Rox Festival 2006
Sunday 28th to Monday 29th May 2006Bognor Regis Town Football Club, Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis PO21 2TY, England MAP
Sunday £5 (pay at gate), Monday £18.50 (tickets available in advance),
There were two stages, the Main outdoor stage and one inside the clubhouse where you could also find a bar with friendly staff, reasonable prices and most importantly, clean, warm toilets! Outside there was a good selection of fast food and other sorts of festival stalls to satisfy a variety of appetites.
Sunday brought local bands dramatically ranging in age and genre from young students singing Rock and alternative rock to experienced blues and Jazz musicians, as well as some classic and Celtic artists. Several international bands were also part of the Sunday line up, such as Nuance at Noon, four young girls from Denmark singing country style pop with a folk edge and The Scream Rock band from Ireland.
Headlining Sunday was the singer-songwriter John Otway, by all accounts quite a character with a large following.
Mondays entertainment kicked off late afternoon with the smoking hot band that is Black Mariah from our own capital, London. Their lively, fresh and funky sounds pulled in the crowd with much help of course from their energetic and engaging front man. By the end of the set he had everyone moving, cheering and whistling and the cold fingers and toes were forgotten (damn it was chilly).
Next came the local Mark Keen band, clearly an old favorite from around these parts, filling the air with some psychedelic blues.
Then it was the turn of the much anticipated Fun Lovin' Criminals. The New York band appeared in 40s style white gangster suits, wide ties and hats. Lead singer Huey captivated the audience with a Sinatra-esque charm and elegance (and a cheeky grin) perfectly befitting the jazzy sounds of their latest album. Their worldwide success and experience shined through as they effortlessly and very sexily played through their musical repertoire.
All in all a good couple of days out, at a small but interesting well organized festival.
review by: Kim Gordon