Ben Montague / Charlie Grant / Sarah-Jayne Riedel [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 4/9/14]
Once again, I almost missed an opening set due to The Boileroom’s super-effective soundproofing. Fortunately I did make it out of the beer garden just in time to catch…
Sarah-Jayne Riedel
…whose singing and songwriting skills show much promise and potential. The acoustic singer-songwriter market is both oversaturated and hyper-competitive, but given more time and gigging experience I’m sure that Sarah-Jayne Riedel will be able to give her peers a real run for their money.
Charlie Grant
Charle Grant has some tasty songs in his catalogue (a poignant tune concerning social media was a personal highlight), but needs to make himself heard onstage with more force and power. Crowd chatter – the nemesis of every acoustic guitar-toting songsmith who ever lived – almost entirely drowned out this set, which was a real shame. Charlie Grant needs to sing closer to the mic, dig into his guitar, and show the ignorant chatterers in future rooms who’s boss.
Charlie Grant and his excellent songs deserve to be heard – and listened to. It’s as simple as that.
Ben Montague
Ben Montague knows exactly what he’s doing. By turns soulful, wistful, upbeat and hilarious, this was a perfectly paced set crammed full of great songs and witty banter. It’s no surprise that Ben Montague is as successful as he is – and it will also be no surprise when he gets even bigger.
Inventively arranged covers, a hell of a vocal, and Olly Dexter’s usual awesome sound work completed a fun and entertaining evening. Kudos to all involved.
Links
Ben Montague official website.
Charlie Grant official website.
Sarah-Jayne Riedel on Facebook.
The Boileroom official website.
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