Teesside Open Mic Club

Monday 19th May 2008

Every two weeks at The Sportsman in Eaglescliffe, Frank Harkin hosts The Teesside Open Mic Club. This week there were five great acts on at The Sportsman, the night began with Frank giving regulars in the pub a song. Not just a host, he even takes part. Frank is a dedicated music lover and feels very strongly about the lack of venues for acoustic/solo artists. With many of the more well known places playing host to cover bands and local original bands which are guaranteed to pull in a lot of followers, Frank feels there is a definite gap in the local music scene. The Teesside Open Mic Club was born to give these fine acts a venue where they will be appreciated and given the opportunity to perform. We spoke to Don, who owns The Sportsman and asked him how he felt the Open Mic nights were going. He told us that so far he had been extremely pleased with the turnout for each one and could only see it going from strength to strength as the weeks go by. This is hardly suprising coming from Don who is a well known supporter of live music. He owns both the Tap and Spile in Guisbrough and The Station in Redcar - two venues that host live music entertainment on a weekly basis. The Sportsman also hosts live bands every Saturday evening and is building up a reputation as one of the better venues in the area.

First up on the night was Rebekah Findley. Rebekah is a solo artist - just a girl and her guitar - and tonight was her first performance at Teesside Open Mic. Understandably nervous, Rebekah took to the stage and put on an absolutely first class show, she has the most amazing, haunting voice and everybody in the pub was sorry she wasn't on for much longer. We can expect to see Rebekah again at the end of July when she will be playing another set at the Teesside Open Mic Club. We are looking forward to seeing a lot more of her at future events.

Up after Rebekah we were treated to a fantastic performance by J B Butterfield. J B is a seasoned performer and is currently signed to Spook Records - we managed to obtain a CD! Having played all over the world, it was a treat to watch J B who hails from Hartlepool perform to a much appreciative Sportsman. A true showman, he engaged his audience and entertained the pub beautifully during his set. It makes you wonder why there are not more venues putting on this kind of show as everybody who attended appeared to enjoy it enormously and for a Monday evening in an out of town pub it was very busy. J B brought the house down, an accomplished songwriter and a very entertaining performer, he is definitely an act to make a point of going to see.

Following J B, we had a rare treat in Mark Boden and Simon Brown who gave us a recital of fine flamenco style guitar playing. Not something you have the pleasure of seeing in many local pubs! These two guys put on a superb act and demonstrated quality musicianship in their performance. The audience in The Sportsman were stunned by this act and they ended their set to a thunderous round of applause.



Closely following Mark and Simon we had The Pearson Clan. This husband and wife duo had traveled up from Harrogate for tonights show. Geoff is originally from Teesside and Linda from Liverpool. Playing acoustic folk and contemporary music they are often found at well known Folk Festivals and Clubs around the North East and North Yorkshire. Linda sings and also plays the Dulcima and Guitar, Geoff sings and plays Mandolin and Guitar - together they form a unique double-act with a fantastic sound. It must be said that the evening was extremely varied with the styles of music performed by tonights acts. The Pearson Clan were a delightful contribution to the evenings entertainment.

The final act of the evening was Carl Eaton. Carl is a singer songwriter from Middlesbrough who has been writing his own material for many years and has appeared at many high profile venues in the area, including The Stockton Riverside Festival and Middlesbrough Music Live - in which he is again appearing in this year. Carl ended what can only be described as a wonderful evening with a set of fantastic tunes. He has a distinctive style and quality about him which sets him apart from many solo performers. It is hardly suprising that Carl is tipped as being one of the up and coming song writers in the area and he will undoubtedly be one we will be hearing a lot about in the future.

The Teesside Open Mic Club is open to anybody who would like to perform and also to anybody who enjoys live music. This can only continue if it is supported and we would urge everybody to get behind Frank and his Club to ensure that this valuable outlet for acoustic acts keeps going.The next Teesside Open Mic will be held on 2nd June and performing will be, Barbara Helen, Greg Acetone, JIVA, Head of Light Entertainment, Simon Brown and Frank Marley. Another brilliant line up of performers! If you would like to appear at one of the future TOM evenings then please contact Frank on 07804 698721 to book your slot.

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