Review of Dart Music Festival 2013 - a truly international affair.

“Music when healthy, is the teacher of perfect order, and when
depraved, the teacher of perfect disorder”.
John Ruskin

Just to whet your appetites for the delights to come at this year's Festival, I thought you would enjoy reading the DMF Newsletter which was sent out to our lovely sponsors and supporters last month. 

We are gearing up for this year's event now and more details will be appearing here as and when things become finalised - in the meantime please cast your eye over this entertaining gem from Emilie Heard and Simon Geen. If you didn't make it to the Festival last year, you are sure to want to attend this year's after seeing this!

Please read on...

Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour! 

Dart Music Festival 2013 - a truly international affair.

Tourism used to be, well, tourism… You went somewhere because you liked the look of the place. It had a beach, or trees, or buildings or just other people who didn’t know the real, slightly annoying you (that may be just me..). Then came the phenomena that we couldn’t go anywhere unless we had a REASON to go. Sports tourism, food tourism… and now music tourism. You can’t avoid the offers to go and see The Stones in Paris, or Beyonce in Rio, or going to Mongolia to avoid Louis Walsh (ok I made that one up….would be good though!)

Exotic Dartmouth - Alan Depledge

So it got us thinking...

Do you need to go halfway around the world to an exotic location to experience the music? Do you need to squeeze into Ryanair’s cattle class to immerse yourself in the sounds of the world?

We think the answer is no. You can stay in this beautiful place and let the world come to you..

"Music expresses that which
cannot be said and on which
it is impossible to be silent."
Victor Hugo

 

The beauty of Dart Music Festival is the discovering of the new. The surprise element of listening to music you would never have discovered if left to your own devices. Every venue around the town is packed to the gills with brilliant acts representing so many different parts of the world it is difficult to keep track!

We will let you discover this year’s magical mystery tour for yourself, but let us tell you about last year’s journey.

We start our tour across the pond in America and the deep south. Gumbo Flyers brought us the taste of the bayou with their cajun and zydeco blues. Southern comfort for the ears. 

Next Slapface and the Hoagies pulled us out of the swamp and up to the mountains for a banjomonium of bluegrass and skiffle. 

Riding a brilliant wave of any number of superb jazz and blues bands we wash up in the Milwaukee of ‘Happy Days’ fame for a very fifties riot of rockabilly from Lucky Guy and the Chancers 

 

Grupo Lokito

Leaving the states we jump over to Cuba to roll a fat cigar of beats from the quite brilliantly entertaining Grupo Lokito. 

In a kind of ‘2 for 1’ offer they mix the sounds of Cuba and the Congo in a joyous celebration of hip swaying (or breaking) madness that will never be forgotten by all who witnessed
it!

Now we were up and dancing (!) the tour continued on to India and RSVP Bhangra who caused near hysteria by getting what seemed like the entire population of Dartmouth ‘screwing in the lightbulb’ and ‘starting the moped’ amongst other delights. 

(You had to be there…honestly!)

RSVP Bhangra with Happy People - Joe Murtagh

  “And those who were seen dancing were
thought to be insane by those who could not
hear the music."
Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Mad Dog Mcrea - Joe Murtagh

Just when a nice sit down and a cup of tea seemed in order, we turned up in Ireland with the superlative Mad Dog Mcrea who seemed determined to make ‘killed by the craic’ a fitting eulogy for an entire town.

Still needing the aforementioned sit down,we headed for a smoky bar in 1930’s Berlin to listen to the enticing Moscow Drug Club and their Cabaret inspired decadence.

Falling south through Europe, Spain was the next destination for the beautiful, sultry Spanish guitar of Esperanto. 

A fine Rioja, some tapas and a straw donkey later we headed for home...

As always after a holiday there is that ‘ooh it’s nice to be home' feeling, which was enhanced by some quite magical home grown performances, culminating in the unsurpassable Ruby Turner who once again stirred our souls with the sheer beauty of her voice.

Like finally laying your head back onto your own pillow Dartmouth’s BRNC volunteer band were there to tuck us in with a stirring last night of the proms style concert of patriotic classics…gawd bless em!

Dartmouth Sunset - Alan Depledge

 “After silence, that which comes nearest to
expressing the inexpressible is music.”
Aldous Huxley

Here’s to this year's tour. Passports, tickets, money at the ready. Meet you at the departure gate...

Many thanks to Emilie and Simon for creating this Magical Mystery Tour Newsletter - and now a few final words from them...

This year's Resolutions:

1) STOP ringing BT and asking to be put on hold so you can listen to the Faroe Islands Flugelhorn choir’s version of Aida and check out the DMF's fantastic classical program instead.

2) STOP clicking on any music sharing website's recommendation such as “ if you like the White Stripes, you might also like Pepsi and Shirley?” and instead get the DMF programme or visit the website - if they recommend it, it must be good.

3) STOP standing up the cover of your Michael Buble cd and saying things to it like ‘Yes that’s right Michael…you just haven’t met ME yet!’…and actually go out and see real live musicians in the FLESH!

4) STOP. Relax. Listen. And enjoy such great acts as Marcus Bonfanti, Chaz Thorogood, Ash Mandrake, Thomas Ford and his friends,The Martin Dale Trio, Jim Mullen, Stephen Warbeck, at Dart Music Festival 2014.

5) Give up smoking & drinking (optional...)