“REGGAE superstar Ken Boothe headlines a free music festival in Birmingham tomorrow. The singer, who had a UK number one hit in 1974 with Everything I Own, is the main attraction at the Simmer Down festival in Handsworth Park. Also on the bill are the Gabbidon Band, Rose Capri, Claire Angel, Reggaebaby Lounge, Hearts Aglow Steelband, Steel Pulse tribute band Pulse Beat, Louise Kilbride Band, Village Well, Glama Wayne, Maria Mour, Bingiman, Unique, Si Hayden, Kokumo, Lee Alexander and Annette Fagon. There will be a range of workshops and dance activities, including a Carnival Bashment dance procession produced by Punch Records, which brings schools from across Birmingham together. ”

“A chance meeting with Shirley Bethune of Mothers of Creation, a Birmingham based musical and theatre project, means that Shirley will help with the production of tracks for the Sick be Nourished album. Artists who have already contributed on the record label ‘Lickitweh’ include Simeon Sweets, Claire Angel and Jah Shepperd to name but a few. “Getting this far has been a struggle, but I’ve had fantastic help from people along the way and I can’t thank them enough.””