Review: A brilliant blend of folk, rock and blues

RJ Thompson at The Hawth, Crawley
R J ThompsonR J Thompson
R J Thompson

On Friday night, The Hawth showcased two up-and-coming singer-songwriters in an evening of live music.

First to perform was Crawley-based Edd Mann, who has built up a good reputation locally and on the Brighton live music scene.

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His mixture of original songs and well-chosen covers went down brilliantly, with his version of Richard Thompson’s ‘Beeswing’ a firm audience favourite.

His own song ‘Spanish Dancer’ saw him playing in a flamenco style, while many of his other songs had the sort of folk sound that artists like Ben Howard have made popular recently.

Hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot more from Edd soon as he has two new band projects in the pipeline, so watch this space.

Headliner RJ Thompson had travelled all the way from Newcastle to play at The Hawth, and has previously toured with artists including Gabrielle Aplin.

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Thompson has been described as “on the cusp of big things” by Acoustic magazine, and it was easy to see why.

His songs brilliantly blended soul, folk, rock and blues, and his versatile voice combined the styles effortlessly.

He showed his wide-ranging taste in music through his choice of cover versions, ranging from a soulful version of The White Stripes’ ‘7 Nation Army’ to ‘Highwayman’, which he performed with Edd Mann.

His four-piece backing band added an extra layer to his music; and as his standout tracks from the gig haven’t even been recorded onto an EP yet, expect to hear much more from him in future.

More information about RJ Thompson can be found at www.rjthompsonmusic.com.

Edd Mann’s music can be found on YouTube and www.facebook.com/EddMannMusic

By Roisin Knight