News / Jazz, funk and just about everything else at Bop Stock
MUSIC was flowing through the streets of Lerwick on Saturday as seven local acts and a jazz-funk group from Newcastle performed at a new all-day, multi-venue event.
It was the impressive visiting six-piece King Bee who topped off the bill for Bop Stock and Three Smokin’ Venues, but the day’s undercard also gave punters something to shout about.
The event was kicked off just after 1.30pm by local singer-songwriters Adam Guest, Keirynn Topp and Arthur Nicholson, with each musician offering their own personality and sound.
Over at Da Wheel just before tea-time DJ and drummer combo Lyall vs Murray took things up a notch with a boisterous set of funked-up tunes before Big Time Quell juggled genres like hot potatoes – and even managed to fit in a Stevie Wonder medley.
It was time for a bite to eat before catching up with Bop Stock and Three Smokin’ Venues – which was hosted by Lyall Halcrow, Jamie Hatch and Thomas Jones – at the Legion for the main event.
DJ Brendan Hall got things grooving with a smoothed-out set of jazz tunes on the decks, but things catapulted into something of a frenzy when Odessa took to the stage.
The local Balkan-inspired collective at one point managed to encourage the crowd on the dancefloor into running around in a circle, hand in hand – complete with their bass drummer Gus Dow banging beats in the middle of it all.
It was hard not to break a smile – and it was nigh-on impossible to stop your feet from tapping – and on this form it is hard not to see Odessa making serious waves in the local scene over the coming months.
It was up to King Bee, however, to finish things, and they did so with serious pizzazz, with Chris Jelly deserving of special mention for his octopus-limbed work on the vibraphone.
Tracks like Return of the Dave and Jellyman Funk were surefire crowed-pleasers that snake charmed just about everyone onto the dancefloor.
Just about everyone, though, wasn’t that many, but those who were adventurous enough to try something new were richly rewarded.
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