Girl Power

Words by Fiona Ward

Photos by Laurence Gale

The Thatcher era saw a significant change to popular music with a shift from traditional instruments and acoustic sounds to the electronic and synthesised modes of music – loved by some and hated by others. One thing Baroness Thatcher did do was to make the presence of women in society more significant and this was evident at Tuesday night’s Open Mic by the number of females who performed. “Girl Power” is definitely in action at Newport’s weekly event.

The evening started with the relaxing tones of Carol Cartwright, opening with The Impressions’ “People Get Ready”. This was followed by a fantastic rendition of the Rolling Stones “Ruby Tuesday”. Carol brings this song to life in her own style and it is a delight to listen to. Carol finished her set with the classic “Scarborough Fair”.

Kim Smith was next up. This was her second appearance at the Open Mic, and it was great to see her return to the club. Kim has a rich and clear voice and performed excellent acoustic versions of “Hey Ya” Outkast and Oasis’s “She’s Electric”. This was followed by Kim’s own self-penned number “Long Way Down” which was sung from the heart and gave Kim a chance to demonstrate some excellent skills on rhythm guitar.

Next up was Open Mic regular Olllie Flavell. Ollie has re-worked “I am Sexy and I Know It” into a very appealing slower acoustic version of the song.  The chord changes combined with the vocals are fantastic and Ollie ought to put this one on Youtube. Ollie also performed a medley of his favourite songs and a great performance of “Sweet Home Chicago”.

Melissa Watford made a welcome return this week to perform “Naïve by the Kooks, “Iris”, by the Goo Goo Dolls and the excellent self-written, “Dancing in the Stars”. Melissa also played Linkin Park’s “Numb” which amazingly she only learned how to play during the same day as her performance, which just shows how her confidence is growing. 

Jadene sang next with her unique voice, which alternated from husky, atmospheric tones to strong and clear vocals. Jadene sang “I don’t want to talk about it” followed by “Valerie“, accompanied by Ollie on guitar. The club fell into complete silence as she sang her final song, “Cry me a River” a-cappella.

The club was then treated to the rhythmic folk/blues/rock sound of Sharn and Alan including “Indian Summer” Stereophonics and Train’s “Hey Soul Sister”. Sharn’s 19 year old daughter Megan then stepped up to perform a set including Eva Cassidy’s “Wade on the Water” and “Hallelujah”. Megan has a beautiful voice with a melodic easy style.

The 5’1” Just Jimmy was supported by the 6’6” Neil Wilday, making a welcome return to Open Mic playing bass guitar, to perform an excellent country blend of songs including Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and the classic “Hey Good Looking”.

Rich T then entertained everyone with his anarchistic style – ranging from a country rendition of The Who’s “We won’t get Fooled Again” through to “Baggy Trousers”. Rich finished his set with “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols.

The multi-talented Remynie Kiah then performed a beautiful rendition of “Impossible”, accompanying herself on guitar. This was followed by a medley of songs using a tin can as a percussion instrument. Her musical coordination continues to amaze people week after week as the crowd fell into silence to listen to her.

Sam B picked up the pace delivering excellent performances and very strong vocal abilities including “Radioactive”, “Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette, and a very captivating and moving version of Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts”.   

Providing a fantastic finale to the evening, was Ben Garrott, opening a set with his saxophone, accompanied by Nathaniel on guitar and Richard on drums performing an instrumental blend of classic rock. The music flowed naturally and was completed by a guitar solo by Nathaniel bringing an excellent evening of music to a close.

With over 60 people in attendance and an audience age range of 15 to 71 Open Mic continues to appeal to all generations.