Echoic/Sound the Siren/The Subwave Network UK/Frankie Drain

The Anvil, Bournemouth

As the Anvil could not take part in October’s Oxjam Bournemouth Takeover due to a prior commitment, it was promised that an alternative date in the future would be offered. Oxjam Bournemouth manager Gemma Varnfield has put together a four-strong line-up of South Coast based artists for tonight’s entertainment. The evening was also a chance to to celebrate the life of Jo Snooks, a valued Oxjam team member who sadly passed away in 2014 in the prime of her life.

Frankie Drain 1

The first act to take to the stage is Southampton’s Franke Drain, a young man who has a unique talent that has to be seen to be believed. As well as being at the top of his game with an acoustic guitar, Frankie has some fantastically creative skills with the loop pedal. He not only layers different guitar parts over each other, he sings into the strings of the guitar to create a distinctive individual sound. Frankie performs some of his own material including the powerfully moving “Battleship”, as well as a totally reworked version of “Hey Ya” by “OutKast”. He leaves to stage to much appreciative applause from the Anvil audience.

The Subwave Network UK 1–2–3

The Subwave Network are nothing like any band that you have seen or heard before. They; despite battling many prejudices, are beginning to make some well-deserved ripples on the local music scene. The hard-working duo of Waritsara Karlberg ….Yui to her friends and Ian Gray bring together a whole load of influences to create a really enjoyable, original sound. They combine keyboards with Guitars, ukulele and an unusual looking device called a Pin guitar from Thailand. There are songs like the 80’s influenced “The Sound of my Heartbeat” and the slightly risque “Touch Me all Over”, which both have a really upbeat danceable feel to them. The courage and the strength of this band to make it this far is absolutely amazing, to say the audience were impressed is an understatement.

The Subwave Network UK 1–2–3

“Sound The Siren” are a young Rock band on a mission; with their frequent gigging around the Bournemouth area, getting themselves some much-needed notice. The four-piece fronted by Heather Crabbe take no time at all to get things moving in this basement venue. They perform a few well-chosen covers; as well as some promising original material in the form of “Get Out” and “Down”, destined to be on their debut EP. While Heather’s voice is powerful and passionate the band need some work in the rehearsal room tightening things up. That said, they are an enjoyable act to watch and with a few tweaks they could really become something that Bournemouth can become proud of.

Sound The Siren 1–2

Echoic 1–2

Reading band “Echoic” take to the stage as worthy headliners, immediately showing their intent on impressing everyone in this venue. The four-piece have a fantastic chemistry and as each track is played, everything looks just so natural to them. The band’s repertoire contains some really great songs including the rocking “Last Train” and the beautiful “Keep Me Warm”, which is dedicated to the loving memory of Jo Snooks. Lead vocalist Connor Turner has a vast vocal range and delivers perfectly with each tune performed. It is so obvious these guys work hard at creating and preparing a fantastic performance like this and the Anvil crowd tonight are treated to something really special. I’m sure we will see these guys back in Bournemouth sometime soon and in a much larger venue.

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