Nothing much has changed in the interim and so here they are again...
The Arcadeclectic Stage… (Pronounced Arcade Eclectic)
Formed from the embers of the old Arcade Stage that used to be at the top of the arcade next to the Corn Exchange just off the market square. Envisioned originally as poetry only, it was never going to work like that in that particular setting owing to spill over noise from
the market square Main Stage, and so common sense prevailed. Well, it did up until the point where I asked for complete autonomy...
But that was granted, and so the Arcade Stage begat The Arcadeclectic Stage when we moved to The Priory site, and has never really looked back from that moment. Anyone who spends some time in front of the Arcadeclectic will notice something that stands out straight away…
It is not commercial in any way, shape or form, and neither is it ‘Politically Correct’. The artists that play it have an attitude in common. This is what we do… Like it or lump it ! And for some reason the audience likes it ? There are no egos stroked there. We have a saying… ‘Please leave your ego at the gate, as we don’t need it…’
The crew do their best for the artists and the artists do their best for the audience and that is really all that matters. Entertainment is a strange thing when you think about it. How far have we actually come from the days of lions vs Christians ? It’s really not that far, is it ? If you have the courage of your convictions and you are prepared to face down a crowd to get your particular ‘vision’ across, then you have a chance of playing it. Genre’s are not important. Punk, Folk, Country, Bluegrass, Rock, Blues, Rock’n’Roll, Rockabilly, Jazz, Poetry, Avante-Garde, Rap, Soul, Reggae, Experimental, Classical, Madrigals, Opera, Instrumental, World Music, we’ll take it all, but God help anybody who decides to ‘coast’ through their set because the crowd in front of that stage will never let them get away with that, and they WILL make their displeasure felt in no uncertain terms…
It’s that lions vs Christians thing again. And if you lose that audience then quite honestly you are nowhere, even if maybe you thought you were somewhere to begin with ? But please don’t think it is all attitude and no substance…
Anybody who was there will remember powerhouse sets by Blyth Power which got everybody, including the three year olds, down the front and dancing and moshing to their vision of English folk-rock music. Or maybe The Fish Brothers and their twisted take on punk rock mixed with Max Miller type music hall ? Or The Astronauts playing the complete ‘Peter Pan Hits The Suburbs’ album for the very first time in the thirty years since its release ? Or ex Sex Pistol Glen Matlock’s acoustic
show ? Or Zounds… Playing their one British festival date of 2010 on the Arcadeclectic stage for ‘Rhythms’ ? Or Northern Frisk, who play ‘pop’ music from the sixteenth century, getting the crowd up to boogie to a bit of John Dowland ? Or the notoriously hilarious, probably libellous and with more expletives per minute than the poor overworked crew are heard to mutter over the whole weekend, set by our local larrikins, Spandex Ballet ? Or the return of Scum of Toytown to the fray ? Or Skip McDonald, once Grandmaster Flash's bandleader and now working with Adrian Sherwood's OnU Sound playing a solo set and stopping his encore mid-way to ask if he could bring his band the following year, but he wanted to play THIS stage... At which the audience (about two thousand strong) roared their approval... (and what's more, he did...) Yeah, we've had some 'moments...'
Then there were the poets…
The Faction fronted by Chris Bowsher of R.D.F…. Al Damidge…
Bernie (Maipenrai) Shelton, who was having so much fun we couldn’t get him off the stage… Local lad Grant Meaby and the rest of the crew…
Rachel Pantechnicon… Project Adorno… and my co-compere, Joy T. Chance, who I’ve worked with for more years than either of us care to remember…
And let us not forget the artists who first graced the Arcadeclectic and went on to perform on bigger stages and at bigger venues…
C.C. Smugglers… Tearing up a storm with their take on rockin’ country blues…
Lika Sharps… Who are really indescribable, but who I’d recommend to anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see…
James Bay... Yes, we had him well before he became the talk of the industry. We actually had him as a fresh faced youngster when we were in the Arcade...
It’s the Arcadeclectic Stage and it doesn’t take prisoners… And we’re proud of it. Chris Ripple
Arcadeclectic Stage
Rhythms of The World
‘We had something to say, not something to sell…’
Suzie Rotolo
