Bridgnorth Music Festival 2009 Reviews
Reviews and feedback from the 2009 Music Festival. We're hoping to get plenty of feedback here. Please send any articles, photos and thoughts to our address on the contact page.
Ribside at the Bell - Thursday 3rd September 2009
Written by Kev Adams Tuesday, 08 September 2009
It's been a bug bear of mine for some time. I'm sorry folks, I realise I've been going on about this for a long time now but why is there NO ELECTRONIC MUSIC of any kind ever performed in Bridgnorth!?! And I don't mean DJ's and whichever variant of House music is currently allowed at the Crown. Of course I could have just been missing a hidden scene somewhere, bleeping away just off the radar?
We live in a town with a fair few good venues these days but they're mostly frequented by folk, soft rock and blues bands, as good as many of these are too (and don't get me started on covers ;-). It's 2009 though, let's hear something a little different please. Don't get me wrong my taste is pretty diverse, I'm often blown away by the performers I see in the town but I'd love to find a venue willing to take a chance on something new once in a while. Then I get chatting to Clive Booth, ex-Bridgnorthian and the man behind the excellent Ribside http://www.myspace.com/ribsidecoadunate
Clive was keen to get involved with the Bridgnorth Music Festival but I was having trouble finding a suitable venue. He mentioned that he'd love to play at the Bell for old times sake as he'd played down there in the mid-80's over 20 years ago. Of course we're lucky to have Guy running a great music pub down there these days and although I knew he'd booked his main acts for the weekends of the festival, it was fairly easy to persuade him to take a chance on something different on a Thursday - for a band that would be happy to play for a few beers.
Acoustic/Unplugged on the Quayside - August Bank Holiday 2009
Written by Kev Adams Monday, 07 September 2009
Superb afternoons entertainment down on the Quayside. Live acoustic/unplugged acts from 12 noon - 6pm. All of the performers played a blinder and we had a great crowd too. Thank you to everyone who came down. At the Quayside we try to create a platform for song writers and original music, something that too often seems lacking in the town. We have some excellent music venues these days and plenty of outstanding performers. There aren't that many which encourage original music though so hopefully we play a small part in trying to redress the balance.
The Quayside forms a perfect mini-amphitheatre with performers playing against the back drop of the River Severn. A perfect venue with stunning views, although shamefully it's hardly ever used.
SheBangg – Bell and Talbot – August 28th 2009
Written by David Overton Monday, 07 September 2009
I had the chance to see SheBangg open up the Bridgnorth Music Festival on Friday. This was the fourth time I’ve seen them now and each time they have played in a different format (duo, acoustic band etc.). Tonight appeared to be the full-on electric set, which I must admit I wasn’t quite sure about to begin with, given the size of the venue (the Bell and Talbot surely has to be one of the more compact and bijou live music venues in the West Midlands!). However, they proved me wrong and tonight was an awesome set, delivered with talent and conviction to a completely packed room.
