Ahead of this weekend’s M-Fest on Saturday, The Journal has spoken to the artists performing on the day, allowing them to introduce themselves in their own words. Following his performance with Farebrother in 2016, Faulkland-born Tom Hunt returns to Midsomer Norton with The Shuks, a “punky-grunge” band who have been well-received at gigs across Bristol, London and beyond over the last two years.

Meeting at Bath Spa University in 2016, The Shuks are a four-piece band who, in their own words, “combine raw energy with ethereal atmospherics and loaded lyricism to produce a sound of inescapable presence.”

The band make their M-Fest debut this year, but arrive hotly-tipped after profile-raising performances at the Amersham Arms in London, Bath’s legendary Moles venue, and a visually-stunning set at the Planetarium in Bristol, amongst others. The group, who cite Pixies, The Smashing Pumpkins and Suede as influences, are quickly making a name for themselves in the South West, and will be bringing their energetic-yet-dreamy array of original material to the High Street.

The band is made up of guitarist, Tom Hunt, bassist/vocalist, Ciara Bains, drummer, Katya Pishchik and guitarist/vocalist, Jack Lawther. Tom said: “Like most, playing music and playing instruments is something we’ve all grown up with. But it was only until we all met at university that we started playing together, and ultimately formed The Shuks.

“With all four of us coming from different parts of the world, and from different parts of London, we’ve all had different local inspirations of our own. Bands from the South West like Ghost of the Avalanche, Ulysses and Confectionery have always been notable bands that have been out there doing it for a long time.

Ciara added: “Likewise, with bands like Dead Pretties and Goat Girl, who have started to make their mark on UK music scene.”

Reflecting on the band’s first gig, some two years ago, Jack said: “Our first gig would have been in Bath, and like most, it would have been mostly to our friends and family. We don’t remember much of it, but it would have been a lot of organised chaos… Nothing too different to shows we play now, to be honest!”

Tom continued: “As we have a few different ‘local scenes’ amongst ourselves, playing shows in Bath, and further afield in London, have always been good experiences with a lot of support friends.

“So, high points would be being able to go over to London and still play a good show with a good turnout and response. We haven’t really had any notable lows as of the moment, fingers crossed that doesn’t change!”

When asked what could be done to revitalise the town culturally, Tom said: “Events like M-Fest. It doesn’t matter how small or big they are; having events like this will open people’s eyes to the amount of local talent in the area, and inevitably get people to believe in it again.

“So, the more opportunities like this one, the better!”

Finally, Katya told The Journal what readers can expect from the band’s late-afternoon set: “Energy! This is our first time at M-Fest, so we’re very excited, both to play and excited for people to hear us!”

M-Fest takes place in the High Street, Midsomer Norton this Saturday, 14th July. The event is free and family-friendly, with live music taking place between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The event is looking for volunteers to aid with handling equipment and giving stage directions on the day. If you are interested and can help, please contact: [email protected] / 01761 419133.

Set times for the event are: GUTS – 1 p.m. to 1.30 p.m., Hughmungous – 2 p.m. to 2.30 p.m., Abstract Typography – 3 p.m. to 3.30 p.m., The Shuks – 4 p.m. to 4.45 p.m., Troy Ellis – 5.15 p.m. to 6 p.m., The Publicans – 6.30 p.m. to 7.15 p.m., Verdisa – 7.45 p.m to 8.45 p.m., subject to change.