An aspiring writer from Birmingham / Cornwall, UK.

The 16th Annual Small Faces Convention

The Small Faces Convention, £22 entry, 5pm - 1am, 229 / The Venue / Great Portland Street (London).

Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance, The Small Fakers, Stone Foundation and many more.

Seeing as I'd never been to the Small Faces Convention before, I was initially a little shocked at the £22 entry price, but as a massive Small Faces fan I didn't see how a whole night of their hits could possibly go wrong and coughed up the cash. In retrospect, I can preach that it was definitely worth it. Six hours of Marriott, Lane, Jones and Winston covers might seem a little tiresome to some but when performed with the enthusiasm of bands such as the Small Fakers, there isn't a dull second. If I was to make one criticism it would be that the bands should maybe confer over their set lists beforehand: as much as I adore What'cha Gonna Do About It and All or Nothing, I'd still like to hear a nice version of Talk To You or Donkey Rides, A Penny, A Glass.




Scooterists for Heroes 2012

Scooterists for Heroes, £5 entry, 1pm till late, Adam & Eve (Digbeth).

Jam DRC, DC Fontana, The Coopers, The Theme, Oasiis, Butterfly Collective, The Universal and many more.

Sundays at the Adam and Eve tend to be a quiet and dull affair. Considering this, it was refreshing to see lines of scooters lining the surrounding roads and crowds of mods, skinheads, punks and rudeboys joined together outside for a day of decent music with all proceeds going towards a good cause. A complete success on the whole.








Marley


Cinemas Nationwide.

The world's best known reggae star is brought to the big screen in Kevin Macdonald's 144 minute documentary Marley. I was shocked to hear a friend question how someone could make such a long film from one man's lifestory, noting that it'll "probably drag on a bit". I was glad to see him eat his words, as he watched and realised that Bob Marley was a little bit more than red, yellow & green, Three Little Birds and marijuana and began to appreciate him as the musician, philosopher and peace maker that so many came to love.

The documentary gives a detailed background of Marley's life. Showing the beautiful landscapes of Jamaica, but also revealing the harsh living conditions that go hand in hand with them - the conditions in which the rastafarian icon grew up. His influences, contemporary artists, friends and family, personal life, professional life, escape to Britain and return to Jamaica. The documentary is remarkably unbiased, showing the worse sides of him as well as highlighting the good.

If watching in the cinema, I'd advise taking some tissues. It's quite easy to become wrapped up in the story and forget the documentary will inevitably have to cover his death and his subsequent legacy.

A well formed documentary on a truly inspirational man.