Friday Night in the Big Top - Friday Evening
VW Action has secured house music legend Trevor Fung to play the 'Trippin Back' Friday Night in the Big Top, playing the cream of 88-91 acid house choons!
Pyjama Party/Disco - Saturday Evening
The 2008 VW Action Pyjama Party features live bands from 7.30pm until 10.00pm, headlined by Parka, followed by the Pyjama Party Disco, presented by Brian Burrows and Brett Hawksbee, featuring the legendary JD Groover.
Now if you want to combine any form of fancy dress with the pyjama party, that's up to you... expect to see Shrek and Donkey arriving in the 'Shrekker' in their jim jams, that kind of thing...
So with or without the fancy dress, pyjamas are 'de rigeur'. Inside the live marquee from 10.00pm, you can also catch (or take part in) the 'winner stays on' podium pillow fight.
Pyjama Party Sleepover - Saturday Evening
In keeping with the VW Action 2008 Pyjama Party theme for Saturday evening, starting at 00.15am in the Fuelers bar (near the start line) is the Pyjama Party Sleepover, with free pop, popcorn, and crisps! You'll need to bring your sleeping bag or a blanket, so that you can settle down to watch yet another showing of 'American Graffiti', which will start at half past midnight. Lights out will be at 2.30 am.
Fuellers Bar - Friday and Saturday Evening
Friday and Saturday Evening in the Fuellers Bar features a combination of alternative? (in fact very alternative) comedy, and some superb live 'acoustic' acts.
Fuellers Bar Live Comedy – Friday
and Saturday Evening.
Our 'resident' comedian for the two nights
of VW Action, Richard Sandling, has made big
progress in the past three years. He's written two successful Edinburgh
shows, and won the prestigious 2007 So You Think You're Funny award
at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The pedigree of the award is reflected
in the list of past winners Phil Kay, Rhona Cameron, Lee Mack, Dylan
Moran, Tommy Tiernan and Peter Kay, and of course past losers like Ardal
O'Hanlon, Johnny Vegas, Steve Furst, Michael Smiley, Ed Byrne, Paul
Foot, and Alan Carr. Richard has been a regular presence at all the most
vibrant and fun indie comedy gigs around London, like The School for
Gifted Children, Sunday Night Adventure Club, and Storyteller's Club,
to name but ten. Soon, he'll literally be on everybody's lips.(OK not
literally, and definitely not all at once). See him at VW Action so you
can claim to have been 'into' him
before he was famous. Richard will be bringing a couple of his own favourite
'rising stars' of comedy, and if encouraged, may also drag himself
away from the bar now and then to act as your compare and MC. If really
encouraged, he might even play his guitar based repertoire of comedy
songs, including his peerless version of Postman Pat. Artists
Trevor Fung
 Trevor Fung started from admirably humble beginnings, playing soul and rare groove cuts at a Covent Garden wine bar in the late seventies with mate Paul Oakenfold. During the early 80s Trevor began'hanging out' on the Spanish Mediterranean Island of Ibiza. But it wasn't until a visit in 1987 that he and Oakenfold began DJ'ing in a club on the Island, gradually making it a cosmopolitan hot spot for their Balearic style of mixing pop and indie-rock with house. Other DJs such as Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway and Johnny Walker later came to check it out and brought the emerging style back to the London and Manchester clubs, which were into hip hop and not much else. Rampling and Holloway soon set up their own house nights and Oakenfold followed also, pushing house to the forefront of British club life in the late 80s while Trevor Fung took charge of the Ibiza crowd and journeyed to London for the huge one-off events. He continued to DJ well into the 90s, at locations all over the world. In 1982, Trevor was invited to play at Amnesia (Ibiza) with respected resident DJ and friend Alfredo and later that year teamed up with long time friend Paul Oakenfold to set up The Funhouse. They then formed the infamous Project club in Streatham where they gave opportunities to upand coming deejays including Carl Cox, Kevin Beadle and Danny Rampling.The Project has been credited by The Media as one of London's first clubs to play House Music.Trevor went on to headline at the M25 Orbital "Rave" events Sunrise, Energy, World Dance and Biology. Now,almost 20 years on, and at Santa Pod, (a venue for Energy in 1989) he will headline the 'Trippin Back, 88-91' night at VW Action, on 29th August 2008.
Trevor Fung - An absolutely unmissable legend of a House DJ!
Parka
 Hotter than hot right now, it was in the summer 2006 when Parka came to London, in preparation for their debut single. They found themselves living in an old strip club in Whitechapel, resplendent with pole in the living room and chair screwed to the floor outside the shower cubicle! First time guests to the Parka residence must perform at least one initiation pole dance for the band.
Their first single 'Disco Dancer' took many by surprise, winning Zane Lowe's Fresh Meat on Radio 1, getting playlisted on XFM with the video (complete with balloon drum kit, guitar and sax) making it onto The Box and Q. The bigger labels came calling and Jeepster won the race for their signature whilst the band continued to claim London's indie clubs as their own, toured with Boy Kill Boy, opened for The Automatic, The Enemy, Foals and The Young Knives.
The last few months have been a whirlwind of success for Parka who, having taken part in their first nationwide tour, saw their debut jeepster single 'If You Wanna' shoot to number 11 in the indie charts. During this time the band not only played their strangest gig yet at UK music expo The Great Escape where they entertained muso's and hen parties alike at Brighton Pier's Horatio's Bar but were also heralded as the hottest new band by Q Magazine.
"pure adrenaline inducing, effervescent, speeding enthusiasm" The Sun
"a must see live band." Q Magazine
Lost On Campus – Acoustic/Indie/
Pop
 Lost On Campus – Fri 8.30pm
"...Lost On Campus shines with
charming insecurity and lyrics you will want to scribble all over your
next notebook"
Big Cheese, January 2008
"Beautiful lyrical presence"
Caitlin Stasey(Rachel Kinski - Neighbours)
"Shimmering, heartfelt acoustic
melodies"
Big Cheese, December 2006
"One of the best acoustic tracks
by a UK artist in ages"
Paul Savage - Punktastic
The Moth Lantern – Acoustic/Indie/Down Tempo
 The Moth Lantern – Fri 9.45pm
Dan Clark's vocal and songwriting skills have
drawn comparisons with Nick Drake and John Cale. The vocal harmonies
of Dan and Joanne, along with emotional but incisive lyrics really
set The Moth Lantern apart.
“Downbeat but gloriously wonderful
acoustic pop with a cinematic edge, The Moth Lantern are a beguiling
proposition." - Steve Lamacq,
Radio 1
My Last Mistake – Acoustic/Alternative/Folk
Rock
 My Last Mistake – Fri 10.45pm
Dark, mellow, passionate and most of all sincere. Everything
you ever need to know about My Last Mistake is all right there in that
sentence. With heart felt lyrics and a voice unlike anyone else, singer/song
writer Leah Newcombe is clearly a writer beyond all others, and if you
love bands like Dashboard Confessional, Counting Crows and Damien Rice,
and the mellower sounds of the Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins and many
more, you'll definitely love them.
If you don't believe us, then surely 1.75 million
hits and 4.4 million plays on their myspace profile speaks for itself.
Awe inspiring Friday Night Headliners.
The Maze Band
 The
first act to hit the stage will be The Maze Band, a piano based indie
band with a back catalog of quality tunes which could fill a highly credible
'best of...' work. And this even before they have
released their first single. The band was started in the summer of 2003,
when singer-songwriter Dave Woodcock met guitarist Dan Clark. They we're
then joined by Joe Lamb on the drums, and after many changes of bass
players they finally found Jamie Warner to complete the current line
up. Why the band are not already massive is something of a mystery, although
as the boys are now being represented by music industry veteran Bruce
Garfield, 2008 could be the year that all changes. The Maze Band are
ready for stardom. They are nothing short of the full package... check
them out.
Richard Sandling
 He
mostly talks about films and comic books and cult TV. He thinks Video
is superior to DVD and can back it up with evidence. He is also a folk
singer songwriter and performance poet - but don't let that put you
off, it's not wanky at all. Honest!
Alexis Blue
 Alexis
Blue are a four-piece from Wallasey in the North West of England. In
2007 they reached the final of 02 unsigned, and have played well received
support slots alongside The Wombats, The Kooks, Reverend And The Makers,
Little Man Tate and 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Their debut single
'You Wont Get Much Sleep' sold out immediately (both in the UK and
Japan) and was backed up by a music video broadcast on major music TV
stations including MTV2, Q and Virgin Media. The single was named 'Record
Of The Week' on many UK radio stations and championed by Manx Radio & BBC
Radio Merseyside. In May the band performed in the final of Road To V
2008, netting them a recent Channel 4 appearance. With further tours,
releases and huge plans for the rest of the year, things are looking
bright for Alexis Blue.
Dr Robert – Indie/Rock/Acoustic
 Dr Robert – Sat 8.30pm
Originally from Hartlepool which is up North somewhere,
Dr Robert packed his suitcase and guitar and came to London to find his
fame and fortune.
Discovering he shares the same birthday as David Bowie and Elvis Presley
(two of his idols) seemed like a sign to Robert that his path was already
paved and now he is ready to walk it.
Live Dr Robert captivates audiences with his wistfully
crafted blend of Northern pop rock and roll. Many gigs have been memorable
not just for the music but also The Dr's humour and occasional self
righteous drunken outbursts.
Once seen, never forgotten!
Second Sense – Rock/Funk/R&B
 Second Sense – Sat
9.45pm
Davide, an exceptional guitarist from south London was eighteen when
he started writing songs. Together with Millie Manders, a very talented
22 years old singer songwriter from south London, they have created the
new sound of Second Sense. Conceived as a four-piece band lead by Millie,
Davide on lead and rhythm guitars, Frank on bass and Amanda on drums..
Their melodic pop/rock songs with funky bass lines and inventive rhythms
are continually winning over fans. The band is currently enjoying touring
the London live circuit and will soon be in the studio recording their
debut album. Zebedy Rays – Rock/Indie/Blues
 Zebedy Rays – Sat 10.45pm
The lively three-piece have spent the last six
months touring their mix of raw rock'n'roll and experimental
jazz/blues all over the UK. Singer/guitarist Adam Hickman struts,
jumps and ploughs through songs with explosive energy whilst Josh
Powell (drums) and Danny Meigh (bass) hold things together with a
skill that surpasses their years.
With endorsement from 'Playmusic' magazine, sponsorship
by Hughes and Kettner, and coverage on BBC Radio One's Steve
Lamacq Show, Zebedy Rays are shining bright…
"Kings Of Leon in a drinking
contest with Pharoah Sanders and The Fall"
SOUNDSXP
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