Many people gathered to celebrate Cambridge pub The Corner House’s first night as a music venue. To establish a new venue for live music is both a bold and a valuable enterprise, so hats off to Jo and Roy of The Corner House (and Acoustic Stage) for this.

Four acts provided their services; each had something of a country tinge, while being far from actual country and western, and with each being quite different. Firstly Rob Jackson sat and unassumingly played some distinguished lyrical solo electric guitar. It’s easy to see why Rob is well respected as a master of his art, and it’s rather nice to hear this instrument played in such a quietly atmospheric, gently expressive way.

Chelmsford’s Navacross play in a hearty, energetic, largely acoustic rockabilly style. Their rousing set deserved an audience more willing to be roused (and to stop nattering while good music is being played). Navacross give The Shivers a good run for their money.

I’ve written so much about Sam Inglis and his band The Morning People on Moving Tone that I can’t really be bothered to write much more. I still stand by all the superlatives I’ve employed previously. Suffice to say that Sam is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest songwriters of recent times. But let’s also hear it for David Greeves on lead guitar and pedal steel, Paul Goodwin on keyboards, Tom Mortimer on bass guitar and Tom Winch on drums, who create a country-flavoured pop-rock sound that enhances the compositions nicely. Tonight they were on good form. You have got to hear the lyrics, though, to really appreciate how special The Morning People are.

  Bedford band The Whybirds play unreconstituted 70s-style cowboy rock at its most up-tempo (as in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird), and they’re great. All four members wear blue jeans, three have beards, three have long hair. The three guitarists stand in a line at the front – seeing them picking and rocking away is a heartening sight to anyone with affection for vintage rock’n’roll. All four take turns at vocals, and indeed all four are songwriters. Their high-energy but intricate sound makes a refreshing change from punk, metal and grunge, and is perfect for a pub venue. They certainly deserve considerable success, so catch them live before they get too big for pubs.

An excellent beginning for Corner House music – especially for the punters who actually listened to it. 

The Corner House

Writer: Rychard Carrington