PREVIEW: Figure 8 Festival 2013

Those 90's legends Dodgy are just one of the great acts that you can catch at this weekend's Figure 8 Festival in Bristol.

It kicks off at The Birdcage on the evening of Fri Sept 27, with the main all-day event taking place at The Trinity Centre, Bristol, on Saturday September 28, 2013.

As well as headliners Dodgy, you can catch the likes of Chris T-T, , Pete Roe, She Makes War, ALASKA, Goan Dogs, Joel Harries, Josie Ghost, Katie Malco, MyOwnFlag, Oliver Wilde, Richard Abberline, Sarah Proudfoot, Shock Horror and The St Pierre Snake Invasion. Anyone wanting to get a taste of the Bristol scene will be pleased to hear that the city's most prolific gig goer and cult hero Big Jeff (aka Jeffrey Johns) will be compering the festival.

Tickets are priced at £18 (advance) and rather brilliantly, proceeds will be going to MacMillan Cancer Support. RW/FF will be at the event, tweeting live on the day @rwffmusic, as well as reporting on the event. For some excellent live music in a great city to raise money for an essential cause, Figure 8 promises to be superb.

A not-for-profit festival, Figure 8 Festival aims to raise thousands of pounds for charity each year as well as showcasing some of the UK’s best up-and-coming bands. Founded in May 2012, the inaugural Figure 8 Festival took place at True Lovers Knot in Dorset, on September 21-23, 2012. Run entirely by volunteers, it raised £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Inspiration:Organiser Laura’s cousin Alice was just 22-years-old when she found out she had cancer. Originally from Weymouth, she was teaching English in Thailand, where she was hospitalised with crippling stomach pains. Tests revealed she had a tumour in her womb. She returned home, where she underwent several courses of intensive chemo as the cancer spread to her lungs. Finally, and against all odds, she beat the cancer but it was a trying few months and Macmillan Cancer Support proved vital to this difficult process.

Cause:From its early beginnings, founded in 1911 by Douglas Macmillan, Macmillan Cancer Support has grown to become the largest cancer care and support charity in the UK. With more people living with cancer than ever before, the need for Macmillan’s vital service is constantly growing and with more than 96% of their services funded by donations, the charity relies on fundraising and events like this to ensure it can cover the £132.9 million pounds needed every year to carry out its work. More information at www.macmillan.org.uk
Founder:Laura Williams is a journalist and music writer, with a passion for music and festivals. She has reviewed numerous festivals for numerous publications – including Virtual Festivals and The Fly - and has now turned her hand to organising her own event – Figure 8 Festival. She is currently working as Deputy Editor of Bristol 24-7, which is one of the festival’s partners. She was joined in 2012 by co-organisers Katie Steele, Chris Burge, Chloe Harding and Julie Higgins. And for 2013, with a team, including Niki Davies, John Jeffreys, Sammy Maine, Mat Motte, Laura Kidd, Lou Trimby and Helen Brown among others.

www.figure8festival.co.uk/ticketshttps://www.facebook.com/Figure8Festival