Rae Morris

 

 

In the Red Room of Rescue Rooms, Rae drew in a small crowd of fans for a rather intimate performance.  The audience stood for two talented support acts, including London’s Marie Naffah, another young artist in the making.  Rae approached the stage and people gathered around to be as close with this lyrical goddess as they possibly could, some even sitting on the floor right in front of the stage and cramping along the side.  As eager listeners homed in, Rae sang a short set of stories with great sincerity.

‘It’s like having a birthday party’ she said ‘and even though it’s your party you’re afraid no one will turn up’.  Her timid stage presence and evident nervousness were placebos to her performance.  A skilled pianist combined her incredibly versatile vocals into beautiful compositions, each one increasingly emotionally impacting.  Listeners clung to every word and note, Rae holding the entire room in the hypnotic world of a young woman with a lot of passion.  This friendly Blackpool girl was eager to chat with locals after the show, ‘I want to know more about Robin Hood’ she said.  This artist has a lot to give and a long way to go.  You can download Rae’s ‘Blueprint Demos’ for free at www.raemorris.co.uk .

Joshua Buckland

Nottingham University’s very own Joshua Buckland has been hitting the music scene in the city with performances fit for the bigger stage.  The Mic has been keeping a close eye on this guy, checking out his most recent gig at The Maze.

Joshua with great panache managed to draw in a difficult crowd of varying age groups and musical tastes, and kept ears perked with storytelling lyrics and heart stopping acoustic riffs.  His set was well comprised with his own material; ‘Diamonds In Your Eyes’ and ‘Cold, Drunk and Alone’ with contagious rhythms leaving you trying to sing along to these unknown tracks.  His romantic cover of ‘The Book of Love’ originally by The Magnetic Fields captured the heart of every young girl and middle-aged man in the room.  Well, almost…

Joshua was also joined on stage by Mark Bridger on electric guitar and backing vocals for ‘Smoking Never Looked So Cool’, a song by the lads band Banshee Boardwalk.  Adding another level to Buckland’s fascinating material, this band are another name to look out for, leaving little room for criticism with their raw musical talent.  Joshua is fairly new to the live music scene, but promises to deliver with passion and determination.  Check out his upcoming ‘Bedroom EP’ on Soundcloud and support your local musicians.

I also had the privilege to accompany Joshua to his performance at the Crocus Café in Lenton (Nottingham), a fantastic venue for chilled-out open mic nights for which I was commissioned to take photographs. You can find them here.

The Bookhouse Boys

- photograph by Annie Davies -

            Crammed onto the stage like a child’s nativity play, the eight-piece London band hit Nottingham’s Bodega Social Club with a performance that was far from amateur.  This group of suave, sophisticated and talented performers, in attire fit for the ‘smoky jazz club’ scene, played a set chosen by the dedicated fans.  Vocalist Paul Van Oestren asks the audience, “do you want it mellow or do you want it loud?” both of which The Bookhouse Boys master with great ease.

The beautiful Catherine Turner hypnotizes fans with her strangely seductive jerky movements, and the smooth vocals of an introverted Kate Bush, complementing the gritty tones of Van Oestren.  The upbeat favourite ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ pulsated through the venue and kept the audience dancing from start to finish.  Bassist William Emms played the haunting tones in ‘Guns Like Drums’, complemented by ghostly vocals, thrashing percussion and regal outbursts from Natty Defriend and Charlie Beringer on trumpets.  As individual members each from radically varying musical and influential backgrounds, the eight compile into a strange cocktail of musical genius, deserving of a fresher consumer than they have so far received. Check out their album ‘Tales To Be Told’, out earlier this year.

(as published in The Mic - Issue 30, 2011)