VENUE OF THE WEEK : The Regal Room
- Posted on April 27, 2007 1:28 PM
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VENUE OF THE WEEK : The Regal Room, Hammersmith, W6
Wednesday 26 April
By Peter Coulston
Any of you that are familiar with the format of the Bedford in Balham will find yourselves at home at The Regal Room. This venue is, in fact, a sister venue to the Bedford, and, like the Bedford, offers great live music and free entry as standard, and Tony Moore as a bonus. The former Cutting Crew front man was in evidence last night as both compere and performer, providing great commentaries and a couple of his fine songs. Located opposite Charing Cross Hospital at the Hammersmith end of Fulham Palace Road, it is convenient for the Piccadilly, District, and Hammersmith and City tube lines as well as many bus routes. You can park after 6:30pm in the adjoining side streets.
The venue itself is upstairs to the Distillery, a trendy bar/restaurant with food that certainly looked good and is available in the venue. The room itself is not very big and resembles the piano bars that you find in hotels, particularly in North America. There is a large, highly polished Baldwin piano in the corner of the stage, which was certainly put to good use last night, and burgundy flock wallpaper on the walls; the sort you used to find in saloon bars of pubs and Indian restaurants. Due to its size, this venue has probably become the first to beat the July 1 deadline and ban smoking. This restriction did not seem to bother anyone, least of all me. Maybe a few others should follow the lead rather than wait for the inevitable.
The format for the evening was one favoured on occasions by both the Bedford and the Troubadour; split sets. This usually entails about six artists doing four songs each, two either side of the interval. It worked better last night, as there were only four acts, each doing a total of six numbers. Al Lewis opened the first half and, as usual, gave a great account of himself. “Who is Gonna Save You” was darker than the jazzy “Nobody but You” and “Moth To a Flame”, which differed again from “All That I Came Here For”. Add to this a beautiful number in Welsh and his upcoming single “Waiting For You” and you have another well presented set. Nice one, Al.
Esther Alexander started singing at the age of five, and has been singing, one way or another, ever since. Working as a session vocalist introduced her to a wide range of musical influences, from which she gained the confidence to write her own material. Last night she showed off her stuff with her two guitarists and cellist. She opened with a dark song with a positive message, but showed she was equally at home with a sweet, gentle ballad or something more up tempo.
“Come and Find Me” and “Safe House” were good and the finishing song a winner. Visit her website or Little Room Music to find out about her new EP which is due out in June.
Chris Brown and Kate Fenner are from Toronto, Canada, which was my home for ten years. They now work a lot in New York, but still have a very Toronto way about them. This was their only London date, but hopefully they will be back. Good use was made of the Baldwin by Chris, and Kate’s vocals brought the songs alive. Having paddled on both sides of the pond; there is, for me, a subtle difference in musical and lyrical interpretation between North American and British songwriters which is impossible to explain but is just there with artists like this. There material is fresh and their delivery is professional, and “Snow” ended their set with the audience wanting more. They are really friendly people. too; but then, they are from Toronto. They have several albums and I will be reviewing one in depth this weekend.
Molly Beanland is another talent that I was very happy to be introduced to. Her beautiful songs were accompanied by cello and that Baldwin, and were incredibly powerful. Her stage presence gives the impression of almost childlike fragility that is contradicted by the power of her material. “”Snow On The Roses” and “Mountains” were great and the closing song, “Photograph”, was darker and, again, left the audience wanting more. Check her out on MySpace; she has an album due later this year on Island (Universal) Records. In the end of course, we did get more; Tony Moore. He closed the proceedings with a multi-influenced rocker, and we all went home feeling all the better for our experience.
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