09 September 2017 (gig)
09 October 2017
Margate was the setting for a weekend of, what the organiser’s billed as, a veritable feast of alternative delights – Undercover. Quite literally, with the festival taking place under the roof of the historic Dreamlands on the sea front.
Friday night included Jilted John, Eddie and the Hot Rods and, of course, the legend that is Tom Robinson; looking and sounding as relevant and fresh as he was in his eighties heyday. Quite simply TRB were worth the entry fee in their own right. The same, perhaps, couldn’t be said for Jilted John although it’s difficult not to hear about that moron Gordon without smiling and, dare I say, having a little scream-along!
Doctor and the Medics and the Angelic Upstarts headlined Saturday on the Main Stage, with Ruts DC and the Subhumans on before them; a little bit of Oi and a little bit of Punk with a sprinkling of glam rock – what’s not to like?
Meanwhile, on the ‘Scootering Magazine’ Supporting Stage was, for me, the gem-of-the-weekend – Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band. If you missed them in the Sixties (because you were too busy or, simply, yet to be born) you’re in luck, Geno has a second wind and it’s a wind to behold; a screaming, soulful, stage persona that is everything that real R&B should be.
Undercover is in its fifth year as a music festival although it’s venturing out for its first outing into Margate having moved up from Brighton. “This is a unique event” said event organiser Mick Moriarty “both in terms of location and flavour; we’re building something a little bit special here, this is a friendly festival – we’ve got a reputation for people turning up as strangers and leaving as friends. People are walking round with smiles on their faces; we’ll definitely be back next year to build on what we’ve started”.
