ISSUE #1

Paul 

Henshaw 

Contributors 

We are interested in building 

relationships with writers and 

bloggers who focus on music and 

wish to be part of our music Nikki 

making community. Henshaw 

Janinne 

Wing-Penny 

Beth 

Hemmings 

Kristian 

Wing-Penny 

‘She asked how I 

get it all done?’ 

“Coffee & Vodka 

Darling” ... 

... “Coffee, Vodka & Red Bull” 

SR 

ADVERTISING 

OFFICE: 

31 PRIORY RD 

BRIDGNORTH 

SHROPSHIRE 

Wv15 5EJ 

& ENQUIRES 

WEB: 

WWW.SHROPROCKS.COM 

EMAIL: 

ADVERTISE@SHROPROCKS.COM 

INFO@SHROPROCKS.COM 

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OFFICE: 

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The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors alone and do not reect the 

views of Shrop Rocks.

E D I T O R I A L 

Welcome to Shrop Rocks magazine, 

it’s been a long time coming but 

nally we made it to print and 

where not better to release this edition, 

but from inside the ‘Dana Prison’ 

Shrewsbury, one of the creepiest places in 

Shropshire. Excellent. Thanks to everyone 

who has made this happen and good luck 

making it out of this joint after lights out 

!! Seriously good luck !! 

EDITOR@SHROPROCKS.COM 

Whilst we’re on the subject of prisons 

here’s a nice little story for you straight 

from inside the prison walls themselves; 

FATHER WRITES A LETTER TO HIS SON 

IN PRISON. 

An old farmer living alone in Ludlow. He 

wanted to plant his annual potato patch, 

but it was very difcult work as the 

ground was really hard. His only son 

Jason who used to help him was locked 

up in the Dana. The old man wrote a 

letter to his son to explain his 

predicament. 

Dear Jason, 

I’m pretty sad at the moment as it looks 

like I won’t be able to plant my annual 

potato crop this year. I’m just getting to 

old to be digging up a garden plot. I 

know if you were here you would dig it 

for me and it makes me realise how much 

I miss you son. 

Lots of love dad x 

AT 4AM. THE NEXT MORNING 

WEST MERCIA POLICE ARRIVE 

WITH SPADES AND DIG UP THE 

ENTIRE AREA BUT FIND NO 

BODIES. THEY APOLOGISE TO 

THE OLD MAN AND LEAVE. 

THE SAME DAY THE OLD MAN 

RECEIVES ANOTHER LETTER 

FROM HIS SON. 

Dear Dad, 

Go ahead and plant the potato’s 

now. That’s the best I could do 

under the circumstances. 

Love Jason x x 

CLASSIC !!! 

A FEW DAYS LATER HE RECIEVED A 

LETTER FROM HIS SON. 

Dear Dad, 

Don’t dig up that garden that’s where all 

the bodies are buried. 

Love Jason x 

Love 

Shropshire 

MAR/APR SHROPROCKS.COM P3

THE QUARRY, SY1 1RN

Photo 

Tony Mottram 

Q: 

W h a t N e x t F o r 

T H E R O O Z ? 

facebook.com/emberweir 

www.emberweir.bigcartel.com 

@emberweir 

A: 

E M B E R W E I R 

The band also includes Ralph Porrett on 

lead guitar, Tom Russell on drums and Peter 

Davis on bass. The Rooz do not stick to 

conventional rock tunes, instead performing 

a variety of ballads and original material. 

Crowned the LIVE BAND OF THE YEAR at 

Bilston’s ‘The Robin 2' in 2013 they’re 

certainly worth a watch. They are available 

for bookings this year for any occasion and 

you can contact them direct at: 

info@therooz.co.uk 

Whilst walking through 

Low Town - Bridgnorth, I 

hear with my little ear 

the sound of music. Nope, this 

ain’t Julie Andrews, I haven't gone 

totally bonkers yet, but Telfords 

own ‘The Rooz’. My primary 

mission of gathering chinese had 

now gone out of the window and 

plan B had come in to effect. I was 

now being sucked into the musical, 

visual, whirlpool, blackhole, that 

was the front door of the Falcon. 

And, what was to be my rst 

meeting with the exciting young 

talent, ‘The Rooz’ 

Once inltrated I took up my 

position at the bar with an 

excellent vantage point of the 

whole staging area, and then the 

night became one. 

Fronted by singer/songwriter Louis 

Coupe who appeared on ‘The Voice 

UK’. 

However born from The Rooz, new 

project ‘Ember Weir’ see’s the band 

take on new roles with the 

departure of Porrett and Davis, and the 

addition of bassist Steve Copp, the band 

takes a new path forward with some 

stunning original tunes. They headed out 

on tour in December supporting ‘Speaking 

in Shadows’ for a short run of dates and 

have been gigging in London, Birmingham, 

Nottingham, Leicester. Their track 

‘Problem’ was featured on Alex Baker’s 

‘Fresh Blood’ show on Kerrang! radio. 

Plenty more to come from these guys. Go 

check them out !! 


S P O T L I G H T 

Jim 

Hawkins 

@Jimallthetime 

jimhawkins.co.uk 

There’s no better way to start 

our spotlight feature than with 

the man himself BBC’s one and 

only Mr Jim Hawkins. 

Jim hugely experienced with more 

than thirty years of radio presenting 

and producing, for both the BBC and 

commercial stations, at local, regional 

and national network levels has 

become a true Shropshire gem. His 

constant support for local businesses 

and his care for the general public has 

earned respect from listeners across 

the county and beyond. 

‘Jim uses the power of 

radio well to make a 

positive difference to 

peoples lives’ 

P6 SHROPROCKS.COM MAR/APR 

Winner of a Silver Sony Award, and 

nominated (2006) for Sony Speech 

Broadcaster Of The Year Jim’s made his 

own inuential mark in radio. During his 

career he has interviewed notable gures 

including Gordon Brown, Gene Simmons 

and Steve Cropper and not so notable 

gures such as myself. Personally I 

found Jim a pleasure to meet, his kind 

professional demeanor shone through. 

Not all local radio presenters have the 

time and commitment that Jim offers his 

listeners. You can catch his show ‘Jim 

Hawkins in the morning’ 9am till midday 

Monday to Friday on BBC Radio 

Shropshire. 

Jim also plays in local band ‘Green Moon’ 

an acoustic outt with an electric heart. 

Playing atmospheric americana, folk with 

rustic roots. So if that tickles your fancy 

you can head on over to twitter and check 

them out at: @GreenMoonBand

In The Beginning... 

n the weekend 27th / 29th May 2017 Market 

ODrayton will play host to the superb Rock and 

Bowl festival and it all started off not so long 

ago in 2009 at the back of the Coach and Horses pub 

on the bowling green. 

The organisers thought it would be an excellent idea 

to put on a few bands and raise a bit of cash for local 

charities. 

Generously supported by local and national 

businesses over the years the event has grown 

exponentially. Organisers have been surprised at the 

response with attendances going from a few hundred 

to over 4500 in 2016! and this years sets to become 

one of the biggest yet. 

Location, Location ... 

n moving the site to the picnic area next to the river 

ITern, things changed greatly, and the possibility of 

giving away all the gate money became unviable due 

to the huge increase in costs, and demanding workload. 

It was clear from attendance and the enthusiastic 

response from the public that the event had found it’s 

new home. Organisers decided to produce and present 

the event on a level that the town had never seen before 

and give the townsfolk something to be really proud of .. 

P8 SHROPROCKS.COM MAR/APR

M A R K E T D R A Y T O N T F 9 1 J T 

M A Y 

27th // 28th // 29th 

R O C K A N D B O W L F E S T I V A L . C O M 

@ r o c ka n d b o w l f e s t 

fa c e b o o k . c o m / r o c k a n d b o w l 

O nwards and Upwards... 

y the time the event is staged, over 1000 hours of planning will have 

Bgone into the running of this popular festival. For the price of a good 

night out on the town, you get a day or weekends worth of top 

entertainment, which proves fantastic value for money. With your 

contribution the festival can stay around for years to come. 

The event of course is primarily about the music, the amazing vibe and the 

shared experience it creates. Festival organisers are lucky to have many 

people living locally and with the help from industry professionals that give 

their time for free to put on the festival. 

What we love about the festival is they strive endlessly to support local 

community projects and charities so that the festival has a direct impact on 

local peoples lives. 

Rock 'n' Bowl - "The Biggest Little Festival"........... Enjoy ! 


P A U L H E N S H A W 

W r i t e s . . . 

O P E N M I C @ 

T H E D O L P H I N I N N 

The only issue I have with writing 

about a small, undiscovered and 

extremely cool night out in my 

home town is the potential that others 

will discover it too and next time I go, 

there won’t be a parking space within a 

mile. That said, a night out at The 

Dolphin Open Mic is something you 

should all do at least once. 

I walk in at 8:30 and the music room, no 

bigger than an average sitting room is 

at capacity. Sonia Smith is playing and a 

crowd of about 40 are listening intently. 

It’s busy and it’s standing room only so 

with my pint of Green Monkey I settle 

back against the bar and soak it all in. 

There’s a distinct Irish session feel 

about the proceedings. 

The evening, run by the exuberant host 

Richard Benjamin “The pub was closed 2 

years ago, when I saw it was reopening 


t h e d o l p h i n a l e h o u s e . c o . u k 

facebook.com/TheDolphinShrewsbury 

I spoke to the landlord and offered my 

services to run an evening of music” 

Richard continues “What makes this so 

special is the audience, it’s 

predominantly musicians but they stay 

and support every act that plays, there’s 

a great feel to the nights” 

With that Richard is off to announce the 

next act in his own inimitable style. 

We’re treated to the lyrical meanderings 

of David Owen. A song about Old Punks, 

a song about a Barbeque, it’s 

passionate, it’s funny, it’s brilliant and 

everyone is having a good time. 

The dial on the Craic-o-meter just 

smashed. 

Richard’s inuence on the success of the 

evening is conrmed by Alex Vicenzotti, 

a Shrewsbury based musician,“There’s a 

great energy, a good set up, an 

appreciative audience and of course 

Richards enthusiasm”

Evening regulars Lizzie Lane and Pete 

Jones have the crowd bouncing to the 

sounds of “The Boxer” while the free 

sandwiches are passed around. I’m 

suddenly covered in cheese, an over 

excited punter with a mouthful of 

sandwich can’t contain himself and he 

launches into loud “LA, LA, LAAA’S!” 

Lance and Dave from CUOPRI are there 

too, not playing, but supporting the 

night. 

“I came to this pub for my rst legal 

pint” says Lance, “The band are a 3 

piece uke band and a singer, we go and 

learn some songs and then come down 

here and play them, it’s just a special 

place” 

Nikki Rous and Beth Prior round the 

night off in style and I head home one 

happy bunny, at least as far as my 

mate Tim’s house, he has good coffee 

and listens to my ramblings about just 

how good a night the Dolphin open mic 

is. 

There are a lot of open mic nights / 

showcases on the go right now, I’ve 

been to good ones and I’ve been to 

some not so good, but what makes The 

Dolphin Night so different is the 

passion of the organiser and his 

appreciation for the acts that come and 

play. Richard is a well-known local 

musician, he also works with the 

Flaxmill Group and has an energy that 

says I LOVE THIS! Well, I do too. 

You don’t have to be cool or wear the 

latest shirt, just have the desire to 

play and have a good time. 

I’m just gutted I missed Kevin Perry’s 

21st consecutive appearance, ah well 

there’s always next time. I might even 

take a guitar with me! 

Paul Henshaw

MARCH17TH19:00 

FREE ENTRYDOORS 7PM 

STRICTLY 18+EVENT 

OFFICIAL LAUNCH NIGHT 

LICENSED BAR 

O N A 

PRISON 

WING 


Please check times & dates with venue before travelling to 

avoid disappointment.

THE 

BIG BUSK 

On Saturday 1st April 2017, Shrewsbury will be filled 

with music, song, dance, art, magic, poetry and friends 

Happydays 

For Loads More Gigs Visit: 

facebook.com/shroprocks 

@shroprocks 

shroprocks.com 

WHATS NOT TO LIKE 

SUPPORT SHROPSHIRE 

SUPPORT THE BIG BUSK 


NUCLEAR 

W E A S E L S 

Nuclear Weasels debut full-length 

album ‘Bring to Mind ‘ cements 

their reputation as one of 

Shropshire’s most talented and exciting 

acts. It’s also their rst accessible work 

to date since being formed 6 years ago 

and I can tell you it was well worth the 

wait. 

Whether or not you fall in love with 

Nuclear Weasels depends how much 

stock you put in originality. The 

Shropshire four-piece are clearly the 

sum of their own inuences and their 

music is different to the mainstream 

commercial material of the same genre 

we hear today, their debut album brims 

with such gusto and powerful tunes 

that it’d take a heart of stone for 

anybody not to weaken in the face. 

The Boy’s from Bishop’s Castle start 

with the excellent ‘Lungs‘ a great bright 

catchy opener that oozes appeal. 

‘What’s the Matter‘ shows great lead 

guitar lls mixed with memorable lyrics 

we all can relate to. The slow ‘All My 

Life‘ works nicely and slips you 

perfectly into an even slower dreamy 

instrumental ‘You Were Me and I Was 

You‘ if you havn’t realised yet how 

superbly brilliant this album is you will 

in the next 3 mins 17 seconds as ‘Three 

and a Half‘ Kicks in… great guitar 

riffs, great use of drums, hearty vocals 

with nice backing harmonies, the track 

speeds up to a great energetic nale. 

‘Bed Song‘ ticks along ska style with 

again great lead guitar that will have 

you up dancing in a ash. Next up ‘Got 

No Money‘ which I’m sure we can all 

relate to offers a dark side to Nuclear 

Weasels with it’s big beefy chorus that 

certainly makes you wonder why these 

guy’s have no money?, they should be 

loaded lling venue’s all over the UK 

and Europe. 

mar/apr SHROPROCKS.COM P15

Visit: 

www.nuclearweasels.com 

@nuclearweasels 

Facebook/NuclearWeasels 

anyway rant over and on to ‘Laa‘ 

which is another trademark 

instrumental that makes you want to 

pack your bags and jet off to Spain, I’m 

not sure why? I never studied music 

psychology then it all becomes 

apparent as it leads into ‘Built on a 

Hill‘ Which is stunning in every 

department, hauntingly awesome, 

fantastic vocals, beautiful lonely guitar 

with an uprising ghting spirit that 

will blow your mind. Right once you get 

over that last track your hit with 

‘Pyramids‘ that offers a great wall of 

sound with snaky riffs and super high 

vocals that are just irresistible. 

P16 SHROPROCKS.COM mar/apr 

Bring To Mind 

Available On: 

iTunes 

Google Play 

Amazon 

‘Sock‘ follows and has to be the heaviest 

track on the album and it moves at a 

pace, again catchy lyrics on top of 

relentless guitars, great vocals and 

punchy drums and a soothing outro, 

whats not to like. Final track ‘Stranger 

Things‘ is a great piece of musical 

arrangement and puts these boys at the 

top of their game tipped for bigger 

better things to come. Nuclear Weasels 

collective strength is in this 

combination of bold bright guitar and 

earworm choruses that pepper every 

track. The swaying melodies, well wrote 

lyrics make this band one of 

Shropshire’s gems.

www.youngbraves.co.uk 

@youngbravesUK 

Facebook.com/youngbravesUK 

YOUNG 

BRAVES 

“ ” 

a p o t e n t r e l e a s e t h a t i s 

u n d e n i a b l y B R I L L I A N T 

Young Braves a 4 piece 

rock/indie band 

from Newport, 

Shropshire, consisting of 

brothers Ollie and Elliot 

Scott, Jacob Ferguson and 

Dan Byrne. Formerly 

Arcade Parade, they were 

the 2012 winners of the 

Shropshire’s Next Big 

Thing competition run by 

Shropshire BBC 

Introducing and the 

Shropshire Star. The band 

have performed at The O2 Academy 

2 & 3, Birmingham Ballrooms and 

The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton. 

2012 saw the band perform at 

Osfest and Shrewsbury Fields 

Forever Festival alongside The 

Wombats, Sunshine Underground 

and Razorlight. 2013 proved to be 

another busy year with numerous 

live shows, festival appearances and 

recording sessions. 

The band are featured regularly on 

BBC Introducing in Shropshire and 

in October 2013 released their 

debut single ‘Youth’, produced by 

acclaimed producer Gavin 

Monaghan (who has worked with 

Editors, The Twang, Kings of Leon, 

Robert Plant). 

In the summer of 2013, the 

band decided to start a 

fresh with a new sound 

and name, and from a 

GCSE History lesson on 

the American West 

emerged the name, Young 

Braves! Their rst single 

Youth is a hugely catchy 

pop rock anthem. 

“The Young Braves have 

channelled all the 

emotions and life 

experiences they have been 

through the past few years into this 

EP, a potent release that is 

undeniably BRILLIANT — and 

that’s apparent from the beginning 

to the end” 

The guitar work in there is sublime 

backed with beautiful melodies and 

heartfelt quality lyrics. I’m not 

going to go on and on about how 

the tracks work or sound. There 

really is no need to at all with these 

guys. 

They’re all frighteningly good and 

they’re still young. Go and 

experience them for yourselves you 

won’t be disappointed.


R O D 

STEWART 

L I V E 

GREENHOUS MEADOW 

WED 7TH JUNE // SY2 6ST // 17:00 

T i c k e t s : w w w.t i c k e t m a s t e r . c o . u k

TWO 

BLANK 

PAGES 

www.twoblankpages.com 

Facebook.com/twoblankpages 

@TwoBlankPages 

Pictured : 

Antony Titley 

and Fergus 

Mckeown 

Despite all the music that 

comes our way, Alternative 

Folk Country Trio, ‘Two Blank 

Pages‘ have successfully operated 

under our radar … up until now that 

is. The EP ‘Folk ‘N’ Roll’ was brought 

to my attention by band member 

Antony Titley and from the rst it 

certainly gained our attention. 

The elements of worthy vocals, simple 

pared-back instrumentation and 

eloquently memorable melodies leave 

you wanting far more than the six 

tracks on offer. There’s a nice edge to 

the lead vocals that belies the depths 

and searching of the lyrics, and gives 

the songs a softly engaging appeal. 

There’s also a connection, an 

intimacy if you prefer, that pulls the 

listener into the song and moves this 

trio closer to you, to a nice effect. 

When you’re faced with a selection 

that's all worthy of a vote it’s hard to 

pick out tracks, however for me the 

fun track ‘Bearded Man’, the 

thoughtful ‘Georgia Line’ and 

‘Drifter’s Daughter’ are outstanding, 

with the power to draw you in, every 

time. 

Two Blank Pages consist of members; 

Antony Titley on guitar & vocals, 

Fergus Mckeown on guitar & vocals, 

Jamie Rushworth on bass. 

Shrewsbury based they are denitely 

one to watch for the future. 


R A I N B R 


“ 

exciting young band with 

Rainbreakers are an 

enough verve, dash and 

spontaneity to jump out of 

the box like a fire cracker 

and grab the blues by the 

scruff of its neck and drag 

it into 2017. The 

Rainbreakers may hail 

from Shrewsbury, but 

their groove oozes Austin 

Texas 

BLOOD 

N O T 

BRASS 

E P 

” 

Since the release of 

their “Blood Not 

Brass” EP, 

Rainbreakers have 

found themselves 

being featured 

extensively 

throughout a 

variety of media 

platforms. The 

Blues Magazine and 

Blues and Soul 

magazine have each 

celebrated the 

band’s refreshing 

outlook on the 

blues/rock scene, 

while radio 

stations across 

the country and 

most notably The 

Paul Jones Show 

on BBC Radio 2 

have all featured 

their songs 

respectively.

E A K E R S 

“ 

The bands efforts 

have even gained 

the attention of 

The British Blues 

Awards, who 

nominated 

Rainbreakers for 

The Barry 

Middleton Award 

for Emerging 

” 

Artist 2016. 

In the last year, Rainbreakers have 

reached new heights, with a string 

of live dates up and down the 

SALOP country supporting ST - BISHOPS the likes of Corky CASTLE - SY9 5BW 

Laing (Mountain), The London Souls, 

The Devon Allman Band and Laurence 

Jones.Their performance at this year’s 

Great British Rock and Blues Festival 

in Skegness saw them win the crowd 

vote on the Introducing Stage and gain 

a place on the Main Stage at next year’s 

festival. 

Pictured: 

Ben Edwards 


A urgent city-wide campaign has 

been launched to save London’s 

live music venues, the number of 

which has declined by 35% in eight 

years. 

Since 2007, 50 venues have shut 

their doors for good, leaving the 

capital with just 88. Historic 

venues such as the Marquee Club, 

the Astoria, the 12 Bar Club, Water 

Rats and Madame Jojo’s have 

disappeared from the map, falling 

victim to high costs, complaints 

from residents and pressures from 

developers. Many more are on the 

brink of closure. 

S U P P O R T 

L O C A L 

VENUES 

Have your say...@shroprocks 

facebook.com/shroprocks 

editor@shroprocks.com 

For music fans of a certain age it 

must count as one of the 

greatest gigs in history. On 4 

July 1976, at Shefeld’s Black Swan 

club, the Clash played live for the rst 

time, supporting the Sex Pistols on a 

bill that also included the Buzzcocks. 

Over the years the Black Swan 

changed its name to the Shefeld 

Boardwalk, but its commitment to live 

music remained undiminished. Arctic 

Monkeys performed at the club, 

releasing a demo collection recorded 

at the venue called Beneath the 

Boardwalk. 

The ‘Support Local Music’ horn has 

been tooted so many times now that 

people, especially internet people are 

starting to feel like they have tinnitus. 

However I am not asking you to go 

musically vegan, I’m not even asking 

you to go musically vegetarian, just 

have that meat free Monday now and 

again. 

Buying and supporting local music 

saves you money, encourages growth 

and attracts tourism but more than 

that it helps to develop a sense of 

community and gives us all something 

to be proud of, which makes us rich… 

emotionally. The economic reasons 

are pretty good too. 

Let’s be honest, we are all pretty 

selsh and whether or not that refers 

to money, most of us don’t really want 

to just give it away. After all why go 

out and spend £25 on a band, or £70 

for Dolly Parton, when we can all stay 

at home and watch X Factor, or at 

least spend the money on beer. Well if 

you went to see a local band, you 

could probably afford both a few beers 

and a cracking show. Local gigs are 

usually a lot cheaper, the money’s not 

being spent to get the band there 

(touring isn’t cheap for international 

bands). Also, more than likely, the 

band

isn’t that well established and so are 

just not famous enough to rip you of 

your hard earned cash. Chances are 

they’ll put on a better performance as 

well, no point getting you through the 

door and putting on a half-assed show, 

because next time when they charge £12 

instead of £10, you probably won’t go. 

Bands in themselves are a local business 

and the more you give them the more 

they can spend and the more they can 

improve. This in turn makes everything 

else better, because that is how the 

economy works… until the bankers take 

it all. So, usually the venue will get a cut 

of the money a band makes on entrance 

fees, and if not it will probably get at 

least one or two people having a drink. 

More money for them! They’ll be able to 

keep the place up and running and 

maybe even have more shows. This is 

especially good for those venues that 

don’t quite have enough money or a good 

enough space to attract big acts. 

However if you don’t go, no one makes 

money, bands starve, music shops 

liquidate, bars close, we all go sober – 

productivity may increase but we will all 

kill each other in frustration. Let’s not 

forget the poor record stores, even if 

you’re not buying a record or CD by a 

local band, at least try to buy it in a 

local store, you’re helping these bands in 

a different way and more so helping a 

business that will be investing money 

back into our own economy. You 

personally will be saving someone’s job 

and in that case go ahead and buy 

yourself another congratulatory CD. 

“ 

By creating a thriving local 

scene ourselves we produce 

something that tourists will 

want to come and see 

” 

MAR/APR 

There has been a lot of discussion 

over the past decade of the 

Creative Class, a group of people 

who are the leading force behind 

economic growth. A wondrous 

selection of workers that bring 

growth to any country that 

attracts them. We obviously want 

some of that. So in this new age of 

global economy, we have to shift 

our focus on retaining big industry 

and manufacturing, but more 

importantly start attracting 

smaller creative rms, the rms 

all these Creative Class types want 

to work for. Now there are many, 

and almost certainly more 

important ways to attract these 

people, one of them is to have a 

thriving local music scene. A city 

needs to have a sense of self to 

reel them in, and a scene that 

demonstrates the cultural and 

social diversity of a place, is one 

way to do that. You have to ask 

yourself, what wouldn’t be 

appealing about going somewhere 

with a great local music industry? 

SHROPROCKS.COM P25

According to ‘Support the 

Arts’, £856 million of 

spending by tourists, is on 

arts and culture. Also 8 out 

of 10 tourists see culture as 

the reason for their visit 

and what is more culturally 

expressive than local music. 

This point is rather similar 

to the second one in that 

everything has a knock on 

effect. By creating a thriving 

local scene ourselves we 

produce something that 

tourists will want to come 

and see, in turn they spend 

money in our hotels, bars, 

restaurants and on our local 

transport giving the 

tourism aspect of our 

economy a boost. This is 

more important now than 

ever before, as the inux of 

tourists has soared over the 

past few years, creating a 

tourist friendly environment 

is something that will help 

Shropshire’s economy to 

stay aoat. Unfortunately 

there are bigger issues to 

address than having some 

great local music, but you 

have to start somewhere. 

At the end of the day we 

shouldn’t need these 

reasons to support our local 

music industry, we have a 

great scene and should 

happily be spending our 

money to take advantage of 

all that it has to offer be 

that in a store or in a bar. 

So work hard, go out, spend 

your money and feel good 

about yourself for doing it. 

“ 

Buying and 

supporting local 

music saves you 

money, encourages 

growth and attracts 

tourism but more 

than that it helps to 

develop a sense of 

community and gives 

us all something to 

be proud of, which 

makes us rich 

emotionally. The 

economic reasons 

are pretty good too. 

Have Your Say at: 

facebook.com/groups/shroprocks 

e d i t o r @ s h r o p r o c k s . c o m 

” 


BETH 

HEMMINGS 

WRITES 

n August 27th, Shrewsbury’s 

Overy own Quarry Park opened its 

owery and communal arms and 

welcomed in a new and exciting event. 

An event that is renowned up and down 

the country for its remarkably uncanny 

and exceptionally talented tribute 

musicians. It was indeed, the mini 

franchise of festivals: the Fake Festival. 

For the rst time ever, Shrewsbury 

hosted the all-day gig in the Quarry 

Park and attendants were treated to 

excellent music – not only from local 

bands of the Shropshire area, but also 

three phenomenal tribute acts. The 

iconic music of Queen, The Foo Fighters 

and The Jam was performed 

exceptionally, way into the night. 

The franchise of Fake Festivals tour all 

around, up and over the country and for 

each location they rock their fakeness, 

granting local musicians the 

opportunity to perform and kick start 

these awesome little festivals. The 

fakeness travels far and wide with some 

of the country’s most amazing tribute 

acts that are almost uncanny to the real 

deal. Tributes throughout this summer’s 

tour included; Oasis, The Rolling 

Stones, The Stone Roses, Bon Jovi, The 

Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many more. 

Not to mention Shrewsbury’s headliners 

of Queen (The Flash), Foo Fighters (The 

Four Fighters) and The Jam (The 

Jam’d)! 


The afternoon was kick started with 

Shropshire talents; Thin Vision, Two 

Faced Tom and the Bootleg Boys, 

Guttersnipe and Scaface. Whilst these 

local bands where setting the 

elongated marquee on re, festival 

goers could also enjoy family 

entertainment outside via a bouncy 

castle and slides, food and beverages 

to suit every tummy and an amplitude 

of porta loos- which are a vitality to 

any festival, big or small. Within the 

marquee too, adults could satisfy all 

tipples with a fully stocked bar to 

enjoy soft or alcoholic beverages via a 

speedy token system. 

As the evening drew in, so did the local 

talent. First of the headliners to take 

stage were The Jam’d, performing all 

the classics from ‘Going Underground’ 

and ‘Town Called Malice’, to ‘In The 

City’ which elevated the atmosphere in 

the giant marquee to a full blown 

festival caliber and provided an 

amplitude of nostalgia for the fakey 

attendants.

This atmosphere was soon shaken up 

like a wild cocktail mix when The Four 

Fighters followed. Their entrance was 

electric- thrashing guitars and drums 

and a light show that would put any 

night club to shame. The Four Fighters 

performed every single Foo Fighters 

classics and then some, including The 

Pretender, Walk, Everlong, Best of You 

and Learn to Fly, which had the 

audience high in the sky. What was 

notably brilliant about The Four 

Fighters’ performance was the band’s 

rousing energy on stage. They did not 

miss a single beat and there was an elite 

chemistry between the performers as 

each took their character of the Foo’s 

band members rather professionally. 

Notably the lead singer Iain Angus (also 

involved in organizing the Fake Festival 

tours) whose voice, attire and visual 

performance was uncanny to that of Mr 

Dave Grohl’s. Iain had the persona of 

the iconic Foo Fighters front man down 

to a tee with his world famous head-bobwhile-playing 

routine. 

Once The Four Fighters nished turning 

the marquee and everything in it into a 

rock and roll paradise it was time for 

Queen tribute The Flash to burn the 

stage. From the word go, The Flash 

were sublime. The lead singer again 

bore an uncanny resemblance to his 

subject, in this case Freddie Mercury; 

with the famous white tank top, 70’s 

porn star mustache and the performing 

with the microphone on the stand – he 

truly captured the essence of Freddie 

Mercury exceptionally, and with a whole 

lot of grace. He elevated the atmosphere 

within the marquee to that of such 

electrifying proportions, it could have 

powered a house through winter. Like 

The Four Fighters; the whole band had a 

noticeable chemistry as they all 

interacted on stage in the way that 

Queen so famously used to. 

Throughout their entire performance 

of all of the Queen classics- such as 

‘Radio GaGa’, ‘I Want To Break Free’, 

‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘We will Rock 

You’ and many, many more – The 

Flash engaged the audience with 

masterful sing-a-longs which 

denitely broadcasted the lead 

singer’s sheer talent and vocal 

capacity. At one point he had the 

crowd belting back a singing scale 

that can only be described as 

brilliantly coral and of the excellence 

level of a professional gospel choirwhich 

left the audience abbergasted 

within themselves 

A denite highlight came right at the 

end – when Queen’s famous 

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was covered. 

When the rst notes played and ”Is 

this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” 

was sang, every member of the 

audience cheered with gleeful 

recognition and a look of awe on 

their face. But things changed 

dramatically when the world-class 

guitar riff was thrashed out. The 

whole audience was bouncing like a 

herd of baby kangaroos and the head 

banging was like something you’d 

nd at a heavy metal concert. The 

Flash were simply sublime, a gold 

standard performance that I think 

Freddie Mercury will be smiling 

down upon with pride. 

So, if you have the perception that 

tribute bands and tribute festivals are 

something of indecency and never a 

match on the original, then all I want 

you to do is to tag along to one of 

Britain’s nest Fake Festivals. They 

are a plethoric pool of immense 

talent, electrifying performances and 

boast an unforgettable atmosphere. 

Because if you close your eyes, you 

will feel like you are in the presence 

of the real deal. 


HAYGATE RD - WELLINGTON - TF1 1QA

n her 2015 sold out album 

Olaunch for 'Painted Smile', 

Michaela Wylde put together a 

great selection of singularly crafted 

songs, each individually baked with 

plenty of love. All owing with 

originality they took us on a journey 

through the day to day light and dark 

rollercoaster of life's ride. 

So we were delighted when we heard 

the news that the long awaited second 

album 'Wylde Thoughts' was to launch 

th 

on the 9 February at Theatre Severn, 

and it was certainly worth the wait. 

Michaela puts aside all semblance of 

pop affectations in favour of 

something more raw and innitely 

more vulnerable: a record composed of 

piano and voice mostly. Recorded at 

RML Studios Wolverhampton, 

Michaela has always had a knack for 

embedding wistfulness and bittersweet 

melancholia into pristinely rendered 

piano pop songs. With Piano, Michaela 

peels back any kind of artice, offering 

a collection of songs that examine 

mortality, love, life, meaning and the 

creative impulse itself. 

TWITTER.COM/MICHAELAWYLDE 

FACEBOOK.COM/MICHAELAWYLDEMUSIC 

It would be easy to admit piano 

is a slight addiction to 

Michaela's discography, but 

that would be wrong. The quiet 

humanity in these songs is 

disarmingly simple at rst, but 

these sentiments creep up on you, 

giving credence to the notion that 

it's in these private moments of 

contemplation where the narratives 

of our lives are ultimately 

assembled. It's the kind of simple 

moment of observation that 'Wydle 

Thoughts' is full of. 

Michaela is no stranger to wearing 

her heart on her sleeve, ‘Wylde 

Thoughts’ takes that notion one step 

further— it's as if Michaela is taking 

her heart out 

for everyone 

to see, then 

discreetly 

leaving it on 

your coffee 

table. 

Available From: 

www.michaelaWYLDEmusic.com

S H R O P S H I R E 

FACTS 

It's one of the most picturesque counties in Britain, yet 

is one of the least well-known. Visitors are often 

delighted at the choice of activities available in 

Shropshire. Steeped in history and culture, tourists come 

to Shropshire to see this county's incredible past. Here are 

fteen interesting bitesize facts that may astound you, even 

if you've lived all your life in this wonderful county. 

The origin of the name Shropshire comes from the Old 

English name "Scrobbesbyrigscir" (try saying that after a 

few real ales) which means Shrewsburyshire. 

Shropshire is home to the world's rst skyscraper, 

Ditherington Flax Mill, situated just outside of 

Shrewsbury. Built in 1797, the building was the rst in the 

world to be built as a multi-story iron-framed building - the 

way that all skyscrapers are now built. 

English Parliament rst gathered in Acton Burnell, and not 

London as most people think. Edward I brought his 

parliament together at a barn in the area, the ruins of 

which can still be seen today. 

The remains of Bridgnorth Castle lean at a huge 17 degree 

angle, three times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa in 

Italy. 

Tourism in Shropshire is worth a massive £561 million, 

contributing nine percent of the total West Midlands 

tourism spend. Over half of all visitors come for the 

countryside, rather than the towns. 

The 13th century Clun Castle is owned by the Duke of 

Norfolk, Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, who 

also holds the title of Baron Clun. 

The delicious Sweet Pea was rst introduced to our plate by 

Henry Eckford of Wem, who was responsible for creating 

the rst ever sweet peas in 1888. 

Prince Arthur, elder brother to Henry VIII, has his heart 

buried at St Lawrence Church in Ludlow. It's contained in a 

silver casket beneath the chancel. His body was buried at 

Worcester Cathedral. It is thought that he died from TB in 

Ludlow en-route to Wales with his wife, Catherine of 

Aragon. 

P32 SHROPROCKS.COM JAN/FEB

Standing tall outside Shropshire County 

Council's HQ at Shire Hall in Shrewsbury, Lord 

Hill's column is the tallest Doric-style column in 

the world, standing at 133ft tall. 

The coldest temperature recorded in England 

was in Shawbury. The town was a freezing -26.1 

degrees on the 10th of January 1982. 

The Three Tuns pub in Bishops Castle claims to 

be the oldest working brewery in Britain, with 

beer being brewed there since 1642 when their 

licence was rst granted to the public house. 

Shropshire is home to sheep steeplechasing. 

Taking place every day at Hoo Farm just outside 

Wellington, Telford, visitors can bet on which 

sheep crosses the line rst. Take your camera - 

watching the woolly jockeys on their backs is 

hilarious. 

Most of the rather smelly (but simply delicious) 

Shropshire Blue cheese isn't actually made in 

Shropshire - it's more likely to come from 

Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire. 

A cave in Nesscliffe was home to Humphrey 

Kynaston, a notorious highwayman, son of the 

High Sheriff of Shropshire. Convicted for 

murder in 1491, he lived a lifestyle compared to 

Robin Hood, by robbing from the rich and 

giving to the poor. 

There are more rocks of different ages in 

Shropshire than any area of similar size in the 

world. Caradoc is home to the world's oldest 

known complete fossil. 


Blacksmith 

SINGLE REVIEW 

Hill 

Today is going to be a good 

day’ will be a fan favourite for 

popular duo Nikki and Paul 

Henshaw of Blacksmith Hill, it’s nice 

harmonies work perfectly to bring a 

well crafted song it’s due . Forgoing 

the usual party time and catchy riff 

choruses of ‘The Scientic 

Simpletons‘. Paul and Nikki strip it 

down to the bare bones of music 

performance, allowing their voices to 

shine through and make this truly 

special. That’s why this track will 

become highly rated – it possesses a 

true talent and conveys that in an 

honest, emotional, and strikingly 

simple way. 

‘It’s incredible to me how 

someone as glaringly 

talented as Paul Henshaw 

doesn’t have the same mass 

appeal as the auto-tuned 

people of this world’ 

A heartfelt ballad with simply picked 

acoustic guitar and reserved drums, 

the arrangement is specically 

designed to gently support the 

content of the song without ever 

overpowering it. We are allowed, 

therefore, to feel the sheer weight of 

the lyrics. 

It’s incredible to me how someone as 

glaringly talented, as Paul Henshaw, 

doesn’t have the same mass appeal as 

the auto-tuned people of this world. I 

am glad that he seems to be 

attracting the ears of more and more 

people in the mainstream sphere, as 

this track was picked up by 

Shrewsbury business ‘Greenhous‘ for 

their christmas advertising campaign. 

All money raised from this song went 

to ‘The Shrewsbury Ark‘ in the true 

christmas spirit of things. 

So all Paul needs now is a stage, a 

guitar, and his wife Nikki on 

harmonies, and all those present will 

listen.

FACEBOOK.COM/WEARETHEKOOKS 

@JOSHUASOLEMUSIC 

J OSHUA 

SOLE 

Having spent years playing 

open mic nights, house 

parties, gigs, busking in 

Amsterdam. What’s left in the bag 

for Sole as he now nds himself as 

one of Shropshire's most intriguing 

artists. 

One of the benets of Sole's 

everybloke background is that he is 

able to shape-shift from song to 

song: his origins are so generic that 

he loses none of his integrity with 

each new style. 

At a time when major artists are 

becoming increasingly politically 

engaged, Sole's vision of hope in the 

face of modern horrors seems a 

little fey at best, and tactical at 

worst. Where others challenge and 

confront, Joshua Sole jokes and 

unites community's. 

If ever there were an artist to 

make a critic feel redundant, 

it's this man. Such is, his 

condence in his acoustic based 

tracks that no criticism is strong 

enough to prevent the imminent 

and stratospheric praise he richly 

deserves. Unlike many buskers 

and artists alike, Sole's a slick 

potent performer – one that reeks 

of nostalgia and comfort, 

campres, scented candles, spilt 

pints of canned lager and for 

those not enthralled by his 

algorithmic song craft, the sharp 

smell of council cologne. 

During Sole's best moments — the 

rasping blues, the acerbic R'n'B, 

the rap and deep root acoustic 

undertones — Sole sounds 

tremendous: a multitasking, 

modern artist who can sing, rap 

and strum.

Cooper 

& 

Davies 

Feelin’ Time 

resh release ‘Feelin 

FTime’. Coming out of 

literally nowhere, 

Cooper & Davies’s, soothing 

vocals and superb harmonies 

captures a lot of people’s 

hearts, mine included. It 

sounds like there’s a lifetime 

of stories and music in this 

popular duo, so I hope they 

can dig deep and nd more 

material to make this year 

one to remember. BBC 

Shropshire’s song of the 

month for March. 

revernation.com/cooperdavies

Brignorth-based Cooper and Davies 

superb debut EP 'The Coach House 

Sessions' is an ethereal, warm, and 

magical combination of lyrical genius, 

inspired poetry and modern innovative 

country folk rock. The mix of Simon Davies 

and Rob Coopers unique poetic vocals and the 

enchanting beautiful backing harmonies is 

quite special. There are elements of The 

Everly Brothers and Paolo Nutini to be found 

here, but Cooper and Davies's sound, remains 

distinctively theirs. 

Catchy hooks and owing melodies ood their 

set list, reecting their inuences and 

interests. Containing an increased proportion 

of their own original material. Strong vocal 

harmony balances with the instrumental 

work to produce vibrant performances. 

Drawn together by a desire to play rootsy 

Americana, they developed their own style and 

sound which draws on the traditions of 

country rock blues and bluegrass. 

Si's driving groove on guitar and rock steady 

kick drum beat is anchored by Rob's easy 

rolling bass, or blistering banjo runs; with 

the addition of hi hat and wailing harmonica. 

An ever expanding circuit of pubs, clubs, 

private functions and festival appearances 

reects the growing popularity of this duo's 

brand of good time music, guaranteed to leave 

audiences with toes tapping and faces smiling 

for a long time to come. www.cooperanddavies.com 

facebook.com/cooperdavieslive 

@CooperandDavies 

‘The Coach House Sessions’ 

Available On: 

iTunes 

Amazon 

Spotify 


the sun 

H o t e l 

BETH 

HEMMINGS 

WRITES 

There are many Artic Monkeys 

wannabes out there. Bands with 

lead singers that will put on a 

whiney accent and act all rock & roll, 

believing they’ll be the next Glasto 

headliners – but they will never quite be 

in the same calibre. So, 

with the amplitude of these 

types of new bands ever 

growing, it’s making it 

harder and harder for upand-comers 

of the same 

genre to truly allow their 

individualism and drive to 

beam through the masses. 

But when tuning into just 

one track of the Shropshire 

and Mid Wales trio, The Sun Hotel, all 

hope returns with urrying amplitude – 

because these three have a talent and 

individualism unlike any other. 

They are an indie-rock piece 

with Joseph Daniel Warham 

(Vocals, Bass, Harmonica), 

Jon Hamer (Guitar, Vocals) 

and Ed Brown (Drums, 

Percussion). Starting out as a 

three piece in 

February 2015 with 

classic and modern 

rock inuences 

coursing out of their 

ngertips, these 

inuences are still 

evident in their work 

today as you can 

hear their mutual 

respect and 

admiration for music within 

every strum, note and 

harmony. These traits make 

them rather unique.

As well as the catchy band 

name, The Sun Hotel have 

been doing notoriously well 

so far, with and arm-length list of 

gig dates throughout Shropshire, 

Wales and Birmingham. Not only 

that but in May last year they have 

released an incandescent ve track 

EP called ‘A Quest for Knowledge’. 

This EP was recorded at Magic 

Garden Studios (UK) and was 

produced by the renowned Gavin 

Monaghan (who has also produced 

for The Editors, The Sherlocks and 

the legendary Robert Plant) 

soundcloud.com/the-sun-hotel-band 

facebook.com/thesunhotelofficial 

All of the tracks on this EP are 

uplifting, fun and foot-tapping 

anthems that make you want to 

throw your chair back and shake 

your booty and hips – including the 

titular track A Quest for Knowledge 

that has acted as the single for this 

EP due to its recognition and great 

reception, really staying true to the 

band’s indie-rock story telling 

genre. Whereas the rst featured 

track ‘Bad News’ has a showstopping 

drum rhythm right from 

the rst second and has an edgy 

vocal synopsis that grabs you by the 

throat and won’t let go – but in a 

good way, obviously! 

Another commendable thing about 

this EP and the band themselves is 

that every track sounds different 

and more diverse than the next. 

This is particularly apparent in 

comparison with their rst selftitled 

EP The Sun Hotel released in 

2015. Where, in which, the track 

‘Lose a Little More’ particularly 

stands out and grips you from the 

start with an almost jazzy 

sounding interlude that is a theme 

throughout the song. 

Both EP’s are available for your 

listening pleasure on Soundcloud, 

Amazon, Google Play, Deezer and 

even Spotify.

ISSUE #1

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