Unplugged
and Intimate, Cellar Bar, South Hill Park Arts centre, Bracknell.
Thursday 25th March.
"Acoustic
night" is a term that can scare many a gig-goer away from a
venue, raising as it does images of bearded men in sandals singing
about beards and sandals, but the locals have borne witness
to some high-quality performances from established and fledgling
acts alike since the nights began.
 |
| Michael
Berk |
The
crowd had rammed themselves into the cosy confines of the Cellar
Bar well before the opening act started, and it didn't take
virtuoso guitar player Michael Berk long to make me see
why. On his website he has plaudits from everyone lucky enough
to have heard his music.
His
unaccompanied guitar playing was melodic and gripping, punctuated
with bursts of technical wizardry that were used to adorn the
pieces, rather than carry them through. His bitter-sweet instrumental
rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" reduced the bar to
an awed hush, which quickly turned to tumultuous applause when
he finished.
Pallab
Sarkar
came on for the second stint of the evening and his warm but weird,
jazzy compositions went down well with the crowd. Pallab's singing
was a mixture of many styles and influences, and sounded fresh
without losing familiarity - it added greatly to the strange quality
of his songs.
Lyrics
like "My love is inflexible, my love is incredible" meant that
it was hard not to like his off-the-wall compositions, and the
crowd clapped its appreciation of yet another surprising acoustic
act.
 |
| Hannah
fro Promiscuous Child |
Promiscuous
Child were up next, Nick Pinkney on guitar and Hannah Senal-Walp
on piano, opening with a song called "David Bailey's Coursework"
which balanced some nice open chord strumming against the dusty
jangles of a beaten-up upright Joanna.
Both
Nick and Hannah looked as though they were in their late teens,
and they brought an injection of youthful verve and humour which
made the night seem more informal, especially after Michael Berk's
concert-standard performance and Pallab's slightly more challenging
set.
MJM
took to the stage armed with some beautiful harmonies between
the male and female vocals, and they had somehow managed to slip
an electric guitar in past security, which added a brightness
to the sound without taking away from the stripped-down nature
of the evening.
Apparently
they are regulars on the "Fleet circuit", and their good-natured
banter with the crowd kept the atmosphere warm and convivial,
while their music also impressed and entertained.
 |
| Carter |
I had already seen
Carter play at Bar Oz in Reading, so it was with a sense
of happy expectation that I re-filled my glass while they were
setting up Lawrie Wright's double bass on stage.
Looking
sharp in a black suit and a white shirt, ex-Beat Collective
singer Samantha Carter was full of nerves for what was only
the third outing for her new band, but her knack of coining
a lyrical phrase - framed beautifully by Dave Gray's understated
guitar and Lawrie's melodic bass lines - bowled the crowd over.
The
applause was long and loud for Carter, whose effluviuous, sweet
and sour acoustic soul was lapped up by the audience who had
been hanging on every note - whether they were wearing cardigans,
heavy metal t-shirts or even sandals.
 |
| Nick
Pinkney |
More
enthusiastic applause from the crowd ensued before the last
act took to the front. Nick Pinkney had already appeared
with Promiscuous Child, but now played a few songs on his own,
clearly influenced by the heaviest end of the musical spectrum.
He
played acoustic songs wearing a Korn t-shirt, and I think he'd
even down-tuned the guitar for the full effect. His songs were
well-crafted, and full of passion in places, and once again the
open-minded crowd reacted well to his emo-metal barrages.
Nick
himself came across as a very personable bloke, and despite the
heavy aspect to his songs, it was clear that they were written
with plenty of thought and a very musical ear.
The
Unplugged and Intimate night is every Thursday at the South Hill
Park Arts Centre (subject to bookings), entry is £2 to listen
to a wide selection of acoustic acts.
Judging
by the quality of the artists I saw, and the people spilling over
into the back bar area of the hall, it may not be long before
the night has to be moved up to the much larger Wilde Theatre
next door.
