Welcome to The Knaphillian
The True Voice of Knaphill
Knaphill Rocks - 2010
We've seen some great gigs in Knaphill. Live music though, needs your support and the bands that are booked definitely deserve an appreciating crowd - so get out and enjoy live pub music at its best!
Regular Live Music in Knaphill:
Sunday - Occasional jamming sessions at The Crown
Monday - Rock Night - first Monday each month at the KWMC
Thursday - New! Fortnightly gigs at the Royal Oak
Friday - Live Rock Music at The Crown from 9pm
Saturday - Live Bands at The Knaphill Working Mens' Club
The Knaphillian Live Music Event - 2009
Knaphill Village Music Festival - 2009
Monday Night Rock & Jam Nights @ The KWMC
The Knaphillian Live Music Events - 2008
Knaphill Village Music Festival - 2008
Arachna - Live in Knaphill
Arachna - Live at The Crown - Pic: Mal Foster
Arachna appeared at The Crown on Friday 05 March 2010 and treated a bumper crowd to a number of covers from the following artists: Chuck Berry to Amy MacDonald, the Rolling Stones to Blondie, the Crystals to the Who, the Shadows to Duffy, Fleetwood Mac to Amy Winehouse, Katrina and the Waves to Kirsty MacColl, Bryan Adams to the Dixie Chicks, the Bangles to Pink. Included are favourites like "Mustang Sally" with its familiar call and response, the irresistible air-guitar feel of "Summer of 69", and the sand-dance led by Arachna Herself for the exotic "Walk Like An Egyptian". And for those romantic moments Arachna offers classics such as "Dreams" and "Wonderful Tonight". All being well, Arachna should be back in Knaphill later in the year www.arachna-web.com
The Knaphillian - Live Music Event - 2009
The excellent Six Miles Away (left) played their last ever gig at The Crown, Knaphill on Friday 18 December in what was probably their best ever performance. Guest Keith Jones on vocals and lead guitar gave the band an edge that hadn't been seen before as the crowd gleefully rocked until midnight. The local music scene will certainly miss these guys. The good news is that Dickie Hart, Nick Farley and Keith Jones will still be around performing at the new regular jam nights on the first Monday of each month at The Knaphill Working Men's Club. We also hope that Dickie will form a new band next year - so watch this space!
Knaphill Village Music Festival - 2009
02-31 October 2009
Knaphill Village Music Festival Samtana (02 & 30), The Hitch-Hikers (03 & 31),Dave Raphael Band* (05 @ KWMC), RED (09), Top 8 (10), Six Miles Away (16), Frayed Not (17), Blue Fuses (23) & Buzz (24). (Click on band name for more info...)
Note: All gigs played at The Crown pub in the High Street with a 9pm start with the exception of the Dave Raphael Band* on Monday 05 10 09 who played the KWMC.
Special thanks also to Beth Woodger of the News & Mail group for her excellent write-up about the festival in The Woking Review.
Proceedings got off to a fine start on Friday 02 October with Samtana opening the festival. If you are a Santana fan you would have probably enjoyed this one more than most with these guys being the only tribute band in the UK to play the music of Carlos and his boys. The gig also enjoyed a healthy crowd which is what the festival is all about. It would be great if all the bands have the same effect - we'll see!
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Samtana (x2 left) & The Hitch Hikers (x2 right) at the 1st weekend of the festival
On Saturday 03 October the much acclaimed Hitch Hikers took to the stage. Minus their regular frontman Gary due to work commitments, the band drafted in AIM vocalist Trevor who gave the band a different dimension from their normal sound. Another good crowd, purely there for the music were treated to some excellent tracks with Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird among the best.
Monday 05 October saw an awesome and accomplished performance by the Dave Raphael Band. With strong Knaphill connections this pure 'Bluesey' quartet played some excellent stuff in front of what was probably the Knaphill Working Mens' Club's biggest crowd for a Monday night gig since it's inception just under a year ago. Ending with a strong rendition of 'Sweet Home Chigago' - the festival goers were already hoping the band would be back again in the future. Dave Raphael and his band really does have a good thing going here! They also have a 'single' out with a new album 'Blowing Hot & Bold' - out soon! Find out more on the band's website at www.davidraphael.co.uk
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The Dave Raphael Band (x2 left) & RED (x2 right) performing at the festival
A compact Crown saw a great gig by the five piece RED on Friday 09 October. RED were late replacements for Prezence who apparently somehow managed to double-book themselves. The strong vocals of frontman Bob Grant complimented the fine lead quitar work of Welshman Dave Heaven and some tight-knit work by the other band members. In fact, Bob is probably the best male vocalist we will see during the whole of this year's festival. This indeed, was an enjoyable night as the beer flowed freely and everyone went home happy. For more on the band who will be back later this year go to: www.red-theband.co.uk
Saturday 10 October was the turn of Woking boys Top 8 to entertain us - and they did drag a few Wokingites up the hill with them as well as the Woking branch of the Brentford F.C. Supporters Club! Whilst their music wasn't of great technical quality they held their own with a number of tracks with particular affiliations to The Jam and Oasis which seemed to please their adoring faithful.
Friday 16 October conjured up one of the best gigs yet with a very strong performance by Six Miles Away. The band specialise in audience participation and this particular night was no exception. This was a stirring gig by one of the most respected bands around. The locals were dancing throughout the set and the band could have played on until dawn if permitted. The good news is that Dickie and the boys are back on 18 December as the main attraction at The Knaphillian's Xmas party. Unfortunatley that will be their final gig before seasoned bass player Don Maxwell departs for pastures new.
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Images from Six Miles Away @ The Crown 16 10 09
The excellent Frayed Not always deliver a strong performance and Saturday 17 October at The Crown was no exception. With their own take on some well known songs the band gave the whole festival a new dimension with some mesmerising sax playing by Leanne and the impeccable vocals of Melissa. This was another night when the pub's crowd felt the urge to dance as we all enjoyed a number of encores that stretched this gig to almost midnight. The band are back at The Crown in December, but if you get the chance, its well worth going further afield to see them. www.frayednot.co.uk
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Frayed Not @ The Crown - Saturday 17 10 09
The Blue Fuses made a welcome return to Knaphill on Friday 23 10 09 proving they are one of the best Classic Rock cover bands around. The pub was a little light on numbers at the start but fortunately began to fill up during the set. This three piece line up of Noel, Doug and Will have been around since 1994 and peppered us with a number of treats with some fantastic renditions from AC/DC to Frank Zappa via Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. By the end of the gig the appreciating crowd were up and dancing in what has become a bit of a theme throughout the festival. For more on the band go to: www.bluefuses.co.uk
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The Blues Fuses @ The Crown - Friday 23 10 09
On Saturday 24 10 09 a packed Crown was entertained by Buzz, a four piece line up of accomplished musicians. With covers of songs by REM, Dire Straits, U2, The Shadows and many more, this was another great night for the festival. Again the punters were up dancing as the gig stretched past midnight and into the clock change that sadly brings closer, the harsh throat of winter.
A good crowd on Friday 30 10 09 saw Samtana return with their tribute to Carlos Santana in a repeat of the opening gig on 02 10 09. The 'top notch' Hitch Hikers with frontman Gary back at the helm provided the Haloween entertainment in an excellent finale to the festival on Saturday 31 10 09.
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Haloween Finale with The Hitch Hikers - 31 10 09
This was a month long series of gigs that attracted plenty of local media interest with The Woking Review and The Woking News & Mail both covering events.
The Knaphillian is keen to promote live pub music in the village and we are pleased to announce that the whole month passed without incident and with not one single complaint from the venues' neighbours about 'noise' - which proves it can be done!
This was the third year of the festival, but a fourth next year looks tentative. It relies heavily on the goodwill of our co-organisers and of course the bands themselves. It also depends on a good turnout from the Knaphill public - that's you!
Our special thanks go to Dave, Toni, Des and all the bar staff at The Crown and The Knaphill Working Men's Club who ensured all the gigs went smoothly
Monday Night Rock & Jam Nights @ the KWMC
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Local band The Hitch Hikers take the Knaphill Working Men's Club by storm on Monday 07 09 09
The Knaphillian Live Music Events - Review
12-20 December 2008
In the first of our special billings on Friday 12 December local rockers The Hitch-Hikers took The Crown by storm. It was one of the biggest crowds at the pub for a music night since live music was re-introduced at the venue around three years ago. A good mix of locals and band followers enjoyed the gig on Friday 05 December that went on until
Six Miles Away appeared on Friday 19 December with a tight, competent performance and continued to impress. These are one of the few bands around who play a mix of covers, laced with some of their own material and as such gives Dickie and the boys their own diverse edge over other local bands. A mixed bunch at The Crown were treated to the usual quality entertainment you expect from this band and one would hope that we get to see them back at the venue in 2009.
Due to popular demand The Hitch-Hikers were back at The Crown on Saturday 20 December for a special gig, so this was a great opportunity for anyone who wanted another great night out in Knaphill. The icing on the cake for this one was their rendition of the great Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, a song about sexual orgasms, that has hit top of the UK charts after being chosen for X Factor winner Alexandra Burke as the winner's single.
Knaphill Village Music Festival - 2008
03-31 October 2008
The 2008
Friday 10 October saw the popular Prezence return to The Crown for the third time this year. Again with a different lead singer, this band is undoubtedly the best to perform in Knaphill over the years and the pub is always packed for their gigs. They returned again on Halloween (see below).
The newly formed The Hitch Hikers appeared on 17 October and look set to take the local music scene by storm as they get more gigs together over the coming months. A competent display by Billy No Mates on the 24th also went down well.
One of the big successes from last year's festival are Aspex (pictured) who returned for a special gig on Saturday 25 October. They played for FREE outside The Crown's music budget on the night. The potential of this young band to do great things in the future is phenomenal. They ended their gig with an excellent version of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall after entertaining us all with some great original compositions of their own.
A lesson learnt for the future though is that in Knaphill, villagers are quick enough to to say what they want. They have asked for more to do in the village and this includes the live music evenings. Its disappointing then that when these events are arranged the same people either don't bother turning up or critisise the event(s) when they do. Its a sad fact that most Knaphillians appear to be at their happiest when they are either complaining or putting somebody else down! (...and I thought that was only a Woking thing!!!)
All in all, the bands at The Crown have been great. Its a crying shame though that the Anchor pub's new owners have pulled the plug on their live entertainment following last year's success. I can only hope that the new management team there can influence the people at Merlin Inns to have a re-think.
The good news is that outside the scope of the festival, the Knaphill Working Men's Club are staging Rock Band Nights on the first Monday of every month starting with The Epsom Coarse Racers on Monday 03 November. Please give this event your support.
This year's festival ended on 31 October at a packed Crown when Prezence took to the stage for the second time in a month. Back by popular demand, this band have a fantastic reputation locally and the huge crowd were not disappointed. Its nights like this that make the whole organisation of the festival worthwhile and it was great to see all the locals finally applauding with their appreciation.
Knaphill Village Music Festival - 2007
20-27 October 2007
SIX MILES AWAY - The Anchor - Saturday 20 October FLYING VISIT - Knaphill Working Mens Club - Saturday 20 October HIGH VIBE - The Crown - Sunday 21 October ASPEX - The Crown - Tuesday 23 October EGOTRICK & MONKEY MILITIA The Crown - Thursday 25 October - DOUBLE HEADER! RUPTURED RABBIT- The Crown - Friday 26 October - CHIPS - Knaphill Working Mens Club - Saturday 27 October - THE CASINOS - The Anchor - Saturday 27 October
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Saturday 20th
Despite a bit of a delay on the first Saturday due to what turned out to be the inconvenience of the Rugby World Cup - the village has been rocking. With three gigs featuring, Six Miles Away, Vic Gilder and Flying Visit on Saturday, the stage had been set for a great week ahead.
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On Sunday High Vibe played The Crown in an excellent atmosphere created by the locals and a group of the band's own fans. Their presence at the festival was a timely indicator of the great music that was still yet to come.
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Tuesday 23rd
On Tuesday we had a great night of mesmerising rock with the acclaimed teen band Aspex playing The Crown. The band's mature stage presence was a privilege to watch and their version of Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall was absolutely brilliant. They almost certainly have a great future ahead of them if they they get the support and recognition they deserve.
Thursday 25th
Thursday at The Crown saw two bands - Monkey Militia and Egotrick take the stage on a memorable night of alternative music. Both bands were playing some great original stuff in front of another bumper crowd. This was the night that confirmed the festival so far really had been a great success.
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Friday 26th
Another excellent gig was provided by Ruptured Rabbit at The Crown on Friday with a very accomplished performance in front of an appreciating crowd. Some excellent sax playing was the icing on the cake that prompted a number of rapturous encores.
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Saturday 27th
Saturday 27th saw trio The Casinos at The Anchor in another tight performance which had the crowd transfixed throughout the evening. The band is is well respected on the local music circuit so it was ftting thet they should close a marvellous week of music. David Phelps' Chips played a packed Knaphill Working Men's Club and entertained the Haloween crowd who came to the event in fancy dress sealing another great night in Knaphill.
