Music

Singer/Songwriter Concert

Saturday 13 August 2011

Old Town Bowl

​Gates 5.30pm, Concert 6.30pm

Staring: Paul Carrack, The Sarah Gillespie Trio, Ben Montague Band and local artiste Theo Altieri

As if there isn’t enough already to get you to this years bowl concerts, we now have our fantastic line up of acts confirmed for our singer/songwriter concert and it promises to be an evening of amazing music from some of the best singer/songwriters around.

Paul Carrack’s career was kick started in the 70’s when his band Ace had a huge global hit with his song "How Long". The band were catapulted from the British college circuit into huge arenas, as the song soared into the US singles chart. After the band disbanded Paul worked as a session artist playing on albums by Frankie Miller and Roxy Music and in the 80s he reached a rapprochement with the new-wave scene, playing on albums by The Undertones, The Smiths and The Pretenders, and joining Squeeze for their masterwork East Side Story.

The biggest break in Carrack's career came in 1985 when he contributed vocals to an album being recorded by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford and then joined Mike + The Mechanics. Sung by Paul, the title-track of their second LP The Living Years was a huge worldwide hit, peaking at number one in America. A third Mike + The Mechanics album saw Carrack's creative input increasing, with four song writing credits. Carrack developed a parallel reputation as an able and accomplished sideman to the stars, playing keyboards on albums by Eric Clapton, BB King, Simply Red, Van Morrison and Elton John, and being invited by Elton to play on "Something About The Way You Look Tonight", which, as the B-side of "Candle In The Wind '97", is officially the biggest-selling single ever.

And if that isn’t enough to get your musical taste buds twitching you will also be treated to critically acclaimed Anglo American singer-songwriter Sarah Gillespie. Sarah mixes blues, tango and urban folk with her trademark lyricism that knits together everyday banter with raw poetry. The Guardian describes her as combining ‘Bob Dylan’s lyrical bite and languid delivery and the forthrightness of Joni Mitchell, with a little rap-like percussiveness thrown in'.

Getting us into the mood we have the very talented Ben Montague, he may not be a familiar name right now, but the singer-songwriter is set to establish himself among the brightest UK melodic rock talents, offering an alternative to the world of reality-show gimmickry and sensationalism. The release of his debut EP follows months of perfectionist hard work, and takes the influence of a range of classic singer-songwriting legends and gives them a youthful and distinctly 21st twist. The results combine elegantly crafted melodic guitar hooks reminiscent of Maroon 5 and The Feeling, all blended with modern takes on the brash, showy talents of 70s-era Elton John.

The bowl concerts are also a fantastic way of offering local artistes the opportunity to showcase their talent, and this concert will see local boy Theo Altieri playing a set of original material. Playing all over the south west, now with a band, he has played many events including Wychwood Festival, The Great Escape, Supporting Babyshambles, Sugarhill Festival, Wood Festival, and many others. Theo takes his influences from The Cure, Paul Weller, Pete Doherty, Bob Marley, Radio head, Toots and the maytals and Bob Dylan,

Advance bookings:

Tickets £23, Concessions £18, Family £65, Parties 10th ticket free

On the door:

Tickets £28, Concessions £23, Family £75, no party rate on the day.

To book tickets just call the box office on 01793 614837 or call into the Visitor Information Centre, or book online at www.swindontickets.co.uk