Vibraphonic festival starts this week

Exeter’s annual Vibraphonic festival has it all, with what may well be the most eclectic bill to date.

From the UK’s most pioneering electronic beat sample duo Utah Saints to Texas’ biggest blues rock guitar hero Johnny Winters; from the godfathers of the Cuban boom Sierra Maestra to the UK’s very own inventors of ‘Jazz for Radiohead fans’ Neil Cowley Trio; from 2009 Mercury Music Prize winner Speech Debelle to Reggae Reggae sauce and song enthusiast Levi Roots from ‘Dragon’s Den’ fame – it promises to be a top festival.

Starting on Wednesday 5th March until Sunday 21nd March  dozens of artists from the UK and the rest of the world will come together and take over the city of Exeter’s main music venues, clubs, galleries, art spaces and independent cinemas.

For the second time, Vibraphonic will also host its very own Analogue to Digital music expo on Saturday 6th March at Exeter Phoenix in association with Sound Gallery. This will include live performances, master classes, demonstrations and try-out sessions of the latest music technology, instruments and studio equipment.

International Women’s Day will also be celebrated again as part of Vibraphonic with a very special evening of Inspiring Women’s Voices on Sunday 7th March, featuring new work by a number of emerging professional female artists of varying disciplines including slam poetry, dance, live art and music.

In addition to all this Phonic FM, which is celebrating its second birthday as a permanent radio station in March, will as always broadcast a special blend of Vibraphonic related music, features and exclusive interviews throughout the festival.

Still as much about participation as performance, Vibraphonic will offer plenty of opportunities for aspiring musicians to get involved in the numerous music-related workshops programmed during the festival. Many local and regional stars in the rising will perform in support of some of the biggest names during the festival or at one of the smaller fringe venues on the edge of Exeter.

Since its inception seven years ago, Vibraphonic has firmly established itself as a festival of legends, whether from the past or in the making.

In previous years Vibraphonic has also hosted many one-off UK appearances by international superstars such as Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers. Philadelphian hip-hop poetess Ursula Rucker and obscure Kraftwerk krautrocker Wolfgang Flur, to name but a few.

Please visit www.vibraphonic.co.uk for more details, or pick up a full programme at venues across town.