Speak, Brother/Joe Dolman - Sunday 12th May 2019 - Fulford Village Hall

In a special double bill, A500 Music introduced two acts from the South Midlands; Rugby based Speak Brother, a band who featured in our second ever gig and the amazing young singer songwriter from Leamington Spa, Joe Dolman.

Choosing to 'bat first', Joe took to the stage and in no time at all, had the audience transfixed. This is an artist with an assurity that belies his young age and one who's talent will surely propel him to bigger things.

With a voice and a stage presence that would give Ed Sheeran a run for his money, Dolman played a set of some brilliantly self penned songs; from the beautifully melencholy 'Close To Home', through to his soaring finale, 'Something Beautiful', leaving a lasting impression on those who had come along for another night of great live music in Fulford.

Speak, Brother first appeared in front of an A500 Music audience, in a double bill with Wildwood Kin at Tittensor back in 2016. Since then, the guys have continued to write and tour and rocked up at Fulford on the back of their 'Meet Me In The Chaos' tour.

Describing Speak, Brother's music is challenging to say the least... anthemic indie folk was perhaps the most accurate description I heard on the night.

Frontman, James Herring's vocal style and some of the band's more rousing numbers like 'Magnificent' and 'Dry Bones' do tend to invite comparisons to Mumford and Sons but this is a band who do like to mix it up with more thoughtful ballads, such as 'Band of Gold' and the afore mentioned 'Meet Me in the Chaos,'.

There is no doubt that Speak, Brother are four very talented musicians whose first love is performing their own unique brand of music, which they did with verve and confidence, bringing to a close another fabulous night's entertainment.