We’re very happy to welcome Gavin Pond back to Stroud Song Contest – who made his debut in 2020 with the reggae-punk ballad ‘The Snail Song’, and who last year brought us the unforgettable ‘Terrence the Tentacled Alien’. Gavin’s offering this year, Icy Icicles, though no less eccentric in its lyrics, has a much sadder …
This year’s song contest has got off to a storming start with Johnnie Ha Ha giving us our first entry. Following close behind was Steve Skinley aka moleville with March of the Invisible, a swirling melodic pop song with a moody 80s feel and ominous undertones in its lyrics. Steve lives in Stroud and wrote …
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR AUNTIE ASH Hello music fans! Aunty Ash here, and I can’t tell you how honoured I am to be invited along to review all the kids’ entries to the Stroud Song Contest 2023. It’s been an absolute pleasure to listen to all these amazing songs, and in all honesty, I’ve been completely …
Read more “Kids’ Contest! Introducing our amazing junior artists”
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR LADY MCSHANE Rainmusic, a musical collaboration of several local musicians, bring us our first song of this final batch. Steal Your Heart Away, is an uplifting love song. Musically it’s an anthemic number which brings to mind the 70s rock classic, More Than a Feeling, by Boston – which is a pretty …
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR LADY MCSHANE Step into the weird aquatic world of Terrence the Tentacled Alien who, despite his cosmic charms and all-seeing eyes, has a sad story to tell. This mysterious tune is no less strange and compelling than we’d expect from the unforgettable Gavin Pond, who regaled us in 2020 with another of …
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR CHAS DE WHALLEY Regular members of The Woolpack’s songwriting circle will certainly know who The Reveal is (or are) even if he (or they) are reluctant to …er…reveal… any more personal details about himself (or themselves). That’s enough of that joke – Ed. But who cares when we’ve got ‘In The Trees’ …
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR AUNTIE ASH Hello everybody! I’m so excited to be here to review this week’s new entries in the Stroud Song Contest. What a fabulous selection! So many moods! Something for everyone, I think! Let’s dive straight in! First up is a song called Single Mum by Sharon Baker and Mike McSweeney. The …
Read more “The music continues: five must-listen songs from Stroud’s artists”
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR CHAS DE WHALLEY Now, if you’ve been holding your breath for a headbanger, you need hold your breath no longer. Four piece Dog Of Man last graced the SSC back in 2020 during dem ol’ dark days of Covid. They mark their return with an acerbic hardcore anthem ‘Headonastick’ which will mangle …
Read more “Five more songs added to this year’s sensational selection”
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR CHAS DE WHALLEY They say that nostalgia isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But we don’t think that Mike Tripp would agree with you. We think he’d say it can be oddly therapeutic too. After narrowly missing the cut last year with a moody rocker called ‘Home’, Mike’s back again, working …
BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR CHAS DE WHALLEY Another favourite to scoop this year’s SSC honours is multi-instrumentalist Jake Shaw, who arrived here from the Forest of Dean shortly before Christmas but already professes to being blown away by just how much music there is in our valleys. Keen to enter into the spirit of things Jake …