There was a rare occurrence at Robin Hood Pub and Restaurant on Friday night: a live concert by an absolutely fabulous local band! Joy Barnum and The Channel blew the roof off the intimate dining room, winning over many new fans and thoroughly satisfying devoted followers.

Indeed, there did seem to be a good few 'familiars' amongst the capacity crowd; suggesting a growing cult following for this exciting new band. A well deserved cult following as well, because this group of young musicians has talent to burn.

This concert was an entirely unexpected treat. Three hours, 33 songs, 16 originals, three wardrobe changes, two Beatles covers, several stunning renditions of modern classics, and a generous portion of vocal prestidigitation left every attendee exhausted with glee.

Highlights of this special show included renditions of wonderful original pieces like 'Lullaby', the optimistic 'Fields of Green', the ethereal 'You Look Through Me', the spellbinding 'Voodoo', the heartfelt 'I'll Be There For You' (a tribute to Michael Jackson), and the timely 'Kellon's Song' (a tribute to Kellon Hill).

Joy Barnum performed like a seasoned veteran (which she has clearly become), delivering high notes, low notes, and lyrical fire with equal aplomb. She was a master showman as well, flirting with the audience like we were all her playthings; and we lapped up every drop.

Her voice was as powerful as ever, and she commanded the stage throughout the three sets, three hours, and three wardrobe changes. She also made room for her backing band to shine, introducing each individual member several times over the generous performance.

Joy was a virtuoso, using her voice like one of those deep sea angler fish use that weird hanging thing to lure smaller fish into its mouth (she was pretty much irresistible is what I'm trying to say! You know what I mean!).

The Channel stormed through majestic renditions of Tessanne Chin's breathtaking 'Hideaway', Nirvana's manic 'Lithium', Beyonce's gorgeous 'Halo', No Doubt's sensitive 'Underneath it All', Alanis Morrisette's bitter 'You Outta Know', and the Beatles' revolutionary 'Come together' with relative ease, and considerable flair. The band complimented Joy's spectacular voice quite well for most of the night, but overpowered her at times, exposing a severe need for proper sound mixing.

The sound was a bit problematic throughout the evening, causing the band to sound a bit guitar heavy at times. Don't get me wrong, Michael McPhee flexed considerable chops on the lead axe, but the mix was probably a bit too heavy on the guitar at times. The audience seemed to want to hear Joy more than was offered during a few pieces.

Mind you, Milton Raposo killed the keys, while Eddie Wicks and Hanny Consolacion handled the drums and bass respectively. I especially enjoyed Hanny's wandering, luscious baselines, and Milton was pretty much imperious on the keys.

All things considered, the band was fantastic. Having said that, I must now confess that one of my personal favourite moments of the entire night was an a capella version of the magnificent Bonnie Raitt standard, 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. Now I've heard Joy sing this song many times, and maybe it's because of the new Boyz II Men remake, but for some reason, this performance stood out for me. Maybe it was because there was nothing there to distract from her world-class vocals.

In any event, the band was very good as well, especially during my other favourite moment: an absolutely awesome rendition of the Prince written, Sinead O'Conner popularized, 'Nothing Compares To You'. Now I don't know how much you know about songs; but that, my friend, is a song! Evidence of this song's significant "songiness" was apparent in the audience participation during this piece; everybody was singing every word! The scene was nothing short of amazing; really.

The show started around 9.30 p.m., and ended around 12.30 a.m., leaving no room for dissatisfaction. Indeed many patrons left before the end of the third set, but not because they weren't enjoying this command performance.

There were a few technical difficulties, a couple mixing mishaps, one or two feedback miscues, but all in all, this was an entirely extraordinary evening. It felt like an early No Doubt gig at a mythical Orange County Pub and Restaurant.

So does that make Joy Barnum Bermuda's Gwen Stefani? Not really, it makes her our Joy Barnum; and that's most definitely enough. Look out Gwen, Joy's gaining momentum!