Couple turn loss into legacy with Mearfest 2019

A festival by couple Brian and Claire Mear, which is held in memory of their daughter Molly, will return this weekend for two days of rock and metal.

Mearfest 2019 will take place at Farnham Royal Village Hall in Slough, UK, this coming weekend (June 1 and 2) and will also celebrate 40 years of the NWOBHM, with plenty of bands taking to the stage.

Brian initially set up the festival shortly after his mother Sally lost her battle with cancer in 2010 as a way of raising money for charity. Soon after, Brian met future wife Claire and in 2013, they found out they were expecting their first child together.

Molly was born at 40 weeks sleeping on August 12 that year and sadly passed away two days before her due date.

The couple have since channeled their energy into the festival and have been raising money for various charities including The Willows Support Group stillbirth charity, Royal Berkshire hospital stillbirth unit and for Down Syndrome North East.

The festival logo shows Molly’s handprint to keep her memory and spirit alive, while this year’s music event will once again raise money for the charities close to the couple’s hearts.

Saturday’s line-up will see Quartz, Traitor’s Gate, Airforce, Blackmayne, Mandora, Syz, The Clan and The Dead Can Wait take to the stage.

The Sunday lineup features Thunderstruck, Weapon UK, Rampant, Bawls-Out, Victorious Empire, Snatch Back and Chemikill.

For further information and to purchase tickets, head over to the official Mearfest website.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.