Awards Event Schedule
18:30: Opening Act (Nope Still not Telling!)
1. Best Music Venue
2. Best DJ
3. Best Covers Band
Live Performance: Britpop Boys
Thereโs a champagne supernova trip back to the nineties with The Britpop Boys,renowned for blasting those sing-a-long anthems across the county and beyond.
1. Best Drummer
2. Best Bassist
3. Best Guitarist
4. Best Duo
Live Performance – Match Box Mutiny
Ben Borrill and Pat Ward, aka Matchbox Mutiny, will be there, the lively Devizes-based duo who never fail to charm.
1. Best Original Band
2. Best Tribute Artist
Live Performance – Burn the Midnight Oil
Devizes own Burn The Midnight Oil will be playing. Theyโve come so far in such a short space of time with their own brand of breezy blues-rock, and they’ve a new song to play us; weโre excited to see them perform.
1. Best Solo Female Artist
2. Best Solo Male Artist
Live Performance – George Wilding
Our lovable legend George Wilding is a name most of you should know, and heโs coming to play a few songs, of course he is!
1. Best Original Song
2. Rising Star Newcomer
3. Best Instrumental
4. Best Vocalist
Live Performance – Jolyon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta
Then thereโs Salisbury-basedย Joylon Dixon andย Rachel Sinnettaย โ a duo who raised the roof off the Three Crowns recently, but I knew it was coming as Rachelโs supreme vocal range and Joylonโs professional accompanying will enthral all.
1. Outstanding Contribution to the Wiltshire Music Scene
2. Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community
3. Special Awards (1)
Live Performance – Lucas Hardy
Award winningย Lucas Hardyย is coming too. Loved on the Salisbury circuit, Lucas will delight you, for what will be, I believe, his first time playing in Devizes; I could be wrong!
1. Special awards (2)
2. Lifetime Achievement Award
Live Performance: Nothing Rhymes with Orange
Devizes homegrown indie-rock phenomenon Nothing Rhymes With Orange will polish off the evening. They created a storm locally a few years ago as a teen sensation, the likes of which I claimed to be the โBeatlemania of Devizes!โ Now studying together at Bristol Uni, their popularity has spread nationwide. Back home they have inspired a new generation to form bands, and we welcome them back delighted.
Image: Gail Foster
Evening closes around 11:30pm, when you have my permission to drag me down to the Exchange nightclub below and buy me a Bacardi Breezer!
I look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, and I hope you all enjoy the evening.
I would like to thank our sponsors: Stone Circle Music Events. Trowbridge Motor Supplies. DJ Mark Anthony. VB Art Studios. The Three Crowns Devizes. Don’t Stop The Music Radio Show. Our guest announcers, Ian and the staff at the Corn Exchange, Devizes Books, and Fantasy Radio.
You go cover yourself in hormone messing phthalates, toxic formaldehyde, or even I Can’t Believe It’s Not Body Butter, if you wish, but it’s all the same soap but in a different bottle to me. Lab mice with slap and economical slaves in sweatshops, so unethical multinational bastards can prey on your vanity, when unless you can photoshop yourself for real you’re never going to look like the girl in the magazine; the actual girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the bloody magazine! Ah, our dynamic gothic duo Deadlight Dance are onto them, with a brand new single out todayโฆ.
Edgy and with synths heavy enough to make New Order blush, Gloss attacks the beauty industry, its harmful lies and unrealistic standards, in an era most pop stars are encouraging it; good on them…. Deadlight Dance that is, not the pop star!
Punk enough to meet the Stooges, yet the dark electronica of Joy Division mostly, it comes in laden for its three and a half minutes entirety. Nick and Tim state it’s not strictly typical of the forthcoming album that the band is releasing in 2026, yet they always apply a unique and innovative narrative, so we look forward to whatever direction it takes.
For now, though, Gloss is a storming dark sound, with Nick’s howling vocals somewhere in the distance, sighing the same thought-provoking lyrical content we’ve come to love Deadlight Dance’s for. It’s a monster in Dior.
The duo have held our attention only last week with a great gig at Devizesโ Cellar Bar with JP Oldfield. But if the live show is blossoming, Gloss does likewise for recordings. Ah, top production again from that purple-bearded legend Nick Beere at Mooncalf Studio.
Out on Ray Records and streaming worldwide across all platforms from Friday 17th October 2024. Gloss is accompanied by a video on the bandโs YouTube page, another collaboration with Haunting the Atom.
Deadlight Dance suggests it’s a new chapter for the self-styled Wiltshire Gothic; I welcome it, and as I’ve said before, whilst I was a mere window-shopper to gothic rock in its heyday, Deadlight Dance caused me to realise what I missed.
Right, review done, I’ve got to go shave my eyebrows off, and draw them back on with a Sharpieโฆ..
by Ian Diddams images by Chris Watkins Media and Ian Diddams
Whilst probably best known for his editorship of โPrivate Eyeโ magazine and thirty-five years as a team captain on the BBCโs wonderfully satirical โHave I Got News For Youโ, Ian Hislop has also over time turned his focus to screen and playwriting. Amongst the five plays he has co-written probably the widest known is the one that has also been made into a film which starred Burt Reynolds, โA Bunch of Amateursโ. This week the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, performs the stage play albeit without Burt Reynolds!
The general plot of the play is a simple one โ ageing, fading, Hollywood ex-A lister signs up to star in Shakespeareโs โKing Learโ at โStratfordโ to find that in fact it isnโt the Royal Shakespeare Company he will be performing at, but a village hall one hundred and seventy miles away at โStratford in Pigshitโ, where the local amateur dramatic society are trying one last dig at surviving by attracting a celebrity to perform with them to boost ticket sales.
The play’s style and plot follows in the grandest traditions of British comedies of creating a nonsensical scenario and running with it as if it was thoroughly possible, with the usual hilarious misunderstandings, fallings-out and fallings-in along the way before a glorious finale where everything pans out perfectly and everyone is happy ever after.
Directed by Lyn Taylor, there is a delicious irony โ or indeed really homage โ in a play about an amateur company being put on by an amateur companyโฆ and here we can look at that label โamateurโ. As an adjective to the noun โdramaticsโ the combined term often has a negative inference amongst many, but the reality is such consideration is to malign high standard productions and consummately skilled performances. To quote from a google search on the etymology of โamateurโ
โThe word “amateur”ย comes from the French โamateurโ, which in turn comes from the Latin โamฤtorโ, meaning “lover”.ย It originally described a person who loves and practices an activity for the passion of it, rather than for money.โ
And there is the nub of it all โ in this play, โKing Learโ is being performed by a group of people that are doing so through love for the art form, and of course Lynโs direction and perfect casting has brought together a group of amateurs performing this play for love of the art form. And talking of cast โฆ
Gary Robson plays the allegedly professional Jefferson Steel, contracted to play King Lear himself, encapsulating the arrogance and insouciance of the Hollywood star in self denial to his waning star. He embraces the personality shift of his characterโs journey from self centred egoist to life embracing acceptor bringing a palpable warmth to Steelโs persona. Steelโs daughter, Jessica, is delightfully and impishly played by Megan Hughes who herself moves her characterโs unforgiving, surly teenager to loving offspring while taking the opportunities presented her with aplomb, as we can see mirrored in her deserved inclusion in the cast.
The inevitable ultimate love interest is superbly provided by Ange Davis as Dorothy Nettle, director of “King Lear”. Ange really drives the show along as the pivotal character for decisions and actions within the plot and she delivers this smoothly and thoroughly believably, with warmth and understanding when portraying Dorothyโs insecurities allied to the protagonistโs passion. Dorothyโs total opposite within the company is Nigel Dewbury, excellently represented by Matt Bragg as the loathsome, self promoting and supercilious solicitor with pretensions. Its kudos to Matt that he has created a perfectly toe curling portrayal of Nigel, as well as sporting an extremely fine collection of bow ties during the show!
Two more depictions of lovers of their art, both full of over the top keenness and desire to become closely associated with Steele are from Steve Brookes as handyman and low key jobsworth Denis Dobbins, and Claire Abraham as local B&B owner Mary Plunkett. Steveโs comic timing for Dennisโ daft ideas is sublime, and his mobility scooter driving skills are thoroughly fine tuned to boot! Claire is simply brilliant with her initially gushing and fawning spinster acting, turning to surly and spurned grump!
But all productions need finances and so enter stage left Louisa Davison as the slightly slimy, cocksure marketing type Lauren Ball whose husbandโs brewery is bankrolling Steelโs visit, with appropriately named bottled beers including โKing Beerโ! Louisa encapsulates Laurenโs executive-going-nowhere-slowly persona with ease and aplomb.
The whole show is kept smoothly on the rails by Stage Manager Jess Sneider who also arranged the genuine beer bottle labels mentioned above, with tech delivered perfectly as ever by โThe Tech Teamโ on the simple but highly effective set built by John Winterton and his team and all wrapped up with music by Sam Warner.
โA Bunch of Amateursโ is a simple to follow, laugh out loud, gentle and inoffensive comedy that will appeal to everybody โ it’s easily worth the two hours plus interval of your life to sit back and enjoy the silliness in the lovely Wharf Theatre, Devizes.
I mean, Devizes own contemporary blues throwback, JP is getting bookings, and rightly so. He’s off to Trowbridgeโs Lamb next Saturday for a double-bill with Joe Burke. Likewise our favourite Goth duo Deadlight Dance too, Tim showing me some fetching snaps from Friday night’s gig at Frome’s Tree House. But sometimes it’s nice to play an intimate home gig you DIY, so we’re down The Bear Hotel’s Cellar Bar, reviving a once beloved venue with alternative options to Devizesโ status quoโฆ..
And it was; Nick Fletcher and Tim Emery were on the cobblestones first, attired marvellously macabre with whitewash faces; All Hallows’ Eve comes early for goths, and they don’t require Haribo! Equally terror-fically tenebrous was their set, sublimely shadowy synths, then their gloomy guitar rhythm fragments darkened by Nick’s howling vocals. When they came for air you could hear a pin drop.
Deadlight Dance found my inner-goth and devoured it some years ago, still their show improves like a fine Dracula’s blood-wine ….with age and nightly kills! They worked precisely through several tunes from their three albums, concentrating particularly on Chapter & Verse, last year’s gothic literary inspired outpouring. They sprinkled the set with covers, a synth-driven Cureโs Just Like Heaven, for example, quite different from the acoustic version on their breathtaking homage album, The Wiltshire Gothic.
They finished on their ghostly reverberating post-punk makeover of Heartbreak Hotel, because if you’re a goth duo planning to cover an Elvis Presley song, one about a lonely man jumping from a hotel window is apt. Then they stripped it back for an acoustic wandering through the crowd encore.
Herein lies the connection which made a double-bill of post-punk goth and rootsy blues work; JP Oldfield duties the plaintive projection of original southern blues, often termed gothic. Therein the expression of rural, economically disadvantaged African-American communities, and through his gorgeous bass vocal range, the metallicity of his resonator and pounding suitcase drum, it’s about as authentic as you’re going to get on our local circuit.
Yet if JPโs writing is foreboding and disquietude, in line with its influences, some of the darkest corners of his debut Bouffon wasnโt inclusive at this live show, and replaced by some outstanding, intricate and rightfully resonate guitar-work; plus thereโs always the kazoo and his natural banter to brighten things up.
His latest single polished off an amazing set, No Rest, indeed. It embodies everything progressive about this rising starโs skill and bittersweet panache; a fellow who can hold an audience spellbound despite being, perhaps, an acquired taste. But I challenge anyone critical to stay whilst JP thrusts out House of the Rising Sun, making it his own, as itโs so befitting to his encapsulating style. Yet the broadest evaluation of JP Oldfield is simply that, through his dedication and blossoming experience he continuously improves. It is this then which encourages me to call this gig in, slight in attendees which it unfortunately was as the chills of autumn blast through, the best and most passionate Iโve seen JP play.
Mind you, I groaned about the weather shift to Nick of Deadlight Dance, who replied with positivity. Apparently, he likes Autumn, I joked, โthatโs because youโre a goth and Iโm a milkman!โ
I do hope we can find more gigs down the Cellar Bar, and bring it back to its former glory, a sentiment I believe will be reflected by the live music hunters of Devizes.
Rude to walk into an event sporting another event wristband but the welcome was friendly as ever at the Three Crowns in Devizes. It’s mid-afternoon,โฆ
If youโve popped into Wiltshire Music Centre recently; for a concert, workshop, screening orย even a meeting, you might have noticedโฏchanges in the foyer: recorded music,โฆ
Photo credit: David Leigh Dodd Pioneers of the indie-rock sound which would lead us into the nineties, Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James has announcedโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Luke Ashley Tame of Acadia Creative Around 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men every year, thatโs 3,000โฆ
Family run premier auctioneers of antiques and collector’s items, Henry Aldridge and Son announced a move into The Old Town Hall on Wine Street, Devizes;โฆ
Yay! You read it right. After a two year break, CrownFest is back at the Crown in Bishop’s Cannings. So put a big tick onto the 4th July 2026 in your diary, and maybe jot down 1st November this year down too, because thatโs when the first set of fifty early-bird tickets will go on sale, a snip at just twenty quidโฆ.
With an iffy weather forecast for July, one Saturday in 2023 I found myself waiting for bus 49 in Devizes, and met with a group of kindly but disorientated folk attempting to get to Bishop’s Cannings for the second Crownfest. I assured them I was heading there too, so all they needed to do was follow my lead.
As it was you couldn’t miss it; the bus stopped right outside. On the journey a number of people were wondering which stop to get off at and so I assured them too. It was at that point I addressed the entire bus, as everyone looked up for a party, โis anyone here not going to Crownfest?!โ Seemed only the driver wasn’t, and probably would have if he wasn’t working!
That poor bus driver wouldโve loved it, as it was a far better attendance than the inaugural one the previous year. Even torrential downpours didn’t stop the fun, as its fully deserved outstanding reputation had blossomed. It was a fantastic event, check my words on it HERE. Unfortunately due to a change of ownership Crownfest wouldn’t see its way to a third this sumner. But every cloud, literally, has a silver lining. Crownfest is back and recharging for 2026; Bishops Cannings has never had it so good!
Save the date and Stone Circle Music Events will save the day. With camping available, this is a golden nugget on this summer’s local festival hotlist. The only returning act will be Kinisha, the Tina Turner tribute act called (and undoubtedly is true) Simply The Best. Kinisha turned my head around about Tina Turner tributes; we donโt need another hero if weโve got her headlining, oh, but we haveโฆ. lots of heroes.
Firstly, while weโre on tributes, this one is my recommendation; someone listens to me! Itโs Ant Trouble, the Welsh Adam & The Ants tribute which Iโve been dying to get a gig locally since I witnessed their lively and precise volcanic eruption at Swindonโs Vic in February 2023. This is so good when some Facebook wombles prompted AI to write a piece on the real Adam Ant, it nicked my photo of Ant Trouble! I dunno, who do I sue for that, The Terminator?! Nevertheless, prepare for some ant music.
The remaining lineup consists of only the toppermost acts on Stone Circleโs books. If I say indie-pop darlings Talk in Code will be there, thatโs surely enough to entice you. But thereโs pioneers of ukular fusion with Mother Ukers Ukuele Band, The Tipsy Gypsies will enthrall with lively folk goodness, and itโll get all Celtic when the sublime Publicans get on that stage. Five-piece Salisbury rock band Innovator will be there, alongside acoustic goodness from George Wilding and Lucas Hardy.ย
Fantastic lineup, wonderful pub with great tucker, camping, or with that trusty 49 bus running later now, you could potentially bus it there and back, provided the bus driver isnโt Tina Turnerโs number one fan, feels an uncontrollable compulsion to dance like thereโs no tomorrow, and shouts โend of the line!โ What more do you want?!
All Pop Master T-shirt wearers would like to think it does, but will the music of an era stand the test of time? Make a record, seal the deal, surely? True, your songs will be immortalised, but will they be remembered, or will they sadly be sadly archived, to slowly fade through generation gaps…. unless Ed Sheeran covers one?!?
Growing up in the eighties we ransacked our parent’s records. Ergo, I know my fair share about the music of the sixties, despite only being an itch in that decade. Similarly, my daughter can name a whole list of groups, singers and songs from my era, the eighties, but can she go further back? Can the younger generation even begin to imagine their grans and grandads frolicking at a love-in with eyes the size of saucers and wearing nothing but flowers in their hair, racing helmet-free on motorbikes into the night, drinking whiskey from a bottle until they dropped, then waking up in Mick Jaggerโs bed with four others?!
With three teenagers loitering on my sofa I thought I’d get all Tony Blackburn on them, and distract them from TikTok to find out. Thatโs the knivesโ edge I live on in order to provide you with such engaging content! Being there’s a triple headline sixties tribute act bonanza forthcoming at the Devizes Corn Exchange on the 31st October, with tributes to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Who, I thought I’d ask if the Gen Z of my family were remotely aware of any of them, or if they were more Gen Zzzz!
The result, though far from surprising, was a smidgen disheartening. My daughter knew of The Beatles, and named one averagely obscure song which happened to appear in a Marvel movie soundtrack. The boys didn’t have the foggiest, so I wasnโt holding any chances for the others. My daughter’s fella had heard of the term โrolling stone,โ but didn’t realise it was a band name. My son shrugged at the lot, and all asked โwho?โ when I name-dropped The Who; unsure if that was clarification or coincidental!
Incidentally, they all knew the 2010 Maroon 5 song, โMove Like Jagger,โ but only my daughter guesstimated Jagger mightโve been the frontman of one of the bands I was referring to!
Without getting any satisfaction, unless I resolve to forcibly thrusting pop history down their throats like it was on the GCSE curriculum, yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away, as it seems all of them will get fooled again, know not of the pinball wizardโs supple wrist, Ruby Tuesday or Lucy in the sky with diamonds, and I wouldnโt even attempt to explain why I’d like to be under the sea in an octopus’s garden in the shade. Whereโs Jack Black and his school of rock when you need them?!
Streaming music might affect future generations from becoming aware of music before their time. Without physical copies who knows where this will end, music will be throwaway, and maybe the nineties welcomed that concept in. But everything is online, even if Sgt Pepper might have adverts for Marks & Sparks Food Hall, it has to be worth trying to educate our youth that pop music would sound a whole lot different if it wasnโt for the sixties and bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who!
So, hereโs food for thought; though you might presume this Ceres Promotions triple headed sixties tribute show might be something for the Saga holidaymakers, perhaps you should reconsider, and see it more family outing, a vital history field trip?! Musicians of the sixties fired all their guns at once and exploded into space like a true natureโs child, whereas ours are content browsing Instagram with a bag of Haribo. We cannot stand idly by and allow this to happen!
Tickets are HERE fill your boots made for walking, that’s just what they need to do, and march them to the Corn Exchange on Friday 31st October rather than trick or treating, or one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!
As the excitement continues to detonate to an exploding point for our very first Stone Circle Music Events Wiltshire Music Awards on 25th October, we are thrilled to announce that Fantasy Radio, Devizesโ own beloved local broadcaster, will be joining us on the night in a special media partnership roleโฆ..
Represented by Lesley Scholes and Mark Jones, Fantasy Radio will be interviewing winners and nominees throughout the evening, capturing the stories, emotions, and celebrations as they unfold. These exclusive interviews will be broadcast on Fantasy Radio after the event, giving listeners across the county a chance to share in the fantastic moment.
In addition, Fantasy Radio will proudly display promotional banners inside the Corn Exchange on the day of the event, further cementing their support of local music and community talent.
One of the event organisers Eddie Prestige, UK Director for Stone Circle Music Events expressed his delight at the collaboration. โWeโre honoured to have Fantasy Radio involved in our inaugural awards. Their passion for local talent aligns perfectly with our mission to celebrate the incredible music scene here in Wiltshire. Weโre especially grateful for Fantasy Radio’s offer to assist during the evening. It’s this spirit of community that makes the event so special.โ
The Wiltshire Music Awards will take place on October 25th at the Corn Exchange, Devizes, bringing together musicians, industry supporters, and local media for an unforgettable night of recognition and entertainment. All tickets have now sold out, unfortunately, but the demand continues and excitement builds.
To add my own tuppence as one of the organisers, โit’s great to see Fantasy Radio onboard with this project, and I’m over the moon to watch the attention for this event blossom, from our early planning stages with Eddie and myself, to the point we’re at now, with a sold-out Corn Exchange, seven live acts performing for the evening, plus lots of surprises and guest appearances. I’m also delighted to say as well as the bar, Devizes-own Soupchick will be preparing a few delicious dishes for attendees to tuck into.โ
Stay tuned to Fantasy Radio in the coming weeks for updates, and after the event to hear the exclusive interviews with Wiltshireโs rising stars! Obviously we will be reporting live from the scene too, as much as possible in-between hosting and presenting!ย
Alright yeah, itโs a play on band names and thereโs only really two reasons to rock on Friday 17th October at Market Lavington Community Hall; Six O’clock Circus and The Reason. See what they did there? Genius! But, theyโre two of the heaviest heavyweight headline acts you should discover on our local cover circuit, so, as for the sum of the entertainment youโll receive by attending, you could deservedly multiply them by at least three, and make six! (I do maths too!)
Big time Calne mod-Britpop loving lads Six O’Clock Circus will raise the roof, and Westburyโs The Reason, with a penchant for timeless rock classics only intend to double it. Fronted by Nicky Davis, formerly a member of People Like Us and co-founder of the Female of the Species fundraising supergroup, find The Reason gigging locally and strap yourself in for a party! Not usually a function band, likely because theyโd upstage the reason for the actual function, (ambiguously the story behind their name?!), they recently performed at Melkshamโs proudest country-rock singer-songwriter Becky Lawrenceโs wedding, where the bride simply had to join in!ย
Likewise with Six O’clock Circus, find them gigging locally everywhere. A longstanding band of friends knocking guitar frenzied indie-mod-pop-rock favourites out of any park they care to stop by, and a few others along the way! I appreciate thereโs already been a lot of maths for a Sunday article, but this is simple; tickets are ยฃ12 a pop. The show starts at 7:30pm (NOT 6′ o’clock like the circus) at Market Lavington Community Hall, next Friday 17th October for a highly recommended party!
Oh yeah, invite me to a place with a bar, throw some of the best blues this side of New Orleans at me and then hope Iโll articulate some words about it next morning, why don’t you?! It’s okay readers, it’s become standard protocol for me, I’ve got thisโฆwith help from Ben and Vicky!
…Here goes my bit; it was the opening of the new season at Long Street Blues Club in Devizes last night. Homegrown blues legend Jon Amor paid it a visit, bringing along his proficient drum and bass section, Tom Gilkes and Jerry Soffe, respectively, a handful of special guests wise in the ways of instrumenting sublime blues, and an intention and motivation to pull an extravaganza from the anticipation in the ether. Irresistible prospect, had to witness, savour, and shake my tail feather to, like it was going out of fashion. Olโ Frankie Valli couldn’t describe it better, oh what a night.ย
Four to the floor electric blues was the order they marched out to, each one a showstopper yet the show didn’t hang around for the audience to contemplate. Musicians aplenty popping out of the stage door, grabbing instruments and jamming on a rotation akin to an ice hockey game. Johnny Henderson seated at the Hammond organ, Tom Jones guitarist Scott McKeon strumming with Will Edmunds, Craig Crofton blowing that sax, and precision sound engineering all enhanced the usual trioโs show, elevating it to a phenomenal stance.
There were times Jon smoothed it with rarely played ballads, such a superbly protracted Happiest All-Time Low, from his 2018 album Colour in the Sky, but for the most part the Juggernaut and his overload appeased the crowd with expeditious renditions of his belovedย sprightly favourites, and newer The Turnaround album tunes he recorded last year with Jerry & Tom, easiest to pick out being the swinging Rideau Street and the hard stomping riffs of the explicit Miss James. I donโt know who Miss James is, but the passion Jon puts into this, and every song, leaves you wondering what her phone number is!
If this Indian summer is subtle outside it was a furnace inside. Ex-Hoax guitarist Jon, a testament to Devizesโ Mel Bush effect, an immutable adoration of blues, is a stalwart on stage, delivering blues in a style only he could. The aforementioned gubbings only added to the trioโs splendour, and a truly fantastic opening evening for The Long Street Blues Clubโs new season.
But donโt take my word for it, hereโs what Ben Romain and Vicky thought about it, as we got our wires crossed and both wrote about it, but it was such a gig it deserves two reviews anyway!
Stand up and shout! Blues is what it is all about, laid back and loving Blues in D-town!
In my many years as a fan of Jonโs music Iโve seen him play many venues in Devizes and nearby. We are blessed of course with a monthly residence at The Southgate Inn, where the majority of this ensemble has at some point graced the stage. This evening was a change of a little more space to get some friends together, at our very own Blues Club.
A fine opening set from Leonardo Guilliani, a rapidly rising star, hailing from Southampton. No stranger to the club, having opened for Watermelon Slim previously.
Some great original songs from his album, and new songs from an upcoming release recorded at Abbey Road Studios! I particularly liked the new song โAngelโ, a soulful reflective song, with a gentle tone, blues of a sort but melodic and soothing in a contemporary Blues vein. A few well-chosen covers too, with some resounding classic electric blues. Overall, a perfect opener for this gig! I look forward to seeing him again along the road.
As Jon introduces the extended band to the stage, I am reminded of countless gigs in Devizes and beyond, where I have enjoyed all these musicians. This ensemble has between them played an unbelievable range of genre defining big names, and it showsโฆโฆwith the confident ease they poured into this session.
There are the Jon Amor Trio set regulars like โMiss Jamesโ, โJuggernautโ and โBirds Nest on the Groundโ, some less regular but great additions such as Jonโs โRed Telephoneโ and โHappiest All time Lowโ. This entire two hour plus set revelled in and resounding with the connectivity of the scene.
When Will Edmunds and Jon share โLovinโ Cupโ a rousing dance friendly classic we get to enjoy the best of this sense, a classic in the sets of Jon and Will in their regular haunts, sharing as they do, many gigs the might of Gilkes and Soffe.
Weโve enjoyed Jonny Henderson guest slots here in Devizes and with another Devizes and authorโs favourite Elles Bailey amongst others, weโve seen the wonderful Scott McKeon guest with Jon, and for a bonus Devizes point with Jonโs former bandmate Robin and Beaux Gris Gris and The Apocalypse and most commonly known for playing with Tom Jones.
I could ramble enthusiastically all day about the good vibes of this gig but thereโs a wider point to acknowledge before I run out of type spaceโฆ.that of the community and connectivity both with musicians and audiences.
We have an unusually high level of gigs, especially blues leaning gigs in our town. We have some pretty heavy hitters in the UK blues past and present around here which doubtless helps, but we are also blessed with venues born of passion, people who support those opportunities as much as they can, so we are known in Devizes for putting up a good audience.
Our little world faces challenges like all venues and scenes across the UK, yet on the whole we are bucking the trend and attracting fine music from the brave upstart to the big established names and something to be rightly proud of.
Thereโs weekly amazing music at the Southgate and these incredible seasons of blues at Long Street, pub gigs, even occasionally music in bars and coffee lounges!
Key to the future of all of it, is people getting involved. I could name around a third of the crowd last night, and know most of the band from past gigs, with all of the craziness of the world, when many conscious or not are affected by loss of community, unity and shared positive experienceโฆ.we have all that right here at home, every week.
I am now twelve years or so into my passionate support of local live music, it offers so much more than huge mega money gigs, and it supports through shared venues other aspects of our towns offer.
So, if you missed this incredible gig look at listings here, Facebook or wherever, message venues, talk to friends, thereโs always a solid welcome, and you may find your new favourite band or next best friend in the crowd!
Thanks Ben, that is exactly what itโs all about! And now a “further reading” related rant to finish on!
When I published a preview of Long Street’s new season I highlighted this gig in particular, because Jon is loved by the residents of Devizes as this native hero. It was inevitable, and something I had discussed with both Ian, organiser of Long Street, and Dave at the Southgate, that someone would comment on the social media shares of it, questioning why they would pay to see Jon at Long Street when his monthly residences at the Southgate are free. Being I suspect thereโs others that share this understandable view, and that money is a benefactor to deciding what to and what not to attend in these trying times, I thought Iโd answer it with my opinion, for better or worse.
Starter for ten, we love the Southgate, we love the fact they host these regular sessions with the Jon Amor Trio and usually a special guest, and weโve covered them many times. In fact, The Southgate has probably had more reviews from us than anywhere else. Dave and Ian are friends, they attend each other’s gigs and liaison to avoid clashes of similar gigs. The Southgate will pay what they can for an artist from money they make at the bar, most pubs operate this way, it is up to the artist to accept this or decline to play. The Southgate, like others, will hand around a tip hat, to top up the performersโ earnings. That is the way we get free gigs, but it is not how it works with event organisers who must pay for acts from the revenue of ticket sales. No matter how great this residency is at the Southgate, they are on Sunday afternoon when gravy is tipped onto your roast! Personally, due to work commitments Iโm unable to let my hair down over more than a pint, like I can do on a Saturday night; thatโs the time they let me out! Iโm sure others find themselves in a similar situation.
Aside this, with the capacity of the club greater than the pub allowing folk room to move, the enhancement of the show via additional guests forming an eight piece band at times, the perfection of the sound engineering, and the uninterrupted presentation, are all benefits you are unlikely to get in any pub environment. Saturday night proved this, for it was a cut above what any performer would be capable of in any pub. It was a fantastic night, if you were there you would know it was and accept it was total and utter class. If you weren’t, well, you only have my and Ben’s words it was so.
And with that notion we can put the final slither of their comment to bed, that Long Street has โzeroโ atmosphere. Yes, I understand there are a few longstanding devotees who favour to remain seated and silent, the root to my little regular jest labelling them โthe Devizes blues appreciation society!โ But the atmosphere is what YOU make it! We danced the night away, I loved it, Ben and Vicky clearly loved it, people around us loved it. No one bothered us in doing so and no dancer bothered those who opted not to. When compromise is necessary, no less punters at Long Street adhere than might in a pub.
Thereโs no hard feelings, the comment remains as we donโt delete fair opinions. Iโm no Nostradamus, but I suspected someone might suggest this, just a little irked to understand the reasoning for posting it. If it was to encourage others to side with them I genuinely think thatโs a shame, as it risks the continuation of this wonderful club. No one is forcing anyone to go anymore than anyone is forcing anyone else to write such a comment.
Hey, I might see them at the Gate sometime, but they should note some regulars there attended this one, and others who might not frequent the Southgate, they did too; why deny their chances to see an act they claimed to love themselves, like most of us in Devizes? Because, and hereโs the killer line, when Jon and his extended team blasted out the customary Juggernaut finale, feet were stomping, sweat rinsed shirts, and expressions of sheer joy blessed the faces of those in attendance. It was blissfully brilliant, the best night in Devizes Iโve had for a long time; long live Long Street Blues Club, but yeah, other options, such as The Southgate are available and come highly recommended too. What a petty fiasco!ย ย
Thereโs a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level, and it has got me thinking back to their Devizes rootsโฆ..ย
You know, I really cannot remember how this thing started, if they contacted me or if I found them. It was three years ago, at a time when local media seemed rampant with scare stories sensationalising teenage hooliganism. Folk jumped the bandwagon, naming and shaming wayward youth on Facebook like it was modern gallows, and making fearmongering sweeping generalisations, classing every child as a psychotic delinquent.
I figured this wasn’t the same picture I was seeing. That thereโs always been a handful off the rails, but in comparison to previous generations, most Gen Z were passive, thoughtful, and creative. So I set out to prove this wonky narrative wrong, and in doing so found many aspiring teenage bands to use as examples, but none so accomplished and motivated as Nothing Rhymes with Orange.
There was always something staunchly between the members of this Devizes School band, frontman Elijah Easton, Sam Briggs, Fin Anderson-Farquhar, and drummer Lui Venables, an unequalled camaraderie which combined their honing skills harmoniously. Their calculated sagacity writing painted a blithe picture of Gen Z, equal to how punk bands like The Newtown Neurotics summarised life for generation X, and it spawned a zeitgeist.
Image: Gail Foster
Moments after reviewing their debut single, Chow for Now, they launched an equivalently impressive EP called Midsummer. I figured it was overdue to check them out live, as they organised their own gig at West Lavington Village Hall. Divided between parents and youth I witnessed the birth of a local phenomenon. I dubbed it โBeatlemania in Devizes.โ Teenage fans chanted the chorus of Manipulation back at them, as Elijah jumped from the stage relishing in the moment.
I encouraged teenage budding writers and photographers to record this blossoming movement for us, as alongside bands like Melkshamโs The Sunnies, they were inspiring a new generation of musicians too. And for the adults, I wanted them to quit whinging about youth, by showcasing NRWO in an environment free from age division, where they could see for themselves this emergent youth fandom and the local band which created it. I urged our carnival committee that their annual โInternationalโ Street Festival in Devizes should showcase such a local act, and pride overcame me as I introduced them to the masses gathered in the Market Place, because alongside their excellent self-promotion, Devizine expressed with honesty that townsfolk should support this spectacular homemade band, and they did.
The lads released several new songs, all of which were tiny progressive steps to a maturity in their sound. At a gig at The Three Crowns in May 2024 Devizes-own BBC DJ and presenter, James Threlfall gave me constructive criticism regarding their production levels, suggesting it wasnโt quite to the level necessary and in comparison to upcoming bands across the southwest. I also worried at this time, moving along that adolescent rocky road generally was the make or break of a young band, usually the latter.
Delighted that they planned to study together in Bristol Uni, I finished off our local angled reporting of them with a parting interview, safe in the knowledge both the uni and bustling life in Bristol would open new doors for them and hopeful it would perfect their skills to the level James so honestly pointed out. A huge festival touring summer at Dot 2 Dot, Golden Touch, 110 Above and Camper Calling, returning to Studio 91 for the session which produced their new ear-invasive single, Shearwater, out at 6pm on 20th September across all streaming platforms, surely proves they have.
Image: Gail Foster
Shearwater signifies a hotly-anticipated next chapter, one of huge guitar sounds, jacked up drums and Elijahโs desperate vocals, evoking stories of fiery lust and explosive aftermaths. This is the single which will do for an international audience what Nothing Rhymes With Orange did locally three years ago. The spritely frenzy is replaced by the concentrated rhythmic flow and evocative ambience of the kind of timeless indie-pop anthem a multitude of audiences will shine their phone torches too. The layers are divine, the composition professionally crafted.
Iโve never needed to exaggerate my appraisal nor flatter NRWO for encouragement. I saw this potential, as did their local fanbase. And tomorrow you can hear the fruits of their labour in full bloom, a categorical advancement of Devizes export to the world, and it makes me feel proud to have backed them to this point, what the future holds is answered in this track, and it looks orange!
But donโt just take my word for it; chatting to James Threlfall just yesterday, I pointed out this single felt like the entry level we were talking about last May, and he agreed, telling me they’ve landed a featured artist spot on BBC Introducing South and West, which is live at 8pm tonight (Thursday 8pm.) The single will be debuting live at their upcoming headline show, 26th September, at The Old England, Bristol. Thereโs also an exciting word on the grapevine: an album is the pipeline. Oh, and donโt forget they’re playing our Wiltshire Music Awards on 23rd October here in Devizes, and will be at Devizes Arts Festival next summer like Bruce Springsteen returning to New Jersey!
For me, Iโll always have those early moments, like blagging a Sharpie from the sound engineer at street festival, so teenage girls could have their T-shirts signed (not by me, you understand?!!)
We are creatures of habit here in old Devizes. We’ll stand in the Market Place wearing a vacant expression, wondering where we can bag ourselves a good kebab in town now the Kebab House is sadly no longer. I urge you to think Sidmouth Street, think The Oliveโฆ.
Yeah, I get you. Save the longstanding New Pacific Chinese, the previous takeaways in Sidmouth Street didn’t receive great appraisal, causing the street to be considered a no-go zone for the peckish. Well, times change. With Mustafa Suna, the once owner of the Kebab House content to be relocated a hefty trek away at the Garden Trading Estate, the new option is The Olive Pizza & Grill; you best believe it.
It was newly opened a couple of months ago. By name, it sounds fresher and natural, but does it live up to its name? I thought I’d drag my tastebuds there to find outโฆ..
Shenol Redzheb is the owner of this tidy little takeaway where Acropolis once toppled. He cut his teeth at Chick-O-Land, where he spent thirteen years, but was adamant about building his own new legacy here. It certainly was spotless and hospitable, with everything freshly prepared right before your eyes.
The range is fantastic, too. The standard range of kebabs, combo or wraps, burgers, and chicken, but with a pizzeria too, choices are ample for the most fussiest of families, like mine! One apple of my eye opted for a cheeseburger, the other a pizza, and the wife and I went for the donor kebab, though she favours garlic mayo on hers; sacrilegious! I say this because the homemade chilli sauce here is to die for, really rich, perfect level of hotness and tomatoey; yummy, yummy, yummy, love in my tummy.
In fact, everything was well received. The boy’s burger was apparently โummm,โ and despite explaining I needed a bite for the purpose of the review, he wasn’t giving it up without a fight! The daughter praised the pizza, and she’s the Jay Rayner among us, but she especially adored the chips, describing them as crisp, and they were, I concurred. Perfectly cooked little beauties, and cut just the right size to be best considered โchunky fries.โ
The kebab was lovely too, meat, tasty, a good range of fresh salad, and oh, did I mention the chilli sauce?! It’s worth mentioning twice!
Portions generous, all at a competitive price, the family were happy. I’ll be back faster than Schwarzenegger for an uzi 9mm. You should give this local owner’s new enterprise a try. There’s vegetarian options, phones, and an online ordering website HERE, and they deliver right out to the sticks, at around a four mile radius; dinner sorted!
The Olive Pizza & Grill is at: 26 Sidmouth Street, Devizes, SN10 1LD, UK
Five Have An Out-of-town Experience You canโt always get that live music experience you crave by simply staying within the walls of D-Town.ย Sometimes, andโฆ
By Ian DiddamsImages by Josie Mae-Ross and Charlotte Emily Shakespeare wrote several plays that were termed in the late nineteenth century โProblem Playsโ. These wereโฆ
Together in Electric Dreamsโฆ. at The Corn Exchange Fashionably late for Devizes Arts Festival, I’d like to thank Andy and Ian for informative coverage ofโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ian Diddams, Play on Words Theatre, and Devizes Arts Festival Who was paying attention in history at school when they coveredโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards are delighted to confirm a new headline partnership with Stone Circle Music Events, who will sponsor the Awards for 2025 and into 2026.
As part of this agreement, the event will be rebranded as: Stone Circle Music Events โ Wiltshire Music Awards.
This collaboration reflects Stone Circle Music Eventsโ ongoing commitment to supporting music in Wiltshire, and across the wider UK and Ireland. Their involvement will provide significant opportunities to raise the profile of the Awards, enhance the experience for participants, and strengthen engagement with the wider music community.
Benefits of this partnership include:
โข Brand Visibility: Prominent placement of the Stone Circle Music Events name across all event materials, press releases, and social media campaigns.
โข Audience Reach: Direct engagement with a diverse audience of musicians, industry professionals, and the public.
โข Prestige & Influence: Recognition as the headline supporter of one of Wiltshireโs most anticipated music events.
โข Networking Opportunities: Closer ties with event partners, sponsors, and stakeholders.
โข Catalyst for Growth: The presence of a strong lead sponsor encouraging further sponsorship and increased scale for the Awards.
Eddie Prestige of Wiltshire Music Awards said, โwe are thrilled to welcome Stone Circle Music Events as our headline sponsor. Their passion for supporting music and culture perfectly aligns with our mission to celebrate and elevate the incredible talent across Wiltshire. This partnership will allow us to grow the Awards and create an even more impactful event in 2025 and beyond.โ
Darren Worrow of Wiltshire Music Awards added, โThis is great news, and we hope it secures a future for the awards.โ
Managing Director of Stone Circle Music Events, Patrick OโSullivan said, โStone Circle Music Events are proud to support the Wiltshire Music Awards as headline sponsor. Music is at the heart of what we do, and this partnership reflects our commitment to nurturing local talent and strengthening the live music community in Wiltshire, the UK, and Ireland. We are excited to be part of such a vibrant celebration of creativity.โ
This partnership represents an exciting step forward for the Wiltshire Music Awards, helping to secure its long-term success and cement its place as a key celebration of musical talent in the region.
It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across the circuit since and created an impressive following. Today sees him on the next leg of his musical journey, a brand new single aptly titled No Restโฆ..
If the kazoo created a unique identity for Josh, quirking up otherwise darker themes than the novelty songs you’d except the instrument to be found in, this idiosyncratic move may have caused some criticism from traditionalists who simply didn’t get it. Not me, inherent in the belief rules are made to be broken, I’m of the reckoning JP Oldfield is a contemporary rarity, a misunderstood genius finding his feet. A dedicated axemen with an axe to grind, and a singer-songwriter unafraid to explore and expose every detail of the melancholic mind maze in the encapsulating way blues legends did before him.
With this in tow, I’d argue the jukejoint authentic sound created with his haunting grizzly vocal tones, that steel guitar and beaten up suitcase pedal-drum is Marmite. Love it or hate it, JP forged an imitable style, ranging from Cash to Tom Waits and Nick Cave in comparison. I’d draw any critic’s attention to a track like Last Orders, a heart-wrenchingly honest tune which takes on the drunkard’s misery of a relationship break-up in true mellowed delta blues fashion, without kazoo. But hey, now we’ve got No Rest, a level up certainly in production and indicative of all the greatness he’s already achieved; it rocks.
There’s the sombre spiritual blues theme we’ve come to expect, but it’s a foot-stomping pace with a killer rolling riff, kazoo-less yet a perfect balance of everything else JP throws at his music. It’s deliberately raw, perfectly hard-hitting and undoubtedly JP on the best form we’ve ever seen.
In our interview a month short of a year ago, Josh gave me the impression he was something of a perfectionist. A lot of work has gone into this full bodied five minute marvel, and it shows, in its crisp sound, this composition of elements making said perfect balance, and also a enlightening video accompanying it, by Jamie R Hawkinsโ Side Owl Productions. This cones out around 6pm tonight, I’ll add the link to it here, so return after your potato waffles.
The video has a different narrative from the song, rather โthe story of the song;โ a fascinating showcase of JP’s session at Mooncalf Studios, where Nick Beere engineers the kind of tune which we might suggest JP’s feet have been found. We look forward to hearing the other songs from this session in good time, but for now this is plenty to indicate this Devizes bluesman is heading in the right direction. But Nick brought out the best in musicians while I was still doodling boobs on my school rough book!
He’s JP Oldfield, I’m just old, but I know what I like. I could dance barefoot in a barn grasping a bottle of bourbon to this, and when it gets to that irresistible bridge I’ll procrastinate my repent, letting my sins roam free for a day; though I havenโt drawn a boob on a school book for quite some considerable time!
Is it too early for the C word?! Of course not, Grinch! With DOCA’S Winter Festival confirmed for Friday 28th November this year, there will be a number of creative workshops and makery sessions, not forgetting the creation of those wonderful handmade lanterns for the parade; here’s some early sessions in which you can get creativeโฆ
A number of lantern making workshops in the run-up to the Winter Festival Lantern Parade have been allocated. Including open-to-all workshops at different venues with materials provided โ all they ask is a small donation. DOCA suggests ยฃ5 for a small lantern, which requires one light, but you are welcome to pay as you feel.
Come along to one of their open public workshops to make a lantern in preparation for the parade. All materials are provided, and all are welcome.
Image: Simon Folkard
Held at Wiltshire Museum, Long Street, Devizes, the workshop Schedules are:
Saturday 20th September – 10:15am – 13:15pm, 14:00 – 16:30.
Sunday 21st September – 10:15am – 13:15pm, 14:00 – 16:30.
What, again?! Another article about Talk in Code?! Haven’t they had enough Devizine-styled publicity?! Are their heads swelling?!ย
Didn’t that crazy toothless editor catch them at The Vic in Swindon just last week? And now The Southgate in Devizes? Isnโt that his second home anyway?!
Hold back your keyboard warrior typing fingers from those vicious comment sections, critic, I will attempt to answer these burning questions I falsely imagine straining from your lips, in a short piece about a Sunday gig well worth mentioningโฆ..
Yes, again, it is another article about Talk in Code. It’s either that or I risk playing a brain training game on my phone; it’s Monday, and my brain refuses instruction.
Yes, they’ve been showered with love from us, but being this an opinion based blog, I reserve my right to express my honest opinion; they deserve it! I have succumbed to being a T-shirt embossed โtalker,โ a more family fashioned classification than fanbase.
If the idiom of enlarged heads implies they have a conceited, exaggerated sense of self-importance due to our consistent splatters of flattery, that’s the biggest untruth you could suggest about them. I only said it in ironic jest; woe is me for my fractured sense of humour; pinch of salt, please!
Whilst their performances are showy, that’s pop; they’re the most down to earth bunch you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet … .especially musicians!! Observe them engaging with their audience, young to old. Observe the attention they attract wherever they happen to play as being a product of their universal brilliance. If they appear excitable about this, it derives from their dedication, motivation, and the deserved positive feedback from their audience, not a two-bit blogger!
So what, yeah I was at the Vic last week for their awesome single launch gig, when I said it was theย best I’ve ever seen them play, suggesting perhaps because it was on their home turf. I’m considering taking this back after catching them yesterday, for two reasons, firstly but less important, Swindon is only home to two of them, Snedds is home here in Devizes, or as near as dammit. Secondly, pop grows on you, the more you listen the more the hook catches you, and they have this down to a T, so maybe the level of skill they’ve attained has now become standard as more fans amass;ย it certainly seemed that way Sunday at the Southgate. They rocked it with professional ease, just as they did the Vic, as they always do, and it was only a Sunday afternoon at Devizesโ answer to the O2 arena. Given the actual O2, I predict they’d rock that one, too!
Matter of fact, I’ve not been down the Gate for what feels like ages, honest, mum! This occasion was purely circumstantial; I was in town to attend the dress rehearsal of an emotionally sobering play at the Wharf. It is fantastically evocative and reflects a sad time for me personally. See the review to understand, and go see the play. I needed cheering up, and being that it ended when the gig was kicking off, I thought I could sit in the back row and scribe some thoughts on my phone with a pint. It didn’t quite work out this way, not for the want of trying, because Talk in Code’s sound is irresistible, and yeah, it cheered me up a treat.
I’ve not been down The Gate recently, what with a summer season of festivals, a family holiday and inflation mugging us all off. But being the Southgate is so insatiably irresistible, friendly, and affordable too by comparison, I slip back into its gorgeous rustic appeal like a glove, anyone would.
I’ve stated numerous times how my honest opinion casts it as the best pub locally, these facts stick more than mud, and perhaps it hasn’t been that long, it only feels like it has! George seemed to remember me as a gullible accessory to doggie biscuit snatching crimes. Autumn drawing in, save me the cosy chair.
All hail Talk in Code and The Southgate too. The first play top class indie-pop within a more humble local scene than following a national pop star and praying you can mortgage your home for a ticket to see. The latter is a cathedral to our humble scene, and lively pub culture too, with a rich history of showcasing local musical talent, one all our writers have been disciples of since day dot.
There’s so many artists still to mention, pinky promises I will, all in good time, but a Talk in Code gig at The Gate, despite catching them only last week, was still too good not to drop into!
Valedictorian graduate of Bates College in Maine, and with a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard, neuroscientist Lisa Genova self-published her debut novel, Still Alice in 2007. Acquired for publishing two years later, Still Alice made The New York Times Best Seller list, was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, and spurred a 2014 movie by Memento Films, winning Julianne Moore an Academy Award. Under the direction of John Winterton, The Wharf Theatre brings this poignant play to Devizesโฆโฆ
It’s lovely to be back at Devizesโ cosy and communal theatre. Ian assigned himself our theatre critic and while his brilliant inside knowledge is gratefully appreciated, I figured I fancy this one, as I have a personal angle on the plot. Alzheimerโs Society suggests โevery 3 minutes someone in the UK develops dementia,โ therefore I imagine many others will find relevance in it too, and if not, might one day.
We found it amusing at the beginning, my Nan in Dad’s car still wearing her slippers for a party, and other trivial mishaps. But the last time I saw her I was saddened to note she didn’t remember me, as she spoke to me of her โhusband,โ rather than address him as โgrandad.โ My children were young and understandably apprehensive about going into the care home. But when they plucked up courage my boy stood before her and she was delighted to be face-to-face with who she assumed was me. Here was the relieving point; I realised she hadn’t forgotten me, she just didn’t recognise me because thirty-plus years was missing from her memory; thank you genetics!
The journey between these two points in time was arduous for her and our family. For her it went from confusion to frustration and onto an immune state of obviousness. Lisa Genova wrote Still Alice in first person narrative from the point of view of Alice, a university professor at the height of her career who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimerโs disease; it mirrors what we went through, and sheds a fascinating light onto what my Nan must’ve gone through too.
The play honours the narrative perspective by an ingenious method of a personification of Alice’s psyche. With a dual-Alice on stage, the real Alice, played sublimely by Linda Swann, says what she believes she should say, while her conscious shadowing her, equally delivered with skill by a younger version of Alice, Sophie Kerr, offers the audience an insight into what she is thinking. Just as I suggested, with the lost time of my Nanโs mind, Alice perceives herself as being younger, so this age gap works as her sense of reason, until reason runs short in her mind and her consciousness is reduced to the childlike drawing of pictures.
There are many elements to the happenings in the play which anyone who has experienced a loved one going through Alzheimerโs or dementia will recognise, and tears might trickle. There’s periods of thought-provoking awkward silence, intense confrontation at others, when the confusion turns to frustration. There’s poignant reality and touching scenes as the family come to terms with Alice’s deteriorating mind. There’s thought processes from Alice exposed, causing you to identify with her greater than that of her family; a window into the mindset of anyone suffering with this terrible condition.
Overall, akin to a film like Schindler’s List, this is a play you might not want to face, oh, but you must, and you should.
Still Alice is evoking brilliance, you will leave impelled to discuss the subject further. It raises awareness of this horrifying condition and doesnโt meander from this for any purposes of entertainment. On the impaired particularly, the sentiment is pragmatic, but also in her relationship with her family and their emotions, all poignantly represented and acted with believable precision by John Myles, as the calm under pressure husband, Adam Sturges as the solicitude son, and Kezia Richards as the estranged daughter.
Still Alice raises awareness about Alzheimerโs or dementia in a similar way as Barry Levinsonโs Rain Man raised awareness of autism, but only if we could have seen into the mind of Raymond would it be any more comparable. Thatโs the beauty of theatre, this is a play with the power to change you.ย
Still Alice runs at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes from September 1st until September 6th 2025, Tickets HERE or at Devizes Books.
World Alzheimerโs Day is Sunday 21st September. You can find more information about local dementia groups at Alzheimerโs Support, and sign up for their Walk to Remember at Wilton House, HERE.
Poulshot’s Award-winning chocolate studio Hollychocs is proud to launch a heartfelt charity campaign in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust UK, with a charming chocolateโฆ
Events with diversity, be they ethnic, cultural, or life choices, must be welcomed, encouraged and viewed positively as assets offering variety in our local calendarโฆ
The lawn is still frazzled but the apples and leaves are falling; the weather might not know what season itโs supposed to be running, but all is not lost as we look at what Devizes blues appreciation society, Long Street Blues Club has to entertain us throughout the next season, or threeโฆ.
Their season doesnโt end until January, actually making it more like half a year, and weโll find John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett on stage, kicking off the summer season in June, but thereโs a lot to get through heading up to that, gigs and a number of specials.
Jon Amor & Friends
Firing on all cylinders for a grand start, doors crash open on Saturday 20th September 2025 when Leonardo Guiliani supports homegrown Hoax member Jon Amor at the Conservative Club. A local legend who needs no introduction to Devizes blues aficionados. You can rest assured Jon will be bringing his trio, drum and bass comrades Jerry Soffe and Tom Gilkes, and an abundance of special guests cherrypicked from his vast circle of legendary friends, including John Baggott, pianist for Portishead and Robert Plant, organist Johnny Henderson, Scott McKeon guitarist for Tom Jones, guitarist Will Edmunds, and Craig Crofton on sax.
What a way to begin, but predictably popular, so early booking is advised. Advance Tickets are ยฃ18.00 from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ20.00 on the door. The deal is the same for all Long Street Blues gigs at the Conservative Club, unless otherwise stated.
October sees three entirely different gigs. On Saturday the 4th The Dirt Road Band returns, by overwhelming popular demand. The brainchild of guitar legend Steve Walwyn, mainly known as the longest serving guitar player in Dr Feelgood, The Dirt Road Band recruited the services of Ted Duggan, a professional since the 60s, including stints with Badfinger and world techno giants Banco de Gaia, and bassist Horace Panter, better known as a founding member of The Specials.ย
Saturday 18th October Ben Poole is back. A young act to watch, Ben Poole and his band return to the club after a sensational night in April. Jeff Beck called them โf***ing amazing,โ need we say more?!
Rock & Roll Circus
Observing all health and safety regulations, on Friday 31st October Long Street Blues Club members march girl-boy, girl-boy across to the Corn Exchange for a special trip back to the sixties. Unusual to see tribute acts organised by the club, so while it might be a wildcard, itโs not to be trifled at, because a Rock & Roll Circus is promised; the gig that never happened!ย
The very best tributes to three British rock giants, The Who, The Beatles and The Stones, namely Who’s Next, The Beatles For Sale and The Rollin Stoned, will surely wriggle you down memory lane!ย
With the aid of authentic stage wear and instruments, Whoโs Next recreates a magical point in time in the early 1970s when many believed that The Who were the greatest pop and rock group on Earth. Similarly The Beatles For Sale pride themselves on replicating the Fab 4’s onstage image, sparing no expense with their equipment and outfits, with the ultimate intention to recreate the magic of the Beatles in their sixties heyday.
The Rollin Stoned have toured their affectionate tribute to The Rolling Stones for over 27 years, sharing billing with the likes of Dr John, Status Quo, Suzie Quatro and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Advance Tickets are ยฃ30.00 for this great night out, from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ35.00 on the door.
Into November, no hanging about, as Last Train Smokin’ pulls into the station to support The Ian Parker Band on Saturday 1st November 2025. Another returning favourite.ย
Aberdeen’s finest are back on Saturday 22nd November, The Gerry Jablonski Band with support from Firekind.ย
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse
Then, an early Christmas present. Yes, itโs a California-Devizes crossover, with favourites Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse at The Corn Exchange on Friday 5th December. Hoax member Robin Davey returns to his hometown with Louisiana born and bred, award-winning vocalist Greta Valenti and their band, and itโs something to behold. I strongly suggest you get in quickly with this one if you wish to start winter in style.
Advance Tickets are ยฃ25.00 from usual outlets or book online (online booking fee applies) Tickets ยฃ28.00 on the door.
If that doesnโt warm your winter cockles nothing will, but their Christmas party is actually on Saturday 20th December 2025 when the โperfect band for our Xmas partyโ Dino Baptiste & Night Train appear. A highly energetic London soul and boogie-woogie pianist, Dino Baptiste has a smattering of Ray Charles, and will get the club jumping.
And into the new year we find Oregon harmonica player Curtis Salgado, the man who taught John Belushi the blues while on set at the filming of 1977โs Animal House, team up with European multi award-winning blues harmonica virtuoso Giles Robson.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest blues and soul singers to have emerged in the last fifty years, Curtis Salgado is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Long Street Blues is one of only three dates he is playing.
Thatโs Saturday 17th January 2026; work off some Quality Street, because the next gig isnโt until Monday 8th June, with John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett on stage. Yet one thing is for sure, Long Street Blues Club are quenching the thirst for blues in Devizes folk, and they usually have a big appetite for it!!
Swindon Palestine Solidarity continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for aid to be allowed to enter Gazaโฆ.. Their three recent roadside signโฆ
I want Devizine to be primarily about arts and entertainment, but Iโm often pathetically persuaded by bickering political factions to pass opinion on local politicsโฆ
Photo credit: ยฉ Rondo Theatre Company / Jazz Hazelwood A gender-queered production of William Shakespeareโs classic play, โThe Taming of the Shrewโ, will be performedโฆ
The first full album by Wiltshireโs finest purveyors of psychedelic indie shenanigans, Clock Radio, was knocked out to an unsuspecting world last week. Itโs calledโฆ
Bradford-on-Avon Town Councilโs annual festival, aptly titled The Bradford on Avon Live Music Festival is back this weekend, championing local talent with an eclectic line-upโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Performing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. Or, rather, singing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. With his dissonantโฆ
There was a geographical population imbalance this bank holiday Monday in Devizes which risked the entire town conically sloping into the back of Morrisons; no one seemed the slightest concerned! It’s Black Rat Monday at The British Lion, the stuff of Dorothy House fundraising burgers, potent beverages and contemporary folkloreโฆ.
Recorded here for prosperity, as itโs dubious that other accounts of the event would be recited with much precision when passed through the generations, that once upon a time in ye olde Devizes, natives satirically dubbed their annual street festival โBlack Rat Monday.โ
The name derived from a scrumpy brand popular at a bar run by CAMRA award-winning and stalwart Devizes freehouse, The British Lion. Contractual matters one year caused a breakup between the carnival committee and the pub. Being โBlack Rat Mondayโ was a folk eponym, ergo in the public domain, and the committee likely never appreciated it anyway, The British Lion adopted the name for an occasion of their own making, and the rest is history.
It’s a fable of self-reliance, apolitical empowerment, and mass consumption of scrumpy, though other drink options are available! Leading to a meek event of anti-consumerism, save the Black Rat Monday t-shirt and drink, community-driven subversion, and a crowded beer garden full of merriment, whilst it would seem the elaborate original festival has fallen by the wayside due to arts funding cuts.
This particular year saw the event blossom to bursting point, attracting townsfolk en masse, under the simple premise, it’s now as much of a โDevizes thingโ as raking barrels of contraband brandy out of the Crammer or annually lobbing confetti at each other in a peculiar frenzy.
Reasoning why roots to the pub itself, because while other taverns change according to trends, else end up as antique shops or housing estates, the simplest of systematics of The British Lion stand firm, equable and imperishable. And Devizions love โgurtโ tradition. If it’s not brokenโฆ..
But what helps, and always does, is acquiring the most suitable entertainment; usually locally sourced, not this time, but equally as welcomed. Long-standing and living legend landlord Mike Dearing revealed his heuristic thinking was to provide an act weโve likely not seen before on our circuit.
For the universal audience the conventional is best, therefore, primarily a function party band, Bristol’s The 789s made a perfect choice. They were lively, proficient, exceptionally accomplished and seemingly pleased to be there. With a vast repertoire spanning every corner of classic singalong pop, they joyfully delivered them all, for sweaty hours, and until Sweet Caroline finalised the cumulation, by which time the crowds were chanting it back to them and dancing on whatever small patch of sun-bleached grass they could suitably fit into.
A punk cover band planned to follow, which duty-bound as Dad’s taxi, I had to miss unfortunately. But The 789โs had roused the audience to a conclusion that there was little doubt anyone could now falter this year’s Black Rat Monday; I’d go out on a limb to suggest it was the best one to date.
There was Parklife, there was Red, Red, Wine, The Proclaimersโ marching song, I’m Gonna Be, and every crowd-pleaser sublimely covered by both male and female vocalists, but only one of them sporting butterfly sunglasses. I don’t want to get all decimal on you after such a strenuous scrumpy surfeit, but The 789’s truly turned it up to ten, at least. For which they were rewarded a gallant cheer of Devizes-fashioned appreciation as they sauntered through the crowds back to the pub, akin to newlywed couple they had undoubtedly performed for many times before!
This respectful display of gratitude, and the whole shebang in general genuinely makes me honoured to document what happens in our lovely, lovely town. For you can bicker on Facebook pages all you want, you can thrash out the rights or wrongdoings of graffiting flags on mini-roundabouts, or pin the blame on someone for a road closure, but Steve Dewar’s brilliant popup youth cafe had kids enjoying a climbing wall on the Green, the sun was shining, and humble folk in the British Lion were laughing and singing, for we all live under that same sun, and that captures the true Devizes spirit, right here in The British, surely?!
The phenomenally talented Ruby Darbyshire is performing at Silverwood School in Rowde on 27th June. Ruby has kindly offered to support Silverwood Schoolโs open evening…..โฆ
Adam Woodhouse, Rory Coleman-Smith, Jo Deacon and Matt Hughes, aka Thieves, the wonderful local folk vocal harmony quartet of uplifting bluegrass into country-blues has aโฆ
This summer David is returning with a brand-new show “Historyโs Missing Chapters”, a show made to uncover why, throughout history, some people and events haveโฆ
Under the new management, live music will be making a triumphant return to The Boathouse in Bradford-on-Avon and that Cracking Pair, Claire and Chloe ofโฆ
As a result of probably the most productive meeting yet, yesterday, about The Wiltshire Music Awards, we can now reveal the most amazing line-up of local music acts who will be performing between the announcements at our grand ceremony on Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, and a few other points we should mention tooโฆ..
Easy bit first for our glitzy and glamorous night, there will be professional sound and lighting provided by Brian Mundy and his team at BSM Stage Tech, and a bar, in which you wonโt have to buy me a drink because Iโm hosting and I donโt want to slur my words, word my slurs or anything along those silly lines!ย
It makes us all very proud to announce this wonderful lineup. Devizes own Burn The Midnight Oil will open the eveningโs entertainment. Theyโve come so far in such a short space of time with their own brand of breezy blues-rock, weโre excited to see them perform.
Our lovable legend George Wilding is a name most of you should know, and heโs coming to play a few songs, of course he is! Award winning Lucas Hardy is coming too. Loved on the Salisbury circuit, Lucas will delight you, for what will be, I believe, his first time playing in Devizes; I could be wrong!
Ben Borrill and Pat Ward, aka Matchbox Mutiny, will be there, the lively Devizes-based duo who never fail to charm. Then thereโs Salisbury-based Joylon Dixon and Rachel Sinnetta – a duo who raised the roof off the Three Crowns recently, but I knew it was coming as Rachelโs supreme vocal range and Joylonโs professional accompanying will enthral all.
Thereโs a champagne supernova trip back to the nineties with The Britpop Boys,renowned for blasting those sing-a-long anthems across the county and beyond.ย
And hereโs our last big secret exposed, Devizes homegrown indie-rock phenomenon Nothing Rhymes With Orange will polish off the evening. They created a storm locally a few years ago as a teen sensation, the likes of which I claimed to be the โBeatlemania of Devizes!โ Now studying together at Bristol Uni, their popularity has spread nationwide. Back home they have inspired a new generation to form bands, and we welcome them back delighted.
Image: Gail Foster
Make no mistake, all these acts have had a tremendous year, and deserve to be nominated for awards, as are the many other names hiding in our golden envelopes too. Myself, DJ Mark Anthony and possibly a few guest names will be announcing the winners and runners-up, and these wonderful acts will perform just two or three songs each between the announcements; itโs going to be a show!
A show which, we hope, showcases, highlights and celebrates the wealth of musical talent we have here in Wiltshire, in a manner more celebratory than competitive. While many others and not just those performing have high chances of bagging a trophy, by no means is it exhaustive. There are so many others, producing music, promoting, hosting and creating amazing initiatives to fundraise and to teach, we know this, and I intend to highlight as many as I can at the ceremony, because the list is lengthy enough already to cram into one evening, making it comprehensive is a minefield!
The results of the awards was set by public votes and a panel of expert judges, which we genuinely believe to have been a fair system, causing it to be agonising for us to see the entire county trimmed to this much, but if everyone supports this we hope there will be subsequent years of Wiltshire Music Awards to follow. Years in which we will continuously review in order to improve on.
One point, whilst feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive, one niggly raised was tickets. We have to fund this one way or another. We are asking for sponsorships, many have helped and we thank them. In order to make this work, yes, we are asking everyone who wishes to attend, including those nominated, to buy a ticket, of which we have made as reasonably priced as possible. If you have been nominated for an award within our top ten, you are cordially invited to attend, but along with everyone else we do ask you to please purchase a ticket; there is no other expense asked of you other than this.
As much as we would love to see all the winners and runners-up in person, or a representative on your behalf, on the night to be presented with an award, if you cannot make it due to other commitments we understand, and your award will be given to you at a suitable date thereafter. Important point then: You DO NOT need to attend the ceremony to receive the award if you do not wish to, but please consider that we have to fund this, that we have worked hard on getting this off the ground, and would appreciate your support with it. Wiltshire Music Awards has been created by a genuine team dedicated to the local music scene. Allow me to get all Charles & Eddie on your ass at this conjunction, โwould I lie to you, baby?!!โ
Whoa, back on the positives; thankfully I wonโt be singing but the experts will, this is going to be cracking night, one for the history books, and I hope to see you there! Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange, tickets HERE.
It was great to bump into Lunch Box Buddy in Devizes today. Last week was hectic for him; first BBC Wiltshire stopped by his stand in the Brittox, which was busy dishing out free lunches for children during the summer holidays, as is Buddyโs mission. Then came an appearance on Points West, and even Jamie Oliver shared his social media postsโฆ..
Has the media exposure gone to his head?! He modestly agreed with me, that it was nice, โit shows Iโm being acknowledged,โ he smiled, and continued to help children decide what sandwiches they fancied. And therein lies the magic, there was never a feeling in meeting Buddy that he was here for prestige.
โHeโs not doing it for media attention,โ Buddyโs mum Emily clarified, โin fact he finds that quite overwhelming. Heโs doing it because thereโs families who need it, and thatโs the reality of it. And if he can help those families to make it a little easier then thatโs all he wants to do.โ
There were sandwiches with various fillings, crisps, biscuits and fruit, even some toys. Folk gathered, no questions asked, no condescending notions, just a brilliant idea being put into motion by a teenager and his family. I asked Buddy if it was his idea, and how he came up with it.
โIt was my idea,โ he replied, still handing out apples, โand it originated from seeing some friends who were on free school meals, needing that extra help during the holidays too.โ
Buddy and his family began funding it themselves and now it relies on sponsors and private donations. There may be a few charity-led organisations doing similar in other areas, but Buddy is the first person weโve heard of individually taking this gesture of goodwill on themselves. I asked Buddy, not if he wanted to head a national charity doing this, for we joked he might end up sitting in an office! Rather if he feels he has, or will, inspire others to do likewise in other areas.
โYeah, I could inspire some people, I hope so,โ Buddy told me. โIโm doing it as an individual. Iโm here three times a week, every week for the summer holidays, and thereโs a thought I could do it at Christmas time.โ
โIt would be lovely if he did inspire other people,โ Emily explained, โbut his primary goal is to make sure that anyone who needs food in Devizes has food.โ
In these trying times, I forever find myself shocked at rising supermarket prices. Accepted, I cleaned my rose-tinted specs declaring how big Wagon Wheels once were, and how they were ten pence, but this inflation issue is not showing evidence of slowing anytime soon. โYes,โ Emily agreed, โsome schools and councils do provide ten pounds for the school holiday, but you cannot buy much for ten pounds, so what Buddy is doing really does make a difference.โ
It really does. I left with a lump to the throat, and somewhat lost for words; rare for me, I know!! What a thoroughly decent, philanthropic and selfless way for a fourteen-year-old to spend their summer holiday. What an absolute legend, Buddy! Thank you.
Two things remain: firstly to any family in need, Lunch Box Buddy is outside Haine & Smith, next to Cafe Nero, in Devizes town centre, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for the duration of the summer holidays, from 11:30-12:30. Follow him HERE for updates, Facebook HERE.
Secondly, to Devizes Town Council; you know I love you all, (wink!) this lad deserves a Civic Award, imho!
Always a happy place, our traditional record shop Vinyl Realm in Northgate Street Devizes is back in the game of hosting some live music afternoons.โฆ
One of Wiltshireโs Best by Andy Fawthrop Looking for something to do next weekend? One of Wiltshireโs biggest festivals is happening just up the roadโฆ
If weโve had a keen eye on Swindonโs Sienna Wilemanโs natural progression as an upcoming singer-songwriter since being introduced to her self-penned songs via herโฆ
One of Salisburyโs most celebrated acoustic folk-rock singer-songwriters Lucas Hardy teams up with the Wiltshire cityโs upcoming talent who’s name is on everyoneโs lips, Rosieโฆ
Results of the public vote have been put to our expert panel of seven judges in our inaugural Wiltshire Music Awards, and now the judges have decided. I bet you’re wondering who has won and who the runners-up are, aren’t you?
Well, I’m not going to tell youโฆ.yet! Ah, clickbait of ye gods; beat that Newsquest (who havenโt even bothered mentioning this crucial local extravaganza, I might add!) Truth is, I don’t know the results any more than you do, as I kindly requested to remain in the dark for the genuine element of surprise on the night, and itโs the night I want to remind you of!! Because, if you want to find out the winners you need to grab yourself a ticket to the presentation ceremony, the Awards Evening on Saturday 25th October at Devizes Corn Exchange; proper job!
Thereโs table tickets as groups, and single tickets available for our gurt lush Wiltshire Music Awards, the first of its kind. A night of music, celebration, and unforgettable moments. Bring your family, friends, and supporters! Weโve some top local acts confirmed, all performing a song or three, with intervals where I and special guests will be announcing the winners. Thereโs seventeen categories to get through, wine to drink and partying to be done in honour of all the amazing musical talent weโve got hiding in our rural county; please, help us to achieve this.
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! So good the Kaiser Chiefs wrote a song about her, or if not, at least brilliant enough to silence the most rowdy venue into an utter state of jawdropping awe! A video of a new tune, a metaphorical sea shanty, Crowned Lightbringer teasing us for a forthcoming EP, is out todayโฆ..
A diary jam-packed, gigging across the South West to Scotland and beyond, her natural talent is off the scale, and deservedly gaining attention. With youth on her side, raw determination, and a twinkle in her eye, whatever avenue she might choose to take to get there, everything screams future legend about Ruby Darbyshire. I predicted this from day dot, Crowned Lightbringer confirms.
They whisper, โoh, I’ve not heard her play yet,โ and not wishing to present them with a spoiler, I reply, as Ruby tunes up, โjust, don’t go anywhere.โ Seconds later, another instant Ruby Darbyshire fan has spawned!
For her most treasured song to date, Insomnia, uses the inventively crafted metaphor of a blankie to represent a relatively adult issue, even breaks the solemnity with a comical line, it remains the simple premise of an intelligent childlike product in comparison to Crowned Lightbringer.
A rowing boat in a storm, a race against sea monsters, the lighthouse diverting ships from a bay; this is multi-layered and richer metaphorically than anything we’ve heard from Ruby in the past,ย and projects a maturing sentiment, with a fleshed, lost character and a sombre, inspiring narrative. The mood is chilled in darkness and euphorically hopeful to be guiding towards light.ย It’s a sublime voyage of discovery, and overlapping looped harmonies echoing Ruby’s soulful vocal range insists you come aboard.
sneaky peek at the forthcoming EP cover
The tempo mellowed to ghostly, the sentiment interwoven into this rich theme of the implications of maturing; blues, in essence, with silk and steel strings? I’m no expert, but I do know the result is breathtaking, perfection on every level. It feels personal yet outwardly reflecting, and leaves you longing for this forthcoming EP.
by Ian Diddamsimages byย Chris Watkins Media One could argue that Anne Frank is possibly the most well-known civilian of the WW2 years, and certainly ofโฆ
Trowbridge singer-songwriter and one third of The Lost Trades, Phil Cooper has actually been doing more than playing solitaire, heโs released a new solo albumโฆ
An effervescent musical, full of promising young talent Written by: Melissa Loveday Images by: Gail Foster After the success of SIX last year, Devizes Musicโฆ
A photo is circulating on X of Calne’s Reform UK candidate Violette Simpson, which for some reason doesn’t appear on her election campaign….I wonder why?โฆ
Big congratulations to Devizes DJ Greg Spencer this week, the creator of Palooza house nights at The Exchange nightclub, for he made the prestigious billโฆ
Yeah, I hear you! An update on our inaugural Wiltshire Music Awards is overdue. So my partner on this monumental project and the guy doing all the work while I take the credit, Eddie Prestidge of Wiltshire Music Events, has taken off his shoes and socks and provided a top ten shortlist for each categoryโฆ.drum roll, and perhaps a generous spray of Febreze!
Excited? I know I am, but then I’m easily excitable. Firstly you should know by now, despite the umpteen โwhere can I voteโ questions still fired online at us daily, that the voting has closed; closed, people; pay attention!
We are now in the process of collating those thoughtful public votes, and handing the top three winners of each and every category to an expert panel of judges either selected for their keen involvement in the Wiltshire music scene, sporting a purple goatie, or both.
We thank those who took the time to cast their votes. We had over 700 votes, proving the music scene of Wiltshire is vast and enjoyed by many, has more talented people than a night out with The Venga Boys, and there’s a few Swifties and generally silly people who didn’t get the memo that this is Wiltshire Music Awards and not the Pennsylvania oneโฆ.unless you can find me a suitable connection between Wiltshire and Taylor Swift?!
Hey, look, let’s be honest, I’d be happy to hand her an award, perhaps in exchange for her phone number, but we have to keep things in perspective.
On our Facebook groupover the past week or so, Eddie has been listing the results, precisely as they were written in the boxes by the voters, so you can see, warts, spelling mistakes, and those spoiled ballots by a minority of silly sausages were included. We’re aware, due to stage names, variations, and the state of the education system, some names appear twice or more, and it’s been a task to collate them.
The thing is, and always was, that the voting boxes should be left blank rather than those annoying drop-down option thingies. While the combined minds of Ed and I is both something to behold, and a virtual encyclopedia of the Wiltshire music scene, we can’t pretend to know everyone, and therefore some of the choices made by you, the voters, we were unaware of. And that’s the beauty and ethos behind these awards, networking foremost. Making the scene competitive is the bottom of our priorities, Wiltshire Music Awards is about recognising and celebrating local talent, and showcasing it.
Personally I reckon anyone with the guts to get out there and entertain Wiltshire folk deserves a big shiny medal of bravery, and perhaps one of those right posh giant Toblerones! Thereโs a number of artists and bands missing that Iโd personally liked to see up there, I guess thatโs the way the cookie crumbles.
So, enough of my warbling, cue the Gregory Isaacs song, โThough she isn’t in my top ten, still she is on my chart, Sitting in the back bench still she’s a student of my class,โ or not perhaps; political correctness! Here, anyway, is the Top Ten from each category; fill yer boots, no squabbling, and the very best of luck to everyone mentioned belowโฆ.
Listings are alphabetical. Those eagle-eye Action Men might notice not all categories contain ten; where the final one or two contains multiple entries with the same amount of votes, they’ve been omitted.
Come and help us celebrate the winners and runners up with a star-studded lineup of music, announcements, perhaps even yours truly as host (a polished turd in a tuxedo,) and a special celebrity guest or three, by grabbing some tickets for the grand ceremony at Devizes Corn Exchange on Saturday 25th October.
Best Male Solo Artist
Vince Bell
Giles Halski
Lucas Hardy
Josh Kumra
JP Oldfield
John โIllingworthโ Smith
George Wilding
Adam Woodhouse
Best Female Solo Artist
Harmony Asia
Ebony Bell
Chrissy Chapman
Sammi Evans
Ruby Darbyshire
Chloe Hepburn
Rosie Jay
Tamsin Quin
Rachel Sinnetta
Best Originals Band
All Ears Avow
Be Like Will
Burn The Midnight Oil
Dark Prophecy
Deadlight Dance
Cephid
The Jon Amor Trio
Nothing Rhymes With Orange
Talk in Code
Best Covers Band
Be Like Will
The Britpop Boys
Martyโs Fake Family
The Midnight Hour
No Alarms And No Devizes
Pinky & The Slapcats
Static Moves
The Unpredictables
Best Duo
Deadlight Dance
Fly Yeti Fly
Illingworth
Jolyon Dixon & Rachel Sinnetta
Lauren & Hardy
Matchbox Mutiny
Millers Daughter
Rackham
The Sylvertones
Best Rising Star/Newcomer
Sam Bishop
Burn The Midnight Oil
Cephid
Chole Hepburn
Sammi Evans
Fran Daisy
JP Oldfield
Koerie Willsdon
Rosie Jay
Best Tribute Artist/Band
The Bowie Show
BC/DC Breakcover
The Britpop Boys
50 ft Queenie
Mick Jogger & The Stones Experience
Just Elton
Painted Bird
Plastic Fantastic
Rebjorn
Best Music Venue
The Pump, Trowbridge
Qudos, Salisbury
The Royal Oak, Pewsey
Stallards, Trowbridge
The Southgate, Devizes
The Three Crowns, Devizes
The Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon
The Victoria, Swindon
Best Original Song
The Bitter Mass – Iโll Wrap You
Burn The Midnight Oil – Lock Up
Butane Skies – Innocence
Gaz Brookfield – Hook Village Hall
Lucas Hardy – The Below
Rob Sadler – I Wrote a Country Song
Rosie Jay – I Donโt Give a Damn
Talk in Code – All In
The Vivas – Saint Swithens
Best Vocalist
Amber Coleman
Tom Corneill
Elijah Easton
Lucas Hardy
Chloe Jordan
Rachel Sinnetta
Chris Stevens
Tom Thornton
Best Guitarist
Jon Amor
Nick Beere
Joe Burke
Jolyon Dixon
Andy Hill
Howard Hughes
Jack Lowe
Innes Sibun
Alister Sneddon
Best Bassist
Mark Turner
Nick Gowman
Nick Beere
James Hinsley
Lucianne Worthy
Jerry Soffe
Ed Docherty
Richard Hunt
Thomas Noke
Best Drummer
Dean Creighton
Ed (Solar Bird)
Tom Gilkes
Andy Naish
Jamie O’Sullivan
Thor Porter
Callum Rawlings
Jane Truckle
Best Instrumentalist
Mike Barnett
Nick Beere
Jolyon Dixon
Claire Hopkins
Cailien Hunt
Andrew Hurst
Chris O’Leary
JP Oldfield
Sara Stagg
Wade (from Brakelight)
Best DJ
Paul Alexander
Mark Anthony
Chloe Grist
Guy Griffiths (DJ Bong)
Kevin – (Odstock Radio)
Mark Lister
Maurice Menghini
Andy Saunders
James Threlfall
Lifetime Achievement Award
Jon Amor
Nick Beere
Vince Bell
Jolyon Dixon
Colin Holton
Ruth Jones
Michael Johnson
Pete Lamb
Darren Simons
Talk in Code
Outstanding Contribution to the Wiltshire Music Scene
Jo Baines
Nick Beere
Colin Holton
Ian Hopkins
Tom Mallard
Solstice Sound Music Studio
Talk in Code
The Three Horseshoes
Darren Worrow
Outstanding Contribution to Music in the Community
Jo Baines
Robb Blake
Jemma Brown & Fulltone Orchestra
Saun Dobson & The Three Horseshoes
Ross Gooding
Colin Holton
The Royal Wottonn Bassett Dementia Choir
Talk in Code
West Wilts Radio
Darren Worrow
That’s all folks, save the most important part for you; come and help us celebrate the winners and runners up with a star-studded lineup of music, announcements, perhaps even yours truly as host (a polished turd in a tuxedo,) and a special celebrity guest or three, by grabbing some tickets for the grand ceremony at Devizes Corn Exchange on Saturday 25th October.
To make this as glitzy as we want it to be, you can help us also by sponsoring a category, more information about this and everything else to do with Wiltshire Music Awards, see HERE.
If youโve seen Jess Self performing at the Wharf Theatre, singing at the FullTone Festival or elsewhere Iโm certain youโll agree with us; Jess has that star quality which lights up the stageโฆ..
At 13 Jess won Vernon Kayโs Talent Nation, studied performing arts at Trowbridgeโs Stagecoach and has appeared in many productions including Devizes Music Academy’s Six:Teen, The Railway Children and lead roles in more pantomimes at The Wharf Theatre than I could name!
Weโre delighted to hear Jess has made the final seven hopefuls for West End Kids, the UKโs renowned pre-professional company for musical theatre training and elite performance. From hundreds of entries, the final seven young contestants are decided by public vote, to win a scholarship for their training programme.
Jess said, โthe first show I ever went to watch was Matilda when I was 9, after the show I said I want to do thisโ and I haven’t stopped singing since. This would be a dream come true for me!โ
Now, this is where you come in, interactive which we are! Please help Jess reach the dream, vote for her and support local talent. Vote HERE by entering your name, and confirming by email. Voting ends this Sunday, 3rd August, so donโt delay.
It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited to cover Devizes Scooter Rally, Trowbridge Festival and My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad festival in Swindon as well! I either need cloning technology or more people willing to write for peanuts; apply within, monkeys!
What I did discover on the Devizes Green was the usual exceptionally high standards of entertainment, amidst the equally usual quality of sound and light engineering.
Friday night was great, and showcased students of Devizes Music Academy. I’ve covered it here, Saturday I caught another glimpse of the magnificence; The FullTone Orchestra playing out Vivaldiโs Four Seasons with glitter-faced violinist Katy Smith, and was held spellbound, other than perhaps sipping my delicious Muck & Dunder piรฑa colada!
I’m sorry I cannot bring you more, as I dropped into the Rally afterwards and stayed until the finale. The date clash of these two monumentally important Devizes events is a dilemma I’ve mentioned before. But no longer!
I’m glad to hear FullTone has announced a new date for 2026, 10th-12th July, as it cannot possibly clash with the rally,, as it’s being moved to the same site as the rally and recent inaugural and aptly named Park Farm Festival, at Lower Park Farm off the Whistley Road.
It’s a splendid site, plentiful for camping, and this will mean big changes for the FullTone Festival we can only speculate right now….and I’d get in even more trouble with Jemma then I already am!!
If there’s been hearsay and ballyhoo about the date clash of two major but individually different events in Devizes this week, I hold my hand up for stirring the pot, yet try to attend both and find fair balance. But at the dawning of them, as magical as the FullTone Festival is, it cannot be argued, Devizes Scooter Rally was the success story this weekendโฆ..
My afternoon was spent, Muck & Dundar piรฑa colada in hand, in the magnificence of FullTone’s mighty stage, Vivaldiโs Four Seasons striking out with the acoustics of the gods, in awe at glitter-faced violinist Katy Smith and the orchestra behind.ย
It is unquestionably a fantastic event. Though Devizine isn’t my employment, neither a public service, it’s a hobby, its opinions driven by the personal preferences of the authors. As much as I pretend to be classically cultured, there’s another gig I’m impelled by preference to explore; Devizes Scooter Rally.ย
Handbags and gladrags for a cider guzzling retrospective camping adventure on the future site of FullTone, Park Farm. The scope for expansion for FullTone is available here, even if townsfolk accustomed to a freebie from their deckchair on the small green might whinge, at least the date will not clash and Devizions can enjoy both next year, if they so wished. Yet if the clash must remain, my devotion is towards the Rally, because it’s more my cuppa.
I’m standing upfield with the โColonelโ of Devizes Scooter Club Adam Ford and his partner Lauren Gibbs, watching the sun setting across the vast expanse of tents, campers and scooters; neither sure nor fussed over stats, but the site is at least 25% fuller than last year, which was recordbreaking too. They, club members, and volunteers have been here all week, setting up this magnificent spectacle, now feeling the fatigue but maintaining smiles, and the bar staff continue regardless of lost voices and aching feet. The club built the fantastic bar themselves, and once the rally is opened this testament to their conscientiousness never creates a dull moment.
The sound reputation the rally has built, both locally and nationwide has boosted attendance figures, the headlining of Ranking Jnrโs incarnation of The Beat assisted. A bold move to introduce a renowned name, but the Club needs to discuss just how willing they are to expand the rally, the issues it may raise, but in general the consensus seemed to be that in fear of losing the communal and hospitable atmosphere, this yearโs Rally might be as large as they are willing to take it. I like this, for the atmosphere is sublimely buzzing, yet it retains a friendly, family vibe.
The spirit of the attendees, or the overall โvibeโ is key to its success, and something no matter how much dosh you throw at the mechanics or promotion of an event, you canโt manufacture. It just happens, via the altruism and motivation of the organisers, presenting an affordable occasion welcoming all. The scooterists flock here from every corner of the country, the locals are now keen to come too, because thereโs no boundaries or prejudices dividing them. It is also, undoubtedly the nostalgia they all love, a merger of youth cultures of yore, and, for the younger attendees, its influence on today. This, and the certitude ska, reggae, and soul is irresistibly danceable, and for the locals, genres something rarely provided here.
Devizes Scooter Rally is top of its own class. Other largescale rallies have debatably lost their communal atmosphere through their expansion, and those at the lower end of the scale do not pack the same powerful punch. Five bands are booked, thereโs lengthy breaks between them filled with the renowned DJ Terry Hendrick, and no one batters an eyelid in botheration. This isnโt exactly a festival even though it might appear so, more a gathering of likeminded, out to party like thereโs no tomorrow! They gather to chat, drink and be merry; thatโs the motto reflected.
The Butterfly Collective, the penultimate Saturday night act seemed far more polished and diverse than last year, and took us on a grand historic musical journey of covers, relevant yet era-spanning and anthemic. What would finalise the live acts was bubbling the anticipation and excitement of the crowds jamming themselves into the marque.
Two-Tone pioneering bands striving towards chart success in the early eighties attempted it in different ways. The Specials upheld politically-motivated teenage anguish, The Bodysnatchers used their frontgirl for feminist awareness, Madness locked into a carefree fairground sound to appease the youngest, but The Beat achieved it by combining musical styles which would change the nature of pop. Punk, ska, soul and reggae, even Latino influences were not off the cards for The Beat. Though, as seemingly mandatory of the Two-Tone style, an Afro-Caribbean toaster was provided, and his unforgettable name was Ranking Roger.
2019 Ranking Roger sadly passed away aged just 56. We heard a heartwarming homage to him in both speech and song from his son Matthew Murphy, aka Ranking Junior, and though subtle not to sombre the mood, it was emotional. The remaining time was spent absolutely and categorically rocking the crowd with a combination of self-penned songs in the skanking fashion of The Beat yet updated with subtle dancehall and obviously classics from the original lineup when the concentration leaned on his father rather than Dave Wakeling. In so much we weren’t treated to tunes like Canโt Get Used to Losing You, but at the height of the party mood, Mirror in the Bathroom, Full Stop, Hands Off…She’s Mine and an updated Stand Down Margaret did more than suffice.
It was off the scale, a perfect balance of testament to his father and his own progression, akin to Ziggy Marley, a high but deserved accolade. Through his youthfulness was the drive in the show, the same zest and raw energy his father wouldโve delivered in his prime, and that was simply delicious, respectful and infectious.
Once the steam had lessened and the night bit in, Terry would supply the other end of the musical difference of contemporary scooterists, Northern Soul. So if the soul dancers were persuaded by genre to hover outside while Ranking Junior’s The Beat took on this timeless extravaganza, the dancefloor was now theirs to show off their fancy moves, and they did!
What a fantastic, peaking blinder on our doorstep, I only hope Iโve done it justice trying to express how bloody marvelous it was, especially the afternoon after the cider I consumed! Devizes Scooter Club, friends and family sure know to throw an unforgettable shindig, and maximum respect to them for the diligence and efforts they put into putting this rally firmly on the map, again. It just gets better each time!
In a way itโs more intriguing when a cover band sends an original song than one already producing originals. For if original bands can sometimes be critical of the desire of pub venues to value cover bands over them, yeah, your average cover band is heeding the call for their bread and butter, but are often equally passionate about music, and turn to recording some of their own wares. And when they do itโs natural to pay homage to the particular style they play in, as guaranteed, thatโs their calling and influenceโฆ..
Certainly true of Marlborough-based Static Moves, who released a debut single today, full of the retrospective energy theyโre celebrated for at live shows. They turned a cold February night at the Three Crowns in Devizes into a volcano, as they regularly warm crowds at a plethora of local venues with a repertoire of welcomed new wave to Britpop covers.
The concern is that the raw energy doesnโt transfer to the recording, but you have no worries here; it’s the dog’s bollocks. Crawl Back, as theyโve called it, belts out an accomplished potential anthem of precisely what theyโre loved for on the circuit. A matured and modern indie-rock spliced โTurning Japaneseโ by the Vapors, with a carefree attitude of the Merton Parkas. Itโs got the new wave mod-punk crossover of the early eighties splashed across it like two-tone trousers and Fred Perry T-shirts never went out of fashion. And it didnโt, because you can hear its influence crying out for attention in contemporary indie-rock bands, ergo, the appeal of Crawl Back reaches beyond nostalgic middle-aged to youths today.
With a theme of the tail between your legs sympathy vote, forgiveness is key when you still fancy the wrongdoer, forget the three minute hero, this weighs in at four and a half, and it waits for no man to catch up with it. In a way the length of this whopper is more indicative of modern punk bands, but you cannot help but imagine youโre at a musky gig in 1981, it costs two quid to get in, youโve only got one and half a packet of fruit Polos to trade with the glue-sniffers hanging outside drinking tins of Tennents!
Static Moves promises more of their, indeed, moreish raw energy captured, and if thereโs more in the pipeline, an EP would be welcomed, an album worth would be knockout, because they could, and should, slip this into their covers set and no one would be any the wiser it wasnโt an album track from Modern English or a nineties influenced crew like The Coral or Supergrass; itโs on that level of excellence too, and that’s why they’re all over our local circuit like Dr Martens were in 1981.
Devizes Food & Drink Festival launched their 2025 programme of events today. Running from Saturday 20th to the 28th September, the Box Office opens online and at Devizes Books on August 11th; can you wait that long or is your tummy rumbling already?!
The free Street Food and Artisan Marketย will take place in the Devizes Market Place on Saturday 20th, opening the festival. There’s tales and food of Greece, cheese & wine tasting, a teddy bear’s picnic, an exploration of the culinary traditions that have bound French and Russian cuisine together, ย lunch in the Menโs Shed,ย local nutritionist and personal trainer Matt Fruci, lunch of Indian street food at Indigo Antiques, Polly’s lunch on the Water Gypsy, The great Foodie Quiz, a Wadworth tour, a murder mystery dinner, Come Dine With Us, and lots more.
The festival ends with the usual World Food Day, something I very much enjoyed last year when I got my fill! That’s free entry at the Corn Exchange on Sunday 28th September. 12.30 they say, but get there early as the queue will be huge and so might your appetite!
devizine.com 