Cheeky Fest music festival is coming to Kingston on Thursday 29 August at Ram Jam.

Cheeky Fest is an arts community and festival targeted at people who struggle with their mental health and people who are struggling to find suitable and fairly paid work or who have experienced long-term unemployment.

The mastermind behind the festival is Kingston local Rupert Cheek, who was in an accident in 2011 and was rescued by a London Ambulance.

Rupert Cheek, creator of Cheeky Fest (Credit: Rupert Cheek)

So, in 2016, Cheek started thinking about organizing an event to fundraise for London's air ambulances and to say thank you and give back.

However, Cheek later pivoted his charitable goals to helping Nordoff & Robins, the UK's largest music therapy charity, because he had music therapy as a child.

Cheek had music therapy because he hadn't spoken a word by the time he was four, and his parents found that speech therapy didn't help him.

However, music therapy did help as when his therapist opened and closed the piano, he was able to say hello and goodbye.

Since then, music has played a big part in Cheek's life; he can play the piano, guitar, and drums.

This is why he wants to give back to Nordoff & Robins through his music festival.

Cheek said that "by harnessing the power of music, Nordoff & Robins transform people's lives by helping them to break through the barriers caused by life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, as well as disabilities and social isolation."

He said: "From children with autism to adults with dementia, music unlocks feelings and memories and brings us together.

"For some, music alone gives them the power to communicate. Through music, therapy can help increase people's confidence and foster meaningful connections. It can also positively impact your mental health and wellbeing."

Cheek also studied music at school, college, and university, has sung in choirs, and played the drums for different bands and believes that music has positively impacted his mental health and wellbeing.

He said that making music enables him to express himself and helps build his confidence.

He said: "I want to help artists and musicians and performers to make and share their creative work, to make their work emotionally, financially, mentally, and socially rewarding.

"I want to help them build their confidence and to express themselves. To connect and build friendships with others. To create and be part of a community, which they feel they belong to because they matter."

Cheek feels that making music with others is his way of communicating without words.

After losing his friend and fellow musician to suicide in 2019 and having experienced depression himself, Cheek also hopes that Cheeky Fest will help anyone struggling with their mental health.

Cheek first launched Cheeky Promo as a Facebook group in 2013 to help musicians connect with each other, and to help them promote themselves and connect to music.

He wanted to help musicians use social media to be social and communicate.

Cheek was able to find musicians to play at Cheeky Fest by looking for them on various social media platforms.

The musicians playing at Cheeky Fest are:

Jessie Morrell - singer-songwriter influenced by jazz, ballads & rock 'n' roll.

Dead Blood Cells - Industrial/Dark wave band

Paradise Taxi - indie-rock-pop band with punchy alt-rock riffs & funky hooks.

Adam Wedd - singer-songwriter-producer

Conor Morrisey - singer-songwriter & pianist - beautiful melodies infused with drama.

Get your tickets to the event here.

All ticket sales will go directly to Nordoff & Robins, and you can make donations to Nordoff & Robins here.

To keep up to date with Cheek's endeavours, you can follow Cheeky Fest across all social media platforms.