Just Play!

Normally the venue of choice for the hundreds of grunge mongers, indie junkies and too-cool-for-school wannabes who pack like sardines in a can on the relatively small upstairs bar/dance floor area every weekend,  Ten Feet Tall was distinctively subdued, although the presence of a sprinkling of cool kids was noted. Tonight, acoustic reigned supreme with four talented young Welsh men taking to the stage with their dulcite tones and melodic chords.

So soothe were the sounds coming from Pete Winters, that it took half of his first song before the audience made their way stage side. Ain't Gonna Sing SLS (no more) was such a track, written a modest 2 days previously about a certain review written about his 'sentimental love songs'. Stringing out tunes like Blueberry ODE and Untitled #2 , Winters had the room eating out of the palm of his hand with his cocktail of RnB/folk/reggae/soul infusions. So inspired by his lyrics was one group of friends that a round of chinese whispers began - surprisingly the song was Chinese Whispers, if you can believe it! Unbelieveably unsigned, it surely cannot be long until this eclectic young soul is snapped up.

Winter without the Williams.

Following proceedings saw Joshua Caole hypnotise everyone of us with his own brand of folk; reflective in parts of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Pretty bluegrass beats provided the perfect backdrop to the night where communication between onlookers was silent; everything that needed to be said was conveyed with a look, a nod, a smile.

Joshua Caole does his thing.

Third on the bill was Stephen Light providing country affected folk, with essence of rock n roll chucked in for good measure, was all in a night's work for this Caerleon native. And boy, does he make it look easy. For me, Wandering Eyes was the highlight of his set; a song filled with heartbreaking truths and themes many can relate to. Oh, and harmonica. You know, to add extra melancholy to a song already saturated in the tradegy of reality.

Stephen Light. He has a harmonica.

Bill topper Christopher Rees and his beautiful guitar stepped up. Wow. Mixing up rockabilly riffs with tasty 1950's licks, you would be forgiven for thinking he was a child of the foothills of North Carolina. Actually, he's from The Diff. Rees has a truly unique voice that has silky smoothe tones and unequivocal grit in equal measures. Pulling this in with lyrical brilliance and story telling savvy that would send a shudder down Mark Twain's spine has gifted us with one hell of a singer/song writer talent.

THE guitar.

Songs like Bet Your Bottom Dollar and Take My Hand only set in stone the man who stood before us; a man whose guitar is a mere extension of his being. A man who as quickly he can make you dance can leave you dumbfounded. A man who stuck up for the Bird who yelled 'Just play' as he regaled us with the story behind the next song. Christopher Rees' latest album, Devil's Bridge is out now.

BBPD.