The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Wednesday 11th November 2009

Rob, musically, is the sum of his parts – to pay the bills he edits and writes for music and literary publications in Essex and San Francisco. Coupled with the taint of an on-again off-again pop band in New York and regular acoustic dalliances with The Grey Lady, the resultant set lists are a little too smug with the word play (see this bio) and a little too catchy with the sing-alongs. He's not one to stick to a style for long, but lately has found himself heavily influenced by Evan Dando, Failure and right now The Hurricane himself. He's also planning to get a little jazzy this time around.

Finding the concept of singing protest songs in Tunbridge Wells comically abhorrent, Rob instead opts to further wear the much-travelled road of Stuff That Concerns Women and Love, the lack of subject originality adding a touch of endearing desperation to his vocals. He does jokes, too. Just not good ones. :(

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Singer/songwriter Helen Glavin is from Southern Ireland and now lives in East Sussex. She was classically trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has worked as a musician and composer in the worlds of music and theatre. Her theatre Productions include being the composer/ musical director for ‘From the Mississippi Delta’ – Young Vic and the Contact Theatre, Manchester. ‘Carrington’- Chichester Festival Theatre.

She composed the music for the opera version of the children’s classic ‘The Secret Garden’, which did an acclaimed national tour. TV work includes music for the BBC documentary series ‘Edge of life’. Helen has combined live performing work as a soloist and in bands with recording.

In 2006 she produced a solo album entitled ‘To the Flame’. It was recorded at Doz Studios and sound engineered by the sadly missed Ollie Nicholls. Currently Helen is a member of the Amsterdam based group ‘The Alchemysticals’. She has recorded a solo piano album ’Leo Rising’ and recently launched a duo with multi instrumentalist Dirk Campbell. Her influences stem from Celtic, jazz & classical.

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Tonbridge-based singer/songwriter Ben Sales has established himself locally, and having played at the Forum supporting a Local band called 'The Riders' and attending open mic nights, he has received positive feedback from his live performances. Ben delivers a style, which is both edgy and expressive with thought provoking lyrics and engaging melodies.

He learned the guitar from a young age and has been writing songs from the age of 14. His songs reflect on his experiences of life so far, from being a teenager, the break up of his parents and the problems that people are faced with everyday. His influences include Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls, The Killers, Feeder, Stereophonics, Snow Patrol, Muse and Radiohead.

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Paul’s music is best described as a captivating fusion of alternative/pop and classical. He composes and performs both instrumental pieces and songs. With influences such as modern day artists; Ben Folds, Elbow, Turin Brakes and composers such as John Barry, Samuel Barber and Rachmaninov, Paul is an artist that offers something different. Following his 3 previous album releases; ‘Ordinary Guy’, ‘Train of Thought’ and live album ‘Escapism’, Paul recently released his first EP entitled ‘The Sirens ‘which is available for purchase at live performances and downloads are available at Itunes and all good online retailers. The EP features Paul’s larger ensemble known as The Paul Dunton Orchestra, which comprises a line-up of up to 12 violins & 6 Cellos, guitar, double-bass and flute.

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