South Quay

South Quay

South Quay is a four-piece rock and blues band. The group is associated with Maryport Blues Festival, where it first draws attention with an opening set on the festival’s opening night. It also supports acts including Gary Moore, Van Morrison and Eric Bibb.

Style and repertoire

The band plays a mix of rock, blues, rock and roll, funk and ballads, with a set built around unusual and lesser-known songs as well as its own material. Its version of “Whipping Post” features guitar-driven arrangements, while songs such as “Stay With Me Baby” and “Summertime” highlight the vocals of Keri Farish. Farish’s singing is compared with Maggie Bell, Sam Brown and Elkie Brooks.

Members

South Quay consists of Keri Farish on vocals, Jamie on guitar, Tom on drums and Paul Williamson on bass.

Keri Farish

Keri Farish begins singing at a young age and starts formal lessons at 16. She passes Grade 8 less than a year later with the highest mark in the country, then studies musical theatre at Mountview Theatre School in London. She wins a NODA award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2003 and later wins the national Pubstars contest after competing against 25,000 others, which leads to a recording session at Tin Pan Alley studios in London. She teaches singing for seven years and performs widely, including as Lulu in a professional Take That show at the Sands Centre. Although she also performs classical music and operatic solos, she focuses on rock and blues with South Quay.

Jamie

Jamie starts playing guitar at 9 and plays his first gig at 12. He lives in Maryport and develops his playing through exposure to local blues musicians. He passes Grade 8 at 16, writes songs prolifically, has already played several gigs at Maryport Blues and has been in three successful bands before joining South Quay.

Tom

Tom starts playing drums at 13 and passes Grade 8 at 15. He performs with the Whitehaven Brass Band, then with Wyndham Wind Band, and also plays in the jazz group Disband and the Latin band Los Huevos Banditos. His drumming in South Quay draws on these different styles. He studies civil engineering at the University of Newcastle.

Paul Williamson

Paul Williamson starts music on piano at 5, moves to bass guitar at 11, and also plays electric guitar, piano and keyboard. He writes and records songs and forms the local band Mingo's Locker after being told that his songs need a band behind them. He also plays for several years in pit bands in Whitehaven, Maryport, Keswick and Workington, where he meets Keri and Tom.

Release history

The band’s limited-edition debut CD of rehearsal outtakes sells quickly, and further copies are later made available.