Venue: Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Date: 24/10/13
Country pop and rock co-vocal band Paighton may be fairly new on the scene but they certainly impressed us during their intimate set at Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on Thursday night.
This four-piece band from the Midlands consisting of Joe Atkinson (vocals/guitar), Andrew Thomas (vocals/piano), Peter Coppin (Drums) and Dave Stephens (Bass) first caught our attention when we saw them supporting Lawson a few weeks ago, so we weren’t going to turn down the opportunity to see them perform live again!
This time around though, they’re on tour with American singer Tyler Hilton, where they are playing a stripped back acoustic set, consisting of only: Joe, Andy and their two guitars. While it may have been different without the other two band members performing, it certainly did not disappoint.
They kicked off the night perfectly with ‘Drinking and Loving’, which engaged the audience straightaway. That was followed by their new and very catchy song ‘Rolling Stone’. It has a strong country influence, so was a perfect choice to perform on this tour and we hope they release a studio version of it very soon.
Up next they performed ‘London’ which will be featured on their upcoming EP ‘Chapter II: Drive’. The song is instantly loveable with a catchy chorus that you’ll know after just the first listen, so is certain to be a future hit.
It was then time for a cover, where they gave a great rendition of Bryan Adam’s ‘Summer Of 69’ and for those in the audience who weren’t aware of Paighton’s music beforehand, this was a track that everyone knew. One of my favourite moments of the night though was their performance of the beautiful track ‘Somebody’, which was also the first song the guys ever released.
Unfortunately though, all good things had to come to an end and the lads ended their set on a high with their current single ‘Drive’. I personally preferred this stripped back live performance when compared to the studio recording, as it just stood out more with Andy and Joe’s voices blend together so perfectly.
This acoustic vibe may have been a big change for the lads, especially without them having to entertain screaming girls, but it showed just how versatile musicians they truly are. The simpleness of just them with their guitars in this laid back intimate venue was perfect, and they could have easily maintained an audience for a full set without being labelled boring or repetitive.
Overall, Andy and Joe’s performance couldn’t be faulted, as they proved with this acoustic set how musically talented they really are in terms of both song-writing and performing. Something which makes Paighton stand out though, is how unlike the majority of bands nowadays which are guitar heavy, these guys are piano driven, and unfortunately that’s something that was lost with this acoustic set. So perhaps a mix between the full band with a few acoustic versions could be the perfect combination.
All in all though, it was a great night that ended far too quickly. Paighton are definitely a band to keep your eye on!
Paighton’s EP ‘Chapter II Drive’ is out November 10th. Check out their music video to their current single ‘Drive’ below and make sure you read our interview when we hung out with them before the show here!
9/10
Reviewer: Sophie Sinclair
