The Highway Gigger

Music is my life and passion, I beleive that everybody has a song in their head as they go about their lives, its an internal soundtrack that either motivates you or adds extra melancholy to your depression. Who hasnt listened to sad love songs after a breakup? Even hardcore death metal lovers will attune to Dido or Boyz II Men when the time called for it..in their head. Its the soul and the passion in music as a form of expression that gets me. again, how many people make a mixtape for that special someone hoping to spark the right chord(Pun-O-matic)and pull their heart strings? Emotion in music is everywhere as a certain song will jog distant memories and for us living in seasonal climates, music can add a loose form of pathetic fallacy to the weather or feelings. I am a huge fan of live music and unplugged sessions, the rawness of a live intimate set always strikes me as the best way to listen to music,no dubbing, no effects or lip syncing, just the artist expressing his thoughts through song.

With that i headed down to the Half Moon in Putney to not only catch a live set but get a chance to see my old friend Ben Wheatley play an acoustic set. Coming in at a reasonable £2.50 i caught Redvers Bailey, the man behind the Monday Night sessions and he immediately struck me as a budding Art Garfunkel with his smooth imagery in his lyrics of 'Roses Garden' and soft sentiment written in his tracks. Amazingly the next artist struck me as a hint of Neil Young more so through stance and mannerisms coupled with his anthemic folk musings. On the back of two great starters a blues players Richard Kitson caught my attention as he muscled his way through his delta blues like musings with great accuracy and vigour. Hailing from the North it must have been quite a trek but the audience appreciated his work. Next up was Ben Wheatley who started off with 'Undiscovered Lovers' moving onto 'Paper Aeroplanes' and finished with 'Blow your cover' struck me as the reports i had read before as a mix between The Police and Maroon 5 with his soulful lyrics. The night was headlined by Elsa Chapman, not only did she bring a different instrument(a piano) but she has provided vocals for Youassnou D'iors '7 Seconds' which was not surprising as she blew the audience through her confident stage prescence coupled with an amazing R&B voice. After checking out all these acts on myspace, the chance to see them live allowed deeper meaning into their work as they have all worked hard and slaved countless hours crafting and perfecting their songs. all in all, the night was a great gig as all artists showed that there is talent out there, it may not be heard on commercial radio stations but listen closer to the sound of the underground, you never know what you might be missing out on.