Strummerville – The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music will host
headlining performances by Jonny Neesom and Leon Walker, rising stars
from Billy Bragg’s Jail Guitar Doors initiative to get musical
instruments into prisons for rehabilitation.

Jonny Neesom who has already supported Dirty Pretty Things, Reverend
and the Makers and Billy Bragg delivers tales of prison life over a
gentle classical guitar. He is currently recording his first single
produced by Get Cape Wear Cape Fly’s, Sam Duckworth.

Recently released Leon Walker stole the show recently whilst on stage
with Billy Bragg. During his first public performance, Leon had the
audience singing along to his classic song in the making ‘Annabella’

Billy Bragg says: “It’s great that Strummerville are hosting a
performance by Jonny and Leon. I named my music in prisons initiative
Jail Guitar Doors in memory of Joe Strummer, and the people at
Strummerville have been very supportive of our work since the off.
Inviting the lads to play at Glastonbury Festival is very much in
keeping with the work that Joe did. The voice of ex-prisoners is
rarely heard in a society that locks more people up every year and
both Jonny and Leon draw on their life experiences to write powerful
songs.”

The performance is to be filmed as part of Alan Miles forthcoming Jail
Guitar Doors documentary “Breaking Rocks” to be screened at film
festivals later this year. A number of high profile artists appearing
in the film have supported Jail Guitar Doors by taking masterclasses
into the prisons including Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), Jon McClure
(Reverend & the Makers), Mark Morriss (The Bluetones) and Carl Barat
to name a few.

Alan Miles says: “Being an old Clash fan, I’m proud that Strummerville
have funded the production of the Jail Guitar Doors documentary
“Breaking Rocks’, and I hope that the film will be an inspiring and
thought provoking journey which challenges our perception of
rehabilitation as well as being a bloody good music documentary!”

Part of Strummerville’s donation to the Jail Guitar Doors documentary
will also fund a music teacher to do the important work in the prison
system for a year and also buy a number of guitars printed with Joe
Strummers lyrics.

Following the success of Electric Radio, Brixton Prison’s radio
station at the recent Sony Radio Awards, govenor Paul McDowell, a
Glastonbury Festival veteren says: “Ever since Jail Guitar Doors was
launched at Brixton Prison, there has been a wave of calmness rippling
out from the heart of the prison and I look forward to seeing Jonny
and Leon perform at Glastonbury”

JONNY AND LEON PLAY AT MIDNIGHT.
SATURDAY 27th JUNE: JOE STRUMMER MEMORIAL STONE: GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL