at other venues in Maidstone and was so amazed by the quality of the music that he decided to dedicate a
lot of his spare time to putting Maverick @ Zebra on the map. “As a music fan and sound engineer I could
hardly ask to be involved with anything more exciting, I get to meet and work with world class musicians,
the odd music legend, as well as those on the way up in the industry. One of many high points for me has
been bringing David Knopfler and his band to Maidstone. David rarely plays live in the UK and it’s such a
shame. Lots of people new to his music went away smiling that night, and that’s why I do it! It’s a great
feeling making things happen that otherwise might not. We promote these gigs because we genuinely love
the music, these amazing artists deserve a far wider audience than many of them seem to achieve. I just
wish more local people would switch off the telly and experience live music at its best. Not every town has
something this special”.
“As a newcomer to Country music, I have found that just dipping in to Maverick’s
programme never fails to result in an eye-opening evening of high quality music.
Maidstone is truly lucky to have a promoter dedicated to bringing the best of the
scene to the county town”
- Jane Connolly from ‘yourmaidstone’ newspaper.
Hot on the heels of the Maverick gigs came Sounds @ Zebra.
Every Wednesday night local promoter Sue Bell pulls together
the best in local live music, and showcases bands from across
the UK and beyond. The sounds of Indie, Punk, Electro, Rock,
Ska and much more are regularly to be heard at this weekly
Wednesday night event. Sue and Sounds @ Zebra played a big
part in bringing BBC
Radio One to the
venue in May this
year. Sam Isaac, Live at Sounds
“Zebra was a great venue for Radio 1 in May 2008,
when we brought One Big Weekend to Maidstone.
It became a key venue in holding the One Big
Weekend: FRINGE FESTIVAL. Throughout the
week we saw many of Kent’s finest bands gracing
the stage at the Zebra Bar - a fantastic live music
venue! I chose it because of the diversity in its
live music programming from local indie bands and
acoustic acts to the Maverick nights, which give a
stage to artists from all corners of the globe. The
sound, lighting and production is a fantastic
set-up”
- Lyndsey Boggis, Live Events coordinator for BBC Radio 1 Eskimo, live at Sounds
Another exciting development has been a new monthly ‘BBC Kent Introducing’ gig hosted by presenters
James Bursey and Tom Kirkby. BBC Introducing is doing great things in every BBC region, by seeking out
the best unsigned talent in the area, giving it airplay and presenting it on a live tour. Thanks to BBC
Introducing many unsigned acts are getting national airplay on Radio 1 by the likes of Steve Lamacq and
Huw Stephens. Look out for BBC Kent Introducing at the Zebra Bar on the first Thursday of each month.
Further Info:
www.zebrabar.co.uk
www.myspace.com/maverick_zebra
www.myspace.com/soundsatzebra Photos supplied by permission of
www.bbc.co.uk/kent/introducing paimages.org.uk & Sounds @ Zebra
The Gig Guide | September/October | p17
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