A busy week
ahead………………………. As we run into Rock
Rotherham Saturday.
BUT let us not forget, Slamfest was
originally to be a week-long Celebration of the Arts in Rotherham. We tried to make this a reality – but
We do have
music throughout the week though.
On Monday,
Mr Masher and Folk cohorts will be found at The Bridge Nellie Folk. Starts
8:45pm
The rest of the events take place at Myplace Youth and Community Centre run by the YMCA at St Anne's Rotherham. We will be using their little theatre facilities, please come along to the following events and check out the facilities.
Tuesday, Roy
Blackman will launch his CD at Myplace – for those remaining in total
blissful ignorance as to where this might be, it’s the modern looking Youth
Building on St Anne’s Road in Rotherham.
Supporting Roy will be Keystone Acoustic and Paul Pearson. Starts 7:30pm
The CD will be available on the night £10 or £9.99 for cash.
Wednesday 25th
Pocketful Of N’owt will be appearing at
Myplace. Unfortunately, Mike Watts
and Joe Hakim have pulled out at short notice, but I believe Jon Barrington is
still going to provide some poetical thought to the evening. Starts 8:15pm.
Thursday 26th For a whole number of reasons we’ve cancelled
the show at The Rugby Club. Bad day
etc. with the weekend looming.
However, the FOF
Theatre, will be presenting their evening of Theatre at Myplace two plays
from local authors. Starts 7:30pm
A reminder
to all those writers from Rawmarsh and
Crystal Peaks who sent in Plays – these are currently being worked on by
FOF Theatre who because of holiday commitments and work could not get the
rehearsal time needed to do justice to the Plays. This was announced some time ago but just a
reminder that you have not been forgotten and that there will be at least two
Shows of your work during The Fringe Festival in October.
If one senses
a degree of impatience with regard to this part of the Festival – you would be
correct, further comments when wounds are not so raw.
And so to Rotherham’s Rockin’ Weekend…………………. It all starts with The Myke Barritt Memorial Concert
– a NIGHT OF THE BEST LOCAL PUNK
+ a bluesy softie………. At The Bridge on Friday 27th July. Brain Bomb, Majority Vote with support from
Gazz. A night of FREE music not to be
missed.
The
weekend’s raffle starts here too. Booze
and a bit more + an Accord Guitar (second hand, but in lovely condition).
Saturday –
well go head to the Web Site for all
the details, simply far too much going on to do justice to in the Blog.
This whole
event has been financed privately – not a penny of public money has been
offered or gone into the event, which makes it even more remarkable that it
it’s all going ahead according to plan. Let’s face, our Main Stage Sponsor Ziggy’s Workhouse Gym’s contribution
really helped to get us up and working, our considerable thanks to them, and
indeed to all our Sponsors and advertisers.
However, Mick is not sure that this is what the Sponsors quite had in
mind for advertising their services. I'm told that Ziggy is sending a team of his boys and girls to do a mini work out to the music in All Saints Square at some point during the day - keep your eyes open.
Then on
Sunday it’s a chill out at The Queens in
Rawmarsh, where some of the best of the Regions acoustic musicians will be
doing their stuff, everything from chilled blues to traditional folk at Acoustic Rotherham 16. There will be a prize for the person who can
keep Dickie Masher awake for the longest time.
The whole weekend could be buzzing – I
know the Bands have being doing their thing at Tramlines to awake people to
Slamfest, and there have been a few
things going on in the background which may also have an impact on the
attendance.
The hearts
of both Mick and I went out to the organisational team at Bomfest over at Barnsley who have had to postpone their event from 28th July until mid- September. Apparently a combination of weather and
Council Cuts has lead to a few misunderstandings with the Local Authority. But the good news for ticket buyers is that
it goes ahead in September.
Also off on 28th July is the Rosehill Park, Rawmarsh, “Party in The Park”. Always sad to see events go down, but if you
read my review from last year; just maybe it will not be a big miss.
There is
also the Volkswagen Festival at Hooton Roberts. As we go to press (always like using that
term) we have been told a final decision will be taken on Tuesday as to whether
or not the ground will be dry enough to allow the Festival to go ahead.
Slamfest then, might well end up as the
only show in Town, and with the sixty plus acts and Bands, on the nine
stages, there’s room for everyone to come to Rotherham and have a great day
out.
And there’s
more bad news. The
Rotherham Trades Club has eventually closed it’s doors as a Working Men’s
Club despite the fine efforts of the Committee to keep it going. It shows that in these days of austerity
even one good night a week is not enough to keep the Clubs going.
The Trades
Club has always been a supporter of Club music, and I will admit to having had
some great nights out ther, unfortunately though, the cost of acts playing to
handful of drinkers has taken it’s toll.
PLEASE NOTE THE
TRADES CLUB IS STILL ONE OF THE IMPORTANT VENUES FOR SLAMFEST ON SATURDAY 28TH
JULY HOSTING THE INDIE BANDS AND IT WILL BE OPEN and serving it’s normal range
of beers etc.
The future
of the Club which is already under new ownership, is a little uncertain at the moment the usual
host of rumours doing the rounds.
Rotherham Art Events will be looking to be in the mix though, and we’ve
assured that nights we have booked for the Fringe Festival in October will be
honoured by the Club no matter what.
And even
more bad news I’m afraid. The Domino at Kimberworth Park closed
it’s doors a couple of weeks ago, yet another fine supporter of live music, in
the form of the Friday Jam session. It
seems that the Pub is to be sold. I’ve
heard rumours of all sorts of complications concerning the use of the building
and land, and the distress this has all caused to Land Lady who has fought the
sale tooth and nail.
Martin and
Mike have taken the Jam night up the road to The Haynook, and it joins the Thursday
night rush of Open Mic Jams events. So
for Domino boys and girls you have a new home until the old one is sorted.
Summer Breezes, and I’m not talking
about the dreadful weather of the past months, I refer of course to the weekend
17th / 18th /19th August, at Clifton
Park. RAE along with Clifton Park are
promoting a fantastic evening in then Walled Garden, where the famous Dirty Dylan and Band will be giving us
an evening of Bob Dylan. Tickets are £10 and can be obtained from the
Information Centre in Town.
Rotherham’s own Phil Sinclair will be providing the support.
After
Slamfest we hope to be making an announcement about an honorary President for Rotherham Art Events……………. It’s a great name from the music scene. Watch this space.
I did
eventually manage to get to The Old Market Gallery to check out the exhibition of
Fabulous Sound Machines. It really is an
intriguing collection of creations that make sound and can react to human
interaction to make tunes. You could
spend hours, learning how some of the machines work so as to play a tune. Everything from wind power to clever electric
and laser light power. Super stuff and
well worth the couple of quid to get in.
If you’ve got a few minutes pop in and take a look.
Only got out
on one night this week and was Saturday to Rawmarsh
Trades and Labour Club where Coyote were rocking the house. Lacking a bit in production these veterans of
WMC rock played to a packed house, so packed that at 9:00pm there was not even
standing room in the Concert Hall. Great
to see at least one Club organising a WMC programme that has people using the
Club through the week and packing it on a Saturday.
Next week,
if I did not have Slamfest duties I might well have been tempted across to
Herringthorpe where Here’s Jonny will be rocking it out, but I suspect I’ll be
in The Bridge for 77 who also have some great support on with them, once Goat
Leaf have finished on the Main Stage, that is……….. lol
Is the Masher playing at Slamfest? – YES HE
IS – Mick has very kindly found a spot for me on The Exchange Acoustic
stage!!! And I should think so to!! I will be playing with my new (much cheaper,
very much cheaper, Mashing Machine, which is due to be delivered tomorrow) So come along and see me when I kick it all
off at 12:00 noon – yes, the warm up spot again.
There’s
loads going on next weekend, so I’d send you to the Listings page HERE
Really hope
to see as many of you in Rotherham as possible next week, it promises to be
brilliant.
But whatever
you are doing, have a great time, support your local artists and KEEP IT LIVE.
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