Revised Assault: Rochester Castle Concerts, July 2022
Earlier in the year we wrote about the upcoming concerts at Medway’s historical landmark, Rochester Castle. Now it’s time to introduce the support acts across the four July evenings, plus a new headliner for the penultimate night – Al McKay’s Earth, Wind & Fire Experience!
Situated on the banks of the River Medway and a stone’s throw from Rochester Cathedral, the Castle has previously played host to an array of acts both classic and modern, with genres to suit a multitude of music lovers. These include Van Morrison, Blondie, Jools Holland, The Libertines, Billy Ocean, Craig David, Wet Wet Wet, Steps, UB40, Ray Davies, McFly, Status Quo, plus classical concerts and much more. This year’s run of outdoor events begins with The Human League on Wednesday July 6th, now with support from Blancmange and Altered Images!
The Human League were formed in the late 1970’s and reached the U.K. top ten with eight singles including ‘Being Boiled’, ‘Love Action (I Believe In Love)’ and ‘(Keep Feeling) Fascination’. They hit the number one slot for five weeks in 1981 with ‘Don’t You Want Me’ from their third album ‘Dare’, which the trio of Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley celebrated last year with a fortieth anniversary tour.
Opening the proceedings for this year’s Rochester Castle Concerts will be local Medway band Theatre Royal, whose most recent album ‘Portraits’ was released during the pandemic. They’ll be followed by Altered Images, who hit the top ten in 1981 with ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘I Could Be Happy’ and are set to release their new album ‘mascara streakz’ in August. Blancmange will precede The Human League on July 6th. Having released three albums in the 1980’s including top ten album ‘Mange Tout’, Blancmange can be expected to play a mixture of classic tracks and newer material during their set at Rochester Castle.
General Admission tickets for The Human League are £50 plus £5 service charge.
Continuing on the 7th of July is James Blunt, who kicked off his music career with the U.K. number one album ‘Back To Bedlam’ in 2004, featuring ‘Wisemen’, ‘Goodbye My Lover’ and the number one single, ‘You’re Beautiful’. His recent collection, ‘The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021)’ is a two-disc celebration of his work with four brand new tracks and added live performances. James Blunt is touring the U.K. and Europe in support of the release, with completed dates including a stop at London’s Wembley Arena in February.
Kent funk and soul band Mad Yella will be the first act on July 7th, who also have slots at Love Supreme and Innervisions festivals in July. Greater Manchester four-piece Lottery Winners hit the top twenty with their latest album ‘Something To Leave The House For’ back in December, their fourth record since forming in 2008. Rebecca Ferguson first saw fame in the 2010 series of The X-Factor, subsequently releasing her debut album ‘Heaven’ in 2011. With the recent announcement of her imminent final album and retirement, catch Rebecca Ferguson live while you can!
General Admission tickets for James Blunt are £55 plus £5.50 service charge.
With July 8th originally featuring Cameo as the headliners, the date has now been revised to include Al McKay’s Earth, Wind & Fire Experience instead.
Al McKay was a member of Chicago funk, soul and disco band Earth, Wind & Fire between 1973 and 1981, co-writing their enduring hit ‘September’ as well as The Emotions’ ‘Best Of My Love’. The Al McKay Allstars were initially formed from the remnants of EWF and boast authentic and substantial live performances akin to the band’s original records.
Outside of EWF, Al McKay has performed with Ike and Tina Turner, Sammy Davis Jr. and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2010. More recently, the Al McKay Allstars released their funky single ‘Heed The Message’, reminiscent of the traditional Earth, Wind & Fire sound. Expect a sprinkling of this newer material alongside 1970’s EWF classics during their performance on July 8th.
First on stage this evening will be the James Taylor Quartet. Formed in the late 1980’s, this British band are known for their acid jazz sound and Hammond organ playing of the band’s leader. With a slot coming up at Glastonbury festival for The Dualers, this nine-piece ska and reggae band are set to release their new album ‘Voices From The Sun’ in August. Finally, Third World will take the stage to showcase their reggae fusion sound, incorporating funk and soul. Formed in 1973, Third World hit the top ten in 1978 with their cover of ‘Now That We’ve Found Love’ by The O’Jays and again in 1981 with ‘Dancing On The Floor (Hooked On Love)’.
General Admission tickets for Al McKay’s Earth, Wind & Fire Experience are £35 plus £3.50 service charge.
2 Tone Records band The Specials are well known for their two U.K. top five albums, 1979’s ‘The Specials’, produced by Elvis Costello and ‘More Specials’, released in 1980. Their top ten singles from this time include ‘Gangsters’, their cover of Dandy Livingstone’s 1967 track ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ and 1981 number one ‘Ghost Town’. The band have existed in various configurations over the years, including The Special AKA and Fun Boy Three, with most of the classic line-up reuniting in 2008 for their 30th anniversary. Original members Lynval Golding, Terry Hall and Horace Panter continue to tour as The Specials, releasing their latest album ‘Protest Songs 1924-2012’ in 2021. Their concert at Rochester Castle closes out this year’s events on Saturday July 9th.
Medway reggae and ska band The Petty Thieves released their first EP ‘Better Things’ in 2017, followed by their debut album ‘The Right To What Is Wrong’ in 2018. Most recently, the eight-piece band released their single ‘Weeds’ in 2020 and supported UB40 at the Rochester Castle Concerts in 2021. Stone Foundation were formed in the late 1990’s and have collaborated with Paul Weller and actor Peter Capaldi, supported the legendary Mavis Staples and played the Royal Albert Hall. The band are touring all over the U.K. in 2022, with dates in Germany and the Netherlands. British vocalist and keyboardist Hollie Cook previously featured in punk band The Slits as part of their reunited line-up. Since 2011, Hollie has released her debut self-titled record, ‘Twice’ in 2014 and ‘Vessel Of Love’ in 2018. Cook is set to release her latest album ‘Happy Hour’ on June 24th.
Two-tone band The Beat had five top ten singles between 1979 and 1983. This includes their cover of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ ‘Tears Of A Clown’, ‘Hands Off – She’s Mine’ and their highest charting single ‘Can’t Get Used To Losing You’. The Beat are celebrating the fortieth anniversary of their debut album ‘I Just Can’t Stop It’ on tour this year and are fronted by vocalist and guitarist Dave Wakeling.
General Admission tickets for The Specials are £55 plus £5.50 service charge.
Entry for the Rochester Castle Concert events begins at 4pm with no further admission beyond 7:30pm and strictly no re-admission. Curfew is 11pm.
VIP tickets for all events are £99 plus £9.90 service charge.
For Accessibility tickets, please contact support@musicglue.com.
--------
For information on the Castle Concerts Covid-19 protocol, plus other frequently asked questions, please check their FAQ.
To sign up to their mailing list and keep up to date, visit the official Rochester Castle Concerts website.
Follow Rochester Castle Concerts on Facebook @rochestercastleconcerts.
--------
Follow and interact with Moths and Giraffes on Instagram and Facebook @mothsandgiraffes, and on Twitter @mothsgiraffes.
We have a Spotify Playlist! Featuring almost every artist we've written about on Moths and Giraffes, find some new music here.
Submissions are closed until August, but if you’d just like to send us your thoughts, don’t hesitate to contact us via our social media accounts, our contact page, or via email at mothsandgiraffes@outlook.com. We receive a lot of emails though, so please bear with us!
