Open House 1
I have been to many events at Norwich Open since the former Barclays Bank building re-opened its doors in 2009 and became a music venue. Income from commercial activities remains essential for the trust's work, and many of the gigs that I have attended raise vital funds. However, their hosting of BBC's Radio 1 Academy in 2015 and their involvement with Norwich's Next Big Thing competitions also demonstrate Open's committment to helping young local musicians.
With a line-up that even a music festival would have been proud of, Craig Hill, Open's new Head of Events, kicked off 2017 with Open House, billed as #OH1 - 1 Venue, 4 Rooms, 8 Bands, 5 Solo Acts. So much live music, in fact, that we needed to be there by 6:30pm just to experience it all.
Like a festival, running orders and set times were posted clearly around the venue, meaning that we knew exactly where we needed to be, and when. Live bands seamlessly alternated between the main Banking Hall and the smaller Club Room whilst six solo acts, in association with Access To Music, dovetailed neatly into an Acoustic Showcase in the Conference Room. Upstairs, on the balcony level, an Open Mic Room provided yet more live performance. My personal strategy was to see as much of the band action as possible, and to catch at least a couple of songs from each of the solo acts.
In the Conference Room the mood was relaxed and informal as acts performed in front of an attentive audience, some seated whilst others stood around the perimeter. French Dog (aka Jack Evison) is a familiar name across the city's clubs and bars, and delighted as usual with his mix of slightly twangy guitar and husky vocals (think Kelly Jones); Aphra has one of those voices that is equally at home on a large stage or cosy café bar, and delivered another memorable set; Zacharie Lambert's obvious love of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop is reflected in his original songs as well as his choice of cover (The Stooges' I Wanna Be Your Dog), but is also very much a contemporary talent; Ginny Dix continues to impress. Her renditions of Run Away and new song Woman simply blew me away. Rory Hill brings experience, a country tinged delivery, and a wonderfully relaxed vibe that includes 'a cover of a cover' of the Rolling Stones' Dead Flowers. Finally, Finn Doherty pushes the definition of 'acoustic' to the limit with a complex but masterful set that includes guitar and vocals supplemented with all manner of loops, samples and beat accompaniment. Congratulations and thanks to one and all – and, of course, to Access To Music for nurturing all that talent.
The Acoustic Showcase was all but completed by 9:30pm, leaving me free to enjoy the last three bands' sets in their entirety. Earlier I had enjoyed new band The Meeks for the first time (having regrettably missed their headliner for The Tilting Sky last month); been mightily impressed by The Lucy Grubb Trio kicking things off in the cavernous Banking Hall with total confidence and a tight C&W inspired set; wondered yet again at the youthful energy and enthusiasm of Black Shuk (and a great new song in Take Me Back to Battersea); been whisked back to the modern country vibe of Sam Coe and The Long Shadows, clearly enjoying themselves with an appreciative audience in the Banking Hall; and re-acquainting with Will Overton's Lightscape in the Club Room (if anything, an even better performance than their recent headlining set at Norwich Arts Centre).
That left the latter part of the evening for uninterrupted enjoyment of Kings Lynn's Jake Morell and his band, following a successful 2016 that saw him touring Germany, and receiving frequent airplay on BBC Radio 2 with Wire and Thorns. Next, Norwich's totally awesome The Thinking Men, fronted by the amazing Johnny Raspin, dividing his vocal performance between the stage and the midst of the audience whilst the rest of the band deliver a rollicking accompaniment amidst cool keyboards from Sarah Taline Barsoumian.
And last, but certainly not least, the magnificent Morganway produce the performance of the night with a climactic set on the main stage that includes all the favourites, as well as a deliciously mellow interpretation of Springsteen's I'm On Fire. On fire they certainly were, and by the time we reached Hurricane so were we. The well-deserved encore call was returned with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, a definite crowd-pleaser that underlines what an amazing voice lead singer Yves Mary B possesses.
A wonderful and incredibly well-organised evening from Craig and the team at Open. As I left the venue at 11:30pm and started to make my way home via Tombland and Prince of Wales Road, the city's clubland was still coming to life. Temperatures were dipping towards zero and some revellers were clearly intent on filling up with January spirit. However, is was reassuring to see that the SOS Buses (managed by Norwich Open) and their crews were in place and ready for the night ahead. Events like Open House not only help promote young musical talent in Norwich, but help fund essential youth services and projects like the SOS buses. Well done Craig. Well done Open.
