This is how music should be.
Written by Emma Whitehead
For those who weren’t at Jake’s Cafe on Wednesday 7th November, picture this... one
of the oldest buildings in Harrogate providing natural acoustics, the lighting
dimmed to a romantic orange glow against the brickwork, the stage set as part
of the crowd, and the room filled with a close group of family and friends. For
music lovers everywhere this is performance stripped back to the basics. No
need for gimmicks or fancy effects, just the artists and their pure talent Ont’
Sofa. This is how music should be.
Thabo, the main vocals for Extra Curricular, presented the
evening- Cool is the only way to describe this man! Annie Drury stunned with
her opening act, singing her original songs and playing the keyboard, she is
beautiful in every sense of the word. Billie Tweddle followed next, and at only
the age of 13 it is unbelievable just how talented this young girl is. Billie
plays with such ease and confidence, writing her own songs that access the
emotions of every person irrelevant of age or gender. Jasmine Kennedy, who
performed a couple of weeks ago at Lure Bar, took to her own at Jake’s, proving
not only to be an acoustic sensation, but a comedy genius too. And let’s not
forget those pillow cases and t-shirts of cats she creates in her bath tub- Meow
girl! The wonderful Kal Lavelle (not Carl!) brought the evening to a climatic
finale. Words cannot come close to describing the atmosphere that she lifted in
this small, intimate upper room in Harrogate, one cold November night. Standing
next to her before she took to the stage it was humbling to hear her words of praise
for the other artists, especially with her performance that was to follow and close the
evening. She had everyone dancing on their feet, and even had the crowd
performing at the choruses (what a talented bunch!).
Atmosphere, emotion, raw talent and friends. Wednesday 7th
November at Jake’s was a night that will be relived in the minds and tête-à-têtes
of everyone who was there, for years to come. What a success!
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| Friends and Family |
To check out more photos of the fantastic artists visit...
Courtesy of Mr. Tom Bentley photography.
