Music > Live Reviews

#360kickflip @ Eaton Park Skate Park

21/09/15

A pioneering new concept in 'pop-up' gigs was trialled in Norfolk over the weekend, with three local bands – Midnight Zoo, Claws, and BK & Dad – providing live music as a Soundtrack to the Skatepark, the idea of Norwich Art Centre's director Pasco-Q Kevlin. Using nothing more than word of mouth, and  the moniker #360kickflip on social media and in Great Yarmouth's OutThere Festival programme, the aim of the experiment was to re-engage skaters and BMX-ers with live music. According to Mr Kevlin, who takes his own son to the local skatepark, youngsters no longer share a soundtrack of amplified music whilst skating, opting instead for personal headphones. This initiative hopes to re-introduce the idea of a musical soundtrack to the skating experience.

Starting on the Saturday afternoon at Norwich's Eaton Park, before transferring to Great Yarmouth's seafront Revolution Skatepark on the Sunday, the three bands – chosen to hopefully appeal to a younger audience - each performed lively sets from a marquee-style stage close to the action.

Like coaxing wild animals away from their natural habitat, it took a while for curiosity to get the better of the skaters and bikers, but certainly at the Norwich event there was quite a gathering sat on the grass by the end of BK & Dad's set, and even some of the 'cooler' BMX crowd had moved across to perform their tricks closer to the stage. A quick headcount revealed that the bands were playing to a total audience of about 150-200 – some parents and dog-walkers, but primarily the target group. Even Sir Richard Attenborough would have been pleased with that.

Follow #360kickflip on Twitter for possible future events!