Review Of The Soon To Be Re-branded Wolverhampton Country Night.
All photos credited to Ian Morrall
The Wolverhampton Country Night has moved venues and it was the first one last night in its new home.
Bilston Town Hall is a fantastic venue for our singer songwriters to perform in as it has great acoustics. It is almost right opposite the tram station which is a direct link to Wolverhampton and Birmingham city centres. Those of you travelling any distance by train can easily get to the venue from Birmingham which has good rail links with the rest of the country. The last tram leaving Bilston is 11.30 on a Sunday leaving plenty of time to get back to your Wolverhampton or Birmingham hotels.
The venue itself is a lovely big first floor room (don't worry there is a lift) with a high ceiling and ornate struts. At the far end is a decently sized stage. Fairly near the entrance is a well stocked bar with attentive, friendly bar staff.
Tables and chairs were set out for people to use so it already felt less formal than Bantock House.
Jim Duncan and Patricia Swindells who organise this monthly event have lots of exciting new plans and ideas for this songwriters evening so watch this space and we will bring you up to date information as we receive it.
The first artist on the bill tonight is Matt Sayers. He is the only performer of the evening that we don't really know his music. We have seen him perform once before and discovered that this young local singer songwriter tells extraordinary stories through his ballads. I thoroughly enjoyed his set. I must say that the tone in Matts' voice is gorgeous. Check out his music here:- https://soundcloud.com/matt-sayers-4/keep-you-in-my-mind-demo
The second performer of the night was a very popular favourite with us. Tom Wright is famed within the UK country scene for being the most talented guitarist that we have and he certainly put his acoustic guitar through its paces last night. Tom played a good selection of songs that showcased his guitar picking to perfection. Having appeared in the touring musical 'Walk Right Back' Tom was asked if he would play an extra song from the show. As he played Buddy Holly in the show, we were treated to a fantastic rendition of 'Oh Boy'. Tom released a single called Mr. Telecaster 2 weeks ago. You may want to check it out here:- www.tomwrightguitar.com
Kezia Gill was the final performer of the night. She has very quickly become one of my favourites. She sang songs that are very familiar to me as they are on permanently in the car but she also chucked in a new one to me. A song she had written 10 years previously but never recorded. Well I say Kezia get recording it lady because it is fantastic. I really like Kezia's style of songwriting. Sometimes you really have to delve deep into a song to find the story that the songwriter is trying to tell, but with Kezia, it is very easy to know exactly what the story line is as her songs are like you are face to face and having that conversation. A perfect example of this is #ImHere. Here is a little taste of the song for you to enjoy.
https://www.facebook.com/keziagillmusic/videos/880497288971728/
We did have a great night last night. The next one is on Sunday ist September and of course it will be at Bilston Town Hall. There is plenty of parking very close to the venue and of course don't forget that very handy tram link for those of you who don't drive.