Rhinefield/The Dix

January 19, 2023 Off By Jon

Chaplin’s, Cellar Bar, Boscombe

Chaplin’s is proving to be a popular venue for us in the Rock Regeneration crew this January; Conrad and his team continue provide some excellent original live music and tonight is no different. Both acts are new to me and the first The Dix are making their debut here tonight. They are made up of Jessie Dixie, a young lady who is no stranger to this stage as she curates a monthly musical showcase just for female musicians called Cherry Bomb. Jessie is joined by Pippa Gillingham on bass (Between The Void/Statue Kings) and Lu Davis on guitar (High Shelf Remedy); there is also a drummer Chloe but sadly she could not be here tonight. The three-piece get a very warm welcome and there is a who’s who of the local music scene here to give the band some welcome support.

The Dix 1–2–3

Kicking off with “Storm a Coming”; It’s nice for a change to see an all-female act in a mostly male-dominated scene, I’d say about 95% of acts I see feature all men so it’s refreshing to witness this trio in action. Jessie has a unique voice and is well complemented by Pippa’s bass and Lou’s understated guitar and backing vocals. Their music has reggae and Jazz-influenced tunes that show plenty of creative moments with songs like “Two Worlds Apart” about toxic relationships and with the bold “Rite of Passage” featuring some powerful lyrics. The trio have certainly made a positive impact on the Cellar Bar Crowd as after they finished their final number, the place erupts with loads of noise from the well-entertained crowd.

Tonight’s headliners are Rhinefield; a band fairly new to the scene formed over the last couple of years featuring Matthew Cornes on Bass, Sam Eccles on Vocals/Guitar, Kris Pearce Guitar/Backing Vocals and Tim Finch on drums. After a warm introduction from Connie the band kick off strongly with “Fell Too Hard”; a real upbeat rocking number with some powerful basement-shaking rhythms, along with some impressive twin-guitar work. They continue their high momentum with “Away From Here” and Sam displays a fine vocal delivery; while Matthew shows us his best Rock moves, looking like a bass-playing version of Brian May with even some nifty on-top-of-the-shoulder bass-playing moves.

Rhinefield 1–2–3

Things slow down a bit and their band show their real strength with some slower emotive numbers that display their creative skills with the recent single “Thin Ice”, there is a rich Americana vein through much of the band’s material and Sam’s impressive vocal reminds me of local singer/songwriter Darren Hodson. The band seem to have forged a fine chemistry and their well-rehearsed set clearly impresses the sometimes hard-to-please Boscombe crowd. The beauty of this band is that they have two lead guitar players, with both of them having the ability to take on the songs middle eight with their equal six-string skills. It’s a Thursday event and tonight’s curfew is 11pm and the band end promptly on time and like The Dix they get plenty of positive support for their fine evenings work.

Set Lists
Rhinefield
Fell Too Hard
Away From Here
Never the Right Time
Thin Ice
Can I Come Around
Dance Tonight
Hide the Rain
All My Love
Last Goodbye
Close To You
Take This Down

The Dix
Storm a Coming
Open Road
Two Worlds Apart
My Tribe
Rite of Passage
Lend Me
Nothing to See

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