Norwich is the kind of place that has plenty of surprises, and once in the venue I kicked myself for not having checked it out before. Tucked away on Colegate, this grade II listed building is not only a chapel, but is also a great music venue. Situated on two levels, the seating is such that you can see the stage wherever you are.
On arrival and through the first set the sun was only just beginning to set, so the chapel was naturally quite brightly lit. As the light faded it was very atmospheric, with the blue sky of dusk contrasting with the stage lighting. The acoustics were lovely too, I particularly enjoyed being upstairs right in front of stage.
First up was Jess Morgan, who has recently started playing as a trio with Jose McGill (The Vagaband) on double bass and Noel Dashwood (Dumbfoundus) on dobro. It was really nice to hear Jess' songs with a different dimension to them and the harmonies were great. We are really fortunate to have so many good musicians in this part of the world.
As well as some familiar songs, Jess also played a few new ones. "Down in Flames" from the new Bournemouth EP sounded really good, and in fact the presale of the EP on CD has already sold out (don't worry, you can still order the digital version here).
Next up was Blue Rose Code. It was my first time seeing him, and with full band, and I was really impressed. A beautiful sound with 4 very accomplished artists around him. I love that he has released all of his records without a label, and he has been very successful with it. Definitely one to watch for the future.
A lovely end to the evening was Jess joining Blue Rose Code and band to sing.
The full set of photos can be found here.
The next gig in the series is Kathryn Williams on July 2nd 2015. Tickets are available here.
What a lovely post. I live just around the corner from the Octagon and have often wondered what it's like inside. Hadn't realised they hold gigs there - must look out for them!
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