SO, NO Glasto tickets for you then? No, me neither.

However, you’re welcome to join me as I recreate the experience in my back garden by sitting in a puddle of someone else’s droppings and inserting the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner into the back end of a tawny owl to get that Florence and a Machine effect.

Sadly, we’ll just have to make do with more local entertainment, and there’s quite a lot to be had over the coming week.

For starters, all round drum genius Sam Kelly is regular visitor round these parts and he’s back next Friday, July 3, when he plays at Evershot village hall with multi-national band Fowokan, which as any fule nose is Jamaican for: “I an’ I gonna kick back an’ roll another phat one, sure ting. Beer can roll.....”

Sam was a founder member of 70s Brit funk pioneers Cymande and he’ll be reunited with his former singer Jimmy Lindsay for a cool night of roots dub reggae out in the sticks.

Sam and Jimmy are bringing some top-notch players with them - and I’ll just sit back and listen for the clunk of your jaw hitting the floor when you hear about this - keyboards ace Paul Jobson has played with Ben E King, Joss Stone and Boney M, bass monster Spy Austin has worked with Desmond Dekker and George Clinton, guitarist Tony Qunta has spanked his plank with Odyssey and percussionist Jerome Marcus got his bongos out for Imelda May.

 

And Sam himself is no mere tub-thumper, having worked with Dr John, Chaka Khan, Robert Plant, Roger Chapman and Michelle Shocked among others. Blimey...

They’ll be playing tracks from their debut album Shadow Of Rasta and promise some reggae-style Pink Floyd, plenty of ska and a shedload of Bob Marley.

Oh, and all you avid funkateers will be keen to hear of the Cymande reunion scheduled for September this year.

Tickets are £10 on the door or in advance from 01935 891393.

Meanwhile, it’s the last DA Blues session of the current season and they’re going out with quite a big bang with Americana blues and folk wizard Brooks Williams, rated as one of the top 100 guitarists on the planet, on, rather appropriately, Saturday, July 4 at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester.

Now based in the UK, Brooks is a regular visitor to the DA Blues. In fact, he’s a regular visitor just about everywhere, having been touring the world for the last 25 years and releasing some 20 albums in the process.

That’s a huge back catalogue to select from and tickets for next Saturday’s gig are priced from £13 and available from the box office on 01305 266926.

Right, that’s it for this week, I’m off to find my way back to my tent.

Till next time...

TONIGHT (26)

Meta-Stasis, Cambion, Kinasis, Atonement, Tripwire, End of Daze, King Leviathan, Last Days of Rome (Finns, Weymouth) Day One of the Support Your Scene Fest. From 5pm.

Amy Mayes and The Change (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Paul Gibson (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Under The Carousel (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Mad Hatters (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Just John (Weymouth Working Men’s Club, Weymouth)

Georgie and Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Charlie (Park Hotel, Weymouth)

Jess Upton and the Guilty Pleasures (Spice Ship, Weymouth)

Leggomen (Royal Oak, Quayside, Weymouth)

Jam Night (The Lounge, Colwell Centre, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Southern Sinners (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Jilly Ann (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Karen (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Tripod (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Boy Le Monti (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Mojo (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

SATURDAY (27)

Attention Thieves, Artemis, Weatherstate, Core Of Io, Patchwork Native, Solent, Old Boy, Wisefool (Finns, Weymouth) Day Two of the Support Your Scene Fest. From 5pm.

Outloud festival (Various locations, Weymouth town centre) From 10.30am.

The Remedy (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Mad Hatters (Rendezvous, Weymouth)

Leggomen (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Steve Francis (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Jeffers and Jon (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Darren H and the Kopykatz (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Paul Gibson (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Brothers Grimm (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Brian Donnelly (Park Hotel, Weymouth)

Dave Bowen Jazz Band (Alton Pancras church)

Billy Solo (Star, Weymouth)

The Silhouettes (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

Under The Carousel (New Star Inn, Portland)

Gale Force (Victoria, Dorchester)

Nick Sellars (RBL Club, Portland)

Simon Gee (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Frank E Finn (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)

Inspire (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Ginger On The Rocks (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Lauren Bannon (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

SUNDAY (28)

Outloud festival (Various locations, Weymouth town centre) From 10.30am.

Danx Charity Night (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Andy Matthews (Park Hotel, Weymouth) 3pm.

Swingin’ Dave Taylor (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Jam Night (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) 8pm.

Sunday Session (Sydney Arms, Dorchester)

Dougie Cooper Quartet (Royal Exchange, Portland) 2.30pm.

The Lanterns (Durnovaria, Dorchester) 3-5pm.

Dave Bowen Quintet (Trooper, Stourton Caundle) 1-3pm.

Six-String Steve (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

MONDAY (29)

Powelly, Surfing Birds (Rendezvous, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (30)

Martin Freed (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (1)

Billy Hutchinson’s Open Mic Night (Rendezvous, Weymouth) From 8pm.

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Martin Freed (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

THURSDAY (2)

Ann and Norm (Ferrybridge, Weymouth)

Leggomen (George, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Open Mic Surgery (Tom Brown’s, High East St, Dorchester)

Steve’s Singalong (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

FRIDAY (3)

Fowakan (Village Hall, Evershot)

Speedway Snails (Finns, Weymouth)

The Riffs (Little Ship, Portland)

Tim Bassett as Elvis (Chickerell Steam Fair)

Juke Box Junkies (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Fluke (Spice Ship, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Converse (Weymouth Workies, Weymouth)

C Sharp Blues Band (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Acoustic Session (Victoria Inn, Chickerell)

The Sweetchunks Band (Ropemakers, Bridport)