We began 2015 in January with an early evening launch for the SULK Ghost of a Girl EP at Mother’s Ruin, which was well attended and a great way to start the year and catch-up with friends. Sam Kurt supported SULK who as a three piece played all EP tracks. A few CDs even got sold and signed.
Our first full public event at The Grove Café was on a freezing night on 6th February. Not so many turned out on this occasion due to weather meaning we didn’t cover half the hire costs of the venue on this ocassion. Despite the quiet cold night, a cosy intimate gathering enjoyed some great acoustic music performed by Be Good Tanya, Serena, Jane & Lesley, Jessie Godwin, Sam Kurt, Theresa Elflein, Sam, Dee & Alice, SULK and Lady President.
Later that month Sam Kurt, Sam, Dee and Alice and two of Lady President also performed as a A Taste of She17 at Harmony Hall for local community project Rooms of Our Own taster event.
on 26th April we saw the return to the Red Room at The Rose & Crown for our Sunday afternoon junior show, She17 and Under. This time we raised funds for Action Duchene with great performances from Jessie Godwin, Emilia Catlin, Lexie Potgeiter, Maisie, The Be Good Tanya, Serena, Jane and Lesley, plus solo songs from sisters Serena and Tanya Reynolds-Lomax.
Early May saw us try out a possible new She17 venue, having learned that the Grove Cafe’s future was in jeopardy. Sulk and Lady President performed a 30 minute section of the evening’s entertainment for the Gnome House launch event. Sulk were introduced as Skulk! by a very merry compere and despite our collective years experience as musicians felt that if we’d suffered a loss of confidence from this difficult sound experience, then chances are our newer acts would feel it too. We passed on this venue, as it would have been too big, too expensive and too bright to do our event justice. We’re glad to see it thriving as a dance and art space however.
We returned to the Grove Café on June 26th for our 2nd Birthday party with The Beastie Girls starting proceedings on bass and cajon by way of introducing the evenings acts Maz the Jazz, Anna Shorten (of Uncommon Earth and Lady President), a family affair from The Be Good Tanya, Serena, Jane (and no Lesley but a horse with no name instead!), Sam Kurt, This Is Cleo and SULK headlining, in place of Bity C Booker (who had a sore throat and had to cancel). After the low turn out in February it was good to get back to about fifty people showing up for this event.
Mid September saw the return of #Shefest, our Stowfestival show case, at The Grove. This year we gave six acts 15-20 minute slots. The first half welcomed new local blue grass trio Crow Hall, then Sam Kurt and SULK. After the break This is Cleo, were followed by Silvi on her She17 debut and then Lady President ended a great evening. Sadly this was our last show at the Grove, marking two great years there almost to the day. The night was packed with about 90 people turning out matching our sell-out 1st Birthday event the year before, which Emily Barker headlined.
On 4th October we returned to the Rose and Crown with another fundraiser, this time in the main bar, as part of the nationwide We Shall Overcome weekend of music against austerity measures. Our She Shall Overcome Show began with a dynamic teen duo of Jessie Godwin and Dolly Banks- Baddiel, then saw Lady President deliver a tight set which included Patti Smith’s Free Money. Sam Kurt’s new duo Smith Sound played a great acoustic guitar based set. Crow Hall delivered a fun and harmonious set, before Sulk (joined on percussion by Anna Shorten and on Banjo on Ghost of A Girl by Crow Hall’s Tanya) and This Is Cleo delivered some confident and beautiful songs, ending in a mass band called ThisIsLadySulkHallSound covering Talkin’ Bout A Revolution. We raised £140 for Age UK and collected some groceries for Eat or Heat.
Our final event of the year was on 12th December at The Wildcard Brewery and we were joined by DJ Dolores Rocket. See the previous post for a fuller review for that event.
Thanks to all the above mentioned venues, Nick Bason at the Stowfestival and all of the above named acts. Big thanks also to Sarah and Donna who have volunteered on the door at the Grove Café events. Thanks also to Pamela Hutchinson, Ian and Stephanie Waterman for some great photos from some of these events too.
Most of all thanks to all of you who have come along to support the girls and women who’ve wowed us with their songs and musicianship in 2015.
See you next year, when we’ll return in February at a new venue. We’ll also be producing She17Zeen a fanzine too (as a designer and publisher by profession we’d be daft not to) and we also hope to be able to continue with six events next year.
Happy 2016 from SHE17