Farryl Purkis played the Free Stage last year and will be a featured act in the Grant Erskine Marquee at this year's festival.

Of the doubtless many who will make submissions to be included in the overall roster, certain groups and individual musicians will be deemed more appropriate for the ‘acoustic-inclined’ daylight hours and be offered one of the six allocated SAMRO Free Stage slots. Bands and soloists who do not submit demos but still want to play will have the opportunity to register at the festival each morning. Splashy Fen organisers are “especially aware” of the need to promote previously disadvantaged musicians and welcome their pre-festival submissions or on-site registrations. The emphasis on acoustic sounds will nonetheless encompass almost everything from avant-folk and free-form poetry to yodelling and a cappella singing.

The six or eight acts considered “best of” the SAMRO Free Stage will on Sunday evening go forward to a final in the Grant Erskine Marquee, renamed from the Bamboo Stage in honour of Durban’s renowned photographer and “friend of Splashy Fen” who died suddenly during 2005. The most popular overall band or solo performer will be rewarded with an advertised slot in next year’s festival. Several of today’s leading local musicians gained their career-launching exposure via this route, so all singer-songwriters, groups and instrumentalists looking for that ‘big break’ would be well advised to take full advantage of the SAMRO Free Stage at Splashy Fen 2006 – this opportunity will not come around again until Easter long-weekend next year!

SAMRO Free Stage Manager: Andrea Arbuckle Cell: 082 377 2610