A biography of Drowse

Running as something of a sideline to Hipshake, Drowse is the name of the acoustic 'turn' that Gary and Kevin are seeing as the natural complement to the thundering power of the full band. Taking their name from the result of a poll naming the worst ever Queen Song (the boys don't agree), performing as a duo comes like second nature to them, and with the popularity of MTV's 'Unplugged' Series, and their usual sense of canny timing, the two have climbed aboard the acoustic bandwagon that everyone else got off about 15 years ago.

Still, that empty bandwagon trundles on, and the material being performed by Drowse constitutes a well rounded cohesive set of songs that would tempt Val Doonican out of retirement, were it not for the fact that 'Delaney's Donkey' is sadly no longer with us. In fact, many tunes already performed by Hipshake translate well to the acoustic setting, such as 'Lets Spend The Night Together', 'Last Train To Clarksville' and 'Weather With You', but Drowse are also scraping beneath the well trodden surface of popular music, and digging up forgotten gems like 'Dancing In The Moonlight', 'Beds Are Burning' and 'Drive', and acoustifying them as required.

It's also been a chance for the pair to showcase their twin guitars and harmonies in a stripped down fashion (we're talking amplification here, incidentally), and the acoustic limitations give the pair a chance to stretch the arrangements and style of the songs, although admittedly it was one hell of a struggle getting Kevin to play more than one string at a time. Challenging times indeed bring out the best though, and Drowse are hoping their excursion into the world of rocking chairs, warm ale, and log fires will provide an alternative to those who prefer the tambourine to the Marshall stack

If you're looking for a "soiree" of popular music in an intimate setting, then look no further