Finding your Richmond Live Mojo
27 Jul 2015
Music festivals might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I adore the festival scene and I enjoy attending many a festival year on year as either a volunteer or punter. There are many reasons for this – I love the shared community spirit, I have a deep passion for music and it’s just nice sometimes to get stuck in and enjoy a few days outdoors in the elements.
Most festivals provide the audience with an assortment of entertainment – live music sits centre stage, but you usually also find arts and craft workshops, nice stalls, great catering etc. which helps to keep people busy whilst there.
This year I will be volunteering at two local music festivals – the first one is this weekend in Richmond, called Richmond Live. We are looking forward to some great music from a variety of excellent local bands and some bigger names like The Bootleg Beatles, Funeral for a Friend and Nick Harper.
Later in the month I will be working the Great Northern Mod and Ska Festival – a brand new festival to hit the scene, boasting headliners like The Selector, Craig Charles, Bad Manners and The Lambrettas to name a few.
Richmond Live is a festival built by volunteers, run by volunteers and celebrated by volunteers! It is in its 17th year of production and has grown exponentially over the years. Jon Naylor, one of the key festival organisers sums up the dedication of its volunteers:
‘These people put in hundreds of hours every year planning, building and running the event, for no financial reward whatsoever. They do it for the love of live music, for the love of Richmond town and just for the fun of it!’
Richmond Live Volunteers 2014
Richmond Live has a history of supporting up and coming acts too. We look forward to welcoming the local hip-hop ensemble the Ceiling Demons to the main stage this year.
Throughout the year Battle of the Bands competitions are run by Richmond Live for young musicians to gain experience in performing publicly. The final for this is held at the main event, which really does provide local talent with a great place to showcase their skills. As someone who grew up in Richmond and experienced this first hand, I think it’s great to give local artists an opportunity to do something so positive and productive in a town which can seem quite quiet sometimes.
Supporting the local music scene and younger generation helps embed the feeling of community into Richmond Live. Everyone is there to help support each other. The team of volunteers work fearlessly to put on the festival and the attendees flock in year on year to cheer on the bands – whatever the weather.
I think it’s great having a festival, like Richmond Live, organised by people ‘for the fun of it’ for punters of all ages to attend and enjoy.
