This year, the Sure Big Gig in the Park will be celebrating its 5th Anniversary and in order to ensure things go off with a bang, they’ve organised an incredible line-up, with musical acts including the likes of Lawson, Conor Maynard, Nicholas McDonald, Rough Copy, Tich and new band Farra.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Howard Davis Park, the event, which will be held on Saturday 19th July, is set to be an unmissable family affair.
Asides from Saturday’s impressive line-up, Big Gig’s team have a little something extra up their sleeves -– none other than the celebrated Tom Jones – a personality certain to kick start the weekend. This musical master will take to the stage on Friday 18th July to perform some of his all time favourites as Legend in the Park.
Netting five Top 10 singles from their Top 5 gold-selling debut album ‘Chapman Square’, Lawson are a force to be reckoned with. Christened after the surgeon who performed a life-saving operation on frontman Andy Brown, the band spent two years paying their dues with pub gigs and a string of support slots. Since their arrival in 2012, they’ve received rave reviews on their live performances.
Conor Maynard, a singer-songwriter from Brighton & Hove, initially launched his career on YouTube. After uploading a series of impressive cover versions, including Ne-Yo’s ‘Beautiful Monster’, he was quickly snapped up and offered a record deal. Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength.
This year, Big Gig will also welcome two X-Factor 2013 finalists to the stage…Nicholas McDonald, who was runner up in the 10th series and has recently released his debut album, “In the Arms of an Angel” and the dynamic trio that is Rough Copy – Sterling, Joey J and founder member, Kazeem, whose strong bond rings true in every one of their performances.
As well as the more established acts, Big Gig in the Park is proud to present female vocalist Tich and new band Farra to the stage, both are anticipated to be huge.
On top of this, Friday’s event will also showcase a number of resident acts including Jersey Bounce, The Collective, Samuel Walwyn and Mica Young, whilst Morgan Gregory and Jessie Byatt will perform on the Saturday. The latter three being the proud ‘Talent Search’ competition finalists – a contest held by Big Gig at Mimosa on Sunday 18th May.
A LEGEND IN THE PARK
As one of the most popular vocalists to transpire from the mid 1960’s, Tom Jones needs no introduction. Asides from an impressive 100 million record sales, he’s enjoyed 36 top 40 hits in the UK including “It’s Not Unusual”, “What’s New Pussycat”, “Delilah”, “Kiss” and “Sex Bomb” and is currently reaching out to new audiences on BBC1’s “The Voice”. Tom’s performance on the Friday night will be his first in Jersey since the late 80’s.
Of course, there’s more to the Big Gig in the Park than music alone – it’s an important event in Jersey that raises much-needed funds for local charities. Caroline Strachan of Helping Jersey Charities, the main organizer behind Legend in the Park and Big Gig in the Park has said, “We are so excited to have such a diverse line-up this year to help us raise money for our two chosen charities, Help a Jersey Child and CLIC Sargent.”
Caroline has been involved in various fundraising initiatives in Jersey including organising events for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Jersey Hospice Care. Caroline dreamt up the concept behind Big Gig in the Park just over five years ago, hoping it would bring something different to the Island, whilst also raising money for local charities. In the last four year the Big Gig has attracted stars including JLS, The Wanted, Olly Murs, Will Young, Beverley Knight and Union J.
“I would not be able to put on an event like this without the support of a large team of volunteers who help us year in, year out. So many people give up huge amounts of time; this is probably what makes it such a unique event. We are also very lucky to have the support of Channel 103FM who have promoted the Big Gig for the last five years.
“The event has grown every year and I, and the team, learn a lot each time. We also try to add something new each year. Last year, we were lucky enough to have someone sponsor fireworks during the last JLS song and this summer, we’re looking to do something really special with the VIP Area.”
The Big Gig in the Park has raised over £70,000 for the chosen charities.
