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MEET DORSETFEST 25 HEADLINERS: THE FEW
- dorsetfest
- May 1
- 4 min read
Updated: May 2
The story of "The Few" begins with bass player Steve ( Doc) and drummer Jonathan Hilton- King (JK). They had met when recruited into ‘The Smokin’ Benny Blues Band’ many moons ago. Unfortunately ‘ Smokin’ Benny’ up and left to seek his fortune down under and he’s never been seen again! At a loose end, they decided to recruit a guitarist and singer to form a new band and The Few was born. The line up has evolved to the great band it is today with current line up with Rob on lead vocal and Dom on guitar.
The band are no strangers to a big stage, and the biggest stage they’ve played was the main stage at The Great Dorset Steam Fair where as Doc commented “you could’ve got the cast of the Sgt Peppers album cover on it!”. They have opened the Bournemouth 7s Welcome Party on two occasions, playing to a crowd of over 3,000! and of course you will have seen them on the Dorsetfest main stage on several occasions, “It’s the one we will always come back to, if invited”, remarks JK, “We are always guaranteed a great crowd”
Prior to The Few, in the blues band, Doc and JK played at The 100 Club in London as well as some other famous haunts such as The Dublin Castle in Camden and The 12 Bar Club in Denmark St. JK has also played at the BIC supporting Saxon and JK recalls the lead singer of Saxon sitting on his fold-back speaker egging him on to go faster when he was deep into one of his infamous drum solos.
The guys all have their own influences which adds to the variety of songs they play and includes The Killers, Keiser Chiefs and Green Day. They love energy and tend to cover songs with a pacey rock feel. “Let’s get this party started” is what the band is all about, “having a good time is what we are all about”.
Their favourite song to perform live “has to be ‘Mr Brightside’ as it’s "never ever let us down. It’s such a crowd pleaser and The National Anthem of Dads apparently!” You can see why in the video below!
Other band favourites are ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ as they love getting someone up to sing with them. Then there are ‘Stacey’s Mum’ and ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ which are both guaranteed to leave the entire band on edge while they wait to hear what the chocoholic drummer is going to shout out!
The combination of the power classic anthems and The Few’s energy is well known for getting the audience up and dancing, with Rob getting in amongst the crowd wherever possible, often handing the mic to an unsuspecting fan and getting them to sing along, so watch out if you are anywhere near the front. Doc has also been known to throw various inflatable items out into the crowd to include the audience in the band’s energy. You can see the result of this engagement in the video below from the Bournemouth 7s Welcome Party
Dorsetfest is a very special festival for the band. It was one of the reasons the band got back together after not playing for a few years. Doc put the band forward for a slot back in 2019 after he moved into the area and we were delighted to have them on the bill to play on the Saturday afternoon. Since then, they’ve played Dorsetfest four times, headlining in 2023 when it rained but the party went on late into the night and everyone went wild. Summed up by Doc as a “brilliant night”.
Another treasured memory for the band was the inflatable guitars. One afternoon performance they invited some children onto the stage to do their best guitar with the band. Some months later they received a wonderful video from one of the young lads who had been inspired to learn the guitar. “That’s what we love about Dorsetfest. It really is a great festival for everyone. Oh, and the giant balls! Can’t forget them, the regulars will know” says JK
We’ve been grateful for the band’s support over the years, and we’re delighted to have them back in 2025 headlining Dorsetfest on Saturday night!
“We are so chuffed and honoured to have been asked back to headline the festival again. What excites us the most is knowing that the Dorsetfest crowd will be up for it as always, and sending them back to their tents having had a great time and ready to book their tickets for next year!” says JK.
We’re confident they’ll get the audience up and singing, before JK celebrates the night with a hot chocolate and Rob roams the site receiving adulation from his adoring fans and "forgetting" to help pack down.
Then, after the adulation and buzz of Dorsetfest, it’ll be back to the day job with three teachers and one psychotherapist in the band, one of whom collects ink pens and one of whom is a bee-keeper!
Until the next time The Few is released…
You can find more about the band using the links below:
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