Get ready for the Hanwell Hootie – when the streets really do come alive to the sound of music.
This free, one-day live music festival is coming to town on Saturday 9 May. The Hanwell Hootie is the ultimate musical town takeover, featuring a fantastic line-up of well-known and up-and-coming grassroots acts.
Performances will take place across the town, with venues ranging from pubs and community spaces to outdoor locations including the Viaduct Meadow.
Around 30,000 revellers enjoyed last year’s musical showcase, which has been an annual celebration since 2013 and has grown steadily into a major date in the local cultural calendar.
Headliners and home-grown talent
Amongst the headliners on the main stage this year will be The Gospel and Daytime TV, who have supported Kaiser Chiefs, the indie rock band who had a UK number 1 hit in the music charts with ‘Ruby’.
Popular local band Sterling Press will also be entertaining the crowds. Members Ed Higgins, Marlon Reynier, Lucien Ismael, Sam Anderson and Greg Smith are childhood friends from Hanwell. The former Drayton Manor pupils are now making it big in the indie scene.
Guitarist Ed Higgins, 25, said: “I remember being taken to the Hanwell Hootie when I was around 11 and thought it would be fun to play there. The organisers have been really supportive and gave us our first slot when we were 17. This will be our fourth appearance.”
The band may have just completed an ’amazing year’ in America and Europe, but playing on their home turf at the Hanwell Hootie is special to them.
“It’s exciting to play live right on your doorstep, in front of family and friends and where we were writing and recording songs. It’s cool to represent the musical history of Hanwell and be a part of Marshall Amps continuing that legacy,” Ed added.
Supporting young and emerging talent
The event, run solely by volunteers, keeps music accessible, creative and inclusive by giving a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard in a wider setting. And for the first time, it’s giving space to 3 high school bands from the borough – Drayton Manor, Elthorne Park and Twyford.
Andy McRobbie, co-founder and music director of the Hootie, said: “It’s a privilege to see so much emerging talent, and we’re doing everything we can to curate a festival that supports new artists and brings the community together through live music – it’s a great leveller.”
A lasting musical legacy
The Hanwell Hootie was started in 2012 by local people, with the support of the company, to celebrate the life of Jim Marshall (or ‘The Father of Loud’, as he became known) who died that year. And the first festival was held in April 2013 to mark the year anniversary of Jim’s death – beginning with the unveiling of a plaque by the art deco Hanwell clock tower to honour him.
You can read more about Jim’s impact, and the area’s connection to rock music in past stories on Around Ealing website – there was even a film made about it.
The festival continues to be supported by local organisations, including Ealing Council and Marshall Amplification, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022.
Find out more
For full details of the line-up, timings and the list of venues where you can watch the performances visit the website.
For other Hanwell Hootie updates, go to the Facebook page or follow the Hanwell Hootie on X, or Instagram.
