Jessica Goyder at the Tourbadour 12 May
Jessica’s vocals are soothing, whether they be her smooth higher notes or smokey low ones, she will weave you into her songs. Her voice has such a diversity, which may come from her very interesting life journey so far. Only a couple of months old, her Aid Worker parents took her to India, then at the age of four the family moved to Ethiopia to help with Oxfam’s relief effort. Her childhood was far from what most would call traditional. Colourful music surrounded her in the cultures she was brought up with. She started piano lessons at six, before moving to the UK at the ripe old age of eight. Finding this quite a shock, she turned to her music, which helped to both soothe and settle her. And music has been with her ever since. Not surprisingly she is well travelled and has performed in a number of different places from Barcelona to Glastonbury. She has collaborated with the likes of Alan Glass through to Judge Jules (for a track played at Ibiza). My favourite track would have to be ‘Find your river.’ Not only is it a light, sweet song, but I can relate to it. Jessica and her band have been working on some great new songs which I cannot wait to hear. So pop along to see her. Tickets can be bought from www.participant.co.uk and are only £6.
Dai Herbs at the Meditatio Centre, St Marks, Angel
Dai is someone who was born to play music and that is what he has been doing most of his life. Having supported the likes of Bob Geldof, Leo Sayer and The Pogues, he is no stranger to big audiences and big pressure. Originally from Wales, he formed the Dai Herbert Band and gigged in a number of London venues before taking a little bit of time off for Fatherhood. Now performing more as a solo artist, and sometimes with a few friends, Dai is launching back into the London gigging scene. Last year he made it to the finals of Be on the Scenes – Battle of the Bands, with some amazing performances. His form of rock falls into Americana and Country Folk fusion, which creates a very distinctive sound. His slightly husky voice seems to amplify this, although there are sometimes when the voice is softer and I think that it may be a lot more diverse then we suspect. Dai has a great sense of humour and has no problems building a casual rapport with any size audience. His next gig is in a great setting and should have wonderful acoustics. While you are there also check out Daniel Greenwood, someone else who is well worth a listen. They are both playing at the Meditatio centre Saturday 9 May and its free entry.
