Summers End 09 - Dates and first two bands announced

[Lambsie]

We are delighted to announce that this year's edition of the Festival will take place on October 9 / 10 /11 at Lydney Town Hall, Gloucestershire, UK.

Festival founder Huw Lloyd Jones says:
"Lydney Town Hall was almost universally praised as a venue last year, so we are delighted to be back."

Co-organiser Stephen Lambe talks about the potential line up for 2009:
"After the response to last year's Festival, the pressure is on to match it, but we are sure we can do it. We have some great ideas, and if even a few of them come off, it should be an amazing weekend."

We are also delighted to announce the first two bands booked for the Festival:

Parallel or 90 Degrees have announced that after a long hiatus they have reformed for a brand new album "Jitters" and some live dates. This follows the success of their Double CD retrospective "A Can of Worms" released last year. The band presents a harder edged, more contemporary sound than Andy Tillison's other project, the Tangent, who made a triumphant headline appearance last year. We are delighted to say that the band will have a prominent slot at this years Festival.
www.po90.com www.myspace.com/po90degrees

We are also thrilled to welcome the brilliant Godsticks to one of the weekend's opening slots. Based in South Wales, this unique 3 piece impressed us with their music which combines prog with fusion, pop and just a touch of funk. Their great songwriting and outstanding musicianship can be heard on the bands 5 track self-titled EP, available from their Myspace site.
www.myspace.com/godsticksmusic

Further details of the Festival will be announced very soon:

As well as the main Festival website www.summersend.co.uk (updating soon) all the news as it happens will be posted at:

www.myspace.com/summersendfestival
www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?e ... 514&ref=nf
Stalk us mercilessly at www.twitter.com/summersendfest

Join the yahoo group at: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/su ... dfestival/

Email: mailto:summersend@btinternet.com">summersend@btinternet.com

[Ash]

Do any of the great ideas include transport between Lydney Hall and Whitemead?

[Tricky]

Do any of the great ideas include transport between Lydney Hall and Whitemead?

Or some sort of cover for the punters during the inevitable soundchecking chuckouts.  We were lucky last year that it wasn't cold and wet. :roll:

[LivingForever]

Or some kind of communication with the local pubs and restaurants so they actually open during the weekend? :p

[Pedro]

Small covered "stage" (just one of those wall-less garden sun shades) in the car park to allow artists (on the bill or not) to "busk" for the waiting crowd.
People will happily stand in the cold/rain and buy beer/burgers if there's live music!

[Lambsie]

:roll:

Cripes, guys...give us a chance! Last years teething problems WILL be dealt with..one way or the other - let us deal with booking the bleedin' bands first!  

[Big Black Shed]

Pedro. Our very tall wish genie.

It worked for the Tinyfish acoustic set at The Peel Xmas gigs. Now can you wish for this for Summers End, please???

It Bites: Saturday headliners
Touchstone: Because the It Bites / Touchstone Lydney gig never happened.
Tinyfish: Because they're great.
Darwin's Radio: Ditto.
RiverSea: Ditto again.

Can you start wishing, please. There's a good chap. Plus 4 out of the 5 have got new albums out this year  

[D S]

Good call BBS!  I'll start wishing for that line-up too!
It would be good to see some of the 80s prog bands that are still around too - Pallas and Twelfth Night come to mind.
I know it's early days but the current line-up hasn't got me fired up like last year's list-  :?  ...yet!  

[LivingForever]

I'll see your list, BBS and raise you a Riverside and a Beardfish.

[Pedro]

I know I have been real lucky in the wish department, seemingly influencing the line-ups at a few gigs but a) those guys know their onions already and b) the good Sirs Huw and Lambsie are (sadly) not susceptible to being wished-over when it comes to the festival line-ups.
Several of those bands just can't do it again yet - but some of them can so I'll happily wish for them all in the hope that at least some of them stick.
RiverSea is one I'd deffo like to see there - as is Darwin's (actually I'm not sure about their SE history). I do believe that all of the new releases will be suitably launched with some choice live-ness here and there...just hope nothing clashes this time around.

[Lambsie]

Thanks for a splendidly well-rounded post, Mr Pedro!

Yes, we do know our onions, and always have our ears to the ground (thus the booking of the deeply impressive Godsticks) - I also trust my own opinion.  I even trust Huw's - ocassionally   .  Obviously, there's nothing to stop us booking any band we like, but it's unlikely that bands that played in 2007 (Touchstone, Tinyfish, It Bites - even though I'm very well disposed towards all of em, bless em all) will get the nod this year, indeed only one band apart from Also Eden have played the festival more than once, and that's Magenta. So, the further back we go in SE History, the more likely it is that a band will get to play.  However, we're always more likely to go for someone that hasn't played the Festival before, or offers something "special" - and there are a LOT of bands out there!

Oh, and I don't expect anyone to be blown away yet - you wait, though - and be patient!

[D S]

It would be good to see some of the 80s prog bands that are still around too - Pallas and Twelfth Night come to mind.

50% so far...

[Pedro]

LOL