Excitement reaches fever pitch as Rox is set to rock Bognor Regis

With the stage set, the volunteers poised and the bands prepped, the time has come for the 23rd Rox Music and Arts festival to get the town rocking.

The Royal Norfolk Hotel will once again provide the perfect backdrop for the event which is the largest free music extravaganza of its kind in the south – and this year it looks set to be bigger and better than ever.

A Rox spokesman said: “As in other years, applications to perform at Rox exceeded all expectations and the organisers wish they could have the time and space to allow more of them to show what they can do.

“Even the addition of extra stages can’t satisfy the demand from bands to play, and Rox would like to say sorry for the ones that didn’t make it this time around.

“The quality of a number of bands and artists underlines the belief that our corner of south west Sussex has some great talent just waiting to get out there and play to a bigger audience.”

Rox’s main arena stage, in the grounds of the hotel, will showcase nearly 30 acts over the two days with an incredibly diverse range for all musical tastes.

And the buzzing atmosphere of the concept stage, which grows in popularity every year with both the performers and the audience alike, will be back.

The Classical Rox stage will once again provide a full programme of top quality music on Sunday afternoon.

There will also be the Rox Fringe opposite the hotel and the secret gardens which will host a number of community and craft stalls as well as the very popular garden stage which caters for lovers of folk music.

THE LINE-UP

THE ARENA STAGE

Saturday

1pm: Vintage Dance Media – DJ Terry Nicholas

1.30pm: Sweet Ether

2.10pm: Unsung Lilly

2.50pm: Dusty and the Brown Bag Band

3.30pm: Iccas Belle

4.10pm: Bad Billy Band

4.50pm: Matron

5.40pm: The Racketeers

6.20pm: Southern Blues

7.10pm: Gunshot Straight

7.50pm: Cheers Bar Allstars

8.30pm: Noisy Toyz

9.20pm: Texacano : ZZ Top tribute

10.10pm: Sticky Rhythms

Sunday

1pm: New Community Rock Choir

1.40pm: Feasty and Wolf

2.15pm: High Tyde

2.50pm: The Watermelons

3.25pm: Golden Boulder

4pm: El Deyma

4.45pm: Force 8

5.25pm: Free Beer and Naked Women

6.10pm: Freedom Culture

7pm: Southbeat

7.45pm: The Nuts

8.35pm: Offbeat Offensive

9.35pm: The Fabulous Fug Band

CONCEPT AUDIO STAGE

Saturday

1pm: 5050

1.30pm: Wookie Weekend

2pm: Small Town Silence

2.35pm: Atombuzz ATOMBUZZ

3.10pm: Sweet Jonny

3.50pm: chiLIVE presents Last Chance to Escape

4.30pm: chiLIVE presents Them the Sky

5.10pm: Dropzone DROPZONE

5.50pm : The Vril

6.30pm: Tales of George

Sunday

1pm: Aldingbourne Trust’s access music group

1.30pm: The Underagers

2pm: Whitebus

2.30pm: Carnivale

3.10pm: chiLIVE presents Dutch Criminal Record

3.50pm: chiLIVE presents Little Shocks

4.30pm: Buffalo Bridge

5.05pm: Doctrine of Complicity

5.45pm: Burn the Evidence

6.25pm: Circle of Reason

THE SECRET GARDEN STAGE

Saturday

1pm: The Laburnum Grove School Choir

1.25pm: Lewis Bennett

1.55pm: Ben Harvey

2.25pm: Alan and Stewart

2.55pm: Bellacapella

3.25pm: Emily Barden

3.55pm: Cheese and Tomato

4.30pm: Tuala and George

5pm: Daisy Mouatt

5.30pm: The Southdown Ramblers

6.15pm: Adam Franklin

Sunday

1pm: Sarita Jeannet SARITA JEANNET

1.20pm: Christian Nunnikhoven

1.55pm: Bognor Regis Rock Choir

2.20pm: Double Jointed

2.50pm: Noah’s House Band

3.30pm: Celtic Simbel

4pm: The Renegade Dogs

4.30pm: Aimee Mackenzie

5.35pm: Chalky

6.15pm: Slim Jim and the Wildcards

JACK RABBIT SLIMS

Saturday

3pm: Left Arm Pregnant

3.45pm: Adam Turner

4.30pm: Lineside

5.15pm: Lily Fraser

6pm: Fools Knowledge

6.45pm: Death Ape Disco

7.30pm: Callum McMurchie

8.15pm: Imbium

9pm: Tom Mabley

9.30pm: Sandweaver

11pm: Dirtwerkz DJ’s Rox Festival After Party (£2 on door)

Sunday

2.15pm: Taller Than Jane

3pm: Steve Rico and Johnny Ram

3.45pm: Angela Jane

4.30pm: The Liabilities

5pm: Charlotte Howard

5.30pm: Beatroot

6.15pm: Papa Du! feat. Ruby Tiger and Lou Maggs

7pm: Tyromancers

7.45pm: Adele Henry

8.30pm: Matt Douglas

9pm: The Catchpenny Broadcast

10.30pm: R&B Spotlight DJ’s (£1 on door)

CLASSIC STAGE

(Sunday only)

1pm: Jonathan Strange, Violin, and Roger Clayden, Cello.

2pm: Recorder Vibes

3pm: Christopher Beaumont, Xylophone, and Andrew Beaumont, Piano

4pm: Silvia Rota, Soprano, and Karen Kingsley, Piano.

5pm: Jazz Band with students from various universities

Musical magic will also be on the pier stage from 2pm each day.