Review Centre: Singing Guitarists

"Before seeing this show I had heard many rumours about Harmonica Lewinsky, whose background was shrouded in mystery, although I believe he learned his harmonica skills in the Deep South in the deltas of Harrow on the Hill under the tutelage of Blind Les Battersby. But, it was a very different character to the one I expected who performed at the posh Victoria pub in Highgate! Mr Lewinsky, looking like a cross between a rabbi and one-half of Chas 'n Dave (I'm not sure which half) appeared in cloth cap and braces and presented a highly original selection of songs, some of which rarely see the light of day. There were no predictable “Brown Eyed Girls” or “Mustang Sally’s” here: instead - a veritable feast of the unexpected - as we witnessed one man, his guitar and his trusty harps. When was the last time you heard a pub act kick off his set with Chas 'n Dave's “The Sideboard Song” and follow it with the Theme to “Top Cat” and then offerings of cheery, chirpy Cockney ditties including “Waiting At The Church,” “Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner”, “Show Me The Way To Go Home” and Tommy Steele's “What A Mouth”? I’m guessing the answer to that question is ‘rarely’ (if ever) but the fun didn't stop there. Mr Harmonica Man is a really great entertainer and demonstrated, with great finesse, his harmonica technique on - wait for it - the Shadows' “Apache”! It was quite a feat playing the melody on the harp while strumming his guitar. ‘Harmy’, as he is known to his close friends (or 'Self-Harmy‘ to others) also tackled in the first half the theme to "The Flintstones"; Elvis Costello's catchy “Watching The Detectives” and the Cockney knees-up “I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts”. Harmy was back in terrific Pearly King form for the second half starting with “Any Old Iron” followed by a touch of the Formbys with “Leaning On A Lamppost” after which he did a ‘Donegan’ with a riotous version of “My Old Man's A Dustman” complete with enthusiastic audience participation. Mr Lewinsky has a great sense of humour, which he constantly shares with the Victoria regulars. "Here's another Cockney classic sung by a Welsh man", quipped Harmy before diving into “Delilah.” Other gems included the theme tune to ‘Match Of The Day’ (played on two harmonicas); a very funny and risque interpretation of Mike Jerome's “Sling Yer Hook”; a great version of the Small Faces' mod anthem “Lazy Sunday”; and a yahoo rendition of the old country favourite “Riders In The Sky”. After many encores Mr Lewinsky packed away his cap and braces and headed off to the Deep South (of London) for some pie and mash. The Victoria would do well to snap up Harmy for some more gigs before he hop-foots it down the Strand for a residency at the Old Bull and Bush!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Very professional, great music and all round great guy "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for last night Steve "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for playing so beautifully our song choices from Braveheart. You made our wedding ceremony extra special Jackie and David's wedding"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Aaron is very professional, responsive and down to earth! his super talented and really amazing at what he does. not to mention just an all round top bloke?? will have him back in our pub anytime!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great afternoon at Colne Yacht Club, lovely food and Matt entertained us brilliantly throughout the meal. His choice of music was perfect for the company and his personality was so engaging. Highly recommend Matt for any event"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely brilliant! Great singing accompanied by guitar! Andrew is really laid-back and friendly. Our guests were all delighted too. I can’t recommend him highly enough!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked Nahimé for our ceremony in Mallorca and it was the best decision we made. Her voice is absolutely angelic and brought so many of our guests to tears during the processional. She was so professional and easy to work with from the beginning. If you want a soulful, magical atmosphere, she is the one!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"What a great party! The Cheers band were just amazing and there was never a time when the dance floor was not buzzing. Special tribute to your lead vocalists as they were just amazing, but also to the whole band for a just exceptional performance. We hope they enjoyed playing for us as much as we loved having them perform for us. And thank you for very professional and efficient organisation of the evening which ran like clockwork."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked Chris for our wedding in March for our ceremony and drinks reception and we couldn't have asked for better. He catered to all of our wishes and was happy to make changes when I requested with no bother at all on the run up to our big day. All of our guests commented on how fantastic he was and what a lovely atmosphere he created which made our day all that more magical which I am so grateful for. Chris is truly a very talented man and I will not hesitate to recommend to anyone who would like a live singer at their event. Thank you so much Chris. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Beautiful songs and beautiful interpretation. Thank you for helping make our evening special!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"„Sorgte mit seiner ausdrucksstarken und einzigartigen Stimme fuer eine magische musikalische Umrahmung unserer Hochzeit. Wir sind so dankbar, ihn ueber die Empfehlung einer Freundin gefunden zu haben. Das Repertoire war unglaublich und dabei hat er alt bekannte Lieder seine eigene Note gegeben und neu zum Leben erweckt. Aber verpasst nicht seine eigenen Original Songs! Unsere Gaeste waren wie wir verzaubert. Ein aussergewoehnlicher Musiker und einfach ein liebenswerter Mensch - danke, danke, danke!!“ "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"As bar owner I couldn't ask for a better combination of hard work, talent and loyalty. Built a clientele from nothing on Thursday nights. Always entertaining with an excellent range and soulful voice, it was easy to keep em in in their seats and they came back every week for more. Lucky to have him as long as we did. Jeff you're always welcome back!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Johnny was booked at short notice , arrived an hour early . I had forgotten that there was an important rugby match on in the bar so he couldn’t set on at the time agreed and this did not bother him in the slightest. Once he started everyone loved it and joined in . He can sing anything, absolutely brilliant. I can’t recommend him enough "

Reply by Johnny Guitar 86
Thank you Stephen for your lovely review! It was my pleasure, ye were all so good & made Me feel so welcome. Fantastic Night & best of Luck for the future. Johnny

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Christina and Harry were amazing on our wedding day, we knew they were talented from social media but hearing them perform live was incredible! We couldn't imagine the memories of our day without them, from the walk in and ceremony songs to the first dance and evening set, it was the best decision we made for our wedding. On a personal level, thank you both for putting us both at ease and being so professional, it was a pleasure to have you both there for the whole day. I hope we can think of another event to hold so I can hear some of those covers live again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: