Franck Carducci

A SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER 2025 is the fifth annual all-day boutique festival of eclectic, progressive and alternative music, held in a delightful and comfortable (mostly seated) venue in Balham, South London. As always, the day comprises an afternoon set followed by an interval to allow for a meal before the commencement of the evening set. FRANCK CARDUCCI & THE FANTASTIC SQUAD don’t just offer an ordinary concert, they deliver a true theatrical musical experience – 70s influenced yet contemporary, evoking Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Led Zeppelin. This extraordinary group opened for Sting in June 2022 in front of 15,000 people. Steve Hackett (Genesis guitarist) has supported them since 2010 – even recording on their second album in 2015. They won the "Best Overseas Band" award from the Classic Rock Society, and are touring the UK with their theatrical rock show for the twelfth time in 2025, dazzling audiences, transcending genres, and winning unanimous praise at every performance. They oscillate from powerful and energetic sounds to atmospheric moods that lend themselves to daydreaming... We guarantee it is going to be a magical journey! However, limiting it to just the sound would be extremely reductive because this project is also a full show, with costumes, staging, humour, narration, and whimsical instruments. Your senses will not be given a second of rest. You vibrate, you marvel, you have fun! It's a unique, generous, festive, glittery, fun, and glamorous show that will conquer any audience. “A very tough act to follow!” – Sting Seven Impale - Norway's lords of jazz prog madness are finally making their UK debut! Since forming in 2010, when most of the members were still in high school, Seven Impale have pushed the boundaries of progressive music with their unique and intricate compositions. After a hiatus following the release of their second album, Contrapasso, the band returned in 2023 with the critically acclaimed SUMMIT. The album was widely hailed as one of the finest releases of 2023 in the world of progressive rock and metal. The band has released three highly praised studio albums, with their debut City of the Sun being recognized by many as one of the finest prog debuts of the 21st century, marking a decade since its release in 2014. Their sophomore album, Contrapasso, expanded their sound into darker, more atmospheric territory, yet still retained the vibrant colours of their earlier work. SUMMIT captures the essence of both previous albums and elevates the band's compositions to the pinnacle of their musicality. Seven Impale are steadily emerging as one of the elite acts in the international prog scene. Be sure not to miss their UK debut! Zopp are a British act whose music spans jazz-rock, ambient, folk, psychedelic rock and endless heaps of prog, particularly of the Canterbury variety. Expect gloriously intricate, intense fuzzed organ heavy compositions, reminiscent of Soft Machine, Frank Zappa, and Egg. Zopp are breathing new life into the progressive genre, with two internationally critically acclaimed, award-winning* studio albums to date. Sid Smith, writer for Prog Magazine and biographer for King Crimson, announced Zopp’s latest record ‘Dominion’ as his ‘favourite album of 2023’. Don't miss this epic performance from England's most exciting new progressive rock group. League Of Lights are an electronic pop-rock duo comprised of Farrah and Richard West (of the band Threshold). Their third and most accomplished album to date, ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ is an outstanding collection of songs that is redolent in places of early ’80s synth pioneers like John Foxx, as well as ’00s exponents of the genre such as Ladytron. With the singles ‘The Collector’ and ‘Persephone’ boasting club-banger choruses to kill for, the duo possess crossover pop nous in abundance. Meanwhile, slower and lyrically introspective tracks such as ‘Dreamers’ and ‘Lines In The Sand’ show off a neat line in seductive progressive pop a la Kate Bush, Bat For Lashes and Goldfrapp that is no less compelling. Per Kelt are a unique and energetic contemporary progressive folk band, formed in 2008 and based in London. Inspired by medieval and Celtic music heritage from across Europe, the band blends many different genres into the characteristic sound they call ‘Pagan speed folk’; their fast, complicated, yet powerful rhythms and Celtic melodies have become their trademark over the years; reminiscent of progressive folk pioneers Jethro Tull. The music of PerKelt blends together a rhythmic synergy of drums and guitars, signature duels between fiddle and recorder, haunting pagan vocals, and the deep ethnic sound of sliding didgeridoo. Coming from all corners of the globe, each member of PerKelt infuses their own cultural heritage into a unique musical blend. Founding member Paya Lehane delivers powerful, Eastern European chants, while Duncan Menzies adds his distinctive Scottish fiddle style and virtuosic improvisation. Rubén Yon’Ton, a sound healer from Mexico, performs otherworldly shamanic vocalisations alongside traditional Native American instruments, while Kaya’s impactful playing style on the drum kit enriches the band’s traditional folk instrumentation and celtic melodies with powerful new dimensions of psychedelic folk rock. The band draws inspiration from a diverse range of musical traditions, with their songs often telling stories from magic, nature and the borderless beauty of human hearts. Driven by the story-telling and visionary rhythmic approach of their frontman guitarist Štěpán Honc and often praised for the energetic authenticity of their performance and the spiritual depth of the journey they take their audience on, the music of PerKelt reaches deep inside our soul and make us dance, laugh and love… +++++ ‘The Bedford’ is a delightful live venue/pub/restaurant/hotel in Balham, just a few minutes' walk from the Northern Line tube station. The beautiful live music room is set up with tables and chairs 'cabaret style', with standing at the back and sides, plus further seating in the balcony area. Good food and drink is available all day, plus there are many other food options in the streets nearby. The event aims to be responsive to needs of attendees with disability issues; if you require a reserved seat, please let the organisers know. Children of 14+ are allowed, provided they are accompanied by an adult.