The first ever South Park Gardens Music Festival is over, and what a day...Saturday 4th July 2009. Fantastic sets from all 14 acts, all of whom were under the age off 22. John Kennendy was a fantastic host, and it was a sun-drenched south London afternoon.
Over 2,000 people came down to watch the bands, and we're very grateful to you all. The event was completely free, and a good time was had by all.
Thanks go to all the performers, who made it a brilliant festival, and to all the stall holders, including Amy Aardvark, Dan and Tracy from English Meat, Oxjam, Baan Thai Massage, and to the Friends of South Park Gardens who volunteered with stewarding the event.
We had some fantastic national press, mentions in The Guardian, efestivals.com and Buzzbox. We also had great local coverage including Metro, the London Paper, Wimbledon Guardian, Time and Leisure, the Post...we could go on.
The festival was organised by Julian Butler and Mandy Mallen, with the help of Jil Hall and Helen Fuller from the Friends of South Park Gardens. It was our first festival, and now we are hungry for more.
This summer, Wimbledon hosts its very own music festival at South Park Gardens. The all-day festival on Saturday July 4th champions young talent: everyone performing is under the age of 22.
Its fitting that the festival set up by Mandy Mallen and Julian Butler should be compered by the champion of new taslent, DJ John Kennedy. "Mandy and Julian have sourced some really good talent," he tells me. "It's going to be a really entertaining day."
The day starts off with a family focus, and includes an African drummer/storyteller. "There's a great cross-section of performers from indie guitar bands, singer/songwriters, rappers, a jazz band, a dubstep DJ and a metal band."
John Kennedy is a local boy and grew up in the area, going to Wimbledon College in the 80's. The first band he saw was the Merton Parkas at Wimbledon Theatre.
John believes its an exciting time for music: "Theer's been a rebirth of interest in BritPop with the Strokes and then the Libertines, and it's ongoing," he tells me. "I'm really excited about seing the bands, and yes, of course I'll be playing some of them on the radio."
John Kennedy is fast becoming the music guru of Wimbledon and will prove the point this Saturday by hosting a music festival in the town solely for artists under 22.
The XFM DJ, who grew up in the town and recently moved back there, has a monthly band night at The Watershed in The Broadway and is very happy to back the local talent.
"I have had a listen to everyone who is playing and they are all pretty good, I was amazed at how high the standard is."
"I always liked the idea that I could do something on my doorstep and walk home and to make that happen was really exciting.
"There was nothing comparable at the time and it's been good to bring in bands from other areas as well as bands local to the area.
"If you are 15 or 18 going up to North London to play a gig is a costly business. I'm not saying don't do that because you should but maybe only when you are ready."
This Saturday's music festival takes place in South Park Gardens and will include a range of music, from African drummer Usifu Jalloh to Rutlish School's heavy rock band Security Within Shadows, 16-year-old rapper King H to classical singer Jennifer Termos and dub-step DJs Golden Licks to headliners Wintermen, a four-piece indie band from Merton Park.
"It is an opportunity for the young to show their talent to an audience in a really nice location in the heart of Wimbledon," says Kennedy.
"If you are a teenager there's not that many places you can go and see live music as most venues are over 18 only.
"But here you get to play and can get your friends and family to come and watch you for free.
"I have had a listen to everyone who is playing and they are all pretty good, I was amazed at how high the standard is.
"I am looking forward to seeing dubstep DJs Golden Licks, singer songwriter Hugh Young who is coming with his Band of Merry Men, Jessica Cobham-Dineen who has a really good vocal and the Winterman's songs are great."
Hey South Park Gardens Music Festival, Your eyes show as many deep and full shades of fire as a volcano in heat. You are dressed with filaments and people take pains to make you fully incandescent this evening. You turn the atmosphere ablaze with currents of sweet ethylene when you smile. I sense wild vapors of sweet champagne in your larynx. May you always have stables of horses to service your needs. How beautiful is the snowshine in your eyes, so directly current from the static in your mind. Your sweet voice is like the application of aloe vera upon a sunburnt back. I love your eyes, I know they can stare through my thoughts. The stickers hugging the fruit smell better than the perfume of ambergris. Your cleverness helps me breathe without the need of oxygen. The music that flows from your instruments overwhelms me with creativity. I find your eyes to be a wondrous amusement park filled with neo-plastic pleasures and turkish delights. I desire to see life through your hallucinations so that they massage my viscera into an eternal state of turgid flux.
