Southport: Jedi Music Festival

Enjoy a walk in the park? How about live music? Not been to Southport for a while? Come on, we're not going to do it all for you...

We remember being down the front at The Zanzibar for The Bandwagon nights, nearly a decade ago now. Jostling for position with Noel Gallagher and Channel 4 camera crews as The Coral hit the stage.

Nothing quite eclipses that feeling of being there when a band is vital and about to go over the top.

But, as fans, we’re lucky. We can revisit it - even if The Coral can’t quite.

Especially as Deltasonic - the Liverpool label that gave birth to the lads from Hoylake, fully-formed - are gearing up for an album release from their next-big-thing, The Suzukis.

Not heard ‘em yet?

They’re great. All thunder and lightning and “state-of-the-art-slickness” (The Guardian said that). They’re definitely angry young men, anyway.

Primal screams and visceral guitars clash like your favourite Stooges and Nirvana records, as the group live up to their motorcyle namesake and deliver tunes with speed and velocity that don’t care about getting mud on the tyres.

They tread a fine line between The Sex Pistols and At The Drive In (remember them?), but their full force gales blow away any doubts in the end. New single, Reasons For Leaving, is about to drop and it’s a cracker.

Why are we telling you all of this?

The Suzukis are playing Southport’s Jedi Music Festival, this weekend, alongside headliners The Automatic and local heroes Major Major and Hippies On The Hill.

Jedi Festival was first held in 2007 following the tragic and sudden death of Chris Haw, a popular young Southport man who adored festivals and live music. The festival is a tribute to Chris, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the syndrome that took his life at the tender age of 25, Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).

Steve Haw, festival organiser and father of Chris Haw, says: “Last year’s event attracted crowds of over 4,000, and that was with dreadful weather! We will use any funds we make to screen young people for undiagnosed heart conditions, and help to try and reduce the 12 young deaths that occur every week in the UK.”

Great music and a great cause. What more do you want? We’ll see you down the front for a little Motorcycle Festivalness, then.

Alan O’Hare

The Jedi Music Festival, Sunday 1 August
Victoria Park, Southport

Tickets are on sale now and are available to purchase online at www.jedimusicfestival.com; through Sefton Arts Box Office (01704 540011) or at the gate on the day of the festival.