First ever Norwich Ukulele Festival! 18 September

1 Sept 2010

First ever Norwich Ukulele Festival! 18 September

Had an email this morning from one of the co-founders of the Norwich Ukulele Society, who advise me of their forthcoming, and first ever, Norwich Ukulele Festival

Looks like it will be a great do, and I am pleased to help promote it here.


getonthesoapbox is proud to present the first ever…

NORWICH UKULELE FESTIVAL
(in association with the Norwich Sound & Vision convention)
Saturday 18th September
The Ten Bells
1pm – 1am

FREE ENTRY

1pm – 8pm = ALL AGES
8pm – 1am = 18+

It’s hard to miss that these lovely four stringed instruments are currently having their biggest resurgence since the 1920’s. They have been described as the ultimate punk instrument, cheap to buy and easy to get something out of. They work well for introducing children to the joy of music and similarly for those of us whose small hands tried the guitar, but couldn’t quite reach those interesting chords (like me).

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain have been putting a unique spin on contemporary tunes, inspiring ukulele-ists to take on more inventive material, covering everything from Punk to Hip Hop. The creation of the Norwich Ukulele Society in February 2010 seems to have come at just the right time, with our fortnightly meetings attracting up to 40 people. The society is led by local ukulele teacher Gemma Cullingford who has now built up rather an impressive repertoire and skill level amongst our members.

So is born this mini-festival, a celebration of all that is fun, accessible and entertaining about grabbing these unassuming instruments and taking to the streets. The local area is rich in musical talent across the board but rather often, tucked away amongst these musicians’ tools, is a ukulele or two.

We are chuffed to pieces to be hosting a rare solo set from Noel Dashwood (of Dumbfoundus). Aside from getting to the final of a nationwide music competition with his band and having just played the O2, he recently shot to stardom when a video of him busking on the streets of Norwich ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ was featured on a Polish TV show, sending his youtube views through the roof!

NORWICH UKULELE FESTIVAL looks like this…

Performances from:
The Two Ukes / Norwich Ukulele Society / Daniel Buckland / Noel Dashwood / Jim The Legend / The Accidental Harmonies / Norfolk Ukulele Society / You!

Open Mic sessions:
Throughout the day and night. Solo or groups with ukes only please, in the spirit of the festival. Email in advance to express your interest or just turn up on the day: getonthesoapbox@hotmail.co.uk

Lessons from:
Gemma Cullingford. Two sessions at 3pm and 5pm, £5 per person. Book in advance to avoid disappointment: gemma@ukulele-lessons.co.uk

Prizes for:
Best dressed – think Hawaiian chic, flowers in your hair and grass skirts.

Games:
The Big Uke Quiz at 7pm, with ‘guess the tune’ section played live on the ukulele.

Art:
We will be making it look pretty but we want your help! There will be massive rolls of paper around with tons of pens and pencils, help us transform The Ten Bells into a ukulele-ist heaven.

Wanna get involved?
If you have an idea or skill that you would like to bring to this event please email me and lets get it on!

Special guests, performances, discounts and demos to be announced so tell your mates and watch this space as we bring the first EVER Norwich Ukuele festival to your doorstep.

Brought to you by:
www.myspace.com/getonthesoapbox
www.youtube.com/getonthesoapbox



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