By Angelica Campion

In the 1970s Rye, along with many other small towns, was not a creative place for teenagers to grow up in. There was no Kino cinema, virtually no live (modern) music, and no drama group that anyone under thirty would want to join.

Our school’s careers officer, when I said I’d quite like to be a make up artist for the BBC, said she didn’t know anything about that and I’d be better off doing a secretarial course. Although she may not have said that to Stella McCartney when she went to see her (all Paul McCartney’s children went to the local comprehensive – so they’d have normal lives. I’m not sure how that worked).

It does seem ironic though that Rye, known for its famous writers and many painters, could provide no discernable modern artistic support for the hapless teen.

I’m glad to see things have massively improved since then, but now something scary is happening. Not since 25 tons of pigeon excrement was removed from the Landgate* in 2015 has there been so much expectation of better things to come.

A local lad, kitchen porter and singer-rapper-songwriter Tommy Ludford who plays regularly around the area, is currently on the X Factor. For the three people who don’t know what that is, it’s a long running ITV singing show with celebrity judges and it goes on and on. And on.

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Last Saturday, ‘Hi, I’m Tommy Ludford and I’m from Rye’ performed his own composition in front of Simon Cowell and Robbie Williams at Wembley Arena and ‘got through’ to the next round. It’s not about whether he’s your cup of tea or not. It’s about the fact that Rye has been put into the spotlight and therefore the modern world.

Tommy is a likely winner. Smiley, confident, bouncy, young, competent and likeable, he’s a baseball-cap-wearing cheeky chappie, who plays guitar and writes his own songs. I can really see the nation going for him, but I’m not sure that everyone in Rye is going to like the kind of attention this show brings.

When Tommy Ludford gets down to the last three contestants and tours his hometown with the X Factor TV crew, I hope his coach doesn’t get stuck in the Landgate.

I hope the town will be able to cope with the size of the ubiquitous local gig he’ll have to do – because the community centre only has a capacity for 175.

When Tommy actually wins the X Factor think of the tourism this will bring. Rye could really do with some more tourists. Oh hang on…

Clearly the small-town curse on creative and musical teenagers has been lifted. It’s about time because after all, Bob Marley’s great-grandfather was born in Rye in 1820.

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Maybe if I’d known that in 1978….

• The X Factor is on ITV on Saturday & Sunday evenings
for the foreseeable future or Christmas, whichever is the furthest away.

Good luck Tommy!

*The Landgate is the last remaining of two gates built to defend Rye from invading French forces, which all started in 1066.

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