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Leicester at the Music FestivalsOur coverage of the Surface Unsigned festival has moved to a new page Festivals in Leicester/shire | Out of Town festivals Local FestivalsThe Leicester Comedy Festival | See our comedy page for more Razmataz opening the main stage at Summer Sundae
Click on the photo Young indie band Razmataz played the opening slot on the main stage of Summer Sundae on Friday 14th August. As Arts in Leicestershire was excluded from covering the event by the organisers of the festival, we are unable to write any on the spot report of their set. Fans told us that the band played very well and were widely enjoyed by the crowd. Leicester Gay Pride festivalSaturday 5th September saw the return of Leicester's festival day for the gay and lesbian community. A parade through the city centre was followed by a main stage of entertainment in Belgrave Gate, featuring Leicester's top indie band The Heroes and singing superstars Blazin' Squad. The last Leicester Pride took place in 2006 when the event took place on Victoria Park. Since then, funding difficulties have made it impossible to mount the annual festival. This year, gay venues clubbed together to put on Pride, which took place in Belgrave Gate, which was closed off for the stage, stalls and rides. The main stage was opened at 14:15 by the Lord Mayor and featured a lineup of singers, dancers and groups and two bands, The Vinyl Throwbacks and Leicester's The Heroes. Musically there was something for everybody and the crowd represented a wide cross section of tastes. The Heroes arrived on stage at 6.30 p.m., their appearance being proceeded by a stage full of drag queens singing songs from the Village People. The band launched into its pulsating hit Blue Rave, which certainly got some sections of the audience dancing. The Heroes put on a good set, apart from Alex Totman's string breaking, and the sound not being as good as it was for the other acts. Not sure why because when the other band played it was ok. It was good that The Heroes agreed to play Leicester Pride. In 2005 Leicester pop punk band ICTUS played on the main stage with a selection of rock bands and artists playing in the music tent. The gay community, however, is not noted for its devotion to rock, since all the venues play an unvarying diet of cheesy pop and RnB and rarely invite live music on to their stages. So, full marks to the Pride organisers for giving musicians places on the lineup, when so many other acts sang to backing tracks. The crowd did however warm to the classic rock covers of the Vinyl Throwbacks, indicating that there is a body of people who enjoy the great songs of the past. The band put on a well played, entertaining set which captured the attention of the crowd. The response of the crowd to the Heroes, however, was not as enthusiastic as would have been predicted. Neither were band members that keen on the experience. At least two band members told us, after the set, that they wouldn't want to play a Pride event again. Whilst some Heroes fans turned up to see the band, and also a few members of other Leicestershire bands, others stayed away because they "didn't want to go to a gay event". Hence, the need for Pride, because whilst most people's attitudes have changed, there are still some who are prejudiced. Pride was however supported by Leicester City Council and petty much all of our local MPs. Artists who are not gay are keen to play at Pride events and being gay is not a criteria for being selected for the main stage. The move away from Victoria Park to Belgrave Gate was seen by many as being successful and indeed the idea of an open, free street party saw not only a large chunk of the gay community turning up to enjoy the fun but also a wide cross section of the general public. In a city dedicated to diversity, it is laudable that Pride has returned to complement the annual programme of festivals. Photos to follow soon. More from the official Leicester Gay Pride web site Caribbean Carnival drenchedHeavy rain on Saturday 1st August drenched the dancers and floats of the Caribbean Carnival but failed to deter the crowds from turning out to see the floats and the parade. Armed with umbrellas, people lined the streets to see the procession go past and gathered at Victoria Park for the live shows and stalls.
Leicester's Multi-Ethnic community takes to the Streets again for a colourful and vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture, with a parade around the city centre and London Road and a big gathering on Victoria Park with several live music stages. Victoria Park festival - all day. Music stages, food stalls, beer tents, market stalls, shows. The Big Session festival, 19th June to 21st June 2009The DeMontfort Hall, its gardens and Victoria Park was the venue for this festival of folk, jazz, blues and alternative genres. Now in its fifth year, the Big Session has established itself as a must see annual event for music lovers both locally and nationally. The festival's three stages gave the audience an eclectic feast of musical talent, ranging from Billy Bragg and Jersey Budd through to emerging local acts. This year's line up sparkled with top rank acts, including Oysterband, Levellers and Edward II. Local artists who took to the main stage included Chris Conway and Norcsalordie. Similar to the much larger Summer Sundae weekender, the Big Session offered a lineup of artists from folk, country, Celtic, traditional and similar styles of music, mixing well established acts with new acts and local singers. A family oriented event, people of all ages were visible in the crowd. A wide variety of food stalls, a huge selection of real ales and ciders, made this a relaxing, holiday-esq event, albeit a trifle expensive for those of us who are feeling the crunch. My first time at this festival, I felt it was somewhat like the Summer Sundae weekender, occupying the same location on Victoria Park, albeit on a smaller scale. Walking round the site, which was dominated by the "big top" that housed the main stage, there was the usual plethora of stalls selling a wide variety of foods and merchandise. If you wanted a portion of greasy fish and chips you would have to have set off down London Road, because the festival cuisine was very wholesome and macrobiotic, all very veggie and organic and rather eco-friendly, including the tent selling "hemp" which sadly provided only products to wear. A relaxed, even laid back atmosphere, the audience was largely middle aged but with quite a few kids in evidence, reflecting the family orientation of the event. Some of the more acoustic acts played in the "Orange Tree" marquee. Organised by De Montfort Hall's Richard Haswell, in partnership with London's massive CODA AGENCY, the line up brought together big name acts like Billy Brag and Jersey Budd, with a variety of established bands and acts from around the country. Big Session is a folk, country and alternative weekend, with a few related genres thrown in from time to time, so very attractive if your over 40 and still into long hair and sandals. There was also the "little sessions" fringe event, taking place at the Hind, just down London Road, opposite the station. Here you could hear established local artists such as Kenny Wilson, Dawson Smith and Paula Driver. Local talent was also on offer at the Big Session stages, including NORCSALORDIE, Leicester's finest English folk songs band. Big Session offered music that is quite different from Summer Sundae, so it couldn't really stand up as a "warm up" for it musically, but it did make use of that wonderful wasted space which is the De Mont fort Hall Gardens. Whilst Bloodstock is available for metal fans, Glastonbudget for tribute enthusiasts and Download for the heavier stuff, our inner city festivals are a welcome alternative to those expensive trips out to the middle of no-where. Songflower Songs competition winner Mary Everett arrived in the nick of time to perform a delightful set of songs in the Orange Tree marquee, on Friday afternoon. As with Summer Sundae the sound engineering and production was first class. Nice big stages that are good for bands and sound you can hear really well, the production people at the festival did us proud. In a strong clear voice, Mary sang an engaging set, accompanying herself on the guitar. Intriguing lyrics reflecting her own life experience, her set was original and captivating; she had something to sing about, saying "my music is about transforming hate and prejudice into creativity". At one point she had the audience clapping in time, while she sang without guitar. Originally from Leicester but now living in Melton, local artist Mary won the Sunflower competition and her place at the festival. Moving into the De Montfort Hall, Liz Green took to the stage and began her set with an a capella song, without a mic, to which the audience obligingly clapped in time. No mean feat in a 2,000 capacity hall and to its credit we could hear every word. Taking to the mic, Liz bounced into her first full song and she poured out some captivating and atmospheric lyrics. Crystal clear sound and moody production lighting added a good deal to her set. Liz amused the audience between songs with some canny comments. Her guitar work was richly laden with key changes and modulations and she clearly held most of the crowd enthralled with vivid poetic images and a set with a lot of character and vitality. A bit quirky, she had a minute light display and changed silhouettes for each song. A song about a robin was vocalised rather like a poetry reading. Liz then moved over to something that looked like mini keyboard and amplified this with some sound from a tape recorder. Her "drinking blues dancing song" bounced along to a wordy monologue full of striking images. A very different and alternative act, it was nevertheless an engaging experience, even for someone like me who had never encountered her before. Headline act Billy Bragg is a legend in Britsh Music. His songs were "full of passion, anger and wit", an artist with an agenda to sing about, he is noted for his radical, dissenting approach to music, something along the lines of England's answer to Bob Dylan. Known for his overtly political songs, he was often to be seen at political rallies and miner's benefits. He played with The Style Council, The Communards, Madness and the Smiths. So that cocktail of rock, protest and punk is what makes him an enthralling act and certainly the most outstanding artist at this year's festival. A set laden with passion and intensity, Bragg brought the festival to life and some went soley to hear this one artist and for many it brought back much magic from the past 25 years. Spark Children's Arts FestivalThe 2009 festival ran from 25th May - 7th June, presenting a broad mix of theatre, dance, storytelling, puppetry, music and visual arts events from national and international artists and companies. The programme was created for children aged 0 to 13 and wass presented in theatres, schools, libraries, village halls and parks all over Leicester and Leicestershire. Summer SundaeSummer Sundae Fringe writes in Facebook: Folks. Apologies for a mass email, but as you may or may not know, Richard Haswell, the general manager of DMH has been suspended from Leicester City Council. The council have not made public the reason for his suspension. Summer Sundae 2008 Held at the De Montfort Hall and Gardens near Victoria Park, Summer Sundae wass the place to be for big named acts and a lineup of local bands. 2008 was a great year, as we reported at the time. The main stage was opened by Leicester band The Heroes on the first day of the festival and on the second by Hinckley band The Chairmen. 14th - 16th August 2009 SUMMER SUNDAE WEEKENDER at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Original Bands Showcase (OBS)The OBS 2009 now has dates for all heats and the final; these are summarised on our OBS news page Glastonbudget 2009The Glastonbudget Festival took to the fields of Wymeswold near Loughborough again over the May band holiday 2009. Several stages offered a top class line up of Tribute bands and New Acts and acoustic artists, playing their own original music. Hailed as the best yet, the good weather and turnout of music fans was another feather in the cap of this growingly important festival. See our coverage of the Glastonbudget festival and find out how to get your band to play there. Fristok Festival4th July - The Fristok Festival takes place in the area of Frisby, Hoby and Rotherby, with a large, open space surrounded by glorious Leicestershire countryside on what will hopefully be a balmy summer’s evening, add a stage, a PA, a bar, a barbecue and a gang of like-minded people to the mix and you should end up with a splendid night’s entertainment - and opportunities for local bands to raise their profiles before an audience of several hundred music lovers.l Check out the Fristok Festival web site DiwaliThe lights were turned on in Belgrave's Golden Mile last night (12th October) with lots of dancers, music and fireworks - the 2009 festival will be in October/November time. September The Leicester International Music festival takes place 18 -21 September 2008. One of the finest chamber music festivals in Europe. May to October - One Rythm Dance Festival 16th and 17th August Supersonic Festival Countesthorpe. Our page listing all known festivals of any kind in Leicester and Leicestershire or nearby. Download 12 - 14th June 2009 |
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