Tom Williams and The Boat

Monday 11th April

I had arrived at Plugged Inn at Sunderlands Homeside a little later than intended and found that I had missed the first support, a young singer/songwriter from Gateshead called Megan Ramsey, who was performing for the first time. The next support was also a singer/songwriter, this time from Cramlington called Craig Wasahlo. His voice was very melodic and pleasurable to listen to. By his third track, "Heroes and Villians", Craig gave some background of this song telling the audience that it was an old song written when he was really into comic books. He then played his new track "Black and Grey", which went down really well with the crowd. He finished his set with another song about comics, for which he sort of appologised. His voice reminded me a little of Aled Turner from Kids in Glass Houses. However, any Frank Turner fans should check this guy out as he has a similar style.

It was time for Tom Williams and the Boat and as the Kent six piece took their places on stage I was really excited. I had seen these guys for the first time at Pumphrey's, in Newcastle at the end of 2010, where there was a very intimate gathering (i.e. a handful of people!). I had really liked their stuff and was looking forward to seeing them again, especially as they were promoting their new album "Too Slow". They opened up with one of the tracks from the album, "24". Their second track of the night was their new single, "Concentrate". This track features a violin and I really like the different dimension that this instrument brings. It's this that makes Tom Williams and the Boat stand out from other bands for me.

They then played "90MPH", an upbeat track from the album. They then introduced their next song "Little Bit in Me", as "a new oldie". They continued to play more tracks from the album, some of which are really bluesy numbers. Their last one of the night "Get Older" has a real Texan style edge to it, and features a really heavy drum beat throughout. This time around the guys had lots more room to move around and this really made a difference to the performance, as when I had previously watched them they were all squashed into a tiny area. There was also a good size crowd this time too, as they have gained popularity, partly due I guess to their recent airings on 6 Music.

I would really recommend that you try and catch these guys as they are fantastic, and I can't praise the new album enough. It is brilliant.