We’re heading to another Bank Holiday. This part of the year always confuses me as
I tend to forget what the Holiday is celebrating. This one is May Day. For young ones who may not remember, this is
about remembering the battles of the Labour Movement that gave us so much that
we now tend to take for granted. 
To celebrate this year why not pop down to the Imperial Building on
Rotherham’s Corporation Street around 7:00pm and join in the Party that will be
going on. Details HERE
That is just for starters. This
is probably the busiest weekends of the year, with Festivals and Open Events
throughout the Town. It’s often shouted
out that nothing happens in Rotherham; this weekend proves that lie to this and
once again it’s the arts lobby that leads the way. So SHOUT
IT OUT – there is no need to sit at home moaning of boredom this
weekend.
You can find just some of the top music and visual art events on the
RAE listings page HERE and I bet
there are even more things going on that have slipped through my net.
Here are a few pointers.
Top of the list has to be the Wath
Folk Festival. I’m told tickets are
still available for the Concerts, but don’t think you have to pay to be
involved in the atmosphere, pop down to Wath centre on Saturday morning and
listen to the music and watch the Morris dancers – it’s a great show. Many of the pubs host free sessions
throughout the weekend and there is the Marquee on the Park where you can
normally listen to some of the top local musicians and poets. Find the link on the listings page HERE
The Cutlers has a top weekend
of live music starting Friday night with Just Before Dawn taking to the
stage. Saturday it’s Dan
and the Mavericks and Sunday afternoon a Rockabilly special with The
Sons of El Roacho taking to the stage. Real Ale, sunshine and more.
The Imperial at Mexborough
is having an in House Beer Festival over the weekend, to accompany it there is
some brilliant music going on. Top of my
list is The Colin Robinson Band on Friday evening. Colin leads top Club Rock Band Wizz Kids and
Whitesnake Tribute Band Lovehunter, so you can be sure of a great rocking
night. Sunday, another of my favourite
local Bands Sneaking Stupidity will be taking to the stage.
Live in Rotherham present Dizzy
Lizzy at one of the new homes, Silverwood Miners Resource Centre, on
Saturday. This promises to be a great
night with support coming from top local originals rockers Carnival of Thieves. Tickets can be purchased Online HERE, or at Silverwood. Buy in advance and save yourself £2 on the
Door price.
For those seeking visual and fine Art, the Open Sheffield event kicks off.
Artists across South Yorkshire open the doors on their studios giving a
fantastic insight into the creative process.
In Rotherham artists using the ROAR Art Space on Westgate will be
opening their studios. Go take a look
at some of the fantastic work being done by local artists.
It’s also the weekend of the Filey
Folk Festival which has a top line up of the best of Northern based
artists. I’ve got some great memories
of having played this Festival myself and can recommend the event, and true to
RAE principles it’s FREE giving
everyone the opportunity to taste folk music old and new.
At The Commercial at Chapeltown,
Sheffield, on Friday evening Alan Gill launches a new monthly Folk session, First Friday Folk. We wish you well Alan and hope that we’ll
get to visit the Club in the not too distant future.
Also on Friday we have Big ROMP
at the Bridge. Go along and read
your work or simply take in the work of some of Rotherham’s top poets.
Value added of Saturday
includes The Mix’s Taking Back the Town
event in Rotherham Town Centre at 12:00pm.
Fun for all the family, and will include music and theatre.
The Bridge features those stalwarts of the local music scene Searching for Sylvia, on Saturday night.
And yet another of my top to see bands The Shambolix will be playing The Flying Scotsman in
Doncaster.
Sunday and The Imperial Building on Corporation
Street, Rotherham has it’s monthly Sunday
Market. Crafts, cakes!!, music and
much more.
I don’t usually point people towards religious events, but this one
caught my eye and may be interesting. The Liberty Church in Rotherham
entertain The Watoto Children’s Choir. A treat for the ears I am told.
Conisbrough Open Mic will be
holding an extra session from 8:00pm Sunday night at the Castle Bar, while
veterans of the local scene Tush
will be playing at The Titans Rugby Club.
So a great few days ahead - links to the events where they exist, can
be found on the RAE listings page HERE
So to the out and about section.
Well I’ve not been out as much as I would have liked, but a couple of
weeks ago I was taken to the Pitman
Poets evening at the Concertina Club in Mexborough. It has been many years since I had last
crossed the threshold of this establishment and very little had changed. My last visit had been for a Pub Quiz Cup
Final, representing The Sportsman, Swinton.
Wow how time flies.
The Pitman Poets are lead, if that’s the word by Tony Goodwin, yes, The
Pitman Poet himself. In fact it was Tony
who dragged me out.
He should be very proud of the group of poets he has gathered together,
with everyone getting the opportunity to recite two or three poems on the
night.
Special Guests were the fantastic Rotherham
Red Choir who under the baton of Phoebe performed three wonderful
numbers.
Then it was the turn of The
Masher to earn his pint. Only my
second performing outing in 2014/15.
Aided by the mass choir of the Red Choir who strangely knew the songs
(lol) it turned into a really lively set.
If this were not enough, Mr Gooders then dragged me, along with his
young lady, to The Imperial to sample
their Open Mic Night. Great to see
the Storm Trees duo in situ – my they work hard – and one or two others I
recognised. I repeated the set to an
interested audience. Nice Open Mic,
welcoming and a great atmosphere – if you’ve not yet checked it out well worth
a visit.
Unfortunately planned other outings had to be put on hold because of
ill health. However, great reports have
come back to me about Love Comes First 4.
Well done to all involved. Best
of all there was a truly culturally diverse mix to the entertainment.
You can’t get away Tony Goodwin
at the moment – he’s only gone and released a CD of his work entitled Poems of Love and Loss, which features many of
his more recent poems.
I’m to blame for the CD having nagged and nagged at him. It is the first recording project of our
Community Record Label, a project that has not been without it’s problems in
communication and missing technical men.
In the end Tony has produced a sample of his work which those who enjoy
his poems will enjoy. It’s true to the
Pitman Poet in that the CD has no airs and graces and some will say under
produced, but this is the way he wanted it, rough raw and to the point – indeed
The Pitman Poet.
The CD is £5 direct from Tony - PM on Facebook, or grab him if you spot
him in Town or better still catch him at one of his many live appearances
across the UK.
On Friday 1st The
Hurriers launch their CD, From
Acorns Mighty Trees at The underground in Barnsley. From the tracks I’ve heard this is a gritty
collection of songs reflecting the Socialist principles of the Band. If you can’t make the Gig you can find out
more about it and order it HERE
Unfortunately Jam and Slam
took a knock back, the last gathering unfortunately not taking place because of
a lock out at MyPlace. Communication is
the word, and clear lack of it resulted in the error. However it has got me thinking about what
we are trying to achieve with the Group.
So we are going to have a short break while we get the project back on
track.
Slamfest and the call goes
out. We need Young Bands average age
has to be under 24 to appear on the Slamfest Youth Stage as part of the main
Festival, if you are interested please EMAIL
HERE We also need Acoustic
performers of any age to fill potentially two acoustic stages. EMAIL HERE
Recent Sponsorship deals with other Festivals have not gone under our
radar. We absolutely applaud the work
of the Festivals and their organisers, however Mick and I were left wondering
where were these Sponsors when we needed help and support for Slamfest in
Rotherham Town? I know it sounds sour
grapes, but the fact remains that at least one sponsor is often highly critical
of the lack of events in Rotherham, let’s hope that their support of Beanfest
marks a change in policy.
The Cutlers Sunday sessions
take on an upgrade in June when on the 8th our good chum Ed Tenpole Tudor will be making an appearance
and this time supported by The
Shambolix. AND on the 28th
June Tom Hingley the former lead
singer with Inspiral Carpets will be making an appearance. You can buy your tickets for both these
concerts from the RAE On Line Box OfficeHERE
So nothing happens in Rotherham?
Perhaps some businesses and local Newspapers need to get behind and
celebrate the positive and creative images of Rotherham.
So whatever you’re doing this Bank Holiday, have great fun, support
your local shops and artists, and above all KEEP IT LIVE.
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