Beastie and Beastie Fest

Review by Tim Marcus

We’ve just returned from a short overnight visit to Knottingley in West Yorkshire where we joined with
family and friends of the very sorely missed Steve Beastie, a radio broadcaster, music lover, avid
Sheffield Wednesday fan, former firefighter, husband, father and genuinely one of the nicest, kindest,
and most warm-hearted human beings either of us have ever had the pleasure of knowing; someone
who always fought for the underdog, in whatever walk of life they were in, and simply wanted everyone
to treat everyone else with kindness, fairness and love. Sadly, Steve passed away on Boxing Day after
succumbing to a cancer diagnosis he received less than 12 months ago, the daily horrors of which he
documented most articulately on his social media pages for as long as he was able. We were there on
Saturday evening to join in a celebration of Steve’s life which had been wonderfully organized by his
immediate family at a community centre close to where he lived, where we were joined by around
100 other people, proud to be amongst his family and friends.

During the evening, we were regaled with tales from all aspects of Steve’s life, from his
escapades as a teenage criminal mastermind, when in cahoots with his brother, he was able to acquire
enough contraband crisps and chocolate to feed them both throughout the entire weekend of 1977
Reading Festival, to the prankster who attached the stained and unwashed crotch of his PE shorts to the
underside of a work colleague’s computer keyboard as a parting “gift”, to his intuitive navigational skills
which saw him repeatedly lost in the same locations season after season as he travelled by road and rail
to watch his beloved Sheffield Wednesday. It was a wonderful evening where it has to be said there
were plenty of tears but also much laughter. I’m pleased to say though that I think the laughter far
outweighed the tears which is great because that’s what Steve would’ve wanted. I could just imagine
him being there; “Stop ya blabbering you chuffers, get some Special Oasis down you and enjoy
yourselves!”

Amongst the many I met, there was a gentleman by the name of Rob Bradley. As those of you who were
listeners of Beastie’s Blues radio shows may know, Rob is the man behind the Leeds Blues Club, which
has been going for about twelve months now and puts on blues-based gigs in a pub music room a couple
of times a month, a venture that Beastie was very supportive of and tried to get to as often as he could
before illness prevented him from doing so. What people may not be aware of is that before his
passing, Steve had already been in discussion with Rob about putting together a charity fundraising
Blues Festival. Sadly Steve has not been able to see this through to its fulfillment however he had
fortunately shared enough of his thoughts with Rob, that with the blessing of Steve’s family, The Leeds
Blues Club have been delighted to announce the staging of Beastie Fest.

Beastie Fest, raising funds for Issabelle’s Appeal, a Sheffield-based charity which looks to grant small
wishes for seriously ill children, will be held on Saturday 23 rd March 2024 from 3:00 pm onwards at Boom
in Millwright Street, Leeds. Tickets are limited and are just £25 (available from
www.leedsbluesclub.co.uk) for a whole afternoon and evening of music featuring many of Beastie’s

favourite blues artists and bands. Amongst those who have agreed to appear in memory of Beastie are;
Big Wolf Band, Pearl Handled Revolver, Terraplanes Blues Band, McHales Permanent Brew, Hard Stares,
and Emma Wilson. Given the quality of the lineup, the man in whose memory it’s being held and the
charitable nature of the event it’s bound to sell out fast so if you want to join Rob and many of Beastie’s
family there, including his wonderful wife and his rock, Janice, I suggest get your tickets while you can!