BBC South Live Stage

There’s an added element to the Lewes Guitar Festival this year, a series of live gigs put on in The Lansdown by Southern Counties Radio, who have picked a number of local bands of various shapes and forms to entertain what has so far been a lively mixed crowd of locals and out of towners. Each night has a theme of sorts: on Thursday it’s soul. Seany Clarke is headlining. A Brighton lad, with natty dreads and a big woollen hat, Seany’s jerky, high pitched voice is highly reminiscent of the artist occasionally known as Prince, with a touch of Terrence Trent Darby (whatever happened to him?) thrown in, and a passing nod to David Bowie. ‘Spiky soulful pop grooves’, he calls them, and he’s just put them together to make an impressive debut album, ‘Woke up with a Crazy Song’. He’s supported by Laura Vane, ‘one of the most exciting writers that I have ever worked with’, according, on her website, to MC Cole. ‘This girl has funk and soul oozing from every part of her.’ Sounds messy.

Friday is a reggae night, featuring the tight sounds of experienced duo Andy Baron and Concrete Johnson, supported by Will Rendle, a free spirit whose intelligent self penned lyrics leave you looking forward to the next number. “Someone once called me a poor man’s Jason Mraz,” he says. “I would like to beat that person senseless.” There are no bands on Saturday, which is an Africa Night Fever evening of ‘of truly tropical grooves’. Sunday’s gigs are featured on page 20. AL