Festival reborn (From Stroud News and Journal)

Festival reborn

MORE than 60 local acts are set to perform free of charge at the reborn Stroud Fringe Festival. Music lovers thought the much-loved late summer festival was doomed when the organisers pulled out after last year's event.

But a new committee of volunteers has resurrected the Fringe, assembling a raft of top bands to play free and outdoors on three stages across the town.

Acts already confirmed include young rockers Elysium, who will open the event, top saxophonist Patsy Gamble and crowd-pleasing favourites Ska Daddy.

The line-up also includes well-known local bands like The Form, Bagel Fish and this year's Nailsworth Festival headliners The Mad Cows.

Roger Sanders, who heads the festival committee, said: "We want to promote local talent, giving them a shop window and the exposure they deserve. Let's give them their own home stage."

Full details were due to be officially released on Friday - but organisers gave the SNJ a sneak peek at the new-look festival.

Set to take place between Friday, September 9 and Sunday, September 11, the festival will include a huge range of music from rock to jazz and blues to R&B.

And in addition to the three stages at the Cornhill, King's Street and Nelson Street, there will be stalls selling an array of local crafts.

The Nelson Street stage was included after a street party there last year proved enormously successful. Cam Robertson, landlord of the Duke of York in Nelson Street and a member of the organising committee, said: "We thought if we didn't do something the Fringe would die - and we do not want that.

"This year we have local bands playing for nothing. Nobody gets paid and nobody has to pay to see it.

"It is definitely happening. We will have a street party and we will have a Fringe Festival."

All surplus funds from this year's event will also be ploughed back into future festivals.