Prior to the gig, I’d done a little research on the act I was about to see and going against every rule of “New Music” I’d made assumptions that she was a pretty, American, folk singer with a bit of rock twisted in her tracks; she looked and sounded promising but nothing to rave about. I was wrong. I left the gig with a new favourite artist for 2010.
Following a peaceful, sibling folk-harmony trio on stage called “Staves”, Lissie approached the small yet atmospheric crowd with an undeniable presence. She looked like a hippie, a cool hippie, with a freckly face and summery blonde hair. She had an electric guitar draped effortlessly over her shoulder and seemed comfortable engaging with the crowd.
Her vocal talent is undeniable with such an amazing vocal range and amazing pitch, she soulfully purrs and tunefully roars over great riffs and beats. She manages to be sultry and husky on slower tracks and belt the louder tunes with ease. Alongside her on stage were 2 cool-looking bandmates, one with dreadlocks (Eric Sullivan) on lead guitar and Lewis Keller, sat down with a bass guitar and a small percussion set at his feet. This set-up seemed a new concept but it worked perfectly. There was no need for a full drumkit; the sound of the guitars, kick drum and hi-hat bellowed seamlessly around the intimate setting of the Academy 2. There managed to be slower, quieter songs followed by real crescendos and toe-tapping tracks.
Lissie was friendly and interactive with the crowd, engaging us in polite, rhetorical conversation before playing her compact yet fulfilling set. She told us how she had recently come to love the work of Kid Cudi and planned to do a cover of his track “Pursuit of Happiness”, which, despite my instant trepidation, was amazing. Being a completely different genre to the one she is used to, the track shouldn’t necessarily have worked, but it did. It sounded as if she had written it herself and she took such enjoyment from performing it.
There were TV screens dotted about the Academy 2, with cameras fixed on centre stage, so when a tall, bushy haired male slid in front of me, blocking my view of the stage, I found myself watching the screens in awe. Lissie looked so comfortable and relaxed and a real natural performer. She’s already supported City & Colour (Dallas Green’s (of Alexisonfire) acoustic side-project) and this gig was in support of Joshua Radin so she’s clearly made a name for herself amongst fellow artists in the USA, I just hope she can do the same this side of the pond.
Lissie’s comparisons probably fall along the lines of Laura Marling, with force. A similar vocal to that of Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Courtney Love and there is a likeness to the artist I interviewed a few weeks ago, Tiffany Page.
Her set was a hit with the crowd and I certainly felt like I could stand and listen to her all night. She was engaging, powerful and her songs are dead-sets for the summer. Whether you want an easy-listening track for a long drive in the car, a backing track to a summer BBQ with friends or just a happy-go-lucky sound for the weekend, Lissie is the artist you need this year.
She has songs on Spotify and her MySpace is a veritable font of material: http://www.myspace.com/lissiemusic and she has a well established Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/lissiemusic . One of her singles, “In Sleep”, is an amazing track and a live video can be found on her MySpace. Lissie is in the UK until May 31st so I highly recommend you check out her live dates on her MySpace and catch her live if you can! [J]
