BY JO LAWFORD
jo@jeemo.co.uk

The creator of Antfest is bringing Antfestive back to the Beacon Court in Gillingham on the 23rd December.

Antfestive is well known for putting on fantastic events with some of the best local acts supporting them. The line up in December is yet another testament to this with The Archie Wah Wahs, The Sketch, One Day Elliott, The Startover, Floors and Walls and another three acts who are yet to be confirmed.

The massively musically crammed evening will start at around 7pm and is a cool price of just £5 on the door. As with all Antfestive events the proceeds of the night will go to charity and this time to the The Arethusa Centre in Upnor.

The story behind the creation of Antfestive started back in 2006 when Adam D’Souza lost his dad Gerard D’Souza to a heart failure in 2005.  Adam’s close friend Anthony Martin really wanted to do something to help his friend so he decided to gather all the people he had met over the last 10 years of being a musician and get them to perform at a one-day festival called Antfest.

All the money raised by Antfest would go to the British Heart Foundation, which helps to support people who suffer heart problems and their families.
After the success of Antfest Anthony then decided that he could do so much more and have another event, which would happen later in the year. This would not only raise more money and awareness but would also give people something to look forward to on those dark wintry nights. This was when Antfestive was born.

The Antfestive and Antfest gigs have played host to some fantastic great local names who have gone on to find massive opportunities not just at home but away too. Kingskin is one example who has graced the Antfestive stage and gone onto find success internationally and are currently recording with Steve Albini who produced In Utero by Nirvana. More success stories are One Day Elliott who have sold a whopping 10,000 records and have two American tours under their belts and Floors And Walls who won the Global Battle Of The Bands competition beating 26 bands from around the world.

Lets not forget the other bands who have helped to make these events a memorable and important part of the local gig diary. Los Salvadores, Aliquot Flow, Rage Against The Latrine, Timothy Edwards, Hurstpierpoint, Mexico FALLZ, Strangeday and 3dBsDOWN have all supported these events in the past along with many other acts. I could name them all but the list would be endless!
 
What makes these events extra special is that all the guys including Anthony have been in bands since they were 15 so there is a real sense of camaraderie between everyone, which is clear when you see the guys performing.

There is one story from Antfest, which is proof of this, and it happened last year when disaster struck and the singer for One Day Elliot couldn’t make it. The rest of the band still wanted to perform so all the singers from the other bands chose a song by One Day Elliott to sing with them. This was pretty amazing to see everyone come together and help each other for a cause greater than their own. It felt like a Band Aid moment, but on a much smaller scale!

It’s moments like these, which gives Antfestive and Antfest a unique feel and a true sense of community between the bands. It also shows that these guys are not just in it for the money but for the love of performing as well.

Although Antfestive does support the local music scene by raising awareness for the bands that play it also has a more serious message, which is to raise money and awareness for the charities it supports.

Antfestive is an evening of truly excellent music with a caring message behind it. It is truly amazing when music is used for something greater than profit, don’t you think?

Tags: 3dBsDOWN, Adam D'Souza, Aliquot Flow, Antfest, Antfestive, Anthony Martin, Archie Wah Wahs, Arethusa Centre (Upnor), Beacon Court (Gillingham), British Heart Foundation, Floors and Walls, Gerard D'Souza, Hurstpierpoint, In Utero, Kingskin, Los Salvadores, Mexico Fallz, Nirvana, One Day Elliott, Rage Against The Latrine, Steve Albini, Strangeday, The Sketch, The Startover, Timothy Edwards

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