Music @ Beacon Festival Hill Top Stage
Bohemian Night Showcase
At the Global Cafe, Reading.
I started it at what was Pangaea, (the Global Cafe), 21 years ago and have ran the night from a few venues, like the Three B’s, over the years, but it’s back in it’s spiritual home now.
My initial idea was inspired by a night I used to frequent in Cardiff and a film/book called the Subterraneans.
The idea of the name came when A F Harrold, (Readings resident poet and children’s literary author),
and I were, musing over what to call it in the very early days when he used to compere the night.
We wanted to get over that it wasn’t just about music and that most anything goes.
Please come along every first and third Wed’s of the month from 8.30pm.
We are very welcoming and supportive. Wether you’re a new act or a veteran, it’s a useful way to air your wares.
Out of the bedroom and on to the stage.
I have a page on my website robertsowden.com dedicated to Bohemian Night. Take a look.
BFS Records
BFS Records takes over and completes the Friday night music, click back to find out who will be playing during their set.
First Thursday Music Club
A free, relaxed open mic night in Thame in a great room, set up and run by local musicians to allow everybody a chance to perform in front of a supportive audience.
It’ s mainly acoustic (although the odd sweet Strat lick has been known to sneak in to the mix!) We can’t do drum kits although various percussion boxes, scrapers and bangers are great!
Restless Oceans
Restless Oceans is an acoustic act from Oxfordshire and Bucks, playing upbeat melodic originals.
They started playing in Late 2017 and have been working on their sound, writing songs and building up their repertoire. After playing more and more shows during 2018 they've got a summer of Festivals to look forward to, showcasing their material to new audiences.
Alex Hedley
Alex Hedley is a talented artist with a passion for the earnest melodies and intimacy of indie-folk music. Hailing from England, this charismatic singer and songwriter managed to combine stunning melodies with atmospheric textures and introspective lyrics, in order to create a catchy, yet earnest and edgy sound.
Stone Jets
Take a pop sensibility; add a dash of classic rock influence, a bucket load of soul and a sprinkling of African rhythms and you’ll get Stone Jets — a two-piece whose music simply cannot be pigeonholed.
With their multi-cultural background, Given Nkanyane and Manfred Klose’s sound transcends boundaries. Their toe-tapping tunes cater to any taste while still staying true to their ethos.
James Morrison called them “amazingly talented” while others have raved about their live performances.
Melinda Ortner
With almost a million streams on Spotify, California born songstress and Grand Prize Winner for MTV’s “Steal The Spotlight” Contest, Melinda Ortner has been been writing and performing all over the world garnering attention with her sound that’s often compared to a mix of artists like Amy Winehouse, Goldfrapp, Muse. She has had film/tv placements in “American Pie: Book Of Love” and “I Hate Valentine’s Day”, “My Mother The Monster”, and “Gone With The River”. Melinda Ortner has toured the UK, Japan, and North America, opening for Joe Jonas, Miguel, and Cobra Starship. She's won Best Of Sundance and was chosen as the top of 25 hand-picked songwriters to be part of the ASCAP songwriters week in Chicago. She recently crafted a song "High On You" for a short film that went on to win in the Loerries Awards in 2018 and got her first big writing cut in the Kpop world for “Hide And Seek”, to be released by a major artist in Spring 2019.
2am Blue
2am Blue were formed as a local duo Johnnie Littler and Jimmy Greenhough now
with the addition of guitarist Nick Dutton they are part of the burgeoning Americana
scene playing a mixture of their own songs and classic Americana covers that they
love. Not to be missed!
Bisola
Bisola is a Pop and Inspirational Singer-Songwriter based in Farnborough. Her catchy and uplifting songs have received airplay on BBC Radio, Best of British Unsigned show and a host of radio shows in the UK and beyond.
Her 2018 dance floor filler ‘Come Alive’ was selected as Track of the day by BBC Introducing South and her upbeat love song 'Million Miles' topped the music charts of a US radio station in 2017. Her music has been described by the popular music blog Earmilk as ‘rousing, alluring and soul lifting all at once’.
Celtic Heartbeat
Celtic Heartbeat are a local 6 piece folk inspired band with a modern twist.
Six voices and multiple instruments take you through beautiful ballads and foot tapping chorus songs.
You won’t be able to stop smiling and singing along. Come and enjoy the craic.
Death by Stampede
Joseph Hicklin is a singer/songwriter from The Black Country (near Birmingham, England) performing under the moniker, DEATH BY STAMPEDE. He writes about love and labour, losing hope, regaining hope and his experience of the people and the country around him. His simple folk/Americana style, with hints of punk and soul, highlights the lyrical content of his music and is a subtle accompaniment to his powerful singing voice.
‘Death By Stampede is one of those artists who stops you in your tracks - stunning songwriting, lyrics that take you somewhere else and that are alluring beyond belief - mix that with a soulful voice and grounded persona and you have a stunning combination’ - Alex Nobel BBC Introducing
"Death By Stampede aren't one of the best things I've heard this year, they're one of the best things I've heard this century" - Mike Davies BrumRadio
Ellisha Green
West Midlands based singer/songwriter Ellisha Green combines heartfelt lyrics with delicate accompaniment to create a fusion of pop, folk and jazz. She released her debut EP ‘Platforms’ in November 2016, receiving excellent reviews from Slap Magazine and iTunes. She has been featured regularly on BBC Introducing and Brum Radio as well as performing live on Black Country Radio.
Small in stature but big in voice, this young performer has travelled across the UK supporting international artists and has appeared at various festivals including Nozstock and Mello Festival. She was awarded Wyre Forest Young Musician of the Year in 2016 along with Best Composition and Best Singer as part of Bewdley Youth Festival. She is currently studying a music degree in Birmingham and is also preparing to release new music in the coming year.
Abi Farrell
Abi Farrell is a soul singer and songwriter with a soaring voice and a powerhouse five-piece band who deliver soul, R&B and rock inspired arrangements. Born in Oxfordshire in 1994, Abi was raised on a female-driven musical intake ranging from the Motown back catalogue, to Aretha Franklin, to Chaka Khan, to Eva Cassidy. Her songwriting weaves together soulful vocals, explosive riffs and carefully crafted melodies; the end result are impactful pop songs that won't leave your head. Her debut single 'Ivy' (Piano Version) has received support from BBC Introducing in Oxford. Since moving to London in 2017, Abi has graced stages at London's prestigious Jazz Cafe, Camden Assembly and The Troubadour, in addition to The Spice of Life, Hoxton Underbelly and Notting Hill Arts Club.
Across the Lines
“Across The Lines” is a band that brings an original range of styles and sounds into a fusion that drives hard hitting and emotionally charged narrative based songs. With vocals fronted by Elena Harris’ rich and soulful melodies, backed with Andrew Sinclair and Dale Bunayog’s fretwork and Elysia Gaunt’s rhythms, the band explores an alternative terrain of sound. Taking elements of Jazz, Soul, Blues and Folk and mixing the different timbres of steel and nylon strings with close vocal harmonies and driving beats, the band set the scene for some dark twisted tales.
