Poole Harbour Festival
Hampshire-based rock band, Saints of Sin, have shuffled their pack of members in the past and until recently, they have had a fairly settled lineup that has been wowing audiences at a host of local festivals and venues. In June, it was announced that their original singer Rui Brito was leaving the band due to personal reasons. This was clearly devastating news, as he had taken on an integral role over the years and achieved so much as their phenomenal front man. It was like a bolt out of the blue and the remaining three band members Sparrx, Ash and Josh took their time in making an announcement as to what would happen next.
The good news is that the band will of course continue, no question about that, and they started to audition for Rui’s replacement, who certainly has big boots to fill. After a string of auditions, it was announced that the temporary replacement until the end of the year would be Joshua Vaughan (JV) of local Bournemouth rock band, Capulus. Apparently, JV came over prepared for the audition and delivered on everything that was asked of him, making him the obvious candidate. After some serious bonding time, which apparently involved some alcoholic beverages, the rehearsals began along with a dress rehearsal at local venue Canvas in Bournemouth. The band was ready for their first gig and this was no small affair; just a slot on the main stage at the Poole Harbour Festival…no pressure then.
Saints Of Sin are a much-adored band by their army of loyal followers and a line-up change is always going to be a huge gamble for their legacy and the future of the band. On the day, JV and the rest of the members were obviously nervous at the prospect of this fresh start, however from their opening number “Heart Attack” it was clear that they had made the right choice. With no disrespect to Rui, the band came out firing on all cylinders and nailed everything asked of them. Even the event organiser was a little nervous of the band playing their first gig was a new lead singer at such a significant event.
He needn’t have been worried at all as the band had done plenty of preparation and looked really comfortable doing what they do best. JV stalked the stage whipping up the audience into a frenzy, nailing virtually every vocal line asked of him. Their set included “Shine Like Stars” and “Rocket’, along with covers by Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and a stunning version of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk”, which all came across brilliantly. All of their fans were very welcoming and accepted JV into the fold straight away. He made various trips into the audience, shaking hands, flashing his huge smile and at one point he climbed up the central pole of the big top. The afternoon set ended with the band’s usual closer “21 Shots” and as the band took their extended applause, you could see the accomplishment and relief on their faces.
You can see the band at the following events
Saturday 27th August: Great Dorset Steam Fair -The Old Rosie Stage – 6:30pm–7:30pm
Sunday 28th August: 3 Acres Summer Gathering at Ashley Cross Green – 5:50pm-6:50pm
Links
https://www.facebook.com/saintsofsinUK
https://saintsofsin.bigcartel.com
Words & Media by David Chinery (Chinners)
