History Of Megaday - 1995

Terms | Privacy

History of Megaday

Megaday - A Tribute to Andrew Nichols (Mega)

In 1995 at the age of 25, a very special person, Andrew Nichols died of cancer. Andrew was an extremely popular person. Those who met Andrew will know that his loyalty and love for family and friends was second to none. During his battle with cancer, Andrew showed extreme bravery and strength of character. He refused to let anyone see his pain and always managed to raise a smile for those around him.

Shortly after his funeral, two of Andrew's friends Suggs and Will Jenkins decided to reform his childhood band Septic Pig for a one off gig to raise a bit of money for charity in Andrew's name. Soon, other local bands offered their support and a day to celebrate Andrew's life was organised. Andrew's nickname was Mega so the day was named Megaday.

The first ever Megaday was held indoors at CRFC. What started as a small get-together for some of Andrew's friends to raise a few pounds for Velindre, turned into a massive day never to be forgotten. A packed clubhouse enjoyed six of the best local bands in an atmosphere fueled on high emotion, music and alcohol. The day was brought to an unforgettable climax when PG and the Tips finished with U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", the song played at Andrew's funeral a few months earlier. This has since become a Megaday tradition that is still with us today. The day was a glowing reflection of Andrew's character and popularity, he would have been so touched by the fantastic show of love and support from all who attended.

After the success of Megaday 95, Suggs (Septic Pig), Mike Prew (CRFC) and Paul Grahame (PG and the Tips) got together and decided to make Megaday an annual event. Caerphilly Town Council agreed to sponsor a huge marquee so that Megaday 95 could be taken outdoors. (Caerphilly Town Council have sponsored the marquee every year since).

The first outdoor Megaday saw the line up increase to 8 bands and also included Caerphilly Male Voice choir (for a bit of culture). Doc Savage promised not to swear this year after they had been warned by CRFC's committee after the previous year's performance. They opened their set with "Bodies" by the Sex Pistols, so that didn't last long.

The first outdoor Megaday had been a great success with nearly 800 people attending, so the blueprint was written for the future. The local band scene was now in full throttle. New bands were starting up every week and The Sceptics (formally Septic Pig) were attracting a lot of interest from record companies. This year's line up including a new local young band "Hunnyflair" who made their Megaday debut and also Revolva, winners of HTV's talent show, "The Electric Chair".

Funniest moment of the day had to be when the floodlights were switched on at the end of the night, only to reveal a young, half naked couple, how shall we say it? err... "Rogering" in the middle of the pitch. Priceless!

Due to political infighting at CRFC, Megaday 98 was cancelled at short notice. Suggs and PG knew that if the momentum was lost, it could spell the end of Megaday forever, so last minute plans were made to find a new venue. Winter was drawing nearer so outdoors was a non starter. Fortunately, Caerphilly Leisure Centre came to the rescue. The 600 tickets available sold out in days. Megaday 98 was a successful and enjoyable day raising a Megaday record of £5022 for Velindre.

I'm sure most would agree that an indoor venue lacked the atmosphere of previous outdoor events, however, this was one of the most important Megadays of all. If Megaday 98 had not taken place, Megaday would probably not be with us today.

Megaday organisers looked to take Megaday 99 back outdoors. A few venues were considered and then Bedwas RFC offered to host it. Although some people questioned the move, organisers never lost sight of the true purpose of Megaday, which was to raise as much money for Velindre as possible whilst celebrating Andrew's life. The move was justified when it raised £2.5k more than than previous year.

The date was also moved to August bank holiday weekend so that everyone could recover on the Monday. With the band count in the area still increasing rapidly, the start time was brought forward to 12pm which meant that the line up could be increased to 13 bands.

Megaday 2000 saw the first ever dance party with Liverpool DJs Robbie and Jay (from The State Club) making the trip down to Wales. They were joined by Cardiff DJ Mark Lawrence.

Welsh Rugby star Ben Evans officially opened the event and later made an importune appearance during Super Unknown's set where his vocal and dance skills were displayed to the full.

Shortly before Megaday, PG met James Dean Bradfield of the Manic St Preachers. When PG told James about Megaday, James brought out a guitar, signed it and gave it to Paul for auction.

Jump to years: 1995-2000 > | 2001-2007 > | 2008-2011 > 1 2 3 Next Page >

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................