THE life of Jamie Fletcher is being remembered and celebrated at a mini music festival in Stroud this evening.

Fletchstock - Be Humble is taking place at the Lansdown Hall tonight (Friday) from 7pm to 3am.

Jamie, a much loved Stroud musician, sadly died in February.

During his life he played a significant part in the musical life of Stroud.

Building on Jamie's memory and his love of music, all profits from Fletchstock will go to help establish the Fletch ‘Music 4 Life’ Foundation which, in partnership with Stroud based Get It Together Recording Studios, aims to deliver a series of educationally focused music workshops in Stroud.

Led by qualified music and youth workers/mentors, together with music industry professionals, the workshops will be open to all, but will be particularly targeted at disadvantaged and hard to reach children and young people.

Fletchstock - Be Humble is set to feature eight hours of music, with a top line-up of live bands, DJs and producers.

Flipside, the massively popular Stroud band which featured Jamie on keyboards and sampling duties, is reforming for one night only to headline the event.

Flipside made serious in-roads into the music world from the mid 1996 to the mid 2000s, touring the UK extensively and appearing at Glastonbury Festival three times. The band reformed specially for this gig.

UK hip-hop pioneer, Daddy Skitz will be appearing too. Skitz's release Countryman was named Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the UK Hip Hop awards in 2001.

A BBC review said that Skitz is "perhaps the best illustration of the state of home grown hip-hop today”.

Also performing:

THE 2 SCRATCHATEERS... Beats 'n turntablism action from 3 Stroud based DMC itchy-scratchy maestros.

PETE DAISY & JAMIE RAINBOW... Chunky beats 'n funky breaks.

THREEBAGSFULL & SISTA OONA... Home grown dirty rubba dub skanking bizness.

HOMBRELOBO... Funky grooves.

SPARKPLUG... Live global hip-hop sensation dropping original Jamie tracks.

Pete Faraway, one of the event organisers said: "Jamie touched so many people's lives.

"He naturally connected with youngsters others struggled to reach.

"After Jamie passed on, an old friend of ours, Zachary Jones suggested we should set up a foundation in Jamie’s name to fund music projects for kids as Jamie had spoken about this before. 

"There is untapped talent and frustrated youth everywhere looking at ways to connect with the world and express themselves in a way they feel and can relate to. Nearly all love music. You don’t have to be musically talented either.

"All anyone needs are the opportunity and means to have a go.

"Making music builds confidence, reduces depression and along the way naturally teaches academic and personal skills that will change lives.

"So through the ‘Fletch - Muzik 4 Life - Foundation’ we hope to make that that possible for as many people as possible, initially focussing on local youth and hard to reach children then all whom will benefit so can positively change the lives for many presently struggling to connect with others and the world we all have to live in."

Pete added: "Jamie touched left us with some brilliant memories.

"Come along tonight, help us build on those - and make some more."

Tickets available from Trading Post.

Details via: fletchstock.com