Cheltenham’s annual Summer Jam event gets underway tomorrow and there will be a chance for visitors to enjoy a performance from one of Gloucestershire’s finest musical acts.

‘The Strays’ will be performing at the Brewery Quarter at 5:30pm tomorrow as part of the Summer Jam event, a two-day celebration of music, food and drink held in central Cheltenham. The four-piece band will be playing a collection of their own songs as well as some familiar classics in their hometown. “We haven’t performed at Summer Jam before so we’re all looking forward to what will be a great evening”, said Estelle Chamberlain, the lead singer of the band. “Tomorrow is my birthday as well, so I’ll definitely be having a few drinks after our set! We’re all excited to get the chance to play in our hometown, I’ve heard great things about Summer Jam, the crowds are good so I’m sure it will be an amazing experience for us,” she added.

It’s been a busy summer for the band, with most weekends taken up with performing at festivals and venues across the south-west. Estelle continued: “We’ve had a really hectic summer so far. We’ve performed pretty much every weekend for the last couple of months, it’s been very busy but at the same time a whole lot of fun. We played at the Lechlade Festival earlier this summer which was a great experience. The crowd were great, and the atmosphere was really positive.

“I’m the sort of person who loves to get in amongst the crowd. I love performing and interacting with the audience. If I’m not having a great time and dancing about I can’t expect everyone else to, that’s how I view playing live. I want us to be a band where everyone can get involved and feel part of our performance.”

The band’s recent performances have caught the eye of many astute musical judges here in Gloucestershire, with two awards finding their way onto Estelle’s mantelpiece. Estelle continued: “2018 has been an amazing year for us, we managed to win the Tadstock Battle of the Bands and we were voted best band at Sounds of The Cotswolds 2018. There’s so many great music festivals here in Gloucestershire that we’d love to play so the awards are very helpful in increasing our profile. It means a lot to get recognised.”

Estelle grew up listening to a mixture of pop and rock and roll music in the 1990s, which has influenced her musical taste in later life. Estelle Continued: “When I was young I loved listening to artists like Skunk Anansie and No Doubt. I like musicians who aren’t afraid to be a bit different and not follow the crowd. Alanis Morissette is another musician who I really admire.

“As a band we’re really ambitious, it would be great to think we could carry on the upward curve we’ve been on this last year or so. We want to carry on playing as often as we can and hopefully continue being invited to all the great festivals.”