The Rootsville Hurricane Blows In To Birmingham
If it’s summer, it must be festival season. You’ve been there, you’ve done that. You want something new, something different, something inspirational.
That’ll be Rootsville, then.
Picture this.
• Four stages set against the Victorian buildings of the UK’s most unique venue with non-stop music of all sounds, sizes and shapes.
• From homespun heroes to global giants, from expansive to eclectic, from noon to 6am.
• Totally free from midday to 6pm. Just £20 for the next 12 hours.
“The spirit of Rootsville is hiptripstic and happy with random acts of spontaneous entertainment and explosive cathartic performances in a carnival like atmosphere,” says festival maestro Kent Davis. “And don’t think we’re saving the best till last either – one of the biggest acts will be before 6pm.”
A groundbreaking not-for-profit festival, Rootsville takes place Saturday 30th June amid the cool, colourful contemporary surroundings of the Custard Factory in downtown Birmingham.
From indie to Indian, from gypsy to jazz, from punk to funk.
Under The Arches Stage
Headlining the Festival and marking the debut of the venue’s new Under the Arches stage, will be 90s Madchester indie legends and masters of three minute pop perfections INSPIRAL CARPETS.
They’ll be joined under the massive railway arch by a line-up that includes Aussie electronic beats sensations THE PRESETS; Canadian glo-sticks electro groove nu rave outfit DANDI WIND; Newcastle’s feedback swamped incendiary indie guitar finest KUBICHEK!; and Birmingham’s eclectic eccentric exponents of the weird and wonderful MISTY’S BIG ADVENTURE.
Lakeside Stage
Making the Lakeside Stage their own with irresistible percussion driven rhythms as warm as solar flares, the headliners are the hugely influential Afro-Caribbean godfathers of World Music, OSIBISA.
Sharing the bill will be Birmingham’s 15 piece multi-ethnic firebrands of Eastern European folk, THE DESTROYERS; the dynamite DHOLBLASTERS with their Banghra batteria; Coventry’s explosive flag-wavers of ska-punk pop THE RIPPS; skunkrockers CRACKED ACTORS; and homegrown fuzzed out Americana fourpiece ONEYESBLUE.
Rooty Pool
Fresh from glowing reviews for his A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block album, Birmingham based MOBO award winning alto-saxophonist and rapper SOWETO KINCH leads a strong line up of free music.
Keeping the jazz and blues flame burning, he’ll be sharing the stage with, among others, jazz dub octet SUGARBEATS; acclaimed riti (that’s an African 1 string fiddle, but you knew that) virtuoso JULDEH; bluesy singer-songwriter CHRISSY VAN DYKE; local living legend STEVE GIBBONS; rising stars BENJAMIN AND THE SIRENS; and the full vocal glory of the BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHOIR.
Medicine Bar
Hailing from Birmingham, MDK CARTEL are a troupe of Asian rappers, mc’s and DJ’s who fuse modern day grime with Bhangra inspired beats on their current Hostile Takeover EP. Helping to keep the mood chilled and the air hot will be Boom Room, the Soul Thump DJs, Makoto and Bryan Gee
As well as the live acts already announced and special surprise guests, there’ll also be DJ sounds from the likes of Scott Bleeps, Bobby & Sam, and Mama Feel Good plus Theatre, Films, StreetArt, Poetry Slam, Dance Battles, Beatboxing, fashion show, Thrill-out and Chill-out Zones and loads of daytime children’s entertainment and fabulous Festival Food.
Rootsville Midsummer Festival
Saturday June 30. Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham.
Midday-6pm Free. 6pm-6am £20 (first 500 tickets £15)
http://www.rootsvillefestival.com
For further information contact:
For interviews, press info, review or competition tickets: Mike Davies 0121 443 3600
E-mail rootsville@mikedav.co.uk or see online epk: http://www.sonicbids.com/RootsvilleFestival
Festival Organiser: Kent Davis @ Rooty Frooty 07747 037821
Artist Information
Under the Arches Stage
Inspiral Carpets
Top chaps, all round nice blokes and leading lights of the 80s Madchester scene, the Inspirals are probably best known for the glorious pop rush that was This Is How It Feels, but in the late eighties and early nineties they were more consistent chart visitors than either the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses.
Note: Tom Hingley is available for interviews
www.inspiralcarpets.com
Kubichek!
Roaring out of Newcastle with Not Enough Night, a debut album as incendiary as the intentionally explosive exclamation mark that doorstops their moniker, like all the best bands they come armed with a musical manifesto that encompasses their lust for uncompromising DIY punk jitter, noir tinged, New Wave tainted atmos, and feedback swamped melodic sass.
www.kubichek.co.uk
Dandi Wind
Fronted by the striking figure of vocalist, dancer and all round volcanic presence Dandilion Schlase, the Canadians have been taking the electro nu rave scene by the scruff of the neck and giving it a good talking to with their glo stick friendly grooves.
www.myspace.com/dandiwind
The Presets
The latest big thing out of Australia, the Sydney-based electronic duo arrive with the sort of buzz for their new album and in your face live shows that you normally only get from a warehouse full of very angry hornets.
www.myspace.com/thepresets
Misty’s Big Adventure
A glorious 8-piece band from Birmingham in the UK, made up of brothers and sisters and twins and saxophones and trumpets and cute, weird dancers who produce the most uplifting, life affirming tunes you’ve heard since Louie Armstrong played with the Lovin Spoonful.
www.mistysbigadventure.co.uk
Hot Monocles
A new young Birmingham outfit with the stomping tunes to match their stage presence and infectious excitability.
www.myspace.com/hotmonocles
The Lovechild Electric
Rapidly making a name around the burgeoning Birmingham scene, the quartet meld musical passions with an eclectic mix of influences, and wrap them up in nagging melodies, impassioned harmonies, and a smattering of good old fashioned indie-rock. With a violin.
www.myspace.com/thelovechildelectric
Lakeside Stage
Osibisa
Emerging in the 70s with their dancingly irresistible hit Sunshine Day, the influential self styled ‘Godfathers of World Music’ remain a dynamite live experience, blending African and Caribbean beats with rhythmic melodies and hints of jazz.
www.osibisa.co.uk
The Ripps
Drawing on hometown Coventry’s Two-Tone heritage and ramming it with the high-energy punk of The Buzzcocks and The Clash, their cool pop, punk ska has seen them named by the NME as one of the movers and shakers of the new Midlands scene.
www.myspace.com/theripps
The Destroyers
A Birmingham based 15-piece multi-cultural group with a big love of fiery Balkan gypsy folk, ignited by banks of brass, fiddles, accordions, and drums. And hats! Loads of hats.
www.thedestroyers.co.uk
The Dholblasters
Drums a go go in a rhythmic torrent of urgent Bhangra beats, spearheaded by Dholi Gurchanan Mall, one of the world’s most prolific and dynamic Bhangra personalities.
www.dholblasters.com
Cracked Actors
A heady brew of old school punk, ska, counter-culture folk, and political conscience with added didgeridoo and a stockpile of Rizlas, they coined the term Skunkrocker with their debut album and have tales to tell about squatter parties and Glastonbury that would make Jackanory turn green.
www.crackedactors.com
Oneyesblue
Recently dubbed The Sweethearts of the Rodeo for their fuzzed out revival of (bluegrass roots 60s Basement Blues and sweet three-part harmonised Americana, the Birmingham four piece bring together influences ranging from Neil Young and Nina Simone to Bright Eyes and the Zutons.
www.myspace.com/oneyesblue
Shimm I
Homegrown fresh and funky rap and hip hop with a social streets conscience and some serious spine-bending beats that slide from the sharp to the mellow with a streak of humour in the middle. The video for his Party single, lifted from last year’s The Silencer album featured cameos by Craig David and Sharleen Spiteri.
www.shimm1.com
Rooty Pool
Soweto Kinch
The hottest name to drop when you talk about the cutting edge of contemporary British jazz, a sometime member of the Jazz Jamaica All Stars, the jazz alto saxophonist and rapper earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his debut album while his latest, A Life In The Day Of B19, has received glowing critical acclaim for its narrative hip hop jazz from all quarters. Currently exploring baroque and early classical music in an African setting, a raft of awards includes a MOBO for Best Jazz Act.
www.myspace.com/sowetokinch
Chrissy Van Dyke
Raised on opera and psychedelia and formerly singer with drum ‘n’ bass meets jazz outfit Plutonik, she’s now got back in touch with her acoustic roots, belting out country tinged blues that will make your soul ring.
www.myspace.com/chrissyvandyke
Steve Gibbons
What can you say, the man’s been in the music business for over four decades, surviving a roller coaster of ever-changing fads simply by staying true to himself and his love of classic countrified soulful rock n roll. A living legend, and then some.
www.stevegibbonsband.com
Birmingham Community Gospel Choir
Quite simply the best gospel voices in Birmingham, gathered together in one volcanic roof-raising ensemble.
Juldeh
Born in Gambia and now based in the UK, he’s one West Africa’s leading riti (a traditional one-string fiddle) players and one of the most prominent Fulani musicians of his generation, his music has encompassed traditional Fula tunes and music for veteran West African electric band Ifang Bondi
www.myspace.com/juldehcamarauk
Sugarbeats
A young Birmingham based octet, with influences from broken beat to funk to jazz.
www.sugarbeats.co.uk
Summary
Graduates from the Birmingham Conservatoire jazz course, led by saxophonist Mary Wakelam and featuring vocals from Naomi and Taharka, the octet fuse jazz and hip hop into a hot, clubby groove.
www.myspace.com/summaryband
1 Eye
A 7-piece outfit with deep roots in the Birmingham reggae scene, fusing the genre with elements of hip hop and Latin.
www.industryrecords.org
Thee Single Spy
Out of London with a somewhat fluid line up that can vary between one lone singer and ten thumping, howling, melodica-touting rhythm aficionados in a clarinet driven riot of bruised and battered songs about drowning towns, Christian campfire traditions and cult indie harpists eloping with Russians.
www.myspace.com/theesinglespy
Benjamin & The Sirens
Based in both Bath and Birmingham, rising singer-songwriter Benjamin Mortimer also leads a double musical life, writing for a performing with his two bands, Ben Mortimer and his Natural Kicks, and this outfit which sees him behind the piano, accompanied by a female string quartet who double up on bohdran, melodica, accordion, and, er, typewriter. Their shows have been known to include word games and raffles.
www.myspace.com/benjaminmortimer
Lonesome Dogs
Three piece Birmingham based country-blues outfit and proud owners of two albums, the now utterly sold out and thoroughly rare Unleashed and the spanking brand new Not Strictly Blues
www.lonesomedogs.co.uk
Medicine Bar
MDK Cartel, Soul Thump, Makoto & Deeizm, Bryan Gee, AI (Liquid V)
For downloadable images of the acts please see the electronic press kit at:
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