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# Review: The Acoustic Lounge at The Hub at At Mary’s
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/review-the-acoustic-lounge-at-the-hub-at-at-marys/
- Published: 2026-04-20T05:35:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-20T05:35:38.000Z
- Description: The Acoustic Lounge has been going as a part of The Hub at St Mary’s programme for four years, with evenings featuring some talented local singers and musicians playing numbers written by famed singers and musicians.
- Author: Ben Macnair
- Tags: Reviews, What's On, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:11

THE Acoustic Lounge has been going as a part of The Hub at St Mary’s programme for four years, with evenings featuring some talented local singers and musicians playing numbers written by famed singers and musicians.

But this was the first time that the evening featured work that was largely written by the performers.

The bill included Rory Block, who at only 18 recently won The Hub’s first songwriting competition, and more seasoned performers Sarah Riches, Bryan Brindley and Sheena Vultaggio.

As well as performing four of their own songs in the round on a rota basis, the performers also chose one cover each, with songs by the likes of Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach featured.

As well as performing the songs, which ranged from folk and Americana to blues, jazz and ambient, the musicians also spoke about their influences and where the ideas for their songs came from.

Sheena started the evening with Hidden Depths, but perhaps the highlight of her songs was her final one – Spirit Guide. It featured a minimal drone on the keyboard and her ethereal, high-pitched vocal showed the influence of folk and Celtic singers from her background in Scotland.

Brian has more rock-based influences, with a more rhythm-based style, and his songs – such as Be Like You and Here With Me were well sung – while a cover of This Guys in Love With You was a befitting choice for his style.

Sarah’s songs had a country flavour throughout, with Train Man, the blues shuffle of Finally Free and her closing song We Ain’t Getting Out of Here Alive being performed in her usual lively way.

Seeming to bring half of the audience with him, Rory’s delicate guitar parts and his mature sense of songcraft is rightfully being talked about, with Honey I’d Fall and Let Me in Your Heart showing his style.

His cover of the Beach Boys’ Don’t Worry Baby was affecting, as was the folkish song, Know My Name, which was the piece that won the songwriting competition.

So many reviews contain hyperbole about people being a name to watch out for, but Rory more than deserved his space on the stage.

A lot of evenings like this seem to offer opportunities to younger people, so it was good that the Introducing night had performers across a wider age spectrum, showing that talent, a willingness to develop it and musicianship, stage and songcraft have no real age barriers.