Summer Sundae Fringe Festival / Fringe Thursday 2006 - 2012
The Summer Sundae Fringe Festival (website archived at http://summersundae.cuttlefish.com) emerged from Leicester's Pinapster music community in 2006. Pineapster member Andy Black had been running regular Pineapster gigs featuring local bands and suggested to the Summer Sundae Weekender organisers that Pineapster hold a festival 'warm-up' party at The Firebug on the Thursday before their festival. It would give the festival goers a good reason to come to Leicester a day early, would showcase local bands and could act as a fundraiser for local hospice LOROS. The Summer Sundae organisers liked the idea, and I was more than happy to support it - especially since it also marked the five year anniversary of the Pineapster community itself. Over the next five years the Summer Sundae Fringe Festival grew from this single venue to nine venues on Fringe Thursday and many other events in the week before.
With changes in the Summer Sundae management in 2011 it was debated whether or not the Fringe should continue. However, genuine 'popular demand' and renewed support from main festival ensured that it did. Co-organiser, and long-time Pineapster member, Steve Jones and Rav Kaur took took over the running of the event as part of the new Leicester Fringe non-profit organisation. The 2011 and 2012 Fringe Thursdays ended up being amongst the most successful ever.
Throughout the Fringe's history Cuttlefish (who ran Pineapster) financially underwrote the festival and managed the cash flow. Thanks to the volunteers on the ground - and the generosity of the venues - the cost of running the events was kept low and it has always made money for charity. As of the 2012 event over £25,000 has been raised.
Summer Sundae did not run in 2013 and hence there was no Fringe Thursday. However, the Leicester Fringe organisation remains active. To see where they take it next keep an eye on their website at www.leicesterfringe.co.uk.
What follows is an incomplete collection of materials from the various Summer Sundae Fringe events held over the years. If you want to add anything, or need a credit for any of your work featured, please let me know.
Sean Clark
seanc@cuttlefish.com
July 2013
2006 - Firebug
Firebug |
|---|
Misterlee Love Ends Disaster! The Dirty Backbeats |
2007 - Four Venues..
Firebug |
The Musician |
The Charlotte |
DMH Comedy Tent |
|---|---|---|---|
The Dirty Backbeats Redcarsgofaster Fatal Star Just Norris |
My Drug Hell Harper Ambrose Tompkins |
The Displacements Assembly Now The Elite |
Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue Scott Hall Gary Delaney |
2008
Firebug |
The Musician |
The Charlotte |
The Donkey |
Helsinki |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tired Irie Pacific Ocean Fire Love Ends Disaster! |
The Chairmen Ugly Pop Stars The Legion Greg Gent Herra Hidro |
The Dandilions The Parlotones The Elite The Utopians |
M48 Project Notion James Maddock Swaggar |
Lisa Lashes Neil Appeal J-Luv Glen Randall |
2009 - Nine Venues!
The Fringe really came together well in 2009 with a strong visual brand and much more interest from the local press. A bigger team volunteer organisers led to even more venues on Fringe Thursday and plenty of events in the week before. Pineapster also put together a compilation album of artists playing at the Fringe and made it available for free on CD and for download. As well as music venues, there was spoken word at The Hind organised by Phrased and Confused and comedy at Kayal organised by Leicester Comedy Festival. Despite the open-topped buses running around the city, I only managed to get to four venues on the night!
Firebug |
The Musician |
The Donkey |
The Lansdowne |
The Hind (Spoken Word) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnaars Maybeshewill Charlie Jones & The Martyrs |
Jersey Budd Dumbfound Jose Klann |
The Beautiful South The Deap People David Wyatt You Fellows of All Souls |
Ambrose Tompkins Penfold Gate |
Mark & Mixy Salenna Godden Book Club Boutique Mr Plow Band Sound of Rum |
New Road Inn |
Kayal (Comedy) |
The Shed |
Helsinki |
|
The Falling Leaves Pacific Ocean Fire |
Tony Law Gary Delaney Jim Smallman |
Autohype The Heroes Fists Mega Dub |
DJSI |
2010
Firebug |
The Musican |
The Donkey |
The Lansdowne |
The Pub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Autohype These Furrows Kids In Cars |
The Pennyhangers The Lysergic Suite Charlie Jones & The Martyrs The James Lewis Band |
Cantaloop Bobby Sunshine Band By The Rivers Yellowbelly |
Fists Acid Pony We Three & The Death Rattle |
Hewick, Haynes & James The Jazz Butcher Christine |
Fabrika |
Y Theatre (Comedy) |
The Shed |
DMH Gardens |
|
Free Control Mellow Baku The Gadjo's Roger Wilson David Wyatt Ashdowne |
Snez Naik Ben Hutchinson Jim Smallman Ben Ennis David Morgan David Longley Andy Robinson Vikki Stone & The Flashbacks |
The Screening Little Night Terrors Superevolver The Boobytraps |
Family Entertainment Phoenix Square Cinema Tent |
- Summer Sundae Fringe 2010 @ Fabrika on Flickr
- Summer Sundae Fringe Showcase Festival (Leicester Mercury, 22nd April 2010)
- Fringe Will Be A Feast of Music and Comedy (Leicester Mercury, 10th July 2010)
- Live Music Launch Party Sets Scene (Leicester Mercury, 7th August 2010)
- Charity Gigs Are A Warm-up To This Weekend's Summer Sundae Festival (Leicester Mercury, 11th August 2010)
2011 - Life's a Riot at Leicester Fringe
2011 saw the organisation of Fringe Thursday, and the events leading up to it, pass to the Leicester Fringe organisation. Continuity was maintained, however, with many of the same people involved in the organisation of the previous years' events involved in this year's too. Things were thrown into potential disarray by the UK riots of 2011. On the Wednesday night a group of people went on the rampage around parts of Leicester city centre, leading to the cancellation of a number of events. Luckily things were quieter on the Thursday and there were no cancellations. The venues in the city centre did suffer from smaller-than-usual audiences, although the ones further out made up for this and a good amount was raised for charity on the night.
Firebug |
The Musician |
The Donkey |
The Lansdowne |
Fabrika |
The Shed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Codex Leicester Sisterland We Three and The Death Rattle Dark Dark Horse Grace Petrie |
The Lysergic Suite The Pennyhangers Daylight Frequencies |
Sha-Boom The Paradimes Great Imitation |
I Am In Love The Screening Dumbfound Thee Ludds |
Joel Owen + The Antoine Band Outwoods Country Riders Grace and the Magic Roots The Ramshakle Parade |
Arms of Atlas Without Fire We're Not Worthy Some May Run |
Crumblin' Cookie (Comedy) |
The Soundhouse |
||||
Chris Stokes Taylor Glenn +Special Guests |
Kyte Little Night Terrors Yunioshi Navajo Youth |
2012
Firebug |
The Musician |
The Donkey |
The Lansdown |
The Shed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
These Furrows Little Night Terrors Buenos Aires Uncle Frank (Party Set) These Furrows (DJ Set) |
Martin Luke Brown Park Bench Society Indiana Izzy Marie Hill |
Free Control Peyote The Paradimes Yee Haas |
Move Dead Slow The Cream Tangerines Panda Youth |
Midnight Wire The Furies Leaving Party The Accidents |
Fabrika |
The Soundhouse |
The Cookie Jar |
||
Muted Fnord, ASMO, MSB, Sally Hossack + VJs and Art Installations |
Dark Dark Horse Sisterland Speaking in Italics Laser Beast |
The Daydream Club Peter Wyeth Elizabeth Cornish Natalie Squance |
- Interact / Leicester Fringe 2012 @ Fabrika on Flickr
- Impressive Line-up For City Music Showcase (Leicester Mercury, July 6th 2012)
- Leicester City Events Highlights (Leicester Mercury, 7th August 2012)
- Celebrating City Culture (Leicester Mercury, 13th August 2012)
- Fans Hail The Festival's Fringe as Cut Above (Leicester Mercury, 18th August 2012)
