On my previous post, I mentioned several great music nights around London, including Voices at the Boogaloo. This monthly singer/songwriter showcase, ran by Zachery Stephenson, has been going for four years and is a great introduction to upcoming and established artists, who each perform a set of three songs of their choice.
If you have never been to the Boogaloo, which is located in leafy residential Highgate, you are missing out. This legendary bar oozes a fantastic rock’n'roll atmosphere everywhere you look. Unfortunately, I arrived later than planned, and missed the first couple of performers, but I was lucky to catch a great set by Mila Falls, a charismatic performer with her own sound and a great personality, her musical style reminded me in passing of Amy Winehouse. Next was Declan Guckian, who played us a lovely mellow, folk-influenced acoustic set and was a talented guitarist and songwriter.
For a total change of musical styles, we had Rajiv, who treated us to a fantastic soulful R & B influenced set, the kind you don’t hear often but should. Another change of genres took place when the rocking Josh Gosling took to the stage and played a great set of covers on his electric guitar, including a fine rendition of Hendrix’s Purple Haze, that Hendrix himself, would have been proud of. After Josh, we had Craig Elliot, who played quirky acoustic rock, with its own unique sound that is hard for me to describe as he didn’t sound like anyone I’ve heard before, and I don’t mean that in a bad way at all.
One of my favourite performers of the night, Bill Orrick, came next. He played a brilliant set and had a vocal and musical style that reminded me of the great Jeff Buckley. Next came Switcher, consisting of electric bass, acoustic guitar and percussion, who treated us to a great catchy set. After Switcher, we were in for a surprise, when the talented Jo Melo took to the stage, playing piano whilst singing an outstanding beautiful set of songs.
After Jo, came Long Tall Mick who played guitar and harmonica, and had his own style with a country rock influence to it that was perfect for the Boogaloo, definitely one of my favourites as well. Last but not least, the lovely Amy Fox finished the night with a beautiful song, would have loved to hear more from her.
Apologies to any performers I may have missed mentioning due to me arriving later than planned.
In short, this was a great night, with a diverse group of performers, who played a variety of genres to suit a vast range of tastes. Definitely recommend you attend the next Voices. Entry is only £2, a fantastic deal for such an outstanding night of music so you really cannot go wrong. The next Voices will be Wednesday 20 June 2013 so be sure to attend and support local music.
To keep up with future nights and updates, go to the Facebook page here, and give it a like whilst you’re at it. If you click on any of the artist’s names on this post, you will also be taken to their own pages/websites. (Apologies to Amy, as I was unable to find a page for her.)
Alannah Murphy is a former rock musician turned writer, currently working on a rock'n'roll novel set in London. 
