Free live music, in small venues, in the ‘Home of Loud’
In a quiet corner of London’s so called ‘queen of the suburbs’ (Ealing) there is a town known ironically as ‘the Home of Loud’ and on 28th March a FREE festival called the ‘Hanwell Hootie’ will be paying homage to the father of loud himself, Jim Marshall, who sadly passed away on 5th April 2012. Now when you hear the words ‘Marshall amplifier’ you would probably instantly be picturing a montage of mountainous Marshall stacks towering above a series of long haired leather clad glam rockers playing big sounds in massive stadiums creating a huge spectacle, you may also think of those famous words ‘turn it up to 11’. All of this screams the dramatic American excessiveness we in the UK have learnt to love and loath in equal measure. Yet Marshall Amplification are in every way a British brand and damn proud of it too! Jim Marshall opened his first shop at 91 Uxbridge road, Hanwell west London, providing innovative amps to the likes of Jimmy Hendrix and Pete Townsend (whoever they are?). Marshall amps have since gone on the conquer the world of guitar amplification.
The poster of the Hanwell Hootie Music Festival 2015
Live music in small venues
The festival will be showcasing 45 bands across 11 pub venues and, before you ask , no, it’s not just heavy rock. From Ska to Blues, Indie to Soul, this is a free festival that celebrates the truly global appeal of Marhall amps and its impact on guitar music and the best thing is…its completely free! The day will kick off with a ‘Minute of Loud’ underneath the black Marshall Amps plaque close to the site of the original shop. This year’s line-up includes: Du Bellows who Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) recently said “Du Bellows are by far one of the most interesting and musically adept bands I have seen recently.” Water-knot, a Floydian space rock quartet known for their eerily ripping guitar hooks and soul searching melodies ; Felix Hagan & The Family, a 7-piece beast made of makeup and hairspray, fusing punk, rock, pop and musical theatre.
This is free live music, in small venues, in the home of Loud. What’s not to love? You can follow Hanwell Hootie Festival on Facebook and on Twitter for more info and live updates. You can see the video of this year’s festival below:
Check out below the programme of this year’s Hootie Festival:
The Programme
The Programme
What: Hanwell Hootie Music Festival 2015
When: 28th March 2015
Where: in small venues in Hanwell, London
Cost: FREE
The Author:
Andy McRobbie is one of the co-founders of the Hanwell Hootie Festival. He hosts an open mic out of his rehearsal studio space in east London and has written for magazines such as FHM and Halcyon. When he is not promoting live music he is teaching Chemistry and History to London’s teenagers.
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