BUNTERS BAR, TRURO (6TH JULY)







TOM MOUNSEY, RUARRI JOSEPH AND THE NOEL PRIOR BAND

Thursday night at Bunters in the middle of Truro and the middle of the summer had something for everyone - some electric and acoustic blues, some singer/songwriters and something new for the faithful.

Tom Mounsey, straight outta Newquay and previously rave-reviewed at the first High Rollers gig, took confidently to the stage with his semi-acoustic and played his enthusiastic bottlenecked heart out to a rapidly growing, and frequently jigging, crowd. His voice was much stronger than at the High Rollers and the sound balance throughout the night was excellent for all the artists, which allowed the audience to really hear the emotion in his voice as the blues came down from the heavens. Tom`s stomping rhythms held the audience in time and soon he was swapping guitars for his steel national to slide some pure Muddy Waters our way.
It was an excellent start to the evening`s proceedings and Tom made a load of new fans in the city audience.

Next in line came Ruarri Joseph, (also from Newquay), with his acoustic guitar and rucksack of quickly sold CDs, to the stage. To start with, Ruarri stands apart from the crowd because he chats to them between his songs with a relaxed attitude. There is a touch of Loudon Wainright in his manner and style, with humour, (not comedy), at the heart of his music.
...And so much tapping of feet and grinning took place amongst the audience whilst he shared some of his view of life with us. Tales of publife, London exile and impending fatherhood went down a treat. The last song he played, written for his unborn, (at the time), daughter was so touching and delicate that the applause was loud and long on his departure. `Song for Finn` recalled the tenderness of Paul Weller`s most affected acoustic tunes to his own children, (`Sweetpea` etc.), and was a fitting finale for an superior performance.

So we come to the final band of the night; the unspeakably fantastic and unbelievably still unsigned, Noel Prior Band!
Truro`s own dream team - wowing gatherings of folk wherever they play from their recent Janice Long Show BBC Radio 2 session to this August`s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. But tonight was a special occasion, as the band has just grown into a four piece with the inclusion of Toby Seth on backing vocals and piano and tonight was The Noel Prior BIG Band`s first performance.
Joining the powerhouse rhythm section of The Liam Jolly drum experience and The Rob Carter bass masterclass, must have been daunting for the new boy, but Toby fitted in quickly with only the one early shoe being flung from the audience.
The cheering crowd were quickly singing along to the familiar tunes and welcoming the new lad with a baptism of joy. Noel`s new found backing singer has allowed him to widen the vocal range and bring more depth to the songs, which in turn highlights different levels within them.
The band even gave us some amazing new material, with a promise of another classic album by the end of the year, which can only take them further in their inevitable rising career.

This is the best of days in Cornwall - we have world class talent in our midst and you`ll be able to tell them that you were there when it happened if you get out and see these top musicians now.

(Photos by One Word Wombat, (this week`s word - `ennui`!))