Our latest Fringe Session, ‘Future Artists Day’ took place on 8th June 2024.
Children of all ages enjoyed getting creative with FREE Music Taster Sessions (drums, guitar and ukelele) from the Team at Music Works and spray-painting workshops with Marty Farrer-Williams from local art studio, Gallery 13. “I’m really happy to have an opportunity to take my art onto the streets of Haslemere for the first time as part of a good cause, whilst helping to give young local artists the opportunity to take part in a unique experience,” said Marty. “The whole idea of the Gallery 13 is to promote local art and help give young artists a stepping stone.”
A fabulous Saturday afternoon was enjoyed by all, and the Shottermill Club now has a fantastic Fringe outdoor mural, courtesy of the young talented artists!
Dave Marsden, Shottermill Club Chairman, said, “We really enjoy partnering with the Haslemere Fringe team and seeing families and new faces at the Shottermill Club. We know the outside of the building can be off-putting to some but unfortunately, financing for social clubs is very tight and with such an old building we’ve had to prioritise jobs like fixing the leaky roof over cosmetic work. We’d love to improve the look of the building and hope that our new Fringe mural will just be the start – watch this space!”
The ‘Haslemere Fringe Sessions’ are a series of live events, aimed to promote local emerging and original talent, and provide a preview of some of the acts that will perform at the Haslemere Fringe Festival. The venue: Shottermill Club, ideally located close to Lion Green (the site of the main Haslemere Fringe Festival), and just a 15-minute walk from Haslemere Train Station.
Performers at our Fringe Session on 13th April were:
SQUIRE
Fronted by Anthony Meynell, Squire were at the forefront of the mod revival scene in the late 70’s and went on to record and impressive five albums. With singles including ‘Walking Down The Kings Road’, ‘Get Ready To Go!’ ‘Face of Youth Today’ and ‘My Mind Goes Round In Circles’ featuring Kirsty MacColl on vocals, Squire are as danceable as they are melodic.
Relocating to California in the 80s their sound became a perfect marriage of British mod beat and California paisley pop. They returned to live performances in 1999, headlining the 20th Anniversary Mods Mayday London concert, and have continued to regularly tour the UK, Europe and USA since, most recently completing a UK tour with Secret Affair.
SOFIA GILLANI
Pop and soul singer/songwriter Sofia Gillani began her musical career at just 9 years old; starring as a lead in the musical ‘Evita’.” Taking cues from ballad icons such as Sia, Adele, and Ariana Grande, she crafted a sound of her own, culminating in the release of her first single “Ain’t A Game” in December 2020.
Her previous single ‘Water Run Dry’ was featured on BBC Introducing’s Sussex and Surrey. A true hit-maker and impressive performer, Sofia’s future is exceedingly bright.
THE BEELINES
The Beelines formed in July 2019 and are based in Surrey. With shared punk and mod songwriting influences as a starting point the band quickly found a creative common ground to develop their sound. Their songs are full of characters, big theme politics and melancholic reflections. Lyrics to make you think and hooks to stick in your head.
Here are some of the artists that have performed for the Fringe Sessions in the past…
