Sarah Mai

Sarah Mai plays Harry's Soul Station on Friday 30 October, a night that pulls from a few different corners of the mid-century songbook. She's the only name on the bill, and the set covers swing, rock and roll, and rhythm and blues.

Those three styles sit closer than they might first appear. Swing brings the dancey, big-band swing of the thirties and forties; rock and roll is the faster, louder energy that grew out of it; and rhythm and blues is the soulful, bluesy root that ties them both together. When you hear them in one set, you get a good sense of how one led into the other, and how much they still share.

It's a broad stretch of ground to cover in one evening, so the set will likely move between them rather than sticking to one. You'll get the swing side of things, the rock and roll, and the rhythm and blues, all coming from the same voice. If you've got a preference for any one of them, you'll find it here, and you'll hear the others alongside it.

Harry's Soul Station is at 35-37 Adelaide St, Norwich NR2 4JD. The music runs from 6.30pm to 11.00pm, so it's a full evening rather than a short set.