playgroup festival 2012 programme
DESCRIPTION
The full event programme for the third, and probably last, Playgroup Festival. 21-23 September two thousand and twelve, Eridge Park, halfway between Brighton and LondonTRANSCRIPT
FREE EVENT PROGRAMMEThe Third and lasT PlaygrouP FesTival? The year oF The losT Toys
Friday 21, saTurday 22 and sunday 23 sePTember 2012
Details liable to change. Times may be bitten by wormholes.
2
CONTENTS1. Welcome (p. 3)
2. FRIDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 4-6)
3. A-Z of Friday’s musicians and DJs (p. 7-17)
4. SATURDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 18-21)
5. A-Z of Saturday’s musicians and DJs (p. 22-36)
6. SUNDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 37-40)
7. A-Z of Sunday’s musicians and DJS (p. 41- 51)
8. Arts and Walkabout (p. 52-57)
9. Cabaret and Performance (p. 58-65)
10. Kids and Healing (p. 66- 72)
11. Food & Drink (p. 72-73)
12. The Location (p. 74-75)
13. Our Roots (p. 76-77)
14. Thanks (p. 81-84)
15. Map (p. 85)
3
WELCOMEHello and welcome to Playgroup Festival 2012.
Small is beautiful. That’s the feeling we’ve always aimed to generate with
Playgroup Festival. Local, honest and DIY – but with enough awareness
and input from the global arts and music festival scene to give you a
phenomenal weekend.
It can be relaxing if you wish – you can lounge in the shade of ancient
oaks, in a beautiful corner of the oldest deer park in England, nourish
yourself on some healthy high quality food, and receive a massage from
some of the region’s best therapist, never too far from your friends
and family. Or it can be the best and wildest party of your year! With
live music and great records everywhere, your soundtrack is assured,
handpicked and diverse – showcasing the best from our region, with
some special guests from further afield. And then there are games, films,
magic, cabaret, poetry, psychedelic kidnaps and many other personal
experiences for you to discover in our little field. Read on for pages and
pages of things to see and do this weekend!
We hope that you will find it as we want it to be: fun, humble, inclusive
and a true weekend escape from the often-grinding routine of weekly
life. And appreciate its most unique fact: Playgroup Festival this year is
handmade by 1,500 people from the Brighton area, for just 1,500 very
special guests – including you.
Unfortunately, this year’s British “summer” destroyed our best-laid plans
to hold this event 7 weekends ago – and being small and humble can also
mean being weak and fragile when adversity strikes. The third Playgroup
Festival is going to be fantastic, but it may also have to be the very last,
because this year’s postponement has made your party a financial vortex
for the volunteer organisers. If you like what we do, we’re going to need
every one of you to help us save it for the future. And there’s a note about
how to do that at the end of this programme – please take time to read it.
Now – LOST TOYS ASSEMBLE! Robots, dolls, monsters under the bed, cowboys and Indians, teddy bears, toy soldiers, dinosaurs and other oddities – let’s have the best fest in the West!
So much heartfelt love,
Playgroup xxx
4
FRIDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE
12:00 Soul Casserole
15:30 Amity
16:20 DJ Cous Cous
17:00 The Moulettes
17:40 DJ Cous Cous
18:15 Dizraeli and the Small Gods
19:00 DJ Cous Cous
19:20 Los Albertos
20:10 DJ Cous Cous
20:30 Lazy Habits
21:15 DJ Cous Cous
22:00 Alice Russell
23:00 Close
THE TOY BOX - THE DANCE TENT
14:00 Afternoon with Fish Fry DJs
17:00 Sam Hextall DJ
17:45 Anneka
18:30 Sam Hextall DJ
19:10 GAGGLE
19:55 Prince Fatty DJ
21:10 High Rankin (Live)
22:05 Herbaliser DJ
23:30 Reso
01:00 Silent Disco
05:00 Close
5
THE TREASURE CHEST - THE MOROCCAN STAGE
14:00 Stay Sick
16:20 Nimmo & The Gauntlets
17:00 Stay Sick
17:30 Man Ray Sky
18:15 Stay Sick
19:00 Kovak
19:45 Stay Sick
20:15 Transformer
21:00 Stay Sick
21:30 Yes Sir Boss
02:00 Close
LIZARD STAGE
18:00 Zephyr Sounds
19:00 Samuel J
19:40 Milly Blue
20:30 James & The Peach
21:15 Orchestra Elastique
22:00 The Moulettes
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FULL CIRCLE STAGE
16:00 Zora and the Tatsmiths
18:00 XN TricK
19:15 Elijah MC
20:15 Chainska Brassika
21:45 The Meow Meows
00:00 Ollie Friend
BEATABET STAGE
16:00 Champion Fever
17:30 Speak Galactic
19:00 P For Persia
20:30 Spacenoid
22:00 AK/DK
22:25 Close
CABINET OF CURIOSITY - CABARET TENT
13:00 Robot Costume Workshop
13:00 Toying With Science
15:00 Robot Relays
17:00 Toys Aaaaargh Us - Toy Hacking Workshop
17:00 Rumination & Digestion
20:00 Art Macabre
22.30 Magic Show
23:00 The Vogue Gyratory
7
A-Z OF FRIDAY’S MUSICAK/DK Two drum kits at war.
Having two drummers in a band is
always interesting, but Playgroup
regulars, AK/DK (Ed Chivers and
G Sowerby) take it even further;
playing a sprawling mass of
analogue and digital keyboards,
synths and effects… all at the same
time!
ALICE RUSSELLThe soulful sound of Detroit blues…
One listen to Alice Russell’s voice will send shivers down your spine
and leave goose bumps on your neck. With a style that ranges from
blues and soul to gospel to jazz and beyond, she is fast winning her
audiences around the world. Be prepared to be blown away.
AMITYOne woman acoustic pop with pure
heart…
Unlike many acoustic style
performers, Amity combines vocals
with a guitar, a snare drum, a
sampler and whatever else is lying
around to create music that makes
you want to know everything
about her. Her unbashful lyrics
and exciting compositions would
make any female acoustic artist
jealous. Stunningly creative and a joy
to behold.
8
ANNEKAHypnotic multi-instrumentalist.
Anneka is a
vocalist/multi-
instrumentalist
and visual artist
who brings
together live
sets of vocals,
drum pads,
keyboard,
percussion
and a laptop.
Collaborating
with the likes of
Falty DL, Lone,
Starkey, Ital Tek and
Vex’d, Anneka is the
unquestionable queen of
experimental electronica.
Be prepared for music that
drips with atmosphere.
CHAINSKA BRASSIKAHorns at the ready.
Lead by singer Ash Davis, ChainSka Brassika (formally known as
The Real Bad Habits) are a 9 piece band from South East London.
Including the explosive Brassika horn section, the band have
supported acts such as Mad Professor, East Park Reggae Collective,
Yes Sir Boss and Slamboree!
9
CHAMPION FEVERA one-man electronica explosion.
Champion Fever is the alias of multi-instrumentalist Steve Baker.
With an arsenal of instruments including laptop, guitar, FX pedals,
synths, drum machines, kaoss pad, sampler and the occasional
melodica, expect a dynamite blend of electronica, krautrock, disco
funk and electro-funk.
DIZRAELI AND THE SMALL GODSA melodic and unashamedly heartfelt reinvention of hip hop.
Featuring Brighton’s very own Dizraeli,
World Female Beatbox Champion Bellatrix
and a supernaturally gifted 7-piece band,
you couldn’t imagine a more talented
bundle of people than the Small Gods.
Fusing harmonies, turntablism, heavy beats
and delicate instrumentation, Dizraeli and
the Small Gods make hiphop and folk shanties
collide in ways you wouldn’t think possible.
DJ COUS COUSGlobal beats to make you swing and skank.
DJ Cous Cous will transport you back in time and into the future
with a blend of raw, funk filled basslines and roots music from
across the planet. With residencies at London’s Lockside Lounge,
Mango Landin’, Hootanany and Coco Bamboo, Cous Cous is the
master of rude electro beats and breaks!
ELIJAH MCDubwise tracks from a vocal master…
Elijah MC is a unique talent creating music from live vocal loop
samples and building his tracks from the ground up. With gorgeous
vocals and reggae-chat, he layers beats, basslines and backing
harmonies with masterful skill.
10
FISH FRY DJSCalypso, ska and rockin’ blues from one of Brighton’s best club nights.
David Walker is the king of the Fish Fry, and his record collection is
sizzling.
GAGGLE22 piece all-girl electro pop extravaganza.
Featuring fresh all-girl vocals and punchy beats, Gaggle’s unlikely
pairing of electro and a choral ensemble is a startlingly good
success. Formed as a response to boring man bands and bad
burlesque, Gaggle takes everything you thought about girl groups
and turns this completely on its head.
HIGH RANKINChappy Dubstep – LIVE.
Dubstep dandy and original
Brighton bounder, High
Rankin, is the scene’s most
eccentric artist. Performing
with his full live set-up,
including vocalist Tigerlight,
his music brims with
character and bass. Now
relocated to Berlin, he’s flown
in to The Toy Box ready for a
dancefloor riot.
HERBALISERDJ Set from Jake Wherry.
It’s not every day that you come across a duo like Jake Wherry and
Ollie Teeba, and rarer still that you have a chance to enjoy a DJ
set from one half of the duo who have revolutionised homegrown
hip-hop. This weekend, get ready for the crème-de-la-crème of
Ninja tunes, in what is sure to be one of our favourite DJ sets of the
summer!
11
JAMES & THE PEACHThe summer sound of all things retro…
From The Beatles’ Abbey Road, through to New York’s original
folk scene, James and the Peach suck up an array of 60s and 70s
sounds, to sonically spit them out with a modern twist.
KOVAKBringing the ‘band’ back into pop.
Touted as “the UK’s answer
to the Scissor Sisters”
(STAR Magazine), Kovak
recently became the second
ever unsigned act to be
playlisted by BBC Radio 2.
With their catchy first single
“Killer Boots” kick-starting
their year, this band are sure to
get you shaking your stuff.
LAZY HABITS8 piece live band of beats, rhymes and brass.
Inspired by New Orleans jazz, soul, hip hop and big bands of the
50’s, Lazy Habits’ eclectic sound packs a lasting and unforgettable
punch. After embarking on a 25 date tour, their jaunty mix of ska,
hip hop and New Orleans funk is not only top notch, but selling out
venues across the country – lazy, these guys ain’t!
LOS ALBERTOSBrighton ska-punk legends.
Creating a frenzy upon the dance floors and grassy fields of Europe
since 2002, their inimitable foot-stompin, brass-blaring high energy
blend of ska, punk, funk, dub and original beats is dancing music,
Jim, but not as we know it. Playgroup Festival is set to be Los
Albertos’ last EVER gig - don’t miss this for the world!
12
MAN RAY SKYChaotic blissed-out indie pop at its finest.
‘Beautiful chaos’ is a term that could be used to describe the
concept behind Man Ray Sky’s music. It’s one the band embraces
for its simplicity, and combined with their tried, tested and natural
writing formula, this band produce cataclysmic melodies merged
with improvised noise pieces.
MEOW MEOWSSka ‘n’ Roll from the Brighton supergroup.
Featuring a fresh and happy muddle of sixties garage and dirty
pop, the Meow Meows combine a belly-rumbling rocksteady
rhythm with blistering hot horns and heart-thumping keyboards.
Topped off by two all-dancing, all-harmonising female singers, the
Meow Meows are armed with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a stage
presence that is nothing short of killer.
MILLY BLUEA big voice accompanied by a small instrument…
Milly Blue’s music is written on ukulele, featuring tuneful tales of
museum curators, horrifying monsters and travelling heroes and
painted pictures of love and loss. Rooms fall silent as she sings and
tiny pins have been heard to drop from the sudden-still hands of
those entranced by the soulful timbre of her sound.
13
NIMMO & THE GAUNTLETSUpfront Intelligent indie pop.
Mentored by the brilliant Emmy
the Great, Nimmo and the
Gauntlets, from North West
London, are Sarah Nimmo,
Reva Gauntlet, Joshua Faull
and Hannah Rose. They
share a diverse range of
influences ranging from
The Strokes and Arcade
Fire to the Shangri Las and
Fleetwood Mac. Invoking the
spirit of early punk and new-
wave, these guys maintain the heart
of modern London indie.
OLLIE FRIENDGuitar mastery at its finest…
“When someone like Ollie Friend comes along, we sit up and take
notice. He lays the instrument across his lap and hits the body
and the strings to create a completely unique and original sound.”
(Brighton Source) Prepare yourself for something incredibly
special.
P FOR PERSIAThree-piece electronic rock group from Brighton…
Whisking up bits of Cornelius, Holy Fuck, Flying Lotus, Sonic Youth,
Devo, Boredoms and Battles into their style, P for Persia provide
the party with a short blast of amazing and an alarming mix of
Rock and Chiptune. Dan McNally’s stage dancing antics have won
the band a loyal local following. Come see why. Quick!
14
PRINCE FATTY DJLegendary Roots and Reggae DJ.
The Prince Fatty sound
is designed to Dub your
feet with Rock Steady
beats and stimulate
brain waves in a jazz-
like way. Delivered
in an up-beat,
positive and organic
funk fashion, expect
an analogue haze of
vintage spring reverbs,
tape echoes and custom hi-
grade mixing console. Prince
Fatty won’t disappoint the
lovers of the early 70s sound!
SAMUEL JMusic to bring people together…
Samuel J and his projects never stop evolving. Playing keys,
guitar and drums, he also produces his own records and writes
the material with his sister Jodie Tellam. Their earthy music has
travelled the world with them, with melodies and beats inspired
by the belief that Music has the power to bring together a divided
world.
SOUL CASSEROLE DJSIt’s difficult to tell who enjoys it more: the crowd or the DJs.
The Soul Casserole DJs have a bit of a reputation for making DJing
look like it’s one big lark. One thing’s for sure - all three DJs are
passionate about the music they play. A spicy melange of Stax,
Trojan, Motown, Blue Note, Zodiac, Chess and Loma Records and
an unpretentious variety ranging from Reggae and Ragga to Blues
and Hip hop.
15
SPACENOIDBring out the tin foil hats.
The name says it all, bizarre soundscapes and glitch electric noise.
Woo-ha spacenoid!
SPEAK GALACTICAmbient noise-pop; lush electronics…
Compared to the likes of Atlas Sound and Animal Collective, Speak
Galactic can fit any number of genres with dreamy elements of
post-rock, pop and indie held together with pounding electronics
and gently synthesised overlay.
STAY SICKSleazy rock’n’roll from a Brighton institution.
Established in 2008, Stay Sick continue to spin the best dancing
music from surf to 60s, oddball R&B to filthy rock’n’roll and garage
to punk, 7inches at a time. These Cramps obsessed guys have
put on such greats as Billy Childish, Kid Congo from the Cramps,
Monotonix, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster and Thee Oh Sees.
THE MOULETTESTwisting theatrical folk that may just be most beautiful music you’ve ever heard.
The Moulettes’ entrancing
combination of strings and the
celestial; wind and weirdness;
rhythm and murder has lead
to comparisons with the
Unthanks, Tom Waits and
Shostakovitch. “Delicious
music…played with acoustic
virtuosity” (MOJO)
16
TRANSFORMERDapper disco mavericks.
The only British band capable of turning any venue they play into a
dream version of The Danceteria in 1979.
“Transformer aren’t just one of the best dance bands in Brighton,
they are one of the best in the country, filtering post-punk New
York quirkiness through the sons-of-Daft Punk french electro
scene.” (James Kendall, Brighton Source)
YES SIR BOSSDub and eclectic horn-a-thon.
Presenting a truly original, distinct and indefinable sound, created
from a multitude of worldly musical and cultural influences, Yes Sir
Boss’ heavy blend of horn led hooks, offbeat rhythms and epic riffs
provide the perfect backing for the memorable and catchy lyrics
invariably brought to life by seductive and husky vocals from front
man Matt Sellors.
17
ZEPHYR SOUNDSAn immersive dream-pop experience…
Zephyr Sounds is the solo project of London based musician/
producer Callum Brown. Using his time at college to experiment
with recording, Brown developed Zephyr Sounds as a dwelling
for elements of trip-hop, psychedelia and alt rock. Prepare to be
amazed.
ZORA AND THE TATSMITHSFolk-roots sensations.
The Tatsmiths burst onto the Brighton music scene in spring 2009,
quickly gaining a reputation for fresh, punky, folk-pop sounds and
a penchant for raw, outspoken and often funny lyrics. Fronted by
Zora’s powerful, gritty and soulful vocals, they continue to leave
revellers with a lingering earworm across the south-east.
18
SATURDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE
12:00 Malaka
13:20 The Dirty Divine
14:00 Malaka
14:30 Samsara
15:20 Malaka
15:30 Barulho Parade
16:00 Malaka
16:20 Carnival Collective
17:10 Malaka
17:40 The Drop
18:30 Electric Playboys
18:35 Reeps One
19:20 Electric Playboys
19:35 Boy Com
20:20 Electric Playboys
20:40 King Porter Stomp
21:30 Electric Playboys
22:00 Kalakuta Millionaires
23:00 Close
19
THE TOY BOX - THE DANCE TENT
12:00 Electric Playboys
15:00 Za Zu
15:40 Electric Playboys
16:20 Phoria
16:40 Electric Playboys
17:40 Astro Physics
18:30 I Am Fya
19:00 Running numbers
19:40 Convex Collective
20:30 CODA
21:20 Atomic Drop
22:20 Qemists
23:20 Blah Blah Blah
02:00 Silent Disco
04:00 Close
THE TREASURE CHEST - THE MOROCCAN STAGE
12:00 Beautiful Word
12:40 James Kendall
13:10 Us Baby Bear Bones
14:00 James Kendall
14:30 Bad For Lazarus
15:15 Stay Sick
16:00 Sweet Sweet Lies
16:45 Stay Sick
17:15 King Lagoon’s Flying Swordfish Band
18:00 Stay Sick
20
18:20 Perhaps Contraption
19:00 DJ Format
21:00 June Deer
21:40 Barulho
22:10 AKDK
02:00 Close
LIZARD STAGE
13:00 Shambolica
14:30 Lori Campbell
15:30 Muel
16:15 DJ Phil Oddsox
17:00 Poppy Perezz
18:00 Shona Foster
19:00 Bam Bam Drum Band
19:40 The Din
20:30 DJ Amid
21:00 A&T
22:15 Natema
FULL CIRCLE STAGE
12:00 Monticulo Clown Show
13:00 Cate Ferris
14:30 Harrison Brothers
16:00 Edd Keene
17:30 Kings Mews
19:00 Kotchin and the King’s Evil
20:15 James Riley
21
21:45 Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags
00:00 Nathan Bellringer
01:00 Chicken Shed Zeppelin
BEATABET
12:00 Sam Berkson / Chris Polymath
13:00 Cate Ferris
14:30 Scalar Fields
16:00 Cinemascopes
17:30 Halo Halo
19:00 Burnt Toast
20:30 DA-10
22:00 Throb Heart
22:45 Close
CABINET OF CURIOSITY - CABARET TENT
11:00 Art Macabre
14:00 Experimental Food 101
17:00 Amanda’s Autopsies
21:00 Cabaret! Cabaret!
22
A-Z OF SATURDAY’S MUSICA&T A hip hop, funk and rock explosion.
Combining the influences of John Legend and Stevie Wonder with
bands like Rage Against The Machine, A&T have mashed up the
sounds of jazz with funky rock and hip hop to create an explosion
of sound worth waiting for!
I AM FYA She’s all about tunes – made with love.
The queen of bass, beats and bars – get ready to shake your batty!
ASTRO PHYSICS Funky basslines and head nodding beats.
Astro Physics exploded onto
the Brighton scene in 2008
and have since been tearing
up stages far and wide. With
a sound compared to Jurassic
5, The Roots and N.E.R.D,
they carry their tunes off with
soulful vocals and a distinctively
British twist.
BAD FOR LAZARUS The sound of motown hell.
A muddle of guitars and vocals strew through a groovy psychedelic
wall of delicate, beastly drums and funkadelic keys. Bad for Lazarus
are a force of sonic nature, relying on nothing but five hip shaking
bodies to raise minds to the ground.
23
BAM BAM DRUM BAND Electrifying live shows with a samba edge.
Bam Bam Drum Band are a live mobile troupe, mixing up heavy
grooves, flamboyant dance and carnival style performance.
Bam Bam’s drummers and dancers will take you on a rhythmical
journey around the world in an energetic, high impact audio visual
spectacle. Ka-bam!
BARULHO30 piece samba orchestra.
A group of party loving Brightonians that got together 10 years
ago with the dream of creating an authentic samba orchestra –
and boy, did they succeed! They’ll be entertaining you on the main
stage as well as parading through our campsite on a regular basis,
bringing a bit of Brazilian sunshine wherever they go with amazing
costumes and huge smiles all round!
24
BEAUTIFUL WORD Blissed out folk pop.
The Beautiful Word are an experimental folk-pop 5 piece, the music
revolving around the joint lead vocal of songwriters Emily and
Megan. The music they create is sweet, melodic and fragile, but
with the introduction of a rhythm section the sound has grown up
in many ways. New material teams joyous and raucous aggression
with sweet and personal vocals, combining the purity and humanity
of British folk with a more powerful sound.
SAM BERKSON / CHRIS POLYMATH Quircky poetry from cutting-edge wordsmiths
Sam Berkson has been performing round the UK and abroad
since 2005, and revels in reworking the stuff of experience into
poetry for the future. He is a Brighton Festival Slam Champion and
Liverpool Capital of Culture Slam Champion.
Chris Polymath is like a modern day Philip Larkin – but with more
humour and bigger sideburns. The polymath poet has already
established a cult following in Brighton, and his quirky poetry has
become a trademark of his unique performances.
25
BLAH BLAH BLAH Brighton’s electro and future bass music heroes.
With a legion of loyal followers across the UK, this group of fine
young DJ’s have been consistently delivering the past, present and
future of dance music for the last five years – their residency at
Brighton club, Digital, is stuff of legends, as well as their constantly
surprising record label.
BOY COMSummer time Hip Hop and kick ass party tunes.
It’s 7 piece Kick-Ass-Party-Hip-Hop all the way, and their aim is to
make you groove till the end of the night – even after you’ve left
the tent! BOYCOM are like the coolest house party you’ve ever
been to: plenty of booze, beautiful girls and of course, the ideal
soundtrack! You’ll love them!
BURNT TOAST A spoken-word quest for answers…
Burnt Toast eloquently fuses the lethal observational skills of a
Raymond Chandler detective with the subtleties and unsurpassed
surgical spirits of a Martin Hannett production circa Joy Division
and Section 25. The result is an infectious cocktail of American
paranoia, Canadian objectivity and a very English obsession of
introspection.
CARNIVAL COLLECTIVE35 piece drum’n’bass samba orchestra.
One of Brighton’s gems, it’s impossible not to love them – the raw
energy amassed by 35 of the city’s best performers combined into
a musical tour de force of brass, drums and bass! Fusing samba
music with up up to date dubstep and drum ’n’ bass they smash
through genres like The Hulk and all the while doing it with an on
stage gusto that will make you smile from ear to ear while your hips
do the talking!
26
CATE FERRIS Otherworldly multi instrumentalist beauty.
A multi-layered musical voyage
through tales of joy, passion and regret,
delivered with haunting, ‘goose bumps
on the neck’ vocals. Cate Ferris is a multi
instrumentalist who has learned how to
play the guitar while trekking through the
Middle East and mastering Indian flute while in
Jaipur - you might just fall hopelessly in love with
her stunning voice and warm, generous stage craft.
CHICKEN SHED ZEPPELIN Old-time fiddle-thrashing, yeeharhollerin’ breakneck speed acoustic dance music.
Chicken Shed Zeppelin play with attitude to get you on your feet
in a hurry and shakin’ your old-time booty with a VENGEANCE!
“A three-piece force of nature, attacking original material and
standards alike...wielding their instruments as if their lives depended
on it.”
CINEMASCOPES Vibrant psychedelics and laid back slacker jams…
Purveyors of kraut rhythmed, pedal ridden, panic stricken jams.
Imagine Thurston Moore milking Neu’s collective udder and
beckoning Holy Fuck forward to drink...
CODA Live Dubstep performed by this wunderband.
Check out this totally live 5-piece dubstep London based crew
of forward thinking live musicians – with live instruments used to
create the wobbly bass lines we know and love, their sets fuse
together the raw energy of a traditional band performance with the
flow, excitement and hype of a DJ set. A must see!
27
CONVEX COLLECTIVE Expanding electronic music to new realms…
Convex Collective is a collective born from the South England,
bringing together a whole host of young Producers/Composers/
DJs/Promoters/Artists. With the intention of coming together to
appropriate new technologies and performance, this will be a show
that’s sure to push boundaries.
DA-10 A whole new aural dimension.
Made up of MPC master 10-David and synth genius Danalogue,
DA-10 take their name from a mythological piece of hardware
with the power to fuse bouncing beats with powerful electronics.
Constructed entirely on an AKAI MPC 1000 and Roland Juno 6 and
SH-09 synths, this 100% hardware made music will pull you into
another dimension!
DJ FORMAT Playing the best of his vinyl!
He is one of the greatest
producers and DJs of
high quality funk and
soul-inspired hip-hop
on the whole planet.
Starting a new
monthly night with
us at The Blind Tiger
Club on 7 October –
‘DJ Format’s Weird &
Wonderful Sundays’
– expect a less than
traditional Format set
at Playgroup, and more
of a preview of the future,
through a rustle through the
past.
28
DUNCAN DISORDERLY AND THE SCALLYWAGS Goodtimes music to be shared by all.
Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags do what they love and love
what they do. Playing a mix of Latin Grooves, Hip Hop, Rumba,
Swing and Jazz, they’ve played all over Europe to amazing crowds
across the continent and now they land at Playgroup Festival. Yay!
EDD KEENE A magical loop pedal bonanza.
Edd Keene is a singer/songwriter who uses a loop pedal to layer
together saxophone, flute, guitar, bass, percussion and vocals – live!
This man must be seen to be believed.
ELECTRIC PLAYBOYS Pure party filth.
Dirt Bomb, Headfuzz, Granted, Phat Pants and Moai are a handful
of lads who love putting on a party for the masses at any given
chance in any given venue… and anyone who’s seen them before
will know just how well they do this!
HALO HALO A multi-coloured pudding.
This London trio of indie pop goodness injects Playgroup with
some cool brownie points, mixing world music vibes with vocals a
la Warpaint and overall dancey tunes.
HARRISON BROTHERS Down dirty grit.
Spawned in a Kings Cross basement, the Harrison Brothers are
made of sweet harmony, tight pickin’ and down dirty grit. Expect
country, bluegrass and folk music on guitar, banjo and bass – all
washed down with a big slug of three part harmony.
29
JAMES KENDALL DJ Extraordinaire.
Co-owner and editor of Source Magazine and DJ in his own right
James Kendall ’s been a music journalist since 1992 and spent over
a decade travelling the globe covering dance music for DJmag,
picking up a rather good ear for music along the way.
JAMES RILEY Ethereal ballads of love and life.
Accompanied by a full live 8 piece band, James Riley is a
troubadour of the breed many thought no longer exist. A ‘fiendishly
proficient’ guitarist, singer, and a roadrunner to match, James
chronicles the story of his experiences through clamorous, jubilant
bluegrass ‘n’ soul and exquisitely spun yarns.
JUNE DEERPsychedelic disco drone core.
June Deer are a dirty dance music experiment from ex-members of
The Mutts and Waxed Apple. Described as psychedelic disco drone
core, you’re in for something special!
KALAKUTA MILLIONAIRES12 piece Afro-Funk Juggernaut.
This Brighton-based Afro-Latin-Funk
project has already taken the UK
festival scene by storm with their
dirty mix of Fela Kuti-inspired brass
lines, Latin percussion section,
afro-psych organ and James Brown
style funk riffs. Fusing tunes from
the heart of 70’s Nigeria to the
carnivals of Cuba, the back streets of
Brazil and beyond, expect blistering
brass, stunning harmonies and an
explosive rhythm section!
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KING LAGOON’S FLYING SWORDFISH BAND A totally tropical attack on the senses.
We first witnessed this insane band just under a year ago when
they played our venue in Brighton – we were blown away, they
had a ‘smell technician’ who created scents while the band played
and they’re excellent mix of Afro-beat and Brazilian funk, was
accompanied by a giant 4 metre puppet with glowing eyes! You
have to see them – they’re brilliant!
KING PORTER STOMPHeavy 8 piece ska-dub-funk genius.
King Porter Stomp bring together their own blend of ska-funk-
dub and afrobeat and top it all off with a coating of well-crafted
conscious rhymes. With massive horn lines, heavy bass and intricate
guitar work, they have pulled on heart strings and won over the
dancing feet of crowds across the UK and Ireland.
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KINGS MEWS Musical food for the soul…
Brighton seven-piece with an infectious feel good energy and an
appreciation for an often neglected genre: funky, sexy, splendid,
soulful jazz.
KOTCHIN AND THE KING’S EVILLaid-back festival vibes…
Formed in early 2011, Kotchin and The King’s Evil soon started off with
regular local gigs before bringing the noise at Smugglers Festival in
summer 2011.This year, we are proud to welcome them to Playgroup!
LORI CAMPBELL Soulful folk and storytelling…
Steeped in adventure and heartbreak, Lori’s songs speak about
the countryside, family, home, relationships and pigeons. With an
infectious and sometimes comical optimism, she deals with the
stuff that feelings are made of, with ukulele in hand, and a smile
that’s never far away.
MUEL A show not to be missed.
Percussionist Sam Walker and his trio of misfits have been staging
a takeover of The Lizard Stage over the last few seasons. With
their various guises of Boogie Woogie Troop, expect songs infused
with raw grooves and dirty energy, heavy standup percussion and
rowdy, melodic vocals.
NATEMA Hot and spicy grooves.
N A T E M A is a brazilian music project that brings an original
fusion of progressive house with Brazilian afro grooves using high
technology and exotic instruments to create warm performance
both live and as DJs.
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PERHAPS CONTRAPTION The portable roving pop band.
You may remember them from Playgroup 2011 when they
entertained the site for 3 days with their mutant Victorian pram
drum kit! Expect more of the same, with this ever-evolving, genre-
bridging musical performance collective.
PHORIA Epic post-rock in the vein of Sigur Rós.
Phoria combine lush instrumentation, innovative structures
and heartfelt climaxes to deliver an intense and often uplifting
experience. They have supported like likes of Anchorsong and
were recently voted Brighton’s 7th best band of all time by XYZ
magazine.
POPPY PEREZZ Pinball electro.
This four piece, hailing from Mexico, Trinidad and England now
reside in the suitably cosmopolitan city of Bristol. Making feel-good,
sunshine-happy music for cool and groovy summer nights, Poppy
Perezz is an exotic trip through Highlife-style guitar licks, Mariachi
band trumpets, soaring flute solos and video game bleeps. You get
the general idea.
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QEMISTS Ninja Tune act at the forefront of Drum and Bass.
Between the three
of them, Qemists
have worked in
every musical
capacity available,
From remixers of
Coldcut, Cooper
Temple Clause,
Dr Octagon and
Roots Manuva to live
sound engineering for
Basement Jaxx, Kano and
Lady Sovereign. For skills
like these, you’ll have to see it
to believe it.
REEPS ONE One man beatboxing extraordinaire.
Recognized as one of the most powerful beat-boxers on the
globe with a level of technique surpassed by none, this two times
UK beatbox champion has spearheaded the scene with bass
frequencies never to have emerged from a human mouth before.
Don’t miss him.
ATOMIC DROP LIVELow Down Dirty Electro Filth.
Atomic Drop is James Anthony and Ken Barrett. Sonically sculpting
deep, rolling and filthy Electro House, Atomic Drop fuses all the
best elements of dance music to create a next level electronic
music experience accessible to dance floors the world over.
34
RUNNING NUMBERSHip Hop and electronica treat.
Running Numbers combine live musical elements and computer
based production to create huge, energetic sounds. Mixing hip-hop
with a whole array of genres, all it takes is a hearty helping of bass
to get the crowd bouncing.
SAMSARAHeartfelt reggae twinged with folk…
As “one of the South’s most
exciting reggae acts”, Brighton-
based collective Samsara create
an open minded and fresh
take on the roots tradition.
Paying tribute to the original
innovators of the sound, they
push their ska and reggae
influences to the edge with the
kind of abandon beloved of jazz
musicians.
SCALAR FIELDS Energetic alt rock.
Scalar Fields play alternative rock music with a whole lot of synths
thrown in for good measure. Their amazing live show is guaranteed
to be a spectacle wherever they take the stage – we’re glad that
this weekend, it’s at Playgroup!
SHONA FOSTER A soundtrack for the daydreams and imaginary…
Shona Foster brings songs to life that characterise her unique
musical direction. We could talk of haunting melodies and
enchanting rhythms or about how an Ella Fitzgerald/Tom Waits/
Tim Burton collaboration might sound – but that still wouldn’t even
be close.
35
SWEET SWEET LIES Harmonies, sweetness and an honest perspective…
Sweet Sweet Lies present a world ringed by the high drama of
Scott Walker, the theatrics of Bertolt Brecht, the heart baring
honesty of Elliot Smith and the intensity of Nick Cave. With their
debut album bringing together swing with mariachi horns, weaving
basslines, flamenco flourishes and sorrow drenched waltzes, this is
an experience not to be missed.
THE DIRTY DIVINEInfectious pop music with a Gypsy Twist.
Infectious pop music, created in style. The Dirty Divine create
beautiful harmonies, epic arrangements, big beats and catchy
songs, and draw influences from a selection as broad as Queen,
Outkast, The Beatles and the Puppini Sisters.
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THE DROPA 9-piece roots-rock-reggae outfit explosion.
The Drop continue to play a significant role in the modern British
movement of new-wave reggae, with meticulous arrangements
that leave plenty of air for the booming dub bass to vibrate.
US BABY BEAR BONES A world to sink your teeth into…
The world of Us Baby Bear Bones is detailed, demure, rough and
rude, sugarless yet sweet and with big, big beats. The curious three
piece was born as a result of restrictions, steering the inseparable
trio in the liberating direction of multi-instrumentalism.
ZA/ZU Groove-based dance music that will get you moving.
Za/Zu are a Brighton-based electro disco band formed by singer
Abi Flynn. The music fuses groove-based underground disco
with electro sounds, creating live, punchy dance music, with
performance featuring video projections and crazy dance moves
for an energetic set!
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SUNDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE
12:00 Jabbawocky Hi Fi
12:45 John Crampton
13:30 Jabbawocky Hi Fi
14:20 Allison and the Earthquakes
15:10 Bust the Box
16:00 Duncan Disorderly & The Scallywags
16:50 Roots Garden
17:20 Resonators
18:20 Roots Garden
18:40 The Skints
19:30 Bust the Box
20:15 Hidden Orchestra
21:30 Close
THE TOY BOX - THE DANCE TENT
12:00 Donky Pitch
14:00 Bibliotech
14:40 Breakin Bear
15:40 The Atlantiks
16:40 Ross Flight
17:20 Wild Knights
18:20 DJ Yoda
19:40 Zen Death Squad
20:40 Anchorsong
21:30 Close
38
THE TREASURE CHEST - THE MOROCCAN STAGE
12:00 Black Fields
12:40 Stay Sick
13:30 Emma Divine
14:00 Stay Sick
15:00 Cate Ferris
15:45 Stay Sick
16:00 Buffo’s Wake
16:45 Hot-Tip Hi-Fi
17:00 The Sly Tones
17:45 Hot Tip Hi Fi
18:00 James Riley
18:50 Hot Tip Hi Fi
19:30 Dr. Bluegrass and the Illbilly 8
20:20 Hot Tip Hi Fi
20:40 The Peppermint Beat Band
LIZARD STAGE
13:00 Ma Polaine
13:30 Cake and Ale
15:00 James Riley
17:00 Morski
17:50 Djanan Turan
19:15 The Harrison Brothers
20:30 The Turbans
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FULL CIRCLE
12:00 Lori Campbell
13:00 The Flamenco Thief
14:00 Dr Bluegrass and the Illbilly 8
15:15 Music of My Mind Gameshow
16:15 Afrobilly Jones
17:30 Duppy Umbrella
18:45 Vibe Machine
20:15 BOY COM
21:15 Close
BEATABET STAGE
12:00 Sam Berkson / Chris Polymath
12:30 Officer 82
14:00 Tiger Cub
15:30 Vaccination
17:00 Faye Houston
18:30 Bunty
20:00 East Brighton Rhythm Section
21:25 Close
40
CABINET OF CURIOSITY - CABARET TENT
11:00 incrEDIBLE poetry
13:00 Magic show
13:30 Rosie Wilby
14:00 Toying with Science
16:00 Laughing Experience
18:30 Eartinglers
20:30 Professor Elemental
41
A-Z OF SUNDAY’S MUSICAFROBILLY JONESJazz-influenced loop-pedal grooves…
Afrobilly Jones’s layered music journeys through the deep south
and 40s gospel to afro-latin folk, congo-rumba and oldtime
mountain music.
ALISON AND THE EARTHQUAKES Live Motown and Northern Soul.
Playing some of the biggest and best tunes that changed the
face of dance music in discos around the world, this energetic
music incorporates a mix of sweet soul vocals with gospel style
harmonies, heavy beats and fast tempos which made the all-night
clubs and dance floors of the mid 1960s some of the coolest places
to be.
ANCHORSONGTokyo electronica from Tru Thoughts records.
Originally from Tokyo,
Anchorsong – aka Masaaki
Yoshida – has become globally
recognised for his unique
live shows, which many
people have described as
“like watching a painter
drawing on a white canvas”.
He creates electronic
music completely live using
a sampler (MPC2500), a
keyboard, and live string quartet,
for a truly spellbinding show.
42
ATLANTIKS Rawkus electro with a full live AV show.
Two of the most hardworking producers in the city, The Atlantiks
(BOY COM and Eagles for Hands) play a mix of swing, hip hop and
downright dirty party music with a handcrafted audio/visual show
that takes the best in ‘pop’ culture and smashes it to pieces.
BIBLIOTECH Minimal beats from this London producer
Bibliotech is a producer, DJ, musician and promoter based in
London. A lover of many styles, Bibliotech does what he does best
making minimal techno, tech-house and electronica.
BLACK FIELDS Storytelling blues and Gypsy Folk.
The Black Fields blend together influences of country, blues, rock
and gypsy folk whilst their live performances scream the true
grit of music to dance, drink and party to. Charismatic, energetic
and great story tellers, the Black Fields put themselves and the
audience into the creative pictures painted by the dramatic songs
and punchy rhythmic backline.
43
BOY COMSummer time Hip Hop and kick ass party tunes.
It’s a 7 piece Kick-Ass-Party-Hip-Hop all the way, and their aim is to make
you groove till the end of the night – even after you’ve left the tent! BOY
COM are like the coolest house party you’ve ever been to: plenty of booze,
beautiful girls and of course, the ideal soundtrack! You’ll love them!
BREAKIN BEARHip-Hop, break-beat, dance & dub visual audio delights.
Breakin Bear’s multi-genre sets cover anything that can hold the lad’s
brief attention span, and these upbeat party sets include everything
from hip hop, soul, drum’n’bass, electro, dubstep and breaks…all with
the epic accompaniment of cleverly coordinated visuals!
BUFFO’S WAKE Storming gypsy bangers.
Twisting folk with a heavy smattering of pounding gypsy dance
music – while very new to the scene, Buffo’s Wake work the crowd
like pros, jumping, dancing and bringing you headfirst in the world
of eastern European madness – we love them.
BUNTYVoice, effects pedals and a mash of real and made-up languages.
Bunty magically recreates the surreal sounds of now: illuminating
the intricate clacks, booms, ticks and scrapes of the world with tiny,
miniscule samples of songs, rhymes, textures and tales.
BUST THE BOX Bringing the noise since 1998.
For well over a decade, Bust the Box have been bringing their
exquisite brand of chaos to Brighton, and we’re thrilled to have
them at Playgroup doing what they do best: making soundsystems
thump with bass music of all kinds, from all eras.
44
CATE FERRIS Otherworldly multi-instrumentalist beauty…
A multi-layered musical voyage through tales of joy, passion and
regret, delivered with haunting, ‘goose bumps on the neck’ vocals.
Cate Ferris is a one woman multi-instrumentalist and after learning
guitar while trekking through the middle east and mastering Indian
flute while in Jaipur, you might just fall hopelessly in love with her
stunning voice and warm, generous stage craft. A stunning addition
to this year’s line-up.
DAN KORN & THE CHOPPY WATERS Enchanting melodies around exquisitely crafted lyrics. Poet and songwriter Dan Korn draws his influences from the Delta
Blues, Lou Reed, Dylan, Syd Barrett, CW Stoneking, Beirut, Thom
Yorke and Laura Marling. Dan’s moving songs are “like a long sob
laden with farewells”.
DJ YODA World class turntablist.
Acclaimed by
critics and
loved by
masses of
sweaty,
happy
crowds the
world over,
DJ Yoda will
be mashing
things up
Star Wars
stylee with
his audio visual
extravaganza!
45
DJANAN TURANThe Turkish singer, DJanan Turan, is back with a fresh collection of songs and a brand new EP, ‘Artigo’.
This quirky singer weaves stories of the world as she sees it
through the distorted glass of a Goldfish Bowl! Mysterious and
beguiling, with a carnivalesque sway, we know she is destined for
big things to come. Miss this at your peril!
DONKY PITCH Synth and bass in your face.
Not just party starters but record label bosses, promoters and radio
hosts. Donky Pitch are a Brighton movement growing at a dizzying
rate, and we are proud to have them at Playgroup Festival as they
continue on their quest for world domination!
DR BLUEGRASS AND THE ILLBILLY 8Hootenanny.
Foot stompin’, thigh slappin’ bluegrass from the deep south…of
England. Dr Bluegrass and the Illybilly 8 will have you hoeing-down
southern-style!
EAST BRIGHTON RHYTHM SECTIONWorld music from the shores of Brighton…
The East Brighton Rhythm Section are a 4 piece rhythm section
who play their way through soul, blues, reggae, dub and hip-hop.
EMMA DIVINESmokey jazz vocals and stunning soul…
Emma Divine’s versatile style allows her to move effortlessly
between blues, soul, jazz and pop music to create something that is
truly that – divine!
46
FAYE HOUSTON London- born singer with a lot of soul.
With a deep and powerful voice that instantly captures the hearts
and minds of her audience, Faye’s rich and sultry style has been
likened to Adele, mixed with the old - time tone of Nina Simone and
creativity of Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley).
THE HARRISON BROTHERSYeehaw.
Spawned in the basement of a Kings Cross pub, The Harrison
Brothers are a trio of urban cowboys that spend their days chewing
straw and pickin’ out old folk and bluegrass tunes.
HIDDEN ORCHESTRA The explosive live show.
Signed to Tru Thoughts, Edinburgh-based Hidden Orchestra
combine two live drummers, organic samples and dubby basslines
to make cinematic, emotive, percussive music. Their sound,
resplendent with layers of intense soundscapes, takes audiences on
a deep and truly original sonic journey containing elements of jazz,
classical, drum’n’bass, rock and hip hop. If you haven’t seen them
before, prepare to be blown away!!
47
HOT-TIP HI-FI An audio cocktail of musical sunshine.
Showcasing only the finest vintage reggae, rock steady and ska, it’s
a jumping selection of classics and rare gems alike. Enjoy an audio
cocktail of the finest Jamaican musical sunshine and good time/old
time party vibes!
JABBAWOCKY HI FI Roots and heavy dub music.
Jabbawocky Hi Fi started in early 2007 growing from a shared love
of reggae music and the sound system culture. After a few years
lying low Jabbawocky resurfaced in Brighton in early 2011 with a
series of outdoor events, street parties and club nights. Support
slots have included Prince Fatty, The Drop, Backbeat Sound
System, Nice Up records , Mr Benn, Roots Garden and Run Tingz
Cru.
JAMES RILEY Ethereal ballads of love and life.
Accompanied by a full live 8 piece band, James Riley is a
troubadour of the breed many thought no longer existed. A
‘fiendishly proficient’ guitarist, singer, and a roadrunner to match,
James chronicles the story of his experiences through clamorous,
jubilant bluegrass ‘n’ soul and exquisitely spun yarns
JOHN CRAMPTON Blues and Country one-man marvel.
Local legend and self taught slide
guitarist, banjo player and harmonicist,
John Crampton is a blues and bluegrass
heavyweight and this year he’ll be
performing on our main stage for a Sunday
slot that’s bound to get you dancing. His
totally compeling and furious energy will blow
you away!
48
LORI CAMPBELL Soulful folk and storytelling…
Steeped in adventure and heartbreak, Lori’s songs speak about
the countryside, family, home, relationships and pigeons. With an
infectious and sometimes comical optimism, she deals with the
stuff that feelings are made of, with ukulele in hand, and a smile
that’s never far away.
OFFICER 82Electro-comedown-mashup.
A mash-up menagerie of synths, samples, effect pedals, sequences
and vocals, from the dark depths of Beatabet’s musical bowels…
THE PEPPERMINT BEAT BAND60’s psychedelic pop.
A five-piece from Brighton via Northampton and Switzerland, The
Peppermint Beat Band combine an exciting blend of rootsy folk
rock and psychedelia with a whorl of vertiginous guitar sounds,
organ swirls and harmonies.
RESONATORS 8 piece Reggae Brighton legends.
One of the most highly regarded reggae acts in the UK right now,
Resonators are proof that the spirit of the original roots sound is
alive and well, bringing a modern, fresh edge to the scene.
ROOTS GARDEN Long-standing roots reggae and dub rockers.
Bringing you a special selection of roots classics!
49
ROSS FLIGHTDonky Pitch’s skweee hero.
Ross Flight - otherwise known as Donky Pitch don Boss Kite - has
carved a niche out for himself as on eof our premier synth heavy,
rubber bass skweee purveyor, (skweee for those not in the loop
combines bass heavy RnB rhythm with elements of electronica and
simple synth leads).
SAM BERKSON / CHRIS POLYMATHQuirky poetry from cutting-edge wordsmiths.
Sam Berkson is a poet who has been performing round the UK
and abroad since 2005. He reads a lot and attempts to rework the
stuff of experience through the models of past examples to create
poetry for the future. He is a Brighton Festival Slam Champion and
Liverpool Capital of Culture Slam Champion.
Chris Polymath - Like a modern day Philip Larkin with more humour
and bigger sideburns, the polymath poet has already established
a cult following in Brighton for his quirky poetry and unique
performance.
STAY SICKSleazy rock’n’roll from a Brighton institution.
Established in 2008, Stay Sick continue to spin the best dancing
music from surf to 60s, oddball R&B to filthy rock’n’roll and garage
to punk, 7inches at a time. These Cramps obsessed guys have
put on such greats as Billy Childish, Kid Congo from the Cramps,
Monotonix, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster and Thee Oh Sees.
THE FLAMENCO THIEFThink Rodrigo & Gabriela with a loop pedal.
Craig Sutton is the Flamenco Thief! Making a name for himself in
the South West, he merges classic Spanish rhythms with styles
such as funk, hip-hop, ska and breakbeat. This performance will
leave you dumbfounded.
50
DUNCAN DISORDERLY & THE SCALLYWAGS Goodtimes music to be shared by all.
The Scallywags do what they love and love what they do – expect
reggae, latin, hip-hop, rumba, swing/jazz and a lot of positive
vibrations, and with three new Spanish members to the band, a
Spanish twist as well!
THE SKINTSLegendary reggae and dub upstars from East London.
Mixing Jamaican styles with pop hooks, grimey raps, filthy basslines
and a punk rock work ethic, the Skints create a sound familiar to
newcomers, yet unique below the surface.Touring the UK and
Europe with bands including Youmeatsix, Sublime, Reel Big Fish,
Gym Class Heroes, Less Than Jake, The Beat and The King Blues,
we are thrilled to have them at Playgroup!
THE SLY TONESA gloriously debauched psychedelic stage show.
The Slytones have been dazzling crowds and scaring young
children for years now, and their ceaseless barrage of musical
terror shows no sign of stopping. With a new album in the pipeline,
you may even be lucky enough to hear some brand new tunes
alongside the classics.
51
THE TURBANS Middle-eastern, balkan folk and celtic extravaganza.
The Turbans began in Kathmandu, Nepal, when the violinist Darius
Thompson and guitarist Oshan ‘Danger’ Mahony decided to cycle
to India, where they met Mandolinist Chinua Ford. At the first
concert in Dharamsala The Turbans was formed, and has continued as
a travelling collective of multinational musicians from varying genres
VACCINATIONPurist post-punk with a smear of rock’n’roll…
See improvised magic at play from this fiercely good London
sextet.
VIBE MACHINE As tight as nuts and funky as it should be.Fronted by Dave Pepper whose heart-felt songs and magical
stories have been heard around the bonfires of the counter culture
for decades, the vibe machine is primed and ready for politically
charged poetical funk.
WILD KNIGHTS Mysterious remixers of the highest order.By the low light of screens, synths and soundcards, the Wild
Knights work their magic to fill the with the throb of futuristic
beats, euphoric melodies and low frequency basslines. Twisting
different tempos and styles, expect strands of soul woven
throughout every production.
ZEN DEATH SQUAD Triangle headed glitch monsters.
A union of three talented young producers, Zen Death Squad are a
phenomenon waiting to happen. Armed with laptops, synthesizers
and drum machines, their diverse and explosive live sets are
becoming notorious in the underground electronic music scene,
and we reckon they are one of the most exciting new breeds of
electronica out there.
52
ARTS TENTSFrom late night nature trails to marching parades, every corner of
Playgroup Festival is filled with things to see and more importantly,
take part in! Playgroup funds dozes of individually created little
dens filled with wonder! Which one will you get lost in?
LATE-NIGHT CINEMAA late-night cinema showing the best in short movies, crazy
animation and silver-screen classics. By night, our Treasure Chest
stage transforms into the perfect place to curl up with friends to
enjoy some magical movie entertainment.
DRAG KINGDOM OF THE SEAEnter this sparkling Oceanic world of beautiful and cryptic
characters! Join the polygamous marriage of the Sea Kingdom in a
ceremony performed by an ordained Clam! Have your fortune read
by a glittering Octopus! Enjoy the enchanting songs of the Sirens
and their Ukulele! And behold the mighty Drag King Neptune…. For
now the King rules supreme, but his subjects may plotting against
him in a scheme of riotous heresy…
PLAY MOREPlay More believe that art is revolution and is committed to
promoting a revolution of mind through social interaction. Play is
freedom! Play More will be offering all kinds of playful loveliness for
your enjoyment and entertainment, and lots of opportunities to get
involved! In fact, we like to think we offer a bit of something for
everyone... Have you ever wondered what playing a life-sized
version of your favourite game might be like? No? Well Play More
certainly has, and we will be getting suitably surreal with life-sized
versions of games we know and love, such as Operation, Hungry
Hippos and the pub classic The Fruit Machine.
53
SHAMBUSH!Shambush! create interactive theatre experiences. Building,
stitching and sticking, from conception to production, Shambush!
have shammed up numerous weird and wonderful events and
this Playgroup festival, they promise to be more nonsensical than
ever! We won’t say too much (because it’s a secret) but we can
guarantee intimate and absolute absurdity at every step of the
way…
SUCK MY ROCKPhotos beyond reality! Last years undisputed Playgroup Festival
hit, Suck My Rock is the most insane photoshoot you’ve ever been
on and this year they’ve gone all out to create something that will
blow your mind! A wonderful troupe of talented photographers,
artists, make-up and fancy dress superstars, they will give you a
cherished and very special memory of the summer!
THE IMAGINARIUMDesigned to mess with your expectations and senses, The
Imaginarium uses a blend of theatre, strange objects and strange
people: playfulness, nonsense, and wonderment are guaranteed!
Come join in and get involved with the many fantastical activities
on offer throughout each day, including the wonderful Jake Spicer’s
themed life drawing classes with The Drawing Circus, in the most
beautiful Victorianesque carts. Here, you can learn to animate a
zoetrope and watch it come to life!
The Imaginarium is an interactive space with activities ranging from
making your own sock cup and ball games to getting involved in a
Giant Punch and Judy Marionette Puppet Dance Off session! Don’t
miss it!
THE PSYCHEDELIC KIDNAP EXPERIENCEExpect the unexpected from the Psychedelic Kidnap Experience.
Passers-by will be leapt upon! Psychedelic dream worlds will be
entered! Prepare for a beautiful, eye-bending theatre of ritualistic
magic. It’s coming….for you!
54
CRAFTERNOONCrafternoon runs friendly (and often free) workshops for beginners
and practised crafty hands and everyone in-between. Making
everything from soft toys and knitting to the finer art of nipple
tassels!
BLACKSMITH WORKSHOPSCome and learn the timeless art of Blacksmithery! Our resident
blacksmith brings together this traditional craft with a modern
twist, sculpting everything from oversized steel elephants to
wearable predator masks! A unique, unusual and downright
amazing sight to behold! Let’s see what you come up with!
INSTALLATIONSFrom the beautiful to the bizarre, and
flaming tea-pots to giant origami, there
is no shortage of installations for you to
wrap your imaginations round across
our beautiful site. Prepare to touch,
taste, examine and explore…
AMY HARRISWith a focus on paper craft, Amy Harris
creates sets and bespoke objects from
a variety of materials, and spends time
collaborating with other creatives such as still
life photographers and animators. Inspired by retro graphics, found
objects, colour, pattern and much more in between, her work has a
playful approach to ideas and an attention to detail throughout.
MIDSUMMER SET A stunning edition to this year’s festival, the full set of ‘a
Midsummers Night’s Dream’ will be available as a shimmering and
magical space for you to spin your own yarns and get involved in
the music. An alternative stage for anyone to get involved!
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WALKABOUT ACTSWe have a whole host of walkabout acts to weave their magic
around the site all weekend…these are just a selection of some
of our favourites! Keep your eyes peeled for much, much more –
including a giant treasure hunt…interactive theatre…storytelling
and pop-up musical experiences…tricks and circus workshops…fire
performances every night…an alien space invasion…and ALAN’s
giant paint fight!
BARKING BATERIABarking Bateria are a clown and pirate samba fusion band! Banging
their drums and bringing the circus and the sea to their wandering
festival party!
CULT OF BIG LOVEWe want to spread the message of BIG LOVE and MEGAFUN to
everyone everywhere. We believe having copious amounts of BIG
LOVE and MEGAFUN leads to all kinds of massive win. We want to
see everyone WINNING!! Dressing people up, playing our favourate
games, offering up dance off competitions, face painting and more!
We are bringing the BIG LOVE to playgroup!!
THE MONKEY TRAINChoo Choo all aboard the monkey train! Don’t miss the chance to
come meet all our Animal and Monster Puppet Friends!
THE MONOPHONIC MIDI MACHINERoaming the site with his own lovingly crafted Monophonic
Machine, Matt will be secretly performing some live vintage techno
without the use of a laptop, just steam powered fun!
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THE SIAMESE PSYCHIATRISTS“Joined at the dress!” are lunatic purveyors of irrelevant and highly
suspicious ‘cures’ for madness of any kind. Though almost certainly
madder than their own patients, these Victorian time-travelling
‘professionals’ work their way through the crowd, accompanied by
two revolting ‘pigeons’, dishing out lost marbles and missing pieces,
and if you’re lucky they may even introduce you to Timothy…
THE TRIPSIESThe Tripsies do Tripsie things in a dotty and spotty way. They are a
walkabout who create impromptu Tripsie worlds as they meander
through the festival. Interactive, improvised and very much focused
on the people we encounter, there will be spacehoppers! There will
be giant twister! There will even be Trips-o-robics…Keep your eyes
peeled to find out more!
U N G E W I N ST E RA scarecrowish Ringmaster…A creepy Clown…A cranky Inquisitor…A
weird Butler…A maddening Hatter…George Orange is a one man
international circus on a wire.
THE FABULOUS OF UNICORNS: THE UNICONFind your best shiny horn, swish your tail and groom your mane!
The Unicorns are stampeding Playgroup. Look out for us at the
Unicorn Paddock where we will be meeting once a day to UNICON
around the festival. Come join us on our prance and gallop to the
best bars and stages.
THE U.N.P.C.TU.N.P.C.T are a family of disgusting, debauched wrestlers, an act
with a twist of anarchy and a lot of energy! This wrestling crew are
politically incorrect. They will offend your innocence but keep you
watching and laughing till you are ready to jump in.
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VOODOO LOVE ORCHESTRA25 piece Latin marching orchestra.
Harking back to the big band sound of 1960s Latin America and
Africa, the infectious, maverick and irresistibly swinging street
music of VOODOO LOVE ORCHESTRA will have the crowd
baying for more. This is more an invasion than a performance,
with a euphoric riot of musicians weaving in and out of the throng,
overseen by a megaphone-wielding High Priestess invoking the
spirits of celebration! Delve deep into the heart of the tropics with
this globe-trotting ensemble…
THE WEIRD SISTERS
This weekend the three sisters will bring you outrageous spells,
ridiculous witchy songs and exams to see if you are witch positive
or negative. Will you pass and be allowed to join the W.I (witches
institute)? Prepare for all things magical and fun!
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THE CABINET OF CURIOSITYTasha Marks and Luska Mengham have
long been involved with Playgroup
events, yet Tasha has since moved to
London to head up the astounding
weird food and events collective, Animal
Vegetable Mineral.
In their home at Playgroup Festival, ‘The Cabinet
of Curiosity’, you will find a fantastic programme of
experiences, including taxidermy workshops, experimental tasting
sessions, contemporary cabaret and stimulating lectures. Enjoy!
“EAT YOUR WORDS” – incREDIBLE POETRYWords are more than just symbols on paper, they’re physical! When
someone speaks bad news, it eats you inside. When someone
reciprocates your love, it’s delicious! Eat Your Words invites you
to taste words, literally. Using a little confectionary and a lot of
imagination Eat Your Words is a drop in activity that shows you
how to make poetry, then eat it.
ADAM ALLAdam All is an established Drag King and cabaret artist, performing
to audiences across the UK. A mix of 80s classics, modern pop
and old school jazz numbers provide the soundtrack to a tongue in
cheek expression of gender stereotyping.
AMANDA’S AUTOPSIESAmanda Sutton of Amanda’s Autopsies presents a live taxidermy
masterclass for those with a strong stomach and a curious nature.
As a leading anthropomorphic taxidermist, she will be giving a
step-by-step performance in preservation, equipping you with the
knowledge to go home and make your own taxidermic masterpiece!
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ART MACABRE PRESENTS ‘REVENGE OF THE REJECTED TOYS’Grab a crayon and capture creepy toy-themed tableaux as
London’s only ‘death drawing’ salons return to Playgroup Festival,
having packed out the Cabaret tent last summer. Injecting lethal
doses of theatricality and curiosity into the lost art of drawing, Art
Macabre present costumed and nude characters, playful drawing
challenges and experimental mark making exercises at a series of
fun, family friendly daytime events and late night salons.
ARTISTS, MODELS, INK: THE VOGUE GYRATORYA physical performance featuring the ‘EROTIC CURIOSI’TOYS’. The
audience will be invited to watch a tableau of life models through
a selection of viewing apparatus, such as old cameras, odd glasses,
binoculars, adding to the voyeuristic experience.
CABARET! CABARET!Sponsored by Jackalope Tattoos - www.jackalopetattoos.co.uk
Bringing back high glamour and divinely theatrical vaudeville
entertainment of yester-year, CABARET! CABARET! is a heady
blend of classic and contemporary revue entertainment: burlesque,
boylesque, magic and music! Join CABARET! CABARET! as they
‘Escape From the Attic’... you’ll never look at your dusty childhood
relics in the same way again.
COCO DEVILLE CABARET! CABARET! Founder
Critically acclaimed, award winning, international burlesque
showgirl, Ms Coco Deville is an highly established performer who
has performed in the decadent and theatrical burlesque scene
for over seven years. Favoured for her theatrical moxie, dynamic
dancing and effervescent energy, Ms Deville has become one of the
most distinctive and simply entertaining performers in the cabaret
circuit to date.
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LUXURY VALUESLuxury Values is a queer live artist whose grotesque, masochistic,
risky and highly glamorous tendencies have seen him damned by
many a dramaturge – and blessed by many an audience member.
A powerful performer able to control a crowd with the merest hint
of an eyebrow flash, and woo the whole audience with a flex of his
buttocks.
CHERRY BELLAWatch the curtain fall to reveal Cherry Bella’s sweeter than sweet
smile. Inspired by all things beautiful and classic the allure of 1920s
presents her with her moody feisty grind, whilst the allure of the
1940s will give you her cheeky pin-up presence.
PETE THE BEATVocally Produced. High Energy. Beat Master Extraordinaire.
SPLIFF RICHARD4 time winner of Hammer & Tongue Brighton’s annual poetry slam,
Spliff Richard’s rapid, rhyming, hip-hop influenced style spans the
poignant to the puerile. Messages of positivity, inspiration and
sometimes nob gags. A bit like Gil Scott-Heron hung out with
Cheech and Chong.
DAMIAN JENNINGS: MAGIC SHOWDamian is possibly the best and funniest magician in Sussex. From
astounding card trickery to whacking 10 inch hat pins into his arms,
Damian is going to make sure your Playgroup experience is as
magical as possible!
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EAT LIKE NOONE’S WATCHINGCoffee + Sponge present Eat Like Noone’s Watching, an
interactive performance where one at a time, an audience member
enters a private booth where they are encouraged eat as they wish,
how they wish, for as long as they wish. Food is steeped in politics
and taboos: social etiquette, moral concerns and body issues all
play a part in our relationship with food. Whether it be the guilt
of eating politically incorrect veal, the body politic of overeating,
the moral politics of waste or the social politic of making a mess,
food can be a complicated matter! Eat Like Noone’s Watching
offers audiences the opportunity, permission and empowerment to
eschew these worries!
EXPLORING SENSESRobot Relays: get involved in cardboard robot costume-making
and watch or participate in ridiculous Robot Relay games, including
the Ultimate Robot Space Hopper Duel.
Toys Arrrrgh Us - Toy Hacking Workshop: Ever watched Toy Story
and thought the mutant toys were sort of cool? Well come and get
involved in a mass Toy Hack and make your own hybrid freak! All
ages welcome.
EXPERIMENTAL FOOD 101 WITH ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERALAnimal Vegetable Mineral is a boutique food events business
providing edible interventions for festivals, parties and pop-up
experiences. Founded in 2011 by Tasha Marks, a food historian
who specialises in the cultural history of jelly, they now present
Experimental Food 101: an introduction to sensory food play!
Expect miracle berries, inhalable cakes and gummy bear wave
machines!
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EARTINGLERSOn Sunday evening, come and sink into a delicious evening of
skilled, exciting word and music acts. We bring you six artists who
are not afraid to push boundaries and forge truly individual styles
that are honest, reviving and not to be missed. Hosted by poet
Jasmine Cooray…
Rory Mulligan is a sound engineer who thinks he is a
musician. Or vice versa. He can’t quite remember. Confusion
ensues…
Talia Randall is a poet and performance artist on an eternal
search for meaning in likely and unlikely places. She has
performed and created art installations everywhere from the
Roundhouse to Camp Bestival and is creator of the Edible
Poetry project.
Spliff Richard is a well-known Brighton poet with a sharp
observational eye and a drive to deliver his work with
thoughtfulness and flow. His poetry is fast and passionate,
and will always leave you smiling and thinking.
Fiona Bevan’s success has been expanding exponentially.
Voted ‘first lady of the indie scene’ by USA’s Indie Music
Review, Fiona’s bright, clever songs cover everything
between play and melancholy and pour through a clear-as-
tropical-waterfall voice. Her albums ‘plant your heart’ and ‘us
and the darkness’ are critically acclaimed: she is definitely
one to watch!
INVOKALInvokal uses the spoken word to tell tales of concrete culture.
Adapting to poetry and hip hop alike, and ignoring exclusiveness
of either, Invokal plays with rhythmic syllable placement and rhyme
to construct a high impact form of performance poetry. Juggling
metaphors and punch lines, Invokal’s memory and passion never
cease to amaze. Due to release his first full length album with
German producer Merlin under the vise of ‘The Magik Word’, and
with many more projects underway, Invokal is one to keep your
ears open for in 2012.
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PROFESSOR ELEMENTALProfessor Elemental has created a unique neo-Victorian blend
of hip hop and comedy, and is the man behind the world’s first
steampunk rap album. His music charts subjects such as steam-
powered flight, underwater discovery, and nice cups of tea. With
a heart of brass and a pair of goggles, he embodies the Victorian
spirit of invention and exploration. His act has gone like clockwork
at events and music festivals around the world including White
Mischief, the Steampunk Worlds fair and The San Francisco
Edwardian Ball. He was recently awarded Best Musical Act in the
Brighton fringe as well as winning the award for ‘Greatest living
eccentric and ‘most Eccentric artist’.
LAUGHING EXPERIENCEA laughter meditation workshop: Take a moment out from your
usual life, to sit, to relax, to smile to yourself and find the laughter
inside you. We all have it. We need only invite it to fill us. Some
will laugh, others grin and others smile. You may even wish to
sit in silence. Together, in our many different ways, we will share
ourselves.
MICHELLE MADSEN & ANGRY SAM (HAMMER & TONGUE LONDON) PRESENT… RUMINATION & DIGESTIONRumination and Digestion: a three course meal of food, discussion
and poetry. From Hamlet’s complaints that ‘the funeral meats did
coldly furnish the marriage table’, to the blind tasting of foodstuffs,
Rumination and Digestion will provide you with experiments,
debates and discussion: all in the form of poems and performance!
PETE THE BEATVocally Produced. High Energy. Beat Master Extraordinaire.
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ROSIE WILBYStand up comedy from the
hilariously self-deprecating
Rosie Wilby. Rosie first tried
stand up comedy in 2004
after encouragement from
fans at music gigs who
enjoyed her between song
banter. With numerous
gigs around the UK, she
also comperes and curates
Femmes by the Thames
at Royal Vauxhall Tavern
(London) and has appeared
on Radio 4 Loose Ends.
THE HARLEM HEARTSThe Harlem Hearts are a
refreshing, up and coming
bohemian five piece jazz
band, delivering a flirtatious
and decadent mix of old
time classics, along with some fresh and inventive jazz mash-ups.
TOYING WITH SCIENCEDelve into the scientist’s toy box and choose from a collection of play
things which demonstrate the peculiar forces of nature. We invite you
to lose the concept of scientific explanation and enjoy the sense of
curiosity, mystery and wonder. Get experimental with your gustatory
and olfactory system in our liquid Nitrogen ice cream laboratory.
WUNDERLICH REVUEDer Wunderlich Revue is a brand-new old-fashioned cabaret troupe
of the finest tradition! Doing sleazy, classy, brassy, mainly-male
burlesque cabaret acts, they will have you begging for more!
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GAMES ARENA: THE LOST TOYS GAMES!Calling all Toys! We
cordially invite you to
join us and our merry
troop of toys from time
gone by. With a mobile
disco and non-alcoholic cocktail bar, the Lost Toy Games will be
walking around the festival and setting up camp once a day for our
sports day events. Come try your luck at becoming an honorary
champion toy for the day!
TOY TOWN OLYMPICSThis is serious. This is where the Toys will duke it out to be crowned
the Puppet Master! With games taking place for the full three days
of the festival you’ll compete in such classics as ‘Paper Bib Shoot-
Out’, ‘Blind Canadian Bear Baiting’ and the ‘Puppet Dance Off’ –
points will be awarded, lines will be drawn – who will be victorious!?
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HEALING FIELDSFind your space away from the madding crowds and unwind with
one of our traditional healing therapies. Our healing fields are the
perfect place to relax, reflect and recharge, whether you want time
out on your own, or with friends!
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SESSIONS ON OFFER…- Shiatsu
- Reiki
- Thai massage
- Chair or table based Deep Tissue Massage
- Henna Tattoos
- Personalized Sound Baths with Healing Touch and Sound
- Indian Head Massage.
GROUP WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENCES –- Shiatsu body awareness
- Qigong
- Thai Yoga
- Yoga
- Massage Workshops
- The Bliss Dome – 360 Sound and Light Bath!
- Artworks throughout the space.
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KIDS STUFFOur ‘Little Bugs’ kids tent is open from 9am til 9pm every day of
the festival with loads of wonderful activities to keep the little ones
entertained! From circus skills to baby disco and musical story-
telling to giant musical instruments, there’s plenty to see and even
more to do!
FRIDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA12pm-2pm Open for soft play and games
2pm-4pm Wide awake club with Whizz Bang Pop!
Circus skills with Trickswap and friends.
Drum club with Drum Unity
5pm-5.45pm Kids Cabaret – Dodgy Totty’s Flights of
Fondant Fancy
5.45pm-6.45pm Kids Cabaret - Mr Pineapple Head
6.45pm-7.45pm Kids Disco
8pm-9pm Soft play and games
CRAFT WORKSHOPS12pm-3pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios
3pm-6pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda,
Sharna and Taryn
Printing with Helen Mills
6pm-9pm Costume making with Rosa Bonifacii and friends
Dream catcher making with Monique and Melissa
8pm-9pm Beatbox with Kieran Dunne
LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30-7pm and 7pm til 8.30pm
Space is very limited so arrive early to secure a seat!
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MORE ACTIVITIES12pm-2.30pm Facepainting
3.30pm-6pm Facepainting
6pm-8.30 Facepainting
3pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!
Plus … Games and bubbles!
… Balloon modelling and clowning!
... Teddy Bears Picnic by Babyoke daily - see board
on the day for times
... And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for
awesome projects set up by Natty and the Crew!
Please check the board on the day as times and performers may be subject to change!
SATURDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA9am-10am Open for soft play and games
10am-12pm Wide Awake Club with Whizz Bang Pop
Circus Skills with Twikswap and friends
Drum club with Drum Unity
12pm-1.30pm Musical Storytelling from Soundcastle
1.30pm-2.30pm Kids Cabaret – Dotty Spotty Socks
3.30-4.15pm Kids Cabaret – Dodgy Totty’s Flights of
Fondant Fancy
4.15pm-5.30pm Circus skills with Trikswap and friends
Drum club with Drum Unity
5.30-6.30pm Kids Cabaret
6.30pm-8pm Kids Disco
8pm-9pm Soft play and games
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CRAFT WORKSHOPS9am-12pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios
12pm-3pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda, Sharna and Taryn
Printing with Helen Mills
Pleebles Creative Workshop
3pm-6pm Costume making with Rosa Bonifacii and friends
Dream catcher making with Monique and Melissa
8pm-9pm Beatbox with Kieran Dunne
LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30pm-7pm and 7pm-8.30pm
Space is very limited so arrive early to secure a seat!
MORE ACTIVITIES10am-1pm Facepainting
1pm-4pm Facepainting
4pm-7pm Facepainting
3pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!
Plus … Games and bubbles!
… Balloon modelling and clowning!
...And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for
awesome projects set up by Natty and the Crew!
Please check the board on the day as times and performers may be subject to change!
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SUNDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA9am-10am Open for soft play and games
10am-12pm Wide Awake Club with Whizz Bang Pop
Circus Skills with Twikswap and friends
Drum club with Drum Unity
12pm-13.30pm Musical Storytelling from Soundcastle
1.30pm-14.30pm Kids Cabaret – Bodger and Badger
3.30pm-4.15pm Kids Cabaret
4.15pm-5.30pm Circus skills with Trikswap and friends
Drum club with Drum Unity
5.30pm-6.30pm Little Bugs Talent Show!
6.30pm-8pm Kids Disco
8pm-9pm Soft play and games
CRAFT WORKSHOPS9am-12pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios
12pm-3pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda, Sharna and Taryn
Printing with Helen Mills
2pm-5pm Pleebles Creative Workshop
3pm-6pm Costume making with Rosa Bonifacii and friends
Dream catcher making with Monique and Melissa
8pm-9pm Beatbox with Kieran Dunne
LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30-7.00pm and 8.00-8.30pm
Space is very limited so arrive early to secure a seat!
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MORE ACTIVITIES10.00am-13.00pm Facepainting
1.00pm-4.00pm Facepainting
4.00pm-7.00pm Facepainting
3.00pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!
Plus…games and bubbles!
… Balloon modelling and clowning!
...And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for awesome
projects set up by Natty and the Crew!
Please check the board on the day as times and performers may be subject to change!
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FOODBARNABY SYKES – PIE MAKER Barnaby Sykes make delicious pies by hand using wonderful
ingredients, and serve them with enthusiasm to delighted
customers all over the country.
ERIDGE FARM SHOPThe local farm shop will be supplying our festival site with a brilliant
range of organic meats and salads sourced directly from the field
and farms around Eridge.
MUUThe lovely Muu will be returning to Playgroup with their amazing
Japanese street food specials. The family name “hatanaka” literally
means “in a field” and these guys certainly love to be at festivals!
SHEPERDS ICE CREAMWhen it comes to ice cream, these guys really know their stuff.
Using sheep’s milk means that the ice cream is both nutritious and
delicious, but don’t take our word for it! Sherperds Ice Cream has
over 25 years of experience!
BOSSMANS BBQSmoking meat on site, Bossman’s BBQ will be here for all your
bacon, burger and breakfast needs!
THE PECKISH PEACOCKThe Peckish Peacock are passionate about food and have been
working to develop a delectable array of perfect curries served with
chappattis, chutneys, and a whole array of Indian deliciousness!
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SMOKEY JOESOn Joe’s travels around the Caribbean, he discovered the recipes
for his own special brand of BBQ sauces. Now he will share them
with you all! With his homemade marinades and sumptuous recipes.
ROAMING ROTISSERIEAfter seven years of delighting customers at dozens of high profile
events, the roaming rotisserie is now here at Playgroup! Think
unique rubs and marinades, Farm Assured whole chickens, juices
dripping from roasting spits and the wonderful smells of deliciously
succulent meat. Our mouths are watering already!
FULL CIRCLEFull Circle is a creative collective of musicians, artists and chefs who
are committed to environmentally sustainable fun. This weekend
they will be providing a low-impact, intimate and cosy venue with
great food and a sprinkling of magic.
LIZARD STAGEAfter 15 years of serving the finest Chai and creating one of the
warmest spaces at any festival, in 2009, the Lunched Out Lizards
joined forces with London world music promoters Souk Sound to
form The Lizard Stage. Now a gorgeous secret hideaway from the
festival insanities, you can tuck into some luscious organic stone
baked pizza whilst watching some of the UK’s finest world and folk
music performers.
MR PATEL’S CORNERSHOP Mr Patel’s Cornershop, run by the Patel family, is your festival
general store!”
LITTLE BUGS CAFEThe Little Bugs Café will be providing tasty treats and nutritious
snacks all weekend, in the Little Bugs kids area!
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THE LOCATIONHISTORYReputed for being the oldest enclosed Deer Park in England, Eridge
Park is steeped in history. It’s first recording has been found in the
Domesday Book, where it was called Reredfelee. At this time it was
owned by the Odo, the brother of William the Conqueror!
The Nevill family inherited the Estate in 1448 and have been here
ever since. Henry VIIIth often hunted here and Queen Elizabeth I
spent six days at Eridge in August 1573. There was a flourishing iron
foundry here in the 16th century when a series of mill ponds were
created to provide a good supply of water to power the forge.
In 1787 the 2nd Earl of Abergavenny, Henry Nevill, began building
Eridge Castle in exuberant Strawberry Hill Gothic style. In the
years following, the landscape was enhanced by opening up vistas,
walks and carriage drives, the construction of follies (most notably
Saxonbury Tower and the castellated wall at Sham Farm) and the
rebuilding of old workers’ cottages in ornate Estate style.
The park has been visited by many gentry men, with the Prince of
Wales a frequent visitor at Eridge shooting parties in the late 1800s,
and Disraeli, who came here for the venison and strawberries.
However, in the late 1930s the Castle was demolished and the
current Georgian style mansion house was built, which is now the
home of the VIth Marquess of Abergavenny, and his family.
Nowadays, the house and formal gardens continue to enjoy
stunning and peaceful views over the Park, and while the estate is
home to a myriad of small businesses occupying former farm and
estate buildings, it is also used as a unique venue for weddings,
game and country fairs, film locations…and, of course, our music
festival!
A SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTERESTEridge Park is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
because of its vast diversity of species and outstanding natural
beauty. The site comprises parkland and ancient woodland on
the lower Tunbridge Wells Sandstone and underlying Wadhurst
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Clay, and enjoys one of the richest epiphytic lichen floras of any
single park in Britain, with 167 recorded species, many of which are
characteristic of old forests. The variety of habitats present also
support diverse insect and bird communities – even the ants are
protected!
Considered nationally important are the 22 recorded species of
dragonflies, including the notably brilliant emerald Somatochlora metallica – see if you can spot one! As well as this, there are also 60
recorded species of breeding birds, including hobby, redstart, water
rail and all 3 British woodpeckers. The site even contains a heronry!
What a special place to enjoy a festival.
SUSTAINABLITY Our 2012 festival will be the greenest yet!
Not only is our whole site powered with solar and bio-fuel
(vegetable oil) generators run by Brighton based power company
Firefly Solar, but we’re aiming to recycle 80% of all waste on site!
But we need your help in doing this…
Don’t forget to:
• Use the recycling bins provided and make sure you use the correct bin for your waste.
• Keep you campsite in tidy order and clean up after yourself!
• Ensure you have NO glass or fires in the campsite.
• Use our toilets rather than the woods (no, you’re not helping the trees to grow – human waste is mostly toxic!)
• Take campsite rubbish bags to our waste collection areas at the end of the festival.
• Do not throw cigarette butts onto the ground.
Most of all, be aware that this is a beautiful site and enjoy it for what it is! We are privileged to be able to enjoy a magical weekend of music here, so look after it while we look after you!
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OUR ROOTSWith Playgroup Festival, we set out to create something special,
somewhere that you could make new friends and meet old ones,
take all the brilliant makers and creative people that we knew and
shove them in a field to make magic happen! We wanted Playgroup
Festival to represent the region that we lived, to highlight all the
brilliant grassroots musical acts and artists that we loved and most
importantly – be totally involving!
Playgroup has been running for 6 years now, hosting regular
themed festival-in-a-club events at venues all over Brighton and in
our club, the Blind Tiger. But back in 2009, we started wondering
why on earth we didn’t do a festival-in-a-festival!?
We started our search for the perfect place to hold our little
gathering and began to put together a crack team of décor
builders, good friends, circus performers and all the grassroots
musical acts we wanted to be silly in a field with – but what field?
After searching for almost 6 months we found the ideal place,
snuggled between Brighton and London, it was a perfectly
picturesque spot for our little Summer gathering of friends
and friends of friends – Eridge Park, a beautiful ancient deer
reserve (yes, deer still roam the estate to this day!) that has been
unchanged since the times of William the Conqueror. Wow! We fell
instantly in love and knew it would be our home.
The first Playgroup Festival was an understated affair for just over
500 guests – it was lovely, if a little disorganised – and we spent
a marvellous weekend galloping around the countryside while
meeting hundreds of new friends – some of which had such a good
time that they started working on Playgroup Festival permanently!
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Then in 2011, we went into overdrive, taking the capacity up to
2000 and finally feeling like a real festival. We had 4 different
stages, loads of art installations, and the feeling that we were at
the start of something very special. It felt like the early days of
Glastonbury, with makers, and friends and creative people all in
one place, just simply enjoying peoples company – something that
we’d felt we’d sorely missed in all those bigger festivals we’d been
to across the country.
Now in our third year, we have grown again, but while we now
have 8 stages, we have tried to keep Playgroup Festival as intimate
as possible, and to prevent it from getting so big that we lose the
magic that Playgroup is all about.
So here’s to the little festivals, the ones that you will remember
forever. We hope you have an incredible weekend here in this
beautiful park. And if you want to continue to be a part of the
Playgroup family, come along and see us at our venue in Brighton.
The Blind Tiger Club is always putting on great music, art, comedy
and craft events and we love to see familiar faces. Keep up to date
by signing up to Playgroup e-mail newsletters, liking our pages on
Facebook, or by visting www.playgroupbrighton.org
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF PLAYGROUP FESTIVAL 2012 – WE HOPE YOU HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!
AND FINALLY – see the next page for our last-minute updates.
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LAST MINUTE NEWSAs with all festivals, our line-up has been subject to change. The
forced postponement this year made it even more complicated
to keep our original line-up. We’re sorry if there are one or two
acts that you were initially hoping to see that couldn’t make it this
weekend.
Sam & The Womp suddenly got big and had their souls bought by
Live Nation, who barred them from attending our event as planned.
Submotion Orchestra couldn’t make the new date, but we put them
on at a free show in Brighton for you back in August instead.
And there are one or two other notable changes to our first posters
and advertising. However, we hope that these 80 pages give you
many more reasons to smile than complain – and if you’re totally
big name line-up focused, then you’re probably not getting what
Playgroup Festival is all about yet!
We have just heard, at the last-minute, that our showers supplier
cannot make the event, due to unexpected problems. We are
really sorry about this, as we totally expected hot showers for the
weekend. Thankfully, the site’s not muddy, so you’re not likely to
desperately need one.
Similarly last minute, due to personal problems of the team behind
it, our Segway Course will not be appearing. This is particularly
rubbish, as Declan and me were to get free Segways for the
weekend, which had been making me smile a lot over the last
couple of weeks. So ignore the Segway Course on our festival map
– it’s now invisible and imaginary.
And – the sad news that this may be the last Playgroup Festival ever…
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Well, over the last three years, Playgroup Festival has lost the
people behind Playgroup about £140,000 in total. And since we’re
just regular joes, and young at that, from low income backgrounds,
that’s just a crazy, crazy figure. We’ve been juggling it to date, but
we can’t see how this can carry on. Playgroup Festival is now 100%
in peril, beyond this weekend.
We’ll explain that horrific number, what your ticket money goes
on, and why it’s not been enough, in the next few weeks. After this
weekend, we want to open up a massive feedback process and
public dialogue with you all, about how to make Playgroup Festival
better, and, indeed, how to make it happen again at all.
We may well need your help on our maddest mission yet – to raise
£100,000 in a matter of months! If we all like this event and want to
save it, that’s the kind of conversation we need to have. Being small
is beautiful – but also hard, especially in a recession like this, with a
changing summer climate.
You can help this weekend by buying drinks at the festival bars,
because we get the lion’s share of the profits there, and by
convincing everyone you know who’s not yet sure about coming, to
turn up and buy on the gate, even if it’s for £45 for Sunday daytime.
Please also discourage anyone from breaking in, or scamming the
festival in any way, because this isn’t like other events – we need
every single person’s support and good spirit simply to exist. Free
rides mean, in the end, no rides at all.
And, if you managed to get a free or discounted ticket, and you can
afford to give something extra, and you have a good time at the
Festival – please show your support by taking a donation of cold,
hard, helpful cash to the Info Tent.
Without public funding, without rich kid funding, without corporate
backing and selling-out, we want to survive the worst financial
years, like this one, and keep meeting up with you for Playgroup
Festival, at least once a year!
Above and beyond though – thanks for coming, and whether it has
to be the last dance or not, let’s make this weekend the BEST!
All our love,
Phil – and Declan, Emma, Twink, Mike and the rest of the Playgroup team (see a lot more names, next) xxx
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81
THANK YOUPlaygroup Festival is the result of the hard work of hundreds of
people – many of whom you may never see, but who spend their
year with you in mind, hoping to make your weekend truly magical.
We are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to Playgroup
Festival - there aren’t enough pages to include everyone, but
here are just some of the wonderful people who have made it all
possible...
Adam Charvet, Andy Mullins, Abi Jones, Alex Forster, Amy
Robinson, Andrew Window, Alastair Adair, Arnaud Nichols, Adam
Harris, Adinah Shackleton, Annie Wheelan, Amy Harris, Abigail
Wenyon, Adrian Brunton, Alan Danskin, Anthony Elliott, Alex Melia,
Alex Casper, Amy Caywood, Alice Peperell, Abdul Miah, April
Coffey, Ali-Owen Thomas, Andrew Parlane, Antony Valenti, Anne
Marie Williams, Ad Spiers, Abe Moughrabi, Andy Sowerby, Antoine
Leduc, Audry Taylor Whittington, Aude rispal, Alan Danskin, Ari
Cantwell, Akiko Shimauchi, Alex Blowey, Ayla Dhyani-Mcdonald,
Alex Green, Apu India, Alice Ramage, Adam Byrne, Aisling
McGibbon, Alan Gilchrist, Baca, Ben Monks, Bing Simpson, Ben
Rodgers, Beth Read, Ben Darling, Bill Vincent, Bruce Selkirk, Ben
Goodwin, Bel lagerdahl, Bob Tomblin, Beth Jarrold, Ben Walker,
Becca Flint, Ben Mortimer, Bryony Buttercup, Bart Simpson, Bob
Clark, Carin Abdula, Camil Barton, Chloe LeFay, Clara Jones, Cyril
Siorat, Caia Matheson, Cameron Devlin, Chirsty Drinkwater, Chris
Corry, Charlie Joy, Charlie Davis, Charlie May Butt, Cathy Randell,
Clive Stanley, Carole Ray, Christopher Wood, Charlotte Hodgson,
Charlotte Browning, Craig Whittington, Charlotte Lambert –
gorwyn, Chelsea Mountney, Christopher Waudby,Claire Holmes,
Christian Beal, Coco Sato, Carinan Blij, Caterhine Burnette, Connie
Orbach, Chris Hill, Chris Land, Chantal Pullen, Christine Litchfield,
Claire Kirkbright, Cassie Riggs, Camille Loftin, Cat McPherson, Chris
Corry, Claire Holyoake, Declan Cassidy, Dan Leake, Darius Zaerin,
Darren Kent, Daryl Bennet, Dave Mcmaster, Dila Varder, Dave
Strange, Dotty Barrington, Dominic Henderson, Duncan Nurse,
Dotty Barrington, Dee Fisher, Danielle Hopper, Dan Hernandez,
Dave Waldman, Damian Ellis, Diana Aiton, Darren Hougham, Dan
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Wedge, Dave Evans, Dave Meckin, Darryl Black, Dee Fisher, Danny
Litchfield, Danny horwood, Danny Axtel, Dan Hill, Dave McCarthy,
Emily Beatty, Estelle Marks, Emily Walker, Emily Mcloughlin, Emily-
Rose Swirlesque, Emma Cafferky, Emma Norris, Emma
SandhamKing, Emma Walsh, Egg William, Eva Z, Esther Fari, Ed
MacDonald, Ellie Jones, EV Visor, Edd Cubbit, Eve Brownlow,
Edward Hall, Elenor Macdonalled, Edwin Hallwood, Ewan Simms,
Flick Nicole, Freya Mergler, Fiona Tout, Felix Otaola, Fernando
Rodruigez Gonzalez, Farah Ba-Abdullah, Garee Hilosdon, Gabriel
Wulff, George Richardson, Gabriel Swinton Stott, Gareth Gwynne-
Smith, Gemma Debice, Gosha Majewska, Graham Morris, George
Ridel, Gemma Dean, Graham Sowerby, Georgina Norris, Gilles
Buxton, Grace Barrington, Graham Edeensounds, Graham Sowerby,
Gemma Robaczynski, George Sworder, George Nunn, Guillaume
D’arjuz, Grace McWilliam, Gabby Baker, Genevra Jolie, George
Haskell, Grace Barnard, Grace Patience , Gary Redding, Gem
Debice, Gareth Carter, George Nowacki, Hannah Abdullah, Holly
Peyre, Hannah Camidge, Helen MacGregor, Harry Footit, Hayley
May, Hayley Joyes, Holly Sears, Heather Milsom, Holly Stafford,
Hannah Chilton, Huw Evans, Hannah Saunders, Hannah Desjardins,
Hannah Grasskamp, Heather Bandenburg, Helen Saunders, Hannah
Chapman, Heidi Grange, Heather Milsom, Hayley Litchfield, Helen
Hipperson, Imogene Aylwin, Imogen Rigby ,Ismet Munir, Isra El-
salihie, Imogen Oppe, Imogen Miller, Inyaki Ruiz Palomar, Itai
Bengal, Ian Heckford, Jules Arthur, Janthornsri Stanley, Jessica
Spencer, Jason Alexander, Jack Childs, Jo Smith, John Kelly, Jim
Cousins, James Wollard, Jessica Hard, Jenny Reina, Jo Mortimer,
Jack Freedman, Jack Brindley, Jair Black Santos, Jessica Eyerman,
Jacinta Thirlwell, James Kendall, Jane Smith, Jerry Morgan, Jess
Neame, Kassia Zermon, John Harman, Jonny Rose , Jess Romero,
Jo Trolley, Jez Cracknell, Joanna Hedges (Twink), Joe P, Jemima
Taylor Justin Pulsford, Jess clynewood, Jorge Tores, Jo Compton,
Jo Grenn, Jon Davis, Justin Monaghan, John Castrillon, Joel
Macpherson, John Saunders, James Sweeney, John Byrne, Jo
Orchard, Janine Kelly, Julien Thomasset, Jon Crawley, Jonathan
Darbourne, Jules Varnedoe, Jake Spicer, Jessica Hazel, Jacques
Keogh, Jay Thornton, Jane Fletcher, Richard Samuel , Jennifer
Stephenson, Julie Marie rivet, Janee Swan, Jonny Gomez, Jon Bate,
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Jitka Androlova, Justin Reeve, Jason Clare, Jade Holford, Josh
Perea, Jamie Ash, Jamie Flippard, Jo Eales, Jimi Brogan, Joe Knight,
Jack Bennett, James Morgan, Julia Wolflee, Jack Healy, Jodie
Moran, Jim Rivers, James Street, Jay Phipps, Jennie Salter, Jess
Neame, Jessica Strawson, Jimmy Allen, Joe Loftin, Jolyon Swindells,
Jonathan Garrard, Katerina Rainwood, Kate Duncan, Karli Dendy,
Kate Whittingham, Kieran North, Kevin Row, Katti Codogno, Kieran
Smith, Kane Garland, Kate Salter, Jake Shone, Kavanagh Rattigan,
Kim Searle, Kerry Ann-Ting, Keith Marston, Kirsten Evans, Kate
Blake, Katherine Abbott, Krissy Nemeth, Kyle Holford, Kate
Robertson, Katherine Hudson, Kate Evans, Liam Hall, Laura Burgess,
Leo Brown, Lady Zooty, Lucy Beattie, Lou Platt, Lara Wylde, Lally
Mergler, Luke Waller, Lisa Turner-Wray, Liz Watts, Luke Skinner,
Lottie Hellier, Lucas Haethcote, Lucy Kennard, Liz Hougham, Luska
Mengham, Lottie Hellier, Luke Concannon, Lewis Hughes, Luke
Parrish, Loz Pickering, Lucy Ridley, Lisa Watchorn, Lucy Nacson-
Jones, Loolie Habgood, Lawrence Bliss Dome, Larry Lush, Lola
Cline, Lucie Thring, Louise Krystahl, Linzy Na Nakon, Lauren Smith,
Lily Sequoia, Letitian Hatanaka, Lucy Hollands, Layne Arlina, Lucas
Sinclair, Matt Barker, Mark Aiton, Maisie Brown, Maddy Edmunds,
Matt Haines, Melissa Lust, Matt Oliver, Matt ‘Red’ Turner, Micheal
Kane, Martin Brand, Mikel Preito, Michelle Bailey, Mark Pyrah, Martin
Cook, Marina Castledine, Michelle Song, Merve Cubukcuoglu,
Michael Helston, Meliesha Beth, Mim Knollys, Matt Trudge, Mike
Howard-Williams, Maxine Narburgh , Miles Lynch, Maria Luz, Mimi
Davies, Melek Sen, Maxine Silver, Milton Penflick, Margherita
Francesci, Max Grant, Mark Gardener, Matt Bates, Michael Howard-
Williams, Marie-Claire Canning, Mary Igglestone, Mark Trigg, Martin
missleton, Mary Newing, Milly Parmenter, Meia Hatanaka, Maria
Bowler, Michael Ashton, Morgan Clarke Ward, Matt Rivers, Mario
Cohelo, Matt Rich, Melissa Cox, Michelle Tilley, Natty Kadifa, Nat
Wells, Natasha Ba-Abdullah, Nav Sagoo, Nick Wilsdon, Nicole
Jones, Nina feathers, Nikkitta Landry, Natalie Depledge, Natalie
Dixon, Nathan Bellringer, Niki Georgiou, Noah Sacré, Nick Neter,
Neil Antcliffe, Noor Ayoub, Niku Rawlings, Nina Garner, Neil
Williams, Natalie Dixon, Neil Simmonds, Nadine Richardson, Nat
Mcgathan, Nobuyuki Hatanaka, Nadine Gardiner, Nathan Thomas,
Orban Wallace, Oli Clarke, Ollie Lynn, Olivia Fleming, Omar
84
Charlery, Oskar Wailin, Oliver Sudden, Peter Gosbee, Philip Lakka,
Paul Beard, Pippa Homan, Pippa Forester, Patti Kydd, Paul Burgess,
Pru Ainslie, Paula Fash, Peter Brownell, Pete Bennett, Poppy Kaye,
Peter Gosbee, Phillip Guyton, Phil Potts, Peter Eyres, Phil Easey,
Pete Sequoia, Patrick Robertson, Puja Patel, Paul Ingham,
PhoebeDarling-Senner, Rachel Nicholls, Ruth Liley, Rowena Gilbert,
Rae Spungles, Rupert de Renzy-Martin, Raymond Hemson, Rheanna
Davidge, Rich Davis, Riesh Phipps, Rosa Bloom, Richard Drakeford,
Rob Blakemore, Rory Mulligan, Rosetta Whitehead, Rachael
Durrant, Rosie Kendall, Ruben, Ruairi Rowan O’Connor, Brydie
Rowan O’Connor, Rosie Newman, Robert Silverton, Roz Russell,
Ruth Morgan, Robin Morris, Richard Randall, Russell Poutey, Rachel
Amoroso, Rick Holmes, Rick Bosman, Ramsey james, Rosie
Gainsborough, Robyn Riddoch, Rebecca West, Rob Pettman, Ruth
Egau, Saif Hasnie, Sally Lloyd, Sarah-Jayne Brook, Sharmeela Harris,
Stephen Carr, Sunni Jolly, Ted Gardiner, Thomas McLachlan,
Tommy Foulkes, Wes Weston, Zinnia Parr, Zoe Mclafferty Steffan
Brennan, Sarah Sea, Stevie Smith, Scott Rowlands, Stuart Fairburn,
Sasha das Gupta, Sadie Olesker, Stef Odhu, Sam Coveney, Sami
Majali, Sara Castledine, Shane Watson, Sofee Nadine, Spal, Seiriol
Davies, Sian Sandry, Sach Nagaoka-Toop, Stephen Williams (Spam),
Steve Capperr, Stevern Bowers, Stevi Jelbart, Stephanie Maciuk,
Stevie Teague, Sasha Jones, Spam Williams, Sam Scott, Stefan
Klenke, Simon Golding, Sophie Sakmann, Simon Kemp, Stuart
Fairburn, Suzanne Moo, Sean Mahon, Sarah Mead, Sam Baugh,
Simon Cass, Sam Surridge, Sally Horton, Sam Alison Tasha Marks,
Tim Ford, Tora Hudson, Tiger Lily Raphael, Tom Taylor, Thomas
Michael Ross, Tobi Wyld, Tom Camidge, Tim Simpson, Tora Hudson,
Tom Ratcliffe, Tom Olesker, Tom Smith, Thom Rewcastle, Tom
Peace, Uncle Nick, Una Turner, Uncle Mo, Vicki Tingle, Verity Owers,
Vera Zakharov, Vito Neagro, Viv Quaile, Valeria Tello Giusti, Will
Larington-Spencer, Will Mercer, Will Boullin, Warren Davies, Woody,
Yuka Stevenson, Zero, Zia Joshua, Zuza Mengham , The Marwood
Cafe, The Toy Museum, Coffee@33, The Northern Lights, The Print
Room, Stampa, Brighton University and many many more!
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