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.
An effervescent musical, full of promising young talent
Written by: Melissa Loveday
Images by: Gail Foster
After the success of SIX last year, Devizes Music Academy is beginning to make a name for itself with its second musical production, Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie, which featured two electrifying performances on 19th April at Devizes Schoolโฆ.
And wow! What an incredible show it was! Bringing this musical sensation to life โ including Northern accents, multiple set and costume changes and complex dance numbers โ was ambitious. Yet after only a week of rehearsals, 23 talented young performers, aged just 13 to 18, poured their hearts and souls into a performance that was dynamic, professional and full of impressive talent. It had heart, humour and heels so high I wouldnโt be able to walk in them, let alone dance!
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
From the opening scene, it was packed with raucous energy and perfectly delivered sass that immediately transported us to a gritty Sheffield comprehensive, where Year 11s contend with the wonderful and frightening possibilities that lie ahead of each of them. Jamie New, an openly gay 16-year-old who dreams of becoming a drag queen, was instantly likeable as he and the rest of the cast swept us into his pop-fantastic daydream โAnd You Donโt Even Know Itโ.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Inspired by the BBC Three documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie was written by Tom MaCrae with music by Dan Gillespie Sells, from an idea by Jonathan Butterell. First produced by Sheffield Theatres, the show took Londonโs West End by storm in late 2017 and has brought infectious joy to audiences ever since.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
But this is a story about more than a boy wanting to wear a dress. Itโs a multi-layered tale of family and friendship, and having the courage to step into the person you were always meant to be. Set in a working-class area of South Yorkshire, England, the story is grounded in a world thatโs relatable, keeping it from becoming overly sentimental. Instead, it feels edgy and vibrant, whilst not shying away from the struggles individual characters face.
What made this amateur โTeen Editionโ so special was the thrill of watching real teenagers bring these teen characters to life. Under Jemma Brownโs expert direction, with vocal coaching by Teresa Isaacson and choreography by Sarah Davies, the cast delivered a level of talent that could easily hold its own on a West End stage.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The whole ensemble was brilliantly cast, with every member delivering a believable storyline through genuine and multi-dimensional acting, powerful vocals and sharp choreography.
Jacob Leggett was made to play Jamie. At just 15, he brought the perfect mix of camp charisma and youthful innocence to the role, whilst also capturing Jamieโs wit, cheekiness and vulnerability. His rendition of โWall In My Headโ was captivating, building beautifully into an emotional crescendo that gave me chills!
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Meanwhile, Ruby Phipps gave Pritti, Jamieโs loyal, studious best friend, a quietly headstrong presence. Her solo โBeautifulโ was sung with elegant control, allowing each phrase the space and diction needed to feel both precise and spontaneous. Although she and other cast members werenโt Muslim, the production honoured the spirit of diversity by respectfully representing the Muslim community, complete with hijabs.
As a parent, I was moved by Lisa Grimeโs portrayal of Jamieโs mum, Margaret, especially her song โHeโs My Boyโ. It was heartfelt and mature, with excellent vocal range, and had me reflecting on the bittersweet truth that while we strive to shield our children from pain, life will inevitably hurt them, and yet we thrive on seeing them live authentically. Our children, in all their brilliance and vulnerability, are our greatest accomplishments.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Another standout came from Cory White, who doubled as the school bully and Jamieโs dad, whoโs harsh lines stung, but showed subtle remorse that added depth to his characterisation.
Ted Maughan was commanding as Hugo and playful as Loco Chanelle, offering a refreshing contrast with his confident spoken-word delivery style and lively American accent.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The set design was simple but effective, with props such as a balloon arch for the prom scene creating a party feel. Transitions between classroom, kitchen, bus stop and prom seemed to happen as if by magic, enhanced by effective lighting and seamless costume changes, from school uniforms to dazzling prom gowns. The spotlight reveal of Jamieโs red dress was especially powerful, leaving the audience wanting more.
Dynamic choreography and colourful harmonies elevated the production, from coordinated group numbers to breakout moments allowing individual characters to shine. Particularly memorable was the schoolgirls’ clapping routine in โSpotlightโ, reminding us of the charactersโ young age, while a dance duet between Cory White and Chloe Whitcombe during Margaretโs โIf I Met Myself Againโ added a poignant, dreamlike quality to the song. But I especially loved the title number โEverybodyโs Talking About Jamieโ, which kicked off Act II, with its excited, gossipy feel, as multiple characters bounced their individual lines off each other before erupting into an energetic and synchronised dance sequence that had the whole room buzzing!
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Itโs genuinely hard to believe this was amateur musical theatre. The level of professionalism, emotional authenticity and pure talent displayed by every single cast member absolutely blew me away. These young performers truly brought a little bit of glitter to the grey.
With so much promising young talent on our doorstep, it begs the question: whatโs next Devizes Music Academy? Whatever it is, I canโt wait!
You can catch an abridged version of Everybodyโs Talking About Jamie at the Fulltone Festival, The Green, Devizes, on Friday 25 July. For tickets, visit www.fto.org.uk
Last week, I had the privilege of seeing the Fulltone Orchestra perform at the beautiful Tewkesbury Abbey beneath the Peace Doves art installation.…
The entire concert was breathtaking, divided into two halves. The first featured a mixture of orchestral pieces and solos, beginning with the theme from Blue Planet, which was my favourite piece of the evening. The acoustics of the church, combined with the sheer talent of the orchestra, completely captivated the audience. It felt as though, if you closed your eyes, you could almost believe you were watching the programme itself.
This half included a range of music, including a stunning violin solo that provided a striking contrast to the rest of the programme. It concluded with a wonderful rendition of Youโll Never Walk Alone, which was the perfect piece to lead into the second half.
The second half featured Karl Jenkinsโ The Peacemakers, performed by the Fulltone Chorus and Orchestra. There was a fascinating contrast between the different pieces – some were slow and melodic, while others were more rousing and intense. Many had African and Celtic influences, with a driving beat towards the end.
To me, it felt as though the music gradually built in intensity, symbolising the lengths to which people will go in their pursuit of peace. The concert ended with a powerful crescendo that left me feeling both hopeful and deeply moved. Performing this music beneath the Peace Doves installation felt so intentional and uplifting; hearing music about striving for peace in such a setting truly enhanced the experience.
The variety of music worked beautifully together, giving the impression that it represented the world itself – how it changes and how our approaches to peace evolve over time. The inclusion of words from great peace leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. made the performance feel deeply personal, yet simultaneously vast in its significance.
This was my first time attending a concert of this kind, and I found it profoundly moving. The passion and dedication of the performers were evident in every note, and I experienced a wide range of emotions throughout. If you ever have the opportunity to see the Fulltone Orchestra and Chorus in one of their upcoming projects, I would highly recommend it – it is a truly special experience.
Pip is sixteen and studying film at college, with the hope of becoming a journalist.We wish Pip all the best with her career and are grateful for allowing us to publish this insightful and brilliantly written review.
The Fulltone Orchestra has confirmed today that their annual festival will take place on The Green in Devizes from 25th โ 27th July 2025โฆ.
โItโs hard to believe that exactly one month ago, we were on The Green setting up for what we thought might be the last Fulltone Festival,โ they said today.
โFulltone is run by a small group of volunteers and is funded solely by ticket sales plus a few generous local sponsors. Ticket sales hadnโt been great leading up to this yearโs festival, and we really thought that it might have run its course.โ
Image Gail Foster
A last minute rush on ticket sales for the festival this July, the smooth running of the event, and overwhelmingly positive feedback have been the benefactors which caused the organisers to make a u-turn on not holding a Fulltone Festival next year.
I reasoned based on rumours about camping possibilities it may be relocated outside the central town, but organiser Jemma Brown confirmed it will remain on the Green due to popular demand, and the Rowdy Cow site could become a camping area with a shuttle bus operating to and fro.
Jemma also explained they’ve dropped the word โfestivalโ from the title of the event, and from next summer it will be known more simply as Fulltone โ25. I like this, it’s a unique event and on the reputation it has amassed over the years it needs no more explanation than this.
Image: Gail Foster
Acts are already being considered and booked, and Jemma also mentioned the possibility of fringe events happening in town venues. All exciting developments, and we wish them all the best with these early planning stages for what has become a jewel in the Devizes event calendar.
Fulltone โ25 will take place on The Green from 25th โ 27th July 2025. Early bird tickets will go on sale at 9 am Saturday 24th August 2024.
Chief organiser of the Full-Tone Festival, Jemma Brown has always been high on my list of local folk of admiration, but went a notch higher Sunday upon delivering a sly quip on stage, in retaliation to a lone keyboard warrior inanely slating the festival on Facebook, while the majority of locals, and visitors from afar, basked in the sunshine and glory of what was the ultimate, (and possibly final of this kind,) showcase of our fantastic homegrown Full-Tone Orchestra, their momentous accomplishment, and all the gorgeous gubbings which went with it!
I was sunbathing on a Muck & Dunder deckchair at the time, enjoying one of their Piรฑa Coladas, the like only they seem to know how to create this side of the Atlantic Ocean, and a hearty chuckle impulsively launched from my cake hole. Oh my, the audacity of the ranting warrior caused a desire in me to march that silly sausage down to the breath-taking stage, allowing them to observe, even if momentarily, a sixty-piece orchestra harmoniously labouring sublimely, while a local youth sings their heart out at the most memorable, prestigious, and significant opportunity of their lives so far, to the tears of joy from their mum in the audience, overwhelmed with pride, and the smiles from those enjoying it, then ask this ranting nobody to confirm their complaint was not driven solely by selfish jealousy!
A neighbour of mine has a tendency to rev his motorbike in his garden. I cannot fathom why he needs to do this, neither appreciate the noise, but to ramble on about it on social media isn’t going to achieve anything but further verbal conflict. All I know is when you’re within the range of that stage, the divine acoustics immerse you, and even if it’s not your cuppa, you cannot deny the magnitude of the moment, just one weekend of it was all that was ever asked, the musical might of something you rarely get in Devizes, or anywhere for that matter.
Then, you turn away at your own free will, and note though it may have appeared so, you are not trapped in the Royal Albert Hall, you’re still on the familiar Green in Devizes, and deckchairs surrounds you like a day in a park, teetering with locals, spellbound and appreciating said moment. That is the magic of the Full-Tone Festival; go grab yourself a G&T or a Rowdy Cow ice cream, maybe get your face painted, return whenever you feel like it. It’s neither a sitting concert because of the freedom to come and go, nor a day in the park, because there’s a mahoosive and effective seamless programme of wonderful and varied music waving across the site; it is unique, iconic, and symbolic of everything great about Devizes.
All comes at a price, though, is another I hear plenty. Comparatively not so. Look around you, it’s over the pound mark for a Crunchie bar in a petrol station, and your average festival or a two-hour pop star’s gig will triple the price tag of Full-Tone’s three day extravaganza, if not more. You can only reasonably complain if your ears and eyes are shut.
Look! Look at that extravagant stage, wonder how many lines the technicians are juggling, watch the procession of musicians coming and going from the stage akin to the precision and order of an antโs nest, though in pretty frocks! Consider every sidestall and those relentlessly working to serve you, the security, the first aid, the unison of everything coming together as it did, is both costly and executed with such professionalism I cannot fault it neither reason why anyone else would complain; it would be insanity to do so. Even conductor Anthony Brown waving his baton around for two solid days is enough to sympathise with any repetitive strain injury heโs likely to have developed!
Though I must say again, it was a shame it clashed with the Devizes Scooter Rally, an event also dear to my heart. In such, there were large chunks of both I missed in a desperate attempt to attend the two. I missed the Friday night, when Jemmaโs Devizes Dance Academy replayed their musical Six, accompanied by the fantastic Ruby Darbyshire and Devizes indie popsters Nothing Rhymes With Orange, but console myself safe in the knowledge based on past experience, this would be a guaranteed chicken dinner.
There were so many elements I sadly missed. I know our prodigy Jess Self knocked it out of the Green with Annieโs Tomorrow, but I was made up by catching Six performers Ruby Phipps and Lisa Grimeโs sublime solos during the James Bond theme section. Amidst the pro singers, these local youths held their own, and walked nervously but magnificently through it like it was butter on hot toast. There was the jazz big band on Sunday to make up for missing a Beatles tribute duo, and again, Talk in Code I know wouldโve smashed it.
Thereโs simply too much to put every detail into words, but as an overall assessment based on what I witnessed or was gutted to be told how great what I missed was, The Full-Tone Festival again was a spectacular community event on a scale Devizes arguably hasnโt seen since the Boto-X, and the Green looked once again as full as the first paid Full-Tone Festival was three years ago. It will be a shame to see the Green fallow next year, but we look forward to the prospect of it returning in whatever different shape it’ll be.
Notwithstanding the financial gain from visitors to the town and local businesses this attracts, alone for itโs sheer capacity for not only providing a showcase for the orchestra, which will again venture out to the cities to perform at their prestigious venues, and attract the big names within the theatrical, classical and opera to grace our town, but also for showcasing upcoming local talent, Full-Tone receives no complaint from me, (the headline was just a sneaky clickbait trap, ha-ha!) Neither could I justify writing a single negative word about it. If I had to, it would be that we cannot do it bimonthly!
It was, as it has been each time, a fantastic event, and is loved by so many. Look again at dancers dancing, somehow, to the Chariots of Fire theme, kids in fairy wings, the old fellow napping in a deck chair with a bucket hat over his faceโฆlook and take heed of everyone, enjoying themselves โฆ.my hat would come off to everyone involved, if it didnโt risk a sunburned bald patch!
Oh, go on then, everyone involved deserves a factor 50 sunblock, because you shine so bright!
See, Iโm done and dusted with whinging; yep, that satirical rant column from many years ago, that I ask Jemma if she remembers, upon my request for more ammo, how she replied, rather I could highlight the positive things happening in town, and how that ended up with me meeting them at a rehearsal for a newly formed orchestra in Rowde school hall? Not that Iโm blaming anyone for Devizine, I’ll take that rap(!!), more so thinking, wow, how far Full-Tone has come from that acorn, and how I’ve followed that inspirational progression.
Fantabulous and all and every synonym Microsoft Word will match it with, but whatโs more to say? Please, if inclined, add your own thoughts to my waffle on the social media shares and Iโll transform them onto the bottom here. Help me create a fuller overview, tell me why you think Full-Tone Festival will be seriously missed from our event calendar next year and what you enjoyed about this one, thank you, and thank you Full-Tone and everyone who helped make this such a memorable occasion.
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
Next weekend (26th-28th July) is a biggie in our humble town, there’s the FullTone Festival on the Green, and Devizes Scooter Club revs up for their fourth Scooter Rally too. Which one is for you? Are they so obviously such vastly different events, your mind is made up already, or is it a dilemma of which to attend?
We cannot ignore the elephant in the room; do I think it’s a shame there’s a date clash on two of our best events in Devizes this summer? Yes, of course I do, but that’s the way the cookie crumbled, and here I intend in the order of fairness, to reason on both the differences and similarities between them, such that they attract different crowds.
Though both events differ, both also attract people into town therefore are financial assets, and most importantly whichever you attend you’re guaranteed a great time.
Me? I’m covering both, the idea is, at best, to hover between them, it could fail. I’m not ruling that out, but I’m too spontaneous for silly things like planning! Besides, I continually toil with what makes large events such as these good, you know? What are the perimeters on my scorecard when they differ so? It’s not as easy as you may think!
A recent subsidiary of this thought process came via the Minety Music Festival a few weekends ago. I liked that, liked it a lot. It was a level above the โaverageโ festival we hold here. Though neither the Rally nor FullTone can be described as average by any stretch of the imagination. Both punching above their weight and both are possibly the best time you’re likely to get in Devizes, until such a time Disney builds a theme park at Hopton!ย
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image Gail Foster
The premise was that Minety provided three stages and so many other things going on between them. I raced from stage to stage hoping to take in as much as possible, but to see it all was impossible.
I once argued that while FullTone is a monumentally awesome event, it didn’t meet my criteria of being a festival as such, on account it is a single stage hosted by the orchestra though allowing a few other acts in between. It was surely defined better as a conglomerate of concerts. I come from the Glasto school of thought, whereby a festival is multiple elements coming together in one big mesh. But, that’s a pedestal.
I’ve changed my mind on this, as FullTone have extended the ethos of different acts over the years, plus the orchestra and all its elements is a country mile above a set group like a rock band gig. Plus again, it seems these days putting a man with a guitar under a gazebo and flogging undercooked hotdogs constitutes a โfestival,โ and thus I must go along with that even if unwillingly!
You only need to look at the development of FullTone’s program over the past years to know this isn’t a true reflection. Look at the surprise Friday night add-on where Six will be re-enacted and popular youth acts like NRWO and Ruby Darbyshire play. And besides, the upside of the single stage format means you don’t miss any of what you’ve laid down your dollar for, and believe me, you’ll love Ruby, or Talk in Code equally as much as Kerry and Ricardo pulling out a Queen set, or dancing the night away to eighties reconstructions by a full orchestra; that diversity is something you’ll not find elsewhere, in Devizes if not internationally.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image Gail Foster
Similarly the Scooter Rally is a single stage, but the class acts booked will see something of a rarity in town. You don’t find live reggae or ska acts on the pub circuit here, it’s costly. And being all the acts are tried and tested; All That Soul, for one example, will provide the ultimate tribute to the Motown sound on a level high above others locally, as they did at a Scooter Club night of yore. Overall The Rally is a godsend on our event calendar. Making it a given that both these events, while different, share success because they book the very best entertainers within their separate niches.
It can be the little touches which maketh the occasion. The Scooter Rally providing free transportation to and from the site to Devizes is something other event organisers should take heed of.
Both examples of the assurance quality acts is not something which has been skipped on, serves as mahoosive pros to the single stage format, because you’ll not want to miss any of it trudging from stage to stage. It’s an opinion, rather like a GCSE RE question; there’s no wrong answer.
Last weekend I was in the green room tent at Picnic in the Park, and it’s there which changed my mind on this opinion-based query. I met festival maker Sam, who looked exhausted, dropping off fire extinguishers at various locations, and I pointed out the fact that rarely do organisers get the opportunity to enjoy the event like a punter as there’s always something to be lugged around, moved, and catered for.ย
I had a taste of this when volunteering for a Street Festival of yore, constantly running wheelie bins to and fro like a videogame character, while being asked the bleeding obvious by attendees!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image: Gail Foster
At Picnic in the Park I also spoke to Simon the sound engineer, chatting about the last Scooter Rally he expressed the work involved in accommodating a ska band compared to the average four-piece rock band. There were so many more lines to collate, what with the usual brass section. This made me ponder the technical requirements of a full orchestra at FullTone, and singers and, crickey, I can’t imagine what else!
The reason I involve myself in events is partially because I’m in communication with the organisers and if they need a hand I’m willing to muck in. The second reason is to understand exactly what, and how much goes into organising such events we promote on Devizine, so I can sympathise with the hard work they do to provide us with such grand entertainment.
So I find myself evaluating between all parts; the punter, the organisers and the acts, trying to find middle ground. Sometimes bands get frustrated with organisers, and visa versa, sometimes punters get annoyed if not everything is perfect, but the reasons for any frustration at events is because bringing all the elements together, ensuring every loop has been tied, and every regulation is accounted for, is a mammoth process taking incalculable hours, intricate planning, and manpower, which punters simply don’t take into consideration at the box office.
True, cost is paramount to the punter, now more than ever. You look at the price and think, what am I getting for my money? I agree, I do this too, it’s only natural. But more and more, as I witness the inner workings of such large events, what efforts are put into them, mostly behind the scenes, or often taken for granted, it never ceases to amaze me, especially being for all their efforts organisers rarely get to sit back and enjoy the day as a punter would.
For example, take FullTone‘s stage. Its shape has become iconic in Devizes. The acoustics are absolutely incredible and unlike any other outdoor event locally. The cost of this, the construction and the managing of it, to bring you an experience you’ll remember forever, is worthy of the ticket price alone, and we’ve not accounted for the numerous site jobs, from the erection of the fence, securing the event to insuring food and bar stalls are rightfully placed, and so much more.
Take the campsite at the Scooter Rally as another example, you’ve got revellers drinking, vehicles moving to and fro, punters enjoying themselves, and everything they’ll not consider has to be considered by organisers, fire safety, first aid, and again, so much more. It’s a headache for the most hardened skinhead!
Conclusion, there’s more than meets the eye in arranging any event or working them, none more than these big ones, and that’s why they cost. You either meet such a cost or lose the opportunity, and then what? Are we reduced to living on Facebook?!
I also accept the idea, as you are a paying customer that it is your right to override such considerations, but hey, as a customer you’ll be the first to complain if things don’t go precisely to plan! I know I will; jump to it, organisers, do my bidding!!
The bottom line is, though for slightly different reasons, both the Scooter Rally and FullTone Festival will be amazing events, among the very best Devizes has to offer, and whichever you choose, the weekend looks set to be a cracker.
Know that FullTone will be the last for a while, and if it does return it pledges to be something quite different. Know also, that, The Rally is highly enjoyable, a hospitable and solely unique event around these backwaters. It doesn’t even adopt the tagline festival, but compares to one in considering it’s way above your average scooter rally. You’ve got seven quality live acts over the two days, most other rallies struggle to provide one cheapest ska or Britpop cover band on their circuit.
But I’m not asking you to stand and stare, or shed a tear for the plight of the organisers, for they do it for the love of it, and if they didn’t they wouldn’t. All I’m saying is, the colossal labour, the attention to detail which goes into staging these occasions should be considered when deciding if you’re going, to either, or if you’re going to stay in with a bag of Lidl cheesy puffs, watching reruns of Come Dine with Me on the telebox, or another annoying show where other people, somewhere else, are enjoying themselves!
You don’t need to concern yourself in what’s in someone you don’t know, or never likely to knowโs knicker draw, when you could be skanking up the Whistley Road like you’re Suggs on a day out in Camden, or lounging in your deckchair on the Green, immersed in the unmatchable acoustics of the FullTone Orchestra, like you’re King Charles in the royal box at The Albert Hall!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Image: Gail Foster
Furthermore, while this particular article concentrates on events within the castle on the dividing line, further options are available to you outside that boundary. Trowbridge Festival, Potterne Festival and even a little occasion called Womad are also set on the same weekend. May this also suit to assure you we report such impartially, and as a labour of love rather than for financial gain. Therefore there is no just reason for us to be dishonest or biassed. Organisers and artists we may oblige, but the priority in retaining said honesty is aimed foremost towards the sake of the customers. Ergo, whilst we’re respectful of all the hard work which goes into event management, we might not condone our analysis of it to be deliberately or unfairly critical, we more simply won’t report on it, we will tell you, the customer, fairly, however, if it rocks our world and would also rock yours.
And now you know where we stand, I hope you can take heed when I repeat myself, which while I accept is a symptom of middle-age, it stands affirmed whatever event we’ve mentioned you should choose to attend, based on previous year’s experience, it comes guaranteed you’ll have a fantastic time!
Phew, I’m glad I’ve got that off my chest. Now, pass me my tie-dye t-shirt and festival jester’s hat, and let’s party!
Part 1: An Introduction March 1936: newlywed French telecommunications engineer Pierre Schaeffer relocates to Paris from Strasbourg and finds work in radio broadcasting. He embarksโฆ
Yesterday Wiltshire Council published an โupdateโ on the lane closure on Northgate Street in Devizes as the fire which caused it reaches its first anniversary.โฆ
Join the St Johnโs Choir and talented soloists for a heart-warming evening of festive favourites, carols, and candlelit Christmas atmosphere this Friday 12 th Decemberโฆ
This afternoon I find myself contemplating what the future holds for historical discovery and learning for all ages, fun and educational exhibits and events inโฆ
Featured Image: Barbora Mrazkova My apologies, for Marlboroughโs singer-songwriter Gus Whiteโs debut album For Now, Anyway has been sitting on the backburner, and itโs moreโฆ
Having to unfortunately miss Devizesโ blues extravaganza on Friday, I crossed the borderline on Saturday to get my prescribed dosage of Talk in Codeโฆwith aโฆ
No, I didnโt imagine for a second they would, but upcoming Take the Stage winners, alt-rock emo four-piece, Butane Skies have released their second song,โฆ
Featured Image by Giulia Spadafora Ooo, a handclap uncomplicated chorus is the hook in Lady Ladeโs latest offering of soulful pop. Itโs timelessly cool andโฆ
As if the FullTone Festival isnโt exciting enough for Devizes, the Town Council has allowed them an extra day, on the Friday 26th Julyโฆ..
Seeing as everything should be set up and ready to roll for Saturday morning, it seemed a shame not to make use of this iconic stage and tech, so an extension to the festival has been added, with live music from 6pm, and it supports local youth talent.
Six: Teen Edition by Devizes Music Academy
Though FullTone stresses it does all depend on advance ticket sales, for both events. Tickets for the Friday on its own are ยฃ20, or ยฃ10 for under 18. If you buy your festival tickets together with the Friday you will receive a discount code for 20%, if you have already bought tickets for The Fulltone Festival, email jemma@fto.org.uk who will send you the code. The cut off date for this additional Friday is the 30th June, so make sure youโve booked it by then.
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two
You should note, this fifth year of the Fulltone Music Festival will be the last one in its current form. Iโve personally had this contemplation for a while; as the FullTone Orchestra branches out, playing the cities and big towns, as it has been, surely itโs inevitable that the magic will rub-off with audiences further afield and theyโll come to Devizes for the festival if there are to be ones in the future; fingers, toes crossed. Spending their cash here on hotels, restaurants and shops is a great thing for the town, and reason enough to support it.
Talk in Code
But if my humble reasoning, and two days already sussed with guests like opera legend Carly Paoli, We Will Rock You star Kerry Ellis and Ricardo Afonso, indie popsters Talk in Code, a Beatles tribute and more orchestral concerts than Anthony can shake his shaky baton at, isnโt enough to entice you, note the Friday has local punker heroes Nothing Rhymes With Orange from 7pm, followed by Devizes Music Academyโs inaugural showcase Six: Teen Edition, replayed from sell-out dates at the Corn Exchange back in April.
Nothing Rhymes With Orange
Iโm told the historical Gen Z party play performance, of which you can read about HERE, will have the same young cast as last time, Ruby Phipps, Amelie Smith, Jess Self, Kelsey Husband, Mia Jepson and Lisa Grime. Alongside Southampton Youth Orchestra opening the festival on the Sunday, we love that FullTone are giving young people a massive platform to perform at this, what could sadly be, the final Fulltone as it currently stands.
Six: Teen Edition by Devizes Music Academy
Obviously I think they should give me the last encore of the Sunday so I can perform my interpretation of Nessun Dorma in the style of Luciano Pavarotti, as I regularly do in the shower. But as its competence and calibre is largely debatable, usually by my kids trying to study in the next room and the neighbourโs howling dog, I will understand if they decline the offer. Imagine, if you will, as I can see it now, me on that colossal stageโฆ.. โTramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All’alba vincerรฒ, vincerรฒ, vincerรฒ!โ Then, mic-drop, bath towel drop, whatever you think the ticket price is worthโฆ..maybe, or no, perhaps just leave it to the professionals and keep this exclusively as a shower performance? It will, after all, be an amazing weekend without it, really!
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
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
It may be a wrap for another successful Full-Tone Festival in Devizes this bank holiday weekend, but talking to conductor Anthony Brown, seems like itโs full steam ahead for next year, with a few changes. With such a busy weekend in general, the one possibility I believe we can leak is it may not be on the same date, other than this youโll have to wait to see!
And it was a busy weekend, alas I didnโt get the full-on Full-Tone experience I shouldโve done and looking through Gail Fosterโs awesome snaps today I see what I missed, including the wonderful Becky Lawrence who we absolutely love here at Devizine Towers. Fortunately, we do have some coverage, as our equally wonderful writer Helen Edwards dropped in on the Saturday, and then I made haste for the Green on Sunday, as soon as I washed the dishes, as is my part of the bargain with the very patient and understanding Mrs Devizineโฆโฆ
Becky Lawrence ยฉGail Foster
Full-Tone Festival: Saturday: Helen Edwards
Day one at the festival was fantastic. When I arrived the magnificent Full-Tone Orchestra was in full swing with Jemma Brown (one of the key organisers of the festival) at the microphone – and what an incredible voice she has!
ยฉGail Foster
The vibes were chilled, and family focused, the food and drink options were varied and reasonably priced and the tunes were banging. Perhaps thatโs the wrong word for the earlier afternoon classical proms and TV & movie music but by the end of the evening the dance anthems were pumping out. The crowd in front of the huge Glastonbury-esque stage was thronging, glow sticks in hand with face glitter and fairy-light flower headbands adorned. Those festival goers not dancing were sat in their camping chairs chilling with mates or queuing for food, all bopping their heads to the music. All except those of school age. They were hanging with their friends, the older ones walking laps around the site enjoying the freedom and festival atmosphere.
I left before the end and saw that the entertainment and enjoyment on The Green had spread past the impenetrable, black sheeted fencing. There were many set up on the opposite side of the road with their blankets laid and tents erected enjoying the music from afar.
Pete Lamb’s Heartbeats @ Fulltone Festival 2023 – Day One ยฉGail Foster
I got talking to people in the food and drinks queues to ask their thoughts about Devizesโ only two-day bank holiday festival. I spoke to a couple who live locally and, also, a few who had travelled from neighbouring Calne, Trowbridge and Westbury to attend. Hereโs a few of their comments:
โI donโt enjoy the bigger festivals; thereโs too many people and I feel overwhelmed. This is my second year here. Itโs got such a safe atmosphere and amazing and varied musicโ.
โItโs brilliant! I canโt wait to get to the front and dance!โ
โItโs such a welcoming festival, everyoneโs so friendly.โ
Fulltone Festival 2023 – Day One ยฉGail Foster
The sound engineers got the balance spot on; the orchestra was majestic throughout, yet the singersโ voices were clear (and brilliant). If youโve never heard a 50-piece orchestra playing modern music from the movies and TV through to dance anthems, then youโve got to get to get yourself a ticket to Full-Toneโs next festival.
The people who put their efforts and passion into its success have given Devizes an annual festival to be proud of. Itโs become an event that brings our community together, gives a phenomenal orchestral experience and makes the โwhat to do over bank holidayโ decision even harder!
The sound is unforgettable, the vibes are perfectly chilled and itโs a great value for money weekend.
Fulltone Festival 2023 – Day One ยฉGail Foster
Full-Tone Festival: Sunday: Darren Worrow
Day two of the Full-Tone Festival here in Devizes, and I’m afraid they’ve got me rocking up this time around, the big bad editor to cast my beady eye on matters; itโs Sunday and Iโm grouchy, God dammit!
Allow me thus, to summarise the magic with a story, as I annoyingly tend to do (what? Itโs an age thing, you donโt gotta read it!) An anecdote which sees me front and centre absorbing those overwhelming acoustics, bumping into a friend Georgie Devon, who was looking stunning in black dress and glitter, causing me to wonder if she was up there singing on that magnificent stage, and I was right, she was, but I had no idea she could sing!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two ยฉGail Foster
For Chris, Snedds, Titch and Jambo, aka the southwest’s champion indie-pop band, Talk in Code, they’ve arrived semi-fresh from the Victorious festival in Southsea, they’re no stranger to a stage, and naturally, they rocked it. For a smidgen over half-hour, they stole the stage, wowing an audience perhaps unaccustomed to festivals, least hoping for classic singalong covers, with their irresistible originals. Talk in Code donโt do covers, they’re an originals band, but both their catchy songs and energetic stage presence holds said audience spellbound, as if they got what they wanted. What Iโm suggesting is you might well be induced into some John Hughes eighties soundtrack, for Talk in Code rinse in the retrospective charm of the era so much I find I liken them to bands like Simple Minds, rather than something contemporary.
Talk in Code @ Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two ยฉGail Foster
Apt then, for them to be placed prior to a set by the orchestra and guest singers of eighties classic pop, which was both โradโ and โwicked,โ in the eighties slang meanings of the words! Unlike you lucky lot, I had to work this morning, and had Heartโs Alone, perpetually looped in my head, a particularly adroitly performed cover amidst the many wonderful renditions of a very best of Now, Thatโs why I Call Music compilation; utterly brilliant, Full-Tone. I loved that song, and all the big-haired soft rock chicks; how would Heart get me alone? Well, they only had to ask!
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two ยฉGail Foster
Back to knowing those Talk in Code guys to seal my overall angle on this piece. It was a no-brainer their set would be this electric, but for the occasional and amateur singers, such as Georgie, the opportunity to deliver a song here on this now iconic stage for the town, amidst a full orchestra, is golden, not to mention the cherry on the cake as to why Full-Tone is so Devizes, and so magical.
Even when star in the making, Jess Self, gets up there, the thrill on her face says what I’m trying to convey, and this young star is accustomed to the stage. The ensemble of these musicians and performers is a monumental occasion for our humble market town. For those not from Devizes, or who hasnโt been to a Full-Tone, imagine, if you will, The Proms, mix it with Pete Tongโs Heritage Orchestra, add a spice of community festival, and stir in a pot of village fete.
Jess Self @ Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two ยฉGail Foster
Then some keyboard warrior goes on Facebook clutching at straws to find any minor issues to whinge about the event. โThe least the orchestra could have done was to prevent the rain and stop the traffic,โ I joked with chief organiser Jemma Brown, as the rant included the grass was wet and there was noise from the road!
The Full-Tone Orchestra can musically pull a rabbit from a hat, but they’re not gods! Just a collection of talented individuals, a majority of which are local, and the coming together on this scale, the logistics in organising it, the opportunities it provides, the attention to detail, from first aid to side stalls and from portaloos to one man standing conducting a variety packed programme for a full weekend is bonkers amazeballs, and to nitpick unavoidable paltry I can only imagine is based on pathetic jealousy.
โHere’s a man who needs his bed!โ I guesstimated to conductor Anthony Brown as he approached to greet me. I had one question for him, as we stood next to this impressive stage surrounded by a mass of crowds clearly enjoying themselves without an inkling or care of online rants. The stage has become iconic, the event has become ingrained in just a few short years in our town’s culture, as I predicted after the inaugural one. The million-dollar question for him; where do you take this next?
Fulltone Festival 2023 Day Two ยฉGail Foster
Anthony elucidated it would continue annually but was keen to express there would be some changes. Yet what is important right now, Full-Tone this year was an extension of its previous success rate, it was spectacular on a level apt for a mass audience to enjoy and was a cherry on top of the cake already baked through previous years.
Unlike DOCA events it gets no arts grant, so it must put a price on it, and as we said prior, comparatively it’s reasonable. It is what it is, and I’m not going to suggest it’s everyone’s cuppa, even, but plonk yourself in the middle of it, witness those having fun or stand in awe of the talent and the acoustics they breath into it, and you cannot put a justified complaint in, impossible! Full-Tone works, and Full-Tone is enjoyed by the masses, masses which wouldn’t usually consider an orchestral occasion or festival, for this it is magical, and as Anthony hinted, here to stay; wonderful.
Itโs nice to hear when our features attract attention. Salisburyโs Radio Odstock ย picked up on our interview with Devizes band Burn the Midnight Oil andโฆ
In thanking everyone who supported this year’s Wiltshire Music Awards, Eddie Prestidge of Stone Circle Music Events revealed his intentions of continuing with the awardsโฆ
Featured Image: Lillie Eiger Frome Festival is launching itsย โ25 for 25โย fundraising campaign with a very special concert featuring three locally based acts:ย Tom Mothย โ best knownโฆ
Iโve got some gorgeous vocal harmonies currently floating into my ears, as The Lost Trades release their first single since the replacement of Tamsin Quinโฆ
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
Introducing the rising star of the south west music scene – The Fulltone Orchestra. This dynamic ensemble comprises a rotation of over 90 exceptionally talented musicians from across the region, led by fantastic musical director, Anthony Brown. Their performances are nothing short of extraordinary, defying genres and taking audiences on a captivating musical journey โฆ… okay, you got me, it’s a copy and paste job direct from the press release. Chief organiser Jemma Brown tells me, โfeel free to change any of that. Itโs proper job PR malarkey!โ She knows me too wellโฆ..
I will, thank you Jemma, would have anyway! So, it’s me rapping now, hiya, you alright? Yeah, it’s nearly time for Devizes’ own Fulltone Festival, on the August bank holibob, of which I had this to say about the inaugural one, โin the history of events in Devizes, the magnitude of what The Full-Tone Orchestra achieved yesterday will forever be imprinted.โ
Butโฆwhat’s that you say? Bit pricey innit?
Not forgoing the fact no one is stopping you from distantly spectating in a deck chair on the Little Green like being at a Pink concert where sheโs at Wembley Stadium and youโre seated somewhere near Harrow, with footballs flying dangerously overhead and forever wondering how absolutely astoundingly awesome the acoustics would sound within the epicentre of that magnificent stage, your statement is merely justifiable, it weighs in at forty-five pound coins. You know, you could always go to one concert of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, say Sir Simon Rattleโs Mahler Symphony No 9 at ยฃ72 a pop, for two and a half hours; working out at ยฃ28.80 per hour.
Or perhaps The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestraโs Rachmaninovโs Rhapsody at theLighthouse in Poole, setting you back a similar price but for only two hours; ยฃ24 an hour. Most affordable option is Bowood’s Ibiza party next July, five and half hours with one set by an orchestra and the rest DJs. Thatโll damage you just ยฃ48; about ยฃ8.72 per hour.
Putting FullTone into this perspective, if you attend the whole weekend youโll get approximately seventeen hours, which works out at ยฃ2.65 an hour; you wouldnโt even get car parking in London or Bournemouth for that, for crying out loud into an Aldi budget-range sickbag!!!
Look, Iโm going to shut up and finish off with the press release. I’ve said my piece, welcome to the real world, okay? Itโs entirely up to you, Iโm no press office consultant, just the milkman with no reason to tell fibs, other than perhaps to his wife! All I know is itโs a fantastic weekend right here in D-town, bringing in other local acts as well as the orchestra; the kind of event of which, when you attend, youโll understand why it costs so much to stage, and where every penny has been spent.
What follows from here is the official news! Attendees can revel in the orchestra’s own captivating performances, featuring an array of genres, including Proms, iconic Movie and TV themes, massive dance anthems reminiscent of the Bowood sets, a nostalgic afternoon of West End Musical Theatre hits, and a throwback to the 80s with two hours of classic hits from the shoulder pad era! But that’s not all! The festival also features special guest sets from awesome artists like funk, house, and Latin dance music group – The House Iguanas, the New Orleans-inspired brass band – The Brass Junkies, the beloved local legends Pete Lamb and The Heartbeats, and the soulful opera and West End sound singers – The Four Sopranos.
The Sunday lineup promises to be equally exceptional, with performances from the vibrant 60 voices of The Big Sound Choir, the formidable big band – 41ยบ, and the truly brilliant Talk in Codeโฆ.. Oh, oh, can I rudely interrupt one last time, pretty please?! You know we love Talk in Code, and not because they stingley got me a beanie hat from their own merch stall at my birthday bash at the Three Crowns, like Iโm their walking advertising billboard, or something, but because we love โem, love their tunes, and when they took me to the seaside to be a roadie for the day and I did nothing more than drink the bar dry of cider, smile at female punters telling them I was โwith the band,โ and watch them carry their own stuff in!!
Talk in Code
Attendees from previous festivals describe the event as โamazing that we have this on our doorstep and that itโs so well priced! I genuinely look forward to this every year!โ
Experience the magic of live music from a massive orchestra, get up close to a whole host of musical instruments, amidst an iconic outdoor setting in the centre of Devizes, as the performances begin at 1pm and carry on into the evening. There will be an array of food and drink stalls, and attendees also have the option to bring a picnic for a leisurely and enjoyable day.
Tickets for The Fulltone Music Festival are now available for purchase at fto.org.uk. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in an unforgettable musical extravaganza!
And thatโs that box ticked off! I mean they have sent me a mahoosive setlist, but you don’t need spoilers, do you? After all, I might catch you there, but I must say, itโs a wonderful weekend.
by Ian Diddamsimages by Ben Swann and Ian Diddams Self-appointed โMoroseโ Mark Harrison was once again on totally top form at Komedia last Sunday entertainingโฆ
Wiltshire Council confirmed Blue Badge holders can park freely in council-operated car parks again, following a vote at the Full Council meeting on Tuesday 21โฆ
Featured Image Credit: Jamie Carter Special guests Lightning Seeds to Support Forest Live, Forestry Englandโs summer concert series presented with Cuffe & Taylor, has announcedโฆ
Wiltshire country singer-songwriter Kirsty Clinch released a Christmas song only yesterday, raising funds for the Caenhill Countryside Centre near Devizes, and itโs already racing upโฆ
It was never just the fervent ambience created which made me go tingly with excitement about Melkshamโs young indie band Between The Linesโ demo singleโฆ
A second track from local anonymous songwriter Joyrobber has mysteriously appeared online, and heโs bitter about not getting his dream jobโฆ.. If this mysterious dudeโsโฆ
Itโs not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have doneโฆ
Friday night saw the launch of an entirely new musical experience from good old Devizes Townโฆ โThe Four Sopranosโ….
Attendees at the full house in the Town Hall may well have been familiar with those in the quartet alreadyโฆ Jemma Brown, Terรฉsa Isaacson, Lucia Pupilli and Tabitha Cox. Yet whilst they certainly have historical and ongoing connections with โThe Invitation Theatre Companyโ and โThe Fulltone Orchestraโ, nonetheless โThe Four Sopranosโ are a separate entity in their own right; four friends coming together to perform something presented a little differently for audiences to enjoy. As Lucia says, โWe have worked on the harmonies collaboratively, we didnโt want to just take them off the shelf and let people hear what they might have heard before, itโs been a fantastic way of working, but is also hard work โ but it means our sound is absolutely oursโ. And I can confirm it absolutely is.
Doing what their name says on the tin, โThe Four Sopranosโ were exactly thatโฆ four talented and musically excellent sopranos, delivering a widespread program of harmonic song, from opera, stage, film and popular music, sung in harmony โ as per the above!
So what of the show? The foursome started with a couple of crowd favourites โ two numbers from โLes Misโ; โI dreamed a Dreamโ and โStarsโ. It is true there were some nerves showing โ but understandably. A new venture, a new idea, a new approachโฆ but with these two songs under their belt a noticeable lifting of confidence, a collective โwhatโs going on โ letโs get over itโ so to speak was evident. And the rest of the show delivered with verve, panache and oozed with the talent before us.
The Musical Theatre genre continued with โSomewhere over the rainbowโ and โYouโll never Walk aloneโ. Followed by a change into a more classical and operatic tone with solos and duets, Terรฉsa with Gounodโs arrangement of Ave Maria, Lucia โ a fluent Italian speaker in her own right โ with O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini. And โSullโariaโ by Mozart performed by Lucia and Tabitha plus Delibeโs โFlower duetโ. Our quartet finished off a whirlwind first half with numbers from โPhantom of the Operaโ and โMy Fair Ladyโ.
Photo by Gail of Devizes
The second half followed in similar veinโฆ I wonโt bore you any further with lists of songs performed and if you want to find out what they were youโd best get to one of their gigs! I will add that Tabitha and Jemma also performed solos โ with โNever Enoughโ from โThe Greatest Showmanโ and โShe Used to be Mineโ from โWaitressโ respectively. Other than those two, needless to say it was just more high class, perfectly delivered songs from film and musical theatre including the breath-taking four voice rendition of Adeleโs โSkyfallโ.
It would be remiss of me to not say that the eveningโs performance was accompanied by the hugely talented pianist (and all-round musical virtuoso!) Dominic Irving, whose ivory tinkling was sublime in itself. And making a rare appearance for him of facing the audience rather than with his back to them, Anthony Brown charmed as the eveningโs ringmaster.
So there we had it โ a whistle-stop tour of music from multiple genres, in a beautiful building, created uniquely by four maestros of their art. What more do you want? Well, for a startโฆ chances to see more of them thatโs what!
You can catch all four next Friday night as it is, in Cheltenham Town Hall, including reprising โSkyfallโ and โSomewhere over the rainbowโ – amongst many other wonderful pieces of music including the phenomenal choral piece โSymphonic Adiemusโ by Karl Jenkins; see the link at the bottom for ticketsโฆ and keep an eye on the Facebook page for โThe Four Sopranosโ for more dates and news in the future of course.
From tiny acorns do mighty oaks growโฆ or words to that effect. And on Friday evening we saw one such acorn plantedโฆ.
If Devizesโ celebrated FullTone Festival is to relocate to Whistley Roadโs Park Farm for next summerโs extravaganza, what better way to give it the rusticโฆ
This afternoon sees the inaugural grand ceremony of Stone Circle Music Eventsโ Wiltshire Music Awards taking place at the Devizes Corn Exchange. Itโs a selloutโฆ
In association with PF Events, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts introduces a Young Urban Digitals course in video mapping and projection mapping for sixteen to twentyโฆ
by Ian Diddamsimages by Penny Clegg and Shakespeare Live โAntony & Cleopatraโ is one of Shakespeareโs four โRoman Playsโ, and chronologically is set after โJuliusโฆ
Unlike Buck Rogers, who made it to the 25th century six hundred years early, Devizesโ most modest acoustic virtuoso arrives at the 21st just shortโฆ
The Full-Tone Orchestra have released details of the 2023 line-up for their annual extravaganza, The Full-Tone Festival on Devizes Green, August bank holiday. Itโs all on a rather smashing looking poster, unalike darker past posters with neon text, this time with a fresh use of pastel colours on white background, all very Degas I must say. While rain drizzles down our windows, letโs have a nose at what it says on there, shall we, and think of summer?!
A couple of years ago I published one of many list-type articles on the topic of forthcoming local festivals. Ah, phooey, it sparked a debate on social media because I didnโt include Devizes-own Full-Tone Festival, though the event did receive a sovereign preview of its own. My argument at the time was my definition of a festival was of multiple activities happenings across multiple sectors, therefore classing Full-Tone Festival, despite being named Full-Tone Festival, more in line with the word concert.
A technicality Iโve since altered my perspective of, and aside pigeonholing, for recent similar articles Iโve adopted the more causal, universal, and a smidgen double-entendre tagline, โBig Ones,โ to encompass largescale events without categories, precisely so we can include things like Pewsey Carnival, and of course, The Full-Tone Festival. And in this, hereโs the thing, who wants their event to be typecast and categorised? The Full-Tone Festival is what it is, and that โisโ is something spectacular, annually happening now on our very turf, but mostly for point of this argument, something totally unique.
And of my technicality, Full-Tone acts as both sides of the debate, yes it shows off the incredible talent and togetherness of the Full-Tone Orchestra, an ensemble which will voyage to impressive venues like Wells Cathedral and Bath Abbey this year, but also showcases diverse local and national acts. Their social media posts boast โit’s going to be SUCH an amazing weekend of music! 50 musicians and singers, over 100 rotating over the weekend, plus some pretty amazing guests!โ If you got it, flaunt it, darling! But honestly, itโs a highly impressive weekend, and theyโve every right to show it off!
Full-Tone Festival opens on the Saturday, for example, showcasing a set of classical proms, and features Full-Tone chief organiser Jemma Brown with her new vocal quartet, The Four Sopranos, consisting of Lucia Pupilli, Tabitha Cox, and Teresa Isaacson too.
Local rock n roll legends and regulars at Full-Tone, Pete Lamb and The Heartbeats are the first guests, followed by the orchestra taking off again for the ever-popular โbig TV and movie themesโ section, of which I always look forward to Jurassic Park the most, donโt know why, just do. Any comments on social media suggesting it’s because I’m a dinosaur will be deleted!
If, so far critics could cough up the โsameyโ tosh, Iโd argue possibly, but certain elements of this event have become welcomed stalwarts, and why change it just to please them? We love it just the way it is! Besides, hereโs a totally new one on me, The House Iguanas promises โmassive bonkers brilliant sax, DJ and bongos,โ and with that, could you ask for anything more diverse?
Saturday night closes with the reappearance of the orchestraโs The Ultimate Dance Anthems, which being they only scootered around last year with nineties pop hits, for me, personally, and literally from the sheer eruption of enthusiasm of the crowd of previous years, Iโm sure will be a very welcomed return, with glowsticks.
If Saturdays showcases the orchestra foremost, I must say itโs more diverse this year, and, Sunday tends to focus on other acts more, anyways. Though the orchestra opens the day with the โBig Soundโ section of this remarkable concert manifold, North Wiltshire big band 41 Degrees take over straight after. Theyโre the wedding function band of the wedding youโd never forget, with a spanning repertoire from Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller, through Rat Pack and Weather Report, to the Killers and Oasis. Thereโs nothing like big band pop covers, often showing shame to the originals, and this sounds cool as.
A highlight of last yearโs Devizes Street Festival, those funky mavericks of Mardi Gras and New Orleans jazz, The Brass Junkies revisit our soil, and remember; brass is class.
Time for the Full-Tone Orchestra to finish off their pizzas and get back onto that notable stage for a section of West End Musical hits. It must be exhausting, blowing into that brass, precisely plucking those strings and whatever else they need to do to create these massive sounds, not forgoing conductor Anthony Brown must be at risk of repetitive strain injury over the weekend.
Wowzers, and Iโve not got to the best bit, least what I think is the best bit, because this info was leaked to me by the band, but sworn to secrecy I couldnโt even blow my own trumpet and act all smarmy about, until now, so I will, thank you; Talk in Code play the finale guest set. A mighty local indie-pop band which, if you donโt know you must be new to Devizine, and I urge you pay more attention in future! Yes, forgive my plug, but they are coming to my birthday party at the Three Crowns on March 4th, and YOU are all welcome, but again, and in summary to the Full-Tone Festival as a whole, playing up on that breath-taking stage, with matchless acoustics is something else, and well worth the ticket stub. There’s nothing else quite like it in Devizes.
If Talk in Code have that stylised knack of capturing something decidedly eighties within their original material, Sunday aptly closes with the orchestra one final time, giving it whooping eighties bangers, which by then if youโre not completely satisfied, I suggest you urgently seek professional medical attention!
Early bird tickets are HERE, or at Devizes Books. Kids under 14 go free with a paying adult, ยฃ45 for the weekend (ยฃ35 before the 31st January), ยฃ35 for the day. And there it is, apologises for waffling, but it is all terribly exciting!
by Ian Diddamsimages by Chris Watkins Media and Ian Diddams Whilst probably best known for his editorship of โPrivate Eyeโ magazine and thirty-five years asโฆ
I mean, Devizes own contemporary blues throwback, JP is getting bookings, and rightly so. He’s off to Trowbridgeโs Lamb next Saturday for a double-bill withโฆ
As the excitement continues to detonate to an exploding point for our very first Stone Circle Music Events Wiltshire Music Awards on 25th October, weโฆ
by Mick Brianimages from Lauren Arena-McCann The playwright Tom Stoppard is probably best known for his work โRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadโ, his absurdist comedyโฆ
It has been undeniably a variety music show at the Full Tone Festival this bank holiday weekend on the Green in Devizes, of tremendous proportions and matchless quality.
The stage I’ve previous dubbed “like something out of the Jetsons,” was once again erected, deckchair city assembled around it, with a bustling collection of food and drinks stalls beyond, and the sun with his hat on, shining down on all the shiny happy people.
It is a remarkable achievement and something to be truly proud of, to have here in our humble market town. The Full-Tone Orchestra taking their show to prestigious venues like Bath Abbey and Marlborough College, returned home, looking even more professional than ever. Conductor Anthony Brown waving his hands around like manual control of the world’s air traffic; it was, in a word, magical.
Highlights came thick and fast, Dominic Irving thrilled, heading a Tchaikovsky concerto on piano, for an opening of obligatory classical elements. The stage emptied as Will Foulstone took control of the keys, solo. Full Tone platforms young talent, like TikTok trumpeter Oli Parker, on Sunday, to an audience majority unlikely to know what TikTok is. Similarly, Will performed some videogame themes among Coldplay and contemporary pop, which is better in reality than it sounds to my generation bought up on ZX Spectrums or Mega Drives!
Will’s finale was an astounding cover of Elton John’s I’m Still Standing, and the orchestra realigned for a concentration of movie scores, largely dependent on the western themes of the late Ennio Morricone; liked this.
Then, BBC Introducing DJ skateboarder, James Threlfall took to digital wheels of steel and blasted the zone, and across the road to the chippy, with a set of contemporary and commercial high-energy house; lights came on blazing like the Green was the Ministry of Sound. Here is where I need to revert to my reviewing template, which resides on two major contributories. One is, did the event appease me personally, the second, more importantly is, did it do what it said “on the tin,” i.e., was it everything it posed to be. For the latter, the Full Tone Festival 2022 hit top marks, without a doubt. I watched the joy on hundreds of faces, as they danced the night away to James and the following Full-Tone Orchestra set of “nineties smash hits.”
The grand finale of Saturday night was certainly intrenched with nostalgia, perfected by an orchestra where no penny was left unexpended, no rehearsal was spent playing tiddlywinks, where the professionalism is first rate and the atmosphere was nothing short of sublime. The Full-Tone Festival was superb last year, this time around comes the typical stigma of a sequel, the โhow can we ever top that” enquiry, and I’ve a duty to be honest, based upon the imperative Saturday evening, I’m not completely certain they did, on personal reflection, you understand?
Song choice at this conjunction was the only thing which let it down, for me. Started off okay, the Britpop beginning I can tolerate, but as it progressed to the pop hits of S Club 7, Britney Spears and Cher’s I Believe, et al, these, for me, were the excruciating pop slush of a generation below; I detested them at the time, and retain said detestation.
It was a far cry from the club anthems of last year’s, because that’s the point where creatively, electronic music technology truly challenged the orchestra. But, sigh, it’s all subjective, I told you about the hundreds of faces, didnโt I? They matter, it did what it said on the tin, with high gloss, it just wasn’t my cuppa.
I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to Sunday’s extension, we don’t all have bank holidays y’ know? But I can rest assured with the years of rock n roll experience of Pete Lamb’s Heartbeats, Kirsty Clinch’s angelic country vocals, and the fact Jonathan Antoine has been done BGT, it’d have been alright on the night.
Feedback on the orchestra’s big band showcase has been fantastic, with particular praise of vocalist Will Sexton. On opera, spellbinding local soprano who could turn even me to opera, Chloe Jordan, said, “it was my dream to sing ‘Song to the Moon ‘Resulka with an orchestra. Thank you so much to The Full Tone Orchestra for allowing that dream to come true!” And that, in a nutshell, is the kingpin to assessing this spectacular; if dreams come true there, you can’t argue how special an occasion it was.
Though the headcount was slightly lesser-so than last year’s, trouble to many events this, as a sad reflection on economic issues, here’s hoping this awesome weekend on the Green will be enough to convince Full Tone to make this a permanent fixture on our event calendar. Devizes loves you Full Tone, that much is certain.
You might think it’s a laryngologist’s dream come true, this Lewis Capaldi-led decade’s penchant for the blue-eyed soul singersโ melismatic strain to cause Mick Hucknallโฆ
Nothing cruel about our George Wilding; with his perfect match and another local legend of local music, Jolyon Dixon, they’re knocking out great singles likeโฆ
Thereโs a new single from Bristol-based Nothing Rhymes With Orange out tomorrow (Saturday 20th September) which takes the band to a whole new level, andโฆ
The Wiltshire Music Awards are delighted to confirm a new headline partnership with Stone Circle Music Events, who will sponsor the Awards for 2025 andโฆ
Following the excitement and success of the first meeting of โYour Partyโ in Swindon, a second meeting has been arranged for 18th September 7.30 -โฆ
Full Tone Festival August Bank Holiday then, penny for your thoughts on that oneโฆ…
Five irritating wannabes handpicked for their conflicting personalities vote on each otherโs dinner parties while a poor manโs Harry Hill narrator insults them in a heavily edited sham of a television show. Yet, despite this perpetual cycle of formulated garbage, Come Dine with Me attracts millions of viewers. Itโs the same thing every darn episode; oh, how original, theyโre looking in her knicker draw, saucy!
Give me strength; familiarity is prevalent, between three to five million people slouch in front of The Chase daily, when face it, aside differing questions, itโs monotonous; eat, watch The Chase, sleep, repeat. Still, from a few branches of the grapevine, Iโve caught this tosh: โThe Full Tone Festival is the same as last year.โ Shut the front door!
Honest, I feel like tapping them on the head, inquiring, โhello? Anybody in?!โ Even if it was the same, which Iโm out to conclude itโs not, so if you agree you need not read on, but even if it was, Iโd reply, โyeah? Good!โ for the simple reason, last yearโs was absolutely, off-the-scale fantastic, and nothing, I repeat nothing, around these parts could match it.
I sincerely hope theyโre not the same substandard detractors who hypocritically whine-hole when DOCA, for good reason, change the dates or the route of carnival! I attended the astounding MantonFest last weekend, it was a similar setup as last year, because the formula works, regulars flock to it safe in the knowledge they know what theyโre getting, and if itโs not brokenโฆ. Face it, most events are samey. Glastonbury might host some different acts annually, but even they have the same stages in the same fields year after year; fresh cowpats, same mud!
Bottom line is, Iโm unsure if itโs possible to improve on the sound, stage and pyrotechnics from last year, unless we forward-wind technology a few decades. The acoustics on that stage were mind-blowing, and if the price-tag is another niggly issue, you could see where your dollar was offloaded. It looked like something out of The Jetsons, didnโt it?! And I hope its shape will become iconic symbolism as to what can be achieved right here in Devizes. As an inimitable annual party, itโs one of a kind around these waters, itโs our ravey-davey Last Night of the Proms! The Full Tone Orchestra toured Bath Abbey, Marlborough College, the Wyvern in Swindon and beyond this year, but what they return home to produce is something really superior, something to congratulate and celebrate.
Musical director and conductor, Anthony Brown tells us heโs โbeen looking forward to this yearโs festival from the moment I put my baton down last year, and Iโm thrilled to have the opportunity to share what we do with so many people. Thereโs something here for everyone, no matter what your musical tastes are, and I guarantee that even those who have never experienced orchestral music before, will leave wanting more!โ Summing my angle up nicely; far from a restrictive Proms, last year it opened doors to those otherwise sceptical of the magnificence of an orchestra and changed their preconceptions of them, and thatโs a glorious achievement.
But the biggie still remains, what can we expect from this yearโs Full-Tone Festival on August Bank Holiday weekend (27th & 28th August)? The family-friendly music festival promises to be even bigger and better than ever, with two full days of back-to-back music, performed by this spectacular 65-piece orchestra conducted by Anthony Brown, we know and love as the Fulltone Orchestra.
The programme divides into six orchestral concerts providing the ultimate variety of live music from popular classics, opera and big band to movie themes and huge nineties hits. The grand finale on Sunday evening will see The Green at Devizes transformed into its very own Studio 54, with the orchestra and singers performing a full two hour set of seventies inspired disco classics; oh, that can ring my bell, have I got time to grow an afro?!
So, if it is as I suggested, impossible to improve on the sound, stage and pyrotechnics, enhancements in the line-up are the logical steps, which has been done. Special guest artists performing on stage include the formidable voice of Jonathan Antoine. A classically-trained tenor, Jonathan rose to fame after appearing on the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2012, as half of the classical duo Jonathan and Charlotte. He went solo and his debut album, Tenore, was released in 2014, and subsequently followed with a further two albums.
Wiltshireโs own presenter and skateboarder, DJ James Threlfall also appears. James works radio for the BBC, and hosts football platform, 433. With a 95K Tik-Tok audience, Full Tone Festival also welcomes trumpeter Oli Parker, local legendary rock n rollers, Pete Lamb & The Heartbeats, and Iโm delighted to see the most amazingly talented country-rock star Kirsty Clinch added to this fine bill; surely the icing on the cake.
Talking cake, food and drink will be available from local vendors, and t-shirts will be on sale and raising funds for Dorothy House. And thatโs that, Bowie said it best, ch-ch-ch-changes. All you need to do is grab a ticket, from Ticketsource, or Devizes Books. While children under 14 go free, itโs going to set you back forty quid, yet you can guarantee its money well spent, for this unmissable entire weekend show right on your doorstep.
And for anyone casting a shadow of โsamey,โ Iโd argue only in as much as everything is formulated; Albert Einstein had seven of the same suits, so he didnโt have to decide which one to wear! What are you expecting from them, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, digging up Beethoven? One ponders if they even attended last year, and I donโt mean the unofficial gathering on the little green, because they didnโt receive the benefit of being encased in the incredible acoustics of that Jetsons stage, they had not one iota of the splendour, the all-encompassing effect of it. But to say, if you were there, youโd surely take the โif it isnโt broken,โ opinion and want nothing more than to do it all again.
Of course, itโs your prerogative to stay home watching Come Dine with Me on an endless cycle of repeats while everyone else is having a truckload of fun! For more information about the Fulltone Music Festival on The Green, Devizes, and to purchase tickets, please visit the Fulltone Orchestra website.
It’s been six months since Devizes-based young blues crooner JP Oldfield released his poignant kazoo-blowing debut EP Bouffon. He’s made numerous appearances across the circuitโฆ
There’s something to be said for the function duo route with universal appeal, you could be working somewhere hot! Powerhouse vocal harmony duo Reflections areโฆ
Formerly known as Judas Goat and the Bellwether, the now renamed band have announced the release of their latest single, โDrill Baby Drillโ (coming outโฆ
Photograph byย Simon Folkard It’s been a rocky road for Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts (DOCA) these last few years, and I didn’t mean the crushed biscuitsโฆ
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
Thereโs no respite if youโre into your culture in D-Town these days. Fresh off the back of the wonderful Devizes Arts Festival, I headed on a beautiful sunny Sunday evening to a sold-out Town Hall to hear The Fulltone Orchestra in full musical flight. This was FTOโs โtasterโ event, and an advert for the big event over the August Bank Holiday weekend (Fulltone Music Festival) to be held on The Green on 27th and 28th August….
Anthony Brown (โOur Toneโ) had gathered an almost 40-strong string orchestra, with only a very short time for rehearsals, and moulded them together to provide us with a short, but very satisfying musical repast. To start with, our amuse-bouche if you like, was the short but sweet Adagio in G Minor by Tomaso Albinoni. This 18th Century composer, who was quite famous in his day, and a contemporary of Vivaldi, is less well-known these days. The piece was light and airy, and played with some panache by a clearly enthusiastic orchestra, a perfect Baroque accompaniment to the sunshine flooding in through the open windows, and a piece absolutely suited to the surroundings of the splendid room in which were sitting.
Next up, the real starter, was Ralph Vaughn Williamsโ Fantasia on A Theme By Thomas Tallis. Still light but a little more substantial, this was one English composerโs interpretation of an earlier English composerโs work, and is perhaps more recognisable, having been recorded and performed many times over the last century.
And finally, after a short interval, we were onto the main course and, I suspect, the key reason for this concertโs obvious popularity – Antonio Vivaldiโs The Four Seasons, his violin concerto written roughly 300 years ago in the period 1718-20. For this piece, conductor Anthony willingly ceded the leadership of the strings to guest Russian concert violinist, Elizaveta Tyun. Elizaveta has performed all over the world, and her appearance in Devizes was a real coup for the FTO.
The Four Seasons (โLe quattro stagioniโ in Italian) is, by far and away, the best-known of Vivaldiโs works, and is a group of four linked violin concertos, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. At the time when they were first performed, they were a revolution in musical conception: in them Vivaldi represented flowing creeks, singing birds, a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters’ and the prey’s point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires. Also unusual for the period, Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying sonnets (possibly written by the composer himself) that elucidated what it was in the spirit of each season that his music was intended to evoke. The concerti therefore stand as one of the earliest and most detailed examples of what would come to be called โprogram musicโ โ or in other words, music with a narrative element. Vivaldi divided each concerto into three movements (fastโslowโfast), and, likewise, each linked sonnet into three sections. Iโm not going to pretend that I knew all of that, but I Googled it and I thought you ought to know! I did it before I listened, and it certainly helped me to understand much better what I was listening to!
What can I say? It was absolutely wonderful, thrilling, inspiring, and emotional stuff. It was live orchestral music at its very best. Elizaveta played with enormous passion and enthusiasm, attacking the faster, trickier passages with great energy. And the strings of the FTO, probably inspired by such skill in their midst, followed her lead and supported her to great effect. Itโs an absolutely fabulous piece of music. No matter how many times Iโve heard it played, it never ceases to amaze me. Despite being used in (literally) hundreds of film soundtracks, adverts, and the inevitable telephone on-hold theme, it always comes through as fresh and original. And it was so good to listen to it properly, all the way through, played by a set of musicians who clearly wanted to play it. Hats off to the lot of them โ it was absolutely superb!
Well done to Jemma and Anthony Brown for pulling this concert together, well done to Elizaveta for a stirring rendition of the lead violin role, and well done to the scratch group of musicians who came together to deliver an excellent performance. Oh, and well done to the crowd who came out on a Sunday night to support such great live music and gave the performance exactly what it deserved โ a long standing ovation and rapturous applause. Absolutely brilliant!
So – donโt forget to buy your tickets for The Fulltone Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday 27th & 28th August on The Green โ available from Devizes Books, and online from www. www.ticketsource.co.uk/fulltone
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
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
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 F.T.O. Big Band at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. 21/11/2021
Ian Diddams
The Fulltone Orchestra (a.k.a. FTO) was formed back in 2017, the vision and brainchild of its Musical Director, Anthony Brown. Since then, the orchestra has performed across Wiltshire playing a wide genre of orchestral based music, from iconic movie themes to Bernstein and Gershwin, then Russian composers and The Planets, and most recently a firework extravaganza of classical music (with no actual fireworks folks!). Then there has been its involvement with โThe Invitation Theatre Companyโ (a.k.a. TITCo) with the inaugural, and this yearโs โFulltone Festivalsโ, and the incredible โJeff Wayneโs Musical version of the War Of The Worldsโ reprised in 2019 in Swindonโs Wyvern Theatre. And of course the amalgamation of choirs in Devizes for the poignant and beautiful โArmed Manโ by Karl Jenkins.
For these performances the FTO has fluctuated in size of orchestra depending on requirements โ musicians coming from all over Southern England, and even have included a passing Hungarian cellist. Anthonyโs vision always seeks the next, exciting opportunity and this year has seen the birth of the โFTO Big Bandโ. Cutting its teeth at the โFulltone Festivalโ on August bank holiday weekend 2021, now the FTO took its latest progeny back to the Wyvern for its โBig Band Nightโ on Sunday 21st November.
And what a night it was! Five saxophones (also doubling up on clarinet and flute), four trombones, four trumpets, drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards joined by three female and three male voices crooned and smoothed and belted their way through a cornucopia of delights.ย ย From Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller (who else for a big band night after all?!) to Ella Fitzgerald, Julie Garland and Jackie Wilson numbers. And that was just the first half! The second half kicked off with โThe Pink Pantherโ and โBig Spenderโ and crooned away deliciously after that with Frank Sinatra, more Judy Garland and even a spot of Marilyn Monroe.
The band, as ever with the FTO, was absolutely spot on. The ever-present Dominic Irving this time left his keyboard and violin at home and whipped out his trumpet (oo err missus!). Louise Cox a persistent FTOer on the drums was her usual impeccable, percussive self. Devizes born and bred Archie Combe tinkled the ivories (I played rugby with his dad yโknow!), and Vickie Watson amazed in her juggling of sax, clarinet, and flute throughout the entire show. But its churlish to only mention a few by name, where in fact the entire band were simply amazing. A whole bunch of horns and sax appeal for sure for starters!
And the singers? Wellโฆย I guess they did all rightโฆย ๐ย Truth be told โ of course they were brilliant. Confession time โ for those that donโt already know, these people are my friends, and I am honoured to stand on stages with them often. So you can understandably think now โoh well, sycophancy rules, OKโ at this juncture. But โ everything I write here is true. These people WERE amazing tonight. Truly awesome. Jemma Brown with her consummate ease of poignancy in such numbers as โOleโ Devil called Loveโ to power in โBig Spenderโ and Chris Worthy similarly between โNightingale sang in Berkley Squareโ to โReet Petiteโ. Then of course Sean Andrews, well known for his strength of projection unsurprisingly absolutely creaming โLuck be a Ladyโ โฆย but showing a crooning side with โCome Fly with meโ. Then thereโs Will Sexton. Well, if youโve never heard Will you bloody well should. And if you have you will know there are insufficient superlatives available. He calmly, coolly, sang his way through โBlue Moonโ, broke hearts with โMy Girlโ and finished us all off with โCry Me a Riverโ.
But these were not alone on the stageโฆ enter stage right Ella Mangham. WHAT A VOICE. Made for this style of music, โBlack Coffeeโ and โFascinating Rhythmโ held us spell bound. Ella had debuted with the FTO Big Band back in the summer, but tonight saw the first appearance of a super young lady โ Ruby Phipps. Now Sean had clearly bought his fan club with him as we heard when introduced, but Ruby had family and friends travelling from all over โ and no surprise. Sublimely duetting with Jemma on โGet Happyโ, โOver the Rainbowโ and โThe Trolley Songโ she lit up the stage with her excellence and grace. Then the whole group appeared as Will completed the evening with โ what else? โ โMy Wayโ and joined inโฆ showing that the FTO Big Band truly did this THEIR way, in style, panache and not a little excellence.
What a night. But thereโs one more person that deserves a HUGE pat on the back. Iโve mentioned this entire project, from orchestra to big band spin off, is the brainchild of Anthony Brown. But Anthony (a.k.a. O.T but never EVER call him โTonyโ !!!) is more than just a M.D. (a.k.a. Musical Director). He is the passion, the life force, the visionary that has produced an orchestra that dares, and now a Band that is truly BIG. He AM da MAN.
So โ if you were there tonight and saw it, how lucky were we? And if you werenโt or think Iโm just a sycophant for my raving review all I can say is โ my eighty-four-year-old mum absolutely loved it. And get a ticket for the next Big Band night and make up your own mind!
Meanwhile โ live music is back. And donโt you forget it!
The excitement and hope generated by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announcing a new political party has reached Swindonโฆ.. A broad range of people haveโฆ
If I was bowled over backwards by Rubyโs teaser single last week, its title, Crowned Lightbringer, now also belongs to this five-track EP, released today,โฆ
Image: John Kisch Legendary songwriter and original Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell has announced a run of UK dates this November, accompanied by special guests Theโฆ
Atmospherically anthemic and reinforced with that infectious rhythmic groove weโve come to love Talk in Code for, More Than Friends is chockfull of it, andโฆ
by Mick Brian With Sandcastles Productions marking its debut production with Charlie McGuireโs original play Glass House, the cast and crew behind this production are clearlyโฆ
Amidst the controversial decision by Emily Eavis to headline Jay-Z at Glastonbury Festival in 2008, in which included Noel Gallagher throwing his toys from his pram, while UK press went on a bender about an imagined ethos of exactly what Glasto is, and what it should be presenting, I read an American article hitting back with the headline โis Glastonbury big enough for Jay Z?โ
One has to ponder if the author who penned such piffle in retaliation had ever seen Glastonbury, let alone been, and had any inkling what it means to so many people. On this basis I thought of, but then rejected, this headline to be โis Devizes big enough for the Full-Tone Orchestra?!โ
Organiser and better half of the composer, Jemma Brown tells me the capacity of the Green is 3,000 but next weekendโs (28th-29th August) event is restricted to half, โso everyone feels safe.โ But, itโs not a question of โis Devizes big enough for the Full-Tone Orchestra,โ rather our fortunate premise, the Full-Tone Orchestra is now a part of Devizes, no less than the brewery or canal. Theyโve ventured to other local towns, Marlborough College, Swindonโs Wyvern, to present their eclectic genre orchestra, but Devizes is home sweet home, and 95% of shows have been based here.
Here’s the biting point, and something Iโve come to understand better, staging such an event like this is not pocket money. Yes, Full-Tone successfully crowdfunded to put on a free show in the Market Place in 2019, but this is not an avenue any event organiser can slog and expect to come up trumps each time.
For an entertainment package as stupendous as Full-Tone to be in our humble dwelling, it needs and deserves our support, and while a majority will tell you so on the street, ears to the ground unearth some rather inexcusable and inappropriate notions. Firstly, you cannot expect anyone to provide you a free show annually, just because they did once before, and secondly, itโs an โerm,โ to the idea Full-Tone is some kind of commercial enterprise gaining only to profit. โItโs just not why weโre doing it,โ Jemma pledges, โweโre doing it to bring an orchestra into the centre of Devizes and for the love of all things music!โ
At this conjunction, just one weekend away from the show, you have to ask yourself, would the same level of display as 2019โs Market Place not become tiresomely samey after a while? Full-Tone wish to expand on the experience, to progress and make it better. โThe sound and lighting will be fabulous and to do that we have to pay good dollar!โ Jemma tells me, and to do such, ticket sales is the only option.
Phew, glad I got that off my chest! Can we all be friends again? Anyone putting on any event right now needs our backing and deserves a medal, in my honest opinion. Anyone organising an event must worry itโs either going to go two ways, overloaded with a cabin-fevered raging mob or fail to impress enough to drag apprehensive troops out from their lockdown shelters, as if the hospitality industry isnโt it in enough deep water. My chat with Jemma today went onto me mentioning a time I was juggling the attention of three gigs in Devizes in one night; a time we took live music for granted, and looking back now, well, you go figure.
Least we can be sure, unlike Emily Eavis and her longing to update her fatherโs institution, Noel Gallagher wonโt be on a wobbler because an upcoming US hip hop star is upstaging him! 28th-29th August sees the sixty-piece Full-Tone Orchestra present a very local affair, not only their all-encompassing themes, from big band and film scores to euphoric dance anthems, but Pete Lambโs Heartbeats, jazz singer Archie Combe and The Red Bandits on Sunday.
Itโs been some years since I sat in Rowde School after school hours. No, not like a kid in detention, rather to see the orchestra rehearsing the Star Wars theme. I believe Jemma was encouraging me to direct my satirical rant column from Index;Wiltshire, No Surprises Living in Devizes to more positive pastures, which kind of went totally against the concept of the column. But it was running fast out of ammo, because, underneath it all, Devizes is a great town and I love living here.
Hence, Devizine was born, a sort of counter-strike against all the negativity I once brushed Devizes with. So, if you want to blame someone, Jemma is also an accessory! The icing on that cake will be a Devizes rendezvous on the Green; hope to see you there!
Wiltshire Music announces a new season for Autumn Winter: and the first under the new leadership of Daniel Clark, Artistic Director and Sarah Robertson, Executiveโฆ
If youโve seen Jess Self performing at the Wharf Theatre, singing at the FullTone Festival or elsewhere Iโm certain youโll agree with us; Jess hasโฆ
It’s been a wonderful summer’s weekend, in which I endeavoured to at least poke my nose into the fabulous FullTone Festival, despite being invited toโฆ
Devizes annual orchestral festival, FullTone got underway yesterday afternoon with a showcase of local talent from Devizes Music Academy,ย and finalised Friday night with theirโฆ
A feast of Salisbury musicians have recorded the single Edge of Reason, a powerful tribute to the irreplaceable ThomโฏBelk, a champion of Salisburyโs music sceneโฆ
Devizes Food & Drink Festival launched their 2025 programme of events today. Running from Saturday 20th to the 28th September, the Box Office opens onlineโฆ
Everyone having a nice March so far, been alright, innit? I promised, when I featured the first fortnight of events, here, that I would return to complete the last two weeks. Iโve promised this before and totally spaced on it, for which I apologise; not enough hours in the day. Nothing to do with my goldfish memory. Here though, this month, Iโve actually only gone and done it, before the 31st March too! See below if you donโt believe itโs true, the last fortnight in March, stuff to do while waiting for the supermarkets to restock on bog roll, and all that. I know, it scares me sometimes too.
Click on the hare here to see the first fortnight of March
Bear in mind, mind, our calendar is constantly updating, so do check in as more events and gigs are bound to magically appear like the shopkeeper in Mr Ben.
Week 3
Sunday 15th is where we were up to, and I got two fantablous gigs, Burbank are the White Bear in Devizes, while Jon Amor is at the Three Horseshoes in Bradford on Avon; nice.
Monday, I never know if the Devizes Folk Club is on down the Lamb or not, to be frank, but itโs a place for a beer if Iโm wrong and itโs not!!
Tuesday 17th The Stonehenge lecture at the Wiltshire Museum is now sold out. Celebrated cartoonist and artist, Norman Thelwell is at The Merchantโs House in Marlborough, for a fascinating hour illustrated talk, tracing his life, passions and artistic development. Thelwell produced 1,500 cartoons and 60 front covers for the famed Punch magazine alone and some 32 books translated into a dozen different languages. His works were full of beautifully observed detail and mainly of rural subjects, including country and leisure pursuits, sport, house sales and renovation, stately homes, gardening and sailing. Failing that, Cracknakeel provides live music at The Sun in Frome for their St Patrickโs Day celebration.
Wednesday 18th is jam-packed, for a Wednesday! Acoustic jam down the Southgate, Devizes. Bromhamโs Farm Cookery School has a Taste of Morocco class, where you could be learning how to make a Briouat which is like a Moroccan Samosa, make your own Khobz and Kefta Mkaouara. ยฃ40.00 per person. Over in Marlborough David Evans gives the second of three lectures in The Merchant’s House Study Series, focussing on Reformation in England and the Arts. The Roots Sessions continues at Fromeโs Cheese & Grain with the fantastic Ruzz Guitarโs Blues Revue.
Thursday 19th and you could be back down The Farm Cookery School in Bromham for a Mozzarella & Halloumi Masterclass with Josie. She will teach how to make both cheese which is technical but fun! ยฃ35.00 per person. The fantastic Ed Byrne is at the Bath Forum and Moles has a punky/metal night with the Anarchistโs Bookfair, Butter The Pavement and Out Of Reach.
If itโs a slow start to the week, Friday 20th March makes up for it. If, like me, all you know about Jesus Christ Superstar is that he came down from heaven on a Yamaha, and you have doubts with your conviction of that, itโs the opening night for this amateur production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd at Devizesโ Wharf Theatre. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webberโs classic musical portrayal of the last seven days of the life of Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot runs until Sat 28th March and while tickets are still available as I write this, do be as quick, as if you were on a Yamaha yourself; take care not to skid though!
Meanwhile Devizes Town Hall is the place to head for opera fans, as The White Horse Opera presents their Spring Concert. Including Donizettiโs L’Elisir d’amore, Ruddigore by Gilbert and Sullivan and Hadynโs Creation, this would be the perfect introduction to opera for those, like me, who thought Donizetti was a type of pasta sauce!
If you fancy music more pop, the local supergroup Iโm always raving about, the Female Of The Species play Melkshamโs Assembly Hall. Fusing all their respective bandโs influences, expect the best of rock, soul and ska as the girlโs combine forces for a fun-filled gig; Iโve been to see one of these shows and Iโm not hyping it up because theyโre all awesome chicks, I highly recommend it!
Day one of two, at the inspiring Shoebox Theatre in Swindon of their FUSE Festival where six emerging artists test a new performance idea over three days. Fuse is about supporting the beginnings of new work before it’s fully developed. Watch, discuss, and be part of the creation of something brilliant. Two performances Kat Lyonsโ Dry Season, interweaving music and movement with original spoken word poetry and extracts from medical literature. And the debut one-woman-show from Mighty Mammal Theatre, Swine of the Times, where you can meet the piggies at the troff; they sing songs, say prayers and even mime. Alice Wolff-Whitehouse employs her skills in physical comedy, dance and song to bring to life a series of flawed and quintessentially British characters, looking at the grotesque nature of privilege in the UK through a warped and colourful lens.
Staying in Swindon, Baila Coffee & Vinyl have some Disco Voodoo with DJ Amir, or try indie rock covers with Joli & the Souls at the Vic. Elsewhere, the Leathers play The Three Horseshoes in Bradford on Avon, Clannad are at Bath Forum, and Jack Deeโs Off The Telly tour is at Salisbury City Hall.
Saturday 21st then. After the hugely successful free concert in the Market Place last summer, The Full Tone Orchestra have taken their show to Marlborough, and return to town to rave the night away at the Corn Exchange. Taking the most popular section of their show, the club anthems, expect this to be something innovative and all glowsticks, as conductor Anthony Brownโs beloved orchestra reproduce the club classics which defined an era.
The Cavalier go country with the Stone Mountain Sinners, caught these guys before, theyโve a refreshing approach to country-rock which is a cut above the rest. And breezy, original songwriter Ed Witcomb makes a welcome return to The Southgate. For surf beats, odd time signatures, eccentric tunes and irony-fuelled free jazz, try The Barge at Honeystreet, where bonkers surf surrealists Mustard Allegro do their stuff.
Super Trooper Abba tribute, Sensations grace the Seend Community Centre, while Swindonโs Meca has a Whitney Houston tribute. Donโt forget though, itโs day two of the Shoeboxโs Fuse Festival too.
Mercy Lounge at The Three Horseshoes, Bradford on Avon. Recommended ska night at Warminsterโs Prestbury Sports Bar with the Train To Skaville, and Paul Carrick is at Bath Forum.
Train to Skaville
Week 4
Head to the Southgate for an afternoon pint or three, on Sunday 22nd, and our fantastic singer-songwriter Vince Bell will entertain you. Meanwhile, Groovelator play The Three Horseshoes in Bradford.
Vince
Tuesday, Devizes Film Club at the Town Hall have the latest Ken Loach film, Sorry We Missed You, which you will be if you miss this one film fans. Full of drama, tension and heartbreak. Ricky and Debbie are the parents of teenage children. Ricky joins the โgigโ economy with a franchise for a parcel delivery firm. The job is sold to him as one where he will become master of his own destiny. Providing, that is, he complies with the labyrinth of deadlines, rules and conditions imposed by the company, a near impossible task. Debbie is a care worker who wants to care for the old people as though they are her Mam. But her working conditions thwart her in doing the job as she thinks fit. This modern Dickensian story dramatises the conflict between work and family life in contemporary Britain.
Donโt forget Wednesdayโs acoustic Jam down the Southgate, and blues-folk singer Elles Bailey is with Phil King at the Chapel Arts, Bath. Thursday you can witness epic human-powered feats, life-affirming challenges and mind-blowing cinematography on the big screen at The Banff Mountain Film Festival world tour, coming to the Salisbury City Hall. Staying in Devizes on the last Thursday of every month though is no bore, as the regular and celebrated open mic night at the Cellar Bar is something to behold.
Seventies punk bands never had such a great name as Brightonโs Peter & The Test Tube Babies. Still going strong forty years on, they play the Vic in Swindon on Friday 27th. Tenner on the door. Swindon also has an Improv Jam at The Shoebox, and homemade function band Locomotion at the Swiss Chalet.
Locomotion
While itโll sadly never be possible for the boys to be back in town, Prestonโs tribute Twin Lizzy will. They make a welcomed return to the Cavalier, Devizes on Friday. Meanwhile, the Devizes & District Twinning Association take over the town hall to bring us some French Cafรฉ Music with Jac & Co, tickets are also a tenner for both these diverse evenings.
How much more diverse do you want? A dedicated club night for adults with Learning Disabilities? This Is Me at the wonderful charity youth centre, Young Melksham is precisely that, a night of great music and friendship. Thereโs a series of these events, first one is Friday.
Another welcomed return to Marlborough Folk-Roots at the Town Hall on Friday, when Steve Knightley explores the themes and stories that inspire him and shows how music and words can become lyrics and chords and notes can meld to create songs that acquire a life of their own.
For want of an authentic tribute band, From The Jam play The Cheese & Grain in Frome, and Iโve heard all good stories about them. If originals are what you want though, The Queenโs Head in Box has a double-booking Friday. Katy Hurt stretches the country music genre in exciting new directions; haunting blues vocals, towering country rock guitars, even a reggae vibe, and she is followed by psychedelic alternative rock band, The Bohemian Embassy.
Saturday night of the 28th March is alright, but no fighting, please. Time for the Devizes Lionsโ Spring Concert at St Andrewโs Church, where Ian Diddams comperes Bath Coleman, Bangers & Nash, and the Trowbridge & District Youth Band. Tickets are ยฃ10, proceeds to Wiltshire Young Carers.
The Corn Exchange has a Gin Festival. Tribute act, Motley Crude are The Cavalier and local heroes Rockhoppaz play The Black Swan. For high octane original and classic rock mixed with some tasteful Bluesy tracks, check the Mark Smallman Band at the Southgate.
Devizine is the unofficial Tamsin Quin fan club, if you wanna hear why, head to Bromhamโs Owl on Saturday. Another Abba Tribute, Swede Dreams play Market Lavington Community Hall.
Tamsin Quin
Highly recommended for the mods, The Roughcut Rebels are at The Pheasant in Chippenham. Also, Blondie & Ska are great fun, theyโre at the Wiltshire Yeoman in Trowbridge, checking ahead, they play in Devizes, at the Pelican in May. The Blue Rose Band at The Westbury Conservative Club and an Amy Winehouse tribute at Bathโs Odd Down AFC & Social Club. Level III have a โOne Step Beyond-ska and punk club-night.
Elsewhere in Swindon, homemade Damm at Coleview Community Centre and P!nk tribute, Beautiful Trauma play Brookhouse Farm, and a Pearl Jam tribute, Earl Jam at the Vic.
Sophie Matthews explores the links between the visual and the aural in a one-hour presentation at the Merchantโs House, Marlborough. Drawing on the works of great painters including Brueghel, Hogarth and Rigaud, Sophie presents a feast of images featuring historical woodwind instruments in their original social context interspersed with live performances of historical music using authentic instruments.
Sunday 29th – Nearly there, and breathโฆ. Yin Yoga & Gong Bath at Devizes Corn Exchange, The Sunday Sessions continue at The White Bear with Matt Cook and Gary Hall at The Southgate. Thereโs a Comic-Con at Bath Pavilion, to be frank, itโs a commercial affair rather than a genuine โcomicโ con, with cosplay, gaming and meeting vague TV actors and ex-Gladiators, but might be fun for the kids.
Thatโs it, folks, March done, save Bradford on Avon Folk Club have Geoff Lakeman on Tuesday 31st. Letโs regroup in April, but feedback on these articles are needed. Do they work for you? Long-winded I know, but in order to fit it in. Devizine is a work in progress, I enjoy and need to know whatโs working and whatโs not. So, if youโve read this far, I salute you! Tell me about it!
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The Invitation Theatre Company presents an evening of Christmas music, featuring the Fulltone Music School Voices, and we all love Christmas music, at Christmas that is! Fortunately, itโs on 14th December at St Johns Church, which is plenty time to wash the Christmas jumper and check the reindeer nose lights still work from where you spilt eggnog down it last year.
Tickets available online and Devizes Books, are ยฃ6, raising money for Frontline Children and Action for Children. โEach year,โ TITCO elucidate, โis a sumptuous evening of music, from classical pieces through to popular Christmas toe tappers – brought to you by the most wonderful singers! Itโs just the BEST evening!โ
The Full-Tone Orchestra sing “Let’s do this, Devizes!” as they plan a Full Tone Festival in July. But they need your help….
The Full Tone Orchestra are putting on a festival of orchestral music in the Devizes Market Place on 20th July 2019, but need your help. Here they are, in their own words:
“Four concerts in one day, with acoustic support acts performing in between, and itโs going to be epic! We want to bring exciting orchestral music to the town in an easy and accessible way. We will have a massive stage, with a superb light show and there will be stalls to give the Market Place a real festival feel.
Wiltshire Council have already very kindly agreed to sponsor us half of the money, we now need to match this from other sponsors/donations.
We start with a family themed concert, The Fulltone Music School Choir will open it, then you’ll hear 50 strong orchestra play themes from Last Night of the Proms. Big, beautiful music in the centre of our town. Albert Hall, eat your heart out!
Our second concert is ‘Iconic Themes’ – epic music from films, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘Star Trek’, ‘James Bond’ etc. For those of you who came to our very first concert, you’ll remember it was mind blowing!
‘Classical Rock’ is up next with our friends from The Invitation Theatre Company (TITCO) joining us for a big ‘Queen’ set again – YES! Get in!
As the sun sets, we end with ‘Electronic Themes’, starting in the 1970s with ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Tubular Bells’ moving right through the 1980s, ‘Popcorn’ might make an appearance, then into the 1990s where we turn up the volume and end in Ibiza! It will be utterly AWESOME!
All the musicians are donating their time we need to raise funds to pay for the staging, lights, sound and all the other bits you need to transform a town square into Wembley!
So this is where you come in – this is a free to attend event. But for it to happen we have to raise another ยฃ5000. We need to MATCH what we have already! So, whatever you can give, help us make this happen. Think of it, perhaps, as purchasing a ticket for the event. ยฃ5, ยฃ10, ยฃ20 – whatever you can afford or think your ‘ticket’ would be worth, please help.
Businesses, if you sponsor over ยฃ100, you’ll get your name on the poster! And we’ll thank you 100 times in all our press!
Punters, if you sponsor ยฃ20 or over, you’ll get a free festival T-shirt! What’s not to like?!
IT’S SO EXCITING! The town centre has never seen anything like this before! Help us make it happen!”
Well โ you can never say with any credibility that โnothing ever happens in Devizesโ. Spurning the opportunity to listen to the Buddy Holly tribute in the Corn Exchange (even if just to watch Darren become young again), [I do read these Andy, just sayin’!- ED] The Duskers at The Southgate, and The Billy Walton Band at Long Street Blues Club, for reasons that may need to go forever unexplained, last night I found myself sitting in a church (yes โ I know) and listening to a 48-piece orchestra. As you do. Something had happened to my musical sensibilities and Iโd come over all classical.
The Fulltone Orchestra were in town, conducted by the wonderful Anthony Brown. The theme of the concert was โBig, Bold & Russianโ and that was pretty well what we got. Culminating with Tchaikovskyโs splendid โ1812 Overtureโ (complete with the sound of cannons firing โ although no actual canons were harmed during the performance – and the crashing of cymbals), we were treated to several Russian pieces. Earlier weโd heard โA Night On The Bare Mountainโ by Modest Mussorgsky, โIn The Steppes Of Central Asiaโ a symphonic poem by Alexander Borodin, โRhapsody On A Theme Of Paganiniโ by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and โScheherazadeโ by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Quite a lot to get through, but the performance was excellent.
The acoustics in the church, with its huge roof-space, meant that the walls of the building fairly vibrated with the brass section in full flow, and the sound of the strings sailed up into the rafters. The noisier sections (famously referred to by Kenny Everett in his heyday as โthe bash-y bitsโ) really took off in these surroundings. The quieter solo sections, however, suffered a little and tended to get a slightly lost at times. However, Dominic Irvingโs pieces on piano really shone.
However, bearing in mind that that this is effectively a โscratchโ orchestra, only brought together for this one nightโs performance and after only about six rehearsals, and that this was the first time that all 48 musicians had been on the same stage at the same time, this was an incredible achievement. Our Tone had worked very hard to bring all this together in just a few weeks and, by and large, pulled it off with aplomb.
Two minor criticisms โ it would have been nice to have a programme (so that we knew what we were listening to), and it would have been a good idea to give Our Tone a microphone โ some of his introductions were lost to those of us at the back. But these little caveats aside, this was a great performance, a thoroughly enjoyable evening. It did exactly what it said on the tin โ it was definitely Big, it was definitely Bold, and it was without doubt Russian!
Weโre very lucky to have such an orchestra based in our town, and we really should get behind them and support them. Next up for The Fulltone is the Fulltone Festival in Devizes Market Place on Saturday 20th July, from 2pm to 10pm, where theyโll be giving four (yes โ four!) concerts in one day!
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