EMF @ Chinnerys
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Tonic Music Ambassador James Atkin and his band EMF played at Chinnerys in Southend as part of the final leg of their UK Clubs tour, along with local-based musician Tom Corbyn and art rock band Ecce Shnak.
Kickstarting during Spring this year, dance rock band EMF set off on their UK Club Shows tour, beginning the lineup of shows in the north and working their way down. After being on the road for two months, EMF landed in Pennsylvania to begin touring across the east coast of the US and Canada.
If you think that was not already enough, the band finished up in Connecticut and bounced back to the UK to finish off the last leg of the UK Clubs tour, with their last show ending in Leeds.
Tonic Music were fortunate enough to attend two back-to-back shows on the final run of the UK tour; KOLA in Portsmouth and Chinnerys in Southend.
On an unusually bitterly cold day for June, the crowd gradually trickled their way into the seafront venue Chinnerys. By the time the main act of the night hit the stage, the venue was packed with anticipating EMF fans.
First up was Southend-based musician Tom Corbyn. Describing his own music as “funky techno grunge,” the musician certainly was not wrong. His thirty minute set was filled with grunge-inspired guitar riffs, dancing with his guitar in hand to his own techno beat, and plenty of satisfied-nodding heads from the audience.
Tom Corbyn
Hailing all the way from New York City, Ecce Shnak (pronounced eh-kay-sh-knock) crashed into their set packed with unpredictability. The quintet blended experimental rock, classical precision and punk rock energy throughout their performance, with duo vocals from David Roush and Bella Komodromas bringing a theatrical element throughout their set.
When Komodromas was not singing, she could be seen dancing gracefully to the math-tinged guitar riffs played on an eight string, with Roush donning a bass guitar and playing with the rest of the band.
With their eclectic set coming to an end, the audience was amped up and ready for the headliner, brimming with palpable excitement.
Ecce Shnak
As James Atkin and the rest of EMF walked onto stage, James politefully waved to the crowd cheering, ready to launch into the first song of their set. Guitarist, Ian Dench, was not afraid to stand on the barrier to play guitar hooks closer to the crowd, with James pulling him down to wrap his arm around the guitarist, singing alongside him.
The energy from the stage was undoubtedly infectious, as the audience seemed to dance the night away, particularly when the band’s most iconic track Unbelievable began to play, with smiles and laughter spreading across the venue.
What was most notable about the entirety of their performance were the interactions James had with the crowd- if the singer had his hands in the air, his fans mirrored him, if he was bouncing to the music, the audience would be too.
Towards the end of their set, the dance-rock band invited Ecce Shnak back onto the stage to join him for a collaborative performance singing LGBTQ+ Lover, a track the two bands have officially recorded together.
With the gig coming to a close, James and the rest of the band waved their goodbyes and hopped behind the EMF merchandise stand, where the singer signed plenty of CDs and took many photos with keen fans.
As you may know, James Atkin has joined the Tonic Music family by becoming an ambassador, keen to share his experiences after going through “a lot of trauma along the way.”
“All of my life, I have had anxiety before going on stage,” James said in a previous interview with us, “it took me ages to work out how to deal with that. I wish there were opportunities for professionals to have helped me with that, like Tonic Music.”
Come say hi to us at the Tonic Music stand at Chinnerys’ upcoming sold-out Starsailor gig on Friday 19th June. See you then!
Don't forget to check out all our Courses, Groups and Workshops currently open for registration for working musicians and those working within the music.
