Festival looking to be sell-out success

And this year’s Festival is already looking to be a huge success with some events sold out and others selling out fast.

The Festival takes place at a variety of venues throughout the town and runs until September 30.

British jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine is looking to be the stand-out show in the contemporary music programme, playing at Rye College on Friday 21st September.

Festival spokesman Andy Stuart said: “They don’t come much bigger or better than this jazz giant and the gig is a must for all those appetites have been whetted by the recent Jazz Festival.”

The contemporary Music programme gets underway on Saturday, with a gig by Plainsong at Rye College. The Folk-Rock combo, featuring Iain Matthews who had a No 1 hit single with Woodstock as part of Matthews Southern Comfort in the 1960s, is playing its farewell tour, so it is the last chance to see them.

Another highlight is US bluesman Catfish Keith, a singer/guitarist, who plays classics rural blues songs from before the War, and will be performing at a new venue for the Festival – Tilling Green Community Centre on Thursday September 27.

Hank Wangford and the Lost Cowboys have been playing country music with a dark side for the last three decades or so – at the same time as Hank has had a day job as a consultant gynaecologist! Check Hank and his posse out at the Community Centre on Tuesday September 25.

Pete Morton has been described as bonkers and performing a tale by Chaucer using songs by Bob Dylan does sound a little off the wall, but the talented singer/guitarist has had rave reviews by the likes of the Guardian and is worth seeing on Thursday 20 for an entertaining evening at the Community Centre.

Back for the fourth time at the Festival, and with just a few tickets still for sale for the gig at Rye College on Saturday September 22, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are real crowd pleasers. These maestros of the midget guitar perform everything from George Formby classics to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, by way of Joy Division. Last time they played they converted much of the Citadel to grunge.

And check out the programme for a series of free gigs by bands at pubs in and around Rye that form the Festival ‘fringe’.