Midsummer MADness
Trerieve Farm, Saturday June 15th 2013
2013 Photo gallery
I am writing to thank you, the community of Deviock, for supporting the annual music event here at Trerieve Farm. We had a very good turnout on June 15th, and it was great to see so many families, with ages ranging from seven months to 70 years, coming along and joining in the fun. Many people commented on the fantastic friendly atmosphere - a tribute to all those who attended, and to the wonderful community spirit we have here.
This year's Midsummer MADness featured four acts: musical siblings Mary and Andy Liddicoat (aka Tea Towel Tribe) played a well-received opening set which showed off Mary's lovely tuneful voice on ballads such as 'February Stars' and 'Secret Smile'. After rocking the rafters with some up-tempo instrumentals, the 25-piece Deviock Community Music band unveiled its new front line of Sarah Medway, Tessa Price and Pat McSherry. The three voices added a new dimension to DCM's big band sound, blending beautifully on classics such as 'Make You Feel My Love' and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. It was also good to see guest sax player Henry Liebling whipping out an excellent tenor solo; Henry helped to kick-start community music in this area in the '90s, and now travels from his home in Bristol each year to play at our event.
As night fell, The Cuckoo Collective (a lively eight-piece soul and funk outfit fronted by singer Clare Pettinger) took the stage, and had the audience in the palm of their hands from the very first note. A musical force of nature, Ms Pettinger incited the audience into an outbreak of dancing fever, while the rest of the collective played a blinder. Their tight horn section, featuring Felicity Vernon and Sally Pilbeam on saxes and the versatile Andy Liddicoat on trumpet, was particularly impressive.
After a short pause to consume roast pig, cider and cake, it was a pleasure to welcome back the magnificent Banana Thieves. The good humour of singer Rob Sporle is infectious: as well as regaling us with a series of jokes peppered with frankly untrue historical facts, Rob sang his heart out. His musical accomplices (including drummer Tony Gullis' son James on percussion) rocked the house with a storming set, highlights of which were a thunderous version of Gary Numan's 'Are Friends Electric' and an enjoyable shoutalong to Blur's 'Park Life'. Banana Thieves' energetic, entertaining performance epitomised the good-natured atmosphere of the evening, and received a great audience reaction.
Thanks to all these musicians for their contribution. A special mention must go to Haydon who transformed an untidy farm into a music venue for the evening, to Simon James of Essential Supplies for his brilliant stage lighting and to Scott Wilson for overseeing electrical safety. I must also thank Cornish Orchards and Downderry Stores for providing cider and beer on sale or return (which defrays our financial risk) and Paul Bray from Tideford who supplies the burgers and pig for the spit roast.
Thanks to the success of this year's Midsummer MADness, we're pleased to say we'll be able to support future music events within the area.
This is all down to our hardworking team of unpaid volunteers: on behalf of the community, I would like to thank them, and everyone involved in the event, for all their efforts.
Jim Candy
Chairman, Music Around Deviock
About Us
We are a properly constituted, not-for-profit organisation which has been promoting local music events in Deviock, SE Cornwall for over ten years, starting with the Downsea festival in 1998 and the annual Jazz In The Park festival in Seaton. In 2008 we moved our music events to Trerieve Farm and subsequently adopted the name Music Around Deviock (M.A.D.), since you have to be mad to do this sort of thing! Our events have been a huge success with the local community, and with their help and support we look forward to promoting more in future.
M.A.D. aims to nurture local musical talent and give young people a chance to play. Anyone can become a member, so if you would like to get involved please contact Marian or Jim Candy at [email protected].
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Banana Thieves
The Cuckoo Collective
DCM Orchestra
Midsummer MADness June 2013
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