Lighthouse, Poole featuring: Regional One, Day of the Red Sun & Missing Digit
Hangover Hill’s Live & Unheard returns tonight to the Lighthouse in Poole (if you’re older like me you still call it Poole Arts Centre) and once again local music fanatics Matt Black and Mel Berkhauer continue their sterling entrepreneurial work to bring their audiences some of the best music from around the local and national music scene. Tonight’s super enthusiastic host Si Genaro is on hand as the warm-up guy to give us some background and introduce the bands, secretly though I’m sure he’d prefer to be performing with his harmonica and guitar.
The first act on tonight is a Dorset-based Punk influenced duo called Missing Digit, ironically they used to be called Three Fingers when they were a three-piece but after their bass player left they changed their name. The duo comprising Toby Jones on Drums and Dan Kennedy on guitar kick off with “Pretty Little Grin” from their recently released debut album Not Again. Within minutes of hitting the stage, Toby rips off his shirt and shows himself to be the engine room of the duo. (Just ask Phil Collins, Don Henley & Roger Taylor how hard it is to sing and drum at the same time)?! His huge workload and drumming are a pleasure to watch and the beauty of this wonderfully acoustic space; as opposed to a pub or a basement music venue, and the fact that the whole kit is fully mic’d up and you can hear everything so very clearly. The two of them take turns on the vocals with tunes including a Punk/Ska song “Number One that’s My Number” and a really catchy version of a “Run The Jewels” number “Ooh La La”. “Liquor & Whores” is a highlight with its slow start before the band really takes off and get the audience warmed up with some mid-song arm waving. Dan shows us some great guitar skills on the album opener “Standing Together” and the pair once again display their impressive creative chemistry. There are by no means one trick ponies as each track brings in different elements with influences coming from a host of places – a great set from a really entertaining duo.
Next up we have Day Of The Red Sun, a local four-piece band from Bournemouth who has been treading the boards for a couple of years now, getting themselves a number of gigs under their belt in local Dorset and Hampshire venues. They feature Darren Francis on lead vocals, Aaron Jones-Keen on six-string bass, Taylor Smithers on Drums and Josh Chappel on Electric guitar. Starting off with their debut single and only release to date “Pull The Trigger”, they unveil to the audience their spectrum of Rock influences. They are a really animated band to watch and the audience warms to them within just a couple of songs. The first time I saw them play was in the Anvil supporting tonight’s headliners back in June. The band have clearly benefitted from their experiences since then and once again the sound in this studio really shows off all these guys have to offer. Vivacious frontman Darren leads from the front with plenty of expressive gestures and a wide vocal range from rapped to melodic. The rip-roaring “Ethanol” with its driving pulsating rhythms and Josh’s creative effect-driven guitar show the band at their best, while tracks like “Time” and the final number ‘Watch You Fall’ show a different artistic angle from the quartet. As the band finish their set and say their thank you’s, they are greeted with a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd.
Tonight’s headliners are no strangers to me; I have worked with them many times before, they are four great guys who have a real passion for their music and give their all at each gig. Regional One are a four-piece hard Rock/Metal band from Bournemouth featuring Simon Ball on lead vocals, Aaron Levens on drums, Callum Mitchell on bass and Stevie Lees on electric guitar. Starting with the powerful “Control” the band test the venue’s capabilities and it of course handles their signature sound with ease. Simon prowls the front of the stage and does his best to whip up the crowd’s enthusiasm with lots of positive encouragement. Simon of course has studied the “school of rock” and knows exactly what to do with audiences such as this to keep their full attention. The audience is treated to a couple of new numbers including “Hide”; a chugging Blues-fuelled number, where the band show themselves bringing in some great new elements to their creativity. The other new tune is “Louder” and the track could not be more apt; heavy rhythms, powerful vocal delivery and a fantastic guitar solo from Stevie to top it all off. The band pulls out many great tracks from their back catalogue including the beautifully emotive ‘Chosen’; recent EP title track “Sold” and one of their finest no-nonsense Rock n’ Roll moments “Smoke It Away”. With each performance, these guys make sure they put in a few notable tweaks to just make each outing just a little better than their last. Tonight’s gig for them was a little unusual as normally all their audiences are standing, however, the band put in the effort and got a justified reward of a second standing ovation of the evening.
Set-Lists
Regional One
Control
Dead Silence
Hide
Ministry
Sold
Motif
Chosen
Rise
Smoke It Away
Louder
Addicted To Chaos
Bedlam
Hero
Day of The Red Sun
Pull The Trigger
Running Away
So Tired
Don’t Need You
Ethanol
Time
Watch You Fall
Missing Digit
Pretty Little Grin
Never Be Happy
Number One That’s My Number
While You Where Sleeping
Rage
Ooh La La (Run the Jewels cover)
Your Love
Liquor & Whores
Stand Together
Pick Me Up
Outcast
Videos
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/RegionalOneBand
https://www.facebook.com/dayoftheredsun
https://www.facebook.com/missingdigitband
The November Live & Unheard at the Lighthouse is on 10th November featuring:
Andy Grant Band, Steve Bonham and The Long Road, Root 66 and Rob McHale. Tickets for this huge line-up are just £12.00 and can be purchased here:
https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/2022/live-and-unheard-november-2022/
Words & Media by David Chinery (Chinners).
