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The get in
The Theatre Royal, Ramsbottom was the venue for Ramfest 2005 and at 4.00pm on Saturday the 8th of October, the first of the musicians rolled up to start the task of humping all the gear into the theatre. When the PA company turned up, the manager of the theatre was turning green! Do you really need all that equipment was his cry as he imagined the theatre being blown apart with a wall of sound ! It's vital was our retort! You will want to hear these great bands ! 'Oh bloody 'ell' was his reply as he retired into his office in a desperate search for earplugs!
The Sound Check
At 5.00pm we had filled the stage - boy it was a mess! How does all this gear suddenly turn into a gig? Well an hour later, the PA boys had done their bit, set the gear up and the Earth Wind and Fire band were ready to sound check - Amazing! After a quick blast through a couple of songs we were happy with the sound and the Police followed quickly after (That's the band for a sound check not the arresting type!)
Simon Campbell was late - he always is. Then again, most of his band was late. Only Trevor the keyboard player turned up on time and he didn't know anybody, including his own band! At 6.30pm, The Disciples started to sound check and the rest of the gang tucked into some delicious food provided by Mel and my mum. You can't beat a bit of pizza and a beer before a gig!. At 7.00pm the bands had sound checked and we were ready to open the doors ! The Disciples retired to the dressing room to rehearse their set and the rest of us retired to the bar in the hope that somebody would turn up for the gig!
Doors Open
At 7.00pm the doors opened and people arrived! Mel was on the door welcoming the faithful and extracting the cash, something she is particularly good at - I should know!! From far (Huddesfield) and wide (Manchester) people came to boogie. The bar staff where suddenly inundated with thirsty beer monsters - something that they are not used too! When there is a play on, they usually sell tea as the average age of the theatre goer is 132 !
At 7.40pm there was a short announcement on the stage to welcome everybody to RAMFEST 2005 and to emphasise the reason why the event was taking place i.e. to have fun and raise valuable cash for Derian House.
The Police
At 7.45pm the intro tape for the Police kicked in and onto the stage wandered 3 dubious characters with one dressed in combat gear - Was he expecting a riot? Well a riot of a welcome greeted the first song Roxanne as the Police band started to thunder through its set. The crowd was magnificent in their enthusiasm for the band with general cheering and Mexican waves !
The first dancer of the night was from New Zealand. Tim and his wife bopped away to message in a bottle and set the standard on the dancing stakes! Meanwhile in between songs Simon Jarvis (aka Andy Summers) was busy taking photos of the proceedings.
The set ended with Every Breathe You Take and an acoustic version of Englishman in New York complete with a urban hip hop rap from the Crazy Frog - Awesome ! The crowd retired to the bar as the Police left to arrest some more stray punters
Earth Wind And Fire
Next was the tribute to Earth Wind and Fire. This band had five players including backing vocals and percussion. Right from the start the crowd was on their feet dancing to the swirling sounds of 70's soul/disco. Roman Szafranski the singer was magnificent as he went through an entire vocal range that no man with his tackle in the right place should be allowed to do! Up from grabs was a greatest hits CD of EWF and a mysterious blonde was not going to let anybody beat her to that CD and the dancing ! The band finished with the classics September and Boogie Wonderland to bring the second part of the show to an end. Funky!
The Bar
By this time, the bar was under considerable strain as more and more alcohol was consumed! It proved to be another record for bar takings. In fact the bar had to close early due to running out of beer and the staff being knackered! While this was going on, the stage was being ready for Simon Campbell's Disciples. The band were still rehearsing in the dressing room!
The Disciples
Boy these guys are good! They launched into a fantastic blues set which got the whole theatre rocking! Simon Campbell is a great showman and a mean guitar player! He was ably helped out by Eddie on Drums, Trevor on Keys and Father and Son combo Dan - Bass and his son on percussion! There is something very satisfying about hearing a guitar being played very loud ! It was a compliment to hear that we had drowned out the Clarence pub just up the road.
The End
As soon as it had started, RAMFEST 2005 had come to an end. The PA boys (who did a magnificent job) packed up and left The rest of the muso's completed their get out. More donations were given by people on the way out and it was a pleasure to be involved in an event where people both enjoyed themselves and gave very generously.
More Donations
The cash was counted and we had raised over the £1,500 - awesome. Then just to cap it, a a few more cheques appeared to the turn of £40, £250 & £100 respectively! Thank you for those kind donations. RAMFEST 2005 was another fantastic event and well done to all of you who gave your time, money and energy! Roll on next year...
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