Tuesday 14th July
FULL DETAILS OF ALL FESTIVAL EVENTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE 88 PAGE SOUVENIR PROGRAMME WHICH INCLUDES
A VOUCHER FOR 10% OFF TICKET PRICES (Tickets Available from 1st June)
10.00am – 6.00pm ART & PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Welcome to the 2009 Art and Photographic Exhibition! This annual exhibition just goes from strength to strength. Last year we had well over 800 visitors through the door, which was a record. The standard of work was amazing and a joy to see, out of 167 exhibits, a total of 23 works of art and photographs were sold. We also encouraged visitors to vote for their favourite picture, although most people found this very difficult as they loved more than one painting and one photograph. A certificate was awarded by a member of the Town Council to the two with the most votes on the last day of the exhibition. If you feel that you would like to enter a photo or painting, or even a piece of embroidery, sculpture, or any craft item we have not exhibited before, you are welcome to. The exhibition is open to all, but the last entry date is JULY 6TH 2009. Entry forms can be obtained from the Festival Office in The London Cigarette Card Shop, West Street, Somerton, or phone Margaret Somerville on 01458 274594. Lastly, many thanks to all who helped with the exhibition last year. It could not have been done without you all, I very much hope you can give your valuable time again this year to man the desk each day and some help please! On the first and last day. If you would like to give a hand please contact Margaret on the above number.
Exhibitors’ entry forms and information are available from the festival ticket office. A charge of £1.00 will be made for each entry.
We would point out that most of the exhibits will be for sale and this is your opportunity to acquire a piece of original art by a local artist.
The exhibition will be open for five days so you will have plenty of time to pop in and vote for your favourite in the People’s Choice Competition.
Parish Rooms – Entry Free
Sponsored by Somerton Town Council
7.30pm THE YORK WAITS
A welcome return to The York Waits, they first appeared in the 5th festival in 1992 and those who saw them were enthralled with their performance.
The King’s Pavan
Music and readings from the life and times of Henry VIII
On April 23, 1509, a blast of the trumpet in the City of London proclaimed that the the 17-year-old Henry VIII had come to the throne. He would be England’s most controversial, colourful and influential monarch – also its most musical. This concert by The York Waits – one of England’s longest standing renaissance music ensembles – marks the 500th anniversary of Henry’s ascent to the throne by exploring the musical legacy of the man who was noted by his contemporaries as a skilled and enthusiastic instrumentalist and composer. The group uses the wind and stringed instruments of the early sixteenth century – such as shawms, sackbut, crumhorns, recorders, rebec and lute – to perform music by the leading composers of the Tudor period, including many pieces attributed to Henry VIII himself. These range from sophisticated counterpoint to lively dance music and poignant love songs. The music is accompanied by a specially devised narration which uses original material gathered from letters, diaries and other archival sources to provide a vivid portrait of Henry, from the early days of his reign to its dramatic centrepiece, the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn. The York Waits were formed in the 1970s, to perform the music of the renaissance on the instruments of the period and to do so by recreating the official city band of York as it was during its Tudor heyday. Between them, members of the group play most of the wind and stringed instruments that a town musician of the 1500s would have been expected to master. The York Waits have performed throughout the UK and in many countries overseas, including the USA. Seven recordings are currently available and a new disc of music from the life and times of Henry VIII has recently been released. Performers are Tim Bayley (shawm, recorder, harp, pipe and tabor, curtal, crumhorn, hurdy gurdy, trumpet); Susan Marshall (rebec, fiddle, renaissance violin, percussion); William Marshall (sackbut, recorder, flute, bagpipes, gittern, crumhorn, trumpet); John Peel (lute, shawm, recorder, pipe and tabor, bagpipes); Roger Richardson (shawm, recorder, crumhorn). See www.waits.org.uk/york
St Michael and All Angels Church - Tickets £10.00. A voucher for 10% off ticket prices (Tickets available from 1st June) can be found in the 88 page Souvenir programme Click here for information
Sponsored by Somerton Business & Trade Association
8.00pm TRENCHTOWN EXPERIENCE Tribute band to BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS
Reggae – all the way from Trenchtown!
“ This... I wanna tell you is a Trenchtown experience... all the way from Trenchtown, Jamaica...” BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS.
The MC`s introduction for Bob Marley`s show at the Rainbow Theatre in London in 1977 is now immortalised on one of the greatest live albums in rock history.
Now in memory of that great band, this... I wanna tell you is the sound of Bob Marley and The Wailers... all the way from England... TRENCHTOWN EXPERIENCE!!
Yes that`s right, a British band that dares to say it can sound like what was arguably the greatest Jamaican reggae band ever. Who are these guys? The band is a nine piece drawn from the UK’s top professional session players on the reggae scene. Dropping names is all too easy for these people, UB 40, Yellowman, Third World, Aswad, they`ve played with or for everybody who is anybody on the reggae scene. But they are not just jobbing musicians, they are fans too -fans of roots reggae in general and of Marley`s brand of roots reggae circa the mid- seventies in particular. Bob Marley and The Wailers’ music had a hard edge to it at that time with rock influenced guitar lines and rebellious lyrics. This music crossed over like no Caribbean music had done before or has since and Marley himself was well on the way to becoming an icon. Trenchtown Experience’s aim is to evoke the spirit of Marley’s music at that time in homage to what was truly a great band, and they are determined to do it on their own terms. Unlike many tribute bands their aim is not to present a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the original, but an accurate portrayal of both the look and the sound of the legendary band. Even so their show is never so ‘worthy’ as to lose any possible entertainment value. Indeed the band’s 60 or 90 minute shows feature solo spots absent in Marley’s stage show and far more interaction with the audience, (Marley himself hardly said a word between tunes!). So there you have it- a so-called ‘tribute’ band with artistic integrity. There was only one Bob Marley and The Wailers. Today there is only one Trenchtown Experience. Marley’s music is as popular now as it ever was and Trenchtown Experience are going to make a big impact both at home and abroad. But like the great man once said, ‘One good thing about music- when it hits you feel no pain’. See www.tropical-ents.co.uk/trenchtown-experience.html
A selection of Bar-B-Q meats and vegetarian options will be available 1 hour before the start of the Event and throughout the evening.
The Festival Marquee Somerton Sports Club - Tickets £12.00. A voucher for 10% off ticket prices (Tickets available from 1st June) can be found in the 88 page Souvenir programme Click here for information
8.30pm THE BISCUIT MAFIA
The Biscuit Mafia formed in late 2007 to write, play and interpret indie-rock as they know it, and do they know it? Obviously they thought so, but it was not until they recorded their first demo in August 2008 and started gigging that they realised that they were not alone! Following the demo and the first few gigs a Biscuit buzz started in South Somerset. Few people, after hearing Elle’s strong and versatile vocals, don’t want to go in search of more Biscuits! The four piece guitar band from South Somerset and Bristol - Elle (vocals), Andy (guitar), Jim (bass) and Tim (drums) – have combined 60 years of gigging experience and pulled together their various musical influences to produce a diverse range of songs from the slow and melodic to the fast and rocky. They write their own material, play covers like the originals and play covers how they think the original should have been played! A classic example being the cover of Atomic Kitten’s ‘Whole Again’ played with a Biscuit Mafia indie-rock edge. As well as Atomic Kitten, they play covers from the likes of The Cult, Free, Pink, Blondie, The Clash and the White Stripes to name but a few. These tough cookies are currently on a mission to convert the South West into the ways of The Biscuit Mafia, check them out before they're all gone! See www.thebiscuitmafia.co.uk
The White Hart Inn – Tickets £4.00 A voucher for 10% off ticket prices (Tickets available from 1st June) can be found in the 88 page Souvenir programme Click here for information