So, this is it! We open doors to our Twestival Global 2010 event at Mama Stone’s, Exeter in a few hours…

The last couple of weeks are a blur at the moment with all the activities we’ve had to undertake and the new friendships made to make Exeter Twestival a reality!

Although we would have liked ‘hundreds’ of you to have bought tickets online, we are very grateful for where we are today, from 3 weeks ago!  Thanks to YOU for having shown generosity and kindness of spirit - by either buying tickets, donating to our cause or helping spread our message of charitable social engagement.

A personal “thank you” to my team for the time they gave me and the commitment they’ve shown to the mission of Twestival - you all are incredible! A big “thank you” to our sponsors who have stood by us and believed in the possibility of Exeter Twestival - you guys lead by example!

Last but not least, “thank you” Ellie Williams, Mozura, The Fallen Angels, Kevin Winser, Port Bandanas, Wille and the Bandits and of course our host this evening, James Everett.  Exeter Twestival wishes you all a great future ahead and pledges to support you every step of the way!

* In case you haven’t bought a ticket for the event yet, you can get your Ticket on the door at Mama Stone’s.

If you are not able to join us personally tonight, we invite you to follow us on Live Twitter and Video Streams and Donate money online at http://www.twitterface.com/ExeterTwestival

Click here for Programme Schedule

Very gratefully,

Lead Organiser
Exeter Twestival

Self confessed 90’s throw back, Kev has been closely involved in the South west music scene either as a performer, regional music journalist (24/7, Event South West, Scene magazine) or local Radio Broadcaster (BBC, Phonic FM, Freesound, Culm FM).

He was a member of Riot Grrl band ‘P-Complex’ who toured and played with the likes of lost underground heroes like Huggy Bear, These Animal Men’, and er…The Yummy Fur!, picking up humbling support and admiration from peers such as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Blur’s Graham Coxon along the way.

Kev currently DJs for ‘Trash City‘, the 1st Saturday of each month, at The Cavern Club.

Kev is also the ex guitarist /singer with The Whipping Boys, a band active in the South West of England during the 90’s, receiving much critical acclaim from regional and national publications.

Touring was limited due to the geographical differences of band but they played memorable support/showcase/A&R nights around the country and had their original studio demos produced by Dave Mcdonald of Portishead. They released many further self produced/recorded EP’s and contributed a track to the Daylight studio’s showcase CD compilation of band’s from Devon entitled…’Long and Pink’.

Check out Kevin’s MySpace page.

“I’m very pleased to be invited to contribute to the first Exeter Twestival and will be playing a short set of originals and some unexpected ‘craaazzy’ covers!”

Kev completes our very distinguished line-up of live performers at #ExeterTwestival.  Come, be part of this worldwide movement! Join other #Twestival party-goers tomorrow (25th March 2010) at Mama Stone’s, Exeter.

Stop Press! This is really exciting news - Port Bandanas very generously offers to play at Exeter Twestival! They contacted us after hearing James Barisic (@jamesmb) talk about us on Big JG’s late show on BBC Radio Devon, last Sunday! Wow!!

Port Bandanas are a bluesy, funky, rocky, folky four-piece from Plymouth, and specialise in picking up your spirits in the rain or getting you dancing in the sun!  Their live performances have seen them on main stages at festivals including Beach Break Live and their first ever gig saw them crowned Plymouth Student Battle of the Bands Winners in 2009. 

Port Bandanas were spawned in winter 2008 by four students hell-bent on playing lively, fun and often humorous original tunes.  They’ve played across the South West and at several local festivals and have a good local fan-base.  2010 will see the release of a 5-track EP and an autumn tour!

Click here for their MySpace page.

We just can’t wait to hear them LIVE! Don’t be left out of participating in an evening of fun and contributing towards a charitable cause…get your tickets via the link below -

We’ve got the full line-up for the Exeter Twestival on Thursday 25 March. There’s just one thing missing: you!

Due to illness, one band has had to drop out so there’s a free 30 minute slot for a local singer or band and we want to find someone to take it online!

Twestival is all about using social media to make things happen, so we want to make this happen for a local talent. You’ll get up to a 30 minute slot at Mama Stone’s, playing alongside a flock of other local talent. This is a great way to get more exposure for yourself or your band and it helps raise money for charity too! If you’re interested, leave a comment below or send a DM to @exetertwestival.

So, what’s the line-up?

• James Everett is an actor and stand-up comedian. His comedy club in London won a Chortle Award last year, and he also appears on BBC7’s Newsjack. He’ll be introducing the bands and keeping the night moving, no matter what happens.
• Mozura are Laura Turley, Rich Austin (Obedient Bone) and Mo Oram (The Invisible Opera Co). They’re creating an alt-folk/blues acoustic sound built around smoky vocals and Rich’s deep double-bass. They’re so fresh they don’t have a website yet!
• The Fallen Angels are a sassy acoustic quartet who’ll bring a dash of glamour to the evening with their tight set and swooping harmonies.
• Your face goes here
  As we’ve lost a band due to illness, this slot is currently open! Contact us if you’re interested.
• Ellie Williams cools us back down with her haunting vocals and emotive song-writing. She’s bringing the band so won’t let the temperature drop too far!
• Willie and the Bandits, this month’s resident band at Mama Stone’s, will see us into the early hours with their roof-raising mix of folk, Americana and full on blues rock.

Tickets are from £5, and 100% of the money raised will go to Concern Worldwide. Five acts for a fiver! And your money will make a real difference. If we reach our target of £1,000 then all those fivers will train five new teachers.

Doors open at 7pm, with the first act on stage by 7.30 – there are a lot of them to cram in! We’ll be focussing on each act over the coming days.

Twestival is a great way to spend an evening: it’s also a way of raising funds for charity.

The global charity for 25 March 2010 is Concern Worldwide (@concern), who focus on improving the lives of the poorest people in the world. The money raised by the Twestival will be spent on improving access to education for those who need it most, including the millions of children of primary school age (the majority of them girls) who are not enrolled in school.

Here’s how Concern’s education programme can change lives (YouTube).

Concern has confirmed that 100% of money raised will be used for material purchases (curriculum, desks, pencils) as well as project activities such as construction of schools; rehabilitation of classrooms; teacher/management training; PTAs; HIV/AIDS school clubs; water and sanitation in schools; health education in schools; education advocacy; vocational/life-skills training for youth, farmers and women; and curriculum development for secondary school/university.

Access to education opens up opportunities for people. It’s easy to forget that in the UK, where we have universal free education from five years old through to our mid-teens. We may grumble about it but we have opportunities millions worldwide lack.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

It might seem like paying £5 to attend the event might not make much difference, but the Twestival Global site shows how the funds raised so far will improve access to education across the world. Twestival is about making small actions that transform lives.

Please help us to raise our target. £1000 could pay for one of the following:

• health education for around 1,000 children
• a year’s education for 20 children currently not in school at all
• two new school wells, providing clean water for school children
• furnish two school classrooms for a year
• train five teachers.

If you can’t attend on the night, you can still donate online via the Donate button and know that the money raised will make a difference.

Events need hosts, and we’re really pleased to confirm that James Everett has agreed to host the Exeter Twestival on 25 March 2010.

James is a comedian, actor and writer. He’s been performing professional stand up since 2005 at clubs throughout the UK and has performed alongside comedians such as Omid Djalili, Stephen Merchant, Dave Gorman and Reginald D Hunter.

James was also founder and resident host of The Porthole Comedy Club in Kilburn, which was voted the Chortle Award winner for Best London Comedy Venue (small) 2009.

“James Everett: Funny, charming and sexy. If that’s not the case by the time you see him, something has gone very very wrong in his life…”
Omid Djalili

He has written for BBC Radio 7’s comedy satire Newsjack and is currently developing his own TV sketch show, One Big Mop.

To see some of James’s TV work click here.

The Twestival opens its doors at Mama Stone’s on 25 March 2010 and tickets are on sale now, from £5. The event is raising funds for Concern Worldwide’s education programme.

Mozura are the next act announced for the Exeter Twestival on 25 March 2010. This band is so fresh that this will be their public debut, and they don’t even have a MySpace page we can point you to yet!

Mozura is three local musicians who have been playing separately on the Exeter scene and who have now joined forces:

• Laura Turley is an acoustic singer/songwriter who has recorded with Phil Wilson (The June Brides) and others.
• Rich Austin is a double-bass playing singer/songwriter with Fat Battery whose EP is available on Pop Noise records. He was a quarter of Obedient Bone, a local urban breakbeat four-piece who won the Diesel Urban Music Award in 2004.
• Mo Oram’s previous bands include The Invisible Opera Co. and The Collectiv’, both of whom have played Glastonbury Festival.

Together, they’re creating an acoustic alt-folk/blues sound that’s been compared to Mumford and Sons and The Low Anthem.

We’re really pleased to have this band in our line-up for the Twestival. Twestival is all about coming together locally to create something special, and Mozura does this too.

The Twestival is being held at Mama Stone’s (@mama_stones) on 25 March 2010 and tickets are on sale now, from £5. The event is raising money for Concern Worldwide (@concern).

You can now buy your ticket for the Exeter Twestival on Thursday 25 March from our ticket site. Tickets are from £5 and 100% of the money raised goes to Concern Worldwide (@concern).

Exeter Twestival Global 2010 is being held at Mama Stone’s (@mama_stones) from 7pm and promises to be a lively evening with music from upcoming local acts. Tickets are limited so this is a chance to buy yours early and be sure of a place on the night.

Ellie Williams is the first act to be announced for the Exeter Twestival Global 2010 event at Mama Stone’s on Thursday 25 March.

Ellie Williams (@elliewilliams) is an acoustic singer songwriter based in Exeter and has recorded her debut album with acclaimed producer Tony Platt. The costs of recording were raised through donations from fans on the Sellaband web site, indicating her strong grassroots support.

The album, Unseen, is now available and you can sample the songs on her website. Her track, Fin’s Song, was the Express & Echo’s charity single for Christmas 2009 and she’s appeared on both ITV WestCountry and BBC Spotlight.

We’re thrilled that Ellie has agreed to play at the Twestival. As well as raising money for Concern Worldwide, we also want to showcase the best new talent and finest established acts in the local area.

We’re delighted to announce that the first Exeter Twestival will take place at Mama Stone’s, Mary Arches Street, from 7pm on Thursday 25 March 2010.

Mama Stone’s (@mama_stones) is one of Exeter’s liveliest and most welcoming live music venues. As well as hosting great live acts, it also has great food and drink, and a vibrant yet laid back atmosphere. They also provide support for upcoming talent with vocal tuition and a recording space. We’re really excited to be working with Wendy and Jonathan to make the Twestival part of Exeter’s music scene.

Mama Stone’s have generously agreed to provide the venue free of charge to help us raise funds for Concern Worldwide (@concern), our nominated international charity this year. All funds raised from the Twestival Global events on 25 March will go to Concern to help the 72 million children worldwide who don’t currently have the opportunity to go to school.