2020 has been a testing year for music venues amidst the global pandemic but against all odds, Madding Crowd have hosted a residency with multi-platinum pop group The Hoosiers as well as Scouting for Girls’ frontman Roy Stride along with talent TV show sinning vocalist Matt Cardle and the incredibly popular Coastal Comedy.
Madding Crowd’s Peter Gilbert & Nina Fox have recently teamed up with London based Future Agency to curate an ambitious line up of artists for 2021. December saw a first look into a revamp of the venue’s brand and the first look at some of the incredible and eclectic talent coming to Bournemouth at the intimate venue over the next six months. Madding Crowd has had an incredible December in spite of the current situation. Not only have we launched a beautiful rebrand with the help of Future Create agency. We have hosted the incredible Matt Cardle – Xfactor winner, Roy Stride from Scouting for Girls, Comedian Lee Nelson AKA Simon Brodkin and Jim Kirkpatrick and a Surprise guest performance from Matt Terry another Xfactor winner. Our Socially distanced gigs have allowed us to host not only these incredible acts, but we have also been able to provide a platform for grassroots music to support on the night.
The start of December we saw Matt Cardle along with Neil Wilson from Seven Summers. The opening act for this evening was local girl Ellie Evans. Ellie has been on the music scene in and around Bournemouth for a number of years and has recently undergone training at the Brit School academy to hone her writing and performing skills. Ellie was followed on by another local talent, Beth De Bacci. Singer/songwriter Beth De Bacci performed “Someday”, “Love like this” and newly released new single “On My Own” with vocals accompanied by piano. The song is co-written with Billy Lockett. It’s lyrically strong and is delivered with emotion. Beth comments: ”On My Own is a super special release for me. Not only did I get to work with one of my heroes on this, but it’s also my most personal song to date. Written about my anxiety, this is my first time truly opening up about the topic, and I only hope that I can help spread the word on mental health and to let others know that they aren’t alone.” Beth as followed by Warwick based singer/songwriter Joe Dolman. Performing all of his own songs with the odd nod to Christmas classics such as Whams – “Last Christmas”. Joe jumped between acoustic guitar and Piano performing “If you were mine”, “The Middle”, and “Better by Now”. Joe Dolman is a lyrical storyteller with an incredible talent for taking the audience on a journey. Matt Cardle then came onto the stage and delighted the audience with his famous “When we collide”, “Amazing” and “Reflections” and many more. Even with social distancing restrictions the audience were drawn in and left speechless.
Coastal Comedy’s Adrienne Coles with special guests Mike Ball, Andy Field and surprise guest Simon Brodkin AKA Lee Nelson, the cheeky chap famous for handing Teresa May her P45 all performed on December 10th. Mike Ball warmed up the audience with tales of COVID cautions and family life. Andy Field regaled with stories from his lifetime and the mishaps he has encountered leaving the audience with belly laughs. Lee Nelson took to the stage with a hilarious skits, stories of family life and growing up in the ‘posher’ area of London. This was just the tonic the audience needed after the November lockdown. Thank you to Coastal Comedy for putting on this thoroughly enjoyable evening.
We hosted Scouting for Girls – Roy Stride known for hits such as “She’s so Lovely” and “This aint a love song” on December 12th. The night was opened by Salisbury trio Echoes Band -Natalie, Tom and Jordan. Lead vocalist Natalie dazzled the audience with melodic and beautifully timed lyrics. Echoes were then followed by London lad John Dhali – John was a last-minute stand in for The Dunwells. John’s song writing and toe tapping tunes delighted the crowd with catchy riffs. John also performed his newly released “Soft kiss” which transported the audience into the secret world of John Dhali – what a delight. Katie Kittermaster with guitarist Ben Steele followed on from John with Country/Pop tunes. The singer/songwriter dazzled the crowd with stories of life, love and friendships. Katie’s country sound and charming onstage presence invited people to step instead her life and to see it from Katie’s eyes, making us feel like we were part of the story. By the time Roy came onto the stage the crowd were buzzing and eager for more, and Roy did not disappoint. The cheeky chap had the energy and enthusiasm of the complete Scouting for Girls band. With stories behind the SFG classics and new releases such as “Christmas in the 80’s” the crowd were delighted, letting everyone forget about COVID and remember the feeling of being at a live gig.
December 18th Jim Kirkpatrick the Rock and Blues legend from the Band FM produced a fantastic show with support from Skye Couderc, Alex Gonzato and Mischa and his Merry Men. The night was not only a huge success but also and incredible insight to the talent that Madding Crowd has to offer. Even for those who do not follow Jim’s career it was hard to fault the pitch perfect lyrics and the deep bluesy guitar riffs. The talent from this man is unquestionable. We were also lucky enough to have a surprise performance form Matt Terry and his Christmas hit “When Christmas comes around” the night was an excellent sign off to 2020.
Madding Crowd will be announcing some very big names in January 2021, such as the House and Garage Orchestra, who were due to headline at Wembley arena in February until COVID-19 decided to step in and change the plan. Eliza and the Bear and Showhawk Duo will also be performing at the club as well as many more, so please check out our website in January for more info: Maddingcrowd.club – Sign up to our newsletter – Download our app – Check out our playlists on our website.
Support artists socials:
Roy Stride:
@echoesbanduk
@john_dhali
@joe_dolman
@katiekittermaster
Matt Cardle
@ellieevans.music
@bethdebacci
Check them out and you can also find their music on Spotify.
CONTACT
E. music@maddingcrowd.club
A. 14a Commercial Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5LP
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