Let’s get ready to RAMBLE

Ready to ramble? Thousands of music fans will be rocking out with stars from across the ages providing the soundtrack to the weekend for the Ramblin’ Man Fair. Angela Cole previews the line-up and meets the stars

Rock fans will be letting their hair down all this weekend at Maidstone’s Mote Park.

Now in its fourth year, the twoday festival brings some of the biggest names in rock through the ages to the park for a feast of heavy metal, rock, and folk. After a successful three-day festival last year, organisers Spirit of Rock have moved event to the last weekend in June and taken it back to two full days.

This year’s line-up features Fish, frontman with Marillion and now solo, Mott The Hoople and The Cult. Originally formed back in 1969 and responsible for the classic All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople’s line-up for the 2018 festival exclusive will be Ian Hunter, Ariel Bender, and Morgan Fisher with James Mastro, Mark Bosch, Dennis Dibrizzi, Paul Page and Steve Holley. They play the main stage. Ian Hunter said: “Looking forward to realigning with my old Mott the Hoople mates - the Great Ariel Bender and the Sartorial Morgan Fisher at Ramblin’ Man Fair.” Also playing the Main Stage will be riotous rockers Steel Panther, who have shared stages with the likes of Def Leppard, Aerosmith and Motley Crue and have just released their latest studio album, Lower The Bar, and Glasgow’s favourite hard rockers GUN. Taking to the stages are acts Myles Kennedy, Skinny Molly, No Hot Ashes and Thomas Wynn And The Believers. Myles Kennedy, who will play the Country Stage, has been the singer/songwriter of Alterbridge and Slash’s band Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators and this year released his first solo album, Year Of the Tiger. The event marks his first UK festival appearance as a solo artist. Skinny Molly were founded in 2004 by guitarist/vocalist Mike Estes, formerly of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot, with Dave Hlubek and studio drummer Kurt Pietro.

Also signed up sets by Steve Earle & The Dukes, Halestorm, Blackberry Smoke, Sons Of Apollo and Northern Irish three-piece Therapy. remember getting so drunk when we won an MTV award for our cover version of Word Up with Ian Ashby [their lead singer). We were so drunk and just chatting away. I hate flying and I have a drink so I can get on the plane because I’m so nervous. I think I overdid it that time. I also would like to see Steel Panther.

We toured with the Rolling

Stones... We were in our trailer one day and Jools (Gizzi, band member and brother) said to me “Mick Jagger’s coming over” and I didn’t even turn round because I didn’t believe him. But sure enough it was him and he came and chatted to us and thanked us for touring with them. He was like ‘anything you want, anything you need’ - it was unbelievable. I love what I do... it doesn’t feel like work. It never has really.

Myles Kennedy

Fish from Marilllion