A full-day music event arrives at the Apollo Theatre, Newport on Saturday 6th June, gathering musicians from across the country to mark one of the Isle of Wight’s most quietly remarkable community achievements, Operation Geranium.
A gathering of musical tribes
Music promoter, Steve Double BEM, brings together guest bands from Cornwall, Brighton and Northampton alongside Island-based artists, spanning folk, country, punk, acoustic, skiffle and rock for Operation Geranium Festival.
The venue itself carries its own history – a community playhouse run by volunteers since 1970.
Headliners: StormTrooper
Topping the bill are Island band StormTrooper, formed in 1976 at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London, by songwriter Nigel Hutchings and bass player Jeff Piccinini.
Nigel went on to serve as General Manager of the Marquee for ten years – a club that became the birthplace of the British punk rock explosion.
StormTrooper released one single, I’m a Mess, before splitting; Jeff subsequently joined Chelsea, whose early launch featured Billy Idol and Sting.
Decades on, StormTrooper return with songs that still feel entirely relevant – a reminder that people share far more than divides them.
Pub rock royalty from Brighton
Brighton pub rock legends The Fish Brothers take a main support slot, best known for over 200 shows across Europe as support act for The Levellers.
The piano comedy duo’s earlier incarnation included Captain Sensible and Attila the Stockbroker among its recruits.
Folk from the waterways
Rhiannon Crutchley (pictured right) – performing as The Brewer’s Daughter – brings original and traditional folk songs steeped in roots and culture, shaped by extensive touring across UK and European festival and venue stages including Glastonbury, Bearded Theory and the 100 Club.
Her multi-instrumentalist talents and honest, down-to-earth wit create a natural bond with audiences of all ages.
Punk wiring, pop sensibility
Cornwall-based The Ides of Sedition mix 1970s punk with electronic and 1980s indie pop influences.
The band centres on Chris Bashford, an art college contemporary of Mick Jones, who played drums at the Clash’s early debut and later joined Chelsea and London band, The Boys.
Keyboard player and programmer Caralinda Booth brings electro pop energy drawn from international touring with the Thompson Twins and Shakespeare’s Sister, as well as work with the Monochrome Set and Deborah Harry.
Homegrown talent
The Duvers bring folk acoustic songs from Peter Banks – keyboard player with After the Fire in the 1970s and 80s, who toured the USA with Van Halen – joined by Island bass player Stuart Capewell and Linda O’Connor on flute.
Angelina and Dave Godby, who opened for the sell-out Nashville Nights Tour in February, perform country pedal steel guitar, mandolin and original songs from celebrated Island songwriter Angelina Grimshaw.
All Washed Up, Island stalwarts of the skiffle scene, return with a fresh line-up of local musicians for a new run of shows.
Graham Yeo Blow, guitarist with the Island’s Apple Beatles tribute band, makes a debut performance of new solo guitar and vocal material drawn from the Americana, country, folk and blues songbook.
Operation Geranium
Operation Geranium began in 2020, employing adults with learning and support needs to grow plants, which were then delivered in pots by Care Navigators at Age UK Isle of Wight via a green cargo pedal bike volunteer service called Keert UK.
The project also spawned an art trail inclusion initiative, publishing the work of 14 local artists as free postcards under the banner ‘Wish You Were Here’.
More than 50,000 of those postcards reached people across the world – distributed through hundreds of online outlets, local shops and businesses – connecting isolated and lonely people during Covid travel restrictions.
The art collection later grew to include works reflecting wider pop culture, loaned to public libraries, community cafes, museums and spaces across the Island.
Where, when and how to book tickets
Operation Geranium Festival takes place on Saturday 6th June at Apollo Theatre, Pyle St, Newport PO30 1JT.
Doors open at 2pm, with music running through to 10.15pm.
Tickets cost £16.50 and are available from the Ticket Source website.
Steve Double BEM hosts the event, with band merchandise available throughout the day. Age UK Isle of Wight will attend on the day to signpost wellbeing support for older residents.
The event is sponsored by Red Funnel Ferries and supported by Wight Aid.
Our thanks to the artists for sponsoring this feature. They and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
