A Great Sigh of Relief

Nice design work...

I used to love Rhodes Rock, a festival of classic rock played by dedicated tribute bands (and one or two originals) to ecstatic enthusiasts under a starlight Lindian June night every year. The last time the event took place here in Rhodes, though, was in 2013 and since then it's moved on to pastures new in Spain.

When I first learned that there would be no Rhodes Rock in Lindos in 2014 I was pretty disappointed. After all, living down here at the furthest reaches of the European continent our opportunities to go and see live music are very limited, excluding of course the occasional Greek music event.

In 2014 the rather more modest, yet enthusiastic "Lindos Music Week" started up, to some extent in response to requests from locals that someone organise an event for those still wanting their live music to be played against a backdrop of a Lindian sky in an impossibly beautiful Aegean environment. Many wondered if it would take off. Fortunately, it seems that it has.

Last year it was bigger than ever and there was once again a good selection of rock and blues bands to suit all tastes, playing in a variety of venues from bars to hotel gardens to open air clubs. I couldn't go. The best nights for me to go out during a busy summer didn't quite coincide with the events that I'd like to have gone to. Boo hoo. That's always assuming we could have mustered up the enthusiasm to get up, shower, dress and set off down our lane after a fairly hot, sweaty day's excursioning in my case, and villa cleaning in the case of my much more hardworking better half.

This year, I'm pleased to report for all those ageing hippies and rock fans out there, it's a full programme of events stretching over 10 days from June 15th until June 25th under the collective title of Lindos Rock 2016. Plus, and this is why I call this post "A Great Sigh of Relief", I can go see the Pink Floyd band (Floyd in the Flesh - the website is in its infancy, but well designed. Bookmark it, it's sure to grow) because I'm not doing the Greek night on a Tuesday this year and they're playing the Amphitheatre Club, Lindos on the night of the summer solstice, Tuesday June 21st. Tell you what too, the support bands include Dizzy Lizzy, who I'm also pretty excited about seeing. Incidentally, for those reading this in the UK, you may be interested to know that the organisers also plan a fairly busy schedule of events at home during the rest of the year, check it out here.

Take a shufty at the event list. Lots going on.

Now, I now that there will be some reading this that have already made their plans for this season, but perhaps that includes being on Rhodes during the dates referred to, in which case, you may just want to come and sample some of the action. You can get in at the door too, by the way.

Plus, talk about being organised, but the event is already scheduled for 2017 before even this year's has happened. This is a bit of sensible forethought because it means that anyone who thinks that they don't want to miss it again can make their plans well in advance for this ever-growing summer rock extravaganza. Check out the website by all means, but the dates for 2017 will be 14th-21st June. As old Sir Fred Pontin used to say on his excruciating TV ads all those years ago, "book early!"

Needless to say, as I did with Rhodes Rock, I shall be reporting on my experience after the event, so if it's something that may be of interest to you, it may just encourage you to make plans for next year, if you can't come along this coming week or two. If, by the way, you are at the Floyd in the Flesh gig, do say hello if you see me, won't you.

Your ever-dedicated, hardworking reporter on the ground here in Rhodes. (ahem!)