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It's
not often that hip, bluesy funk is combined with a strong voice,
loads of talent and youth. But that's the rare combination that
shines from the group known as Mavis.
Hailing
from Lowestoft, Suffolk, the band features Sam Porter, 17, on drums,
Johnny Pike, 17, on guitar, Sam Betts, 15, on bass guitar, Matthew
Cossey, 17, on piano and Nikki Williams, 16, as lead vocalist. They've
been together for just over two years.
The
talented quintet have taken the best bits from their inspirations
Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, and Anastasia and blended it into a
professional sound that belies the reality that when not playing,
the group are all studying for their exams.
Their
impetus came when Johnny entered them for a competition and that
made them practise together more and more. They began performing
covers and then writing their own stuff.
While
they admit they stand a better chance of hitting the big time if
they were based in London they have a warm affection for Lowestoft,
citing the beach as one of their favourite haunts (and laying in
bed as another!).
Yearning
to be rockstars, they'd encourage others to practise and make use
of as much help as possible.
One
of their gurus has been media teacher Steve Beckingham, from Kirkley
High School. He helped them with advice on how to form a band and
who to contact, but Mavis also say they wouldn't have got by without
continuous support from their family and friends.
When
they're not dealing with a deluge of fans, they perform at school
plays, and they recently played at the Lowestoft Cultural Event.
Mavis
have previously recorded tracks at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft
and are currently working on "Following Your Footsteps"
- their debut album.
They
performed "Following Your Footsteps" and "Octofunk"at
the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk Voices Launch on 26th March near the beach at the
East Point Pavilion.
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Listen: Mavis perform Octofunk
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