MEMORY OF A FREE FESTIVAL Folk legend Amory Kane ies in from San Francisco David Bowie donates for

the bandstand Excitement is building around the Memory of a Free Festival being staged in Beckenham as Sunday the 15th approaches. The 2013 festival is a reprise of the 1969 Free Festival staged at the Croydon Road Recreation Ground by David Bowie and his friends at the Beckenham Arts Lab. The festival is being organised as a fund raiser to renovate the iconic bandstand where David Bowie, Amory Kane, Bridget St John, Keith Christmas, The Strawbs and other musicians from performed on a sunny August afternoon 44 years ago. First came news that the legendary American folkrock musician Amory Kane (www.amorykane.com) is ying from San Francisco to headline the music lineup Amory Kane's performance was one of the 1969 highlights. He says the invitation to play again this year was irresistible: I love beyond measure to be in the UK at any time because it is the land of my childhood, but this trip is really special I have vivid happy memories of the Arts Lab festival and I'm delighted to be coming back. Then organiser Natasha Ryzhova Lau had a call from a David Bowie aide, conrming that David is donating signed memorabilia which will be auctioned during the festival. The money raised by the auction of David's signed memorabilia will go into the bandstand fund: We are thrilled at David's generosity says organiser Natasha And I'll say a big thank you to him on the day.

The 2013 festival aims to recreate the magic of the original event. Performances include The Thin White Duke Bowie tribute band, Bill Liesegang (who also played in 1969), Keval, Raf and O, Low Rent Tractors and Scott Fuller and John Aldington. There will be stalls provided by Gingham Goose Craft Markets, face painting, refreshments, a rafe and other attractions. The nale of the festival will be a live performance of Memory of a Free Festival, the song released in 1970 by David Bowie in homage to the original Free Festival. In 1969 the festival was free. Contemporary regulations make it impossible to replicate free entry, so there will be a charge of 5.00 to cover expenses, with voluntary contributions towards the bandstand restoration fund. On September 15 the fun starts at 2.00pm, with non-stop live music from 3 to 6 pm. Memory of a Free Festival will be held at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, Beckenham. For information updates go to: www.facebook.com/beckenham.bowie www.twitter.com/beckenhambowie For media inquiries, background information, images and interview requests please contact: Natasha Ryzhova Lau 07729 006 259 memoryofafreefestival2013@gmail.com D'Arcy Debrett 07794 095 620 beckenhambowie@gmail.com