16th July 2016
Festival at Enderby
Last year we went to the Dog and Gun in Enderby for the day; there we saw a smashing lineup of bands and singers. We made sure we went back again this year for more of the same.
Today’s stage was opened by The Enderby Brass Band. It’s origins can be traced back to 1895; according to the website. The Enderby Band (sometimes referred to as The Senior Band), is the organisation’s premier ensemble and the root from which the Enderby Band Organisation has grown. Village records state that there was a temperance band in Enderby in the 1850’s, however the band was officially formed in 1895 when members of the temperance band joined with a new group to form the Enderby Band.
We also heard from a band called The Covers. They gave us a good set of songs and a very enjoyable selection they had too.
The festival attracts families, children and music lovers, including a posse of ex-musos from Leicester who have
migrated to the village.
Some of the acts we saw last year were back again. Jonezy was one of them. His typically upbeat set brought the sounds and rhythms of hiphop to the stage.
The Loughborough artist has enjoyed growing popularity recently particularly amongst music fans who do not normally follow his genre. It was easy to see that Jonezy’s music was going down well with people of all ages: from the group of mature ladies who were clapping along to his tunes down to the tiny tots with their ear-defenders who were bopping to the beats. The one thing you notice about Jonezy’s music is that it always appeals to a wide cross-section of the music-loving public.
Jonezy is appearing at the Soundhouse in Leicester on Tueday 19th July.
Enderby in Leicestershire, is noted for its archaeology including the discovery of an Iron Age enclosure and early Saxon Burials. Romain remains have also been found there, six skeletons having been discovered. The village of Enderby lay alonside the route of the ancient Fosse Way, a major thoroughfare across England dating back to Neolithic times. I bet you didn’t know that. Ah! But now you do!
Things went up a notch when The Harmonics started to play. You could tell because a crowd formed to see them. This young band delighted the audience with their set of popular cover songs together with some songs of their own.
I saw them at The Shed on 17th May; as I said in my review of that night
The night was headlined by a band from Nottingham called The Harmonics. I felt sure I had seen them before. In fact, I was to discover later, they had been on a line-up with The Lids before, back in January. I also saw them in June last year when they were on stage with Aztec Temples. This four-piece group is a proper rock and roll band. Just what you want to round off a night of good music with some real razmataz. All four of them sang. That ticks one of my bigger boxes. They gave us a set that fizzed with energy, kick-ass guitar playing and sparkling stage presence. They played a cover of Twist and Shout, which was without any doubt, the best live performance of that song I have encountered since I heard it for the first time in 1964. Magnifico.
[Music in Leicester]
All four of the musos are singers and today they gave the audience a set that was a warm as the weather and as brisk as the flow of the beer from the bar. Here they are with Casbah Music Management’s Carol Anne Salusbury-Byrne
I am a big fan of the Harmonics; I love what they do and their lead singer George Ramplin has that magic personality on stage that makes his singing really stand out.
Another act we saw at last year’s Enderby event was The Dead Shoot – the Leicester quartet with their lead vocalist Craig Bennett. Some of you might remember seeing The Dead Shoot at the Firebug in 2014 when they were on stage with Midnight Wire.
Photo: Mat Borland
There’s a lot of musical talent and experienced in that band. They too are represented by Casbah Music Management.
Read our report on last year’s Enderby music festival
The event raised funds for cancer charity LOROS for which they have raised nearly £10 thousand over the three years of the Festival.
The full programme for today’s event was
The Enderby Brass Band, Hu Lot!, The Covers, The Harmonics, Jonezy, The Dead Shoot, Jump The Gun and the Keepers.
See also:
