As I made my way down to the Ivy at Ocean Village this past St Patrick’s Day, all I could do is reminisce. I reminisced a whole lot as to how the world and everything has changed in just three years. Three years ago, obviously the world was a different place, and the word lockdown was the word everyone feared but of course as we all know it was inevitable and it did happen.
The pandemic was not kind, but it was a huge positive for the Gibraltar Music Scene. Some musicians used it to their advantage and ended up getting to work on projects they unfortunately may be never had the time to work on and some would give it their all via the weekly Friday Night Live program. The event was already full of promise as it would feature the debut of new local band Cedar.
To kick off the event we were treated to three great acoustic acts in Maisy Beth, Max Anderson, and Ethan Rocca. All equally as talented and props especially to Max for still performing even with a drastic cold! As one covers more gigs, one remembers the first time they saw said performer and that was all I could think of when I saw Ethan Rocca take to the stage. I may sound like a broken record when I say it but the first time, I ever saw Ethan perform was in 2010 and he was a part of a stellar cast In Stage One’s show Yesterday When I Was Young. Ethan has really evolved since and of course has become a very experienced performer and one that I had not seen in a while prior to the gig and wowed me with his prowess. Following Ethan, we had Maisy Beth take to the stage. Maisy is someone I had not seen admittedly but I must admit she was mesmerising to listen to. She is soulful, and I really liked her sound throughout. It is all down to the feel as well and aside from myself, it was cool to witness others being glued to what she was doing, and it was a performance worthy of two thumbs up from me.
As mentioned above Max Anderson had a bad cold but he soldiered on and treated us all to an exceptionally satisfactory performance. That for me gets high praise and kudos as he could very well have cancelled but in the immortal words of Queen, The Show Must Go On. I really like his way and I look forward to seeing what else he is cookin’ very soon.
Of course, the moment came, and Cedar took to the stage and might I add how fantastic it is to see Patrick Murphy and Daryl Pallas in the same band again. For those new to the Gibraltar Music Scene, Patrick, and Daryl at least in my eyes formed part of one of the hottest bands to ever emerge from the Rock in Headwires. Alongside their friend Evan Torrente they performed and developed into not only amazing musicians but also reliable ones at that. Cedar also features Harry Meenagh and Bradley Hewett. The band sounded fantastic! They had their audience in the palm of their hands and with heavy riffs, catchy lyrics, and great chemistry, they are a breath of fresh air to the Gibraltar Music Scene. Do not sit on them, go, and see them at their next performance. PS their cover of Boys In The Better Land by Fontaines D.C. is better than the original.
And to cap off a fantastic night of music, we were treated to seasoned veterans in Jetstream. They kicked off their set with their own track Delta Blues and the rest featured a vast array which featured an awesome medley of Bruno Mars’ hits, Coldplay, Queen, you know just what you would have on your own personal playlist. The Jets since I last saw them perform have added John Fredy Garzon on drums. He really has adapted to their sound very well and is really good.
Overall, a fantastic night of music and one that was enjoyed by all in attendance. Special thanks to FutureSoundz and the Management at the Ivy for their top class hospitality as always.
