PREPARATIONS are well in hand for the second Tavisrock festival, held at The Wharf — and this year, the event is even bigger and better.

The Tavisrock 'n' Blues Fest will take place on Saturday September 19 — a ten-hour bonanza of music and entertainment provided by a collection of bands and individual artists from around the South West.

Angela Court, owner of The Wharf, said: 'We are linking it with Help for Heroes this time round, so we are hoping to get plenty of support from the people of Tavistock for such a brilliant cause — and it's something the bands are keen to support too.

'We've got twice as many acts booked as we had last year, so the event will be twice as big, and it will be going on all day, from 2pm until midnight.'

Angela said the music festival should have 'something for everyone' with a wide variety of music being played, from heavy rock to folk.

'Each one will probably do about a half hour set, and hopefully we will have a very quick changeover,' said Angela.

Bands signed up so far include Angus, Full Metall Rackett, DeciBelle, 80 Degrees, Mendy, Bird on a Wire, Oxy, Eclypse, The Park, Crossfire, Revolution and Tavistock-based The Rock and Roll Outlaws. There are still more acts to be signed, promising a packed programme of original material, tributes and covers.

There will also be plenty of stalls to browse around and refreshments to enjoy.

Angela said: 'There will be people selling jewellery, clothes, trinkets, all sorts of stuff, and the things you often find at festivals, we've got relaxation sessions, body artists — and the barbecue will be going all day, as will the bar, and we've got a raffle this year with some lovely prizes.'

Angela said she hoped the music festival would be a real community event for Tavistock's music lovers — and raise plenty of money for Help for Heroes.

'It's now about as big as we can make it within the building — basically the next step would be to move outside into the park — that could happen next year, if this year goes well,' said Angela.

In addition to Tavisrock, The Wharf has some exciting new acts lined up for the coming months.

The popular Thursday night blues night is taking a short break — in the meantime, Friday nights will be the focus for local bands.

Angela said: 'We want to do more showcasing on Friday nights.

'This is planned pretty much through September and October, with bands like Devil's Creek — they are absolutely wicked, similar to Mad Dog McCrea — and Black Friday, who are great and should bring in a good crowd.

'Basically we are providing a platform for bands that play pubs and small clubs and who want something a little more ambitious.

'We are already providing this for The Adventures Of . . . who won our Battle of the Bands last year. They are absolutely wonderful and are coming back on October 16 with a fantastic show which includes cabaret and burlesque.'

For details of the Tavisrock 'n Blues Fest and other acts coming to The Wharf, check out the website at http://www.tavistockwharf.com">www.tavistockwharf.com