30.03.2019 The Station, Cannock: Dementia Aware Fest

April 01, 2019

Dementia Aware Fest is a nationwide hard rock extravaganza for a good cause and the aware fest usually features a multitude of bands who play in different venues on different dates to raise awareness for the crippling disease called ‘dementia’, although the word itself is an umbrella term as dementia can be caused by numerous things including Alzheimer’s disease and strokes.

The event at the Station, by far the most exciting rock club in the Cannock area, raised a total of £1020 for dementia charities and hosted a total of seven bands.

I had time to stay for the first four and they were all enthusiastic and musically really great.

‘Saints of Arcadia’ performed for roughly 45 minutes and they were rocking yet somewhat gentle as opposed to hard and heavy. Singer Nick Jennison effortlessly ‘switched’ between falsetto and probably barbiton and the band had a great chemistry on stage and were very well received.

Manchester based ‘MouthIn The South’ were next and it was great to see band members supporting their vision impaired front man Piers Gebbia and it goes to show that no disability any of us face has to mean the end of a dream.

The vocals were awesome and so was the music, very enjoyable and with the band mentioning acts like Mr.Big and Whitesnake as their musical influences on their facebook page, they too were quite melodic in their approach to their compositions.

The band that really stood out for me was ‘Ryders Creed’ who had a lot of fun on stage and performed amazingly tight and punchy rock music that got the venue going.

Last minute replacement for the Sykko dolls, ‘Witch tripper’ from Mansfield were next and the three-piece sounded heavier than perhaps the bands that played before them but that’s not a bad thing.

By the looks of it the stage is their favourite place and they themselves described themselves as ‘gig whores’ and they were energetic and down to earth.