Hangover Hill Presents Live & Unheard, The Lighthouse, Poole
Tonight is the and of an era for the grassroots monthly live show case Live & Unheard. Since its first event at the Sheiling Theatre on the ground floor of the Lighthouse in December 2018, the Hangover Hill team have put on a countless number of events, showcasing some of the best talent on the music scene today. The event is changing to quarterly and will still feature original acts and it will be moving upstairs into the large theatre on the 1st floor, starting in February with a stellar line-up. This event plays host to a large crowd this evening, who have come along to see three eclectic acts perform for our last event of the year and the last possibly in this studio theatre.
The first act is a young singer/songwriter called Zara, whose act goes by the name of Chasing Leaves. Over the last year or so she has been making a name for herself within the local open mics and musical showcases, so much so she has bagged an Original Music Award nomination. As she takes the stage for what is her biggest live gig to date, there is a certain air of confidence as if she’s been doing this all her life. Opening with her own original number that features pre-programmed backing music that has all been created by herself, you are drawn to her voice, personality and infectious delivery. With each tune you can see a host of influences and the audience warm to everything that Zara has to offer. Her alluring stage presence and large amount of sass, along with her unique unforgettable look is a sight to behold. A couple of well delivered covers by Måneskin and The Last Dinner Party reveal some of her musical influences while she shows she is not a one song wonder with tracks played on live acoustic guitar and bass, which are both equally impressive.
I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of artists singing to backing tracks, in my opinion it’s just like singing karaoke. At the moment Zara is working with the limited tools at her disposal and this seems to work well for her. I can see her in the future surrounded by a live band giving significant leverage to her great songs. Her song writing shows a maturity beyond her years and she seems to have plenty of fresh ideas, she is by no means the finished article, I believe there is a lot more to come. By this showing there is lots of potential with impressive songs like “Why Don’t You” and final number the emotive “Look My Way”. The Live & Unheard crowd know a upcoming artist when they see one and give this singer/songwriter plenty of positive encouragement as she leaves the stage.
Next up is what I thought was a new artist to me, however I later found out that I knew the guys in a former band over 10 years ago called “These Days”… small world! These days (see what I did there?!) the band go by the name of “Love is Enough” and they are from just across the border in Salisbury. The three-piece is made up of Cameron Walker on bass/vocals, the powerhouse Thor Porter on drums along with Ben Whatsley on electric guitar. With an atmospheric intro and large video screen graphics, the band kick off with “Open Your Eyes”; the first thing you notice is the drums, Thor hits the skins with such ferocity and power it’s hard to take your eyes off him. For most of the first number he virtually drowns out the rest of the instrumentation until the sound tech Toyah gets a handle on it.
The band come from the Poppier side of the Rock spectrum and they soon have the audience tapping their feet and clapping along. The other thing about this band is they undoubtably wear their heats on their sleeves and write some incredibly emotive lyrics that everyone with a heart can relate to, think of lyrics by bands like Gin Blossoms and The Goo Goo Dolls and how they make you feel.
With tracks like “All I Want” and the beautiful “Breathe”, vocalist Dan portrays the sentiment and tenderness through their lyrics, backed by powerful instrumentation which soars to heady heights (especially that drummer)! One of the standout tracks on the night is a number called “1 in 4”, a song giving the sad statistics of miscarriage. Dan tells the crowd that he and his wife had suffered this during the pandemic and he felt helpless at the time. It’s a subject very few are willing to discuss and the song was intended to change that. In fact myself and my wife have lost two children to miscarriage and I totally understand where the lyrics are coming from. The track is their highest listed top track on Spotify and you can understand why. I did not expect to go to a Rock n’ Roll show and talk about miscarriage, but honestly I spoke about it with my gig bestie Lyn and it really helped. If it helped me I’m sure there were other people in the audience that it has effected and I saw as the boys played, a few tears for those in heaven were shed. (Thank you Guys, what a brave song to create).
The lyrics “Help me God I’m calling, I need your help We’re falling, Let me take this pain away and go on living each day” certainly struck a cord. Wow, what a great set by a band I honestly did not know existed until recently (I Will most certainly be seeing them again), big kudos to Mel for locating them and bringing them to this event.
For our final ever band to grace this “Live & Unheard” format we have “Tarraska”, a local band who I’ve seen many times before. Their previous shows have been far from prolific, when they play though it’s always a special occasion. Their last gig was at the Loverocks Festival in June 2023. The band feature brothers Jack Lande on Vocals/Guitar & Ollins Lande on bass/backing vocals, with Ben Parker on lead guitar and one of the nicest chaps on the local scene, drummer Alan Varnfield. The band start strong and play like they’ve never been away, their sound is bold and proud with each player adding their significance to the music. The band are ultimately a Hard Rock band who have a host of influences, anything from Led Zeppelin to Alter Bridge, from Black Sabbath to Shinedown and beyond. The quality of the musicianship has always amazed me, even from an early age the brothers showed huge promise with their various early projects.
They are a band that tick all the boxes: Ben is an outstanding guitar player and it’s just fantastic to watch how he effortlessly gets the wonderfully heavy melodic sounds from his guitar. The rhythm section is an engine that pulsates, ebbing and flowing beautifully throughout the songs while Jack’s rhythm guitar and powerfully emotive vocals act as the icing on the cake. With songs like the intensely anthemic “Renegade” and the crowd participating “Down Below”, the crowd react with delight at the enjoyable set. The highlight of the evening is a reworked version of “Requiem”, dedicated to anyone that’s lost someone close. Jack and Ben start the track off slowly and the rest of the band join in for a huge crescendo of an ending on this big emotively charged tune. Tonight will live long in my memory as it has been such a great night in so many ways.
Set Lists
Tarraska
Getting Out Alive
Renegade
Run For Your Life
Shifting Gears
Down Below
Say No Prayer
Requiem
Sins of The Other
Prose
Love is Enough
Open Your Eyes
All I Want
Dancing For Beginners (& Sinners)
Breathe
Reflection
I’m On My Way
Burn
1 in 4
Falling Stay
Falling Leaves
Fantasy Land
Just Wanna Dance
The Loneliest (Måneskin)
Runaway
Chasing Time
Nothing Matters (The Last Dinner Party)
Why Don’t You
Everything You Need
Look My Way
Videos
Links
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558625747003
https://www.facebook.com/LoveIsEnoughBand
https://www.facebook.com/tarraskamusic
The Next Live & Unheard will be in the larger theatre upstairs in the Lighthouse, Poole and will feature a Legends line-up including Ben Waters, Chris Payn & The Parade & The Outlaw Orchestra on 5th February 2026!!
Article by David Chinery (Chinners)
Pictures by Lynn Frances Photography.
