live review
Darren Poyzer & Kirk McElhinney, Live at The Green Room, St Helens
Thursday 6th May 2004

"As a relative newcomer to St. Helens nightlife, I must have looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a ten ton truck. But as I sat at the bar of The Green Room awaiting the full on acoustic feast that i had been promised by the Twobar team, I actually started to enjoy myself. Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the buff young man behind the bar, or maybe it was the trip out visuals and DJ set, combined with my excessive cigarette smoking that took me back to Spike Island ...

Realising that I was the only one dancing I sat back down and concentrated on what I was there for. Getting drunk ... NO! I was there to check out Twobar productions, the infamous acoustic nights that are currently taking the North West by storm.

Twobar productions organise and promote live music events for original bands and artist around the region. Held at The Green Room on Duke Street in St. Helens every Thursday and at Zoobar on Westfield Street every other Tuesday, the nights feature some of the best up and coming bands / artists that you are likely to see. The Twobar team are passionate about promoting the very best in live music and tonights gig proved that point with a volume that was louder than bombs.

Headlining tonights gig was Darren Poyzer, a highly acclaimed, entertaining singer songwriter from Manchester. A true independent,he is one of a new generation who has scorned the traditional route of working with corporate record labels and taken his own road. However, doing it live is what Poyzer does best and he delivered a truly uplifting set that manage to reduce the wall-to-wall, packed out Green Room to an almost religious silence. With lyrics that are personal and poignant, his brutally honest, yet delicatly ddelivered narrative transfixed
even the most macho of grown men in the room.

Equally though, Poyzer possesses a fighting spirit rarely found and his punky edge, combined with a sharp sense of humour, had the audienceclapping along to the more upbeat songs. With backing from the very talented Kirk McElhinney, Darren Poyzer captivated the diverse audiencethat had piled into the venue and left everyone shouting out for more. Many of the crowd had probably never heard of Darren Poyzer before tonights gig. Now they would never forget him."

Courtesy of Vicky Andrews, St Helens Star
and Two Bar Promotions