Rock for a new age: ‘Messiah’ Chantel aims to deliver top show

AFEMALE guitar prodigy, Chantel McGregor was told at 14 by major labels that she had a “great voice, but girls don’t play guitar like that!”

Wisely ignoring the comments, she enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history, to achieve a 100% pass mark, with 18 distinctions.

Chantel left with a First Class Honours degree in Popular Music and a coveted prize, the college’s Musician of the Year award.

In previous years, Chantel stepped out in the pro-musician world and her stunning live performances demonstrated she had the ability to perform rock for the new age, played by a musician born with an effortless virtuosity.

Since then, she has built a loyal and growing fanbase who follow her every move.

If you measure an artist’s prospects by the company they keep, then Chantel has been moving in the right direction.

Early in her career, Chantel was invited to perform with Joe Bonamassa,

on two of his UK tours. When Chantel released her 2011 debut album, Like No Other, one critic said: “Chantel McGregor deserves to be held up as a messiah of blues-rock and given her own mountain.

“She doesn’t strum or pick her guitar but almost bends and distorts it, as if she’s channelling the ghost of Hendrix through her fingers.”

The album was produced by Livingstone Brown, whose production credits include Ed Sheeran, Robin Trower, and Shakira.

The end result was a beautifully crafted debut album that showcased Chantel’s versatility and talent as a singer-songwriter.

Chantel’s follow-up album, Like Control, again produced by Livingstone Brown, was released in October, 2015, to critical acclaim.

She will perform at The Atkinson, Southport, on Saturday, September 28, at 7.30pm.

Tickets, from £15, are available from www.theatkinson.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01704 533 333