​Groups' event: Not Abducted by Aliens: Music at The Jolly Sailor, East Street, Farnham, on 14th June at 20.00
As far as I’m aware, no one from Shades or The Hedge Inspectors has been abducted by aliens which, on reflection, is prove positive Space Beings clearly fail to appreciate good music.
In Shades we’re a little disappointed no one has beamed us up as we love to travel and meet people, and we eagerly await the day a little green man approaches us and says in a little green, squeaky voice, ‘Take me to your leader.’ That would be Mark, he calls the tune around here and backs it all up with elegantly picked melodies and solos whist maintaining a firm grip on our musical standards.  
If the Little Green Manmuttersassurances of living in ‘perfect harmony,’ then he needs to listen to the girls, Liz and Vanessa, who will set hisspine tingling with their singing and elegant harmonies. Vanessa sometimes can also be persuaded to play  solo on her penny whistle. 
Should the Little Green Man incoherently demand access to, ‘Your base, your centre of control’, he needs to speak to Keith, who having taken incoherent singing to a new level is usually only allowed to thud out the tempo on his trusty Bass.
Shades, ever ready for a five year mission to boldly explore new worlds, but until then equally happy to continue as a covers band entertaining you with a wide range of numbers from the Stereophonics, the Coral, Scouting for Girls, Noah and the Whale, Green Day, Neil Young, T Rex, Tears for Fears, The New Faces, Cold Play, The Stokes and many others.
If the little green Alien is feeling blue, he needs to speak to The Hedge Inspectors, an acoustic based duo with their own unique songs which often examine life on this planet from a quirky view point, possibly right up an Alien’s, well, Intergalactic Highway.
Mike and Caroline compose their own songs on many subjects, although not as yet about an Alien changing colour. Much in demand at numerous festivals across the country their diverse songs examines such issues as; Festival toilets, Wildlife, Unfortunate Events, Love, Loss, and the Afterlife. There is also a song about a Martian which may be revived especially for the occasion.
 
So, if you’re in the mood for a Close Encounter, come on down!
 
The evening is in support of the Marie Curie charity. 

It always feels a little strange to be within a week of the FFFestival getting started. We started planning and plotting way back last Autumn, and the work has gone on since among the four key volunteer organisers from Performers Together, with Sally Dickson coming on  board with another raft of writing events, including the Flash Fiction Competition, Sue Lampard working out her wonderful series of workshops which is the Big Sing, and Michelle Sowden once again putting a terrific Hale Shindig together.
And the registrations came in, and the brochure started to come together, and the printers came on board, and three weeks ago this year's full colour brochure arrived, in all its boxes and boxes, into Janet and Brian's garage in Hale. Steadily over those weeks the piles of boxes have diminished as the brochures have been distributed around Farnham and outlying places, around participants' networks and to passers-by in the Lion and Lamb Yard and outside the Maltings.
And there's just over a week to go before the launch event in Gostrey Meadow kicks off another June full of colour, sound, drama and movement. Phew!
There have been innovations this year. We have a new website, we have advertising supporting the cost of the brochure, we have a crowd-funding campaign which makes supporting the running of the FFFestival really easy to do, at whatever level people wish, just by clicking on https://www.gofundme.com/growing-farnham039s-fringe and following a few simple guide instructions.
This Blog, too, is a New Thing. There will be posts from various performers, telling more about their work than will fit in the What's On listing.
There have been ups and downs. The Farnham Institute generously increased its grant funding to us to help us increase the visibility of FFFestival events around town during the month. Farnham Town Council also granted us some funding towards the cost of the brochure, though sadly were not able to do so at previous years' levels. We've welcomed registrations from performers who've been with us since the start, as well as from those who are participating for the first time, and we've not heard from others who have joined in before.
AND there is a great, various gallimaufry of a month coming up.
Make sure your brochure is to hand - and that you check the website: events are still coming in which aren't in the brochure. And there's the Blog to follow!
​Have a great month!