MORE than 12 live bands, two stages, two big dance tents and a variety of stalls and refreshment outlets will be on the menu at the music event of the summer in Tavistock. The run-up to the Parklife music festival at Tavistock College kicked off last week, when Plymouth Sound radio?s Black Thunder crew visited the school and student bands performed live. The event, on Sunday July 2, will launch a 12-month project to equip the college with state of the art stage, sound and recording facilities which will benefit students and the wider community in West Devon. The festival is being supported by Tavistock Music Live and promises to provide music to suit all tastes and ages, including rock, folk and jazz. Acts already confirmed include local bands, student groups and outfits from much further afield. Names such as Relentless, Hannah and the Madding Crowd and London-based Catharsis will be rubbing shoulders with talented young bands like Blue Steel and Imij, both of whom made the finals of last year?s Okehampton Battle of the Bands competition. There will also be performances by the Tavistock-based Stannary Brass Band and West African drumming sensation Tapalapa. And in the dance tent, DJ Nefarious, who has worked gigs such as the Glastonbury and V festivals, and DJ Mitch (Bigga Records/UFO) will be providing sounds from hip-hop to disco, via reggae, house and drum and bass. Martin Griffin, of Tavistock Music Live, said Parklife was a great example of the type of event that the organisation was striving for. ?It?s very exciting and it?s great to have so much support from the college for something which is going to benefit the wider community,? said Martin. ?It?s marvellous to have a forum for such a wide range of music. The headmaster has assured us the weather is going to be fine on the day and we are really looking forward to it ? so it?s a case of be there, or be square!? College principal Colin Eves paid tribute to the team which is putting Parklife together. ?They have put a huge amount of work into this, from fundraising, applying for grants, gathering sponsorship and making all the arrangements for such an enormous event, to getting the site set up and getting the bands set up ? they are absolutely amazing,? he said. Mr Eves said the school was ?buzzing? with excitement about the big event, which is forecast to draw an audience of around 1,500. ?It?s fantastic that we have got Plymouth Sound involved ? they will be promoting the event in the weeks before the event, they will be here on the day and will be broadcasting live clips from the festival. ?It was great that their Biker Dave was able to spare the time to come to the school as well and talk to the students on Friday.? Mr Eves said there was already a ?clamour for tickets?, which went on sale last Monday. ?The message is this is a fantastic event for all the family ? there is really something for everyone,? he said. Tickets for Parklife are now on sale at the college, at Bookstop and the Tourist Information Office in Tavistock and at Virgin Megastore in Plymouth. There is also an opportunity to win free tickets in a special prize draw being run on the Parklife website, which went live last week. To find out more about this exciting event, go to http://www.parklifeparty.co.uk">www.parklifeparty.co.uk
