For some reason the advertised Lehmann B. Smith did not perform… or did he? From what I could gather, Kes Band played instead (although I might be totally confused here – a quick search saw that Lehmann is part of Kes Band, but I’m pretty sure a couple songs were played from the last Kes Band album). Anyways, we heard a little choir sing sweetly along and blow into kazoo’s which seemed cute enough. A uniquely scratchy voiced lead singer (Karl E. Scullen or Lehmann, I never really found out in the end) gave a quirky off kilter nature to the set despite him having a bit of trouble with the dreaded cough through the set.
Isle Adore ploughed through their set of tunes like nobody’s business. Playing up some delectable tunes of pop and jangly guitar was this bands game tonight. The group enjoyed the playful usage of a drum machine in their set too, and the games in trying to keep to the right speed of the machine. They harnessed a shining vibe in their set with their full-of-life type tunes, chiming away with light abandon.
In a feat which I haven’t seen before at a gig of this nature, Patinka Cha Cha’s 7-piece band came on stage in such quick time that you could order a beer in the bustling Grace and once the barman finished the drink they’d be playing.
The group bustled through a lovely array of tunes that were preceded simply with ‘this is a love song’ or ‘this is a sad song’. Simple, effective banter – I love it! The careful way in which lead singer Natasha Rose plucked her six-string was fascinating to observe, while the careful arrangements of the horn section added a sweet touch to the sound of the songs she was playing to the small but attentive crowd. Cosy performances in a cosy hotel, which contrasted the wet and icy outside environment.
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