Singer-songwriters put on a great night at restaurant

Resist! Vegan Kitchen put on its first gig at its new River Lane location in Gaywood on Saturday… and what a night it was.Walking into the venue, I was met by a friendly welcome from both the artists (Jake Martin and Blake Cateris) as they sat just outside, chatting to fans.Once inside Resist!, the inviting atmosphere was immediately apparent, walls covered in artwork and prints from the various local tattoo shops, and a bustling audience all in conversation and anticipating the music to come. I then grabbed a drink at the bar and waited for things to begin.

First on was Australian singer-songwriter Blake Cateris. He started by introducing him self to the audience and then going into his set. Between each song, banter was held with the audience, drawing them closer into his performance.The story behind each song was also explained to the audience, such as how although he wrote a song (Oh, Rocky) about his cat in only a few minutes, he had been told multiple times (to his dismay) it was someone’s favourite song of the set.Continuing this format for the rest of the set, we were treated to many original songs, some of which were funny and some heartfelt, along with a cover of Careless Memories by Duran Duran reworked into his own style.

Following this was the set of Jake Martin, who I must admit I am slightly biased toward, having seen him a few times before. Jake sports an acoustic punk sound, in which he greatly involves the audience, with catchy choruses that inspire crowd sing-alongs.He also excellently connected with the listeners, as although being based in Brighton, Jake is originally from Lynn, sharing many local anecdotes that inspired his writing throughout his set. Playing all the songs people wanted to hear, as well as many great tracks from his new album, Jake made sure the whole audience had a great time.

Overall both artists provided an excellent evening within their respective one hour sets hosted by an intimate new venue at Resist! Hopefully these two will be the first of many at this superb little venue.Alfie Ransome