Arts Community + Festival

Music as expression, communication & connection

My name is Rupert Cheek, and music is my first language.  As a 3-4 year old, I had not started talking. Speech therapy didn't help but everything changed when my parents / I discovered music therapy.  Music gave me a voice, let me find / gave me the confidence to use the voice I had - a way to communicate and express myself.

I started having piano lessons around the age of 5 or 6 and carried on learning on & off with 4 teachers til I was 22.  As a pianist, I love playing music by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Glass, Handel, Tchaikovsky and Mozart.  Performance, improvisation and composition have been means of expression & communication for me. I like music that takes me somewhere, that makes me feel confident, happy, optimistic, proud and/or that makes me shiver, or that reflects the mood I am in.  Music continues to be a way of communicating, making friends, connecting with others, expressing myself & being myself / part of the world. 

My mum used to play guitar & sing folk music - songs performed by musicians like Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Paul Simon.  My dad encouraged me to sing with him in various choirs for many years during my teens and 20s; music by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn et al.  The oldest of my 3 brothers gave me a tape of Queen’s album The Works when I was 8 (1988); I’ve loved them ever since.  My next oldest brother introduced me to Cat Stevens, Suzanne Vega, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, 10cc, Supertramp as well as Mike Oldfield and Jools Holland through letting me sit in his room when he was listening to them.  My 3rd brother and I started to have drum lessons when I was in my teens.

I studied music at secondary school and Richmond Upon Thames College (1996-98).  Whilst at RUTC, one of our music teachers took us to a Gamelan workshop at London's Festival Hall.  He also teased us with snippets of Minimalism (Reich, Glass & Riley) -  I was hooked!  I went with my parents to see Lerner/Loewe’s musical Guys n Dolls at the National Theatre in '97. 

I (didn't) study at Colchester Institute during the academic year \98-99 - I was depressed, barely completed the first year of a BMus, and ended up coming Home again.  I studied music at Roehampton Uni during 1999-2002 and graduated with a BMus.  I was briefly a drummer in a band although we never performed, was a member of the Uni choir, studied theory, history, piano, composition, learnt more about & played more Gamelan and wrote a thesis on Philip Glass' opera trilogy; Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha & Akhnaten.  

I accompanied "Shades of Harmony" (an intimate female choir), solo singers and a string trio.  I  helped a solo singer pass a grade exam singer.  I loved singing Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at St Alban’s Cathedral as a member of the Uni choir.  I went to Kingston Uni for a year to study TV/Film composition during Oct '02 - Sept '03 where  I composed some music for part of the (1922) film Nosferatu and wrote about Queen's music for the films Highlander & Flash Gordon and was fortunate to receive an email via the Queen fan club from Brian May about Highlander.  

I heard Brian May play at London's Royal Albert Hall in May '04 as a 'Friend' of the Italian singer Zucchero.  Around the same time, an old friend took me to see Simon & Garfunkel in Hyde Park; The Everly Brothers were the ‘support’ act.  I went to hear Jools Holland at the RAH with my middle brother one year in the 00’s.  I heard Jools perform with his band at one of the end of year balls at Roehampton. 

I joined a band around 2004/5 (Mark on vocals + guitar, Jon on bass was replaced by Jan).   At some point after bassist Jon left, Mark and I performed as a 2-piece, White Stripes style.  I can’t remember the chronology of the next few bassists; at one point Jan was playing with us, then another bassist joined, who was replaced some time later and then we had a 3rd bassist.

A secondary school / college friend gave me a CD by Jimmy Scott and took me to one of his gigs at the Jazz Cafe in London. He also took me to see Elton John at Wembley stadium around the time EJ was promoting his Big Picture album.  I produced music for a short film in '05. As a pianist, I travelled (from Kingston, London in '03) to Berlin (Feb '05) & Edinburgh (Feb '06) as part of an arts event (transit station) which allowed me to connect & collaborate with artists & performers working in other art forms and discover what art / music / performance could be.

Having been active on social media since 2007, I started Sharing and Retweeting content from various musicians.  I started blogging in '10, then doing interviews, including singer-songwriter Tom Cuneo, event organiser Arian Silas, and singer - songwriter Raphaella. 

I joined a band with someone I was working with (Lester on bass & Paul* on guitar & vocal) during '06/07 and left as I moved to Nottingham (Oct '07 - mid '08).  I saw  John Adams' 2005 opera Dr Atomic & Philip Glass’ 1980 opera Satyagraha in May '07 at the ENO in London. 

I joined up with Mark again in '08 and played with him through various bassist changes until around '13 (when we were called Mars Fortress).  I accompanied a singer-songwriter during 2010-13; we performed at open mics & gigs mostly around Camden.  I played drums in Kingston band Euphoric Recall (Paul*, Tim & Laura) for between Jan-Sept '14.  We performed in Kingston (Fighting Cocks, Cricketers) & Camden (Fidler’s Elbow). 

I've experienced depression (lowest points have been '98-99, '02-03, '07-08, '15, '18).  I've also struggled with work - to find work that I wanted to do, was mentally able to do, and that was fairly paid.  I'm currently 3.5 years into the longest Job I've had.  There's a strong correlation between my mental health and work & financial situation.

My life took a drastic turn after a life-altering accident in Sept 2011.  In 2012, I wanted to provide a space for musicians, to encourage and inspire them to connect with other people who could help them; somewhere where I felt like I - and they - fitted in, to make friends. I wanted to help them to use social media, to be social, to communicate, to think about what, how & when to share your stories; to help them to connect with, empower, encourage & inspire each other. 

I set Cheeky Promo up in Jan '13 as a Facebook group & gradually created Facebook page, Flickr group, Instagram, LinkedIn page, Mixcloud, Pinterest, Soundcloud, Spotify, Tumblr, @CheekyPromo, YouTube profiles.  One person I knew online called me the Fastest Sharer In The West (FSitW).  I put on 2 gigs during 2013-14.  I’ve interviewed countless musicians & entrepreneurs. 

During 2011-15, I had dental treatment & a bone graft operation from my right hip to my lower jaw to enable implants at the Dental dept at the King's College Hospital.   During some of this time I was going through a legal compensation claim - and received £30k in late 13 or early 14.    I grew close to someone who lived in the Midlands; I needed to get out of my Dad's place where I'd been living since 2010 and I wanted to be closer to them.  I moved to Nottingham again* in Oct '14. 

My implant(s) were completed* in March '15 and the gap at the front of my bottom jaw was filled with ‘teeth’.   I was discharged in April.  This experience was the seed or spark of what is now Cheeky Fest; I wanted to raise money for the air ambulance Charity.  I moved back Home in mid '15 and felt like I was back at square 1.  I felt stupid; I'd spent all of the money by Christmas '14 (I had to pay 6 months rent up front, going out, a good hifi system & a new iMac - both of which I still have, was still unemployed & couldn't afford to live on my own.

In 2016 I started thinking about organising an event to fundraise for London's Air Ambulance who had rescued & treated me at the scene and taken me to Hospital.   Then I wanted to fundraise for another charity - Nordoff [And] Robbins; the UK's leading music therapy provider as I had music therapy at the age of 3 or 4 - as well, so I thought ‘let’s split the profit 50/50'.  Whilst talking with a friend in the USA around 2018, the idea of a one off music gig grew into a UK-USA music festival tour, then into an arts community & series of festivals — initially in London, and then in other cities / countries around the world.  

Who is Cheeky Fest for?

Cheeky Fest is for people

• experiencing unemployment / financial hardship
• yet to find how they co-exist with the rest of society
• struggling to find, keep and be paid fairly for a job they love
• who want to be artists, musicians, performers but can't afford to be
• with mental health challenges - e.g. anxiety, bipolar, depression, PTSD

Cheeky Fest is an IRL arts community where we communicate & connect in person, face-to-face.  Cheeky Fest is a movement; arts for social impact.  I want to help you;

• make friends by helping others
• make better, well-informed decisions
• discover people who live & work near you
• achieve bigger goals than you could on your own
• create & be part of a community you feel you belong to, 
• give you a sense of control over and freedom in your life
• be who you are so the people looking for you can find you
• feel heard & valued as part of something bigger than yourself

Cheeky Meets provide an opportunity to get to know others in-person. 

• talk about friendship / family situations
• find new band members, promoters & venues
• manage your anxiety, bipolar, depression, PTSD, ...
• talk with people who care about the same things
• build & maintain friendships with people in the flesh
• develop the confidence to express yourself & connect with others
• have thought provoking conversations you can’t have anywhere else

A speech I gave to get Cheeky Fest 2 [April '25] started - film produced by Alejandro Sesma

For artists, composers, entrepreneurs, musicians, performers ...

I want to help artists, musicians, performers to make & share their creative work, to make their creativity emotionally, financially, mentally and socially rewarding.  Artists, musicians, performers, singers & songwriters have long felt ignored on social media because of algorithms, lost in digital noise, inadequate or invisible.  We've struggled to get seen or heard on social media and wondered 'what's the point of posting - no one  engages with us?'

Is social media even social?  Even when we do get attention (Likes, Comments, Followers, Subscribers, Shares), it rarely translates into practical opportunities, tangible support, helpful income, real friendships, proper gigs or harmonious community.   Cheeky Fest gives performers a stage and an audience at least once a year.  Performers can recruit band members, find collaborators, gigs, promoters & venues.

• get paid to perform at Cheeky Fest
• discover people who live & work near you
• launch & grow your startup so you can quit your job
• explore career paths in the creative & performing arts
• collaborate with people who do similar / different things
• learn from artists, composers, entrepreneurs, pianists, songwriters,
• sell more art / music / tickets so you can support yourself & quit your job
• develop skills in artist management, entrepreneurship, events, marketing, ...

For audiences

Cheeky Fest gives audiences a chance to experience live performances.  It's a chance for both parties to connect and meet in real life.  Cheeky Meets provide an opportunity for us - anyone & everyone - to come together as people with other humans to get to know each other, share our troubles, joys, work, support each other through mental health, unemployment, or friendship / family situations. 

Not just another festival

We find our voices, express ourselves, discover how we coexist with society, manage our mental health, challenge stigma, foster empathy by listening to each other's stories, build friendships, share experiences, create & collaborate with people and develop & apply skills. 

As we build this community together, we'll be initiating deeper conversations, and hosting real-life, in-person events.  I want to Cheeky to be somewhere where you actually want to share, engage and connect with others. Let's introduce each other to more people, unlock valuable collaborations, exclusive content, and new, fresh ideas and practices. 

This community is created by & for you

Get Cheeky & help make this happen.  Tell us what you're working on, struggling with, what your goals are.  I can’t wait to be inspired by your Post!  Every time you contribute a story, experience, or idea, you’re adding something every member of this community can learn from to make better decisions.  When you invite 5 new members, you’re adding to what this community can accomplish together.

Reach out - we’d love to hear your story, help you share it and connect with others. Come to a Cheeky Meet. Buy a ticket for or Perform at the next Cheeky Fest.  We don't chase online validation. We connect face to face and help each other. 

If you tell us about something you’re working on — art, business, dance, film, music, opera, photography, poetry, startup, theatre, venue - I’ll promote it on all* of our social media pages & groups (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter, Soundcloud*, YouTube*) inc Cheeky; Promo, Fest, Foundation, Education, Space, Ventures [+ PianoTalent if it’s relevant].

Join Cheeky Fest in 2025