The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Wednesday 27th January 2016

Funke and the Two Tone Baby is a one man sonic explosion. Uncategorized and uncharted. Jammed halfway between frenzied alt-blues and metronomic dance beats. Combining guitar and harmonica with beatboxing and effects that seamlessly collide the organic with the mechanical to create a fresh sound of unstoppable rhythm and unrelenting melody.

Beyond the double microphones and trademark trilby is Dan Turnbull, a multi-instrumental battery spinning musical plates. A powerhouse to the ears and a blur to the eyes who smashes stage, festival and string after string whilst sweeping up audiences and dropping jaws from Boomtown Fair to Kendal Calling and Secret Garden Party to Convoi de Fete (NL).

Underpinning performances is ‘Balance’, released summer 2015 and heralded as ‘a masterpiece of an album’ by Louder Than War. Balance is a record that mixes musical mastery with an unhinged romp and a tour de force of powerful songwriting, heavy production and a ‘superb collection of musical vignettes’ (R2 Magazine). You’ll hear a full band before you see one man behind a wall of sound, so move your feet and dance off your face.

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Sound Sanctuary is a British indie folk group founded by Canadian born singer-songwriter Toby Guy. Adopting the title of the singer’s debut solo record as their moniker, the original line-up emerged from the 'garden of England' county of Kent shortly after the turn of the millennium. They introduced their sound with a series of demo EPs before releasing two records - 2005's mini-album 'Contact' and a full length follow up 'Dust' in 2008.

The group's music has achieved national radio airplay with the likes of BBC Radio 2, XFM & 6Music and tracks have even found their way onto the box with live performances for Sky and early track 'Tu De Che' earning placement on two international television commercials for a well known ice cream brand. Their live escapades have seen them support artists such as The Stranglers, Mumford & Sons and The Three Degrees.

Now, after a five year hiatus, which saw the formation of alter-ego indie-pop band Burning Shapes, Toby has returned with newly written Sound Sanctuary material and can currently be found road testing songs with the help of new collaborators at a series of local shows. 

"Imagine Brian Eno producing The Everly Brothers in an overgrown suburban greenhouse. There is a sly imagination at work here and a gift for melody." - Music OMH 

"There is always that moment when I feel inclined to reach for an album by Nick Drake, Low, Neil Young or the Kings of Convenience; when nothing else will suffice, but a hit of introspective acoustic style songs. Sound Sanctuary have found their way into that special place inside my record collection." - Big Chill

"Sound Sanctuary are in a part of the music world that they have created themselves avoiding the clichés most other acts pile on with no shame." - Fair Hearing

"The group have created something quite unexpected that should act as a good starting point for a career that should shine." - Atomic Duster

"Dreamscape of epic proportions, like ever decreasing circles, you lose yourself blissfully" - Subba-Cultcha

"Sound Sanctuary have succeeded where so many bands before them have failed - in breaking the mould. If Richard Ashcroft ever had a secret lovechild with Suzanne Vega, I would expect the resulting spawned musical genius to produce something like this." - Twisted Outlook

"The harmonious flow of the tracks, and the snippets and samples that filter their way into the introductions, brings to mind the Beta Band and their genre-blending. The lyrics have an ethereal feel to them as well, in the space of a few lines managing to debate the existence of God, Love and Rock n Roll." - Room 13

"Flawlessly beautiful outing from this generation's Radiohead. Sound Sanctuary have given us a stunning platter of indie-esque art rock that lays claim to no one genre, instead it adapts every genre from blues to electronica, from soul to rock to create something truly unique." - New Noise

"Playful whoosh of Lemon Jelly and Zero 7's ambient vocals. Could be a blissed-out fave with Big Chillers." - Teletext

"A burnished cocktail of folk, trip hop, 60s West Coast pop and blissed out art rock... Imagine Simon and Garfunkel gone electronica and you won't be far off." - The Beat

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Paul Prem Nadama is a heartwarming singer, songwriter and guitarist. His relaxed acoustic soul and contemporary folk tunes carry a new-age, conscious message that resonates and touches the hearts of many people, on any size stage. Paul often describes his intimate performances and workshops as ‘Melodies, Mantras and Moments‘, a concert or gathering where audience singing is welcomed. He performs either alone or with a small band often featuring top violinist Lizzie McKonkey or super Sax player Simon Taylor. His style is reminiscent of boyhood inspirations James Taylor, and Paul Simon. Paul Prem Nadama received his (Sannyasin) name from world-renowned Mantra singer and sacred songwriter Miten at the Gayatri festival in 2016. Paul has since gone on to play at Edinburgh Fringe, Tribal Earth, Brighton Fringe and in 2016 performed at a World Consciousness Symposium. In 2017 a tour of retreat centres in Holland and Corfu was a great success and more will follow in 2018.

He has played support act for the 'Commitments' and his biggest 'claim to fame' is to have accompanied pop diva Katrina singing her smash hit 'Walking on Sunshine' !

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Raised by pack animals in the south, Gronk was subsequently stationed in the Home Counties where he studied for A-Levels in navelgazing before escaping to London. He found moderate success with gothic psych-rock band Carnival of Souls in the early noughties, before meeting near-indifference at a handful of solo gigs in Brixton. A trip to the US followed, during which he discovered the marimba and returned to form the Body Doubles, a shambolic rock 'n' roll act currently limping around London's sawdust venues. Gronk writes folk and rock songs bolstered by a healthy dose of gallows humour, and appears tonight with Body Doubles lead guitarist Claud "the musket" Musker.

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