Live & Unheard: Jack Grace Band/The Fox & The Owl/Klauss Shnopplejagen

Sherling Studio, Lighthouse, Poole

On the first Wednesday evening of each month Matt Black of Hangover Hill Studios; has launched a brand new local music night at the Sherling Studio, on the ground floor of the Lighthouse in Poole. The event is designed to showcase some of the best talent the area has to offer and give the artists a chance to perform at a major venue. The event takes place in the recently refurbished Sherling studio theatre, which is suitable for small scale performances and rehearsals. It has a semi-thrust configuration with full lighting and a high up sound booth which is behind glass. It has bench seating which gives it a sort of amphitheatre style to it and an intimate feel to it with exquisite acoustics.

Tonight’s three hand-selected acts are all regulars on the local music scene and each offer something really different in the way of musical styles and performance. The first of these is a really colourful local character called Klauss Shnopplejagen, a regular busker who also runs his own Open Mic Night at the Buffalo Bar in Bournemouth. Klauss; with the help of Matt Black, has recently released his debut EP “Klausstrophobia”. He has been playing guitar for over 17 years and was inspired to pick up a guitar by none other than Jimi Hendrix. As Klauss starts to play you can immediately feel the audience warm to his instrumental, virtuoso fretwork. Using various effects coupled to a loop pedal, he builds up his songs to give them a warm atmospheric feel that circles this space beautifully. His adept guitar work earns him plenty of applause from the delighted audience and he replies softly spoken, a humbled and modest thank you.

Klauss

Next up are The Fox and The Owl; a five-piece who are usually loosely defined as a folk band, but have a broad range of influences that span the musical spectrum. They are big fans of music festivals and throughout the summer you will find them totally at home in the countryside performing to a host of sunshine-loving audiences. This evening we have an opportunity to really hear how the band fare in this intimate environment, and as they kick off with their first number ‘Honey Bee’ you can hear all their elements perfectly. The two vocalists Lauren and Lucy have two quite different voices and combine together with some divine vocal harmonies. James keeps the infectious rhythms going with a simple but effective Cajon and cymbal set-up. Richard gives us some intricate ukulele work while Paul Tucker, the multi-instrumentalist swaps between bass and guitars. The band make the best of the wonderful acoustically blessed surroundings and really entertain with a host of great tunes including “The Drought”, “January Blues”, and final number “Wild Woman”. Like Klauss the band leave the stage to plenty of positive applause from the very appreciative audience.

The Fox and The Owl 1–2

Tonight’s headliner Jack Grace is a performer from Bournemouth, who has been wowing audiences for quite a while and I unashamedly have been a fan since around 2010. In this time I have seen him just get better and better as the years have passed. Throughout this period he has been accompanied by a host of various musicians playing in a few different formats. The current line-up produces a sound that Jack has been trying to achieve for a while, they all work so well together and certainly bring the best out of Jack.

Jack Grace Band 1–2–3–4–5

Tonight is an environment in which the band will positively thrive as they all appreciate the benefits of great acoustics. The set starts with a surprise in the form of a brand new song called “All for You”, which Jack performs solo and there is a respectful silence as he performs it. The rest of the band feature Philip John on Bass, Nico on drums, Christian Evans on guitar and Joe Smith on drums. The set features a mix of old and new tunes including a positively stunning version of the emotional “Treble and Pause”. The great thing about Jack and his band is that they never seem to play the same version of a song, each time you hear something new with little tweaks and adjustments made along the way. The atmosphere is this small studio is just fantastic with everyone certainly taking in everything this great act has to offer. The set ends with the unmistakable sound of the brilliant ëSelf Destructioní, which leaves the audience aghast and as the tune ends the places erupts with a huge amount of deserving applause.

Live & Unheard is a fantastic addition to the local music scene and if the quality of music continues, hopefully it will flourish into something that will grow substantially. In the coming months the following acts are booked to play:

Wednesday 6th March – Hello Hawaii + Si Genaro + Taya Minchington
Wednesday 3rd April – We Are Robot + Soulcreek + Issy Whitlock
Wednesday 1st May – 27 Days + Robert Lowe + Creeke
Wednesday 5th June – Helena Mace + Marky Dawson + Edd Bleach
Wednesday 3rd July – Barefoot Soul + Jade Norris

Tickets can be purchase from the Lighthouse Box office here.

Set List
Jack Grace
All for You
3rd
Blindside
Treble and Pause
As You Lie
Polar
Remember Me (Revisited)
(The Art of) Taking The Lot
The Jammy One
Self Destruction

The Fox & the Owl
Honey Bee
Mr Speaker
Water Soul
Chico
Chasing the Tide Away
This Drought
January Blues
Wild Woman