{"id":3315,"date":"2014-01-09T22:19:55","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T22:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/?p=3315"},"modified":"2015-06-15T20:37:40","modified_gmt":"2015-06-15T19:37:40","slug":"obs-unplugged-7th-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/obs-unplugged-7th-january\/","title":{"rendered":"obs Unplugged 7th January"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

A really good night<\/h1>\n

at obsUnplugged<\/h2>\n

Published 9th January 2014<\/p>\n

We were there at the Musician for an extraordinary night of music.<\/p>\n

On the line-up tonight: Evangeline, Josh Kemp, Steady Hands, Benn Hartmann, \u00a0Monroe,\u00a0Jason Smith.<\/p>\n

Here is our report with photos, videos and a review of the acts.<\/p>\n

Here is Kevin Gaughan’s slide show of photos from that night:<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Photos by \u00a9\u00a0Kevin Gaughan<\/p>\n

Review<\/h2>\n

by Trevor Locke<\/p>\n

Opening the show, Ian Babington<\/strong>, one of the members of Evangeline, wove his songs with his quality vocals and pleasing guitar work. A pleasing set of varied songs was delivered with craftsmanship and drew appreciative acclaim for the audience.<\/p>\n

Follow Ian Babington on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

singer Josh Kemp<\/strong> – no stranger to the stages of Leicester – brought his fine voice and variety of looping and pedal devices to the stage.<\/p>\n

\"Josh<\/a>
Josh Kemp
singing at obsUnplugged<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The loops added complex backings to the songs, most of which were his own, plus the bonus of a “cheeky mash-up” of the theme from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air<\/em>. Kemp bounced into his first number with an ear-grabbing number. \u00a0His tonally rich voice and strong musical sense made him a singer of distinction. In his mash-up the namesake was transmuted into the fresh prince of Sandiacre! His set included The Hangover Song<\/em>, a favourite of mine and one of the tracks from his Sofa Surfin’<\/em> EP; also from the EP was Reason<\/em>, his third number tonight, in which he demonstrated his skills with the loop pedals. Kemp’s performance tonight was masterly making him stand out as one of the eminent singer-songwriters of the East Midlands.<\/p>\n

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, of Josh Kemp singing The Hangover Song<\/em> at the show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow Josh Kemp on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The musicians from Steady Hands<\/strong> gathered their array on instruments on the stage for a set of musical delights that was astonishing.<\/p>\n

\"Steady<\/a>
Steady Hands
at obsUnplugged<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On stage I could see a violin, a full double bass, keyboard, guitar, full drum kit with what looked like a car-exhaust hanging in a metal frame (part of the percussion assembly) and oboe. \u00a0From the first song of this remarkable ensemble, we recognised right away that we were hearing music that was high original, different and out of the ordinary. \u00a0ObsUnplugged is known for its ability to throw up acts that are markedly different. The group’s second song began with all five of its member singing an a-capella intro, in close harmony, before launching into the main subject of the piece, featuring haunting violin parts and delicately executed percussion effects. It was a spell binding piece, the voices of the lead singer and female vocalist blending together beautifully and emphasised with richly woven orchestration. \u00a0In the third number, taken from the band’s EP, the somewhat celtic-sounding introduction broke into the vibrant first subject with a full folk-rock vibe, laden with tantalising dynamics and sumptuous colours, resolute breaks and \u00a0alluring atmospheric sounds. \u00a0The songs had a comedic undertone and I kept seeing, in my head, Henri Matisse\u2019s famous painting \u201cThe Dance”.\u00a0\u00a0Brilliant.<\/p>\n

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, of Steady Hands performing at the show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow Steady Hands on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Benn Hartmann<\/strong> and his musicians set off at a cantering pace for their first song, giving us, as their second number, a song about Leicester – This City<\/em> – a vibrant piece decorated with engaging riffs and licks. \u00a0Tonight, Ben was joined on the stage by Alastair Ballentine on the guitar, Dan Monk on Bass and Josh Bugden on Drums. \u00a0Highly enjoyable music.<\/p>\n

Follow Benn Hartmann on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Polly Yates<\/strong> came to the stage with a group of musicians Munroe<\/strong> – \u00a0for a show-stopping set and we all said to each other “wow! What a voice”. \u00a0Back on stage were Benn Hartmann, Josh Bugden, Dan Monk and Ian Crabtree.<\/p>\n

\"Polly<\/a>
Polly Yates singing with Munro
at obsUnplugged<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a case of ” … just when you thought it couldn’t get any better …”. Polly Yates led the band in a bouncy song that was full of \u00a0bracing rhythms, her voice filling the room with its resonance and power and mesmerising colours and vocal techniques. \u00a0The first song was followed up by Always Forever<\/em>, from her forthcoming EP. It was a song with immediacy, pulling you into the sound with its captivating lyrics and soaring vocal lines set against luscious guitar lines. Blending jazz, pop, soul and blues, it was a set of richly powerful and fabulously expressive musical lollipops. \u00a0Behind the voice was an artist with plenty of personality. \u00a0Stunning.<\/p>\n

Watch this video, by Kevin Gaughan, \u00a0of Polly Yates singing at the show with her band Monroe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Monroe acoustic<\/a>\u00a0| Polly Yates on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was singer Jason Smith<\/strong> who took the show to its close. The singer-songwriter from Leicester presented his own songs, using his characteristic vocals that reminded some of us of Bob Dylan, delivering raw talent and oodles of expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow Jason Smith on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More photos from this show can be seen on Philip Vernon’s Facebook Album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/h4>\n

The first obsUnplugged show of 2014<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A really good night at obsUnplugged Published 9th January 2014 We were there at the Musician for an extraordinary night of music. On the line-up […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[110,91,54],"tags":[127,130,126],"class_list":["post-3315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles-from-2014","category-gigs-in-leicester","category-gigs-music-home-page","tag-musician-venue","tag-obs","tag-singers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73uhX-Rt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5626,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/obsunplugged-pictures\/","url_meta":{"origin":3315,"position":0},"title":"obsUnplugged pictures","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"11\/01\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Tuesday 6th January 2015 Pictures from obsUnplugged (January 6th) Kevin Gaughan reported on the obsUnplugged show at the Musician on January 6th. 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Not to be confused with obsUnplugged (for singers and acoustic artists.) The OBS is a showcase for bands. Founded in 2004, the OBS is now in its eleventh year.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bands"","block_context":{"text":"Bands","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/bands\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"obs musicians group shot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/obs2013_groupshot1.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/obs2013_groupshot1.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/obs2013_groupshot1.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6130,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/obs-march-14\/","url_meta":{"origin":3315,"position":4},"title":"OBS March 14","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"28\/03\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Saturday 14th March 2015 Original Bands Showcase at The Musician On stage tonight:\u00a0 Aztec Temples, Little Dead Town, Heavy Town (guest band), Last Half, Beneath The Lights and We Are Puzzles. Returning from his week-long stay with Richard III, Trevor Locke catches up with music and tackles the back-log of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2015"","block_context":{"text":"2015","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/history-of-leicester-music\/the-year-2015\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Aztec Templates at The Shed, 7th March 2015 Photo RhinoFeroSs photography","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aztec-Temples-1-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aztec-Temples-1-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aztec-Temples-1-600x400.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3173,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/2013-live-music-in-leicester\/","url_meta":{"origin":3315,"position":5},"title":"2013 Live Music in Leicester","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"01\/01\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Live music in Leicester in 2013 Our month-by-month \u00a0guide to live music. 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