Review by Neil March and Sherry Sahayraj

When Stuart ‘Stu’ Readman, lead guitarist for his partner Alice Hale’s project With Sun and experienced organiser of live events, first talked to us about his plans to launch his own unique live music concept, we knew it would be worth waiting for. It turns out we were not wrong. Having managed to take over the upstairs space at the lovely Brown & Green Cafe in Crystal Palace Park on a Sunday afternoon for his Wepre Live event, Stu has focused on a winning formula that blends high quality music, family friendly interactive fun and a strong sense of community. Today was the second in this ongoing series.

There is seating around the outside of the room or people can choose, as many parents and children did, to sit on the floor mats in the centre of the room. The live space has a bar with drinks and snacks and there is a cafe downstairs offering a more substantial range of food and drink. There are also outdoor areas on both floors and so much space for little people to run about in a safe environment.

One of the most unique and striking elements of today’s entertainment is the opportunity for a room packed with very young children for them to be allowed to have a blast playing with musical instruments under parental supervision. The kids are not just here to watch and listen. They are here to have fun and express themselves through some spontaneous creativity of their own. Even when they are not making their own musical noise, it is refreshing to be at a live music event where so many children are able to run about and use up energy, something their tired parents will probably be all the more grateful for later in the day! It is also great to see Stu and Alice as well as our former bandmate Florie Namir (and their lovely kids) plus our friend Richard Hunt, musician and sound engineer at The Bedford in Balham, who was taking care of sound at this event too.

With apologies for having missed an earlier set by one of Alice’s regular collaborators because we were downstairs getting food in the main cafe, we made certain not to be late for today’s main event. Namely the Canadian-British singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan. Fiona is a platinum-selling songwriter whose list of artists she has written for include Kylie Minogue, One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Marten, AURORA and a host of others. She is also a highly respected solo artist who is currently at the start of a tour covering five other counties before returning for several dates in London.

For this performance, it is just Fiona with acoustic guitar and her soft but commanding vocals. Her style is, in essence, a contemporary Folk-Pop that deals with the modern world lyrically and incorporates a range of corresponding musical influences. Her guitar playing has a warmth expressed through extended chord progressions, light-textured picking and attention to contrasting dynamics. She connects immediately with the audience, explaining the stories behind the songs and expressing enchantment with playing her music to an audience with so many little people present. She also tells us that she has one young child and another on the way, obvious sources of inspiration.

She sings a capella on Peaches, a track that imagines a world where women could genuinely be free to live unhindered by reactionary attitudes. Her songs offer a different dimension in this stripped down acoustic format compared to her recordings and this underlines the quality of her writing. End Of The World demonstrates her registral and dynamic range. All in all, it is a set full of subtle twists and turns and she holds the audience’s attention throughout. Fiona is a highly relatable figure too and it has been a pleasure to listen to her songs and hear the tales behind them.

At the end, Stu invites the audience to use stickers to provide feedback on their experience. We don’t think he is likely to have had any negative responses to such a lovely event, one that achieves everything he has aimed for – good music, family friendly atmosphere and a tangible sense of community. We need events like Wepre Live that enable live music to be celebrated in such an inclusive and inviting environment. Judging by today, Stu will see the same people coming back for more and hopefully providing an army of advocates who will spread the word.