IT was a night of double acts at the Parish, starting with Joey and Aiden. They’re likeable on stage but need to work on their song structure and vocal technique to fulfil their potential.
Next up were Ben and Davey from the wonderfully-named Love Tornado. Having seen their full band live, I couldn’t imagine how their loud, energetic set would work on a quieter acoustic stage. But in fact it laid bare their instrumental and vocal skills.
The contrast of Ben’s rough and powerful vocals and Davey’s more mellow tones provided great harmony and their witty, up tempo songs proved acoustic acts don’t have to be soul searching or muted. If you had to sum up Love Tornado, you’d say fun – and a little bit different. After all, how often do Kenneth Branagh and the Metro newspaper make it into a set?
Onto Hey Zeus – again a stripped down version of a bigger band. Band members Tom and Matt gave an impressive show of technical guitar skill. Their style was traditional acoustic but Tom’s lead vocals were so stunning and powerful that they really distinguished the performance.
Closing the show were headliners Ruby and Noah. They are respected for their talents on the local scene – and it’s easy to see why.
I will confess that jazz is not my thing at all. The roaming instrumentals and scat vocals irk me, I can’t help it. But Ruby’s soulful voice made even those minor irritations sound pleasant. A real testament to natural vocal talent, enhanced by skill and control. Her voice carried smoothly over the melodic rhythms provided by Noah on guitar, who also assisted with backing vocals.
The audience were made part of the show, getting chance to choose the set list, which closed with a brilliantly done medley featuring I’d Rather Be With You, Beyonce Knowles’ covers, Craig David and The Police among others.
The audience were wowed. Yet another top quality line up at this fast-growing acoustic night. Long may it continue!
