The Folkestone Harbour Festival 2013

Saturday 10th August - Day One

Ah, the annual Folkestone Harbour festival. An extremely well planned and exercised event organised by the chaps at Sure Thing roductions all in aid of !"#$, was upon us yet again and the weather was typically %ritish in its outlook, should be a good &un, $ thought. The Friday night before the fest, 'ary Scott ()*!+s rogramme *ontroller, and $ set up the mobile studio to the side of the stage and $ prepared the studio ready for interviewing the bands as they came off stage. -ost of the food stalls and fun fair were already set up ready for the weekend. .hen $ arrived back in the following morning $ found the harbour alive with activity, from the stall holders excitedly getting ready to stage crew making last minute sound and lighting checks. $ could feel the tension and excitement in the air/ At exactly midday, the compare and )0 for the festival, aul !eynolds kicked it all off by introducing the first band, Full *ircle, a .hitstable based band playing mainly 12+s, 32+s and 42+s music. They had a good 5a66y, sometimes soulful sound and played good versions of songs such as %lack -agic .oman and 7eep on !unning. As was expected with the first band of the festival, there were a few sound issues but the guys battled through them and completed a good performance to open the weekend. Following them were a young band from Folkestone called "ative eople. A four piece $ndie band which maybe could do with more members as the singer was also using keyboards, drums and a synth. They had an interesting sound and played lots of their own songs to a mainly amused but sometimes bemused crowd. There did seem to be a lot going on in their performance and $ had trouble keeping up with what was happening at times. $ am sure that with time they will smooth out the kinks and become a band to watch in the future. $ must say that $ did en5oy their performance of )isclosure+s .hite "oise though. The third band to perform on stage was a band that $ had seen on many occasions before so $ had an idea of what to expect from these guys. %oneyard hail from Thanet and have 8uite the biker following, $ think mainly due to the classic rock that these guys play. And it was at the start of their performance that the bikers all rocked up to the stage, leaving their helmets on the front of the stage in order to dance to 0amie belting out classics such as Highway to Hell. "ow $ know that both "ick the %assist and 0amie the lead singer like to get the crowd+s attention during their performances, so $ wasn+t at all surprised when 0amie 5umped off stage whilst singing !adar #ove to go for a walk around the crowd with his wireless microphone. Another faultless set from a great covers band even though Ash, the drummer had to use a &normal+ drum kit rather than his usual electric kit.

After them came The 7ulpritts, a four piece, female fronted, $ndie !ock band with members from all over 7ent. $ had seen this band a few times before and really en5oy the energy that the band have and *arrie+s voice is perfectly suited to the kind of music that they play. They performed some great songs such as *ome Together and Times #ike These. They seemed to have brought their biggest fan with them as there was an older gentleman enthusiastically dancing right in front of the band who caught everyone+s ga6e and a few people actually started to 5oin him. The aptly named erfect 1th were the fifth band to come on stage. This is another great local *lassic !ock covers band. They have a well9practiced sound and all work well together as if they had been together for many years but in reality only formed at the beginning of the year. They achieve the great sound of the classic rock anthems with the use of 7eyboards along with the usual instruments and performed some excellent renditions of .hole #otta #ove and %ecause The "ight along with their version of !adar #ove which was played on The !ock :ut on )*! a short while ago. -r #a6y rocked up next. These are a 1 piece heavy rock ; reggae band from 7ent utilising )rums, 'uitars and 7eys. The lead singer+s voice is perfectly suited to the heavy rock stuff and $+m sure if his band mates allowed him, could 8uite happily sing a few metal tracks/ An all9round great band who all work well together. They performed some classic tracks such Hold the #ine, %ad To The %one and finished their set with the highly popular 0ump by <an Halen. The light had started to fade by 3pm and you could start to see how great the stage was. The lighting was beginning to show its effect and worked brilliantly alongside the smoke machine. Anyway, the next band to make an appearance was the self9styled party band, -arylebone 0elly. A 1 piece cover band that play all of the best party songs from the last five decades. This set included songs such as )akota, A little !espect, -r %rightside and their version of )aft unk+s 'et #ucky. A very lively and energy fuelled band who $ have seen once before at $wade !ock Festival and they still ama6e me. $n the word of their %assist Saul =>ou can+t have a party without a bit of 0elly/? *harged with the challenge of following -arylebone 0elly were %rad ittance and The irates. And as you might expect they rocked up wearing full on nautical outfits looking the part. A four piece reggae9rock covers band hailing from their pirate cove on the $sle of Thanet, they performed some great songs such as The :ne $ #ove, %e -y %aby and Free as a %ird. $ must say that they put their effort into this set and sounded great. The Headliners for the first day of the festival were *entaur arting, a fantastic heavy rock covers band from Ashford. They performed many classics from the likes of Thin #i66ie, *reed, <an Halen, %on 0ovi, 'uns @n@ !oses and )eep urple before bringing their wildcard out. This being former A*;)* drummer *hris Slade. *hris now has his own band called The *hris Slade Timeline in which a few

of the members of *entaur arting play. Anyway back to the performance. :nce they had done a 8uick drummer substitution they went on to play some of A*;)*+s greatest hits with the great drummer himself. The crowd were going absolutely cra6y when this band were performing and with good cause. There is a very good reason that *entaur arting was a headline band. Their performance was accentuated by the great light and smoke effect show that accompanied them and as you can see from the photos there was a feeling of being at a massive rock concert/ :ne band never to be missed, especially if their mate *hris Slade turns up with them/ This first day was finished off with some ama6ing fireworks and of course $ had to steal *hris Slade for a chat and some photos. $ was suitably worn out by the end of the day as $ had not only been watching the bands but also interviewing them after their performance in the )*! mobile studio. An extremely tiring but awesome day. $ shall now leave you in the very capable hands of Su6ie Todd to tell you all about day two. Mark ridland

Sure Thing roductions on Facebook Full *ircle on Facebook "ative eople on Facebook %oneyard on Facebook The 7ulpritts on Facebook erfect 1th on Facebook -r #a6y on Facebook -arylebone 0elly on Facebook %rad ittance and The irates on Facebook *entaur arting on Facebook

Sunday 11th August ! Day T"o

)uring of the first day of the Folkestone Harbour Festival by all accounts, -ark *ridland from )*! had been run ragged by writing music reviews, taking photos and interviewing the bands single9handedly. "o doubt he was a real trooper so on day two, $ decided $ had better go along to help him out and mop his sweating brow if nothing else/ The weather forecast didn+t look too promising but after a grey, dri66ly start, it came good with the sun coming out for the rest of the day. The festival was in aid of the !"#$. Along with a funfair for the kids, there were refreshment stalls

and the all9important beer tent where to the delights of many (-ark *ridland included, real ales were available. The Aston -artin owners club had some beautiful cars on display, Heli9charter were providing helicopter rides and the Harley )avidson owners club had a pretty awesome collection of bikes for all to see. To my mind, the evocative sound of the Harley engines along with the presence of fringed black leather and impressive tattoos were all the perfect ingredients for a rock festival. The host and )0 was aul !eynolds and kicking off at AB.22, he introduced Turmoil to an enthusiastic crowd that were starting to gather. $ was pleased to get the opportunity to see these guys again because $ thoroughly en5oyed them when $ saw them perform in Folkestone last year. Together, they deserve to be called veterans as they have been going for A2 years as a rock;pop cover band. They+ve been busy lads because at one time they were doing as many as C2 gigs a year and when interviewed they explained that they+ve now cut it down to a sensible amount. Turmoil opened the festival with ease did some great songs along with -onster, The 7aiser *hief+s $ redict A !iot, )akota by The Stereophonics, Dver Fallen $n #ove and $+m A %eliever. %ut by far, my favourite was their brilliant rendition of Sweet *hild :f -ine. "ext on at Apm was an originals9only band called )inosaur #ounge. These guys come from around Folkestone, )over and *anterbury areas, headed by vocalist Tom <ane along with *hris :+-ara and Alex .illiams on guitars, !obert 7ennett on bass and "athan Stoakes on drums. A relatively new band being formed in )ecember B2AB, they describe their genre as alternative;proggy. )inosaur lounge en5oyed performing on the lovely big stage and also playing in the open air as the crowd en5oyed their songs such as )esdemona, Dxile Song, Storm The *astle (-ark *ridland+s personal favourite, and "o !edeeming %liss. 'ood luck guys9keep it coming/ $ think that sometimes it can be difficult for an originals band to completely capture an audience because more often than not, their songs aren+t recognised. However, my view on this completely changed when *rashgate took the third slot of the day and $ was transfixed/ They blew me away with all their own material such as !ed !osie 0ack, .hisky -akes -e frisky, As :ne, %:% and their ama6ing song The 'etaway9 all of which $ shall be downloading and $ thought that some of their music had an almost #inkin ark flavour to it. For a band that only formed 5ust over B years ago, they were so professional. Tony )orman on guitar, %rian Andrews guitar and backing vocal, Shaun !oche bass, !ichard 7eeler on drums and the ama6ing *raig Sheridan on vocals who came down off the stage and interacted with the crowd. $ also liked the fact that they introduced the names of the songs they were about to sing (which $ think is a good pointer for new bands., "ot only that, but they were giving away free gifts to the kids9 brilliant. *rashgate ticked all of my boxes. They were right up my street. $n my opinion they were complete package, they stole the show and should be headlining next year/

Then, Eero Tolerance came on. An indie pop;rock cover band from Folkestone who have been together for B years. .ith Steve *lark as vocalist, Steve )riscoll on guitar, %rendon )riscoll bass and "eil !eynolds on drums. #ots of people were dancing along as they sang many well9loved numbers like Fire by 7asabian, The *ult+s She Sells Sanctuary, Teenage 7icks and %orn To %e .ild. $ think the band had a good time on stage and so did the crowd. At Fpm it was time for The 'ary )ean %and. !eformed from the eighties with 'ary )ean as lead singer, -ick lead guitar, )arren on guitar, %ob on bass and *hris *lark on drums. This band has a pop;rock genre and has also done some original stuff too. Today they entertained the crowd with many sing9a9long songs such as )own Gnder, the classic !oute 33, $ Fought The #aw and they wound it up with )ancing $n The )ark. reviously seen at another festival, $ now had my chance to see Alter Dgo for the second time. A cover band from )over formed in B2AA. $ts members being )aniel %urvill vocalist and guitar, "iall %owman bass and Solomon #awson on drums. Again, $ en5oyed them and their interaction with the crowd was excellent. Singing some great numbers such as, #ondon+s *alling, !ed Hot *hilli eppers+ *alifornication, a %lack Sabbath cover, lay That Funky -usic, -etallica+s "othing Dlse -atters, some !age Against The -achine that everyone went mad to and they finished off with the legendary Floyd+s Another %rick $n The .all9 wicked/ A heavy rock cover band was up next. Fat %adger. These guys are from Ashford with Andy To6er on vocals, *hris ayne on bass and vocals, *hris %ailey on guitar and drumming was )arren !oberts. They did some good numbers and my favourites that also seemed to get the crowd rocking too were Times #ike These by The Foo Fighters and their brilliant cover of A* )*+s phenomenal song .hole #otta !osie. )eep .ater Hori6on another band that $ saw for the second time today took stage next. $ will stick with my original description of them which is &young and refreshing.+ The band members are 0ake *lapson, )an #eggatt, %en !oyston and female drummer Tor *harlesworth. $t was really good to watch %en playing (his debut $ believe, on the trumpet. Dveryone seemed to en5oy their performance listening to songs including Dver Fallen $n #ove by The %u66cocks, Superstitious, The 0am+s 'oing Gnderground and -y generation originally by The .ho. Ska fans would have particularly en5oyed the next musicians, a lively, three9 piece band called The Heroes. They went down well at the festival and again, they really interacted well with the crowd singing the great A Town *alled -alice, 0ilted 0ohn+s 'ordon $s A -oron, "ice #egs Shame About Her Face, Too -uch Too >oung, :ne .ay :r Another, Sound :f The Suburbs by The -embers and another blast from the past9 eaches by The Stranglers. For me, they pulled it right out of the bag with their last song when they did a brilliant version of The %eastie %oys+ Fight For >our !ight/ .hat a fantastic way to end their set/

#ast but by no means least were the headlining band who took on a dancing and singing crowd and a real party atmosphere. aradox is a 19piece originals band formed in ACC3. They write, compose, record and mix all their own material. .ith $ain on vocals, hil guitar, %ex bass and .ayne &)oc !hythm+ as their drummer, they make an exciting and powerful blend of talent and are influenced by bands like "irvana, Sex istols, #inkin park and 'reenday. They commanded the spot light at the end of the night singing some great tracks such as :nly Hurts .hen $ %reathe, Teenage 7icks, )emise, Twisted and .orking *lass. aradox made it a good end to a good day. $ 5ust wished -onday morning wasn+t 5ust around the corner. $+m sure the success of the festival belongs to so many. "ot 5ust the obvious ones like the bands and the crowds who came along, but also to the people who were behind the scenes probably spending months planning this double day event. $ hope everyone had a brilliant day, that lots of money was raised for !"#$ and that everyone will be back next year for some more. $ will be even if it+s only to mop -ark *ridland+s sweating brow once again. Su#ie Todd Turmoil on Facebook )inosaur #ounge on Facebook *rashgate on Facebook Eero Tolerance .ebsite Alter Dgo on Facebook Fat %adger on Facebook )eepwater Hori6on on Facebook Heroes .ebsite aradox on Facebook