A joyous celebration of the most cheesiest of tuneage, the love song, the annual St Valentines Day Massacre event has been a staple on the Southsea musical landscape since 2013. The Massacre has grown in popularity since its inception, selling out original venue Edge of The Wedge so regularly that it moved to the larger confines of the Wedgewood Rooms last year (filling the venue and raising over £2000 for its chosen charity in the process).
All proceeds from the event are donated to the National Foundation of Youth Music, a national charity which invests in music-based projects, helping children & young people to develop personally, socially and musically. Monies raised will help provide musical education & equipment to children who would not otherwise receive it.
The rules of the Massacre are simple enough, all acts get 15 minutes
on stage to perform their favourite soppy tunes; they can play
whatever they like but the songs must "deal in love, lust or
heartbreak". Simple enough, yet it opens the door wide on a vast amount of surprising, interesting or just plain weird cover versions.
The line-up for this year's Massacre includes the likes of Battery Hens, Cyprian Sceptre, Glorious Bulletheads, Guilt Trippin, Halliwell, Horseflies, Hooch, Make Them All Melt (a Make Them All Smile/Melt Dunes supergroup), Waif & Stray and.. some Mystery Guests!
If the possibility of hearing a speed metal version of A Million Love Songs or a funked up I Just Call To Say I Love You is tempting (and it is to me) then you should point your feet in the direction of The Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday 16th February. Tickets for this possibly romantic shindig are priced at a very reasonable £5, plus there's a mega raffle where prizes donated by a variety of local businesses could be won, and a good time is pretty much guaranteed. Which is nice.
Despite the Creme Eggs on display in my local corner shop it is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Admittedly, after having already endured several months of adverts preaching rampant consumerism and over-indulgence, I'm not exactly in the festive spirit as yet (bah, and furthermore, humbug) but here's something that fair warms the cockles and helps melt away my inner Scrooge; the 9th Annual Christmas Covers Party.
This yearly event brings together some of the best and brightest of Pompey's alt-music scene to rock some Egg Nog, have some fun and raise money to support the valuable work of The Rowans hospice. Situated just outside of the city The Rowans aims to improve the the lives of those living with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers, both in Portsmouth and throughout South East Hampshire.
The line-up for this year features Battery Hens, Horse Flies, Hooch, Dad Hair, The SLM, Cyprian Sceptre, Glorious Bulletheads and Flybums, all of whom are no doubt all practising the three covers apiece that they'll be performing. The venue for this festive farrago is The Wedgewood Rooms, with Thursday 27th December the date for your diaries, tickets £5 in advance.
And yes, I'm really hoping that Battery Hens take on this Muppet Christmas classic. Fingers crossed.
