Swindon music festival returning to reopening pub and club

A music festival is returning to Swindon this summer in a reopening venue with more live bands in the lineup.

Martin Camp launched a new annual attraction last year at the Rolleston Arms pub and its next-door nightclub in a bid to encourage promoters and bands to make the town more of a priority when touring the country.

He said: “The intention behind it all was that Swindon used to be a big location for international and national touring for bands but that has fallen off a bit over the years.

“The town has decent quality music and good venues – Levels, the MECA, The Vic – bit a lot of bigger bands don’t consider it when places like Bristol are nearby.

“I’ve been trying to build up relationships in the industry and start to get professionals to consider Swindon as an option and regularly come back.”

Depravation Festival features hard rock and heavy metal acts from around the UK and a few from further afield, like Greece and Moldova, with fans expected to travel from far and wide to attend.

Last year’s event involved a gig on the Friday night followed by a day of performances on one stage at the Commercial Road venue.

This year’s festival will be held from August 30 to September 1 and include three days of live music by more than 40 bands across two stages, one in The Rolleston Arms itself and the other in Levels, formerly known as Underground and Level 3.

The pub and club’s new owners are preparing to reopen both sites in the coming weeks.

Martin added: “A lot of people have grown up with that venue, it’s a great place that is loved by many, and every band that plays there loves it.

“The first festival went really well, it was a bit of a push but paid off in the end, it caught the attention of the local scene and the bands were full of compliments.

“So this time, I’m going all out to bring something cool to the town for the alternative community, it’s something I’m really passionate about.

“It’s a difficult time for grassroots music venues so I want to give them something that attracts more custom and acknowledgement.”

Headliners include Raging Speedhorn on Friday, Infected Rain on Saturday, and Evile on Sunday, with special guests Discharge, Red Method, and Divine Chaos.

Tickets are available from www.depravationfest.com