SOMETHING pretty special for the local music scene happened over the weekend.
It was the second Stokie Fest All Dayer on May 4 at Basingstoke Town Football Club, an event that successfully debuted in 2013.
Promoters Robert Gregson & Sam Lay (Rolling Thunder Entertainments) came up with the idea of giving some of the best local acts a chance to show their talent throughout the day inside the club house whilst also making it a fun family day, providing lots of activities outside too.
With Eurohire providing a superb PA System, KHMP providing sound engineering and Shakermaker Promotions responsible for the lighting, the football club was transformed into a music venue that both looked and sounded impressive.
The line-up of bands that was put together for the event included lots of local favourites and there was something for everyone. At £10 a ticket for an all day event which included the fantastic Hats Off To Led Zeppelin, it was brilliant value for money.
The event started at midday and the punters were already pouring in to the venue on the sunny bank holiday weekend. Kicking off proceedings were The Sam Paine Trio. They played a set of instantly likeable tunes and set the pace for the rest of the day.
They were followed by Kilriki who played as a 3-piece this time due to one of their members being unavailable. Their eclectic mix and memorable hooks got the crowd applauding. It was evident already that this day was going to be something special going by the first 2 performances and the next band, Chasing Ghosts, had everyone mesmorised. They did a nice chilled out set which featured some covers (David Bowie & Keane) as well as their own material and it was excellent. Singer Stephen Grigsby even jumped off stage at one point, grabbed a chair and did a solo acoustic number within the audience who sang along.
Next up we were treated to a couple of performances from some well known acoustic maestros. Both David Capper andRob Hayes play regularly on the local scene and make it look so easy. David played a short set of original material which featured songs from his debut album Bare Bones. Lots of people in the audience sang along to the tunes that have now become local favourites.
Rob was up next and did a mix of both originals and covers. His songs have also become favourites on the local scene and he dedicated one of them (Audrey Hepburn) to the lady herself as it would have been her birthday on that day.
The ever-growing crowd inside the football club had already been spoilt with the talent on show and it was going to get better as the day went on. The sun was out, the music was great and the beers were flowing.
The Punch Drunk Koalas took to the stage next. A collective of familiar faces around the local scene who played a set of covers in their own style which included the likes of The Smiths, Madonna & Feeder. It was something different.
Following them were a band that have been very busy over the past year, My Never Time. They are a 3-piece who play their own material that has a rock vibe to it and they were awesome. They are one of those bands that just get better and better every time they play and the crowd loved them.
There were lots of people in the venue now and My Never Time treated them to an excellent set which included the awesome song Inland Revenue. They also gave out lots of free stuff including CDs, stickers and badges.
Another band who are local favourites were on next in the shape of Ded Orse. This lot are on the rock vibe too but are a lot heavier. They announced that they’d try to tone it down for the day and not play the heavy stuff but that didn’t last long as they did what they do best and that was to just give it some welly!
Their music is infectious and loud and the crowd loved it. There were lots of Ded Orse T-shirts on view too and their last song was a cover of T Rex’s 20th Century Boy which had everyone singing along. Both My Never Time and Ded Orse were very impressive and no doubt they grabbed a whole new bunch of followers at Stokie-Fest.
With the venue now looking busy at late afternoon, it was time for something totally different in the shape of Johnny Marvels Blues Groove. This bunch of familiar faces got the people up dancing with their set of upbeat blues grooves. They are yet another busy band on the scene and their set was great.
They were followed by a band who have gained quite a following over the past year and it was evident that there were quite a few people there to see them. We Are The Brutus took to the stage next and just like some of the others before them, gained a whole new following with their eclectic mix of New Wave / Indie. Lots of movement on stage, a set of their own material and an ever growing crowd dancing and singing along provided Stokie Fest with yet another awesome set.
Brink Theory were up next and their set of alternative rock tunes kept the audience entertained once again before we were treated to another band of familiar faces and new to the local scene. Sugarman Sam and The Voodoo Menplayed classic blues and rock to a now very busy venue and they went down very well, the highlight of their set being Crossroads.
It was now getting towards the business end of the event. The venue was busy and the atmosphere was great. People were complimenting the sound and lights and talking about the bands that they had seen so far. Outside was busy too with lots of people taking advantage of the good weather, food stalls and extra activities.
Inside we now had The Black Bullets take to the stage and they were ready to show the venue and its punters what they were all about - and what they are all about is dirty, dirty rock & roll. They’re yet another busy band and have been gigging extensively over the past year taking in Europe along the way.
They have a new line up and they not only looked the part but they treated the crowd, which included lots of people who were there to see them, to a set of mayhem. It was loud, in your face and memorable. They were awesome on the day and are well worth going to see if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them yet.
Burning Idols were up next as main support to the headliners and their style of Ska was totally different to the two bands that they were sandwiched between. The crowd loved it and just like The Black Bullets, they had them dancing and singing along. They were on form and guitarist Stu was playing his first gig as a married man as he’d got married the previous day. Burning Idols showed why they are so well thought of on the local scene and their set was excellent.
Throughout the day the punters had been treated to some awesome performances from local talent and in between the bands DJ Skankin Steve had played tracks that suited each band before they went on as well as what he is known for, Ska music.
It had been a long day for those of us that were involved with the event or those that had been there to see all of the bands from the start. If people were starting to tire a bit they were soon back on form when the headliners Hats Off To Led Zeppelin took to the stage.
These guys are being described as the best Led Zeppelin tribute around and rightly so. It’s easy to see why they have that title as they are just amazing. Their set included lots of classic Led Zeppelin tracks and looking around the now packed venue you could see that everyone was almost hypnotised by what they were seeing.
They kicked off their set with Rock n Roll and from then on it was classic after classic. Kashmir, Stairway To Heaven, Immigrant Song and Whole Lotta Love nearly took the roof off the football club! It was amazing to think that it was only £10 for the whole event yet you would quite happily pay double that just to see the headliners.
The band were on top form and looked like they really enjoyed playing. Everywhere you looked there were people dancing and singing along and when they had finished their set there were chants of "More! More! More!”. The guys left the stage on a high note and then they were gone.
Stokie-Fest was a great event that was both well promoted and well attended. It was good to see that some of the bands that had played during the day actually stayed around and supported the event and fellow bands too, something that doesn’t happen enough in my opinion.
I have no doubt that everyone who had attended had a great time and I would put money on it that there will be a Stokie Fest 2015. It’s events like these that do the local music scene proud.
Thanks to Rolling Thunder Entertainment and all involved for creating something special that is on our doorstep!
Gary Cee