Justin Stewart, Aaron Stoops, Alex Smythe, Sister MarKo, Jonny Kitchen, Cat & Dave and Ryan McNally

Many may be wondering why I am covering an acoustic gig. Well simple really, with so many acoustic nights on and so many poor ones at that I thought it would be good to go check out what Bangor has to offer on what seems to have become the Acoustic Wednesday nights around the country. Coyles has to be one of the best spots for some great live music on a Wednesday.

Justin Stewart

The acts played to a packed house on Wednesday night and the audience was not disappointed with what was on offer. The night started off with the fantastic Justin Stewart. His melodic guitar playing and husky blues vocals along with a guy playing harmonica was a great way to kick start the night and set the bar high for the standard of talent to come. And the rest of the night did not disappoint.
Second up was Aaron Stoops. This guy is also a member of the acoustic 2 piece “Book Club” I believe. His vocals and guitar playing were something else, and definitely not expected when you look at this tower of a man. His original songs were well thought out and you could just lose yourself in his performance with his passion for the music oozing out of every orifice.
Local Bangor boy Alex Smythe took the mic next. Alex had a bit of a rough start with a Green Day cover, but he quickly picked himself up again and went on to embrace his Billie Joe Armstrong based vocals and entertain the masses.

Mark Gibb, Chris Coates & Michael Lilley Sister MarKo

For me this next act was the highlight of the night. As a band doing their thing on a live gig set up they are second to none with catchy hard hitting songs that are both relevant and technically sound. To match live gig energy on acoustic is difficult but Sister MarKo front man, Michael Lilley, certainly pulled it off. This was Sister MarKo’s debut in Coyles and they went down a complete storm. With people head banging at the front and the audience singing along when Mike signalled them to do so this was fantastic to see. The first act in Coyles I have seen use a bass guitar also and the entire dynamic worked so well. Chris Coates is a well placed new addition to the band and it just works. The legend known as Mark Gibb is possibly one of the most understated drummers around. There is something to be said for a drummer that can hit something like 18 beats a second (if that is possible) and a drummer that knows what to play, how to play it and when to play it. Gibb is an all rounder when it comes to drums and he showcased that with his use of a Cajon. This thing is pronounced so differently by so many people so call it whatever you want, the gist of it is that Sister MarKo proved they can get any crowd going whether it is a hard rock or indie crowd, Sister MarKo are appealing to all and I highly recommend checking out their Facebook page.
Only 2 acts left on the night and right after Sister MarKo the great performing talents of Jonny Kitchen took to the stage. This guy is timid yet confident on stage. The “don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover” statement comes to mind as Jonny looks very unassuming when playing yet his voice and guitar ability totally knock you for six. I really hope he gets his own ep together soon as I think it would be a delight to listen to with a glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day.
To finish off the night we had Coyles regular Ryan McNally. Ryan has very low, dulcet tones to his voice and I thought this was a perfect way to end the night. We had the energy build up and Sister MarKo totally dominated the energy and flow of the bar then bringing it down to end the night and leave everyone with a happy feeling in their stomach Ryan was the perfect man for the job. Ryans soothing voice could calm any heated situation and it is a pleasure to enjoy his music and watch someone get so lost in their lyrics.

Marian and Me

Overall this was probably the best acoustic night I have been to for a very long time. Great talent from start to finish, well promoted and a packed bar, cheap drink promos (it is mid week after all how else you going to get people to drink) and in general Tonic Nights is the pride and success of Bangor music scene at the minute in my opinion. If anyone is interested in playing on this speak to Marian Thurley Thompson who runs the Tonic Nights.
I don’t know what anyone else is doing this weekend but tonight I am heading to the Pavilion to support the biggest local gig of the month and I would expect a review of it in the next few days. Also for anyone waiting on the Double-Wide Album review...it is coming I just keep getting lost in the album it is that damn good....that sentence is not the review by the way. Anyway, keep on rocking and have a metal weekend \m/

Authors: Scott Wilson

Read More: http://skotfury.blogspot.com/2011/03/tonic-nights-gig-review-23rd-march-2011.html