Video Podcast Episode One

Episode One is presented by Tony Russell and features Jake Flowers who will be playing on the Quayside on Bank holiday Monday August 29th and Simon Golding talking about some of the great celebrity memorabilia donated to our Celebrity Charity Auction.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel here - http://www.youtube.com/user/bridgnorthfestival

Or subscribe to the podcast here for iTunes or here for other podcast feed viewers

RACPA Review

Written by Luke Mills Friday, 23 July 2010

Bridgnorth was host to a new, exciting different event on Saturday 17th July and also hosts to a very worthy cause supporting and promoting awareness to the abuse of Children Rock Against Child Pornography and Abuse (RACPA).   Through the help and support and contacts from RACPA we put on a show of six brilliant Rock and Metal acts that really showed Bridgnorth how to Rock!

The diversity of genres the bands performed ensured that anyone interested in guitar lead music had something to get their teeth into.   From the melodic riffs from NG-26, the traditional hair rock of Suicide Tuesdays, the fresh sound from The Theory of the Fallen, the punk sound from Senseless to the light melodic rock from Eastroad.  Each one of these bands deserve a great future and we would love to have everyone of them back again in our small town to show Bridgnorth what Rock is all about!!!!

The day finalised with an awe-inspiring performance from Bridgnorth’s own Shebangg who sang their RACPA dedicated single ‘Innocence Lost’ a track to symbolise there is never a need to suffer in silence.  A big massive thank you goes to each of bands that played at our joint RACPA / Music Festival Event.  Unfortunately some bands played to a smaller audience that we had originally hoped for, however this did not deter the bands and they played hard, well and gave us and more importantly RACPA the support to raise awareness for their cause.

Because of the overall success it is something that both us at the Bridgnorth Music and Arts Festival and RACPA will do again in the future!

One final thank you goes to all the people that supported these bands, and to all the people that helped make this possible.  Special thanks go to Adam Farnsworth who provided his services to create a massive Rock sound for us and to the support from the committee in getting this event running and also to Kev Adams for hosting all the material on the web.

Watch this space in the future – we will be back for more ROCK!!!

High Street Main Event - Sunday 29th August

Thursday, 08 July 2010

The Groundhogs

The Groundhogs are an iconic blues and progressive rock band characterised by improvised screaming guitar solos, which achieved several top chart albums (Thank Christ For The Bomb, Split, Who Will Save The World & Hogwash) through the 1970’s.

Tony 'TS' McPhee is the talent behind 'The Groundhogs', and his outstanding writing and phenominal guitar skills have formed and pushed at the outskirts of British blues and rock for the last fourty odd years. Despite the album success, The Groundhogs retain a cult status, you are either absolutely passionate about them or have never heard of them.

More info here...

The Cracked Actors

Cracked Actors were formed in 1999, initially to just play music to our friends; this grew into a nine piece band that went on to rock at Glastonbury in 2004 and 2005 as well as slots at Farmer Phil’s Endorset in Dorset, Nozstock, Electric Picnic in Ireland, and Kippertronix. 
With three albums to their name - "Skunkrocker", "Bard for life" and the 3rd Album soon to be released "No Room for NoThink!"

More info here...

Booyaka

Booyaka is a funky legend, a non-stop party, a musical mantra, a way of life. Retro yet forward-looking, danceably funky but rockingly filthy dirty, Booyaka's individual groove has never been more vital. After more than a decade of gigging Booyaka remains Shropshire's premier funk band. A true inspiration for past and present generations of misspent youths, these funk-rock heroes have genuinely changed the musical landscape to create the funkiest county you've never heard of.

More info here...

Barrel O'Baddies

Take a traditional song from one of the old countries, add a jig on fiddle and banjo to get it moving. Lay down some crazy skankin' guitar lines and a heavy bass riff and you're somewhere close to the Baddies' sound.
Bang it through a P.A. at full volume after drinkin' several pints of your favourite brew whilst whooping and hollering yourself stupid and you'll know what it's like to be part of a Baddies gig. Fan-bloody-tastic. The Barrel O'Baddies play traditional Celtic Punk. 'Ave some!

More info here...

Electric Kite

Electric Kite are not just your stereotypical young indie rock band. After spending a great deal of 2009 working independently on their own material and releasing a self produced EP back in February of this year, they have earned the respect of the local youth music scene for such a dynamic style of music. Each track has an imagination of its own and the EP as a whole is a complete variation between light and dark. Definitely worth a listen on their facebook page!

More info here...

Antisocial Misfits

The Antisocial Misfits formed in 2008 with Joe Baker, Si Major and Ian (scrivo) Scrivens and finalised the line up with Dave Addis on lead guitar.

More info here...

Kate Long - Talk and Book Signing

Written by Simon Golding Wednesday, 07 July 2010

At Bridgnorth Library
(Listley Street, Bridgnorth, WV16 4AW)
7:30 p.m. Thursday 2nd September 2010

It is with great pleasure we welcome a special Talk and Book Signing by prolific authoress Kate Long.

Kate started writing after taking an English degree, teaching English at secondary level, and following it up with a teacher training course on Creativity in the Classroom.

The author’s first novel was the number 1 best-seller The Bad Mother’s Handbook, which tells the story of a year in the life of one extraordinary family. The book was so popular it was made into a Radio 4 ten-part series.

It was no surprise when Kate was approached by production companies wishing to buy the movie rights. A high-profile film was made starring Catherine Tate and an American version starring Alicia Silverstone.

Many books followed including Swallowing Grandma, Queen Mum and recently; The Daughter Game and A Mother’s Guide to Cheating.

During this most fascinating Talk; Kate Long will discuss the writing process, what it was like to have the book filmed – which Kate was heavily involved, plus a short reading.

Nigel Goodall - Book Signing

Written by Simon Golding Sunday, 04 July 2010

Nigel Goodall is a British-born author with more than twenty books on the movie and pop worlds to his credit, which combined, have sold over a million copies worldwide.

We are very proud to welcome the bestselling, prize-nominated author to this year’s Bridgnorth Music and Arts Festival. Nigel will be signing his new updated paperbacks "The Secret World of Johnny Depp" and "A Life in Time and Space".

Nigel will be at WH Smith (Bridgnorth) - 4 p.m. Friday 3rd September 2010 for the signing of the bestselling novel "The Secret World of Johnny Depp" which is an intimate biography of Hollywood’s best loved rebel! 

The Secret World of Johnny Depp reveals how a troubled and gifted child became the actor he is today, using a wide range of sources to create a definitive biography giving us a rare glimpse into the secret world of a man whom there is much more to than meets the eye.

Nigel will be back at WH Smith (Bridgnorth) - 4 p.m. Saturday 4th September 2010 for the signing of "A Life in Time and Space" – a biographical novel surrounding the actor, and former Doctor Who, David Tennant.

The book explores the world of David Tennant, one of the most powerful actor’s on British television. And, with two National Television awards to his credit and numerous other theatrical accolades, David has proven he’s here to stay. Nigel’s thoroughly researched book probes the life and times of this most private of men.

You can find out more about Nigel at his website - http://www.nigelgoodall.co.uk/