Huddled at the back of the empty ARU students’ union is a small cluster of people, waiting for some extravagant piano pop to fill their evening with warmth and laughter. But first, slowly moving to the front of the room, they’re treated to some blues funk rock from local band, Katie Parker & the Elements. Although showing the impressively powerful voice of the group’s front woman, the set goes by without too much to shout about as the unfortunately average performance comes to a close.

Whilst not officially headlining, the majority of the crowd is here to see Worcester-born, Southampton-based Luke Leighfield and his slightly diminished backing band play some elaborate pop tunes from his debut record, as well as his freshest offering, Fan the Flames. The group gathered front of stage may be a small one but they are certainly appreciative of both Leighfield’s musical talent and gift for humour, giving the room an air of good will and intimacy. Highlights of the set are hard to pick as the performance is mostly flawless, although stand out tracks are probably Mountain to Climb and If You Haven’t Got Anything To Say due to tongue in cheek entertainment and incessant catchiness, respectively.

By the time The Hot Puppies walk on stage, the crowd is even more moderate than before, with about 7 people remaining. Still, the 5 piece Welsh country-pop group put on a good, if slightly lacklustre set, including songs such as King of England and Green Eyeliner, before departing unannounced, leaving the few remaining audience members feeling somewhat confused.

Writer: Rhian Daly

Back »