With every day that passes, music is becoming more and more international. Musicians from almost every country play shows worldwide showcasing their songs to different crowds in different venues across cities and countries. This particularly rings true as Norwegian Siv Jakobsen and American Liza Anne joined together at their record release show in London’s The Slaughtered Lamb to deliver a night of soul-stirring and hauntingly beautiful heartfelt songs.
As Jakobsen’s soft delicate vocals cooed over the audience of the intimate venue, the lyrics spoke in great volume the sincere tales she has experienced. In between singing her simple and to-the-point creations from her record The Lingering and tuning her guitar, Jakobsen took questions from eager audience members which brought waves of laughter to the room, making the night an even more enjoyable one. Her songs might sound mellow, but the aura really packed a punch. There was a certain, special charm of the performance with it just being the singer and her one instrument; it was all raw and revealing.
The same applied to Liza Anne, whose album Two overflows with personal relationships. She swooned the attentive crowd with her emotive vocals whilst voicing perceptive insights. Opening her set with one of my personal favourites ‘Lost’, Anne surprised with the difference between the song sung live on her own and the studio recording of it with her full band. This carries throughout other songs, where the artist masterfully created live alternative versions of her tracks. Anne’s vocals sound more bold live in comparison and quite a lot of characters are shown through her live performance and interactions with people in the room. Moreover, what is so special about the night was even though they were not the familiar studio recordings, the live versions remained consistent to what is the very core of what is so captivating about Liza Anne: the abundance of intense emotions you cannot help but feel and relate to, and would be willing to be washed over by time and time again (even if you might feel like an emotional wreck after). Her sharing of the background behind the writing of the songs added a personal touch to the already strong bond between Anne and the audience built by her endearing honesty.
Funnily enough, there was the simultaneous feeling of fulfilment and emptiness by the time the night ends; I was completely mesmerised and wrapped up in the beautifully crafted songs but also hollowed out having felt all the heart-wrenching feelings expressed.
It was an incredible experience and if you appreciate melancholia with a satisfying twist, be sure to give both The Lingering and Two a listen.