Grooves On The Green – Day One

Ashley Cross, Poole

Featuring: Saturday:Jack Grace, Creeke, Quayside, Si Genaro, Soulcreek & Brothers Grimmer

Grooves on the Green is Poole’s longest-running annual community festival and takes place on Ashley Cross Green in Parkstone, Poole. It was established in the year 2000 and whole-heartedly supports the local music scene, giving artists the chance sharing their music with a much larger audience. The festival is very reasonably priced with various offers for weekend and family tickets, with the profits going to the very worthy Diverse Abilities Charity. The event took a year off in 2018, the community-made it very clear to the organisers how much Grooves was missed last year so “bringing it back was an easy decision to make,” says event creator Jan Crump. “This is where Ashley Cross comes together to relax, have fun and celebrate the community spirit that itís famous for.” This is a brilliant yet vibrant area, but with a relaxed vibe that young families love just as much as those who have lived here a lot longer.” It’s two-day family event features live music on two stages with plenty of other attractions including top quality local food and drink; “Kidzone” with face painting, magicians and inflatables, a “Nerf” battle arena, clothing and craft stalls and even a music therapy centre.

It all kicks off just after noon with the ever-popular Brothers Grimmer, who take to the stage and immediately liven things up with their own style of progressive/experimental rock. The band have been treading the boards for some time now and with two albums behind them, they know a thing or two about performing on festival stages. We are treated to a host of great tracks which are delivered with the combined talents of the blood brothers; Matt’s spot-on drumming, Lee’s skilful 6 string work and Micheal’s impressive vocals. The highlight is the band’s new single “The Measure”, where they unveil a new direction which seems to be enjoyed by much of the crowd.

Brothers Grimmer 1–2–3

Next up are Bournemouth guitar duo Soulcreek who are made up of Jack Lande and the new slimline Ben Parker. These guys are a pleasure to watch and honestly there is nothing better than sitting here in the beautiful late July sunshine and listening to their sublime music. The boys combine electric and acoustic guitars with Jack’s considerable vocals. It is clear they have a passion for creating original music with great, well-constructed tunes like “Ignite”, “Shifting Gears” and the excellent “Rise Again”.

Soul Creek 1–2

The next act needs very little introduction – Si Genaro is a very familiar face around these parts after he appeared on TV show “The Voice” and impressed judge Will.I.Am. Today Si is full of the joys of Summer and is firing a constant supply of “Dad” jokes at the audience with each one getting the groan it deserves. Opening with the emotive “Last Bird Flies”, he shows off his very original and creative talent. He is a one-man entertainment machine with some beatboxing, harmonica, guitar and comedy skills all being delivered to the audience. His songs come along with some great titles like “Hellfire Club Sandwich”, “The Return of Dr. Calvin” and a brand new tune called “The Song That Needed To Be Written”, a sequel to the “Last Bird Flies”. They certainly broke the mould when they made him, he is one very original chap who is always a pleasure to see perform.

Si Genaro 1

Quayside arrives on stage featuring vocalist Jade Norris; who states that she has a sore throat and it may affect her singing, however, she did not want to let anyone down so she will carry on regardless. Their set has been adjusted accordingly to account for this. The rest of the band features Jake Trim from local band Galaxy Thief along with Tim Baldwin of Wave Chase on bass and Shaun Brown on drums. These young musicians are really talented and effortlessly entertain with a great mix of reworked covers including a Wave Chase song sung by Tim, as well as some really well-crafted originals. These include an experimental tune called “Cleanse” which features some infused jazz styles and another called “Material Things”; where Jade, despite her voice problems shows us what a great vocalist she is.

Quayside 1–2–3–4

Creeke is another young Indie band that is starting to make a name for themselves on the local music scene. They recently lost their bassist so today they are performing as a three-piece and Billy and Ryan are swapping roles as guitarist/bassist. It’s the biggest gig these guys have played to date and you can forgive them for being a little nervous. Despite this they show plenty of potential with some great original material. This includes their recent singles “Smokescreen” and “Circus”, along with a newer song called “Wolves”.

Creeke
1–2–3–4–5

Jack Grace 1–2–3–4–5–6–7

Today’s headliner is an artist that has been around for quite a while in various different guises: solo, trio and with a full band. Jack Grace opened up this very event a few years back and due to his hard work and top-notch live performances, he’s back once again as Headliner. Jack is never an artist who is prepared to stand still; he is always evolving, trying different styles. Today is no different with the showcasing of new material including a tune called “Reality” that builds and builds with some lovely effects from guitarist Christian, along with the infectiously sung lyric “speak from my reality”. One of the older songs “Polar” really shows how incredibly powerful Jack’s voice is and really impresses the Grooves crowd. The band end with the typical closing number “Self Destruction” which in this place sounds big and bold – a perfect way to end what has been a great day.

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