Your invite to the Loxwood Beer and Music Festival

And here to whet your appetite is one of the organisers Ray Merridew, who writes of the biggest ever musical event in the local calendar:

Bands will be coming from various areas around the South East, as well as more local acts. There will also be an incredible array of beers, a hog roast and BBQ plus entertainment for the kids too, with proceeds going to the Loxwood Pre-School.

The event is sponsored this year by Silverback Studios - www.silverbackstudios.co.uk

The festival will open at 2pm on the grounds of Loxwood North Hall with Voodoo Rising, an entertaining rock covers band with the vocal talents of Rachel Middle and Louise Crawford. They have a superb varied repertoire with anything from the Blues Brothers to Nickelback or Chuck Berry to U2, so are guaranteed to go down a storm – make sure you arrive nice and early to catch this band.

They will be followed by the hugely talented Aimée and friends. At just 16 Aimée has been a Guilfest regular, played several other festivals, has made numerous radio appearances and has been likened to Avril Lavigne, Suzanne Vega, Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch! She will captivate you with a contrasting set of self-penned songs alongside some well-known classic and contemporary tracks.

Just after 4pm we are in for a real treat with The Watermelons who play Loxwood in amongst several festival dates. They play The Foodies festivals, The Willow Festival in Peterborough, and Chi Fest amongst others, before heading off for gigs in France and Ibiza! In 2011 their single ‘Dancing with the Wrong One’ achieved over 30,000 views within a week and rated number 4 in the MTV download charts. Infectiously hooky indie pop, decent sing-along choruses reminiscent of Kings Of Leon and spiky Artic Monkeys guitaring…get up and dance!

Worthing-based Indie heroes Sandweaver will follow with their dramatic mix of melodic, anthemic sounds they have quickly gained a strong local following, national radio play and a series of high profile support slots, including Turin Brakes just recently. The band gigged up and down the country and in 2008 they independently released their debut album ‘Invasion’, which sold out its first print run within weeks. This secured them a world-wide publishing deal and ultimately introduced them to a whole new bank of fans from both sides of the Atlantic as their music was featured in programs aired on the ABC network in the States and the BBC and E4 back home. Their highly anticipated second album ‘Making Maps’ has just been released, and a summer full of festival performances in the pipeline, it looks like 2012 might very well become the year of the Weaver. “Epic, Melodic, Well-groomed Indie” – NME

Shortly before 7pm you will need to keep your dancing shoes on for a superb local band, The Reaction. Formed in 2010 but already filling local venues, University gigs and playing at private parties you will soon see why! Sing-along anthems, older classics, contemporary choooons, it will all be there, so get down to the front and give great support to this young band.

As if all this wasn’t enough, we then have a massively experienced band having been together for 12 years and having played over 600 gigs across the UK, Europe and USA, Two Choices have come a long way since the ‘pub styled covers band’ that they were in the early days! A debut album ‘Longest Journey’ in 2008, a 4 track EP ‘Have You Heard’ in 2010 and more recently in 2011, the recording of their latest single ‘My Side of the Street’, which has been accompanied by a music video. Teamed with numerous media publications, radio air play, TV spots, tours and festivals we are really proud to include this up and coming band in our line-up.

By 9pm you will still need enough energy to ‘get down’ as The Rhythm Method takes the stage…all 10 of them! Their set list includes everybody’s favourite hits from movies like The Commitments, The Blues Brothers and The Full Monty. A huge sound with a killer brass section, male and female lead vocals, and rhythm to die for…it’s all there. Maybe they will even come and dance with you!!

The dancing and fun will not stop there either! Our last band of the day really needs no introduction.
Throbbin Hood will take to the stage just after 10pm. Talented, wacky, dual guitars, solid thumping bass, a mad drummer and a multi-talented, dancing frontman with a weird guitar…what more do you want? Oh yes, songs you know from the ‘old days’ right up to chart stuff from yesterday. Watch out too they might change the words!!! Crazy stuff that will provide a superb climax to the day…who knows we might spring a surprise or two as well! You really won’t want to go home early!!

In between bands the crowd will be entertained by Bloco do Sul “Band of the South”, bringing their exciting rhythms of Brazil!

Tickets are on sale now via the website www.loxwoodbeerfestival.com or local shops / post office and are priced at just £10 in advance (includes a free drink) or £12 on the day. Amazing value for all this entertainment so book ahead and get yourself down to Loxwood North Hall on the Guildford Road. For your sat nav use the postcode RH14 0SF.