A LOCAL musician is planning a new festival in Fremantle—and he is shooting for the stars to get big names to attend.

Performer London Hutchins, who used to be Brent, says he knows big names in the music business, having been signed to Hollywood Records in the 1980s and New York’s recording studio The Hit Machine.

Hutchins is trying to attract celebrities as part of his new annual “Freomind” arts festival, which he plans to launch in late July. He reckons he might even be able to get Lionel Richie and Richard Branson.

• Musician London Hutchins with Yocal cafe co-owner Leah Trigwell. Hutchins is planning a new festival, called Freomind, based in Fremantle and one of the venues will be Yocal. Photo by Matthew Dwyer

So far he says he has locked in former hockey champ Ric Charlesworth and photographer Glen Bosman for an associated event, Feed.

The idea behind Feed is to invite a wide range of famous folk to dinner and have them talk about several topics while an audience listens in.

Topics can be political as well as hilariously silly, Hutchins says. “I want to put Freo on the international map,” the 46-year-old says.

He is planning for the festival to go over a few months at various locations, including Fremantle’s Yocal cafe on Collie Street.

The Hit Factory’s former chief executive Troy Germano, who owns New York’s Germano Studios, knew Hutchins as Brent.

“Brent is a great person, extremely talented and is dedicated to his music,” Germano told the Herald.

by EMMIE DOWLING