She17 are glad we altered our events schedule to fit into the Stowfestival weekend. The event was sold out and a great display of diversity and musicality, with nice turn out in support of local music for girls and women. A show of 16 fab females presenting 22 songs went down well with the packed Grove cafe crowd, here’s who and why:
#SHEFEST was kicked off by Sonic Flute starting with a Kylie’s number and following this with a baroque mash-up called Smells Like Teen Riot. Flute (aka Jane Clare) is pictured below, Sonic can also be seen here https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=280618678806196&set=vb.134315620103170&type=3&theater thanks to Chris Paouros’s video clip.
Emilia Catlin – Local year 7 school girl singer/songwriter and guitarist played two of her own songs for her She17 debut and was well supported by friends and family.
Freya Meadows-Robinson – Sixteen year old Freya Inspired by other young performers she’d seen at previous She17s, made her debut with a guitar based cover and one of her own songs on piano.
Megan Kurt, the first teenager to perform at She17 almost seventeen months ago, was accompanied by her mum Sam Kurt on two songs including an Amy Winehouse cover.
Lewis Barfoot , Actor, singer and theatre-maker, grew up in E17 and was delighted to come to She17 to perform her first of two local gigs during the Stowfest (we put her in touch with the launch of Higham Hill Bowls Club too). Her three song set rounded off the first of our night with a mix of folk, blues and thetrical styles on guitar and piano.
The 2 Dots (Pauline Hilton & Chris Paouros) gave us an enthusiastic and upbeat rendition of Do You Want To Know A Secret, accompanied by Sonic on ukulele.
Tracy Dover – winner of our spring favorite cover poll returned, with Kim Watson on arpeggio style guitar, delivering a flawless rendition of The Garden of Jane Delawney (The Trees and All About Eve).
This is Cleo were up next. Carole and Ellie who wowed everyone with two songs including a mouth-watering cover of the Cranberrie’s Linger.
Sam Kurt was well at home as She17 regular songwriter, delivering a great version of Big Yellow Taxi and unveiling her own song The Crowd (with Kim on Bass and Angie on tambourine as her rhythmn section).
The artist formerly known as Rebecca Jade made She17 history (or herstory) by being the first act to announce at She17 that they were transitioning into a new act, after she’d wowed us al with two new songs with a new band mate (who has yet to chose a new stage name for this project, on bass and then guitar). Lady President Performed her first gig the following Sunday at the Warrant Officer as part of The Stowfestival too.
Bity Booker, our headliner, played her haunting and delightful folk/classical songs, before headling in Dalston and Berlin this Autumn. We were very lucky to welcome her to She17 and delighted that she included Little Boxes and Gallops in her set. See a clip here https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=279901292211268&set=vb.134315620103170&type=3&theater
Thank you all who performed and came to watch. Big big thanks to Sarah Marks-Spence our super door volunteer on the night, Nick at The Stowfestival for all the additional publicity and David Elms and Andy Charles for the above photos.