Holiday music and film at pavilion

A free weekend of film and music is on offer at the De La Warr Pavilion this Bank Holiday weekend.

Spirited Away, an oscar nominated Japanese animated adventure story for all the family opens the weekend at 8.30pm tomorrow. The films will be projected onto the south wall of the pavilion enabling viewers to sit on the grass outside and enjoy the films with the breaking waves of Bexhill coast in the background.

On Sunday night, at 8.30pm, a highly regarded surf film will be shown. Riding Giants documents the surfing lifestyle from California to Australia and features breathtaking photography. Both films are suitable for a family audience and a fireworks display will follow Sunday nights film.

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The live music begins at noon on Sunday with the bands scheduled to play outside on the bandstand.

Dirty Scavengers, a Brighton based grunge band are first on followed at 1pm by Speakershoe, whose sound is described on their myspace website as acoustic R'n'B with Hip Hop Soul tones and Gypsy Funk rhythms.

At 2pm Part Time Heroes take the stage for a soundsystem set featuring live trumpet and saxaphone. They are highly rated by Radio 1 DJ, Gilles Peterson. At 3.15pm Peggy Sue and the Pirates perform, formed in Brighton, they have recently toured with Kate Nash.

Thecocknbullkid, a musical platform for Anita Alisa will be on at 4.30pm. She has been described by Plan B magazine as "if Morrisey had a child with Neneh Cherry this is what she'd sound like." The band performed at Glastonbury this year.

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The Brute Chorus are another up and coming band who have caused a stir with their second single, "Grow Fins," They have been regularly featured on Radio 1 and are a favourite of the BBC DJ, Steve Lamacq.

Closing are established soul and funk band Hardkandy. They formed in Brighton and came to prominence in 2002 after a memorable performance at The Big Chill music festival. Their sound is influenced by Al Green and Curtis Mayfield.

The music starts again on Monday at 12.30pm. Portslade, a Morcheeba sounding chill out band will be performing versions of classic Brit songs. At 1.30pm, The Portico Quartet hit the stage. This band have been nominated for the Mercury music prize and inspired London's hippest Jazz club, The Vortex, where they have performed, to start a record label to release their music.

At 2.45pm, Jamie Woon will perform. He has supported Amy Winehouse in the past and his recent single "Wayfaring Stranger" was voted I-Tunes single of the week. The live music comes to an end with Ska Toons at 4pm, a mix of classic ska and off beat reworkings of famous pop songs.

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The head of live programming at the De La Warr Pavilion, Laura Ducceschi, is excited by the status of bands to be performing and hopes that the acts will appeal to a variety of people. She described the acts as "musically, of high calibre."

Being outside, the organisers are hoping to create a chilled out, festival atmosphere that will specifically attract people to see the bands but also be of interest to people who are passing by and encourage them to stop and enjoy the festival. The festival has become a regular part of the towns bank holiday weekend and the organisers are aiming to build on the street theatre emphasis of years previous.

Sally Ann Lycett, head of communications at the De La Warr Pavilion says, "This year's programme is a development of what has gone before, focusing on live music to attract a wider audience."

Food and drink are available to buy and take out and picnics are allowed. The pavilion restaurant is open for dinner until 8.30pm. In case of wet weather the films and music will be moved inside to the pavilion.