Frome will host its first ‘Celebration Of Reggae’ weekend next month at the Cheese and Grain with legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry kicking off the celebration of 50 years of the genre.
The two-day event will begin at The Cheese and Grain on Friday 3rd March at 8pm.
The opening night will feature a special live performance from one of reggae’s undisputed pioneers, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, supported by the popular Bruton Dub Club.
The club will be providing a varied lineup of reggae/dub DJs and MCs, many of whom have performed at their regular events in Bruton and beyond. Their highlights include DJ Cornelius and MC Clapper Priest; an aftershow party is also set to take place at The Wheatsheaves at 21 Bath Street.
On Saturday 4th March from 10am to 3pm, the Cheese and Grain will host a free market including children’s crafts from Creative Caterpillars, a performance from The Frome Street Bandits, DJs from Frome Dub Club, an interactive community art project for Wateraid UK, plus a selection of stalls ranging from traditional Jamaican food through to clothing and crafts.
The closing party will see Bob Marley and The Wailers tribute, Legend, taking to the stage to perform the greatest hits of Bob Marley, supported by Troy Ellis and his Hail Jamaica reggae band, plus a live DJ performance from Frome’s very own Sam Bhok.
The event is the first of its kind in Frome, is expected to employ over 70 people, and to draw around 2,000 people to Frome over the two days.
Musical director Leander Morales said, “The event involves a collective of event organisers from Angelfish Live and SNG Live.
“We jointly hosted a show for Lee Scratch Perry back in 2015. It was an instant hit and, although the show sold out, we were unsure if Lee would return for us. On this occasion, we wanted to create something very special for reggae fans in the South West.
“Lee is 81 years old this year and to be honest, even though he has more energy than many younger bands on tour, he does perform very few shows throughout the year. It’s an honour that he should agree to return to Frome. We’re really lucky and we know that anyone attending this event will be in the presence of one of the greatest living legends in reggae.”
Weekend tickets cost £27.50; Friday tickets are £20; Saturday day is free, and Saturday night costs £13.50. To book tickets go to www.cheeseandgrain.com or call 01373 455420.
