The Six Six Bar hosted a spectacular showcase of musicians from the Centre for Music Performance’s Advanced Popular Performance Scheme. The programme’s first cohort of student musicians were coached by industry professionals and it’s clear they learnt a lot. The variety of genres, styles and arrangements resulted in a night of pure joy. From the new faces of funk to the familiar tones of Hot Content, let’s spotlight the artists that created a room full of smiles.

CUJO Funk Group

Opening the showcase, CUJO Funk Group invited the audience to sit back and sway to funk rhythms. Consisting of members of Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra, the group thrived in their seamless ability to improvise with one another. Their jazz roots clearly give them an edge when it comes to musical ingenuity. CUJO set the standard for those following them and prepared the audience for the calibre of music to come.

“The variety of genres, styles and arrangements resulted in a night of pure joy”

Jordan Maureen

The Cambridge music scene has never hesitated to celebrate the originality of independent artists and Jordan Maureen’s set only served to prove this. Inspired by the greats in RnB, soul and pop, Maureen enchanted the stage with her beautifully crafted anecdotal lyrics and sultry piano chords. Her vocals were entirely carried by emotion and passion. It was incredible to see a young musician so driven by feeling and relaying messages of hope and heartbreak through her music.

Garbhán McEnoy

Next came music student Garbhán McEnoy, whose soft tenor voice and elegantly poetic lyrics created a sense of serenity; you just had to sit and listen. Garbhán performed a mix of Lorde and Mitski covers alongside original compositions. Though his piano may have limited his stage presence, the audience’s silence was a testament to his success at gripping their attention. His chord progressions were creative and experimental, a refreshing deviation from traditional four-chord pop music. Each song had a story attached, which Garbhán painted before commencing the song so that his voice became the extension of his paint brush. This young Irishman sweetened the evening and left me yearning to hear more colours of his spectacular voice.

András Droppa

After this serenity and beauty, hard rock! Arguably the best performance of the night, András Droppa and his band enlivened the stage and positively demolished it. They were particularly successful in improvisation and impromptu set arrangements, ‘Run Them Down’ being an example of this. András proved to be a musical experimentalist, with half-tempo sections and exquisite guitar solos that birthed refreshing instrumental breaks from his impressive vocals.

“I felt as though I was watching a young Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones”

Inspired by true rock and roll, the band paid tribute to the greats of the genre, with Alex Jones and Robin Blake projecting infectious joy while onstage. Blake on the drums was incredibly intuitive and responded creatively to cues from lead singer András, all while bearing a smile on his face. During the slower number ‘Holding You Back’, András’ diction suffered slightly but it was wonderful to hear a change in style. The success of the performance was confirmed by discussions I overheard of their guitar technique among audience members. I felt as though I was watching a young Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. They clearly expressed the energy of true performers – very impressive!

Hot Content

The known excellence of Hot Content ended the showcase. Feeding the audience’s craving for a boogie, the band performed cultural hits including ‘I’m Just Ken’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’. While not delivering the usual energy Hot Content is capable of, the group gave no doubt as to their insane talents. There was excellent band synergy and musicianship; everyone understood each other and was genuinely enjoying their time onstage. The horn players took the spotlight that evening, with innovative solo sections that elevated the pop tracks with a jazzy twist. I would have liked to see more creative harmonies between the male and female singers, making better use of the differences in voice types and ranges. Nevertheless, they provided an explosive ending to a night of excellent amateur musicianship.

The Six Six Bar was electrified by the spectacularly talented musicians of the Advanced Popular Performance Scheme. The behind-the-scenes efforts of Alex Hall and the bar’s incredibly proficient sound technicians also deserve a special mention. Of course, the products of the performers’ hard work cannot go unnoticed and their daringness to experiment with style demonstrated excellent musicianship. The night left the audience delighted and it was undoubtedly an abounding triumph!