Gig: Chainmakers Festival, June 6th and 7th

I'm doing two dates at a festival with Marie: 10pm on Friday 6th /2.45 pm on Saturday 7th.

Event: Women Chainmakers' Feastival (open-air, family friendly event, live music stage + bar + fair + stalls).

Price: Free! (despite costingthe TUC many thousands of pounds to stage and attracting around four-thousand people, amazingly, it's still a free event!)

Address: Bearmore Park, Bearmore Road, Cradley Heath, Sandwell, B64 6DU

Parking: See the official event's blog – http://womenchainmakersfestival.blogspot.co.uk/ – as I think there are some recommended free parking places and a free shuttle bus. But this is just what I've heard, so do please check the official blog for details.


More Info:

There's a great open-air festival in Black Country that has been running for the past decade. It's named after women chain makers whose historic strike in 1910 led to better pay and conditions. To commemorate this, the TUC put on a free festival each year complete with two days of live music, and a parade through the streets of Cradley Heath on the Saturday morning: local history and music, great stuff! :)

I played the festival for the first time last year, as a solo gig, and earned the title of 'Mr 110%' for the effort I put into my shows. This year, I'm taking my percussionist Marie with me, so, as challenging as it will be to top last year's performance, I think we can do it ... Though I may need to lie down for several month afterwards -lol!


I've been asked to close the Friday night again, so I expect to hit the stage somewhere around 10 pm.

Saturday, Marie and I are taking to the stage around 2.45 pm (the event finishes at 5 pm).

Both sets will be approximately 45 minutes long.

Last year around four-thousand people turned up to watch the music, enjoy the fair and the stalls, and take in a bit of important local history, so if you live in the Black Country or surrounding area do come along and make it an even more spectacular event this year. The event is free, it's family friendly, and yes, there is a mobile bar ;)


Here's the current line up for Saturday the 7th
(I don't have exact details for the Friday line-up).

Bryn Phillips & Steve Grosvenor : 11.00 - 11.45

Alex Vann : 11.45 - 12.30

East West Infusion : 12.30 - 1.15

Carol Widenbar : 1.15 - 2.00

Tom Martin and Helena Rosewell : 2.00 - 2.45

Brett Huckfield (& Marie Timmins) : 2.45 - 3.30

Easy Street : 3.30 - 4.15

Billy & Lozz :  4.15 - 5.00


I know most of the acts, so it should be a great festival. Can't wait! hope to see you there if you live close enough ... for all my friends who don't, I'll post some pics after the event x