Newport music scene documentary seeks funding

A planned documentary exploring the vibrant Newport music scene is seeking crowdfunding to make the project a reality.

The film titled The Rock Of Newport is in its early stages of production but already director Nathan Jennings has interviewed artists including Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Skindred’s Benji Webbe, Andy Cairns from Therapy? and Funeral For A Friend to tell the story of the Welsh town that was dubbed “The New Seattle.”

Jennings explains: “Every town has its club and has a music scene which people remember. But the reason why Newport’s music scene was so special is because it was a handful of individuals who cared about it and dedicated their life to bringing great bands to Newport and giving music to people.

“TJ’s was the venue. It was the Hacienda, it was The 100 Club, it was the CBGBs of Wales. It was there from 1971 to 2010 and a countless amount of bands came through there. It etched its way into music history and became legendary.”

The documentary has had support from local councils, MPs and the family of John Sicolo who owned TJ’s, along with former staff and local independent record traders. But it needs extra funding to complete, with Jennings seeking £20,000.

There are a variety of incentives for those wishing to pledge their support for The Rock Of Newport, including limited edition t-shirts, signed posters, autographed art, tickets to the world premiere and your name in the credits.

To find out more or to support the film, visit the project’s Indiegogo page.

Artists

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.