REVIEWS
If you want to send us a review of a gig - please email it to playross@mail.com
SUMMER OF SOUND
in the
TOWN OF MUSIC
The ‘Town Of Music’ Ross On Wye is getting ready to bask in a jam packed Summer Of Sound,
with loads of brilliant events planned for the town and surrounding areas. So no matter what your
musical palate there will be a tasty treat waiting.
For instance if you like brass bands, there are the regular Sunday afternoon concerts on Ross Bandstand.
Take a picnic and enjoy the beautiful river surroundings while listening to a great selection of local bands.
This year there’s also a spectacular ‘Proms in the Park’ event (20th August).
There are plenty of opportunities to hear local choirs …and sing with them!.
The Penyard Singers are always ready to welcome new members and St Mary’s Church
is offering places on its ‘Come Sing’ event (July 23rd. Book to be a part of it). And if you can’t sing,
why not try your hand at bell ringing! (also at St Mary’s).
As usual the annual ‘Ross Country Music Festival’ (9-10th July), now in its 15th year, gives you the chance
to jangle your spurs along to some blistering country tunes. You may even end up line dancing!.
On the same weekend the Linton Blues Festival rocks up, and as always boasts an impressive line up.
This year the Sunday night headliners are Texas bluegrass outfit ‘Hayseed Dixie’.
It’s just a pity these two great events clash.
Fast becoming a stock part of the Ross soundscape is ‘Ollie fest’ (25-27th August), organised to honour
the memory of Ollie Floyd. Now in its 3rd year, this event is packed full of brilliant groups, as well as having a
DJ night and other attractions like fairground rides. What’s more - its FREE.
Then there are other festivals such as the ‘Dubs On The Wye’ at Wilton Sports Centre(16-18th June),
which is new this year, and features plenty of music as well as an open air cinema (showing Grease).
Another must hear gig is the ‘Down On The Farm’ festival near Abby Dore (11-13th August) which this year
is headlined by legends ‘Eddie and the Hotrods’.
Another brand new event this year is the ‘Ross Busking Festival’ (9th September).
Organised by Nick Penny, in conjunction with ‘CreateRoss’ and Ross Town Council. This aims to fill the
towns streets with all manner of live music, and hopes to be a regular feature which will encourage young talent.
Last but not least, there is of course the local pub music scene, with many of the town’s pubs having regular
nights of live music and DJ’s …and don’t forget Jacqueline’s nightclub with its monster silent disco, or
The Larruperz Centre with monthly country music nights. To cap it all The King Charles II has started
an ‘Open Mic’ night on Tuesdays, giving a great opportunity for budding musicians to get stage time.
All in all the live music scene in and around Ross On Wye, the ‘Town Of Music’ is stronger than ever,
so dust off your ears and do some soundbathing this summer.
You can get links to all the shows and festivals planned, as well as info on all manner of other events via
playross.com
Local Music Venues (an occasional series)
No.1 - Linton Village Hall
Linton Village Hall is a great place to see music.
Its quite small, but perfectly formed. (Its probably about the
same size as Phil Collins’ farmhouse kitchen - thats assuming
his kitchen is very large - and the sink, the Aga and the
giant double american fridge with integral ice dispenser
have been removed, and a stage installed at one end).
It holds 120, which means that even if theres only about 80 in,
it looks full and can generate a great atmosphere.
It has separate area for a Bar, which offers a selection of local
craft beers and there’s also the wonderful 'Get Fresh Cafe’
mobile van, serving vegetable soups and sweet potato chips (home-made and suitable for vegans). Back inside there are
plenty of chairs and tables to rest your drink and your
smokin' feet after you’ve got down and shaken your funky thang.
The night we were there (24th Feb 2017), we saw ‘Malpractice and the Sick Notes’. A six piece covers band who include 5 ex GP’s in the line up. This review is actually about the venue rather than the band, so the fact that they didn't float my boat should not, and does not matter. There were plenty of others in the room who were launching themselves onto the dance floor and having a great time.
In any case, there is a variety of musical styles booked to perform here over the next few months, so theres bound to be something coming up which will suit you. For instance on March 31st ‘The Remi Harris Project’ is appearing. His unique style blends elements
from Gypsy Swing, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Electronic and World Music, so if that sounds tasty, this is a must see.
Ok, Linton is about 3 miles out of Ross, but the journey is worth it. Just get a designated driver!
Finally the venue has a well maintained and informative website, which puts many other local venues and pub's online presence to shame. On there you will find details of all the upcoming gigs, as well as the other activities that are run from the Hall. Theres a link to the music section on playross or you can go direct to www.lintonvillage.com
LITTLE GUITAR RAISES LARGE DOSH
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The Ukulele Man of Ross (Matthew Stead) and the Ross Uke Troupe gave a brilliant charity concert on Saturday night. They raised over £500 for the Evelina Children’s Hospital and entertained a packed Phoenix Theatre, Ross-on-Wye. The first half of the show featured the ‘Ross Uke Troop’, formed from ukulele students of all ages, all taught by Matthew. They attacked their repertoire of pop covers and classical arrangements with gusto and clearly had a great time, as did the audience, who clapped, cheered and generally showed their appreciation throughout the night. |
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After the interval Matthew treated us to a virtuoso performance of traditional Hawaiian tunes and Jazz songs, demonstrating why the Ukulele is so keenly loved. He was joined by various guests including 10 year old Bear Dhunnoo Kattan, for a terrific rendition of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’. By the end of the evening the whole audience were singing along to glorious versions of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Alleluia’, and the classic ‘Life Of Brian’ tune ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’.
The mark of a good teacher is that they inspire their pupils with enthusiasm for the subject, and care how they are doing, which Matthew obviously does, as evidenced by his being moved to tears by the Uke Troupe’s performance. If you would like to learn a musical instrument, you can’t go wrong with a Ukulele, or with Matthew. He runs regular classes in Ross-on-Wye - details on his website, www.theukulelemanofross.com
The mark of a good teacher is that they inspire their pupils with enthusiasm for the subject, and care how they are doing, which Matthew obviously does, as evidenced by his being moved to tears by the Uke Troupe’s performance. If you would like to learn a musical instrument, you can’t go wrong with a Ukulele, or with Matthew. He runs regular classes in Ross-on-Wye - details on his website, www.theukulelemanofross.com
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The first outing of a new comedy night in Ross was a side splitting success. The show, held in the intimate "cabaret" room
at Walton Sports Centre was organised by Crazy Bird Comedy, who already hold regular comedy nights in Stroud. The audience were treated to a raucous mix of comedy styles, from straight standup to unusual character comedy, supplied by a excellent line up of seasoned (and rookie) comics, I can honestly say that on several occasions tears of laughter were streaming down my face, and the whole room was whipped into a whirlwind of hysterical glee. Everywhere people were laughing out loud and clearly having a great time. Such is the power of a live comedy show. My personal highlight was squeaky voiced Canadian David Tsonos, whose priceless observations on the intelligence of cats, and the logic of countries choosing national animals (…Canada chose the cute little Beaver, while Wales plumped for a fire breathing DRAGON!…) were top drawer. ...and Tim Hoskins, was forced into an encore by an enthusiastic audience who loved him, and his stories about causing work colleagues to fall off ladders or get thrown through plate glass windows. The whole evening was expertly held together by highly experienced compere Geoff Whiting, who grabbed the room by the funny bone from the outset, and didn't let go. Another show is being planned, and judging by the reaction to this one, Crazy Bird Comedy could build a regular nest in Ross, with some cracking good comedy eggs inside. NEXT GIG - 12TH MAY 2017 |
Crazy Bird Comedy
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