Showcasing the best of local music talent, the Crauford Arms offer a great platform for aspiring singer songwriters to perform and build their confidence. Here’s my bite sized review of the night.
CRISSY ACOUSTIC
Crissy Acoustic opened the evening with a powerful voice and Acoustic guitar that blended with her voice perfectly. Soulful and talented, she is also performing at Hope Fest in Linslade on the 10th August – so check her out, you won’t be dissapointed!
MITCHELL TAYLOR
Mitchell exuded stage presence with his humorous quips, clever lyrics that felt toung in cheek yet relevant and confident, rhythmic guitar playing. Tonight we were treated to some new material, previously only performed to his cat!
SIAN ROBERTS
You could see and hear that Sian puts her heart and soul into her music. A stunning voice tinged with sadness sung of loss and holding through difficult times. At times her voice reminded me of singers such as Julien Baker or Pheobe Bridgers. As her confidence grew, she enjoyed more banter with the audience, which was great to see.
SIAN ROBERTS @ Crauford Arms
JACOBE
A fantastically fun two piece band, sporting a 1 stringed homebrew guitar made from a fruitbowl and cajon drum their music had a fantastic vibe. Gravelly vocals, strong primal rhythms and great on stage dynamics, this was Seasick Steve meets The Black Keys – highly entertaining and recommended!
RACHEL CHILCRAFT
Rachel entered the stage with her acoustic guitar, and I didn’t know what to expect. What I heard blew me away. Like an angel with a taste for bourbon her voice was pitch perfect with just the right amount of huskiness, and reminded me of singer Marjana Semkina. Immediately her guitar playing reminded me of early Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. This performance gave me goosebumps. Stunning.
JET LAGGED JEFF
Straight after Rachel we had a total change of pace and tone. Good old fashioned Rock n Roll, Immediately Jeff engaged the audience with short anecdotes about forgetting his harmonica. His fingers walked up and down the fretboard with ease and the harmonica added a busking feel to his music, reminding me slightly of early Dave Brock of Hawkwind fame.
MANNY AND THE COLOURED SKY
Last, but by no means least, Manny took to the stage. Sadly, most of the audience had left by this point – and they missed a stunningly soulful performance. Before opening Manny told us “I’m Manny and the Coloured Sky. It sounds like a band, but at the moment it’s just me”. And if Manny sounds this good solo, with a band this guy is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Silky smooth vocals interwoven with heartfelt, emotional spoken poetry, Manny is a fantastic wordsmith and performer.
