EventLink 2003
7 June - 16 August The World comes to Swindon Thanks to sponsorship from the University of Bath in Swindon, some really big names in World Music have been booked by Swindon Artscape for this year's concert series at the Old Town Bowl. Coming up: 7 June: Township Jive with Soul Brothers from Johannesburg, South Africa These kings of jive have long been acclaimed the most influential township group ever. Coming first-class boogie with sunny vocal harmonies and wafts of Hammond organ, the result is irresistible and has been winning audiences over for nearly three decades. 21 June: Roots Reggae with Morgan Heritage from Jamaica Here are the 'The Royal Family of Reggae', Morgan Heritage are making a rare trip to the UK - an unmissable feast for all reggae fans. 5 July: Salsa with Roberto Pla's Latin Ensemble from Colombia/UK Roberto Pla is one of the most influential and long standing musicians on the UK Salsa scene and comes to Swindon with his outstanding all star 15 piece band. 19 July: Folk with Shooglenifty from Scotland Traditional melodies presented with high energy and shades of electronic and dub reggae; a potent musical brew sometimes known as Acid Croft. 2 August: Bhangra with DCS India/UK. DCS have been at the forefront of the UK bhangra scene for 20 years fusing traditional and very infectious Punjabi bhangra rhythms with Western pop music. As one of the most poular bands on the scene, tickets are essential for this one. Bhangra and Bollywood sounds from DJ Gurm. 16 August: Caribbean Party Night with SW Storm & Island Fury The UKs premier SOCA artist comes to the Bowl with a nine piece band playing, ready to lay it down for great summer party music. Classic Caribbean music provided by DJU Derrick and his Sweet Memory Sounds. For tickets call 466522. www.swindonartscape.co.uk 30 October Rebel anti-war MP George Galloway in Swindon Swindon Stop the War Coalition hosts a public meeting with rebel anti-war MP George Galloway on 30th October at the Pilgrim Centre on Regent Street, 7:30 pm. The organisers say there will be opportunities for debate, and Mr Galloway will be answering questions. George Galloway, Labour MP for Glasgow Kelvin, was the most prominent opponent of the government's policy on Iraq, and has been suspended from the Labour Party for allegedly bringing the party into disrepute, by describing Tony Blair and George Bush as "Wolves falling on Iraq" to an Arab radio station. The final hearing to decide whether he will be expelled from the Labour Party will be on 22nd October, and Mr Galloway's meeting in Swindon will be one of his first public appearances after the hearing. Mr Galloway was accused by the Daily Mail and the American newspaper, Christian Science Monitor of being in the pay of Saddam Hussein, but both of these newspapers have accepted that their allegations were based upon forged documents, and withdrawn the charges. Similar allegations have been made by the Daily Telegraph which are now subject to a libel action by Mr Galloway. Spokesperson for Swindon Stop the War Coalition, Andy Newman, says that the local group fully support Mr Galloway: "The government clearly exaggerated evidence and lied about the alleged threat to Britain in the run up to war. We have no doubt that the allegations against Mr Galloway are also lies and distortions, part of a vain attempt to discredit the anti-war movement. George Galloway is one of the most eloquent and persuasive public speakers and we are delighted that he is coming to Swindon. We also support Mr Galloway's right to stay in the Labour Party" Swindon Stop the War Coalition was due to have a public meeting with George Galloway on 30th January, but at the last minute he had to withdraw due to a double booking with BBC's Question Time. He was replaced by Chippenham born Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn. Over 280 people attended this meeting in the run up to war in Iraq, making it one of the largest political meetings in Swindon for a generation. "Across Swindon there are thousands of people who are angry that the government took us to war based upon lies", says Andy Newman, "and many are very dissatisfied with the poor performance of our two Swindon MPs, who just toed the party line instead of thinking for themselves. There is a lot of concern that British troops could now be sucked into an indefinite guerrilla war. This meeting is therefore an opportunity for people to make their views felt. We want to see an end to the occupation of Iraq by foreign forces, and we want to see British troops brought home straight away. "