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Sara Hawley and The Alpha Western at Hard Rock Café – 7/10

The Alpha Western (pic: Ged Camera)

The Alpha Western are a no-nonsense rock band who like their music agreeably rough around the edges. It's loud and aggressive, with Matt Grayson delivering his vocals in a suitably gruff manner. Clichéd guitar solos are omitted in favour of a meaty sound and rambunctious delivery.

When Sarah Hawley takes to the stage, a quiet hush descends over the listeners and diners before a note is uttered or played. Her attention-grabbing outfit comprises of a tight fitting black basque and black bowler hat sitting snugly on her blonde locks.

Sara Hawley (pic: Ged Camera)

Luckily, the band is not all style over substance. Hawley has a glass-shattering vocal talent, and once she has grabbed your attention, she doesn't intend on letting it go. It’s dynamic power pop stuff, delivered in such a confident manner that you would easily forget that Hawley is still a teenager.

It's also easy to overlook the other members of the band, but the contribution they make to the solid sound is essential to allow Hawley to dominate the stage and perform her aural gymnastics. If you bare in mind that Strokes producer George Raphael recorded her first two singles, maybe the Hard Rock have hit it spot on first time round!