LIVE music fans turned up the heat at The Hub community centre on Saturday for the Bombay Mix, a sell out gig organised by music charity B Sharp to raise funds for the Big Mix festival of music and arts in July.
It’s thought the town’s tourist information centre has never previously sold so many advance tickets for a single event in Lyme Regis as some 300 revellers packed into The Hub to see a scintillating three-band bill with headlinersPapa Le Gál playing their last local show.
The Afro-funk party band have a long association B Sharp and fittingly chose the date to bid farewell to multi-instrumentalist Will Benson who is moving abroad.
“This is a special gig for us – we played our first gig for B Sharp and now our last gig,” said guitarist Ollie Dixon. “It’s really great to know that so many musicians and bands have emerged from the work that we did together in the early days and that some great bands are putting on gigs in the area and attracting big audiences.”
Papa Le Gál were joined by disco outfit Bishco and funk fusionistas Slinky Machine, with DJ Geester on the decks.
“What a great night,” said producer-musician John Robertson from Slinky Machine. “Yet again the B Sharp crew shows us they are the backbone of a thriving Lyme Regis music scene.”
Pete Wild, who organised the Bombay Mix with band members and B Sharp volunteers added: “We knew that Big Mix and B Sharp have a massive groundswell of support from the general public, but to have a crowd turn out like this with such a high calibre of bands to support us is just brilliant.
“B Sharp would like to thank them all and looks forward to seeing them again at the next one.”
The success of the show is a clear demonstration of the long-term benefits of building a culture of live performance in Lyme Regis.
“Artists naturally want to share their passion and talents with others,” says B Sharp chief executive Fran Williams. “This event in The Hub is a really strong development for young people and the wider community and to think that the venue was nearly sold off for development five years ago makes me shudder – it’s such a great resource.”
B Sharp provides a broad, year-round programme of inspiring music opportunities, training and events for children and young people. It is supported by Youth Music, West Dorset District Council and Lyme Regis Town Council and is creating a culture of music and enterprise in the area.
The Big Mix will be held on Saturday 2 July this year and promises a full day of live music, arts and food on Theatre Square with ticket prices kept as low as possible in order to encourage mixed audiences from all over the area.
