Aaron Clarke Singer/songwriter delivering energetically on acoustic guitar and performing his own songs with a range of other music genres and covers.  Well known locally for his powerful gritty hard rock voice and performance, so expect to be taken on a roller coaster of music from Blues to Rock.  

Afro-funk Collective Old students from St Christopher's School play Jazz with an Afro-funk tinge.

Agent M Ambient Electronica from Agent M and special guest J from the Acid Shiffle Crew.

Alan Cowley Guitar-slinging troubadour from Welwyn with observational lyrics and powerful vocals delivered with venom.

Anita Gabrielle & Free Flow The wistfulness of Judy Collins — the soaring musicality of Joni Mitchell — the haunting quality of Judee Sill.  Add legendary guitarist Dave King — Latin rhythm — strong vocals — and a desire to connect and share music.   www.anitagabrielle.com

Anna Neale Lovely self-penned songs, a sweet voice and an elegant manner.

Audio Justice Accomplished funky indie rock band with very some memorable tunes.   www.audiojustice.net

Autofire Homegrown eclectic techno faves will be playing a set of original tracks along with the tunes that have influenced the band and their music over nearly 10 years.   www.zebox.com/autofire

Beenie Don "Upper-class" reggae tunes.

Beg to Differ Shouty, melodic skate punk rockers from Leicester.

Beretta Accomplished energetic full-frontal local rockers.

Bill Lennon Solo guitarist who plays songs from around the world.

Blunt Beats DJs Freestyle to the end!!!!!!

Buddhabuddies Local electronica combo who really are different with their sense of fun and mischievousness that brings a smile to your face as you find yourself dancing.

Bushnot Hip-hop rockers with shedloads of stage presence.  One of the most entertaining local outfits.

Da Ess Jay + Tee Jay + MC Judayer Drum and Bass DJ session.

Diana Levitas Diana Levitas, who has lived and taught in Hitchin for twenty-eight years plays unaccompanied violin music from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

DJ Easy Revival reggae.

DJ Hughes Blunted Dub sounds mixed up by DJ Hughes.

DJ Inbeat Turntablist playing the best in break beat and hip-hop.

Dot Hardcore Pumping techno tunes that really get under your skin and dance your body.

Doug SAT — Worldwide sounds from Blunt Beats resident Doug.  SUN — Block party hip hop jams from Doug, in a Blunt Beats style.  

Doug + DJ Hughes Classic electronic breaks and beats.

Freudstein From the darker side of dance and electronica music, trippy beats and patterns.

From Celtic Roots to Oceanic Soul This amazing show brings together from both sides of the globe, the stunning Maori trio Manuhiri and the glorious Celtic singer-songwriter Lorraine Jordan accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Gill Hunter.   www.planetwoman.net

Gekko Local funk rockers, absolutely amazing — something to really wake you up and start you dancing.

Gor Jus Wrex Top local traditional Irish Ceili Band — recorded by EMI.  Vibrant tunes and original songs from this lively five piece — guaranteed to get you jigging and reeling. 

Half-moon Drum Circle An eclectic blend of world rhythms featuring djembe, djun-djun, talking drums and didges.  Exciting stuff not to be missed.

Hertfordshire Music Service The Rock Project — Initiative set up by the Hertfordshire Music Service to promote opportunities for young people to learn and perform rock music.

Herts Youth Jazz Ensemble Big band jazz from the pick of all the talented young musicians in Hertfordshire.

Hippy Dave Summertime reggae, dub and dance hall tunes.

Hitchin Allstar Choir A capella choir with a fresh and inspirational mix of songs including jazz, soul, pop, African and Irish.  Arrive early to get a good seat.

Hitchin Youth Quartet Students from North Herts Music School play the first movement of "Death and the Maiden" by Schumann.

Humdrum Tons of drums and loads of amazing musical patterns.  A truly unique experience.

Igneous Hard rock band from Luton and Stevenage.

Improvisation Session A special event for Rhythms as Soname, Lol Coxhill and Sukhi Rayat's Tabla Rhythms join forces in an improvisation session.

Insomnia Local heros with strong following.  Tripped-out thoughtful prog rock — epic and beautiful.   www.the-insomnia.co.uk

James Holland Young Hertfordshire-based singer songwriter.  A fusion of guitar, piano and thoughtful lyrics for a gritty folk pop sound.  Accompanied by John Tobin. 

Jas Money Hip-hop DJ who played a blinding set at Club 85.

Jean McClean Great solo reggae singer songwriter.   www.reggaebaby.com

Josef Porta The leader of Blythe Power swaps his drum sticks for a guitar.  Very clever thought-provoking lyrics.

Karen Gafurdjano An amazing balladeer from Uzbekistan with a full band featuring traditional instruments.  Complete with dancers in traditional Uzbek dress.   www.karen.uz

Karma Deva Bath-based and female-fronted indie roots band.

Kelly Lee Great country and western singer: runner up in the Knebworth Balloon Fair talent competition.

Lime From the Luton area, this bunch of pro-musicians get together to write and play the music they love.  Latin Jazz meets R'n'B with a gorgeous female voice.

Lol Coxhill The Jazz saxophone legend performs a free-form meditation using the acoustic of this beautiful church.

Los Chicos Muertos Mixing up alternative country, Mexicana, industrial loops and contemporary chanson.  Born from the ashes of alt-acoustic pioneers The Young TrashLovers.   www.9pm-records.de/en/burn_2b.htm  

Lou Hart Accordion player who specialises in Russian café music: fascinating.

M.O.B. House DJs Playing a mix of bhangra, old-school soul, hip-hop and reggae.

Marcus G Hurley Funk and Soul grooves fron Marcus G Hurley for Blunt Beats.   www.bluntbeats.com

Mark Attic Saturday: Blue note jazz style beats coupled with funk & soul.  Sunday: An eclectic mix of sounds from Frank Sinatra to Pink Floyd.

Mark Attic + Agent M Heavyweight reggae sound clash.

Martha Psychedelic rockers doing their own thing.  Epic guitar and song approach with a full psychedelic sound.   www.naturescenerecords.com

MC Li & Danny Spice Live performance from Conscious UK rapper and The Messenger.

Mganga Jazz/Funk band fuelled with energy and featuring the talents of the trumpet player from Motimba.  The next generation lay down soul, Afro-Latin and jazz funk classics.

Michael Berk Heavy-metal guitarist-turned acoustic instrumentalist, Michael Berk fuses flamenco rhythms, jazz harmony, blues and bluegrass influences into his own style.  Guitar finger-picking virtuosity at its best.  One of the most stunning guitar players you'll see.

Minika R'n'B meets jazz with this wonderfully talented and elegant woman.

Mis Led Youth Intense, emotional grunge core local young band with tons of promise.

Mix Master J Playing the best in R'n'B, hip-hop and dancehall.

Monkey T New and classic alternative tunes from Blunt Beats first layd, Monkey T   www.bluntbeats.com

Motimba 13-piece Cuban jazz funk band to change your life, featuring a full brass section.  Wonderful vocals and dancers.  Plus a piano player who defies time with his subtle Cuban jazz technique.

My Pet Junkie Booked for keeping the rain away for so many years, MPJ play the most hummable of tunes and disguise them with incredible invention and innovation.   www.mypetjunkie.com

Nadeem Local singer songwriter plus band.  Must not be missed: a true talent with a golden voice.  With his new line-up of musicians and material, Nadeem is just pure Hurricane.  Dynamic, rhythmic, sensitive and addictive his music just makes you want to party! Sponsored by OCC Records.   www.occasion.org.uk/recordings_nadeem.html

No Rush Semi-acoustic original music from this Luton-based group led by Nicola and her cello.   www.norush.co.uk

No.1 Station Big-sounding heavyweight roots reggae featuring ex-members of local heros The Promised Land and a great brass section.

Osagayefo Dance Ensemble An African arts-in-education company based in Luton focusing mainly on West African Music, Art, Drama, Story telling and Dance in Schools, Colleges, (including Special Needs) and youth centres.  A registered charity formed of professional and experienced artists and teachers who took the festival by storm in 2003 with a riot of colour, rhythm and dance.  CrossCurrents/DECIBEL.

Overdrawn Local rock outfit earning themselves a good name with plenty of tunes to back it up.

Pale Marble Movie Boy-girl duo with gorgeous voices, good songs and enigmatic stage presence.

Pierre A great performer with good songs very reminiscent of J.J.Cale at times and country-influenced rock at others. 

Rachel Lee Show tune and ballads from Rachel who took third place at the Knebworth Balloon Festival talent competition.

Rangala Punjab Hitchin's own Bhangra band really do get the crowd dancing: the perfect finish for the Market Place Stage for the 2003 festival.  Set up for a one-off ROTW 2003 gig, Rangla Punjab have now performed alongside some very famous artists from India and the UK and are recording their debut album.  Bhangra music is a mix of modern Western and Punjabi folk music.  Punjab is a state in the north of India well known for its rich lands and colourful (Rangla) beauty, hence the reason we call ourselves RANGLA PUNJAB.

Rangoon Implausibly accessible songwriting, CSNY meets Talking Heads, very Sunday afternoon in the sunshine.

Raqs Sharqi Hitchin's own Egyptian Dance troupe demonstrate the ancient art of Raqs Sharqi dance, which eventually developed into modern-day belly dancing.  You cannot fail to enjoy the dynamism, colour and emotion expressed by Raqs Sharqi.  The Egyptian rhythms are highly infectious and are guaranteed to move you emotionally and physically.

Redmaxx An intense yet tuneful indie / punk racket is on offer from these ROTW regulars.  Quirky, noisy and great fun   www.redmaxx.net

Restricted Hours Crazy intense psychedelic rock with Marc Astronaut of The Astronauts fame.

Robb Johnson Very entertaining yet poignant troubadour.

Roberto Italian singer-songwriter with excellent melodies.

Root Warm but minimalist, strong but graceful.  Acoustic guitar with vibraphone and hand drums.

Rush Hour Acoustic band with its heart in the right place.

Ruth Ford Really lovely songs from the gorgeous Ruth.

Section 13 Live set from UK-based Hip Hop crew whose members come from Birmingham, London and Stevenage.  

Shard You wait for ages for glamorous pop stars to come along, and then five come along from Hitchin all at once! Shard are a Hitchin band whose metal disco art pop has captured hearts beyond the town.  Following the release of their first album InPerfection, Shard toured the UK last year and awoke to 2005 to find their music being blessed by the London Emissary of the Dalai Lama — honestly! As band member Laurence said 'Even when life's a bed of roses, thorns, like shards of glass, lie deeper still'.  You have been warned!   www.shardmusic.co.uk

Sniper Melodic rock featuring members of Scene 2 and Flaccid.  5 piece from Hitchin who incorporate elements of punk, indie and rock producing an enigmatic sound.  Plenty of razzmatazz live.

Some Dogs Country punk with a full vibe and plenty to dance to; really entertaining.

Soul Rider A bunch of great local young musicians have fun playing with tunes ranging from Brand New Heavies and Liquid Soul through to The Average White Band and James Brown.

Stonegrass Punchy, guitar-driven rock with strong melodic vocals.

Subversion Young bouncy punk outfit.

Sukhi Rayat's Tabla Rhythms Sukhi Rayat will perform with 6 young Tabla players.  Sukhi is a well-known name in ROTW and has appeared regularly since 1992.  

Syrus Old-school metal gods — hard hitting thrash and biting solos — one for the headbangers and lovers of rock.

Tarantism Old festival favorites, Tarantism combine Celtic roots with ska, dub and techno, to create the perfect summer festival vibe.   www.tarantism.co.uk

The Attic Twins Mind-twisting soul, funk and reggae beats.

The Desoles Strong melodic indie rock three-piece from Baldock.

The Film Rockers playing their hearts out with well-written songs.

The Great Beyond Soulful acoustic rock with an endearing singer and guitar playing influenced by progressive rock.

The Nang Clan R 'n' B, hip-hop and reggae.

The Spikey Hedgehogs Some of the finest young musicians in Hertfordshire, having fun with some great jazz standards.

Toque Tambor Hitchin's premier exponents of Brazilian street music.  This 45-strong percussion group play seriously fat grooves from the land of the Latino.  Ask about joining!!!   web.onetel.net.uk/~toquetambor

Uncle Phil From Finland this very tight three-piece play great guitar-driven funky hard rock.   www.uncle-phil.com

Unstoppable Nature Hip-hop crew from Australia and Milton Keynes.

Visions 2000 Notting Hill style reggae sound system.

Western Appalachian Dancers American percussion dancing with Kerry Fletcher.

Woombroom Excellent upbeat funky modern jazz from local music graduates.

WYSIWYG From Shefford School, a great little blues/rock band made up of students and teachers.