Des Simmons tribute gig

IT’S not too late to buy tickets for Saturday’s gig Ridgeway Fire: a celebration of the songwriting of Des Simmons. The untimely death of Newbury songwriter Des Simmons in January 2013 robbed us of a unique creative talent. His songwriting was in the vein of classic alternative rock, with nods to Ray Davies, Ronnie Lane, Patti Smith and the Velvet Underground. Many of his early band line-ups had a hard, fast indie rock edge from his punk/alternative rock beginnings in London and later this evolved into a folk rock acoustic sound inspired by the likes of Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and the Band. For this special concert at Arlington Arts (7.30pm) the many musicians who played with Des over three decades will come together from all over the country to showcase as many of his remarkable songs as can be packed into three hours. The proceeds will be donated to the Des Simmons Award for Young Musicians, which has been set up by the national charity Awards for Young Musicians, aimed at helping aspiring young musicians from underprivileged backgroundse. Visit www.arlingtonarts.co.uk