Night of 100 Ukes: Your Chance to Play Bestival

Those ever-innovative kids at Bestival HQ are throwing open a stage on Sunday night at Bestival to all-comers, giving them a chance that many bands that would give their last plectrum for.

It’s under the auspices of The Dulwich Ukulele Club, or The DUC to their friends, those who have the determination to grab hold of a Ukulele and learn to play a few songs on it will be able to regale their future grandkids with tales of the time _They_ played at Bestival. Think Hendrix at Woodstock, Orbital at Glastonbury, Night of 100 Ukes at Bestival.

If you haven’t heard of The DUC, you’re clearly not getting out enough. The Guardian hold them in high regard saying such lovely things as ‘The Dulwich Ukulele Club are a must-see. No kidding.’

Listening to their tracks on MySpace, Bestival goers will be able to half shut their eyes and imagine the beauty of a stage full of enthusiastic amateurs (and some not so amateurs) twanging away to “Heaven,” while the seas of Bestival goers sway softly from side-to-side, warm sun on their backs, gently smiling to each other. Who could miss out on something as heart-warming as that.

Given the ownership of a Ukulele is a passport to play at Bestival, you just know that you’d better act sharpish and get down to your favourite retailer of stringed instruments to grab yourself a Uke – expect a similar run on them as Delia Smith generated for Cranberries one xmas. The owners of Duke of Uke, in London’s Brick Lane (Well Hanbury Street actually) will be smiling from ear to ear.

Forming a band by giving everyone a chance to twang themselves into festival history isn’t something that we’ve ever heard of anyone doing before and those who have been moved by I’d like to teach the world to sing (the sentiment, not the drink endorsement), will be able to live the dream.

Once the Uke is in your hands, simply point your Web browser to the Night of 100 Ukes MySpace in the run up to Bestival to get the details of songs, lyrics and chords you need to learn and pluck around by yourself, perhaps joining the rehearsal at “a central London pub” in August, or given enough demand there’ll be one organised on the Island too – tune back for further news.