The Q Festival Blog - Strummer Of Love: What Joe Strummer means to me by Frank Turner, Dreadzone, Emmy The Great & more - News

The Q Festival Blog - Strummer Of Love: What Joe Strummer means to me by Frank Turner, Dreadzone, Emmy The Great & more

Marking the 10th anniversary of Joe Strummer's death, one-off festival Strummer Of Love festival is taking place this summer (17-19 August) at a "secret location" in Somerset (don't worry they will tell ticket holders. Organised by Strummerville, the charity set-up in the late Clash frontman, the likes of Badly Drawn Boy, The Pogues, Billy Bragg, Roots Manuva and more are among the acts playing. "Plans are afoot to really make this a very special one-off event to commemorate Joe and to literally keep his flags (above) flying," Strummerville director Trish Whelan told Q. "We were honoured to have so many great bands up for playing and on top of what we feel is a great line-up, we will have our traditional campfire burning all weekend alongside some very special offerings in terms of crafts and alongside Strummer School that features some of Joe's amazing archive." Previewing the festival, some of the acts playing told us why Joe Strummer is still so important to them.

Frank Turner
"The Clash to me are the archetypal punk band, they laid the blueprint for pretty much everything that has followed. I never met Joe but he's that unusual thing - an iconic figure who was also completely on a level, not aloof. The Strummerville guys are friends and collaborators of mine and it was a no-brainer for me to play the festival."

Greg Dread, Dreadzone
"Joe Strummer embodied that free spirited poetic character that many of us aspire to. He really lived and breathed it and it showed in his words and music. I knew him from working on the 2nd BAD album and when we lived opposite each other in Ladbroke Grove. He knew how to get your inspiration fired-up and his ease of hanging with people from all walks of life set him apart from any kind of rock star persona. We are playing the festival to honour that flame that he sparked inside us."

Bastille, Dan Smith
"Joe Strummer's music and ethic continues to be contagious and massively inspirational to so many bands. For me, Strummerville have given the most incredible support and encouragement and so we're very excited to be playing at their festival."

Man Like Me, Johnny Langer
"I couldn't give a shit about punk or the rock and roll thing but learning about Joe strummer as a man completely blew me away! After watching [documentary] The Future Is Unwritten I left the cinema and consciously made an effort to change my life, to stand up for what you believe in and fight for it. I know it sounds cheesy as you hear this shit all the time but to actually observe someone doing that struck a massive chord with me. And to think that chord has been struck by millions all around the world is truly moving"

Emmy The Great
"I'm playing Strummer of Love because Strummerville means the world to me. I remember the year they started, and I've watched them grow. At some point I also began to grow. I like to think we are proud of each other. When I was a teenager my best friend Jazz was the only person who I could stand (we've all been there). We smoked behind science labs, wrote each other letters in class, and on the weekends we dressed like 18 year-olds and tried to get into hardcore clubs. I didn't know her dad was famous when I first met her, but I soon learned who he was and what he had done. She never showed off. Joe was the most extraordinarily charismatic person, like Jazz and her sister Lola are.
He inspired me, and they continue to inspire me. They question everything. They stand up for themselves. They start a scene everywhere they go. I'll never forget the night that Joe died, and I cannot believe it's been 10 years. Joe Strummer tore a hole in culture and made it start again. He had a blinding integrity and commitment to finding truth in words. The legacies he's left behind are many. To me, his greatest legacy are his kids."

For the full line-up and ticket details head to Strummeroflove.com.

10:13 AM | 19/06/2012

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Dreadzone , Emmy The Great , Frank Tuner , Joe Strummer , The Clash , The Q Festival Blog

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