The concert was hosted in honour of at the Factory Petroc in Barnstaple by his father, Andy Foulds and step-mother, Louise Foulds to celebrate what would have been his 21st birthday.
As Ben’s step-sister who lives in Northamptonshire, I’m not local to Devon so I wasn’t sure what to expect with regards to the venue or the live performances from the local bands and artists. I had seen videos on YouTube and Facebook of all the acts but of course seeing a live performance in person is very unique. I’m really into acoustic indie music, so I was particularly looking forward to the ‘two Sams’; solo artist Sam Dowden and Sam Mayo and the Tuesday Syndicate. However I was hugely impressed by all of the bands, each were very unique, different and incredibly talented.
The venue itself was ideal. A good sound system, plenty of room for the audience and a well-priced bar, what more can you ask for? At times it looked a bit too spacious, especially as the majority of people kept to the edges on the tables and chairs, despite encouragement from the bands. However towards the middle and end of the night we had almost everyone up and dancing.
The concert was opened by the brilliant comedian Luke Honnoraty, who kept things upbeat and flowing throughout the night with his awesome humour. I’m quite picky when it comes to comedians but Luke made me laugh out loud several times so I was most impressed! Maybe it was just me but I thought he had a bit of a Peter Kay feel, which is in no way a bad thing. I would definitely like to catch one of his own live performances some time.
The first act up was a very talented group of musicians called Two Tone, now known as Skata Tones, a funky ska and reggae band. Their music was very upbeat, catchy and you could tell that they were all having a great time on stage. I especially loved their cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. The pianist even wore shades, YES!
Next up were an alternative band, The Confused. Again, an awesome band and very talented but I just can’t believe that their performance at the concert was their last one as a band because they are all going their separate ways to uni. Personally though, I’m not convinced that we’ve seen the last of The Confused. They did a brilliant cover of Black Chandelier by Biffy Clyro, kudos!
Sam Dowden was next. Just one guy and a guitar and what a lovely, genuine guy he is. I could sit and listen to his music all day. A group of girls actually did literally sit and listen in front of the stage. He definitely succeeded in calming any frustration following the raffle! Well done, Sam!
Finally, last but not least were Sam Mayo and the Tuesday Syndicate. I heard these guys during their sound check performing ‘Little Talks’ – WOW. This made me very excited about the concert. I had heard great things about them following their set at Oceanfest and I was very impressed after seeing them in person. It’s a shame that a lot of people left after the raffle because they really missed a treat – these guys are going to go far.
Overall it was a top night, and definitely worth the four hour drive to Devon! I’m going to be keeping an eye on all these bands and artists because they were all incredible. I hope that their talent is recognised and that they all go very far. I must also mention Monty’s Caribbean Kitchen who stopped all night outside the venue feeding everyone – his jerk chicken was sensational, cheers Monty!
Thanks so much to everyone who supported and came along to this event. We’ve raised an incredible sum of money for an incredible cause – and had a great time doing it!
