The Maywaves (12.45, Main Stage) are one such local band. Harry from the band says that “Create festival helps young talent by giving them a chance to play on a big stage and get their names out there a bit, and they also provide help getting gigs past the festival too!”

Create works closely with Ashford College, and a number of the bands on the bill are alumni from the music qualification. ‘I attended Ashford college for a little while and they really got me back into my music after I took a 2-year break. Ultimately that gave me the kick up the backside to play drums again and now here I am!’ says Harry.

Ashford College returns as a key supporter for the event, sponsoring the DJ Stage and offering visitors a chance to create their own EDM tracks with guidance from Music Technology tutors. Their marketing team will also be there to provide information on their wide range of courses and answer any questions.

Rob Forsyth is Team Leader in Art & Design and Music Technology at the college. ‘It’s hugely important for us to support the local arts and cultural scene, and Create provides the perfect opportunity for our music technology students to gain practical onsite festival experience to supplement their courses. Our students will be employing their technical skills behind the scenes, developing their knowledge and networking with professionals in the industry. They get the great experience of watching the acts knowing they’ve played a valuable part in the support crew for the festival.’

As well as the College, Create work with local artists from all backgrounds. Canterbury Academy’s Cooper Stout (12.00, Main Stage), from Bethersden, recently appeared on TV musical bootcamp Got What It Takes? The 14-year old says that ‘I have had amazing support from the local community, I played my first open mic night at 12 and still love doing them when I get the chance they have been a great way to build my confidence on stage. It’s a great opportunity for me to perform on the Main Stage at Create Festival in front of loads of people! I’m really exited to get my music out to the people in Ashford and Kent. I want my music to get heard and Create will hopefully give me a bit exposure. It will be the biggest stage I’ve played so far and I can’t wait to get up there and show people what I can do.’

Ashford based singer-songwriter, Freyja Ellen Cook (15.10, Community Stage) will be performing a mix of original songs and covers. Jaz Ellington (15.00, Main Stage) will be bringing his soulful sounds to the event. ‘Local festivals are cool because they give local talent a chance to hone their skills and get performance experience. It’s also a great way for communities to come together positively,’ he says.

So if you want to see some great local talent, Create Festival is the place to be!

It all kicked off with Arts and Cultural Industries Manager, Chris Dixon introducing the evening and Create, saying “Create is proud to be extending further into the Ashford community, providing opportunities for local talent across the borough”.

Adrian Cooke is Music Relationship Manager for Arts Council England, based in the South East area but with a national role for Contemporary Popular Music. A champion for increased public funding for the rock & pop sector and talent development, Adrian has previous experience in promoting live music, running festivals, record label management, and rights licensing. He spoke about what it means to have a festival like Create happening on our doorstep, and how local artists can get involved.

We also heard from David Manders, an artist manager with over 20 years’ experience and a background in running clubs, tour managing and label management. David is the founder and director of Liquid Management, currently representing and guiding the careers of Ren Harvieu (Bella Union), LIFE (PIAS), Flamingods (Moshi Moshi), and Animal Noise. Liquid Management also launched the career and spent 8 years managing Public Service Broadcasting, with their past four releases selling over 300k copies worldwide. So he knows a thing or two about music and was on hand to offer advice.

But this is Create, so music took centre stage. Estelle May played a gorgeous stripped back set, enamoring everyone with her French and English singing. Lake Folks, an indie folk project that started in The Netherlands and cites influences such as Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, serenaded the room with gorgeous sounds and gentle songs. Jaz Ellington, as well as speaking about the steps that got him to be one of the top six singers to represent England in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, and the opportunity to work with Will.I.Am on a project for NASA, enraptured the audience with an acoustic set.

It was a great evening of celebration and excitement around what is happening in Ashford’s musical scene. Create Festival are hosting another Artist Cafe event on 15th July, follow this link to find out more!

This exciting week-long programme of live arts events, fringe activities and happenings around town is an opportunity to showcase creativity and arts in the local area, through unique and exclusive experiences.

What’s on?

There will be interactive street theatre and dance performances in Park Mall, all to interact with the community and provide events and an atmosphere in Ashford town centre. Bootworks Theatre will perform We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat, which is a show for small-town communities, about small-town communities. You’ll see Comedy Cavemen, a posse of Palaeolithic cavemen characters causing mischief and spreading an environmental message.

You’ll be able to see street art created by great local artists. Create your own art with The Open Air Drawing-Room a drawing group offering some landscape painting. Each artist (audience member) also makes a Cyanotype portrait which will be exhibited as a mirror image to the final painting – A Sea of Faces – embracing JMW Turner’s pioneering interest in photography and his desire to find new ways to embrace art. This project invites the public to engage in setting the world record for a painting that has been created by the largest number of artists – which is pretty exciting!

Circus will come to the streets, you can see performance poets in pubs, and there will even be a spoof version of JAWS outside the Picturehouse cinema. Frantic features spectacular acrobatics and dance-theatre, choreographed around a wheel, with a hidden water system for a joyous finale danced in pouring rain. CONFiCo present JOiNT, a playful and curious piece exploring the interplay between individuality, commonality and the body’s facility. Acrobatics, globe walking, dead celebrities, French finesse, trumpeting and mime mayhem make L’Hotel an enchanting show to delight the audience. For kids there’s Tutu Trouble, an exciting original new physical theatre show for children.

At Revelation Ashford, there will be live DJ sets by Huey Morgan from Fun Lovin’ Criminals and BBC 6 Music and Terry Hall of The Specials, warming up festival goers with their music and sounds.

Mr Harper’s Birthday Party

In December 1911 George Harper made an anonymous offer to present the Hubert Fountain to Victoria Park. So as well as all the above, there will be a Victorian-themed Mr. Harper’s Birthday Partyfamily fun day on Sunday 21 July, which acknowledges and celebrates his gift, with games, arts, workshops and music – and the traditional birthday cake races.

Why host Create Platform?

It’s all part of an effort to make Ashford a creative place to be beyond just the Create weekend. “It is really important for the growth of Create, as well as Ashford’s cultural offer, to extend beyond the one big day in the park,” says Chris Dixon, Arts & Cultural Industries Manager at Ashford Borough Council.  “The introduction of Create Platform three years ago has allowed for more opportunities for local artists, as well as generated broader engagement from audiences, venues, and sponsors.”

Originally published on the Create Festival blog.

Can you tell me more about Revelation and the work you do?

Revelation is an independent arts trust established in 2011 . Our  aim is to provide an ‘up close and personal’ experience and be  the go-to organisation for arts and culture in Ashford, in real terms that means creating a vibrant and diverse programme that makes people want more, in an amazing and unique space.

What have been some highlights?

It’s easy to reel off some of the big names we’ve had, they include This Is The Kit , Courtney Pine , Seth Lakeman , The Orb but some of my personal favourites are The Craig Charles Soul and Funk Club, where the venue was literally jumping up and down, rising Kent talent with the fabulous Bay Rays and Ladybirdand magical evenings with Tom Mcrae and Villagers. And of course, coming up we have Huey Morgan of Fun Lovin’ Criminals  and Terry Hall of The Specials doing DJ sets as part of Create Platform.

How does the partnership with Create Festival and Revelation help support the local music scene?

It’s a vital partnership!  Create serves as a platform and showcase for the best there is  in Kent and beyond and the Revelation stage is for me the most exciting space around  where you get to see new and established talent. Revelation and has developed a reputation over that past few years as the ‘happening’ stage at Create , where you’re not quite sure what you will get but you know it will be good.  Revelation is always looking out for emerging artists we can support back at the ‘mothership’ by offering paid support sets for artists wherever we can or performing on Ashford Bandstand, so  Create and Revelation are always working together to harvest the best new talent and support and nurture others including training opportunities and advice.

How did you choose the artists playing this year?

A  mammoth task of  listening to over 200 submissions to play and we do listen to them all. The Create panel then comes together to compare notes and look at which act might fit better where and a few spirited discussion here and there when we  might be fight to have the same act on various stages but eventually  somehow we all agree and it just comes together.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

So many! Tall Poppies, Marie White (who has just won the 2019 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Award) and our headliners The Fontanas with their fab blend of soul and funk and North America. Plus, of course, the festival headliners Lightning Seeds.

Also published on the Create Festival blog.