The Victoria

Being so close to Christmas and as I was out the previous two nights, I could perhaps have been forgiven for not travelling to Birmingham's Victoria to see Archsta perform his first ever headline gig. But instinct kicked in and a voice inside my head said "Go! It'll be well worth the effort". I want to place on record my thanks to that little voice. It was one of the best decisions I made all year. I was intrigued on arrival to see that among the mic stands, guitars and drum kit on the stage there was a Roland keyboard lit up with fairy lights. I hadn't realised we would be entertained by a support act, and so Zoe Alexandra's arrival on stage was a beautiful surprise. She played a sweet set of largely self-penned songs, many of which were infused with deep emotion. It's always a joy to hear someone with such talent for the first time. It acts as a reminder that there are so many brilliant musicians waiting to be discovered. And I always appreciate discovering them. I was also impressed by the audience. All too often live music is spoiled by people holding inane conversations while an artist is performing. I have found this to be particularly common when support acts are on. And so it was refreshing to be in a busy room where those watching were entirely focused on Zoe and maintained a respectful silence. Though they made plenty of noise applauding the end of each song and at the end of her set. And then it was time for Archsta. I first encountered the gifted Archie when he was part of Myriam Adams, one of the greatest bands I have ever seen. But musicians evolve and Archie became Archsta, initially a solo musician/singer/song-writer, but playing his first ever headliner with a band. Freddie Perfect (of Moleface and Myriam Adams fame) played drums, Izzy played a mean guitar while Joel worked his magic on bass. Archsta took centre stage, occasionally donning a guitar himself, but mostly just using the mic to take us through his growing repertoire of songs. His vocals get better and better, and with several songs already released (and loved by his fans) there were backing vocals on the dance floor as well as on stage. I'm not totally convinced that the quality of singing by members of the audience matched the quality of that on stage, but they were no less enthusiastic! I particularly loved a new song, Home which I look forward to hearing again when it is released sometime next year. Moleface had a guest slot, dueting with Archsta on their collaboration number, 333. They work well together and I hope they do more joint stuff in future. It's great that they have been able to grow and develop since Myriam, but the magic that Moleface, Archsta and Freddie Perfect had when members of the same band is clearly still there. The atmosphere in the Victoria was magical. I think that came from a combination of talented artists on stage and friendly, respectfully playful music lovers in front of the stage. Between songs various members of the audience competed to be the one expressing the most love for Joel but he didn't let that put him off his stride. And speaking of which, I noticed how Freddie Perfect's enthusiastic drumming resulted in one of his drumsticks escaping his grasp. He didn't have to drum with one stick for long. Izzy grabbed it between notes on her guitar and returned it to him. But the night belonged to Archsta. He danced, sang, played guitar and above all, entertained us. He saved "Only If I Try" till last and what a song to end the night on. A catchier chorus it would be hard to find. He didn't just try...he knocked it out of the park. The smile on his face at the end told us all that he was pleased with how his first headliner went. We all were. Victorious in the Victoria. An Archsta is born!