Southend Festival
Founded in 2003, the Southend Festival is your chance to celebrate creative and
cultural excellence, organised by South Essex College.
Every year, we combine dozens of student end of year shows in media and the arts,
with a curated programme of music, performances and partner events – many free –
for the people of Southend. As a student at the College, you will have a unique
opportunity to get involved, show your talent whether it’s performing or behind
the scenes.
Southend Festival has a colourful and impressive list of performers associated with
the Festival such as Blur, Simon Amstell, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Benjamin Zephaniah,
Digby Fairweather, Tellison, Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), Scroobius Pip and Kenny
Thomas.
Patrons
Sam Duckworth a.k.a Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Southend-born indie star Sam Duckworth a.k.a Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly has played
at Glas-tonbury, Reading, toured the US, performed at the BBC Electric Proms, been
nominated for an NME Award and made TV appearances on the likes of Nevermind the
Buzzcocks and Hollyoaks. He said: "I just wanted to lend my name (to the Festival)
and help out local artists - as best as possible - to not feel so isolated in being
from Southend. It’s a unique place and this is a unique opportunity to celebrate
the talents, the arts and media and culture in Southend."
Digby Fairweather
International jazz artist, Digby Fairweather, has been a professional jazz musician
for over 30 years and has won many awards including BBC Jazz Society’s Musician
of the Year (l979).
Of the Festival, he said: "I suppose my un¬quenchable love for Southend-on-Sea has
been nurtured principally by awareness of the artistic subcultures - including jazz
of course - which have bubbled jubilantly and continuously beneath our town’s occasionally
over-bucolic public image of fish ‘n’ chips and Golden Miles. To see these subcultures
so joyfully displayed in our Southend Festival is both a deserving tribute to the
young challenging talents who drive it, and a grand celebration of Southend’s true
position in Britain’s cultural heritage."
Dave 'Darth Vader' Prowse
Best known for his performance as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy,
Dave’s career has included everything from training Christo¬pher Reeve for Superman,
Benny Hill, Hammer Horror, and of course the Green Cross Code Man.
"I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some great projects over the years and
I can say that I’m just as proud to be part of Southend Festival Seven. It’s great
that Southend is celebrating all the creative talent it has to offer. I’m really
pleased to have been invited both as a Patron and performer for the Festival which
promises to be an exciting mix of events for all ages."
Southend Festival 6
Southend Festival 7
If you would like to get involved in performing at the annual Southend Festival
or organising your own event during the event, please just email us: festival@southend.ac.uk
Website: www.southendfestivalcom