|
Southport Weekender 36, May 2005,
Part 1.
Report by Kate Bonney
and Nicholas Melvin
Photographs by Patrick Trollope
THIS was a very
professional and highly prestigious event that Southport should be
delighted to host. The weekend timetable in the brochure suggested a
very tight timetable packed with musical gems featuring funk,
soulful house, drum n bass, jazz, hip hop and broken beats, but it
was far more tight then what was in the timetable. The event has so
much to offer, you found your self stuck for choice.
Each of the 4 rooms was packed to capacity with dance music
clientele, featuring a variety of the above music genres creating an
atmosphere of pure power as the name of one of the rooms POWER HOUSE
suggests! Here, one of the acts:- Blaze and Barbara Tucker kept
everyone totally enthralled and transfixed, yet still moving to the
beat. There was no need to ask how people felt about them, you could
see it in their faces and constant dancing, shouts, whoops and
cheers the erupted as each track transcended into the next powerful
bout of brilliance! Blaze was the music.
The foyer area boasted a fine selection of goodies including CD's,
Vinyl, T-shirts, badges and even baby bibs with funky captions on
them. Well you have to start them of young!
The whole area was buzzing with people, laughing and chatting,
making new friendships and renewing old ones. It is no wonder why
the Southport Weekender is now officially the "Friendliest
Music Event In The World." According to MTV who were at
the event filming all the action.
Everyone one was so easy to approach and seemed eager to say which
sounds they like best. Some times when we asked, the punters started
huge debates that ran on for the rest of the night! Barry Harvey and
Stephen Rodgers from West Lothian captured the event in just one
line:- "It was a Soulful experience, it's what dreams are
made of." Helen Walker from Birmingham on her fifth
visit to the Southport Weekender said that it was "Brill,
absolutely fantastic!" whilst first timer Deon Everton
said:- "It was really good. I have had such a nice time.
It was not what I expected… It was better!"
Joey Negro got the thumbs up from a group of people from Norwich who
said they wanted to see him again, as he was such a great showman.
David from London said:- "It is the only event where you
can not, but notice that all ages, races and colours mix with out
any problems. It is more of a mega family than a music event and one
that I hope to be part of again and again." Emma Black
from Glasgo then added:- "I just hope it stays like this,
as it is really the best event in the world. I've been to so many in
the USA and in Europe; you just do not get the same buzz or the same
interactions as you do here. Even the stars mix with you on the
dance floor… I do not know any other event where that
happens!"
The people who were working flat out to serve people with food and
drinks kept up a cheery disposition right throughout the whole
weekend, but then with super sounds everywhere you turned, it wasn't
surprising really. That is unless you had a headache!
Gill Knight from Korcula Town, Elaphite Islands (sorry if we spelled
that wrong) said:- "Every one is so friendly and even if
you do speak bad English they still talk to you."
"To quote the tag line of the Weekender... 'Southport
Weekender is an event run by people who love music FOR people who
love music.' That is what it is...." Colin
from Liverpool said.
The Weekender was certainly the place to be this weekend, it brought
the best in creative talent to play to audiences who were bound
together by one common denominator…. MUSIC!
Just A few names we have to drop in who played at this years may
event…
'Little' Louie Vega, Norman Jay, Bob Jones and Gilles Peterson....
Do Not Forget November's event…. November 4 to 6
2005... Visit:- southportweekender.co.uk
for more information and to book you place to see this amazing
event.
Page 1 of only 33
pages!!!
|
If the green box
above or the purple box below do not show, you must download a
new edition of Java.
|
