Amy Green, Jennifer Matthews, Anna Murray and Simon Vallee, Que Pasa bar, High Street, Slough, Wednesday 26 October 2005. A refreshing range of singer-songwriters performed at the Que Pasa bar and restaurant in Slough last week. The line-up included two international performers on a UK tour. One from Boston USA, and one from Toronto, Canada. Organiser Jamie Green from Cippenham, who already runs a twice monthly ‘jam session’ evening at Que Pasa organised the evening in the hope of it becoming a regular event. “I’d like to see more ‘live music’ nights in Slough” said Jamie and added, “there’s plenty of regular events in Reading and other areas, but we’d really like to see more live bands performing here in Slough.” Amy Green, who originates from Ohio, settled here in Slough just over a year ago. “I write my own stuff, I wrote my first song when I was seven.” said Amy, “I enjoy singing covers too.” Her performance began with her cover version of Wuthering Heights accompanied by Pete Hill. Amy uses a lot of movement in her singing, capturing and engaging the audience. She also performed one of her own songs which was astoundingly accompanied by nothing other than drums, played by husband Jamie, the organiser of the event. From Boston came Jennifer Matthews. “To write songs just seems to come naturally to me.” she says, “I like to write them in a way where I can use my voice as an instrument as well.” Her melodies are as appealing and azure as her guitar. Although she mainly sings her own songs she got the Slough crowd joining in with a powerful performance of Son Of A Preacher Man. Anna Murray didn’t have quite as far to travel as Jennifer. Anna, 23, lives locally in Wokingham but her singing and songwriting style seem to come from deep within the heart. She had engaging eye-contact and her performance portrayed personal passion which she shared with the audience. She too has toured widely around the UK. “I always look forward to a gig” said Anna, “spending the day planning and preparing for it.” For Simon Vallee from Canada, Slough was the last performance in his tour of the US and the UK. “We’ve done 16 shows in 14 cities, from Manchester, Birmingham, London and finally Slough.” said 27-year-old Vallee, who was surprised to have slight sunburn while in Slough, as the temperatures back in his home city of Toronto are currently around freezing. “I started touring in New York City, but I didn’t expect to get sunburnt here in England!” Vallee, accompanied by guitarist Angelo Bernardo gave two stunning performances, which ranged from frenetic and frantic fun, to a smooth and soft style of ‘chill out’ acoustic guitar with vocals. An appreciative audience added to an atmospheric, exciting, eclectic and electric evening and hopefully will be just the first in a series of regular ‘live music’ nights in Slough. |
