On Sunday 24th August 2025 Jamie was featured on BBC Radio Wiltshire / Gloucester and was interviewed by Dominic Cotter to talk about being a judge for Wiltshire ‘Make a Difference’ Awards to pick the Great Neighbour Award
Dominic Cotter:
Just a few weeks to go now – three weeks today, in fact – until the “Wiltshire Make a Difference Awards”. Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at the finalists across the different categories in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and chatting to some of the judges as well.
Jamie Goddard is the lead singer with the Wiltshire band The Zoots. He’s got a few gigs coming up and he’s also a judge for the “Great Neighbour Award”. I caught up with him recently.
Jamie:
Yes, it’s brilliant. I feel very honoured to have been asked. Neighbours are so important, and I’m lucky to live in Chiseldon where the community is absolutely fantastic. It’s wonderful to be part of it.
Dominic:
I remember interviewing you earlier this year on one of my Sunday shows. You spoke about Chiseldon and the importance of BBC local radio during COVID. So it makes sense you’d be judging the Great Neighbour category.
Jamie:
Thank you. I really am fortunate to live where I do. My neighbours put up with the noise, which is quite something! I feel like I’ve really hit the jackpot moving to Chiseldon – the community here is so special.
Dominic:
Let’s talk about the band. How long has The Zoots been going?
Jamie:
The Zoots formed in 2009. I moved to Wiltshire in 2011, first to Ogbourne St George. Since then, we’ve been lucky to do more and more local shows and get involved with BBC Radio Wiltshire – the best radio station in the country!
Dominic:
We’ll take that compliment – no cash changing hands here!
Jamie:
(laughs) But genuinely, BBC Wiltshire has been a big part of our journey. When we first moved here, we didn’t know anyone. Listening to the radio helped us feel part of the community.
Dominic:
Tell us about the rest of the band and the kind of music you play.
Jamie:
We perform a Sounds of the Sixties show. Harriet Lowther, who’s also a singer and dancer in the group, is a well-known artist and often appears on BBC Wiltshire herself.
We’re really excited about our first ever show at the Athenaeum in Warminster on Friday 12th September. We’ve been trying to play there ever since moving to Wiltshire, and now it’s finally happening. It’s the perfect venue for sixties music, as that’s exactly the kind of place bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who would have played when they started out.
Dominic:
It sounds perfect. Is it a difficult job, preparing for shows like this?
Jamie:
It does take a lot of planning – from finding the right people to getting the costumes, instruments and visuals just right. Even the jackets have to fit perfectly! But I love every part of it. Honestly, I can’t imagine doing anything else. The Zoots means everything to me.
Dominic:
I love all your equipment, the guitars, the logo. Where did the name The Zoots come from?
Jamie:
That was my dad’s idea – by accident, actually. He was talking to an agent about naming a sixties show and said, “Well, they all wore suits.” The agent misheard it as “Zoots” and thought it was a brilliant name. It stuck! And it does look good in lights and on a T-shirt.
Dominic:
Brilliant. And you’ve also got a gig coming up for our Gloucestershire listeners?
Jamie:
Yes – we’re playing at Cheltenham Town Hall for the very first time, on Thursday 13th November. We’re bringing the Sounds of the Sixties show there. Tickets are already available on our website, thezoots.com
. It’s a fantastic venue and we’re really looking forward to it.
Dominic:
Nothing much happens in November – the perfect reason to get out and see live music!
Jamie:
Exactly. That’s why we booked it. We’d love as many people as possible to come along.
Dominic:
Jamie, always a pleasure to chat.
Jamie:
Thanks, Dom. It’s great to be on the show.
Dominic:
That was Jamie Goddard, lead singer of the Wiltshire band The Zoots. He mentioned a few upcoming gigs – Warminster in September and Cheltenham in November. And since it’s a Sunday afternoon, here’s the track he asked us to play: Lazy Sunday Afternoon.
