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Musicians across Kent go online during lockdown with Canterbury's Richard Navarro and Medway's Funke and the Two Tone Baby

Did you watch as the Rolling Stones played live in their sitting rooms at the weekend, for One World: Together At Home?

It’s a phenomenon most of us have embraced during isolation - either performing or posting on social media, or watching others do it and musicians across Kent have also found an outlet while their gigs and tours have been put on hold.

Musician Richard Navarro is raising money with an online concert with some 30 other musicians
Musician Richard Navarro is raising money with an online concert with some 30 other musicians

Canterbury musician Richard Navarro, whose latest album launched in January, had been planning a concert at Westgate Hall on Sunday, April 26, to raise money for a boardwalk burnt down on Hambrook Marshes, just outside his home city.

Instead, he will put on a Virtual Concert for the Marshes on the same date with around 30 other musicians from Canterbury and the surrounding area.

All the musicians and poets have sent him their specially recorded pieces which will be edited together and shown on Youtube here and Facebook at 7pm.

The audience will be encouraged to donate to the Just Giving campaign at justgiving.com/campaign/hambrookmarshes which has already raised more than £900.

He joins others who have ventured online as a result of the outbreak.

One of the first was East Kent-based band the Old Country Crows who had been planning to hold an album launch at the New Inn in Sandwich this month, to mark the release of their new album, Behind the Rain.

Funke and the Two Tone Baby has gone online
Funke and the Two Tone Baby has gone online

But as the event could not go ahead the Dover and Deal group, who play a mix of country, bluegrass, folk and rock, will release a video of the album’s opening song, That’s All I Know, partly filmed at the Dancing Dog Saloon in Bobbing, Sittingbourne.

Cliffe-based musician Dan Turnbull, otherwise known as Funke and The Two Tone Baby has set up Quarantine Covers, asking fans to suggest songs to cover and posting them a week later - which has so far led to unique takes on The B-52’s Rock Lobster, and a mash-up of Led Zeppelin and Beastie Boys, with Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz still to come.

And the Maidstone Fringe Festival, which had been due to feature the likes of folk musician Will Varley and the Dub Pistols for its 10th anniversary next week, won’t be able to go ahead, but organisers hope the event could still make music in some way, saying: “We hope to offer some form of online experience over the planned festival weekend.”

For all the county's music news during lockdown and beyond, click here.

East Kent musician Will Varley was due to appear at Maidstone Fringe Festival
East Kent musician Will Varley was due to appear at Maidstone Fringe Festival
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