Doug Hudson is asking what sensible suggestions there mgiht be to improve Sweeps' fest. He writes: -

"Richard
I'm trying to get feelers for anything I can do to improve next year. I know you spent much of the time at the GI and that seemed to rock away very nicely.

You may have noticed the yobbery problems of Rochester High Street and the desperation of some of the venues to chase the buck (moving Chris Taylor's Irish session so that yobbos could watch a footballl match). Others did very well and the Gordon, Man of Kent, City Wall Wine Bar Stage and Concert Marquee were grand.

Any thoughts from you would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Dougie"


From our exchanges it seems that both Doug and Gordon Newton would rule out a move to Chatham Maritime in any form.


I have already suggested

1.   Move the Gastove band session to a more central venue and give Gastove a proper operating budget. Maybe in the glass-sided room in the visitor centre next to the cafe, or a separate room in the Guild Hall (to cross-fertilise with Bob and Kath's singaround) or the old "Wish it was a brewery" clubroom at the King's head (if there was not a sound penetration problem with bands downstairs)

2. Get the council to shout at the police: plenty of police about during the day to police nice folkies yet they all run away when the feral youth comes out to play. There should be real police patrolling the High Street from 6 to midnight.

3. Bring the "mini-reviews" of the bands booked into the pubs back to the program to help people to decide what to see.

4. Camping by the new riverside walk. http://www.medwayrenaissance.com/news/?p=p_35&sName=Rochester-Riverside-Walk-Opens    and   http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/business/medwayrenaissance/sites/202-2.html


I have also of course suggested more folk music and less Americana and pub rock - but let's not please have another "what is folk" threa here - I want sensible suggestions!


Dilligaf has suggested having the procession on Sat am, and booking more sides for Sun and Mon. Once the procession used to be a highlight, but now more and more sides go home before it.   NB the coming year May 1st is on the Sat, so sides that welcomed in the May could then process, have a pint, and have a kip!


Over to you chaps and chapesses. Remember that less than 20 years ago you could walk into any pub in the High Street and people would be making acoustic music, and indeed Ben McManigan would be sitting at the bar with a half-drunk pint of Guinness and a half-smoked Capstan Full Strength. And no-one was getting hassled by piss-heads after 6 m.