It's coming to that time of year again when people start asking when Plug and Play is due to start up again. Well, as usual Plug and Play will start on the first Sunday (6th) in September and then every first Sunday of  the month thereafter til the finale in May.

The tireless group of commited volunteers who have been putting the event on for the last 10 years have been working away behind the scenes since the end of the last season in preparation. And, although nobody would be drawn on the subject, rumours are already circulating about who will be playing. Names like Ember who wowed the crowd with their beautiful harmonies, Kirsty McGee and Matt Martin with their "delicate yet stubborn" songs and Jon Gomm with his incredible guitar style. "You will have to keep an eye on the website to see who is coming because the one thing you can be sure of is you'll be sorry if you miss one" said soundman Tom Corda-Stanley.

Apart from the main acts Plug and Play are planning two special Showcase sessions; One acoustic session on September 6th and an electric session on January 3rd. "We decided we wanted to open the format up a little to be able to provide the local talent with a platform for their material which, in the current musical climate, gets little opportunity to be aired. That is, after all, where the new music comes from. For example Ethan Thomas, who is headlining our October 4th session came and played one of our singers nights when he must have been all of 13 years old and he was awesome. Since then we have seen him go from strength to strength. He has the potential to go all the way to the top if he keeps improving in the way he is doing now." Tom has advised all those who want to play either the Acoustic or Electric session to drop him an Email as soon as possible at long-gone@hotmail.co.uk. "We hope to get 8 to 10 people firmly booked in for these sessions so that we can dedicate a good 20 minutes to each act rather than the more ad hoc nature of the regular open sessions" said Tom "It will have to be on a first come first served basis so if there is anyone out there interested you'd better get in touch soon".

There will of course be the usual open session on all the other nights so that anyone can just turn up and plug in and play like the name says. "That is and has always been one of the cornerstones of Plug and Play- You never know what you are going to get on a Plug and Play night; anything is possible from Folk to Metal. The thing that you can be sure of is a fantastic night out with some great music." Put the website in your favourites- www.plug-play.co.uk