Riverside Rhythm Club is at The Glassbox Theatre is set on the campus of MidKent College with a strong commitment to the local community. It showcases live music.
My band played there last summer in the bar venue. This time I played a double-header with another band in the Glassbox Theatre which holds 300 seats.
Before the gig, myself and Tom Davies, the lead guitarist from the other band, hosted a workshop for the college students. We talked about our musical journey, experiences, gave some demos and jammed.
Reviews from the night:
Riverside Rhythm Club writes:
What a fantastic night we all had last week at the club. Two fantastic bands played the main theatre to a very receptive crowd. Tom Davies & The Bluebirds and Jack-Austin Despy Blues Band tore through an hour set each stunning the audience with their virtuosity and energy. Mixing some blues standards with their own compositions they offered something for everyone. The evening was topped off nicely with both artists giving an electrifying rendition of BB King’s The Thrill Has Gone. Big thanks go to Phil Honley for his brilliant photography!
Phil Honley writes:
The Blues is Alive And Kicking in Young Hands
I was kindly invited to enjoy and photograph two young emerging artists at the excellent Riverside Rhythm Club in Gillingham Kent. I had never seen or listened to any music from either artist before and it is always a treat to witness an artist for the first time.
The first of these artists was sixteen year old Jack-Austin Despy with his blues band. This guy has a big future ahead of him and, as with most young artists, self-penned numbers take a while to come as the blues comes from life experiences, many of which are sure to find their way into his life...good and bad and the love of a good woman etc. Albeit still very young, three of his own songs are included in the night's setlist. This young man put together a sixty minute set including classic covers from the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Rory Gallagher.
This young man has found himself on The UK Blues Awards Young Blues Artist Of The Year and we wish him luck.
