Border Telegraph | What's On | Open-mic

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Monday, 1st September, 2008 09:30

Open-mic - Naomi Chapman

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Naomi Chapman

THE Border Telegraph presents the first of eight new weekly columns inspired by String Jam Club, which meets upstairs at the Salmon Inn, Galashiels, on the last Saturday of every month.

It offers local musicians the opportunity to play alongside some of the country’s top performers on their own doorstep during the open-mic spot – hence the name.

Here, our reporter Ally McGilvray gives Stow singer Naomi Chapman a sound-check following her appearance at the club’s sojourn to Innerleithen Music Festival at the weekend…

“THIS is probably going to sound really horrible because I couldn’t even speak this morning.”

Naomi Chapman seems nervous as she introduces herself to the audience in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Union club in Innerleithen on Sunday.

However, despite only just turning 16-years-old earlier this month, she is a veteran of the stage.

The schoolgirl, from Stow, is one of the regular performers at String Jam Club’s open-mic spots in Galashiels – despite barely being out of nappies when the unplugged music venue was spawned little over a decade ago.

And she has been singing since before she could talk.

But, as she clutched her guitar close to her like a comfort blanket, the teenager explained that she had been suffering from a sore throat.

Any nerves, like her throat, however, cleared as she began her set with a cover of Mr Rock & Roll by Amy MacDonald – who she lists as one of her idols.

And, having interviewed both, the Gala Academy pupil and one of the country’s biggest selling female artists are not too dissimilar.

Naomi began playing the guitar after being asked if she would like to learn by String Jam Club founder Allie Fox, who teaching her to sing. But when asked what her ambitions were in the world of music, she replied: “To enjoy myself and hopefully one day make a career out of it.”

Despite Damien Rice’s Cannonball being the second in a three-song set of covers, the modest musician revealed she has also experimented by writing her own songs.

And she praised the open-mic spots for giving her the chance to showcase her material to a live and appreciative audience.

But it was the emotion that erupted in her voice during the singing of Radiohead cover High and Dry which wowed the crowd at the weekend.

Allie Fox said: “I’ve been working with her and helping her with her singing and guitar playing for probably about seven years now and when she first started coming for lessons she struck me on how talented she is musically.

“She has got an incredible power in her voice and a real focus on what she is singing about when she is performing.

“The very important thing about String Jam is one of our aims is to encourage young musicians to play.

“She’s quite a veteran now. Despite her young age she has been playing down at the club on and off for about a couple of years and it’s great experience for her.

“She just loves her music and she loves listening to music and any songs that she loves she just wants to play all the time.”

amcgilvray@bordertelegraph.com

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