Cult band Portishead to make Christmas comeback at Butlins

BUTLINS has pulled off an entertainments coup at its Minehead resort with the announcement that cult band Portishead will be playing their first full live concert for nearly 10 years.
The British band will be the next curators and will be performing exclusively at ‘All Tomorrow's Parties, Nightmare Before Christmas’, which takes place on December 7, 8, and 9.
‘All Tomorrow's Parties’ was started in 1999 as an alternative to festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading, and previous curators have included indie bands Mogwai and Sonic Youth in the UK, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening, in the US.
Portishead said in a statement on their Myspace page: “We have always loved the All Tomorrow's Parties set up and we're happy our first shows will be there.
“It is great to have the opportunity to introduce bands we love or have influenced us.
“We have chosen a diverse collection of artists to play with us and we are really looking forward to it.”
The band said details of the All Tomorrow's Parties line up would be announced on its Myspace page and also on the website http://www.atpfestival.com/.
Portishead were pioneers of tri-hop music and their debut album Dummy won the Mercury Prize in 1995.
A follow-up album, Portishead, came out in 1997, after which little happened until an unannounced acoustic performance in Bristol in February of this hear, when they said they were close to finishing a third album on which they had been working for some years.
Details of tickets and available accommodation can be obtained via http://www.atpfestival.com/.
Photos submitted.

Westlife show goes on despite storm damage

STORMY winds destroyed the Butlins Arena concert venue in Minehead, just two days before pop stars Westlife were due to perform live.
Tens of thousands of pounds of damage was caused with the canvass canopy torn away in the high winds and the metal structure of the Arena twisted and wrecked.
But as a Health and Safety Executive investigation into the incident began, Butlins pledged ‘the show will go on’ for the 7,000 people who bought tickets to see the boy band.
Butlins centre director Darren Hollis praised Westlife for their support and dedication to their fans after the band agreed to perform their first-ever back-to-back gigs.
Mr Hollis said the shows would now take place in the Butlins Centre Stage venue, which could seat about 3,500 people, to ensure everybody was able to see them.
However, the concerts were being cut to just 45 minutes each and would take place at the earlier times of 1 pm and 2.30 pm.
Because of the timing changes and the reduced length of the concerts, Butlins has offered all guests a £25 retail voucher, per person, to spend within resort.
It has also offered a full refund in advance for anybody who felt so disappointed that they wanted to cancel their visit.
Anybody with any queries about the concert was being encouraged to telephone Butlins on a special hotline number, 0870 242 2002.
For Butlins, it was the second disruption in less than a week to the Westlife concert arrangements.
The band had earlier unexpectedly announced they would be singing live on ITV television’s X Factor programme on Saturday night, which clashed with when they were supposed to be performing in Minehead.
Butlins then had the task of trying to contact all 7,000 ticket holders to tell them the concert had been brought forward to the afternoon.

• Our photographs show Westlife (left) and the wreckage of the Butlins Arena (right) visible through trees which line the perimeter of the holiday centre. Westlife photo submitted. Wreckage photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M11160029. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

Young musician's historic China tour

YOUNG West Somerset musician Abi Owen has returned from the ‘trip of a lifetime’ to China with the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain.
Abi, who is 13, plays the viola and became an orchestra member four years ago while a pupil of Minehead Middle School.
She now has a music scholarship to Queens College, Taunton, and has just been accepted for the Somerset County Youth Orchestra.
Her audition for the county orchestra was made all the more nerve wracking because it was after her viola had gone to China and she had to borrow another for the occasion.
Since coming home, Abi has also had to use her father’s viola because the Chinese authorities had not allowed the NCO’s instruments to be sent back.
She is the daughter of Jeanette and Steve Owen, of Glenmore Road, Minehead.
Mrs Owen, a freelance music teacher who gives woodwind lessons in local schools, said: “She had a wonderful time, it was absolutely amazing.
“They did four concerts and a little tour in between for their education. It was all very mind-expanding.
“It was the first time Abi had gone on an aeroplane, and now she wants to go to France with the county youth orchestra next summer.”
During the 10-day visit to the Orient, Abi also saw the famous Terracotta Warriors exhibition and the Great Wall of China.

• Our photograph shows Abi with some of the souvenirs she brought back from China. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M1108099. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.