SUSY THOMAS + ACER + BLUE18th February 2001Blue were the first band to entertain on this friendly evening performing an acoustic version of their set which included some of their new material plus favorites from the demo Making Waves like "Play From the Heart" (my personal favourite). Blue are a musical collaboration between Mark Ursell (guitar, drum programming, vocals) and Fyzz Wallis (bass guitar, vocals). They formed in Hull in '95 at a pub crawl organised by the University Beatles Appreciation Society (although both admit they are not particular fans) when they started to talk drunkenly about music and literature. They are a very unique and interesting combination and on an acoustic level pulled off a very mellow driven aromatic set which was full of heartfelt guitar sounds and some real uplifting vocals. Blue pulled off a very well received, reflective performance. Their talents just keep surfacing. Dave (guitarist) and Damien (guitarist/vocals) of Acer were the second to present an acoustic version of their set whilst John (drummer) and Alex (bassist) looked on supportively. Both Dave and Damien have very influential and stunning voices that can be very soothing at times. They played some of the favourites from their set which included "Atlanta" and "Firearms and Friends". Their whole set was very moving and this is the sort of music that just hits the nerve on the bookmarks of our lives, memories. It’s good thinking music.  The last acoustic performance of the night was the person who everyone was waiting to see, Susy Thomas. Susy was classically trained to play the guitar from the age of 8. When she was 14 she started getting into bands and had produced her first CD from the age of 17. Shortly after she was picked up by a manager and gigged a lot around the London area. After lots of gigging and management changes she went around record companies in L.A. and New York and is now in the early stages of signing a deal with California’s Interscope Records. Susy at the age of only 20 is into artists such as Carol King, Sheryl Crow and The Rolling Stones. She finds her inspiration when writing songs through the situations around her at that time, observations and emotions. This particular night Susy came along without her band to perform an acoustic rock set. She took to the stage with her guitarist with much confidence for a 20 year old. She had the most amazing voice and performed a good 45 minutes of original easy listening rock based songs sending a warm aura through-out. The whole night had a real warming glow to it and everyone seemed very relaxed and chilled with their friends whilst the bands or band members that performed showed a much more heartfelt melodical, comfortable approach in their performances. This sort of night is one for anyone of any musical tastes. Jed, GIMPmag. |