Oxjam Jets & Jammin’ Evening Session

Gehko make a delayed start following line up order changes to the gig tonight. Cool acoustic guitar with industrial leanings on the effects, as the bass riff kicks off what becomes a chirpy song. The next songs in the set create this vein of happy tunes with doubled up vocals.  Gehko have been around in this four piece guise for about a year now, their prior experience shows in the way the set hangs together, even with drum kit and PA hassles which caused the initial delay. They’ve been recording a debut CD engineered by Tom Clements, announced tonight not yet available.

Andy Stock continues the paced style with his over sung acoustic style – he’s struggling off stage with bruised ribs and the like, yet there’s no sign of this from his set, giving it all with his voice as ever, with a mixture of own material and others’ covers all telling stories in song about gig life and home life.

I’ve not heard The Jack Grace Band since their DMA semi final appearance back in March. Tonight, in a slightly different guise, and more percussive than full on drums, its a very dreamy and laid back set, evocative of this Bournemouth surf and beach induced sound that’s being nurtured by so many bands here now. A friend of mine has tagged along with me this evening, they are most impressed with Jack’s band’s performance

I’ve been waiting perhaps a couple of years to hear Half Hour Hotel in a previous guise of theirs, Lostaura, and I’m pleased to say the wait has been worth it. They are playing acoustically tonight, like the latter two acts, even so tech difficulties pervade their setup, causing yet more delays. Its a shame as various tech issues have invaded the whole evening causing delays to each act leading to dramatically shortened sets.  While Half Hour Hotel might hail from Brighton now, they were originally from Bournemouth, moving for a perceived livelier scene. This is most definitely Bournemouth’s loss; the vibe they have in this acoustic guise is fantastic, two guitars and an acoustic bass with cajon, rather than an electric bass as sometimes found with acoustic acts of this nature. Its all great and I’m disappointed when their shortened set has to come to an end