The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Sunday 15th August 2010
This is a past event.
Headline Act: Virgin Soldiers
Virgin Soldiers is an eclectic group of musicians who share a passion to create innovative music. One of the band’s unique selling points is the incredible rhythm and energy of the music – achieved without the use of a drum kit - and unable to find a genre that fits their music they have created their own, Strock.
Formed in the summer of 2009 by singer/guitarist/songwriter James Beeny the band creates a unique sound. James loved the idea of combining contemporary with classical instruments and had a head full of violin, viola and cello parts, but like many self-taught musicians was unable to put the music down on paper. He was lucky enough to meet Mike Parkin, a classically trained violinist, who was able to write down James’ sometimes unorthodox ideas and together they started gigging in London and the South of England with a girl singer, a bass player and a number of cellists and violinists. In 2010 they were joined by bass player James Luke, singer/pianist/songwriter Gina Georghiou and viola player John Hinchliffe. But it wasn’t until 2011 that the line-up was finally complete when James met cellist Hannah Masson on a station platform and asked her if she wanted to join the band. Hannah, who was studying at the Royal College of Music became the final piece of the puzzle. They now all work together to produce the sound that is uniquely Virgin Soldiers.
Virgin Soldiers will be appearing live on the main stage at the Good Weekend Festival in Hampshire on Saturday July 23 and at Local & Live on Monday August 29.
Matt Rivers
Matt returns to Tunbridge Wells for a one show tour! His songs and music have taken him all over the world, playing to a diverse selection of audiences in myriad countries around the globe. He is currently living in Tarifa in Spain, the southern-most point of mainland Europe. He is writing new material and playing to international audiences along the coast.
His songs are sourced from his life experiences. They are about overcoming adversity. They are about the human condition. They are about healing and love. They are about consciousness and spirit. He speaks of shared experiences and aims the words and music at resolution. Matt is melody focused, drawing influence from the music of his childhood, such as Lennon, Cat Stevens and Bowie.
His style crosses a few genres, mainly folk, rock and indie, whilst sitting firmly within his own identity. He has been known to play with a band but more often plays solo. Matt has an EP – Some Elsewhere - that was produced and released with the help of the Arts Council.
Richard Navarro
Richard Navarro’s live shows are renowned for spectacular feats of vocal and instrumental virtuosity and improvisation. Previous collaborations include the ‘Let Go Light’ UK tour with live visuals controlled by wireless shoes, the ‘Firewatching’ UK and Ireland tour with choirs and brass bands, and with The Luminants featuring extraordinary magic lantern displays.
Navarro composed and produced the music for Lemn Sissay’s critically-acclaimed ‘Warrior Poets’ and is curator of the poetry stage at the prestigious In the Woods Festival.
Along with fellow multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Thurston, Navarro has performed at many UK festivals including Latitude and Greenbelt, and toured as support for Joan Armatrading. Many of these performances and projects have included young and marginalised people in composing and performing new music.
“Finely-crafted songwriting” -- Joan Armatrading
“Richard is a genius” -- Lemn Sissay
“You were fantastic!” -- Imelda May
“Staggeringly talented” -- Charlie Andrew (BRIT Awards Producer of the Year 2016)
Luke Bacon
Until fairly recently Luke sang and played guitar in local band ‘Tehillah Commission’ who over a six year period performed throughout the South East (and occasionally further afield). Since their final performance in the summer of 2009 Luke has taken time working on new material, collaborating with a number of local artists and also writing songs to perform as a solo artist. Drawing from extremely diverse influences (from John Mayer to Usher), Luke sets out to write songs that interrogate the highs and lows of life, often imbedding insightful questions within carefully crafted toe-tapping melodies.
Luke is accompanied by Barnabus Shaw on piano.
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