Acoustic @ The Mitre

Friday night saw The Mitre uphold its reputation as Preston’s most proletarian, grassroots music venue, putting its faith in three young acts who provided an evening of acoustic entertainment for the local crowd.

The night opened with Tasha, formerly of Ziv, now singer/guitarist with Preston’s strongest extra-terrestrial force Star 27. Playing a short, 20 minute set of carefully executed acoustic songs, complimented by a quiet, soft singing voice.

Tasha’s nerves seemed a trifle jittery at first but grew with confidence as she continued to weave quiet melodies out of the songs she has brought forward from her previous band. Produced by far the most gentle and intricate sound of all three performers and even threw in a cover of Muse’s Endlessly.

The second set came from Dan Jeoffroy, and if that name is unfamiliar to anyone I can tell you now that it is me, and I will not sink to depths of reviewing myself. If you want to know then ask anybody who went on Friday - a list of guests is not available on The Mitre’s website, or anywhere else for that matter.

So then we come to the evening’s headline act Stephen Buckley. Playing a 40-minute-plus set on the modest, yet uncharacteristically spacious Mitre stage, the aspect that strikes you harder than anything else is just how seriously Mr Buckley needs to get a band together.

Stephen leans toward the heavier side of the musical spectrum, clearly wanting to sound dark, angry and Americanised, and plays acoustically in exactly this fashion.

In general there is nothing wrong with Buckley’s performance, playing his own brand of thoughtful, anthemic rock, highlights of which included Song For The Summer Sun and Handful of Heaven - but you cannot help but think it will come across a hell of a lot better with more than just an acoustic guitar.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy