On a very sunny Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago over the Easter break, drummers from B&J and Djembeat woke up the Easter Bunny with a short, loud and syncopated set. Having rehearsed hard they must have sounded good as they have been invited back again!

The Village Markets at Mingara are held on the second Sunday of every month at the Mingara Club, Tumi Umbi and will feature the best of local, and not so local acts as well as many great stalls and other entertainment.

Despite being a little tired from the previous night's B&J event a good sized group of eager students climbed the mountain last Saturday to learn from master drummer; Pape M'Baye.

Pape's intensive instruction in a rhythm from Guinea was well received and was great fun to perform. It was also great fun to watch Pape's crew of drumers accompany us on the djembe and dun duns. In fact, at one point they were so entertaining that we forgot to drum ourselves.

Pape's worskshops are great fun and I would advise anyone who is interested to take part should they have the chance.

Yet another night, in a beautiful environment, and treated to an amazing array of talent amidst great friends. Thanks again to the fantastic performers who made it another special night and too all the volunteers who keep the show on the road…

A beautiful and balmy evening to see in the first ever Brackets Newcastle night. The large crowd in attendance were treated to some fantastic entertainment.

A trio of talented young females started off proceedings.

Lucy Afarenz with her wistful and intricate tunes was followed by a powerful set from Jen Buxton (pictured below)  that had the audience spellbound. A bit rusty following a musical hiatus, Jen still delivered some mesmerizing songs.

Fiona Magee is rapidly developing a following in the Central Coast & Newcastle areas, and on tonight's performance its easy to see why. Some great original material, a dazzling instrumental, all delivered with a verve that belies her tender years. Fiona is also a driving force behind the Newcastle Brackets operation.

The night concluded with 2 band sets. Of the Red Sea produced a great selection of driving rock'n'roll. Tough yet melodic, the audience loved them and they have a strong following already in Newcastle for a young band.

The night concluded with one of this reviewers favourite local bands, The (Temperamental) Pocket. An outfit difficult to pigeonhole in any single genre, in fact you get the impression the band members themselves have vastly differing view's on just how to accurately describe their collective muse. Regardless they should be taken in large doses, as often as possible, as their music is both intriguing and engaging and most definitely good for the soul.

The Newcastle Brackets brains trust.

All in all a night to remember for the fledgling Brackets Newcastle crew and those lucky enough to be in attendance. Stay tuned for more Brackets Newcastle "taster" events over the coming months, and check out the News section for their "master-plan" for the area.

With the new year barely upon us, a good crowd started off what promises to be a bumper 12 months of B&J events.