Chairs were dotted across the floor of the Cedar Cultural Center on Friday night as they hosted an intimate setting for two wonderful songwriters. The Manchester, England based Chloe Foy added another city to her debut US tour. After spending a number of days performing in sunny California, the stark chill of the impeding Minnesota winter was noticed. As this was her first real trek across the US other observations came to light for her such as our obsession with ice in our drinks, especially for a place as chilly as this.
The chill of the evening air was soon replaced by her heartfelt vocal melodies hovering upon the bright acoustic guitar passages. While a number of her recordings offer lush arrangements with more guitars, vocal harmonies, drums and strings these stripped down versions show off her songwriting skills and a commanding sense of vocal melodies. The soothing timbre of her voice was on prominent display for the attentive crowd.
As her inevitable recognition grows in the US these quaint performances will grow as more learn of the quality of music that will be heard when Chloe Foy is on the bill. As she commented on the price of a visa to come and perform here, she’ll have to make the most of it and tour again soon while its still active. Her 30 minute set came to a close but this opened up a number of new fans in the process.
Chloe Foy Setlist:
“Hold On You’re Gone” / Flaws / Oh You Are Not Well / Never Be the Same Again / Asylum
The equipment and instruments were sparsely strewn about three different areas of the stage for Jesca Hoop and her band mates, one of which included Chloe Foy. The cohesion of these three musicians from the get go was spot on. The sound waves emanating from their combined voices and instruments was anything but sparse. Their dynamic control from the subtle nuances to the powerful and rich vocal harmonies was a pleasure to witness in a live setting.
Chloe offered vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, electric bass, keyboard as well as a dash of percussive elements. Kirana Peyton, who has a long history of working with Jesca, added more vocal harmonies, electric guitar and a steady rhythmic beat. The miced up bodhrán produced warm deep tones that filled out the low end spectrum quite nicely adding to the already rich sounds filling the air.
Jesca had a calm and hospitable presence despite being the guest at The Cedar Cultural Center once again. Making sure her band was comfortable as well as the audience. In between songs she shared stories of how the songs came to be and other musings.
The audience was warned that there would be lots of pauses between songs as Jesca needed to alter the tuning of the guitars. She quipped that if the audience fills the room next time she’d be able to pass that duty onto a guitar tech. These alternate turnings are one of many things that make Jesca a notable musician striving for more ways to explore the guitar. The phrasing as she works around the fret board makes for a very intriguing listen made all the more impressive while watching how these sequences come together.
Her clever and thoughtful lyrics are brought to life with her astounding voice which has a great range in emotion and sonic texture. All while being woven together into song structures that never dull and only enhance the mood of the songs. There are certain artists out there that are must sees on the concert stage and Jesca Hoop continues to be one of those for an abundance of reasons.
The audience gave a standing ovation as three talented musicians bowed and thanked the crowd before heading off. The crowd didn’t let up until they returned for one final song. After the audience received a 90 minute does of her songs, they returned to their feet in show of appreciation for the wonderful evening.
Jesca Hoop Setlist:
Death Row / Free Of The Feeling / Pegasi / Memories Are Now / The Lost Sky / Old Fear Of Father / Footfall To The Path / Hunting My Dress / Outside Of Eden / Red White And Black / All Time Low / Born To / Passage’s End / Shoulder Charger (encore)
Tue, 19 Nov 2019 | VIENNA | VA | JAMMIN’ JAVA |
Wed, 20 Nov 2019 | PHILADELPHIA | PA | BOOT & SADDLE |
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 | NEW YORK | NY | THE MERCURY LOUNGE |
Sat, 23 Nov 2019 | BOSTON | MA | CITY WINERY BOSTON |