Live at the Bandstand in Battersea Park

Dust off your rock n’ roll skirts and leather jackets and get ready for the 2016 Live at the Bandstand: Rockabilly and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

We are transporting you back to the 50’s to embrace those swinging steps, sassy styles and sweet sounds of rock and roll. This year Battersea Park’s beautiful bandstand has been programmed by The Magic Garden Pub and included the The Lavender Hillbillies, The MJM Band The Orange Circus Band and Big Joe Louis plus many more.

The Bedford Pub will be bringing a well stocked bar with wine, beers, Pimms and soft drinks and there will be a huge variety of food stalls from American burgers and sliders to wood fire pizzas.

Browse a selection of market stalls selling children’s clothing, gifts, face painting and the ever popular Wax Hands will be at the event, alongside Carter’s Funfair and the Friends of Battersea Park Stand.

Have you ever wanted a 50’s inspired hair style or vintage make up? Head over to see Jessica Hart or Lola Glass who are on hand to offer free hair styling and vintage make up make overs. Wandsworth Radio will be broadcasting live to all households in the Wandsworth area.

 

Music Lineup:

 

 

Meet John Fairhurst – the British rock guitar phenomenon. Sucker punch solos and a gravel swilled belter of a voice! Following rapturous receptions with main stage shows at numerous UK festivals, including Glastonbury, the band – John on guitar and vocals, Toby Murray on drums and Justin Kool on bass – are back for a London show!

Expect heavy electric guitar riffs, face-melting solos and his unmistakable growling vocals. Backed by the hardest-hitting rhythm section on the scene, John’s live shows are loud, sweaty, explosive and powerful.

“A mutant Jimi Hendrix/Neil Young hybrid. The inspiration here comes from Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and manyothers…over-driven guitar and Tom-Waits-dukes-it-out-with-Mark-Lanegan vocals… astonishingly powerful.” (Music Riot)

“John Fairhurst is a phenomenon known as the Wigan Jimi Hendrix…Audiences are blown away by his ability to channel rock & roll greats into a modern and really jumping sound.” (Chris Tofu – Island Records/Continental Drifts)

 

 

 

 

Michael John McGlone was born in South East London and started playing gigs at the age of 15 in a variety of genres from Punk to Metal right through to Indie, but settling on Folk as his main outlet. He started playing solo gigs in early 2012, never setting out to be a band, but quickly attracted a small following of loyal musicians who would play with him whenever they could, this small rotating clan of musicians helped Michael hone his songs and bring forth the album you see today.

A five-piece alt folk band that includes bass, guitar, mandolin and a young but very competent Michael  at the helm steering the ship through some well crafted, foot-stomping tunes with insightful lyrics from someone so young.

Whether it be American, Irish or English, there is a current wave of interest in anything likened to folk music, and plenty of groups playing contemporary-spun folk music to choose from. But like the punk/garage folk of Medway’s Singing Loins, The Michael John McGlone Band are spot on with a blend of dirty, grunge-infested garage that gives their folk songs an added spice and appeal.

 

 

Big Joe Louis was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to the UK during the 1970s. The Blues Kings were formed 18 years ago and have taken their special kind of real down-home Blues to venues the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland and with great success in virtually every country in Western Europe and Scandinavia. 1998 and 1999 brought two invitations to play in the USA, leading to exceptional reviews.

A groundbreaking tour of Norway and Russia (filmed for Russian TV) in October 1993 brought blues to the north of Russia for the first time and a 1996 trip to Bulgaria was enthusiastically received. Big Joe Louis And His Blues Kings have recorded radio and TV sessions worldwide and the last 2 years have seen trips to South Africa, Poland, Finland, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Egypt as well as two visits to the Caribbean for the Mustique Blues Festival.

 

 

 

The Orange Circus Band are a raucous, ‘footstompin’, Americana/ Celtic act from the U.K and Virginia in America. A unique co-operative, they’re a band made of family and friends from Virginia, Wales, Cornwall and England.

Concentrating on original songs and updating traditional music taken from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia blended with Celtic roots, they continue a historical musical lineage in a contemporary, fresh and exciting way. Bring your dancing shoes, they put on a brilliantly entertaining show – great playing, beautiful harmonies and boundless energy are guaranteed to raise the roof, warm the heart and encourage the biggest of grins.

“If Jonathan Richman and The Velvet Underground formed a bluegrass band they’d be The Orange Circus” — (Rory Carlile, The Harrison, London)

They have just released their first official Album ‘We Make our Smiles’ recorded largely at Tilehouse Studios by Luke Oldfield (son of Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells) and have started to get radio play on BBC Kent, BBC Wales and BBC Cornwall.

The Band have recently returned from a tour of Wales and Cornwall where they did a live session on BBC Introducing. Things are really heating up for the band as they are becoming one of the most exciting Americana/Celtic/Country bands in the UK.

 

 

 

The Lavender Hillbillies are a fun bluegrass style band that loves a good harmony! This eclectic bunch like to turn popular classics on their heads and also do some original songs too.

 

 

Free entry, just show up!

Find the Facebook event here!