Background & History
This page is dedicated to the memory of the Landlord of The Central during this period, the late and sadly missed Dave Newstead, and his partner Sandra.
|
Original PMF (mainly letter
heading) logo |
Poole
Music Festival was conceived in 1996 by local Councillor and
lifelong music fan Tony Trent. The idea was to create a showcase for
local musicians, for them to play alongside more established artists, and to
have an opportunity to experience and share different musical forms and
ideas. An open meeting was called and
a committee formed. There were
fundraising gigs involving local bands (who were very supportive) practically
every week. The fundraisers were held
mainly at The Central at Ashley Cross, Parkstone, fully supported by the
Landlord Dave Newstead. |
Ollie from Emo Octopus -
1997 |
|
Circa – Big Issue Sound
Stage 1999 |
With a
little help from the National Lottery (a
£5,000 grant!) the first Poole Music Festival took place at Poole Arts Centre
(The Lighthouse) in August 1997. The daytime
event and workshops were free, with a modest charge of £5 for the evening gig
headlined by Liverpool’s The
Real People (info) (the band that helped
Oasis make their “Definitely Maybe” debut LP * but were denied the Gallagher
blessing that gave such a career boost for their contemporaries Ocean Colour
Scene). They were supported that evening by local bands The Love Projectors
(who morphed into Brothers in Sound) and Superfudge. |
PMF “Spiky” logo used 1997
to 1999 |
|
The “Big Issue Sound Stage”
at PMF 99 |
In
1998 we featured outside artists The Mutton Birds
at Poole Arts Centre, supported by The Molby Ks and Circa, and the sublime Tim Rose (an electrifying evening at The
Central) supported by The Producers. CLICK
HERE TO FIND OUT INFORMATION AND LINKS TO SOME OF THE BANDS THAT PLAYED
DURING THE PMF YEARS |
Derek and Clive (from
Colonel Mustard) 1999 |
|
The sound crew at 2000
event |
There were also partner events
and fund raisers over the years, particularly at The Central (we will restore
the line up pages ASAP). The festival
ran annually until 2001
(link to 2000 line
up here) with a lot of help from local DJ/promoter Conrad Barr (info). |
2000 logo |
|
|
It could not take place in
2002 because of the massive refurbishment of the Arts Centre. As is often the case the team had gone
their separate ways by the time the brand spanking new Lighthouse re-opened, but the
lasting legacy is the much wider range of events and mini festivals that take
place regularly in and around Poole, and the vital experience of many a young
ORIGINAL band in the area. We look forward to more events and initiatives to
come! |
Bafaana in the Wessex Hall
2000 |
Back to opening page | Back to current Poole Music page
| Old PMF Pages (currently being recovered)