Barnsley Original Music Festival 2005

07/03/2005

"The music scene in Barnsley is set for a major boost this summer thanks to the efforts of the Barnsley Original Music collective (BOM). A one-day free festival is being planned for Saturday 23rd July with a nationally recognised headline act sharing the stage with a host of Barnsley and Yorkshire based bands.

The festival will be located at the Barnsley Main colliery site and will use the pithead as a backdrop, acknowledging the rich industrial heritage of the town while celebrating the best new music that the area has to offer. Dave Hancock, of Barnsley band Gaia, said "We organised a small festival last year as a bit of a try out and we got a great response from local musicians and great support from local people. This year we're applying for funding so that the festival can be organised on a larger scale".

The event will feature a huge range of styles of music including acoustic, rock and rap, but all involved will be performing original music not covers. As Dave Hancock explained, "There is a huge amount of new music being written in the area and not many opportunities to get it heard, so we are all keen to establish the festival as a free event which can be enjoyed by all members of the local community while giving local bands and musicians the chance to get their music heard".

The festival organisers, who are all volunteers drawn from the local music and business community, have planned a number of additional events and activities to run alongside the main stage performances. These include Music Workshops, to offer expert music tuition, and street art demonstrations and Art Workshops, featuring live demonstrations from local artists. There will also be a dedicated Urban section to the festival site, including a dance stage and skateboarding area, and a children's section with a bouncy castle, face painting and other activities. Anyone wanting more information on the festival, or wanting to suggest a band or musician with Barnsley connections to the festival organisers, should contact Dave Hancock on 07787 730517 "