MEECHING HALL - FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER

FRIDAY 26th 6 - 10pm - SATURDAY 27th 4 - 10pm 

Hospitable Environment are pleased to support Friends of Meeching Hall as they gather together some seriously brilliant and local musical talent to launch their fundraising campaign. This two-day celebratory event is organised by Friends of Meeching Hall with a view to preparing a bid to purchase this much-loved community hall for the community. If you can't make it to the festival, please consider making a donation to help them in their efforts. 

 All money raised will go towards this vision, and we hope that this mini festival demonstrates what this beloved hall can offer us in BN9. Friends of Meeching Hall are proud to present the line-up and every single act lives in Newhaven, so join them! Tickets are available for Friday, Saturday or the whole weekend.

There will be a bar/cafe upstairs, and you are welcome to bring food. The kebab shop next door and the fish and chip shop just up the road are both fantastic.

FOMH are looking for volunteers to be stewards and serve at the cafe / bar for this event. Please email friends.of.Meechinghall@gmail.com if you can help.

Friday 26th June

6.30pm - Jasmine went to Seahaven Academy and is currently studying music at Northbrook. She is a local singer-songwriter expressing her passion through music, performing emotional pop ballads with heart-felt vocals and powerful story-telling. She would love to see the hall used for open mike sessions for those starting out.

7.30pm - Swing Swing Swing is the main act, with a tremendous 12-piece band to get your feet tapping. They are 2 years old now, all semi-pro musicians playing the tunes everyone knows and loves from the 30s onwards. Paul Boswell set up the band and would love to use the hall for band practice as he currently has to go to Lewes. Get your dancing shoes on!

Saturday 27th June

4.30pm - Nick Pynn is a British musician and composer noted for his use of bass pedals and live looping with electroacoustic stringed instruments. For this performance, he goes back to his roots playing a stripped-back folk fiddle set. He loves walking his dog past the Meeching Hall, the festive pantos and said losing it would be heartbreaking. Nick will accompany our homegrown Morris Dancers for their first dance of the evening. A moment not to be missed. 

5.15pm - Pemma Ashdown moved to Newhaven from Brighton last year and has a voice to melt all troubles away. Her most recent album Journey of The Heart was inspired by nature and her time living in Spain, she blends poetic folk with relaxing ambient tones. She describes the hall as a little gem. https://ffm.to/jhpemma

5.45pm - Dandelion Charm are an acoustic duo with their own blend of original Folk/ Prog. Known for their intricate harmonies, soaring melodies, superb musicianship and heartfelt lyrics. Imagine Fleetwood Mac meets Opeth and CSN meets Yes. https://www.dandelioncharm.com/

6.30pm - Rick Sharpe has been a professional musician since the early 60s and has lived in Newhaven for 25 years. Sales for his album Five Day Rain reached over 100,000 and his version of House of the Rising Sun, which he’ll play, is extraordinary. Rick is a regular user of the hall and described it as a spiritual home to him. www.silentstudios.org.uk

7.00pm - Jazz du Imogen Ryall & Rod Hart Widely considered an important voice on the UK jazz scene Imogen has performed at many of the UK jazz venues. Roderick found work early playing on piano and built a repertoire quickly. “Living round the corner I walk past Meeching Hall every day and when the’ For Sale’ sign went up I had a sinking feeling it was a ‘done deal’. So pleased when I heard about the Friends of Meeching Hall’s bid and happy to play for you.” 

8.00pm - Covers Brothers Glen Richardson and Tom Arnold bring you their show ‘The A to Z of Pop’. As long- standing professional musicians Tom and Glen have a whole array of tunes in their head. The audience is invited to shout out a band, and they will play one of their songs; from Abba to Zappa! Tom recently moved to Newhaven and overlooks Meeching Hall. He is passionate about retaining performance spaces in the heart of the community. 

Find it all at Meeching Hall, Fort Rd, Newhaven BN9 9QQ

If you are not able to make the festival,  but would like to help FOMH to keep the hall in community use, please contact them at friends.of.meechinghall@gmail.com and follow them @friends.of.meeching.hall 

Getting there:

Newhaven Town Railway Station is a ten-minute walk away, Newhaven Town Centre and South Way bus stops are within five-minutes walk, and the West Quay Car Park is two-minutes away.