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A view from the Shoes – day 4
A quick blog from a volunteer for this evening’s show, as Bryn didn’t compere last night. Harry Jones was first on first, replacing Sam Eden who was unwell, and we were really pleased to have him back as he’d played at the Green Dragon earlier in the week and went down a storm. I didn’t see him as I was tweeting and Facebook posting from St Mary’s Church where the Mavron String Quartet were playing, but hear it was a superb performance. Harry is definitely one to watch, with great personality, solid guitar skills and an amazing vocal range.
So, I arrived at 9.30pm just as George Montague was about to take to the stage. Just beforehand, a group of slightly older-than-usual audience members approached me and rather nervously asked me ‘what was going on’. I found it hard to describe George Montague as I’d not seen him before and he’s one of those artists that doesn’t fall into any particular camp. Singer-songwriter – well yes, but so much more: multi-instrumentalist (keyboard, ukelele, electric guitar, acoustic guitar).
As soon as he took to the stage it was obvious that this young musician is so much more than that, and what stood out in addition to his powerhouse musical skills were that he is a hugely talented performer: he commanded the stage, had the audience in the palm of his hands (even getting them to sing IN THE FIRST SONG!).
He chatted, he laughed, he growled, he squealed, he filled the Shoes with a vocal, musical and performer’s maturity far beyond his years (and I bet he HATES it when people say that sort of thing). The songs were captivating, touching, fun, and one, down-right scary.
He’s recording at Rockfield Studios today and was clearly excited when the Rockfield family – including Kingsley and Lisa Ward – turned up to cheer him on. Good luck today George, and we hope we see you in Monmouth again!
Thanks for the photos to: Paul Bond of Purabellezza Photography and Steve Mitchell of Stephen Mitchell Photography.
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