News

On Sunday 18th August, Capel will once again play host to the annual Capel Music Festival which will feature a superb line-up of popular acts such as Warsaw Radio, Rotait, Tom Staniford, Erika Footman, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, The Surrey Hills Chamber Choir, Sweet Revenge and The Earthquakes. There will also be a beer and cider festival courtesy of the Dorking Brewery, food stalls, a kids’ zone, a VIP area and some fabulous raffle prizes up for grabs.

Now in its fifth year, the Capel Music Festival will be raising money for St Catherine’s Hospice, a charity dedicated to providing specialised end of life care and support to local people, their families, friends and carers, as well as for The Studio ADHD Centre, a small, unique charity based in Capel which provides innovative and successful ways of working with children, adolescents and their families who have ADHD/Aspergers Syndrome. A number of smaller local charities will also benefit. Organisers are expecting over 3,000 people to attend and hope to raise over £15,000 for their chosen charities.

The full line-up of acts is as follows:

• Warsaw Radio – Warsaw Radio is led by Brían McNamara who hails from Ireland. The band formed in spring 2012 and released their debut EP on 18th January 2013. They are currently based in Brighton working on their debut album which is due for release later this year. The group’s influences tap into a well of music that includes The National, Leonard Cohen and The Frames. The title track from their January 2013 EP “Lost in her sound” featured on the RTE Radio Playlist in February 2013, receiving air play to over 4 million listeners. Warsaw Radio has also had airplay on BBC radio and on local radio in Ireland.

• Rotait – Rotait is a folk/rock/alternative duo consisting of Jareth Tait (vocals, guitar, drums) and Rosanna Schwarzacher (Vocals, cello, guitar). Formed in Ireland in 2009, the duo is now based in Brighton and has established itself on the local music scene. With influences ranging from PJ Harvey to Nick Drake, and a sound closely related to the likes of The White Stripes and Radiohead, their live shows demonstrate their ability to mix many influences and to switch genres with little effort. Their 1st EP was released in 2010 shortly after which they toured Austria, France and England. In 2012 they released their debut album “Sleep Tonight” which received great reviews.

• Tom Staniford – Through a combination of moving cello and at times vulnerably honest vocals, Tom Staniford’s sound is both haunting and intense, yet strangely uplifting. Though still young in his career, his repertoire of live acoustic folk-rock continues to win a keen following throughout the UK. Such is the early impact of Tom’s fledgling solo career that both he, and his music, feature in the multi award winning feature film ‘City of Dreamers’ – the soundtrack of which is now being released by Repubica music. This, in turn, has led to Tom performing in Madrid and, more recently, he found himself selected from a ‘best new artist’ list to perform at the main stage on Beach Break Festival alongside Friendly Fires, Ben Howard and the Maccabees.

• Erika Footman – Erika emerged from a life coloured by the musical corners of London town and Japan. While it was initially opera and musical theatre in which she found her voice, she was soon influenced by pop greats such as Kylie and Carly Simon made their influence. Later Erika found herself as much at home with the 90s rave scene as she did with the heavy rock scene and, from this union of diversity, emerges a style of ‘epic pop’. Erika has been touring the world with MIKA as his backing singer playing from 20,000 to 50,000 people; she sings with hip-hop/metal pioneers Senser through out UK and Europe; she was a guest vocalist for a few shows of Skunk Anansie’s European Tour in 2012 and was backing vocalist on their Acoustic shows in 2013; and she recently recorded a guest vocal on two tracks with #1 UK artist, Bastille.

• The Mad Hatters Tea Party – Fronted by David Smale, current bassist for legendary rock band ‘The Yardbirds’, The Madhatter’s Tea Party are an energetic and exciting band based in the South-East. Formed by four highly-trained, experienced and entertaining young musicians, The Madhatter’s Tea Party perform music from a range of decades and genres to satisfy all audiences, and are the perfect entertainment for any occasion.

• The Surrey Hills Chamber Choir – A mixed voice choir of up to 30 voices that enjoys singing a variety of styles of music. Founded in September 2005, the choir has grown to comprise 28 enthusiastic, friendly and talented singers that have received local and national recognition for their high standard of performance and variety of programme. After a stunning performance at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester in October 2012, Surrey Hills Chamber Choir were named Adult Choir of the Year 2012 and were then runners up in the 2012 Choir of the Year competition held at the Royal Festival Hall.

• Stephanie Davies & The Super Dynamics – Steph is a soul singer in the true sense of the word with great presence and a style of delivery that recalls the golden era of rhythm and blues. ‘The Super Dynamics’ are her backing band and play original, funky, soul music with a raw and emotional edge. They have been doin’ their thing up and down the UK for the past couple of years now, having cut their teeth in other bands. They are experienced players with a strong commitment to jamming and interaction with the crowd.

• Sweet Revenge – a fabulous, energetic young band who have won Battle of the Bands four times and write their own material of distinct rock.

• The Earthquakes – a fresh, bold and powerful nine-piece Northern Soul, Funk and Rhythm & Blues line up.

There are still a number of sponsorship opportunities available and organisers are also keen to hear from businesses that would like to donate prizes to the raffle or take a stall on the day. Businesses wishing to discuss sponsorship opportunities should contact Stuart Ferguson on 07956 502118 or email fergie2209@gmail.com. Anyone wishing to donate raffle prizes or take a stall on the day should contact Dawn Hinton on 07730 584 871 or email dawnthinton100@hotmail.co.uk

The Capel Music Festival will take place on the Capel Recreation Ground on Sunday 18th August from midday to 7.30pm. Tickets are available in advance or on the day for just £7 per adult with free entry for children under the age of 12. To purchase tickets or for further information visit www.capelmusicfestival.org.uk or email info@capelmusicfestival.org.uk