Singer plans to return to North Cornwall following his performance supporting sea pool
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
Matt Owens performs to a packed crowd at the Widemouth Manor Hotel.
SINGER-songwriter Matt Owens performed an acoustic set at The Widemouth Manor Hotel on Wednesday, August 19 raising funds for the Friends of Bude Sea Pool (FoBSP).
The former member of Noah & the Whale, who have disbanded, is now part of a new band called Little Mammoths and recently supported Mumford and Sons on their Gentlemen of the Road, Aviemore Stopover Festival in Scotland.
In the area on holiday, staying at the Sheep to Shore Shepherds Hut, coastal retreat, in Widemouth opposite the Manor Hotel, Matt and owner of the retreat, Jane Montague, recognised each other from previously working together.
Jane used to work at the Eden Project organising the Eden Sessions, bringing artists such as Elbow, Blink 182 and Ben Howard to Cornwall, and a few years ago Noah & the Whale were co-headliners with The Vaccines on the unique stage amidst the famous biomes.
Once Jane and Matt realised the connection, she asked him if he fancied doing a gig whilst he was down and he was more than happy to oblige, so Jane got to work organising the venue.
As Matt was putting on the gig for free, Jane decided to get the FoBSP involved and hold the event as a much-needed fundraiser after the recent spate of vandalism that has tarnished the sea pool.
She said: “Once I knew Matt was up for it, I wondered how I could get a lot of people together for the gig in what was a very short space of time, and thought of the sea pool straight away, they are supported very well and thought it would be a good opportunity for them to raise some money.”
Martyn Holehouse, vice chairman and trustee of the FoBSP, helped raise awareness of the gig and in the 48 hours leading up to it.
He said: “Jane did a great job putting the whole thing together, I helped how I could with promoting it, but credit really has to go to Jane.
“The evening went really well and there was a good crowd, there must have been a couple hundred that came along, ranging from eight-year-olds to those 60 plus.
“Matt’s a really nice guy, truly professional and down to earth. He did two 45-minute sets; the first, lots of his own music, and then, in the second set, he performed covers of his favourite songs including Neil Young and The Rolling Stones — he was really superb.
“This is a guy that’s played in front of thousands of people in massive venues, and the fact he volunteered to put on the gig and was more than happy to help was really nice. He said he was blown away by the warm welcome he received.
“We managed to raise £175 in total which is great and we are truly thankful to both Matt and Jane for their efforts.”
Matt is hoping to be back in Cornwall soon, and said that at the very least he hopes to do a couple of Cornish festivals next summer, including Leopallooza for the festival’s tenth anniversary.
He said: “I’d love to come back to Cornwall with Little Mammoths and I’d be mad keen to come for Leo.
“It’s really nice to play in areas like Cornwall that aren’t as busy on the gig scene as places like London. You can definitely feel more appreciated here. In London you have the option of like 30 gigs a night, and music can get taken for granted, but I was really overwhelmed by how well the gig in Widemouth was received.
“I’d just finished a solo tour around the UK but had only made it down as far as Devon, so to do the gig in Cornwall was great.
“The gig itself was amazing man, everyone was so nice and the place was rammed. Plus it was really nice to be able to help in raising some money for the sea pool.”
For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.
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