April Towers played a terrific set, headlining the ONs' Christmas Gig at The Maze for a crowd of 100 ONs and supporters.
AT by @SamNahirny
ONs Charlie Burley and Alex Noble aka April Towers are releasing their debut album in 2018, but took time out to play a show in aid of the Renal & Transplant Unit at Nottingham City Hospital. The event raised over £2,000 to buy televisions for dialysis patients, who spend three days a a week, four hours at a time, receiving vital treatment just across the road from the playing fields at Valley Road.
The Harry Smith Quintet kicked off the night with a superb display of musicianship from Sam Brown (2016), bass: Joe McNamara (2016), drums; Isaac Troughton (2017), keys: Will Underwood (2017), sax; and Harry Smith (2016), trombone. Less than a week earlier they'd been hundreds of miles apart, but here they were performing together as if they'd been rehearsing since last Christmas.
Rielly Newbold (2016) was the surprise package of the night. He'd said he didn't play covers. Professional musicians in the audience said they were impressed by his songwriting ability and his Paul Heaton vocals. His flame red jacket completed the picture of professionalism.
Rielly Newbold at ICL
Izzy Carlin (NGHS 2015) is a mezzo soprano in the National Youth Choir: she's appeared in the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall; she's toured China and Hong Kong; and she sang national anthems at three Rugby World Cup matches at St James's Park in front of 60,000 spectators. Izzy Carlin is a singer of astonishing beauty. From Jolene, through California Dreamin', to White Christmas, she first had the crowd spellbound and then singing along.
Izzy Carlin by @SamNahirny
Matt Humphries is a student at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies and, like Izzy Carlin, played for the ONs at The Maze in 2015. Somewhat controversially, one or two people thought he stole the show last Thursday with his aggressive guitar playing and plaintive vocals. He certainly seems to get better and better every time he takes the stage. Matt closed his set with Watch Me Burn... "Who wrote this?" - "Ed Sheeran, I think." The right answer was Matt Humphries.
Matt Humphries by @SamNahirny
April Towers were simply thrilling. The Maze sound system is used to handling crashing punk guitars and deep reggae bass, but it's clearly perfect for electronic dance music too. You could hear why Mark Del, founder of Nusic and presenter of Noise Floor on Notts TV, had taken the opportunity to see Alex and Charlie in hometown action again. A Little Bit of Fear may be their best known song, having featured on FIFA16 (one million UK sales in its first week of release), but the lads scored a setful of winners, interspersed with a couple of keyboard ballads showcasing Alex's premier league vocals. The electronic duo won some new fans who'll be keen to hear Get Recovered, The Only Way Up Is Down, Tel Aviv, The Night We Met again soon. April Towers will be announcing another Nottingham date early in the new year. Get behind the album when it comes out!
AT by @SamNahirny
Alice Short had five hard acts to follow. But there are good reasons why this rapper and poet has received strong support from Dean Jackson on The Beat in the East Midlands and Radio 1 airplay from Huw Stephens. She closed the show brilliantly. If there were a compilation of all the best songs produced in this great decade of Nottingham music, Small Towns would be on it. Alice rewarded all the people who'd stayed with a committed, highly entertaining performance.
Alice Short by @SamNahirny
The Old Nottinghamians' Society is very grateful to Alice Short, April Towers, Matt Humphries, Izzy Carlin, Rielly Newbold and the Harry Smith Quintet for playing; to Kav Birch for sound engineering; to Steph Kirkup and Gaz Peacham for letting us have The Maze; to Rastarella Falade of Cultural Vibrations (Unity through Music) for compering; to Sam Nahirny for all the photos; to Cibele Ponces Alvarenga for designing the posters; to Patrick Mancini of Moorleys for the printing; to Nick Lawford of Nottingham Hospitals Charity (and Hello Thor Records) for all his help; and to everyone who came along to the show or who made donations at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/for-the-renal-unit-at-nottingham-city-hospital .
Hope to see you at the show next year.
Nick Lawford by @SamNahirny
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