Asylum Seekas’ Jimmi Riddlz throws out some local words for a local crowd. (Picture by Alex Digard, 0640812)

THE Half Moon Cafe filled with Funk Da Rock supporters earlier this month to mark the end of a string of summer gigs that have helped raise thousands of pounds for the Mines Awareness Trust.

The event coincided with the Last Night of the Proms on the Albert Pier – fireworks included. A  diverse line-up of musicians provided the entertainment.

Lucy Hill sang first, with her friend Claire on guitar, an acoustic, laid-back and ambient set that slowly warmed up the crowd.

The Half Moon Cafe is a fantastic venue for that relaxed vibe, particularly when the temperature is mild and the sky is clear – there are few better views in Guernsey than from its terrace.

Lucy sang covers from the likes of Nelly Furtado and Morcheeba – and, characteristically, sang them well. She also displayed a skill for adapting well-produced chart songs, paring and stripping them down to the bare bones until all that remained was the purity of voice and guitar.

Up next was Jamie-Lee.

He has been in demand this summer due to his exceptional talent, which he has only recently started to share with the public.

Over the past few years, Jamie has been holed up in his home with just his guitar, perfecting his art – and it shows.

He sets himself apart from any other local performer by having a distinctive style of guitar playing. He uses the instrument for both the melodic sounds of its strings and its percussive body. Acoustic instrumentalists such as John Butler have made the method popular in recent years. However, Jamie’s influences come from many varied styles and artists, such as Andy Mckee and Michael Hedges. And he was on top form last Saturday, wowing the audience with his unorthodox playing style – strumming, tapping and beating the guitar and, at times, making full use of the neck of the instrument.

He proves that there are many dimensions to the guitar and if you are musically minded, as Jamie clearly is, you can produce the sound of a five-man band, single-handed.

Every time he plays, Jamie captivates the audience with his skill.

On next where Asylum Seekas who grabbed their mics and told the audience ‘to get closer,’ which duly they did.

Every time the group performs, they do it with a huge amount of energy and passion.

This gig was no different and they proved popular once again with the crowd. You can tell they have been performing together for a long time now as they feed off each other on stage, are incredibly tight and never seem to miss a beat.

I love the way they bring Guernsey into their lyrics: ‘I might go to Town, drink in the White Hart and then the Ship and Crown.’

With their new EP, Off the Beat ’n’ Track, recently finished, expect to see a lot more of them over the next few months.

Funk Da Rock organiser Sam Evans had called in a friend from the UK for the farewell gig: Jeff, aka Codeshift, who runs an established night in London called Yardcore.

Codeshift is different from your average DJ. Instead of decks of CD-Jays, he uses a programme called Ableton Live on his laptop.

Ableton Live is a professional loop-based software music sequencer and unlike other such technology, Live is designed around the notion of being as much an instrument for live performances as a tool for composing and arranging. It is also often used for precision mixing of tracks by DJs and it allows the DJ to strip back songs and add samples and effects.

Having so much freedom and choice with Ableton, Codeshift produced a set more diverse than anything I had previously heard at Funk Da Rock.

Throwing in and mixing everything from breakcore, jungle, breaks, gabba, Asian dance and dubstep, it was so dirty the sound system couldn’t take it. He played a really energetic set and he seemed to love every minute of it.

It made a nice change to hear something so distinctive from a DJ – it definitely made a couple of audience members stand up and take notice, with some not knowing what to make of it all.

So, with even the year’s final Funk Da Rock showcasing new talent and upping the ante, what has organiser Sam Evans got planned for us next?

Watch this space…