Short but (bitter)sweet sums up a mesmerising Rozi Plain set at Rough Trade East.
Listening to the live stream of the new record I wasn’t sure if this gig was going to grab me, but as soon as I heard the first minute of the sound check for this short set I found myself cradling a copy of the new CD in my arms.
Unsurprisingly for an in-store performance, this was a 30 minute preview of songs from the new Rozi Plain album: Friend. The only exception tonight was Humans, taken from 2012’s Joined Sometimes Unjoined. Maybe I hadn’t really been in the mood for the new album when I first heard it as I felt unsure whether it would translate well to a live environment. However, whereas you can detach yourself and drift off while listening to the album, when you see Plain on stage in such an intimate setting you can’t help but be captivated.
It’s the unusual mix of electronica blended with folky charm and Plain’s deliciously sweet vocals that gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling, despite the sadness in her lyrics. First song Actually opens with ‘It will be reported to be a difficult year, a tumultuous year’, which sets the scene for a set of songs full of heartbreak and coming to terms and living with what has happened – ‘don’t get over it, this is actually it’. The lyrics may be mournful but they are delivered with a voice dripping with honey that sometimes becomes barely a whisper. This is definitely bittersweet at it’s best.
Photo: © Rhiannon Ormerod
I wasn’t sure how much energy Plain’s live performance would have as the album is so sublimely laid back in parts, but second song Jogalong was upbeat and caused a fair bit of swaying and head nodding in the small crowd. In fact, a strength in her songwriting is Plain’s ability to effortlessly change pace mid-song. In Best Team there are instrumental crescendos that fade back to muted guitars, so that you always feel like you’re on the verge of the music soaring upwards and not returning. Plain seems to use her voice as an instrument as she repeats and merges words until they lose meaning.
Despite all the whistles and electronic sounds that sound like something out of the Clangers TV series, the set reminds me of Belle & Sebastian – straddling that line between chilled-out late night listening and uplifting music to be blasted loud in the sunshine. Apart from that, it’s difficult to compare her to anyone else. This feels unique and it’s bewitching.
Plain notes they will be playing “millions of places I’ve never played before” over the coming months. I would recommend turning up to these shows ready to be enthralled and with cash in your pocket for the album as, after her set, I doubt you’ll be willing to go home empty handed.
Photo: © Rhiannon Ormerod
Set list
Actually
Jogalong
Quarry
Humans
Best Team
Rearrange
Friend City