Review: Fun on the Run, Bedminster

Pictured above: The Sam Evans Band

When they named Bedminster’s Fun on the Run event, they meant the ‘run’ part literally.

Not the audience, of course. You can’t schedule a bar crawl like that on a Thursday. It’s the performers, some with amps and drum kits and others with entire brass bands in tow, who dash from venue to venue, cramming in as many performances as possible in two hours. It’s a variation on the BS3’s successful Comedy on the Run and Music on the Run events.

A slew of bars and cafes along North Street are involved, but at the start of the night most locations seem fairly dead. Pub and café regulars squint confusedly at the indie spoken-word acts, musicians and comedians.

The buzziest venue is the hip Steam Crane pub, so I plop down on a plush sofa to watch the revolving door of ten-minute acts. Spoken word act The Travelling Language Gallery is a quartet of clever female poets in their 40s and 50s. The opener, a poem entitled 50 Shades of Middle Age, is witty and skilfully wrought, but among the pub babble it’s difficult to catch every syllable. The group probably found more receptive audiences in the quieter café settings.

The pub quiets down for the subtle but commanding presence of Andy Brown, the Grandad from Knowle West, with his poems about the disability benefit cuts and neglect of the elderly. “To make disabled people poorer apparently helps their lives,” one poem repeats. Four men at the bar listen with rapt attention and glistening eyes. Is that a tear, sir?

Next came the silky smooth voice of Zak Christie, the first performer who looks as if he might actually frequent the Steam Crane. His funky edge and effortless vocals make his simple acoustic guitar accompaniment seem like a full-blown band. His style has a touch of neo soul, and he could easily have opened for Tracy Chapman in the 90s had he been born on the other side of 1992. His version of R Kelly’s Ignition gets heads bobbing.

Jasper Storey must now play to an entirely different crowd – a mix of suit-jacketed over-40s and dreadlocked 20-year-olds with patchwork pants. What he brings is a passable Charlie Puth impression, complete with blue-eyed soul and a trendy haircut. He gets a little lost in the hubbub of the crowd, but catches pubgoers’ attention with a recognisable rendition of Heard It Through the Grapevine.

Maria Ippolito takes the night’s …On The Run aspect seriously. She leaves her coat on through her entire performance and looks ready to bolt at any minute, even while melodically meandering through groovy folk ballads. Her music could soar with more than a sparse guitar accompaniment: even so, she has audience members bopping along by the end.

The Itinerants, equipped with a mini drum kit, surf guitar and heavy bass, bring an unexpectedly beachy vibe to the venue. Unfortunately, the vocals are drowned out by an overbearing amount of cowbell. Even so, the beats are fun and snap-worthy.

The performance to beat, however, is the Sam Evans Band. Crystal-clear vocals, a crowd-warming sense of humour and expert accompaniment on percussion capture the audience in a way no performer so far has done. That’s not even touching on the quality of Sam’s original songs – eclectic Italian-style ballads that could make worthy successors to Renato Carosone’s Americano. By the end, it’s clear Sam’s coquettish charm and stellar songwriting skills could win him the £500 pot at the end of the night.

After coming on stage in cat ears and a giant grey sweater, Ginger Jungle does a “magic trick” where she glues paper to her eyelashes, draws a turtle on her knee and pulls her cardigan over her head and shouts, “I’m an owl!” Anti-comedy? Post-comedy? Either way, it’s hilarious if you’re in the mood for it. The crowd is about a 50/50 split between bemused smiles and hysterical laughter.

At the end of the night, audience members voted for their favourite performers. The winners will be announced during the evening of Friday, March 18.

Fun on the Run took place on Thursday, March 17 at venues along North St, Bedminster/Southville. For more info on forthcoming BS3 events, visit www.bedminster.org.uk