ELECTRO-dub pioneers Dreadzone are going strong after over 20 years, nine studio albums and two live albums.
Dreadzone re-issued their classic 2001 album Sound on their own Dubwiser label in 2015. Written and evolved over a two-year period, Sound features contributions from Don Letts, Earl 16, Aswad’s Brinsley Forde and MC Det. Sounding as fresh and vibrant today as it did upon release, tracks such as Digital Mastermind and Dread’pon Sound are now established favourites in the Dreadzone live show.
Village Beach Stage
Highlights on the Village Beach stage will be post-prog trio Figures, whose lead singer George Berry hails from Thurrock. Steadily gathering a fan base since forming in early 2014, Figures influences range from Biffy Clyro to Mars Volta, and they are carefully crafting their own surprising, nodding, intriguing style.
Another stand out is Chadwell St Mary’s Esther Farinde, bringing her own gospel songs to the stage.
Thames Delta Stage
Crafting their own identity with head-nodding grooves, lucid movement between genres, intriguing effects pedals and surprising turns at every corner. Biffy Clyro to the obscurities and progressions of The Mars Volta, Figures are rapidly crafting their own identity with head-nodding grooves, lucid movement between genres,Biffy Clyro to the obscurities and progressions of The Mars Volta, Figures are rapidly crafting their own identity with head-nodding grooves, lucid movement between genres,
Thames Delta Music will host a vibrant live music stage full of musicians and bands from South Essex. An explosion of arts, culture, sound and vision is promised in this showcase of talented acts who perform regularly at the live music events Thames Delta run in Thurrock and Southend, and are signed to Thames Delta record label.
Acts to look out for include the Jumeau Twins, urban folk stars from Purfleet with perfect harmonies and original songs. WhateverNEXT, a folk band from Thurrock with an uplifting sound guaranteed to spread some musical magic. Original singer/songwriter Lee Sergeant will be sharing his passion for performing and his highly entertaining style. Also playing will be Double Treble and rockers Delta Skelta plus a whole host of other brilliant acts.
Dorion Quest from Thames Delta Music and Quest Music Services said: "What I like about festivals like Village Beach is that they create diversity and bring communities together and offer opportunities for civic pride. Festivals create a good general feeling of wellbeing and make places a better place to live. Personally I feel Thurrock’s Village Beach Festival is doing a good job in achieving this. Big up Metal and all the local community for making the magic at the beach, keep up the good work."
Perform Stage
For fans of show tunes and musical theatre, the Perform stage has an array of talent from across Thurrock. Creative Blast Performing Arts will be entertaining the crowds with Oz, singing songs from The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz and Wicked. Thurrock’s Golden Voices are a great choir showcasing older people in a positive light and bringing a wide range of songs including current hits to the festival. The redoubtable Grays Town Band will show just what a diverse, community brass band can do with its fantastic repertoire of chart tunes, ska, rock, reggae, classical and of course, traditional brass band music.
The Perform stage will also welcome RE:VERB: a 16 piece pop/rock band with a distinct urban acoustic vibe. Aged from 10-17 years, the band have already clocked up over 60,000 hits on Facebook and were winners of last year’s prestigious STARMAKER competition.
Busking Beach Hut & Global Stage
Thurrock Arts Collective are running the busking stage and offering local bands and singer/songwriters the opportunity to perform to new audiences, showcase their material, and for some, gain experience playing live. The Global Stage will feature a diverse programme of music from Bollywood and around the world.
Entry to Village Beach is FREE with a programme of activities that has appeal for everyone. More acts and artists will be confirmed over the next weeks so go to the website www.villagebeachfestival.com for up to date news or follow Village Beach on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Village Beach is presented by Metal Culture with generous support from Thurrock Council and Arts Council England.
