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Sargasso Trio headed the bill

Three talented local acts brought with them unique and personalised styles that captivated the audience to open the first Hot City Sounds Festival.

Jess Morgan

Singer-songwriter Jess Morgan, from Acle, set the evening's relaxed atmosphere with her acoustic guitar strums and soft yet punchy vocals, which from time to time displayed parallels with Katie Melua's voice.

Her light-hearted manner ensured a warm rapport with the crowd and she managed to put a smile on their faces with more than just her music.

Girl In A Thunderbolt

The second act, Girl in a Thunderbolt, is a one-woman band with an impressive layered sound derived from an effects pedals and '80s synth gadgetry.

The simplicity of her sound juxtaposed with the mesmerising quality of her voice sparked a sharp-edged melancholy, while her seductive tone is not dissimilar to that of Massive Attack’s signature sound.Ìý

Sargasso Trio

Sargasso Trio, described by Jess Morgan at the beginning of the night as "the reason you’re all here," lived up to that claim with Latin style.

With maximum energy and a full sound, they gave the audience the natural high they came seeking.Ìý

Each of the three members demonstrated their musicianship by swapping instruments from song to song, and played them all equally as well.

When a band defines its sound as "acoustic synth folk" mixed with "Latin love songs and ballads of the sea," you can’t help but wonder if it will work, but it does, and Sargasso Trio create an awesomely unique sound.

Front woman Emily Siddall has a voice reminiscent of Blondie's Debbie Harry, while Pete Murdoch and Ben Winn shared a love-fuelled vocal harmony that would purify anyone's heart.

This was echoed at the end of the evening when the penultimate song was sealed with a kiss - a perfect loved-up beginning for a new festival.

Sargasso Trio, Girl In A Thunderbolt and Jess Morgan played Norwich Arts Centre for Hot City Sounds Festival on Friday, 4 July, 2008.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Norfolk Introducing broadcast a three-hour Hot City Sounds Special on Friday, 18 July, 2008.