The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Wednesday 10th February 2010

Son of Kirk is a meeting of hearts and minds. A constantly evolving musical force driven by four uniquely creative individuals, who build on a foundation of inspired song-writing and strong melodic and lyrical interplay.

Interweaving violin, cello and syncopated guitar lines, combine with dance and Afro beat informed percussive drum patterns and elements of improvisation. Four part harmonies create overlapping vocal lines, inspired by tribal and folk traditions. Expect to be taken on multiple rhythmic twists and turns, by songs that circle and hover, unveil and reveal.

The members of Son of Kirk grew up in varying backgrounds around the world, from Australian cults, to the wilds of West Africa, through American suburbia, to the industrial Midlands and the lush, green beauty of The Garden of England, ultimately coming together on the Tunbridge Wells music scene.

The band are currently working on new songs to be released as a series of E.P.s with accompanying films. The first of these ‘Utopia Shake’ is available to view on Facebook. Songs are available at iTunes

Show full profile »

Singer-songwriter, Paul Dunton leads his own unique cross-over orchestra providing an atmospheric fusion of alternative and pop with a classical twist. Paul & his Orchestra take influences from varying modern day artists such as Pink Floyd, Elbow, ELO, Turin Brakes, Massive Attack, Damien Rice and contemporary composers such as Samuel Barber, Ludovico Einaudi, John Barry and Hans Zimmerman. The Orchestra performs Paul's own compositions and a varied selection of uniquely arranged standards from a wide range of artists. The line-up of 8 violins, 4 cellos, guitar, flute, bass and percussion accompanies Paul on vocals and piano, joined by his lead vocalists, Charlotte Andrew and Poppy Raine. Paul and his Orchestra regularly perform at concerts, festivals and private events throughout the UK and internationally, including headlining the Theatrium Wilhelmstraße Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany and an 8 state tour of the USA which culminated in a spectacular roof-top performance on top of the New York Strand Hotel. Increased attention and success led to the orchestra being featured on BBC Radio 2 by Joan Armatrading with interviews and airplay of one of Paul's songs, 'Don't Forget'. This led to Paul supporting Joan Armatrading on five occasions during her recent UK tours.

Show full profile »

Formerly based in Crowborough but now Brighton, East Sussex, Reo Rae's interest in music grew from the experience of playing various instruments including violin, piano and clarinet. At 14 years old she decided that she wanted to learn to play the guitar. With the help and encouragement of Simon (her older brother) they formed an acoustic duo called "Reo". This was the first musical project for both and Rae's debut as a lead singer. They are receiving considerable plays on youtube and myspace and perform at various different events across the county. However, with the departure to university of backing singer and guitarist Simon, Rae was left to continue the work alone. This sparked the idea of becoming a solo act and her songwriting skills began to take shape. Five years on she is now living and performing in and around Kent & Sussex as a solo artist and occasionally performs with her backing band - Rick Eastwood (drums) & James Watts (bass guitar).

Show full profile »

Formed in late 2009 by Mike Wilton, The Standard Lamps believe that it's about time that we took things back to basics. During the last two years, Mike has been experimenting with various musicians to produce ‘The Standard Lamps’ which consists of James Livett on bass and Matt Bennie (Goldie Reed, Billy Jupp) on drums.

Playing countless gigs in the South East, The Standard Lamps have been pleasing audiences since Early 2010. Their music can be described as a mixture of melodic tunes with a raw blues edge. With their first EP ‘Portland’ (2010) and debut album ‘Sell Everything You Own’ (2012) already under their belts, they are now planning the second album with a trilogy of singles to be released throughout Summer 2013.

The Standard Lamps believe in sounding where you come from. The Standard Lamps believe in variety. The Standard Lamps believe having fun with what you're doing. The Standard Lamps believe in giving you a good time.

Show full profile »