The late Paul Gibbons would surely have been impressed by the variety of performers and musical verve expressed at the Bermuda Folk Club’s memorial evening in his honour at the weekend.A return to the Spanish Point Boat Club venue by one of Bermuda’s most strikingly original artists, Heroine Chic, together with an engaging set by ukulele-playing singer Mike Hind, topped a captivating night dedicated to former Folk Club president and popular performer Gibbons, who died in 2004.Showcasing a series of newly composed songs Heroine Chic further enhanced their growing reputation.The stark, mesmerising quality of Michele Morfitt’s singing style carries the listener into the heart of the duo’s well-crafted songs, while the minimalist accompaniment of Tommy Loving’s acoustic guitar augmented on occasion by Morfitt on a second guitar provides a highly effective musical frame.Heroine Chic’s set featured new songs, including ‘Talk to Death’, ‘Shoot the Messenger’ and the enthralling ‘Wolf Cry’, before ending with the haunting ’27 Club’ a lament to famed musicians who have died at the age of 27.The song may well become a signature tune for the duo, which would be no bad thing. ’27 Club’ is adorned with moments of poetic lyricism such as the chorus refrain: ‘Seal my soul into a star, somewhere on Sunset Boulevard’.When Heroine Chic left the stage it was the ukulele-playing Mike Hind who followed with a sprinkling of upbeat tunes, including an inspired cover of Martin Sexton’s ‘Happy’, a term which could easily describe the confident stage presence and infectious personal qualities displayed by Hind.He went on to perform a well-received take on Men at Work’s 1983 hit ‘Down Under’ and a version of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ that cleverly morphed into Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ ‘Come on Eileen’.Both Heroine Chic and Hind appeared during the second half of the evening.It was Charlie Grainge, playing an electric guitar, who started the night’s proceedings with three songs, including a sparkling version of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Wild Horses’ and a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’, both sung with crispness and clarity.Willie Robinson then provided one of the more poignant tributes with the popular 1940’s standard ‘That Lucky Old Sun’.He dedicated the song to Gibbons and “all friends of the Folk Club who are no longer with us”, before delivering the classic in an understated, plaintive style, enhanced by solid acoustic fingerpicking and strumming.The late Paul Gibbons was a guitarist with Island rock group Last Rites.He loved rock some of his favourite tracks included The Who’s ‘Won’t Be Fooled Again’ and Led Zepplin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’.Acknowledging this, the three-piece band Sonique Sanctuary blasted out a selection of instrumental rock numbers.Guitarist Ace Jaranilla Cepeda, drummer Nick Wadson and bassist Gary Skelton didn’t just push the evening’s folk music boundaries, they clean knocked them out of sight with a well-received electrified four-song set that included Joe Satriani’s ‘Echo’ and a masterful rendition of Jeff Beck’s ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers’.Next on was acoustic guitarist Alex Rosati, who quickly settled into a confident four-song session that peaked with a well-measured cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’.After the interval Folk Club veteran Joe Bento took to the stage with a smaller than usual acoustic guitar which projected a sweetly melodic tone, blending well with Bento’s spot-on vocals on Otis Redding’s ‘Dock of the Bay’, John Denver’s ‘I’m Sorry’ and The Eagles’ ‘Tequila Sunrise’ a song he used to play with the late Gibbons.Bento rounded off with John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.The next two acts were the aforementioned Heroine Chic and Mike Hind, before master of ceremonies Peter Haynes turned performer and struck a popular chord with upbeat run-throughs of Buddy Holly’s two-minute masterpieces ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Everyday’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’.He then delivered the old folk song ‘Whiskey on a Sunday’ (known to some simply as ‘Seth Davy’).This song, together with another from the 1960s, ‘Four Strong Winds’, were well-suited to Haynes’ style, the latter delivered with shades of Johnny Cash.Haynes concluded with the ever-popular ‘Wild Rover’ before the night ended with an encore from Mike Hind, who ensured the audience went home smiling thanks to a jovial, ukulele version of ‘I Wan’na Be Like You’ from the Jungle Book film.