Winchester Live (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Winchester Live

9:32am Thursday 11th September 2008 in

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Winchester Live is a new week-long festival running from 13th - 19th October 2008 as a special event organised by Placid Piranha Promotions aimed at promoting the area of Winchester and Hampshire to the music industry and local music scene.

Happening across three venues and boasting 11 gigs in 7 nights, it will be an opportunity to showcase Winchester as a thriving music town with big names in rock n' roll performing with a wealth of talent that Hampshire has to offer.

Tickets for the series of gigs will be available along with a very limited amount of wristbands for the whole week priced at £25 exclusively available via www.winchesterlive.com from 8th September.

The festival will take place at The Railway, at St Paul's Hill, The Tower, off Romsey Road, and the newly built Vault, in Sparkford Road, which is part of Winchester University.

The line up for this inaugural year includes the alternative art-punk nu-legends Art Brut, New Zealand heavy rockers Die! Die! Die! and another, yet named, secret special guest.

They will appear with acts from the London Folk Invasion and promoters Bloody Awful Poetry and Blissfields Festival.

For the last two years, Placid Piranha Promotions, set up by Winchester man Rob Ball, founders of local fanzine The Winchester Massive', has put on a week long Festival in Winchester in aid of Oxfam, as part of the OXJAM music festival.

Rob said: "The concept of Winchester Live was essentially born as many great ideas are; after one too many beers".

Winchester, just an hour away from London, was voted as the best place to live in England in last years Location, Location, Location' poll for the Channel 4 series.

Robin continued: "Having been championing the local scene for the last three years with The Winchester Massive and Placid Piranha Promotions, I thought it was about time we put on an event to highlight the growing scene we have here. Over the last year Winchester has gained two new music venues, in the shape of The Vault and The Tower. Having these new venues, along with the ever popular Railway, it's the perfect opportunity to improve the city's already growing scene and bring some well known acts to the area.

"The local scene has spawned some successful artists in recent years, including Andy Burrows from Razorlight, Frank Turner, Scarlet Soho, Captain Phoenix, Second Monday and Polly & The Billets Doux. Plus there are a few more starting to make an impression on the music industry. Putting these local acts on with artists who have already made a name for themselves will not only give them more confidence and exposure, but also show off our local acts and venues to a whole new audience."

This festival has brought together some of the best local acts and now with Girls in Green Shoes, Bloody Awful Poetry, When The Lights Go Out, Mine Host and Blissfields Festival on board.

Winchester:Live will be the most essential music event in Hampshire this year.