Sherling Studio, Lighthouse, Poole-3rd April 2019
Tonight we are back at the wonderful Sherling Studio on the ground floor in the Lighthouse Poole, for another of music entrepreneur Matt Black’s Live & Unheard showcase evenings. The events happen each first Wednesday of the month and are there to help give a platform to budding, local original musicians. Tonight Matt has brought together three very different acts, who should give the evening a very eclectic feel.
The first of these is Bournemouth based 16-year-old Issy Whitlock, who attends the local Leaf Academy for the performing arts. Her first number is “Photographs” which is sung to a backing tape and from the start you can easily hear that there is great clarity with her vocal delivery. For the next tune, Issy picks up her acoustic guitar and plays a song called “Be True”, that was written when she was just 12 years old. At first, she understandably seems a little nervous, but as her set progresses and she settles in her confidences grows. Issy’s songwriting is very mature and she shows this off in a beautiful song called “Until The End”, which is sung from a daughter’s point of view about her Mother’s illness. Her face lights up while she is singing a number called “Not Forgotten” about a Summer romance and by her reaction, it could be from personal experience. As her performance goes on you cannot help but be impressed by the musical ability of someone so young. Issy has clearly worked so hard in getting to this level of performance, ability and confidence. The final number is certainly one of her best – ‘Guide You Home’ as Issy describes it, is about missing persons of lost souls. The audience erupt with celebratory applause as she finishes her set, a fine reward for a great set.
Next up we have a duo of Jack Lande and Ben Parker who call themselves Soulcreek. These lifelong friends got together back in 2014 and ever since have played a host of venues with their pleasing and skilful style of musical delivery. Their set-up is very simple with Jack singing and playing an acoustic guitar, with Ben on electric guitar. These guys have really put some long hours in honing their craft and when they kick off their set with opening number ‘Ignite’, the audience revels in what they have to offer. Usually, these guys are in a club or pub playing a whole bunch of covers just to pay the bills. To be able to perform your own material to an appreciative audience such as this must just be so special, and I’m sure something that they would like to do more of. Between them, they create a host of original textures and atmospheric sounds with Jack’s voice nailing virtually every number. We are treated to a host of new tunes including “Prose”; an initially delightful and delicate piece which then builds, featuring a glorious melodic electric guitar part. “Renegade” is a tune with a real rocky heart to it and their new single the excellent “Trailblazer”. Apart from the necessary evil of constant tuning in-between songs, the duo puts in a near faultless performance that is really appreciated by the well-entertained audience.
The final band of the evening are We Are Robot, a four-piece who are made up of three college friends Chris Ralph (Vocals/Guitars), Paul Denison (Vocals/Guitar) and Sam Kay (Drums) with the line-up completed by rock bassist Vijay Amarnani. Like Soulcreek the band’s gigs normally consist of cover sets with the odd original thrown in for good measure. They are clearly relishing the chance to play this venue tonight and have posted up some rehearsal footage of them getting ready for this gig. As they kick off their first number of the evening “Shining Light”, you cannot help but notice how well that Paul and Chris’s vocals work together. They use just six-string acoustic guitars; coupled with a few effect pedals, with Vijay and Samís precise rhythms. The band show their true inspirations when they play a tune called “People Watching”, which features a line from a John Lennon song and immediately afterwards we are treated to a great version of “With a Little Help From My Friends”. They are like a modern-day Everley Brothers with infectious well-written tunes similar to that of Paul Heaton of the Beautiful South. Their meticulous harmonies are amongst the best I have heard in a long while and tonight the audience are full of praise for their top class performance. After their final song, aptly called “last song” the audience call them back for one more song; and we are treated to a very upbeat version of the James’ classic “Sit Down”, which takes me right back to Glastonbury 1990 where I first heard it played live. They leave the stage and that’s Live & Unheard over for another month. See you at the next one; you’d be a fool to miss it, it has a rock theme.
Set Lists
I Am Robot
Shining Light
Time To Grow
Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)
Say Hello
Someone’s Song
Live Like Our Youth
People Watching
With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)
It’s Alight
Bring Back Yesterday
You’ll Find a Way
Play The Game
Last Song
Sit Down (James)
Soulcreek
Ignite
Shifting Gears
Prose
White Flower
Renegade
Trailblazer
Rise Again
Issy Whitlock
Photographs
Be True
Lying
Her Story
Until The End
Not Forgotten
Guide You Home
Videos
The Next Live & Unheard events at Poole Lighthouse are as follows:
1st May – Featuring: 27 Days, Robert Lowe, Solcura + Creeke
5th June- Featuring: Helena Mace, Marky Dawson + Edd Bleach
3rd July- Featuring: Barefoot Soul, Matt Griffiths + Jade Norris
https://www.facebook.com/liveandunheard/
Links
https://www.facebook.com/wearerobotband
https://www.facebook.com/soulcreekmusic
https://www.facebook.com/issywhitlockofficial
Words Videos & Pictures By David Chinery (Chinners).
