Singers, solo and acoustic artists in Leicester

Previous singers of the month

See our interview with jazz musician Henry Lowther

Reviews

Russell Coltrane singing at Natterjacks

Russell Coltrane at Natterjacks, Braunstone Gate, Sunday 18th July, 2010

by Kevin Gaughan

It was my first visit to the new Natterjacks, I've walked past it several times and it's always looked popular, with people relaxing after a busy day in the office with a drink out the front.

It's got quite a nice feel with a wine bar type atmosphere inside and a few nice comfortable settees. Very nice contemporary  decor with a fairly good selection of beers including a few european ones. Although, as is usual with these trendier places, no read ale on tap.

It was actually quite busy, especially considering it was Sunday.

Tonight's music was to be provided by Russell Coltrane and an acoustic set by Ashdowne.

Russell Coltrane consisted of just himself and his rather nice, shiny, metal guitar. He played a selection of American sounding Blues music. Although the Blues can tend to sound rather negative and dwell on the things we'd rather forget about in life, Russell's brand of Blues was much more upbeat and jovial.

He can certainly sing and play the guitar exceptionally well. He also looked the part and his silver guitar was very impressive. Having introduced myself to him afterwards he came across as a very nice person too, and asked me if I thought he sounded ok, which I said he did. I think the acoustics in the room were well suited to his guitar. All in all a good show.

Nick Thornton plays Walkabout on 11th August

Nick Thornton is the lead singer for Leicester band The Eaves but also has a distinguished career as a solo artist. Nick demonstrated his phenomenal singing abilities when he performed a legendary gig at Walkabout on Tuesday 11th August 2009. Being the only act booked for that night, Nick took to the stage at 9 p.m. and sang non-stop till after 11.30 p.m. His reppertoir was amazing, spanning many top artists, well known and much loved songs and musical styles. Nick is also a talented song writer and has given us a large number of quality rock songs, most of which he has performed with his band, if not on the acoustic stage.

The Eaves formed in 2006 and are still going strong, even though they have had a number of lineup changes. Like Nick, the band has a massive collection of songs to add to their own originals. A group of dedicated and skilled musicians, they love playing live music and have established a solid reputation as one of our strong local bands.

Nick's love of singing and performing was ably in evidence at his marathon set at Walkabout, where he held the audience's attention and single-handedly presented an amazing night of live music, picking up some new fans along the way. I say single-handedly although he did get a bit of help towards the end of the show from his band mates in the audience and even a couple of lively girls who took to the stage to karaoke a couple of songs with him and do a bit of go-go on the podium. All great fun and testimony to Nick's charisma as an entertainer.

James Lewis at Superfly on 3rd May.

James Lewis singing at Superfly

A young Leicester singer/songwriter who is making his mark. He played at Superfly on Sunday 3rd May and gained considerable appreciation from the large audience for his strong performance and engaging songs. James has been playing live for just over a year and played at the Summer Sundae Festival in 2008. He has formed a band to play with him as an alternative to solo acoustic sets. A voice with solid character, he ably portrays the emotion of his songs and has good articulation. James is a talented artist with lots of potential , he is well worth seeing.

James Lewis

Jake Manning at the Pavilion 19th November 2008

Jake manning is a fine singer song writer and accomplished acoustic guitarist. A true acoustic artist, he sang his own songs and some covers at the Pavilion. His lyrics can be amusing or poignant, soothing or exhilarating or contemplative, but he always performs a varied set. He plays a 12 string guitar with all five fingers, performing songs that have life and vitality and he sometimes also plays the harmonica - Dylan style. The song "the Mutineer" bounces and skips along with its memorable refrain and lyrics, a very compelling song - the Manning Masterpiece, with its allegorical lyrics and a chorus that sticks in your head for a long while after the set

Jake Manning

Chris Foley at the Pavilion 19th November 2008

Chris Foley is a young solo artist, starting out on his career. he sings rnb songs to backing tracks and is sometimes accompanied by fellow vocalist, Tai who adds his own vocal backings to Chris's refrains. Chris's fine voice and confident stage presence marks him out as an act with strong potential.

Chris Foley

Zoe Pinder at the Pavilion 19th November 2008

Discovering fresh new talent is always an exciting experience. It's great to find a young artist who has not been performing in public for very long but who plays a totally amazing set of songs. Zoe Pinder's set at the Pavilion was brilliant both in the guitar playing and for her fine and sensitive style of singing. Although she has a somewhat weak voice (but then she is only 15) she is also captivating.

Clearly an artist who has not yet developed a stage presence, her work nevertheless is engaging and she absorbed the audience and held them spell bound, particularly the other musicians and singers.

Zoe also played at the Glastonbudget audition at the Shed on 23rd November and delighted the crowd with an instrumental cover of Bon Jovi's 'Living on a prayer', which soon had the audience providing the vocals. A solo artist with massive potential, Zoe could possibly be one of the outstanding solo artists of the local area within a few years

Zoe Pinder | Zoe on YouTube

Dave Voss at the Musician, 15th October 2008

Dave, accompanied by Claire on the keyboard, played at the Musician. His set of melodic songs included the title song of his forthcoming EP release, "Closer in the Dark". What stands out about Dave's music is the quality of his musical arrangements for guitar and keyboard and the accomplished way that he works his lead vocals alongside the backing of his co-artist Claire.

Dave's songs are melodic and atmospheric, slightly dark at times but always evoking strong emotions and poetic reflections. Moody and sometimes sultry, his songs comment on life and experience, sometimes serene but at times rising to a crescendo as he visits some powerful feelings.

Dave has been influenced by his idol Elliot Smith and in fact included one of his covers in his set, which included "I'll sing when you're gone", "Filled with reason", "Closer in the Dark" and What now is yours to give up".

Dave's EP "Closer ion the dark" will feature five original songs and is due out on 1st November and will available from his Myspace page, price £3.50 - also available for download from iTunes and Amazon

Dave Voss Photo © Sewell Photography

Listen to Dave Voss's music on Myspace

Previous singers of the month: Dan White (Sept '08)

This is our listing of singers, singer-songwriters, soloists and acoustic artists in Leicester/shire.

Andrew Dunmore

Singer/songwriter who is recording his first album

Barricades Rise

Singing duo from Nuneaton, playing in Leicester frequently.

Bob Dilling

Folk singer from Leicester

Chloe Vaughan

Folk and roots singer from Leicester

Chris Armson

Singer/songwriter from Leicester

Chris Swirls (Mono Wednesday)

Young indie singer from Leicester who performs an energetic sets of indie songs.

Christian Bell-Young

Indie/pop singer from Loughborough

Dan White

Dan White is an unusual but much admired singer, whose unique brand of image and performance has earned him a considerable reputation in Leicester.

As a singer songwriter, Dan has produced a variety of songs, some of which reflect his highly ideosyncratic folk, comedy style. Dan competed in the Leicester acoustic competition in 2008, where he progressed through to the finals. He placed 10th in the runners' up section but won The Arts in Leicestershire award for best stage performance.

The music of Dan white is based mainly on shocking the audience through lude and perhaps immature subjects.  He takes the listener into everyday situations with a surreal twist which is usually revealed in the chorus. Thus leading them into a false sense of security and pushing the line where some folk musicians dare not go.

Along with his comedy songs there are songs of a more serious tone. These include 'David' which was written for a close friend who lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Another song that has received good reviews is 'Empty' touching on the sensitive area of suicide.

'Geoffrey Taylor' is one of Dan's best loved songs telling the story of a tramp who through various situations has managed to destroy everything he ever had. A music video was directed for this song by media student Lewis Barnes, which can be found on you tube.

Find Dan White on Facebook

Daniel McColgan

Singer from Leicester

Data

Data is a grime, hip hop and RnB artist, influenced by many different genres of music.

Dave Voss

Leicester singer Dave Voss has played drums for many bands including the Post Rock Band Maybeshewill, and Octimus. Through out this time Dave was writing personal material, including songs about life experiences and and a set of love songs. Influenced heavily by Elliott Smith, Damien Rice and John Frusiciante, his songs conciously reflect these influences with great respect. From acoustic melodies to dynamic rock instrumentation, Dave's writing combines the best of the genres in which he has worked, which makes his music stand out from the crowd.

Dean Sharman (DJ Blues Bar)

Blues singer from Leicester. A great set of blues songs with slide on his siilver guitar.

JJ Manning

JJ is one of the veteran solo artists in Leicester and has been in love with the acoustic guitar since he was 14 years old and has played on the acoustic scene for 25 years off and on.

In his early years as a performer he has performed at Cambridge, Bromyard and Tanner's Hatch festivals as well as an appearance at the Cardiff University Festival alongside such musical noteworthies as The Chieftains, The Fureys and Davy Arthur. In 2005, after a break for regular performances, he returned to performing and played a comeback gig providing artist support for American Delta Blues player Kent Duchaine when he visited Leicester in February of that year.

Since then things have grown from strength to strength. Now performing full 2 hour gigs in public again JJ has performed in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and all points beyond. He has also appeared at a number of festivals. He is due to play the Glastonbudget festival in may 2009.

His material has had airplay in Ireland and in Australia and this worldwide response to his return and progress in acoustic music bears witness to his passion and heart. The diary is once again filling up, with requests for further gigs and festival appearances coming in for this year also, which includes Glastonbudget and the possibility also of festival bookings abroad...bookings awaiting confirmation.

JJ performs and writes ragtime instrumentals for the guitar, as well as performing slide pieces with a strong element of Piedmont fingerstyle picking. The blend of Celtic instrumental pieces with finger picking Country Blues works really well. Inspired by the playing of Martin Simpson he now also incorporates the use of a slide in these traditional Celtic melodies.

Find out when JJ's next gigs are and listen to some of his tunes: JJ on Myspace

Joe Morrell

At the start of the new millenium, Joe bought his first electric guitar and spent the next five years learning scales and riffs backed by seriously gritty distortion. It wasn't until 2006 that he put down his Telecaster and picked up his Takamine. Since then he has been writing songs under a dark, emotional influence. With inspiration coming from Radiohead, Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake, this doesn't come as much of a shock.

He didn't put down his Telecaster for good when he co-founded the Indie/Alternative band 'SamSmiles'. Blasting out riffs and solos like they grew on trees, Joe was having a great time playing venues like The Charlotte and getting a good crowd dancing, but the band had to split when some members left the city to start University.

Looking on the bright side, Joe found more time to work on his solo act. His voice, powerful and ambitious, is backed by intricate guitar work often compared to the style of Nick Drake. Having played the most popular venues in his home town of Leicester (The Musician, The Charlotte, The Shed, The Pavillion) he's got himself on the scene and is certainly one to look out for.

Joe Morrell

Kathryn Oram

Kathryn is 17 years old and is currently doing a performing arts course at Guthlaxton College in Leicestershire. She has been singing for many years and has also been writing her own songs for over three years. She has recently been to a recording studio in Kent to record some of her own music which you can find on on her website ...

Lisa De'Ville

One of Leicester/shire's outstanding singer songwriters, Lisa has been delighting audiences with her beautifully clear voice and atmospheric, melodic songs. For the past few months Lisa has been playing many gigs at a number of popular venues, caves, cafes and art galleries, including The Bodega Social Club, The Musician and the LSU Main Stage, supporting a wide variety of touring bands. She was a finalist in the 2008 Battle of the Acoustics competition, coming second in the grand final. Her classically trained four octave voice has drawn comparrisons to Jeff Buckley, and PJ Harvey. With words that are provocative and powerful, her heartbraking melodies stick in your brain and sets souls free.

'Santa Maria' outlines everything that after this you will come to expect from Lisa De'Ville, stunning vocals, an eerie quality but strangely you'd feel comfortable listening to this on a Californian beach to the metronome beat of the sea, and melodies that graze past ideas of 'Hallelujah' (which ever version you wish to compare it too.) (Grey Picture Reviews). Lisa has appeared on BBC Radio Leicester and also sings with the band Black Vinyl Heart.

Hear Lisa's songs on her Myspace page

The Locks

Duo from Melton Mowbray

Mango

Husband and wife duo Craig and Sacha have beautifully harmonised voices and always delight audiences when ever they perform. They sing soft, melodic songs, with Craig on acoustic guitar.

Martyn Jackson (We're Just Friends)

We're Just Friends is the solo effort of singer/songwriter Martyn Jackson. After the break up of his previous Leicestershire based band, Madison Square, it had been decided that he would carry on his songwriting role under the name We're Just Friends. Martyn has been writing and recording his own material from the age of 16, with heavy inspiration from bands such as Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie and Elliott Smith. His genre can be seen as Indie, Rock and Folk orientated. There are three demo tracks available on his Myspace.

These demos range from aggressive to the apathetic, focusing on lyrical content so that the listener may empathize and understand the emotion throughout the tracks. These demos are in full band arrangements however live shows are in fact an acoustic set up, this will show the different side to each song and how every lyric can be portrayed with a different emotion. Martyn may not be fashionable music, but has something that a lot of mainstream indie acts lack.

Oli Charles

Oli is a vocalist with Leicester band The Steptoos but occasionally performs solo acoustic sets. His set of indie songs is excellent, nicely played and well sung with an egaging stage presence.

Pascal Mowla

'Pascal Mowla is a brand new singer/songwriter based in Leicester. When he isn't writing with Capture The Flag band he creates both guitar instrumentals and songs with influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley. In 2009 he hopes to record a demo e.p of all his original material. Check out his myspace for more information!'

Paula Driver

Singer/songwriter from Leicester was a contestant in the 2008 Pavilion Acoustics Competition

Steve Faulkner

Singer/songwriter from Hinckley, won the 2008 Battle of the Acoustics competition and is one of the most exciting and accomplished male vocalists in Leicestershire. Apart from singing many of his own songs, he also sings his own interpretations of well known classic songs, such as Michael Jacksons "Billie Jean". The Faulkner version of which is every bit as good as the original. Steve frequently puts on stunning vocal performances and is also a very skillfull guitar player. Steve was the overall winner of the the 2008 Pavilion Acoustics Competition

Tony Alles

Tony Alles is a blues guitarist and singer with a considerable reputation. Tony gives solo performances or plays with his group Bluesville, a funk, shuffle and swing style band.

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