The Hanwell Hootie is the largest free one-day music festival in London. Each year, early in May, live music events continue throughout the day in a host of small venues.
The Hootie was first held in 2013 to celebrate Jim Marshall, the Father of Loud, who died in 2012. Last year it was held online – the Isolation Festival – for obvious reasons that also mean this year’s Hootie is also cancelled, though there is a whisper that a smaller version may take place in September (fingers crossed).
To bridge the gap, this weekend I spent an hour or so with something loud on my iPod, while browsing through previous years’ Hootie souvenir programmes. Like we were strolling around, debating on which act to catch next. I even wore my Hootie T-shirt and wristband for that authentic touch.
Hanwell – the Home of Loud
In 1960, Jim Marshall, a drummer and drum teacher, opened a shop in Hanwell High Street with his wife Violet and son Terry, an event commemorated by a plaque on the pavement outside what is now Tony’s Barbers. Jim started off selling drums, and then included guitars. Several customers, including The Who’s Pete Townshend, said they wanted a guitar amp that was louder than UK models, but not as expensive as the more powerful American imports.
So, in 1962, Jim set up Marshall Amplification. With the help of Dudley Craven and Ken Bran he eventually came up with the Marshall JTM 45 and the Marshall sound was born: loud, distorted and with that distinctive crunch.
Up to 11
In 1963, the Makers of Loud moved across the road to bigger premises and from then on business boomed. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton (who went to school with my aunt, doncha know), Jimmy Page and Ronnie Wood were soon using Marshall equipment. Before long, just about everyone was. They were certainly a familiar sight in rehearsal rooms in my playing days. The Marshall stack, a wall of noise, became de rigueur for rock bands when touring. And the ultimate accolade – yes, it’s a Marshall amp that gets turned up to 11 in This Is Spinal Tap.
Loud more golden than silence
The first Hanwell Hootie kicked off with Brian Poole of the Tremeloes unveiling a plaque near Hanwell Clock Tower. Was he able to resist an ironic reference to his former band’s hit Silence is Golden during this tribute to the Father of Loud?
The plan at that first Hootie was for 13 bands to play in three pubs – in the end just about every pub and bar in Hanwell joined in.
Look at the old souvenir programmes and you get a sense of how the Hootie has grown, long ago outstripping the capacity of Hanwell’s pubs and bars, with more venues being introduced each year.
At our first Hootie, there were some pubs we’d rarely visited before, including the Kings Arms pre-makeover. Some were full beyond anything they’d seen in years, like the Duke of York, where the Shock of Rock made some of the letters fall off the sign outside, so that it now reads the D_ke _f Y_rk.
For me, it’s all about the excitement of watching a band up close, a reminder of when I too played live, back in the day. Marvelling at the interplay of bassist and drummer, guitarist and keyboard player, and the singer’s ability to hold the audience. Wanting to dance, not wanting to spill my pint. The all-encompassing spectacle of it all.
And there’s more…
Fabulous Feasting, the Busking Bus and the Hootie Shuttle Bus – a free service that takes you to outlying venues and nearby train and tube stations. My first ever espresso martini, standing in the cooling rain by a canvas kiosk in Viaduct Meadow. Never mind the weather, here’s the Hootie!
Local legacy
Do get a copy of the souvenir programme, even if you can’t attend the Hootie itself this year. For as well as being a guide to events on the day, it’s an excellent starting point for finding out about the rock and pop music legacy of the local area…
- Some of the loudest bands of the 60s and 70s – Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and the Who – all rehearsed at the imposing Hanwell Community Centre at one time or another. What would Charlie Chaplin and his schoolmates have made of that?
- Brentford fan Rick Wakeman, and some of the Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai, went to Drayton Manor School.
- Doctor Feelgood’s Lee Brilleaux (brill name) grew up in Hanwell.
- Cyril Davis, harmonica player and Ealing Blues Club founder, was a regular at the Viaduct pub.
Gone but not forgotten
Peter Cook’s Guitar World, where I would spend many a happy half hour guitar gazing, closed in 2015. The Flying Pig guitar shop, next door but one to Tony’s Barbers, closed some years before that.
Long Live Loud!
For sure, the Hanwell Hootie will carry on growing (much like Hanwell itself). We’ll carry on watching it evolve each year. Meanwhile, I’m just so pleased we’ve been able to witness these early ones, still new and marvellous.
The show must go on
In September 2021, we had a scaled-down version – Hootie in the Meadow – followed in 2022 by business as usual. Last year, in 2023, the Hootie had a break because of the Coronation.
But now it’s back – on 11 May 2024!
For more information:
Hanwell Hootie – Live Music in Small Venues in the Home of Loud
Marshall History – marshall.com
If you’d like to find out more about Hanwell, local historian David Blackwell has a fascinating collection of books, maps and photos, old and new, of Hanwell and neighbouring areas. They are on display at Hanwell Library on the first Saturday of each month from 10am to 3pm.
Around Hanwell and up the allotment 
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