Since the Middle Ages when William Langland wrote his epic poem, William’s Vision of Piers Plowman with its description of the Malvern Hills, the area has been associated with poetry, art and music. 

Everyone knows that one of the country’s most revered composers lived in Malvern.  Edward Elgar is now synonymous with the town.   

In his Pomp and Circumstances Marches, The Enigma Variations and his viloin and cello concertos, many hear the inspiration of the Malvern Hills themselves.

Sir Barry Jackson, founder of the Birmingham Repertory Company and his collaborations with George Bernard Shaw put the town firmly on the map with the Malvern Festival.  This original drama, literary and classical music festival ran from 1929 and acted as a showcase for Shaw’s work.

Through the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, Malvern Winter Gardens became a major venue for popular music.  Bands and artists as diverse as the Velvet Underground, The Who, Joy Division, The Jam and The Specials played at the Gardens.  The venue was ‘on the circuit’ and the list of performances there is like a who’s who of rock ‘n’ roll. 

Malvern Fringe Festival was, at one time, larger than Edinburgh’s Fringe. Founded as a reaction to the more traditional Malvern Festival, the Fringe ran for over 36 years, putting on music, spoken word and art-based events.  Including week-long festivals, and the annual Malvern May Day Festival and Parade.

In the ‘90s, Malvern became home to Nigel Kennedy, one of the world’s most celebrated violinists. Kennedy could often be found jamming with local musicians in small pubs on the Hills.

Malvern is, to put it simply, full of musicians.  The quality and talent of our local maestros is astounding as a visit to one of the many local open mic nights can show.

Because the bar is set so high, the town tends to undervalue our musicians.  We plan to put an end to that with the resurrection of Malvern Rocks.