The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Sunday 20th June 2010

Tom Williams And The Boat formed in Tunbridge Wells in 2008, the six members having been thrown together via the grey lady and electing to leave their various bands to create something new. With a diverse musicianship that encompasses the traditional rock ‘n’ roll of guitar, bass and drums supplemented by piano, violin, harmonica and whatever else works, the band formed their own Wire Boat Recordings to issue early EPs at gigs and it was these self contained releases that caught the eye of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq amongst others who weighed in with airplay, sessions and invites to play the BBC Introducing Stage at various UK festivals.

Usually a 6 piece folk rock outfit, Tom & The Boat strip their sound down for their Grey Lady appearances playing just with Tom and Ant Vicary on acoustic guitars, Geri Holton on violin, and Chris Stewart on Piano.

Tunbridge Wells-based singer/songwriter James Medhurst is making significant progress as a soloist on the local music scene. James fell in love with music at 8 years old when he was given his first guitar.

He has been playing in bands around Kent and building a passion for performing over the last 5 years. Now he has decided to go solo. After spending some time with an acoustic guitar, his thoughts, and several cups of tea, he is now ready to unveil his own blend of soulful pop rock. James draws influences from a wide range of genres and artists and his engaging guitar melodies complement his distinct vocals and expressive lyrics.

Alternative 4-piece band Ghost In Mirrors hail from the Tonbridge and West Kent area. Their sound is reminiscent of progressive modern day bands such as ‘Tool' with a healthy dose of electronic thrown in for good measure. Their sophisticated songs have attracted an enthusiastic audience to date. The music is intense, haunting and lyrical with creative and atmospheric melodies. Tonight's performance is a rare stripped down acoustic showing of their progressive material. They formed in 2007 and is comprised of France (lead vocal), Phil (guitar), Luke (bass) and Tim (drums) who all met at west kent college 3 years ago. To date they have been actively gigging all over London area performing at venues such as The Peel in Kingston, The White Hart in Islington and local venues such The Forum, Salomons and The Royal Victoria Hall. The band is currently recording their debut EP entitled ‘Ryder's Dismount'. Influences include; Rush, Muse, Genesis, Tool, Porcupine Tree and Bjork.

Established Tunbridge Wells based singer/songwriter; Ian Knapp's melodic, edgy, lyric-based acoustic rock has made people sit up and listen from Seattle to Manila, London to New York. Ian's debut album 'Into these Oceans' was independently released in 2005 to unanimously positive reviews, receiving widespread radio play all over the world and selling well, especially in the U.S. Ian toured the West coast of America late in 2005 and plays regularly in the U.K. Ian has established himself as one of the most popular soloists at the show and has developed a healthy fan base from his performances at The Grey Lady.