They say that the best ideas are born over a drink or two. In this case that’s definitely true…and it was also certainly more than two!

Flashback to the Spring of 2018 and the multi venue festival ‘Live at Leeds’. Headlining were the likes of Circa Waves, The Vaccines and Peace. Also, sitting way down the pecking order was an unknown Geordie called Sam Fender. Wonder what happened to him? Anyway, after a second beer (ahem) the hypothetical question was asked ‘Why couldn’t you do this in Gibraltar?’. 

Fast forward five years and the joke that became a dream that became a pipe dream is about to become reality. For the last couple of years Manchester born Wayne Meenagh has been championing new music through his venture ‘Future Soundz’ and bringing up and coming British musical talent to the rock. He’s introduced hoards of tune thirsty ex pats, and more than a handful of Spaniards, to the likes of The Luka State, Cavalcade and The Heavy North whilst allowing the best of Gibraltarian musicians to share the stage with them. Along the way he’s galvanised bars, businesses and local government, securing funding and support to continue to develop his venture and to fuel his passion, ultimately leading to this: Gibraltar’s first weekend new music festival. It’s had music festivals before, and with big names too; Kings of Leon, Stereophonics and even Duran Duran but had been scaled back in more recent times and then ultimately stagnated and put on hold due to the pandemic. 

Opportunity knocks, and over the weekend of 8th and 9th September a wealth of talent will showcase their music at The Arena in Ocean Village as part of The Weekender. The venue is no stranger to live music having hosted some of the aforementioned bands already through an ever stronger relationship with Future Soundz. By day The Arena is a sports cafe; three bars, indoor screens and a substantial pizza menu, but at night the fun starts. A giant outdoor screen will act as the backdrop to the stage allowing over 500 lucky folk to experience something unique in the shadow of the famous rock itself. Gibraltar Rocks has just announced that it’s back the weekend afterwards, but there’s a slight difference in the ticket cost…

FRIDAY:

Headlining on the Friday are The Howl and The Hum, a York based outfit that manage to combine the darker elements of pop with memorable melodies, a folk edge and thought provoking lyrics. They’ve already played Neighbourhood and Loopallu as well as completing many headline tours in their own right. Perhaps their coup d’etat, however, was an intimate concert in the not so intimate surroundings of York Minster in 2021, now also available as an album its own right. Their album Human Contact received critical acclaim whilst their single Godmanchester Chinese Bridge has been streamed well over 8 million times!

Joining them on the Friday are The Facades, another in form band from the Wigan gravy train. It would be unfair to simply label them this way, however. There’s a female vocalist, for example, and the musical sound is more drawn, more soaring, more ethereal perhaps than that of their stablemates. The melody and the jangling guitars are still there but it’s definitely a sound very much of their own. They’ve been busy on the gig front and worked hard over the last couple of years to cement their place in the northern music scene but also to widen their audience through Y Not and the Isle of Wight festivals as well as supporting Sleeper on tour. 

Local interest on day one is spearheaded by Cedar, a four piece who only formed last year but are making waves with their own brand of alternative indie rock. A kind of prevalent post punk vibe here. Strong melodies, rasping vocals and circling guitar work are laid over a heartbeat bass and concussive percussion. This exemplifies some of their their musical style alongside a clear image and visual identity. These lads are ambitious and determined to go places with a new release Nightshift out on all platforms in time for the festival. Check it out below. Definitely ones to watch for the future.

Josh Vine has been around for five years or so, but it feels like longer based upon his work rate and productivity. A singer/songwriter originally from the West Midlands, he now plys his trade out of London and has caught the attention of well respected music journals such as Clash Music and XS Noise. His music is confident and bold, combining strong guitar with powerful vocals that showcase his reflective songwriting perfectly. 

Also on the Friday billing are Suriname and The Fusion; a local artist with international acclaim having worked alongside artists such as  Yazz, Nate James and Suzanne Vega. Her sound really is the definition of ‘fusion’, mixing Spanish flamenco with Mediterranean style and British rock to create an intriguing acoustic style which has allowed her to work with Jay Singh (think Shakira) in producing some of her work.

Mantra are another recently formed local band who are beginning to make the right noises. They are gaining reputation fast within Gibraltar and are headed up by Jesse Sampere who has also performed a fair number of acoustic gigs in his own right. They’ve moved from simply a tribute band to one that combines their own wide range of musical influences in order to create their own body of work.

Brianna Crome is a young Gibraltarian singer/songwriter that mixes covers with her own compositions. Talented and enthusiastic, she has worked the stage here before through the Breakthrough sessions’ as well as bringing her music to the streets of Gibraltar. She’s regularly on The Hub, GBC’s weekly magazine show, and has something of a YouTube presence too.

Excited? You should be, but let’s not forget one important factor that’s going to make it better still…the whole thing is free! Yes, the magic wand has been waved and that galvanising effect mentioned before has pulled sponsors and backers together to lay it all on for nothing! You should even get a fair share of sun too and so the obligatory festival wellies can remain firmly stuck in a puddle somewhere in Derbyshire. Little Britain it may be, but you still won’t need any pounds sterling to have a music filled weekend! I’m not sure that the generosity extends to drinks though…

So what of Saturday, if day one won’t be enough? 

SATURDAY:

Make Friends are making noises in the indie pop scene at the moment. The Bristol quartet will be following their overseas visit with a tour of their own in the UK during October, visiting many of the best independent venues out there. There’s a little bit of modern post punk in their style combined with catchy dance rhythms and big grooves and riffs. The band have a healthy back catalogue of singles in their locker and have just re-emerged onto the playlists with their latest release ‘Waking’. They’ve been played on BBC Radio 6 and performed a BBC Introducing live session at Maida Vale in recent years so expect them to bring the house down when the close the show.

If Make Friends have elements of post punk in their sounds then Scrounge have embraced the concept to the max with their tag line ‘Making As Much Noise as Humanly Possible’. The South London duo almost force their music upon you such is the drive and energy that they put into it. Melody is mixed with raw vocals and thrashing guitar with heavy percussion but it’s all based around their formative years at Goldsmiths, giving them both licence and pedigree. With an album, Sugar, Daddy, to their name already, they’re certainly not hanging around.

Debts don’t fall short on the volume front either. The Greater London five piece have an eclectic range of influences ranging from punk to hip hop to metal. The ‘modern rock’ moniker doesn’t really do them justice…there’s all sorts going on here and they have gained both followers and appreciation in their short time on the circuit as they juggle the 9 to 5 with their passion

Another five piece, Kounterfeit Kings, also take to the boards on the second day. A band that lets you know a little of what they are about by posting their song lyrics on their website, a little bit Smash Hits meets the internet, they hail from this overseas territory and have quite a story and history. Their roots are most definitely in covers but have well and truly branched out after various individual projects. They also have quite a heavy YouTube presence that keeps their followers and newcomers up to date with their musical journey.

Nikolai Celecia is a bit of a ‘Tik Tok er’, if that’s a thing. New to the scene and a local lad he’s an acoustic guitar singer/songwriter with something to prove. Over the last year he’s regularly performed in Gibraltar through their Musicians Union, recently played at Water Rats in London and now has a single out in June, Maybe Not Today, But Eventually.

Guy Vallarino is another local artist and one that fully embraces the technology available to him in order to build music almost as he goes along. Essentially he’s just one man and a guitar but the reality is very different. Layers, loops and melodies aplenty give him the complexity needed to stand out from the rest.

Fireflies Collective are effectively a University collective; a group of friends with a common interest and talent. Indie pop and rock is very much their genre and they do it well. Another band that are well supported by the Musicians Association, they are loud and lively – guaranteeing a chance to mosh outdoors!

Summer music festivals have now almost become two-a-penny. There’s so many out there and seem to be currently dominated by bands who have already been there, seen it and sold the t-shirt. Maybe they’re just trying to top up their pensions but it’s great to have something different on offer and The Weekender is certainly that. Yes, it probably means a plane flight to get there but then again, have you seen the cost of public transport to get to a UK festival?

I used to love the fact that Bingley Music Live was the last festival of the summer…the last glimpse of the sun as it slowly slipped away behind the hills before the Sunday headline act closed the season. Alas, that’s no more. Perhaps it’s time for something different and maybe this will fill that void.

It’s a real life ‘Wayne’s World’. Build it and they will come…

Party on!

Words by Duncan Grant

Cover photo by Border Crossings/Rani Meenagh