'Sirius' is a singer-songwriter evening established and managed by musician Frankie Milner.  The sessions are held every Wednesday at the Tudor Grange Hotel in central Bournemouth.  The setting is idilic -  a roaring log fire, warm candle light, comfortable furniture and most importantly of course, an attentive and enthusiastic audience.

Last night the music kicked off at 8.30 with a haunting self-penned tune by Frankie herself.  Although hampered by a case of the flu, Frankie played and sang wonderfully and set the mood for the rest of the evening.

Bobby Burke and Victor were up next - a talented and quirky acoustic guitar duo who managed to entertain the crowd with some Billy Connelly style chat as well as superbly crafted and catchy blues-tinged originals.

Jon Whitley followed with a vocal and piano set that would have put a young Elton John to shame - heartfelt and well crafted tunes.

Tinderbox's set - which followed the interval at 10pm - was very well received by the hushed audience.  Beginning with the favourite 'Out On My Own' the duo went on to belt out originals such as 'Fallen', 'Oranges For Breakfast' and 'Ordinary Day'.  Due to an impromptu audience vote they also incuded the Dolly Parton classic 'Jolene'  that has been so popular in recent live Tinderbox performances.

James Harrison closed the evening with 30 minutes of soulful and moving compositions, accompanied both on piano and guitar.  Obviously a regular at Sirius, James' crowd-pleasing banter complimented a diverse and catchy set.

Altogether a fantastic evening shared by wonderful musicians and audience alike.  A big thank you to Frankie Milner for dreaming up the idea and managing the event so well.  

For another review of these performances please go to:

http://www.tudorgrangehotel.co.uk/Functions/sirius_music.asp

For more information on the Sirius sessions please click on either of the links below:

www.myspace.com/siriuslivemusic

http://www.tudorgrangehotel.co.uk/Functions/sirius_music.asp