Despite the closure of The Rec Rooms, there are still outlets for fans of original live music in Horsham.  Revelations at The Rec was launched last year, giving local acts the chance to perform with professional sound equipment to a good-sized crowd. Now the organisers have been forced to look elsewhere, with March’s event held at The Roffey Club, with a new name.

New Music Revelations is organised by Stephen Marshall, frontman of rock group The Absolute Loves. Stephen said: ‘Before the pandemic, The Rec Rooms hosted gigs that supported the local scene, but lockdown had a huge impact on the venue and we’ve seen the result of that.’‘There are great people like Jamie Stanley (aka Mailman), who support live music in Horsham and provide opportunities to play. That’s a really good thing, but the quality can vary. My idea was to fill the space in-between, bringing in bands that have progressed beyond open mic nights, yet don’t have the following to headline a venue as big as The Rec Rooms.’

‘I presented the idea initially to The Rec’s management and they loved it. If we brought together three bands and each attracted 20 people, then you would have a crowd. The idea was to bring in bands that complement one another, so fans of one might enjoy others on the same bill.’

KEEP CALM, CARRY ON

The inaugural Revelations gig was held last September with a line-up including The Absolute Loves and Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel. The next featured three up-and-coming acts (Common Buzzards, Space Fishermen and ShameFaced) before a rock night featuring Horsham-based outfit Rogue Awakening, Aeones, and Battle of the Bands winners Demure. 

However, Revelations almost died before it had a chance to gain a foothold, with the closure of The Rec Rooms. Stephen said: ‘I already had a few bands lined up, so decided to carry on. I had to convince myself it was worth it, because putting together these events requires a big commitment for very little financial reward. I wasn’t sure that we could continue without the prestige of The Rec Rooms, as it’s a venue that couldattract bands of stature. But I didn’t want to give up, as we had a good thing going and I want to support the fantastic music scene.’

‘I approached The Roffey Club and The Holbrook Club and they were both welcoming and supportive. Some people might not get excited about social clubs, but we’re delighted. The Roffey Club has a nice bar with affordable drinks, dance floor and lots of seating. They have pictures of some of the acts who have performed there before – Showaddywaddy, Chas and Dave, Bobby Davro – and they still host lots of events. Venues like that need the support of local people to keep going too.’ 

PLAYGROUND SUPPORT

New Music Revelations held its first event at The Roffey Club on Friday 10 March, with three female-fronted bands performing to a healthy crowd. The first act was Call of Sirens, a Portsmouth band recently featured on BBC Introducing. Kenopsia, the lead single from their new EP, ‘Gaia’, has already been viewed over 1,500 times on YouTube. 

Next up were a promising new band from Brighton, Sypha, performing catchy, melodic rock, including their debut single, Sober. The third and final act to play was Rogue Awakening, a Horsham-based group who brought along plenty of local support, mostly comprised of school-run parents! 

Tom Corrigan, the band’s rhythm guitarist, met vocalist Kimberley Voice on the school playground, as they have children at the same school. He recalls: ‘It was in the midst of the pandemic when everyone was losing their mind with boredom. I mentioned that I used to play guitar, and Kimberley told me she used to sing in a band called Damn Dirty Humans, who had enjoyed success but eventually disbanded. We met up and started writing some acoustic music, then brought in a drummer and lead guitarist to form Rogue Awakening.’ ‘Whilst Kimberley is a confident performer, this is all completely new to me. I am 40 soon and have never performed in a live band before! We all have commitments, with work and families, so the band is just a bit of fun and gives us a creative outlet. If we can record an EP and perform once a month, that would be great. We have never set goals; we’re just enjoying playing and we’ll see where it takes us.’

FEMALES IN FRONT

Rogue Awakening have recorded a single, Overshadowed, working with local production company, Ignite AMR. The band’s members have influences which balance out into melodic, riff-driven rock. 

Kimberley said: ‘When we starting out, we were playing acoustic covers of 90s R&B, so we've been on quite a journey. Now, we are writing our own rock songs and there’s real variety. We never really had a conversation about our sound; it just evolves. Our first song was composed on the piano and when we came together and introduced each element, it took on a new life and became heavier, but still maintained its melody. We try to avoid too many rock cliches though, as you can have too many guitar solos!’The band played a big part in organising the latest night of Revelations, recommending Call of Sirens and Sypha to the organisers. It may be no coincidence that all three have strong female rock vocalists! 

FUTURE PLANS

After the success of the first night at Roffey, Stephen is planning to introduce more variety to Revelations, with future events perhaps having a mod, prog rock or even ska theme. He said: ‘The new set-up means we can be flexible in terms of dates, as opportunities were limited at The Rec Rooms. It also means we can switch venues, visiting the Holbrook Club and The Roffey Club. It might be that we expand in future and do comedy nights too, who knows? We could even organise a blues rock festival, which is something I would love to do.’

‘We’re also hoping to introduce live music to the Hurst Café, a popular venue for young people. I'm not trying to be Horsham’s Harvey Goldsmith, but I enjoy doing it and if the demand is there and I’m not losing money, I’ll carry on, as live music is my passion.’

WORDS: BEN MORRIS / PHOTOS: ALAN WRIGHT

This article was first published in AAH Magazine on 4th April 2023.