Playgroup Festival 2012 Programme

FREE EVENT PROGRAMMEThe Third and lasT PlaygrouP FesTival? The year oF The losT Toys

Friday 21, saTurday 22 and sunday 23 sePTember 2012

Details liable to change. Times may be bitten by wormholes.

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CONTENTS1. Welcome (p. 3)

2. FRIDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 4-6)

3. A-Z of Friday’s musicians and DJs (p. 7-17)

4. SATURDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 18-21)

5. A-Z of Saturday’s musicians and DJs (p. 22-36)

6. SUNDAY’S MUSIC timetable (p. 37-40)

7. A-Z of Sunday’s musicians and DJS (p. 41- 51)

8. Arts and Walkabout (p. 52-57)

9. Cabaret and Performance (p. 58-65)

10. Kids and Healing (p. 66- 72)

11. Food & Drink (p. 72-73)

12. The Location (p. 74-75)

13. Our Roots (p. 76-77)

14. Thanks (p. 81-84)

15. Map (p. 85)

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WELCOMEHello and welcome to Playgroup Festival 2012.

Small is beautiful. That’s the feeling we’ve always aimed to generate with

Playgroup Festival. Local, honest and DIY – but with enough awareness

and input from the global arts and music festival scene to give you a

phenomenal weekend.

It can be relaxing if you wish – you can lounge in the shade of ancient

oaks, in a beautiful corner of the oldest deer park in England, nourish

yourself on some healthy high quality food, and receive a massage from

some of the region’s best therapist, never too far from your friends

and family. Or it can be the best and wildest party of your year! With

live music and great records everywhere, your soundtrack is assured,

handpicked and diverse – showcasing the best from our region, with

some special guests from further afield. And then there are games, films,

magic, cabaret, poetry, psychedelic kidnaps and many other personal

experiences for you to discover in our little field. Read on for pages and

pages of things to see and do this weekend!

We hope that you will find it as we want it to be: fun, humble, inclusive

and a true weekend escape from the often-grinding routine of weekly

life. And appreciate its most unique fact: Playgroup Festival this year is

handmade by 1,500 people from the Brighton area, for just 1,500 very

special guests – including you.

Unfortunately, this year’s British “summer” destroyed our best-laid plans

to hold this event 7 weekends ago – and being small and humble can also

mean being weak and fragile when adversity strikes. The third Playgroup

Festival is going to be fantastic, but it may also have to be the very last,

because this year’s postponement has made your party a financial vortex

for the volunteer organisers. If you like what we do, we’re going to need

every one of you to help us save it for the future. And there’s a note about

how to do that at the end of this programme – please take time to read it.

Now – LOST TOYS ASSEMBLE! Robots, dolls, monsters under the bed, cowboys and Indians, teddy bears, toy soldiers, dinosaurs and other oddities – let’s have the best fest in the West!

So much heartfelt love,

Playgroup xxx

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FRIDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE

12:00 Soul Casserole

15:30 Amity

16:20 DJ Cous Cous

17:00 The Moulettes

17:40 DJ Cous Cous

18:15 Dizraeli and the Small Gods

19:00 DJ Cous Cous

19:20 Los Albertos

20:10 DJ Cous Cous

20:30 Lazy Habits

21:15 DJ Cous Cous

22:00 Alice Russell

23:00 Close

THE TOY BOX - THE DANCE TENT

14:00 Afternoon with Fish Fry DJs

17:00 Sam Hextall DJ

17:45 Anneka

18:30 Sam Hextall DJ

19:10 GAGGLE

19:55 Prince Fatty DJ

21:10 High Rankin (Live)

22:05 Herbaliser DJ

23:30 Reso

01:00 Silent Disco

05:00 Close

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THE TREASURE CHEST - THE MOROCCAN STAGE

14:00 Stay Sick

16:20 Nimmo & The Gauntlets

17:00 Stay Sick

17:30 Man Ray Sky

18:15 Stay Sick

19:00 Kovak

19:45 Stay Sick

20:15 Transformer

21:00 Stay Sick

21:30 Yes Sir Boss

02:00 Close

LIZARD STAGE

18:00 Zephyr Sounds

19:00 Samuel J

19:40 Milly Blue

20:30 James & The Peach

21:15 Orchestra Elastique

22:00 The Moulettes

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FULL CIRCLE STAGE

16:00 Zora and the Tatsmiths

18:00 XN TricK

19:15 Elijah MC

20:15 Chainska Brassika

21:45 The Meow Meows

00:00 Ollie Friend

BEATABET STAGE

16:00 Champion Fever

17:30 Speak Galactic

19:00 P For Persia

20:30 Spacenoid

22:00 AK/DK

22:25 Close

CABINET OF CURIOSITY - CABARET TENT

13:00 Robot Costume Workshop

13:00 Toying With Science

15:00 Robot Relays

17:00 Toys Aaaaargh Us - Toy Hacking Workshop

17:00 Rumination & Digestion

20:00 Art Macabre

22.30 Magic Show

23:00 The Vogue Gyratory

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A-Z OF FRIDAY’S MUSICAK/DK Two drum kits at war.

Having two drummers in a band is

always interesting, but Playgroup

regulars, AK/DK (Ed Chivers and

G Sowerby) take it even further;

playing a sprawling mass of

analogue and digital keyboards,

synths and effects… all at the same

time!

ALICE RUSSELLThe soulful sound of Detroit blues…

One listen to Alice Russell’s voice will send shivers down your spine

and leave goose bumps on your neck. With a style that ranges from

blues and soul to gospel to jazz and beyond, she is fast winning her

audiences around the world. Be prepared to be blown away.

AMITYOne woman acoustic pop with pure

heart…

Unlike many acoustic style

performers, Amity combines vocals

with a guitar, a snare drum, a

sampler and whatever else is lying

around to create music that makes

you want to know everything

about her. Her unbashful lyrics

and exciting compositions would

make any female acoustic artist

jealous. Stunningly creative and a joy

to behold.

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ANNEKAHypnotic multi-instrumentalist.

Anneka is a

vocalist/multi-

instrumentalist

and visual artist

who brings

together live

sets of vocals,

drum pads,

keyboard,

percussion

and a laptop.

Collaborating

with the likes of

Falty DL, Lone,

Starkey, Ital Tek and

Vex’d, Anneka is the

unquestionable queen of

experimental electronica.

Be prepared for music that

drips with atmosphere.

CHAINSKA BRASSIKAHorns at the ready.

Lead by singer Ash Davis, ChainSka Brassika (formally known as

The Real Bad Habits) are a 9 piece band from South East London.

Including the explosive Brassika horn section, the band have

supported acts such as Mad Professor, East Park Reggae Collective,

Yes Sir Boss and Slamboree!

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CHAMPION FEVERA one-man electronica explosion.

Champion Fever is the alias of multi-instrumentalist Steve Baker.

With an arsenal of instruments including laptop, guitar, FX pedals,

synths, drum machines, kaoss pad, sampler and the occasional

melodica, expect a dynamite blend of electronica, krautrock, disco

funk and electro-funk.

DIZRAELI AND THE SMALL GODSA melodic and unashamedly heartfelt reinvention of hip hop.

Featuring Brighton’s very own Dizraeli,

World Female Beatbox Champion Bellatrix

and a supernaturally gifted 7-piece band,

you couldn’t imagine a more talented

bundle of people than the Small Gods.

Fusing harmonies, turntablism, heavy beats

and delicate instrumentation, Dizraeli and

the Small Gods make hiphop and folk shanties

collide in ways you wouldn’t think possible.

DJ COUS COUSGlobal beats to make you swing and skank.

DJ Cous Cous will transport you back in time and into the future

with a blend of raw, funk filled basslines and roots music from

across the planet. With residencies at London’s Lockside Lounge,

Mango Landin’, Hootanany and Coco Bamboo, Cous Cous is the

master of rude electro beats and breaks!

ELIJAH MCDubwise tracks from a vocal master…

Elijah MC is a unique talent creating music from live vocal loop

samples and building his tracks from the ground up. With gorgeous

vocals and reggae-chat, he layers beats, basslines and backing

harmonies with masterful skill.

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FISH FRY DJSCalypso, ska and rockin’ blues from one of Brighton’s best club nights.

David Walker is the king of the Fish Fry, and his record collection is

sizzling.

GAGGLE22 piece all-girl electro pop extravaganza.

Featuring fresh all-girl vocals and punchy beats, Gaggle’s unlikely

pairing of electro and a choral ensemble is a startlingly good

success. Formed as a response to boring man bands and bad

burlesque, Gaggle takes everything you thought about girl groups

and turns this completely on its head.

HIGH RANKINChappy Dubstep – LIVE.

Dubstep dandy and original

Brighton bounder, High

Rankin, is the scene’s most

eccentric artist. Performing

with his full live set-up,

including vocalist Tigerlight,

his music brims with

character and bass. Now

relocated to Berlin, he’s flown

in to The Toy Box ready for a

dancefloor riot.

HERBALISERDJ Set from Jake Wherry.

It’s not every day that you come across a duo like Jake Wherry and

Ollie Teeba, and rarer still that you have a chance to enjoy a DJ

set from one half of the duo who have revolutionised homegrown

hip-hop. This weekend, get ready for the crème-de-la-crème of

Ninja tunes, in what is sure to be one of our favourite DJ sets of the

summer!

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JAMES & THE PEACHThe summer sound of all things retro…

From The Beatles’ Abbey Road, through to New York’s original

folk scene, James and the Peach suck up an array of 60s and 70s

sounds, to sonically spit them out with a modern twist.

KOVAKBringing the ‘band’ back into pop.

Touted as “the UK’s answer

to the Scissor Sisters”

(STAR Magazine), Kovak

recently became the second

ever unsigned act to be

playlisted by BBC Radio 2.

With their catchy first single

“Killer Boots” kick-starting

their year, this band are sure to

get you shaking your stuff.

LAZY HABITS8 piece live band of beats, rhymes and brass.

Inspired by New Orleans jazz, soul, hip hop and big bands of the

50’s, Lazy Habits’ eclectic sound packs a lasting and unforgettable

punch. After embarking on a 25 date tour, their jaunty mix of ska,

hip hop and New Orleans funk is not only top notch, but selling out

venues across the country – lazy, these guys ain’t!

LOS ALBERTOSBrighton ska-punk legends.

Creating a frenzy upon the dance floors and grassy fields of Europe

since 2002, their inimitable foot-stompin, brass-blaring high energy

blend of ska, punk, funk, dub and original beats is dancing music,

Jim, but not as we know it. Playgroup Festival is set to be Los

Albertos’ last EVER gig - don’t miss this for the world!

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MAN RAY SKYChaotic blissed-out indie pop at its finest.

‘Beautiful chaos’ is a term that could be used to describe the

concept behind Man Ray Sky’s music. It’s one the band embraces

for its simplicity, and combined with their tried, tested and natural

writing formula, this band produce cataclysmic melodies merged

with improvised noise pieces.

MEOW MEOWSSka ‘n’ Roll from the Brighton supergroup.

Featuring a fresh and happy muddle of sixties garage and dirty

pop, the Meow Meows combine a belly-rumbling rocksteady

rhythm with blistering hot horns and heart-thumping keyboards.

Topped off by two all-dancing, all-harmonising female singers, the

Meow Meows are armed with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a stage

presence that is nothing short of killer.

MILLY BLUEA big voice accompanied by a small instrument…

Milly Blue’s music is written on ukulele, featuring tuneful tales of

museum curators, horrifying monsters and travelling heroes and

painted pictures of love and loss. Rooms fall silent as she sings and

tiny pins have been heard to drop from the sudden-still hands of

those entranced by the soulful timbre of her sound.

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NIMMO & THE GAUNTLETSUpfront Intelligent indie pop.

Mentored by the brilliant Emmy

the Great, Nimmo and the

Gauntlets, from North West

London, are Sarah Nimmo,

Reva Gauntlet, Joshua Faull

and Hannah Rose. They

share a diverse range of

influences ranging from

The Strokes and Arcade

Fire to the Shangri Las and

Fleetwood Mac. Invoking the

spirit of early punk and new-

wave, these guys maintain the heart

of modern London indie.

OLLIE FRIENDGuitar mastery at its finest…

“When someone like Ollie Friend comes along, we sit up and take

notice. He lays the instrument across his lap and hits the body

and the strings to create a completely unique and original sound.”

(Brighton Source) Prepare yourself for something incredibly

special.

P FOR PERSIAThree-piece electronic rock group from Brighton…

Whisking up bits of Cornelius, Holy Fuck, Flying Lotus, Sonic Youth,

Devo, Boredoms and Battles into their style, P for Persia provide

the party with a short blast of amazing and an alarming mix of

Rock and Chiptune. Dan McNally’s stage dancing antics have won

the band a loyal local following. Come see why. Quick!

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PRINCE FATTY DJLegendary Roots and Reggae DJ.

The Prince Fatty sound

is designed to Dub your

feet with Rock Steady

beats and stimulate

brain waves in a jazz-

like way. Delivered

in an up-beat,

positive and organic

funk fashion, expect

an analogue haze of

vintage spring reverbs,

tape echoes and custom hi-

grade mixing console. Prince

Fatty won’t disappoint the

lovers of the early 70s sound!

SAMUEL JMusic to bring people together…

Samuel J and his projects never stop evolving. Playing keys,

guitar and drums, he also produces his own records and writes

the material with his sister Jodie Tellam. Their earthy music has

travelled the world with them, with melodies and beats inspired

by the belief that Music has the power to bring together a divided

world.

SOUL CASSEROLE DJSIt’s difficult to tell who enjoys it more: the crowd or the DJs.

The Soul Casserole DJs have a bit of a reputation for making DJing

look like it’s one big lark. One thing’s for sure - all three DJs are

passionate about the music they play. A spicy melange of Stax,

Trojan, Motown, Blue Note, Zodiac, Chess and Loma Records and

an unpretentious variety ranging from Reggae and Ragga to Blues

and Hip hop.

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SPACENOIDBring out the tin foil hats.

The name says it all, bizarre soundscapes and glitch electric noise.

Woo-ha spacenoid!

SPEAK GALACTICAmbient noise-pop; lush electronics…

Compared to the likes of Atlas Sound and Animal Collective, Speak

Galactic can fit any number of genres with dreamy elements of

post-rock, pop and indie held together with pounding electronics

and gently synthesised overlay.

STAY SICKSleazy rock’n’roll from a Brighton institution.

Established in 2008, Stay Sick continue to spin the best dancing

music from surf to 60s, oddball R&B to filthy rock’n’roll and garage

to punk, 7inches at a time. These Cramps obsessed guys have

put on such greats as Billy Childish, Kid Congo from the Cramps,

Monotonix, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster and Thee Oh Sees.

THE MOULETTESTwisting theatrical folk that may just be most beautiful music you’ve ever heard.

The Moulettes’ entrancing

combination of strings and the

celestial; wind and weirdness;

rhythm and murder has lead

to comparisons with the

Unthanks, Tom Waits and

Shostakovitch. “Delicious

music…played with acoustic

virtuosity” (MOJO)

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TRANSFORMERDapper disco mavericks.

The only British band capable of turning any venue they play into a

dream version of The Danceteria in 1979.

“Transformer aren’t just one of the best dance bands in Brighton,

they are one of the best in the country, filtering post-punk New

York quirkiness through the sons-of-Daft Punk french electro

scene.” (James Kendall, Brighton Source)

YES SIR BOSSDub and eclectic horn-a-thon.

Presenting a truly original, distinct and indefinable sound, created

from a multitude of worldly musical and cultural influences, Yes Sir

Boss’ heavy blend of horn led hooks, offbeat rhythms and epic riffs

provide the perfect backing for the memorable and catchy lyrics

invariably brought to life by seductive and husky vocals from front

man Matt Sellors.

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ZEPHYR SOUNDSAn immersive dream-pop experience…

Zephyr Sounds is the solo project of London based musician/

producer Callum Brown. Using his time at college to experiment

with recording, Brown developed Zephyr Sounds as a dwelling

for elements of trip-hop, psychedelia and alt rock. Prepare to be

amazed.

ZORA AND THE TATSMITHSFolk-roots sensations.

The Tatsmiths burst onto the Brighton music scene in spring 2009,

quickly gaining a reputation for fresh, punky, folk-pop sounds and

a penchant for raw, outspoken and often funny lyrics. Fronted by

Zora’s powerful, gritty and soulful vocals, they continue to leave

revellers with a lingering earworm across the south-east.

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SATURDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE

12:00 Malaka

13:20 The Dirty Divine

14:00 Malaka

14:30 Samsara

15:20 Malaka

15:30 Barulho Parade

16:00 Malaka

16:20 Carnival Collective

17:10 Malaka

17:40 The Drop

18:30 Electric Playboys

18:35 Reeps One


19:35 Boy Com


20:40 King Porter Stomp


22:00 Kalakuta Millionaires

23:00 Close

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15:00 Za Zu


16:20 Phoria


17:40 Astro Physics

18:30 I Am Fya

19:00 Running numbers

19:40 Convex Collective

20:30 CODA

21:20 Atomic Drop

22:20 Qemists

23:20 Blah Blah Blah

02:00 Silent Disco

04:00 Close


12:00 Beautiful Word

12:40 James Kendall

13:10 Us Baby Bear Bones

14:00 James Kendall

14:30 Bad For Lazarus

15:15 Stay Sick

16:00 Sweet Sweet Lies

16:45 Stay Sick

17:15 King Lagoon’s Flying Swordfish Band

18:00 Stay Sick

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18:20 Perhaps Contraption

19:00 DJ Format

21:00 June Deer

21:40 Barulho

22:10 AKDK

02:00 Close

LIZARD STAGE

13:00 Shambolica

14:30 Lori Campbell

15:30 Muel

16:15 DJ Phil Oddsox

17:00 Poppy Perezz

18:00 Shona Foster

19:00 Bam Bam Drum Band

19:40 The Din

20:30 DJ Amid

21:00 A&T

22:15 Natema

FULL CIRCLE STAGE

12:00 Monticulo Clown Show

13:00 Cate Ferris

14:30 Harrison Brothers

16:00 Edd Keene

17:30 Kings Mews

19:00 Kotchin and the King’s Evil

20:15 James Riley

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21:45 Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags

00:00 Nathan Bellringer

01:00 Chicken Shed Zeppelin

BEATABET

12:00 Sam Berkson / Chris Polymath

13:00 Cate Ferris

14:30 Scalar Fields

16:00 Cinemascopes

17:30 Halo Halo

19:00 Burnt Toast

20:30 DA-10

22:00 Throb Heart

22:45 Close


11:00 Art Macabre

14:00 Experimental Food 101

17:00 Amanda’s Autopsies

21:00 Cabaret! Cabaret!

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A-Z OF SATURDAY’S MUSICA&T A hip hop, funk and rock explosion.

Combining the influences of John Legend and Stevie Wonder with

bands like Rage Against The Machine, A&T have mashed up the

sounds of jazz with funky rock and hip hop to create an explosion

of sound worth waiting for!

I AM FYA She’s all about tunes – made with love.

The queen of bass, beats and bars – get ready to shake your batty!

ASTRO PHYSICS Funky basslines and head nodding beats.

Astro Physics exploded onto

the Brighton scene in 2008

and have since been tearing

up stages far and wide. With

a sound compared to Jurassic

5, The Roots and N.E.R.D,

they carry their tunes off with

soulful vocals and a distinctively

British twist.

BAD FOR LAZARUS The sound of motown hell.

A muddle of guitars and vocals strew through a groovy psychedelic

wall of delicate, beastly drums and funkadelic keys. Bad for Lazarus

are a force of sonic nature, relying on nothing but five hip shaking

bodies to raise minds to the ground.

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BAM BAM DRUM BAND Electrifying live shows with a samba edge.

Bam Bam Drum Band are a live mobile troupe, mixing up heavy

grooves, flamboyant dance and carnival style performance.

Bam Bam’s drummers and dancers will take you on a rhythmical

journey around the world in an energetic, high impact audio visual

spectacle. Ka-bam!

BARULHO30 piece samba orchestra.

A group of party loving Brightonians that got together 10 years

ago with the dream of creating an authentic samba orchestra –

and boy, did they succeed! They’ll be entertaining you on the main

stage as well as parading through our campsite on a regular basis,

bringing a bit of Brazilian sunshine wherever they go with amazing

costumes and huge smiles all round!

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BEAUTIFUL WORD Blissed out folk pop.

The Beautiful Word are an experimental folk-pop 5 piece, the music

revolving around the joint lead vocal of songwriters Emily and

Megan. The music they create is sweet, melodic and fragile, but

with the introduction of a rhythm section the sound has grown up

in many ways. New material teams joyous and raucous aggression

with sweet and personal vocals, combining the purity and humanity

of British folk with a more powerful sound.

SAM BERKSON / CHRIS POLYMATH Quircky poetry from cutting-edge wordsmiths

Sam Berkson has been performing round the UK and abroad

since 2005, and revels in reworking the stuff of experience into

poetry for the future. He is a Brighton Festival Slam Champion and

Liverpool Capital of Culture Slam Champion.

Chris Polymath is like a modern day Philip Larkin – but with more

humour and bigger sideburns. The polymath poet has already

established a cult following in Brighton, and his quirky poetry has

become a trademark of his unique performances.

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BLAH BLAH BLAH Brighton’s electro and future bass music heroes.

With a legion of loyal followers across the UK, this group of fine

young DJ’s have been consistently delivering the past, present and

future of dance music for the last five years – their residency at

Brighton club, Digital, is stuff of legends, as well as their constantly

surprising record label.

BOY COMSummer time Hip Hop and kick ass party tunes.

It’s 7 piece Kick-Ass-Party-Hip-Hop all the way, and their aim is to

make you groove till the end of the night – even after you’ve left

the tent! BOYCOM are like the coolest house party you’ve ever

been to: plenty of booze, beautiful girls and of course, the ideal

soundtrack! You’ll love them!

BURNT TOAST A spoken-word quest for answers…

Burnt Toast eloquently fuses the lethal observational skills of a

Raymond Chandler detective with the subtleties and unsurpassed

surgical spirits of a Martin Hannett production circa Joy Division

and Section 25. The result is an infectious cocktail of American

paranoia, Canadian objectivity and a very English obsession of

introspection.

CARNIVAL COLLECTIVE35 piece drum’n’bass samba orchestra.

One of Brighton’s gems, it’s impossible not to love them – the raw

energy amassed by 35 of the city’s best performers combined into

a musical tour de force of brass, drums and bass! Fusing samba

music with up up to date dubstep and drum ’n’ bass they smash

through genres like The Hulk and all the while doing it with an on

stage gusto that will make you smile from ear to ear while your hips

do the talking!

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CATE FERRIS Otherworldly multi instrumentalist beauty.

A multi-layered musical voyage

through tales of joy, passion and regret,

delivered with haunting, ‘goose bumps

on the neck’ vocals. Cate Ferris is a multi

instrumentalist who has learned how to

play the guitar while trekking through the

Middle East and mastering Indian flute while in

Jaipur - you might just fall hopelessly in love with

her stunning voice and warm, generous stage craft.

CHICKEN SHED ZEPPELIN Old-time fiddle-thrashing, yeeharhollerin’ breakneck speed acoustic dance music.

Chicken Shed Zeppelin play with attitude to get you on your feet

in a hurry and shakin’ your old-time booty with a VENGEANCE!

“A three-piece force of nature, attacking original material and

standards alike...wielding their instruments as if their lives depended

on it.”

CINEMASCOPES Vibrant psychedelics and laid back slacker jams…

Purveyors of kraut rhythmed, pedal ridden, panic stricken jams.

Imagine Thurston Moore milking Neu’s collective udder and

beckoning Holy Fuck forward to drink...

CODA Live Dubstep performed by this wunderband.

Check out this totally live 5-piece dubstep London based crew

of forward thinking live musicians – with live instruments used to

create the wobbly bass lines we know and love, their sets fuse

together the raw energy of a traditional band performance with the

flow, excitement and hype of a DJ set. A must see!

27

CONVEX COLLECTIVE Expanding electronic music to new realms…

Convex Collective is a collective born from the South England,

bringing together a whole host of young Producers/Composers/

DJs/Promoters/Artists. With the intention of coming together to

appropriate new technologies and performance, this will be a show

that’s sure to push boundaries.

DA-10 A whole new aural dimension.

Made up of MPC master 10-David and synth genius Danalogue,

DA-10 take their name from a mythological piece of hardware

with the power to fuse bouncing beats with powerful electronics.

Constructed entirely on an AKAI MPC 1000 and Roland Juno 6 and

SH-09 synths, this 100% hardware made music will pull you into

another dimension!

DJ FORMAT Playing the best of his vinyl!

He is one of the greatest

producers and DJs of

high quality funk and

soul-inspired hip-hop

on the whole planet.

Starting a new

monthly night with

us at The Blind Tiger

Club on 7 October –

‘DJ Format’s Weird &

Wonderful Sundays’

– expect a less than

traditional Format set

at Playgroup, and more

of a preview of the future,

through a rustle through the

past.

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DUNCAN DISORDERLY AND THE SCALLYWAGS Goodtimes music to be shared by all.

Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags do what they love and love

what they do. Playing a mix of Latin Grooves, Hip Hop, Rumba,

Swing and Jazz, they’ve played all over Europe to amazing crowds

across the continent and now they land at Playgroup Festival. Yay!

EDD KEENE A magical loop pedal bonanza.

Edd Keene is a singer/songwriter who uses a loop pedal to layer

together saxophone, flute, guitar, bass, percussion and vocals – live!

This man must be seen to be believed.

ELECTRIC PLAYBOYS Pure party filth.

Dirt Bomb, Headfuzz, Granted, Phat Pants and Moai are a handful

of lads who love putting on a party for the masses at any given

chance in any given venue… and anyone who’s seen them before

will know just how well they do this!

HALO HALO A multi-coloured pudding.

This London trio of indie pop goodness injects Playgroup with

some cool brownie points, mixing world music vibes with vocals a

la Warpaint and overall dancey tunes.

HARRISON BROTHERS Down dirty grit.

Spawned in a Kings Cross basement, the Harrison Brothers are

made of sweet harmony, tight pickin’ and down dirty grit. Expect

country, bluegrass and folk music on guitar, banjo and bass – all

washed down with a big slug of three part harmony.

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JAMES KENDALL DJ Extraordinaire.

Co-owner and editor of Source Magazine and DJ in his own right

James Kendall ’s been a music journalist since 1992 and spent over

a decade travelling the globe covering dance music for DJmag,

picking up a rather good ear for music along the way.

JAMES RILEY Ethereal ballads of love and life.

Accompanied by a full live 8 piece band, James Riley is a

troubadour of the breed many thought no longer exist. A ‘fiendishly

proficient’ guitarist, singer, and a roadrunner to match, James

chronicles the story of his experiences through clamorous, jubilant

bluegrass ‘n’ soul and exquisitely spun yarns.

JUNE DEERPsychedelic disco drone core.

June Deer are a dirty dance music experiment from ex-members of

The Mutts and Waxed Apple. Described as psychedelic disco drone

core, you’re in for something special!

KALAKUTA MILLIONAIRES12 piece Afro-Funk Juggernaut.

This Brighton-based Afro-Latin-Funk

project has already taken the UK

festival scene by storm with their

dirty mix of Fela Kuti-inspired brass

lines, Latin percussion section,

afro-psych organ and James Brown

style funk riffs. Fusing tunes from

the heart of 70’s Nigeria to the

carnivals of Cuba, the back streets of

Brazil and beyond, expect blistering

brass, stunning harmonies and an

explosive rhythm section!

30

KING LAGOON’S FLYING SWORDFISH BAND A totally tropical attack on the senses.

We first witnessed this insane band just under a year ago when

they played our venue in Brighton – we were blown away, they

had a ‘smell technician’ who created scents while the band played

and they’re excellent mix of Afro-beat and Brazilian funk, was

accompanied by a giant 4 metre puppet with glowing eyes! You

have to see them – they’re brilliant!

KING PORTER STOMPHeavy 8 piece ska-dub-funk genius.

King Porter Stomp bring together their own blend of ska-funk-

dub and afrobeat and top it all off with a coating of well-crafted

conscious rhymes. With massive horn lines, heavy bass and intricate

guitar work, they have pulled on heart strings and won over the

dancing feet of crowds across the UK and Ireland.

31

KINGS MEWS Musical food for the soul…

Brighton seven-piece with an infectious feel good energy and an

appreciation for an often neglected genre: funky, sexy, splendid,

soulful jazz.

KOTCHIN AND THE KING’S EVILLaid-back festival vibes…

Formed in early 2011, Kotchin and The King’s Evil soon started off with

regular local gigs before bringing the noise at Smugglers Festival in

summer 2011.This year, we are proud to welcome them to Playgroup!

LORI CAMPBELL Soulful folk and storytelling…

Steeped in adventure and heartbreak, Lori’s songs speak about

the countryside, family, home, relationships and pigeons. With an

infectious and sometimes comical optimism, she deals with the

stuff that feelings are made of, with ukulele in hand, and a smile

that’s never far away.

MUEL A show not to be missed.

Percussionist Sam Walker and his trio of misfits have been staging

a takeover of The Lizard Stage over the last few seasons. With

their various guises of Boogie Woogie Troop, expect songs infused

with raw grooves and dirty energy, heavy standup percussion and

rowdy, melodic vocals.

NATEMA Hot and spicy grooves.

N A T E M A is a brazilian music project that brings an original

fusion of progressive house with Brazilian afro grooves using high

technology and exotic instruments to create warm performance

both live and as DJs.

32

PERHAPS CONTRAPTION The portable roving pop band.

You may remember them from Playgroup 2011 when they

entertained the site for 3 days with their mutant Victorian pram

drum kit! Expect more of the same, with this ever-evolving, genre-

bridging musical performance collective.

PHORIA Epic post-rock in the vein of Sigur Rós.

Phoria combine lush instrumentation, innovative structures

and heartfelt climaxes to deliver an intense and often uplifting

experience. They have supported like likes of Anchorsong and

were recently voted Brighton’s 7th best band of all time by XYZ

magazine.

POPPY PEREZZ Pinball electro.

This four piece, hailing from Mexico, Trinidad and England now

reside in the suitably cosmopolitan city of Bristol. Making feel-good,

sunshine-happy music for cool and groovy summer nights, Poppy

Perezz is an exotic trip through Highlife-style guitar licks, Mariachi

band trumpets, soaring flute solos and video game bleeps. You get

the general idea.

33

QEMISTS Ninja Tune act at the forefront of Drum and Bass.

Between the three

of them, Qemists

have worked in

every musical

capacity available,

From remixers of

Coldcut, Cooper

Temple Clause,

Dr Octagon and

Roots Manuva to live

sound engineering for

Basement Jaxx, Kano and

Lady Sovereign. For skills

like these, you’ll have to see it

to believe it.

REEPS ONE One man beatboxing extraordinaire.

Recognized as one of the most powerful beat-boxers on the

globe with a level of technique surpassed by none, this two times

UK beatbox champion has spearheaded the scene with bass

frequencies never to have emerged from a human mouth before.

Don’t miss him.

ATOMIC DROP LIVELow Down Dirty Electro Filth.

Atomic Drop is James Anthony and Ken Barrett. Sonically sculpting

deep, rolling and filthy Electro House, Atomic Drop fuses all the

best elements of dance music to create a next level electronic

music experience accessible to dance floors the world over.

34

RUNNING NUMBERSHip Hop and electronica treat.

Running Numbers combine live musical elements and computer

based production to create huge, energetic sounds. Mixing hip-hop

with a whole array of genres, all it takes is a hearty helping of bass

to get the crowd bouncing.

SAMSARAHeartfelt reggae twinged with folk…

As “one of the South’s most

exciting reggae acts”, Brighton-

based collective Samsara create

an open minded and fresh

take on the roots tradition.

Paying tribute to the original

innovators of the sound, they

push their ska and reggae

influences to the edge with the

kind of abandon beloved of jazz

musicians.

SCALAR FIELDS Energetic alt rock.

Scalar Fields play alternative rock music with a whole lot of synths

thrown in for good measure. Their amazing live show is guaranteed

to be a spectacle wherever they take the stage – we’re glad that

this weekend, it’s at Playgroup!

SHONA FOSTER A soundtrack for the daydreams and imaginary…

Shona Foster brings songs to life that characterise her unique

musical direction. We could talk of haunting melodies and

enchanting rhythms or about how an Ella Fitzgerald/Tom Waits/

Tim Burton collaboration might sound – but that still wouldn’t even

be close.

35

SWEET SWEET LIES Harmonies, sweetness and an honest perspective…

Sweet Sweet Lies present a world ringed by the high drama of

Scott Walker, the theatrics of Bertolt Brecht, the heart baring

honesty of Elliot Smith and the intensity of Nick Cave. With their

debut album bringing together swing with mariachi horns, weaving

basslines, flamenco flourishes and sorrow drenched waltzes, this is

an experience not to be missed.

THE DIRTY DIVINEInfectious pop music with a Gypsy Twist.

Infectious pop music, created in style. The Dirty Divine create

beautiful harmonies, epic arrangements, big beats and catchy

songs, and draw influences from a selection as broad as Queen,

Outkast, The Beatles and the Puppini Sisters.

36

THE DROPA 9-piece roots-rock-reggae outfit explosion.

The Drop continue to play a significant role in the modern British

movement of new-wave reggae, with meticulous arrangements

that leave plenty of air for the booming dub bass to vibrate.

US BABY BEAR BONES A world to sink your teeth into…

The world of Us Baby Bear Bones is detailed, demure, rough and

rude, sugarless yet sweet and with big, big beats. The curious three

piece was born as a result of restrictions, steering the inseparable

trio in the liberating direction of multi-instrumentalism.

ZA/ZU Groove-based dance music that will get you moving.

Za/Zu are a Brighton-based electro disco band formed by singer

Abi Flynn. The music fuses groove-based underground disco

with electro sounds, creating live, punchy dance music, with

performance featuring video projections and crazy dance moves

for an energetic set!

37

SUNDAYTHE PLAYPEN - THE MAIN STAGE

12:00 Jabbawocky Hi Fi

12:45 John Crampton

13:30 Jabbawocky Hi Fi

14:20 Allison and the Earthquakes

15:10 Bust the Box

16:00 Duncan Disorderly & The Scallywags

16:50 Roots Garden

17:20 Resonators

18:20 Roots Garden

18:40 The Skints

19:30 Bust the Box

20:15 Hidden Orchestra

21:30 Close


12:00 Donky Pitch

14:00 Bibliotech

14:40 Breakin Bear

15:40 The Atlantiks

16:40 Ross Flight

17:20 Wild Knights

18:20 DJ Yoda

19:40 Zen Death Squad

20:40 Anchorsong

21:30 Close

38


12:00 Black Fields

12:40 Stay Sick

13:30 Emma Divine

14:00 Stay Sick

15:00 Cate Ferris

15:45 Stay Sick

16:00 Buffo’s Wake

16:45 Hot-Tip Hi-Fi

17:00 The Sly Tones

17:45 Hot Tip Hi Fi

18:00 James Riley

18:50 Hot Tip Hi Fi

19:30 Dr. Bluegrass and the Illbilly 8

20:20 Hot Tip Hi Fi

20:40 The Peppermint Beat Band

LIZARD STAGE

13:00 Ma Polaine

13:30 Cake and Ale

15:00 James Riley

17:00 Morski

17:50 Djanan Turan

19:15 The Harrison Brothers

20:30 The Turbans

39

FULL CIRCLE

12:00 Lori Campbell

13:00 The Flamenco Thief

14:00 Dr Bluegrass and the Illbilly 8

15:15 Music of My Mind Gameshow

16:15 Afrobilly Jones

17:30 Duppy Umbrella

18:45 Vibe Machine

20:15 BOY COM

21:15 Close

BEATABET STAGE

12:00 Sam Berkson / Chris Polymath

12:30 Officer 82

14:00 Tiger Cub

15:30 Vaccination

17:00 Faye Houston

18:30 Bunty

20:00 East Brighton Rhythm Section

21:25 Close

40


11:00 incrEDIBLE poetry

13:00 Magic show

13:30 Rosie Wilby

14:00 Toying with Science

16:00 Laughing Experience

18:30 Eartinglers

20:30 Professor Elemental

41

A-Z OF SUNDAY’S MUSICAFROBILLY JONESJazz-influenced loop-pedal grooves…

Afrobilly Jones’s layered music journeys through the deep south

and 40s gospel to afro-latin folk, congo-rumba and oldtime

mountain music.

ALISON AND THE EARTHQUAKES Live Motown and Northern Soul.

Playing some of the biggest and best tunes that changed the

face of dance music in discos around the world, this energetic

music incorporates a mix of sweet soul vocals with gospel style

harmonies, heavy beats and fast tempos which made the all-night

clubs and dance floors of the mid 1960s some of the coolest places

to be.

ANCHORSONGTokyo electronica from Tru Thoughts records.

Originally from Tokyo,

Anchorsong – aka Masaaki

Yoshida – has become globally

recognised for his unique

live shows, which many

people have described as

“like watching a painter

drawing on a white canvas”.

He creates electronic

music completely live using

a sampler (MPC2500), a

keyboard, and live string quartet,

for a truly spellbinding show.

42

ATLANTIKS Rawkus electro with a full live AV show.

Two of the most hardworking producers in the city, The Atlantiks

(BOY COM and Eagles for Hands) play a mix of swing, hip hop and

downright dirty party music with a handcrafted audio/visual show

that takes the best in ‘pop’ culture and smashes it to pieces.

BIBLIOTECH Minimal beats from this London producer

Bibliotech is a producer, DJ, musician and promoter based in

London. A lover of many styles, Bibliotech does what he does best

making minimal techno, tech-house and electronica.

BLACK FIELDS Storytelling blues and Gypsy Folk.

The Black Fields blend together influences of country, blues, rock

and gypsy folk whilst their live performances scream the true

grit of music to dance, drink and party to. Charismatic, energetic

and great story tellers, the Black Fields put themselves and the

audience into the creative pictures painted by the dramatic songs

and punchy rhythmic backline.

43

BOY COMSummer time Hip Hop and kick ass party tunes.

It’s a 7 piece Kick-Ass-Party-Hip-Hop all the way, and their aim is to make

you groove till the end of the night – even after you’ve left the tent! BOY

COM are like the coolest house party you’ve ever been to: plenty of booze,

beautiful girls and of course, the ideal soundtrack! You’ll love them!

BREAKIN BEARHip-Hop, break-beat, dance & dub visual audio delights.

Breakin Bear’s multi-genre sets cover anything that can hold the lad’s

brief attention span, and these upbeat party sets include everything

from hip hop, soul, drum’n’bass, electro, dubstep and breaks…all with

the epic accompaniment of cleverly coordinated visuals!

BUFFO’S WAKE Storming gypsy bangers.

Twisting folk with a heavy smattering of pounding gypsy dance

music – while very new to the scene, Buffo’s Wake work the crowd

like pros, jumping, dancing and bringing you headfirst in the world

of eastern European madness – we love them.

BUNTYVoice, effects pedals and a mash of real and made-up languages.

Bunty magically recreates the surreal sounds of now: illuminating

the intricate clacks, booms, ticks and scrapes of the world with tiny,

miniscule samples of songs, rhymes, textures and tales.

BUST THE BOX Bringing the noise since 1998.

For well over a decade, Bust the Box have been bringing their

exquisite brand of chaos to Brighton, and we’re thrilled to have

them at Playgroup doing what they do best: making soundsystems

thump with bass music of all kinds, from all eras.

44

CATE FERRIS Otherworldly multi-instrumentalist beauty…

A multi-layered musical voyage through tales of joy, passion and

regret, delivered with haunting, ‘goose bumps on the neck’ vocals.

Cate Ferris is a one woman multi-instrumentalist and after learning

guitar while trekking through the middle east and mastering Indian

flute while in Jaipur, you might just fall hopelessly in love with her

stunning voice and warm, generous stage craft. A stunning addition

to this year’s line-up.

DAN KORN & THE CHOPPY WATERS Enchanting melodies around exquisitely crafted lyrics. Poet and songwriter Dan Korn draws his influences from the Delta

Blues, Lou Reed, Dylan, Syd Barrett, CW Stoneking, Beirut, Thom

Yorke and Laura Marling. Dan’s moving songs are “like a long sob

laden with farewells”.

DJ YODA World class turntablist.

Acclaimed by

critics and

loved by

masses of

sweaty,

happy

crowds the

world over,

DJ Yoda will

be mashing

things up

Star Wars

stylee with

his audio visual

extravaganza!

45

DJANAN TURANThe Turkish singer, DJanan Turan, is back with a fresh collection of songs and a brand new EP, ‘Artigo’.

This quirky singer weaves stories of the world as she sees it

through the distorted glass of a Goldfish Bowl! Mysterious and

beguiling, with a carnivalesque sway, we know she is destined for

big things to come. Miss this at your peril!

DONKY PITCH Synth and bass in your face.

Not just party starters but record label bosses, promoters and radio

hosts. Donky Pitch are a Brighton movement growing at a dizzying

rate, and we are proud to have them at Playgroup Festival as they

continue on their quest for world domination!

DR BLUEGRASS AND THE ILLBILLY 8Hootenanny.

Foot stompin’, thigh slappin’ bluegrass from the deep south…of

England. Dr Bluegrass and the Illybilly 8 will have you hoeing-down

southern-style!

EAST BRIGHTON RHYTHM SECTIONWorld music from the shores of Brighton…

The East Brighton Rhythm Section are a 4 piece rhythm section

who play their way through soul, blues, reggae, dub and hip-hop.

EMMA DIVINESmokey jazz vocals and stunning soul…

Emma Divine’s versatile style allows her to move effortlessly

between blues, soul, jazz and pop music to create something that is

truly that – divine!

46

FAYE HOUSTON London- born singer with a lot of soul.

With a deep and powerful voice that instantly captures the hearts

and minds of her audience, Faye’s rich and sultry style has been

likened to Adele, mixed with the old - time tone of Nina Simone and

creativity of Cee Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley).

THE HARRISON BROTHERSYeehaw.

Spawned in the basement of a Kings Cross pub, The Harrison

Brothers are a trio of urban cowboys that spend their days chewing

straw and pickin’ out old folk and bluegrass tunes.

HIDDEN ORCHESTRA The explosive live show.

Signed to Tru Thoughts, Edinburgh-based Hidden Orchestra

combine two live drummers, organic samples and dubby basslines

to make cinematic, emotive, percussive music. Their sound,

resplendent with layers of intense soundscapes, takes audiences on

a deep and truly original sonic journey containing elements of jazz,

classical, drum’n’bass, rock and hip hop. If you haven’t seen them

before, prepare to be blown away!!

47

HOT-TIP HI-FI An audio cocktail of musical sunshine.

Showcasing only the finest vintage reggae, rock steady and ska, it’s

a jumping selection of classics and rare gems alike. Enjoy an audio

cocktail of the finest Jamaican musical sunshine and good time/old

time party vibes!

JABBAWOCKY HI FI Roots and heavy dub music.

Jabbawocky Hi Fi started in early 2007 growing from a shared love

of reggae music and the sound system culture. After a few years

lying low Jabbawocky resurfaced in Brighton in early 2011 with a

series of outdoor events, street parties and club nights. Support

slots have included Prince Fatty, The Drop, Backbeat Sound

System, Nice Up records , Mr Benn, Roots Garden and Run Tingz

Cru.

JAMES RILEY Ethereal ballads of love and life.

Accompanied by a full live 8 piece band, James Riley is a

troubadour of the breed many thought no longer existed. A

‘fiendishly proficient’ guitarist, singer, and a roadrunner to match,

James chronicles the story of his experiences through clamorous,

jubilant bluegrass ‘n’ soul and exquisitely spun yarns

JOHN CRAMPTON Blues and Country one-man marvel.

Local legend and self taught slide

guitarist, banjo player and harmonicist,

John Crampton is a blues and bluegrass

heavyweight and this year he’ll be

performing on our main stage for a Sunday

slot that’s bound to get you dancing. His

totally compeling and furious energy will blow

you away!

48

LORI CAMPBELL Soulful folk and storytelling…

Steeped in adventure and heartbreak, Lori’s songs speak about

the countryside, family, home, relationships and pigeons. With an

infectious and sometimes comical optimism, she deals with the

stuff that feelings are made of, with ukulele in hand, and a smile

that’s never far away.

OFFICER 82Electro-comedown-mashup.

A mash-up menagerie of synths, samples, effect pedals, sequences

and vocals, from the dark depths of Beatabet’s musical bowels…

THE PEPPERMINT BEAT BAND60’s psychedelic pop.

A five-piece from Brighton via Northampton and Switzerland, The

Peppermint Beat Band combine an exciting blend of rootsy folk

rock and psychedelia with a whorl of vertiginous guitar sounds,

organ swirls and harmonies.

RESONATORS 8 piece Reggae Brighton legends.

One of the most highly regarded reggae acts in the UK right now,

Resonators are proof that the spirit of the original roots sound is

alive and well, bringing a modern, fresh edge to the scene.

ROOTS GARDEN Long-standing roots reggae and dub rockers.

Bringing you a special selection of roots classics!

49

ROSS FLIGHTDonky Pitch’s skweee hero.

Ross Flight - otherwise known as Donky Pitch don Boss Kite - has

carved a niche out for himself as on eof our premier synth heavy,

rubber bass skweee purveyor, (skweee for those not in the loop

combines bass heavy RnB rhythm with elements of electronica and

simple synth leads).

SAM BERKSON / CHRIS POLYMATHQuirky poetry from cutting-edge wordsmiths.

Sam Berkson is a poet who has been performing round the UK

and abroad since 2005. He reads a lot and attempts to rework the

stuff of experience through the models of past examples to create

poetry for the future. He is a Brighton Festival Slam Champion and

Liverpool Capital of Culture Slam Champion.

Chris Polymath - Like a modern day Philip Larkin with more humour

and bigger sideburns, the polymath poet has already established

a cult following in Brighton for his quirky poetry and unique

performance.

STAY SICKSleazy rock’n’roll from a Brighton institution.

Established in 2008, Stay Sick continue to spin the best dancing

music from surf to 60s, oddball R&B to filthy rock’n’roll and garage

to punk, 7inches at a time. These Cramps obsessed guys have

put on such greats as Billy Childish, Kid Congo from the Cramps,

Monotonix, Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster and Thee Oh Sees.

THE FLAMENCO THIEFThink Rodrigo & Gabriela with a loop pedal.

Craig Sutton is the Flamenco Thief! Making a name for himself in

the South West, he merges classic Spanish rhythms with styles

such as funk, hip-hop, ska and breakbeat. This performance will

leave you dumbfounded.

50

DUNCAN DISORDERLY & THE SCALLYWAGS Goodtimes music to be shared by all.

The Scallywags do what they love and love what they do – expect

reggae, latin, hip-hop, rumba, swing/jazz and a lot of positive

vibrations, and with three new Spanish members to the band, a

Spanish twist as well!

THE SKINTSLegendary reggae and dub upstars from East London.

Mixing Jamaican styles with pop hooks, grimey raps, filthy basslines

and a punk rock work ethic, the Skints create a sound familiar to

newcomers, yet unique below the surface.Touring the UK and

Europe with bands including Youmeatsix, Sublime, Reel Big Fish,

Gym Class Heroes, Less Than Jake, The Beat and The King Blues,

we are thrilled to have them at Playgroup!

THE SLY TONESA gloriously debauched psychedelic stage show.

The Slytones have been dazzling crowds and scaring young

children for years now, and their ceaseless barrage of musical

terror shows no sign of stopping. With a new album in the pipeline,

you may even be lucky enough to hear some brand new tunes

alongside the classics.

51

THE TURBANS Middle-eastern, balkan folk and celtic extravaganza.

The Turbans began in Kathmandu, Nepal, when the violinist Darius

Thompson and guitarist Oshan ‘Danger’ Mahony decided to cycle

to India, where they met Mandolinist Chinua Ford. At the first

concert in Dharamsala The Turbans was formed, and has continued as

a travelling collective of multinational musicians from varying genres

VACCINATIONPurist post-punk with a smear of rock’n’roll…

See improvised magic at play from this fiercely good London

sextet.

VIBE MACHINE As tight as nuts and funky as it should be.Fronted by Dave Pepper whose heart-felt songs and magical

stories have been heard around the bonfires of the counter culture

for decades, the vibe machine is primed and ready for politically

charged poetical funk.

WILD KNIGHTS Mysterious remixers of the highest order.By the low light of screens, synths and soundcards, the Wild

Knights work their magic to fill the with the throb of futuristic

beats, euphoric melodies and low frequency basslines. Twisting

different tempos and styles, expect strands of soul woven

throughout every production.

ZEN DEATH SQUAD Triangle headed glitch monsters.

A union of three talented young producers, Zen Death Squad are a

phenomenon waiting to happen. Armed with laptops, synthesizers

and drum machines, their diverse and explosive live sets are

becoming notorious in the underground electronic music scene,

and we reckon they are one of the most exciting new breeds of

electronica out there.

52

ARTS TENTSFrom late night nature trails to marching parades, every corner of

Playgroup Festival is filled with things to see and more importantly,

take part in! Playgroup funds dozes of individually created little

dens filled with wonder! Which one will you get lost in?

LATE-NIGHT CINEMAA late-night cinema showing the best in short movies, crazy

animation and silver-screen classics. By night, our Treasure Chest

stage transforms into the perfect place to curl up with friends to

enjoy some magical movie entertainment.

DRAG KINGDOM OF THE SEAEnter this sparkling Oceanic world of beautiful and cryptic

characters! Join the polygamous marriage of the Sea Kingdom in a

ceremony performed by an ordained Clam! Have your fortune read

by a glittering Octopus! Enjoy the enchanting songs of the Sirens

and their Ukulele! And behold the mighty Drag King Neptune…. For

now the King rules supreme, but his subjects may plotting against

him in a scheme of riotous heresy…

PLAY MOREPlay More believe that art is revolution and is committed to

promoting a revolution of mind through social interaction. Play is

freedom! Play More will be offering all kinds of playful loveliness for

your enjoyment and entertainment, and lots of opportunities to get

involved! In fact, we like to think we offer a bit of something for

everyone... Have you ever wondered what playing a life-sized

version of your favourite game might be like? No? Well Play More

certainly has, and we will be getting suitably surreal with life-sized

versions of games we know and love, such as Operation, Hungry

Hippos and the pub classic The Fruit Machine.

53

SHAMBUSH!Shambush! create interactive theatre experiences. Building,

stitching and sticking, from conception to production, Shambush!

have shammed up numerous weird and wonderful events and

this Playgroup festival, they promise to be more nonsensical than

ever! We won’t say too much (because it’s a secret) but we can

guarantee intimate and absolute absurdity at every step of the

way…

SUCK MY ROCKPhotos beyond reality! Last years undisputed Playgroup Festival

hit, Suck My Rock is the most insane photoshoot you’ve ever been

on and this year they’ve gone all out to create something that will

blow your mind! A wonderful troupe of talented photographers,

artists, make-up and fancy dress superstars, they will give you a

cherished and very special memory of the summer!

THE IMAGINARIUMDesigned to mess with your expectations and senses, The

Imaginarium uses a blend of theatre, strange objects and strange

people: playfulness, nonsense, and wonderment are guaranteed!

Come join in and get involved with the many fantastical activities

on offer throughout each day, including the wonderful Jake Spicer’s

themed life drawing classes with The Drawing Circus, in the most

beautiful Victorianesque carts. Here, you can learn to animate a

zoetrope and watch it come to life!

The Imaginarium is an interactive space with activities ranging from

making your own sock cup and ball games to getting involved in a

Giant Punch and Judy Marionette Puppet Dance Off session! Don’t

miss it!

THE PSYCHEDELIC KIDNAP EXPERIENCEExpect the unexpected from the Psychedelic Kidnap Experience.

Passers-by will be leapt upon! Psychedelic dream worlds will be

entered! Prepare for a beautiful, eye-bending theatre of ritualistic

magic. It’s coming….for you!

54

CRAFTERNOONCrafternoon runs friendly (and often free) workshops for beginners

and practised crafty hands and everyone in-between. Making

everything from soft toys and knitting to the finer art of nipple

tassels!

BLACKSMITH WORKSHOPSCome and learn the timeless art of Blacksmithery! Our resident

blacksmith brings together this traditional craft with a modern

twist, sculpting everything from oversized steel elephants to

wearable predator masks! A unique, unusual and downright

amazing sight to behold! Let’s see what you come up with!

INSTALLATIONSFrom the beautiful to the bizarre, and

flaming tea-pots to giant origami, there

is no shortage of installations for you to

wrap your imaginations round across

our beautiful site. Prepare to touch,

taste, examine and explore…

AMY HARRISWith a focus on paper craft, Amy Harris

creates sets and bespoke objects from

a variety of materials, and spends time

collaborating with other creatives such as still

life photographers and animators. Inspired by retro graphics, found

objects, colour, pattern and much more in between, her work has a

playful approach to ideas and an attention to detail throughout.

MIDSUMMER SET A stunning edition to this year’s festival, the full set of ‘a

Midsummers Night’s Dream’ will be available as a shimmering and

magical space for you to spin your own yarns and get involved in

the music. An alternative stage for anyone to get involved!

55

WALKABOUT ACTSWe have a whole host of walkabout acts to weave their magic

around the site all weekend…these are just a selection of some

of our favourites! Keep your eyes peeled for much, much more –

including a giant treasure hunt…interactive theatre…storytelling

and pop-up musical experiences…tricks and circus workshops…fire

performances every night…an alien space invasion…and ALAN’s

giant paint fight!

BARKING BATERIABarking Bateria are a clown and pirate samba fusion band! Banging

their drums and bringing the circus and the sea to their wandering

festival party!

CULT OF BIG LOVEWe want to spread the message of BIG LOVE and MEGAFUN to

everyone everywhere. We believe having copious amounts of BIG

LOVE and MEGAFUN leads to all kinds of massive win. We want to

see everyone WINNING!! Dressing people up, playing our favourate

games, offering up dance off competitions, face painting and more!

We are bringing the BIG LOVE to playgroup!!

THE MONKEY TRAINChoo Choo all aboard the monkey train! Don’t miss the chance to

come meet all our Animal and Monster Puppet Friends!

THE MONOPHONIC MIDI MACHINERoaming the site with his own lovingly crafted Monophonic

Machine, Matt will be secretly performing some live vintage techno

without the use of a laptop, just steam powered fun!

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THE SIAMESE PSYCHIATRISTS“Joined at the dress!” are lunatic purveyors of irrelevant and highly

suspicious ‘cures’ for madness of any kind. Though almost certainly

madder than their own patients, these Victorian time-travelling

‘professionals’ work their way through the crowd, accompanied by

two revolting ‘pigeons’, dishing out lost marbles and missing pieces,

and if you’re lucky they may even introduce you to Timothy…

THE TRIPSIESThe Tripsies do Tripsie things in a dotty and spotty way. They are a

walkabout who create impromptu Tripsie worlds as they meander

through the festival. Interactive, improvised and very much focused

on the people we encounter, there will be spacehoppers! There will

be giant twister! There will even be Trips-o-robics…Keep your eyes

peeled to find out more!

U N G E W I N ST E RA scarecrowish Ringmaster…A creepy Clown…A cranky Inquisitor…A

weird Butler…A maddening Hatter…George Orange is a one man

international circus on a wire.

THE FABULOUS OF UNICORNS: THE UNICONFind your best shiny horn, swish your tail and groom your mane!

The Unicorns are stampeding Playgroup. Look out for us at the

Unicorn Paddock where we will be meeting once a day to UNICON

around the festival. Come join us on our prance and gallop to the

best bars and stages.

THE U.N.P.C.TU.N.P.C.T are a family of disgusting, debauched wrestlers, an act

with a twist of anarchy and a lot of energy! This wrestling crew are

politically incorrect. They will offend your innocence but keep you

watching and laughing till you are ready to jump in.

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VOODOO LOVE ORCHESTRA25 piece Latin marching orchestra.

Harking back to the big band sound of 1960s Latin America and

Africa, the infectious, maverick and irresistibly swinging street

music of VOODOO LOVE ORCHESTRA will have the crowd

baying for more. This is more an invasion than a performance,

with a euphoric riot of musicians weaving in and out of the throng,

overseen by a megaphone-wielding High Priestess invoking the

spirits of celebration! Delve deep into the heart of the tropics with

this globe-trotting ensemble…

THE WEIRD SISTERS

This weekend the three sisters will bring you outrageous spells,

ridiculous witchy songs and exams to see if you are witch positive

or negative. Will you pass and be allowed to join the W.I (witches

institute)? Prepare for all things magical and fun!

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THE CABINET OF CURIOSITYTasha Marks and Luska Mengham have

long been involved with Playgroup

events, yet Tasha has since moved to

London to head up the astounding

weird food and events collective, Animal

Vegetable Mineral.

In their home at Playgroup Festival, ‘The Cabinet

of Curiosity’, you will find a fantastic programme of

experiences, including taxidermy workshops, experimental tasting

sessions, contemporary cabaret and stimulating lectures. Enjoy!

“EAT YOUR WORDS” – incREDIBLE POETRYWords are more than just symbols on paper, they’re physical! When

someone speaks bad news, it eats you inside. When someone

reciprocates your love, it’s delicious! Eat Your Words invites you

to taste words, literally. Using a little confectionary and a lot of

imagination Eat Your Words is a drop in activity that shows you

how to make poetry, then eat it.

ADAM ALLAdam All is an established Drag King and cabaret artist, performing

to audiences across the UK. A mix of 80s classics, modern pop

and old school jazz numbers provide the soundtrack to a tongue in

cheek expression of gender stereotyping.

AMANDA’S AUTOPSIESAmanda Sutton of Amanda’s Autopsies presents a live taxidermy

masterclass for those with a strong stomach and a curious nature.

As a leading anthropomorphic taxidermist, she will be giving a

step-by-step performance in preservation, equipping you with the

knowledge to go home and make your own taxidermic masterpiece!

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ART MACABRE PRESENTS ‘REVENGE OF THE REJECTED TOYS’Grab a crayon and capture creepy toy-themed tableaux as

London’s only ‘death drawing’ salons return to Playgroup Festival,

having packed out the Cabaret tent last summer. Injecting lethal

doses of theatricality and curiosity into the lost art of drawing, Art

Macabre present costumed and nude characters, playful drawing

challenges and experimental mark making exercises at a series of

fun, family friendly daytime events and late night salons.

ARTISTS, MODELS, INK: THE VOGUE GYRATORYA physical performance featuring the ‘EROTIC CURIOSI’TOYS’. The

audience will be invited to watch a tableau of life models through

a selection of viewing apparatus, such as old cameras, odd glasses,

binoculars, adding to the voyeuristic experience.

CABARET! CABARET!Sponsored by Jackalope Tattoos - www.jackalopetattoos.co.uk

Bringing back high glamour and divinely theatrical vaudeville

entertainment of yester-year, CABARET! CABARET! is a heady

blend of classic and contemporary revue entertainment: burlesque,

boylesque, magic and music! Join CABARET! CABARET! as they

‘Escape From the Attic’... you’ll never look at your dusty childhood

relics in the same way again.

COCO DEVILLE CABARET! CABARET! Founder

Critically acclaimed, award winning, international burlesque

showgirl, Ms Coco Deville is an highly established performer who

has performed in the decadent and theatrical burlesque scene

for over seven years. Favoured for her theatrical moxie, dynamic

dancing and effervescent energy, Ms Deville has become one of the

most distinctive and simply entertaining performers in the cabaret

circuit to date.

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LUXURY VALUESLuxury Values is a queer live artist whose grotesque, masochistic,

risky and highly glamorous tendencies have seen him damned by

many a dramaturge – and blessed by many an audience member.

A powerful performer able to control a crowd with the merest hint

of an eyebrow flash, and woo the whole audience with a flex of his

buttocks.

CHERRY BELLAWatch the curtain fall to reveal Cherry Bella’s sweeter than sweet

smile. Inspired by all things beautiful and classic the allure of 1920s

presents her with her moody feisty grind, whilst the allure of the

1940s will give you her cheeky pin-up presence.

PETE THE BEATVocally Produced. High Energy. Beat Master Extraordinaire.

SPLIFF RICHARD4 time winner of Hammer & Tongue Brighton’s annual poetry slam,

Spliff Richard’s rapid, rhyming, hip-hop influenced style spans the

poignant to the puerile. Messages of positivity, inspiration and

sometimes nob gags. A bit like Gil Scott-Heron hung out with

Cheech and Chong.

DAMIAN JENNINGS: MAGIC SHOWDamian is possibly the best and funniest magician in Sussex. From

astounding card trickery to whacking 10 inch hat pins into his arms,

Damian is going to make sure your Playgroup experience is as

magical as possible!

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EAT LIKE NOONE’S WATCHINGCoffee + Sponge present Eat Like Noone’s Watching, an

interactive performance where one at a time, an audience member

enters a private booth where they are encouraged eat as they wish,

how they wish, for as long as they wish. Food is steeped in politics

and taboos: social etiquette, moral concerns and body issues all

play a part in our relationship with food. Whether it be the guilt

of eating politically incorrect veal, the body politic of overeating,

the moral politics of waste or the social politic of making a mess,

food can be a complicated matter! Eat Like Noone’s Watching

offers audiences the opportunity, permission and empowerment to

eschew these worries!

EXPLORING SENSESRobot Relays: get involved in cardboard robot costume-making

and watch or participate in ridiculous Robot Relay games, including

the Ultimate Robot Space Hopper Duel.

Toys Arrrrgh Us - Toy Hacking Workshop: Ever watched Toy Story

and thought the mutant toys were sort of cool? Well come and get

involved in a mass Toy Hack and make your own hybrid freak! All

ages welcome.

EXPERIMENTAL FOOD 101 WITH ANIMAL VEGETABLE MINERALAnimal Vegetable Mineral is a boutique food events business

providing edible interventions for festivals, parties and pop-up

experiences. Founded in 2011 by Tasha Marks, a food historian

who specialises in the cultural history of jelly, they now present

Experimental Food 101: an introduction to sensory food play!

Expect miracle berries, inhalable cakes and gummy bear wave

machines!

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EARTINGLERSOn Sunday evening, come and sink into a delicious evening of

skilled, exciting word and music acts. We bring you six artists who

are not afraid to push boundaries and forge truly individual styles

that are honest, reviving and not to be missed. Hosted by poet

Jasmine Cooray…

Rory Mulligan is a sound engineer who thinks he is a

musician. Or vice versa. He can’t quite remember. Confusion

ensues…

Talia Randall is a poet and performance artist on an eternal

search for meaning in likely and unlikely places. She has

performed and created art installations everywhere from the

Roundhouse to Camp Bestival and is creator of the Edible

Poetry project.

Spliff Richard is a well-known Brighton poet with a sharp

observational eye and a drive to deliver his work with

thoughtfulness and flow. His poetry is fast and passionate,

and will always leave you smiling and thinking.

Fiona Bevan’s success has been expanding exponentially.

Voted ‘first lady of the indie scene’ by USA’s Indie Music

Review, Fiona’s bright, clever songs cover everything

between play and melancholy and pour through a clear-as-

tropical-waterfall voice. Her albums ‘plant your heart’ and ‘us

and the darkness’ are critically acclaimed: she is definitely

one to watch!

INVOKALInvokal uses the spoken word to tell tales of concrete culture.

Adapting to poetry and hip hop alike, and ignoring exclusiveness

of either, Invokal plays with rhythmic syllable placement and rhyme

to construct a high impact form of performance poetry. Juggling

metaphors and punch lines, Invokal’s memory and passion never

cease to amaze. Due to release his first full length album with

German producer Merlin under the vise of ‘The Magik Word’, and

with many more projects underway, Invokal is one to keep your

ears open for in 2012.

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PROFESSOR ELEMENTALProfessor Elemental has created a unique neo-Victorian blend

of hip hop and comedy, and is the man behind the world’s first

steampunk rap album. His music charts subjects such as steam-

powered flight, underwater discovery, and nice cups of tea. With

a heart of brass and a pair of goggles, he embodies the Victorian

spirit of invention and exploration. His act has gone like clockwork

at events and music festivals around the world including White

Mischief, the Steampunk Worlds fair and The San Francisco

Edwardian Ball. He was recently awarded Best Musical Act in the

Brighton fringe as well as winning the award for ‘Greatest living

eccentric and ‘most Eccentric artist’.

LAUGHING EXPERIENCEA laughter meditation workshop: Take a moment out from your

usual life, to sit, to relax, to smile to yourself and find the laughter

inside you. We all have it. We need only invite it to fill us. Some

will laugh, others grin and others smile. You may even wish to

sit in silence. Together, in our many different ways, we will share

ourselves.

MICHELLE MADSEN & ANGRY SAM (HAMMER & TONGUE LONDON) PRESENT… RUMINATION & DIGESTIONRumination and Digestion: a three course meal of food, discussion

and poetry. From Hamlet’s complaints that ‘the funeral meats did

coldly furnish the marriage table’, to the blind tasting of foodstuffs,

Rumination and Digestion will provide you with experiments,

debates and discussion: all in the form of poems and performance!

PETE THE BEATVocally Produced. High Energy. Beat Master Extraordinaire.

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ROSIE WILBYStand up comedy from the

hilariously self-deprecating

Rosie Wilby. Rosie first tried

stand up comedy in 2004

after encouragement from

fans at music gigs who

enjoyed her between song

banter. With numerous

gigs around the UK, she

also comperes and curates

Femmes by the Thames

at Royal Vauxhall Tavern

(London) and has appeared

on Radio 4 Loose Ends.

THE HARLEM HEARTSThe Harlem Hearts are a

refreshing, up and coming

bohemian five piece jazz

band, delivering a flirtatious

and decadent mix of old

time classics, along with some fresh and inventive jazz mash-ups.

TOYING WITH SCIENCEDelve into the scientist’s toy box and choose from a collection of play

things which demonstrate the peculiar forces of nature. We invite you

to lose the concept of scientific explanation and enjoy the sense of

curiosity, mystery and wonder. Get experimental with your gustatory

and olfactory system in our liquid Nitrogen ice cream laboratory.

WUNDERLICH REVUEDer Wunderlich Revue is a brand-new old-fashioned cabaret troupe

of the finest tradition! Doing sleazy, classy, brassy, mainly-male

burlesque cabaret acts, they will have you begging for more!

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GAMES ARENA: THE LOST TOYS GAMES!Calling all Toys! We

cordially invite you to

join us and our merry

troop of toys from time

gone by. With a mobile

disco and non-alcoholic cocktail bar, the Lost Toy Games will be

walking around the festival and setting up camp once a day for our

sports day events. Come try your luck at becoming an honorary

champion toy for the day!

TOY TOWN OLYMPICSThis is serious. This is where the Toys will duke it out to be crowned

the Puppet Master! With games taking place for the full three days

of the festival you’ll compete in such classics as ‘Paper Bib Shoot-

Out’, ‘Blind Canadian Bear Baiting’ and the ‘Puppet Dance Off’ –

points will be awarded, lines will be drawn – who will be victorious!?

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HEALING FIELDSFind your space away from the madding crowds and unwind with

one of our traditional healing therapies. Our healing fields are the

perfect place to relax, reflect and recharge, whether you want time

out on your own, or with friends!

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SESSIONS ON OFFER…- Shiatsu

- Reiki

- Thai massage

- Chair or table based Deep Tissue Massage

- Henna Tattoos

- Personalized Sound Baths with Healing Touch and Sound

- Indian Head Massage.

GROUP WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENCES –- Shiatsu body awareness

- Qigong

- Thai Yoga

- Yoga

- Massage Workshops

- The Bliss Dome – 360 Sound and Light Bath!

- Artworks throughout the space.

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KIDS STUFFOur ‘Little Bugs’ kids tent is open from 9am til 9pm every day of

the festival with loads of wonderful activities to keep the little ones

entertained! From circus skills to baby disco and musical story-

telling to giant musical instruments, there’s plenty to see and even

more to do!

FRIDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA12pm-2pm Open for soft play and games

2pm-4pm Wide awake club with Whizz Bang Pop!

Circus skills with Trickswap and friends.

Drum club with Drum Unity

5pm-5.45pm Kids Cabaret – Dodgy Totty’s Flights of

Fondant Fancy

5.45pm-6.45pm Kids Cabaret - Mr Pineapple Head

6.45pm-7.45pm Kids Disco

8pm-9pm Soft play and games

CRAFT WORKSHOPS12pm-3pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios

3pm-6pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda,

Sharna and Taryn

Printing with Helen Mills

6pm-9pm Costume making with Rosa Bonifacii and friends

Dream catcher making with Monique and Melissa

8pm-9pm Beatbox with Kieran Dunne

LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30-7pm and 7pm til 8.30pm

Space is very limited so arrive early to secure a seat!

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MORE ACTIVITIES12pm-2.30pm Facepainting

3.30pm-6pm Facepainting

6pm-8.30 Facepainting

3pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!

Plus … Games and bubbles!

… Balloon modelling and clowning!

... Teddy Bears Picnic by Babyoke daily - see board

on the day for times

... And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for

awesome projects set up by Natty and the Crew!

Please check the board on the day as times and performers may be subject to change!

SATURDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA9am-10am Open for soft play and games

10am-12pm Wide Awake Club with Whizz Bang Pop

Circus Skills with Twikswap and friends


12pm-1.30pm Musical Storytelling from Soundcastle

1.30pm-2.30pm Kids Cabaret – Dotty Spotty Socks

3.30-4.15pm Kids Cabaret – Dodgy Totty’s Flights of

Fondant Fancy

4.15pm-5.30pm Circus skills with Trikswap and friends


5.30-6.30pm Kids Cabaret

6.30pm-8pm Kids Disco


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CRAFT WORKSHOPS9am-12pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios

12pm-3pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda, Sharna and Taryn


Pleebles Creative Workshop




LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30pm-7pm and 7pm-8.30pm


MORE ACTIVITIES10am-1pm Facepainting

1pm-4pm Facepainting

4pm-7pm Facepainting

3pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!

Plus … Games and bubbles!


...And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for

awesome projects set up by Natty and the Crew!


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SUNDAYLITTLE BUGS AREA9am-10am Open for soft play and games

10am-12pm Wide Awake Club with Whizz Bang Pop

Circus Skills with Twikswap and friends


12pm-13.30pm Musical Storytelling from Soundcastle

1.30pm-14.30pm Kids Cabaret – Bodger and Badger

3.30pm-4.15pm Kids Cabaret

4.15pm-5.30pm Circus skills with Trikswap and friends


5.30pm-6.30pm Little Bugs Talent Show!

6.30pm-8pm Kids Disco


CRAFT WORKSHOPS9am-12pm Printing with Screen Prince and Output Studios

12pm-3pm Hoola-hoop fun and games with Amanda, Sharna and Taryn


2pm-5pm Pleebles Creative Workshop




LITTLE BUGS VERY LITTLE CINEMAOpen daily 5.30-7.00pm and 8.00-8.30pm


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MORE ACTIVITIES10.00am-13.00pm Facepainting

1.00pm-4.00pm Facepainting

4.00pm-7.00pm Facepainting

3.00pm-4.30pm Annie Whitinghams musical storytelling!

Plus…games and bubbles!


...And our wicked teens club. Meet in the gazebo for awesome

projects set up by Natty and the Crew!


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FOODBARNABY SYKES – PIE MAKER Barnaby Sykes make delicious pies by hand using wonderful

ingredients, and serve them with enthusiasm to delighted

customers all over the country.

ERIDGE FARM SHOPThe local farm shop will be supplying our festival site with a brilliant

range of organic meats and salads sourced directly from the field

and farms around Eridge.

MUUThe lovely Muu will be returning to Playgroup with their amazing

Japanese street food specials. The family name “hatanaka” literally

means “in a field” and these guys certainly love to be at festivals!

SHEPERDS ICE CREAMWhen it comes to ice cream, these guys really know their stuff.

Using sheep’s milk means that the ice cream is both nutritious and

delicious, but don’t take our word for it! Sherperds Ice Cream has

over 25 years of experience!

BOSSMANS BBQSmoking meat on site, Bossman’s BBQ will be here for all your

bacon, burger and breakfast needs!

THE PECKISH PEACOCKThe Peckish Peacock are passionate about food and have been

working to develop a delectable array of perfect curries served with

chappattis, chutneys, and a whole array of Indian deliciousness!

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SMOKEY JOESOn Joe’s travels around the Caribbean, he discovered the recipes

for his own special brand of BBQ sauces. Now he will share them

with you all! With his homemade marinades and sumptuous recipes.

ROAMING ROTISSERIEAfter seven years of delighting customers at dozens of high profile

events, the roaming rotisserie is now here at Playgroup! Think

unique rubs and marinades, Farm Assured whole chickens, juices

dripping from roasting spits and the wonderful smells of deliciously

succulent meat. Our mouths are watering already!

FULL CIRCLEFull Circle is a creative collective of musicians, artists and chefs who

are committed to environmentally sustainable fun. This weekend

they will be providing a low-impact, intimate and cosy venue with

great food and a sprinkling of magic.

LIZARD STAGEAfter 15 years of serving the finest Chai and creating one of the

warmest spaces at any festival, in 2009, the Lunched Out Lizards

joined forces with London world music promoters Souk Sound to

form The Lizard Stage. Now a gorgeous secret hideaway from the

festival insanities, you can tuck into some luscious organic stone

baked pizza whilst watching some of the UK’s finest world and folk

music performers.

MR PATEL’S CORNERSHOP Mr Patel’s Cornershop, run by the Patel family, is your festival

general store!”

LITTLE BUGS CAFEThe Little Bugs Café will be providing tasty treats and nutritious

snacks all weekend, in the Little Bugs kids area!

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THE LOCATIONHISTORYReputed for being the oldest enclosed Deer Park in England, Eridge

Park is steeped in history. It’s first recording has been found in the

Domesday Book, where it was called Reredfelee. At this time it was

owned by the Odo, the brother of William the Conqueror!

The Nevill family inherited the Estate in 1448 and have been here

ever since. Henry VIIIth often hunted here and Queen Elizabeth I

spent six days at Eridge in August 1573. There was a flourishing iron

foundry here in the 16th century when a series of mill ponds were

created to provide a good supply of water to power the forge.

In 1787 the 2nd Earl of Abergavenny, Henry Nevill, began building

Eridge Castle in exuberant Strawberry Hill Gothic style. In the

years following, the landscape was enhanced by opening up vistas,

walks and carriage drives, the construction of follies (most notably

Saxonbury Tower and the castellated wall at Sham Farm) and the

rebuilding of old workers’ cottages in ornate Estate style.

The park has been visited by many gentry men, with the Prince of

Wales a frequent visitor at Eridge shooting parties in the late 1800s,

and Disraeli, who came here for the venison and strawberries.

However, in the late 1930s the Castle was demolished and the

current Georgian style mansion house was built, which is now the

home of the VIth Marquess of Abergavenny, and his family.

Nowadays, the house and formal gardens continue to enjoy

stunning and peaceful views over the Park, and while the estate is

home to a myriad of small businesses occupying former farm and

estate buildings, it is also used as a unique venue for weddings,

game and country fairs, film locations…and, of course, our music

festival!

A SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTERESTEridge Park is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest

because of its vast diversity of species and outstanding natural

beauty. The site comprises parkland and ancient woodland on

the lower Tunbridge Wells Sandstone and underlying Wadhurst

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Clay, and enjoys one of the richest epiphytic lichen floras of any

single park in Britain, with 167 recorded species, many of which are

characteristic of old forests. The variety of habitats present also

support diverse insect and bird communities – even the ants are

protected!

Considered nationally important are the 22 recorded species of

dragonflies, including the notably brilliant emerald Somatochlora metallica – see if you can spot one! As well as this, there are also 60

recorded species of breeding birds, including hobby, redstart, water

rail and all 3 British woodpeckers. The site even contains a heronry!

What a special place to enjoy a festival.

SUSTAINABLITY Our 2012 festival will be the greenest yet!

Not only is our whole site powered with solar and bio-fuel

(vegetable oil) generators run by Brighton based power company

Firefly Solar, but we’re aiming to recycle 80% of all waste on site!

But we need your help in doing this…

Don’t forget to:

• Use the recycling bins provided and make sure you use the correct bin for your waste.

• Keep you campsite in tidy order and clean up after yourself!

• Ensure you have NO glass or fires in the campsite.

• Use our toilets rather than the woods (no, you’re not helping the trees to grow – human waste is mostly toxic!)

• Take campsite rubbish bags to our waste collection areas at the end of the festival.

• Do not throw cigarette butts onto the ground.

Most of all, be aware that this is a beautiful site and enjoy it for what it is! We are privileged to be able to enjoy a magical weekend of music here, so look after it while we look after you!

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OUR ROOTSWith Playgroup Festival, we set out to create something special,

somewhere that you could make new friends and meet old ones,

take all the brilliant makers and creative people that we knew and

shove them in a field to make magic happen! We wanted Playgroup

Festival to represent the region that we lived, to highlight all the

brilliant grassroots musical acts and artists that we loved and most

importantly – be totally involving!

Playgroup has been running for 6 years now, hosting regular

themed festival-in-a-club events at venues all over Brighton and in

our club, the Blind Tiger. But back in 2009, we started wondering

why on earth we didn’t do a festival-in-a-festival!?

We started our search for the perfect place to hold our little

gathering and began to put together a crack team of décor

builders, good friends, circus performers and all the grassroots

musical acts we wanted to be silly in a field with – but what field?

After searching for almost 6 months we found the ideal place,

snuggled between Brighton and London, it was a perfectly

picturesque spot for our little Summer gathering of friends

and friends of friends – Eridge Park, a beautiful ancient deer

reserve (yes, deer still roam the estate to this day!) that has been

unchanged since the times of William the Conqueror. Wow! We fell

instantly in love and knew it would be our home.

The first Playgroup Festival was an understated affair for just over

500 guests – it was lovely, if a little disorganised – and we spent

a marvellous weekend galloping around the countryside while

meeting hundreds of new friends – some of which had such a good

time that they started working on Playgroup Festival permanently!

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Then in 2011, we went into overdrive, taking the capacity up to

2000 and finally feeling like a real festival. We had 4 different

stages, loads of art installations, and the feeling that we were at

the start of something very special. It felt like the early days of

Glastonbury, with makers, and friends and creative people all in

one place, just simply enjoying peoples company – something that

we’d felt we’d sorely missed in all those bigger festivals we’d been

to across the country.

Now in our third year, we have grown again, but while we now

have 8 stages, we have tried to keep Playgroup Festival as intimate

as possible, and to prevent it from getting so big that we lose the

magic that Playgroup is all about.

So here’s to the little festivals, the ones that you will remember

forever. We hope you have an incredible weekend here in this

beautiful park. And if you want to continue to be a part of the

Playgroup family, come along and see us at our venue in Brighton.

The Blind Tiger Club is always putting on great music, art, comedy

and craft events and we love to see familiar faces. Keep up to date

by signing up to Playgroup e-mail newsletters, liking our pages on

Facebook, or by visting www.playgroupbrighton.org

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF PLAYGROUP FESTIVAL 2012 – WE HOPE YOU HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

AND FINALLY – see the next page for our last-minute updates.

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LAST MINUTE NEWSAs with all festivals, our line-up has been subject to change. The

forced postponement this year made it even more complicated

to keep our original line-up. We’re sorry if there are one or two

acts that you were initially hoping to see that couldn’t make it this

weekend.

Sam & The Womp suddenly got big and had their souls bought by

Live Nation, who barred them from attending our event as planned.

Submotion Orchestra couldn’t make the new date, but we put them

on at a free show in Brighton for you back in August instead.

And there are one or two other notable changes to our first posters

and advertising. However, we hope that these 80 pages give you

many more reasons to smile than complain – and if you’re totally

big name line-up focused, then you’re probably not getting what

Playgroup Festival is all about yet!

We have just heard, at the last-minute, that our showers supplier

cannot make the event, due to unexpected problems. We are

really sorry about this, as we totally expected hot showers for the

weekend. Thankfully, the site’s not muddy, so you’re not likely to

desperately need one.

Similarly last minute, due to personal problems of the team behind

it, our Segway Course will not be appearing. This is particularly

rubbish, as Declan and me were to get free Segways for the

weekend, which had been making me smile a lot over the last

couple of weeks. So ignore the Segway Course on our festival map

– it’s now invisible and imaginary.

And – the sad news that this may be the last Playgroup Festival ever…

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Well, over the last three years, Playgroup Festival has lost the

people behind Playgroup about £140,000 in total. And since we’re

just regular joes, and young at that, from low income backgrounds,

that’s just a crazy, crazy figure. We’ve been juggling it to date, but

we can’t see how this can carry on. Playgroup Festival is now 100%

in peril, beyond this weekend.

We’ll explain that horrific number, what your ticket money goes

on, and why it’s not been enough, in the next few weeks. After this

weekend, we want to open up a massive feedback process and

public dialogue with you all, about how to make Playgroup Festival

better, and, indeed, how to make it happen again at all.

We may well need your help on our maddest mission yet – to raise

£100,000 in a matter of months! If we all like this event and want to

save it, that’s the kind of conversation we need to have. Being small

is beautiful – but also hard, especially in a recession like this, with a

changing summer climate.

You can help this weekend by buying drinks at the festival bars,

because we get the lion’s share of the profits there, and by

convincing everyone you know who’s not yet sure about coming, to

turn up and buy on the gate, even if it’s for £45 for Sunday daytime.

Please also discourage anyone from breaking in, or scamming the

festival in any way, because this isn’t like other events – we need

every single person’s support and good spirit simply to exist. Free

rides mean, in the end, no rides at all.

And, if you managed to get a free or discounted ticket, and you can

afford to give something extra, and you have a good time at the

Festival – please show your support by taking a donation of cold,

hard, helpful cash to the Info Tent.

Without public funding, without rich kid funding, without corporate

backing and selling-out, we want to survive the worst financial

years, like this one, and keep meeting up with you for Playgroup

Festival, at least once a year!

Above and beyond though – thanks for coming, and whether it has

to be the last dance or not, let’s make this weekend the BEST!

All our love,

Phil – and Declan, Emma, Twink, Mike and the rest of the Playgroup team (see a lot more names, next) xxx

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81

THANK YOUPlaygroup Festival is the result of the hard work of hundreds of

people – many of whom you may never see, but who spend their

year with you in mind, hoping to make your weekend truly magical.

We are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to Playgroup

Festival - there aren’t enough pages to include everyone, but

here are just some of the wonderful people who have made it all

possible...

Adam Charvet, Andy Mullins, Abi Jones, Alex Forster, Amy

Robinson, Andrew Window, Alastair Adair, Arnaud Nichols, Adam

Harris, Adinah Shackleton, Annie Wheelan, Amy Harris, Abigail

Wenyon, Adrian Brunton, Alan Danskin, Anthony Elliott, Alex Melia,

Alex Casper, Amy Caywood, Alice Peperell, Abdul Miah, April

Coffey, Ali-Owen Thomas, Andrew Parlane, Antony Valenti, Anne

Marie Williams, Ad Spiers, Abe Moughrabi, Andy Sowerby, Antoine

Leduc, Audry Taylor Whittington, Aude rispal, Alan Danskin, Ari

Cantwell, Akiko Shimauchi, Alex Blowey, Ayla Dhyani-Mcdonald,

Alex Green, Apu India, Alice Ramage, Adam Byrne, Aisling

McGibbon, Alan Gilchrist, Baca, Ben Monks, Bing Simpson, Ben

Rodgers, Beth Read, Ben Darling, Bill Vincent, Bruce Selkirk, Ben

Goodwin, Bel lagerdahl, Bob Tomblin, Beth Jarrold, Ben Walker,

Becca Flint, Ben Mortimer, Bryony Buttercup, Bart Simpson, Bob

Clark, Carin Abdula, Camil Barton, Chloe LeFay, Clara Jones, Cyril

Siorat, Caia Matheson, Cameron Devlin, Chirsty Drinkwater, Chris

Corry, Charlie Joy, Charlie Davis, Charlie May Butt, Cathy Randell,

Clive Stanley, Carole Ray, Christopher Wood, Charlotte Hodgson,

Charlotte Browning, Craig Whittington, Charlotte Lambert –

gorwyn, Chelsea Mountney, Christopher Waudby,Claire Holmes,

Christian Beal, Coco Sato, Carinan Blij, Caterhine Burnette, Connie

Orbach, Chris Hill, Chris Land, Chantal Pullen, Christine Litchfield,

Claire Kirkbright, Cassie Riggs, Camille Loftin, Cat McPherson, Chris

Corry, Claire Holyoake, Declan Cassidy, Dan Leake, Darius Zaerin,

Darren Kent, Daryl Bennet, Dave Mcmaster, Dila Varder, Dave

Strange, Dotty Barrington, Dominic Henderson, Duncan Nurse,

Dotty Barrington, Dee Fisher, Danielle Hopper, Dan Hernandez,

Dave Waldman, Damian Ellis, Diana Aiton, Darren Hougham, Dan

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Wedge, Dave Evans, Dave Meckin, Darryl Black, Dee Fisher, Danny

Litchfield, Danny horwood, Danny Axtel, Dan Hill, Dave McCarthy,

Emily Beatty, Estelle Marks, Emily Walker, Emily Mcloughlin, Emily-

Rose Swirlesque, Emma Cafferky, Emma Norris, Emma

SandhamKing, Emma Walsh, Egg William, Eva Z, Esther Fari, Ed

MacDonald, Ellie Jones, EV Visor, Edd Cubbit, Eve Brownlow,

Edward Hall, Elenor Macdonalled, Edwin Hallwood, Ewan Simms,

Flick Nicole, Freya Mergler, Fiona Tout, Felix Otaola, Fernando

Rodruigez Gonzalez, Farah Ba-Abdullah, Garee Hilosdon, Gabriel

Wulff, George Richardson, Gabriel Swinton Stott, Gareth Gwynne-

Smith, Gemma Debice, Gosha Majewska, Graham Morris, George

Ridel, Gemma Dean, Graham Sowerby, Georgina Norris, Gilles

Buxton, Grace Barrington, Graham Edeensounds, Graham Sowerby,

Gemma Robaczynski, George Sworder, George Nunn, Guillaume

D’arjuz, Grace McWilliam, Gabby Baker, Genevra Jolie, George

Haskell, Grace Barnard, Grace Patience , Gary Redding, Gem

Debice, Gareth Carter, George Nowacki, Hannah Abdullah, Holly

Peyre, Hannah Camidge, Helen MacGregor, Harry Footit, Hayley

May, Hayley Joyes, Holly Sears, Heather Milsom, Holly Stafford,

Hannah Chilton, Huw Evans, Hannah Saunders, Hannah Desjardins,

Hannah Grasskamp, Heather Bandenburg, Helen Saunders, Hannah

Chapman, Heidi Grange, Heather Milsom, Hayley Litchfield, Helen

Hipperson, Imogene Aylwin, Imogen Rigby ,Ismet Munir, Isra El-

salihie, Imogen Oppe, Imogen Miller, Inyaki Ruiz Palomar, Itai

Bengal, Ian Heckford, Jules Arthur, Janthornsri Stanley, Jessica

Spencer, Jason Alexander, Jack Childs, Jo Smith, John Kelly, Jim

Cousins, James Wollard, Jessica Hard, Jenny Reina, Jo Mortimer,

Jack Freedman, Jack Brindley, Jair Black Santos, Jessica Eyerman,

Jacinta Thirlwell, James Kendall, Jane Smith, Jerry Morgan, Jess

Neame, Kassia Zermon, John Harman, Jonny Rose , Jess Romero,

Jo Trolley, Jez Cracknell, Joanna Hedges (Twink), Joe P, Jemima

Taylor Justin Pulsford, Jess clynewood, Jorge Tores, Jo Compton,

Jo Grenn, Jon Davis, Justin Monaghan, John Castrillon, Joel

Macpherson, John Saunders, James Sweeney, John Byrne, Jo

Orchard, Janine Kelly, Julien Thomasset, Jon Crawley, Jonathan

Darbourne, Jules Varnedoe, Jake Spicer, Jessica Hazel, Jacques

Keogh, Jay Thornton, Jane Fletcher, Richard Samuel , Jennifer

Stephenson, Julie Marie rivet, Janee Swan, Jonny Gomez, Jon Bate,

83

Jitka Androlova, Justin Reeve, Jason Clare, Jade Holford, Josh

Perea, Jamie Ash, Jamie Flippard, Jo Eales, Jimi Brogan, Joe Knight,

Jack Bennett, James Morgan, Julia Wolflee, Jack Healy, Jodie

Moran, Jim Rivers, James Street, Jay Phipps, Jennie Salter, Jess

Neame, Jessica Strawson, Jimmy Allen, Joe Loftin, Jolyon Swindells,

Jonathan Garrard, Katerina Rainwood, Kate Duncan, Karli Dendy,

Kate Whittingham, Kieran North, Kevin Row, Katti Codogno, Kieran

Smith, Kane Garland, Kate Salter, Jake Shone, Kavanagh Rattigan,

Kim Searle, Kerry Ann-Ting, Keith Marston, Kirsten Evans, Kate

Blake, Katherine Abbott, Krissy Nemeth, Kyle Holford, Kate

Robertson, Katherine Hudson, Kate Evans, Liam Hall, Laura Burgess,

Leo Brown, Lady Zooty, Lucy Beattie, Lou Platt, Lara Wylde, Lally

Mergler, Luke Waller, Lisa Turner-Wray, Liz Watts, Luke Skinner,

Lottie Hellier, Lucas Haethcote, Lucy Kennard, Liz Hougham, Luska

Mengham, Lottie Hellier, Luke Concannon, Lewis Hughes, Luke

Parrish, Loz Pickering, Lucy Ridley, Lisa Watchorn, Lucy Nacson-

Jones, Loolie Habgood, Lawrence Bliss Dome, Larry Lush, Lola

Cline, Lucie Thring, Louise Krystahl, Linzy Na Nakon, Lauren Smith,

Lily Sequoia, Letitian Hatanaka, Lucy Hollands, Layne Arlina, Lucas

Sinclair, Matt Barker, Mark Aiton, Maisie Brown, Maddy Edmunds,

Matt Haines, Melissa Lust, Matt Oliver, Matt ‘Red’ Turner, Micheal

Kane, Martin Brand, Mikel Preito, Michelle Bailey, Mark Pyrah, Martin

Cook, Marina Castledine, Michelle Song, Merve Cubukcuoglu,

Michael Helston, Meliesha Beth, Mim Knollys, Matt Trudge, Mike

Howard-Williams, Maxine Narburgh , Miles Lynch, Maria Luz, Mimi

Davies, Melek Sen, Maxine Silver, Milton Penflick, Margherita

Francesci, Max Grant, Mark Gardener, Matt Bates, Michael Howard-

Williams, Marie-Claire Canning, Mary Igglestone, Mark Trigg, Martin

missleton, Mary Newing, Milly Parmenter, Meia Hatanaka, Maria

Bowler, Michael Ashton, Morgan Clarke Ward, Matt Rivers, Mario

Cohelo, Matt Rich, Melissa Cox, Michelle Tilley, Natty Kadifa, Nat

Wells, Natasha Ba-Abdullah, Nav Sagoo, Nick Wilsdon, Nicole

Jones, Nina feathers, Nikkitta Landry, Natalie Depledge, Natalie

Dixon, Nathan Bellringer, Niki Georgiou, Noah Sacré, Nick Neter,

Neil Antcliffe, Noor Ayoub, Niku Rawlings, Nina Garner, Neil

Williams, Natalie Dixon, Neil Simmonds, Nadine Richardson, Nat

Mcgathan, Nobuyuki Hatanaka, Nadine Gardiner, Nathan Thomas,

Orban Wallace, Oli Clarke, Ollie Lynn, Olivia Fleming, Omar

84

Charlery, Oskar Wailin, Oliver Sudden, Peter Gosbee, Philip Lakka,

Paul Beard, Pippa Homan, Pippa Forester, Patti Kydd, Paul Burgess,

Pru Ainslie, Paula Fash, Peter Brownell, Pete Bennett, Poppy Kaye,

Peter Gosbee, Phillip Guyton, Phil Potts, Peter Eyres, Phil Easey,

Pete Sequoia, Patrick Robertson, Puja Patel, Paul Ingham,

PhoebeDarling-Senner, Rachel Nicholls, Ruth Liley, Rowena Gilbert,

Rae Spungles, Rupert de Renzy-Martin, Raymond Hemson, Rheanna

Davidge, Rich Davis, Riesh Phipps, Rosa Bloom, Richard Drakeford,

Rob Blakemore, Rory Mulligan, Rosetta Whitehead, Rachael

Durrant, Rosie Kendall, Ruben, Ruairi Rowan O’Connor, Brydie

Rowan O’Connor, Rosie Newman, Robert Silverton, Roz Russell,

Ruth Morgan, Robin Morris, Richard Randall, Russell Poutey, Rachel

Amoroso, Rick Holmes, Rick Bosman, Ramsey james, Rosie

Gainsborough, Robyn Riddoch, Rebecca West, Rob Pettman, Ruth

Egau, Saif Hasnie, Sally Lloyd, Sarah-Jayne Brook, Sharmeela Harris,

Stephen Carr, Sunni Jolly, Ted Gardiner, Thomas McLachlan,

Tommy Foulkes, Wes Weston, Zinnia Parr, Zoe Mclafferty Steffan

Brennan, Sarah Sea, Stevie Smith, Scott Rowlands, Stuart Fairburn,

Sasha das Gupta, Sadie Olesker, Stef Odhu, Sam Coveney, Sami

Majali, Sara Castledine, Shane Watson, Sofee Nadine, Spal, Seiriol

Davies, Sian Sandry, Sach Nagaoka-Toop, Stephen Williams (Spam),

Steve Capperr, Stevern Bowers, Stevi Jelbart, Stephanie Maciuk,

Stevie Teague, Sasha Jones, Spam Williams, Sam Scott, Stefan

Klenke, Simon Golding, Sophie Sakmann, Simon Kemp, Stuart

Fairburn, Suzanne Moo, Sean Mahon, Sarah Mead, Sam Baugh,

Simon Cass, Sam Surridge, Sally Horton, Sam Alison Tasha Marks,

Tim Ford, Tora Hudson, Tiger Lily Raphael, Tom Taylor, Thomas

Michael Ross, Tobi Wyld, Tom Camidge, Tim Simpson, Tora Hudson,

Tom Ratcliffe, Tom Olesker, Tom Smith, Thom Rewcastle, Tom

Peace, Uncle Nick, Una Turner, Uncle Mo, Vicki Tingle, Verity Owers,

Vera Zakharov, Vito Neagro, Viv Quaile, Valeria Tello Giusti, Will

Larington-Spencer, Will Mercer, Will Boullin, Warren Davies, Woody,

Yuka Stevenson, Zero, Zia Joshua, Zuza Mengham , The Marwood

Cafe, The Toy Museum, Coffee@33, The Northern Lights, The Print

Room, Stampa, Brighton University and many many more!

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MAP

Documents

Playgroup Festival 2012 Programme