Huck - Matt Wilson - Jonjan Kavlakoglu - Beyond The Sons

Sofar Sounds is a phenomenon that happens almost every evening in a City somewhere in the world. Intimate live music events where the audience have no idea who they’re coming to see until they arrive. The one fact for ticket holders is that the quality is always high, whatever the genre!

The variety of genres was on display at the Southampton Sofar event last week. A small and select audience were treated to four Artists, each playing for about 30 minutes.

Up first was local singer/songwriter Huck. With skilful finger-picking guitar, soulful lyrics and a subtle vocal. The audience fell silent to listen. This is the beauty of Sofar shows, and why Artists clammer to play at them. The audience is encouraged to simply “be still and listen”.

Next on the bill was a late addition to the lineup. Matt Wilson was a friend of another performer who simply came to enjoy the show, but the organisers quickly asked him to play a short set after learning he’d sold out Ronnie Scott’s in London the previous week. Borrowing a vintage Gibson guitar, Matt treated the crowd to a masterclass of Jazz guitar.

Next up was the unique talents of Jonjan Kavlakoglu.

This genre defying guitarist uses the guitar body as as a percussion instrument to compliment his virtuoso guitar skills. I can’t recall seeing a solo guitarist that was met with such amazement from an audience. His percussive talents extended to using his body as he walked among the crowd and involved them in the performance. Quite sublime!

Finally, and the biggest surprise of the evening, Beyond The Sons.

Peter, the curator of the evening teased the crowd by saying that age should be no barrier to performances. He implied that we were about to see Sofar’s oldest ever performer. The truth was the opposite. Sofar’s Youngest band!!

With an average age of only 13, Beyond The Sons were about to end the chilled and laid back evening with some serious ROCK! The lead singer asked the crowd “Are you ready to rock?”… the answer was a resounding “YES!”.

So began a set of modern rock covers, performed with the finesse of seasoned professionals! The rhythm section of drums and bass guitar was a polished unit that drove the band, while the rhythm guitar sound was delivered with confidence and precision. The vocals were outstanding and delivered with passion and commitment, while the showman behind the lead guitar drew the audience’s eye with his command of the stage and intense solos.

These lads were a joy to watch. From the first few bars they grew in confidence as the set continued. The audience were all smiling and the band pulled them along with the music. It was so obvious, from wide eyes and open mouths, that everyone was so impressed at the talent and confidence shown on stage by these young musicians.
This was their first appearance on a big stage with a full PA sound system and being able to use the talents of a skilled Sound Engineer (Bradley Bowers). They lads made the most of it!

At the end of the set, the roars of “MORE” made it clear that these lads had a room full of new fans. After the obligatory encore, the lads lined up on stage and took a well deserved bow to a standing ovation. The performed as a unit and took a bow as a unit. Let’s hope they keep that ethos and continue to play for each other, as a band.

Photos and Review by: Peter Nicholson

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