EMILY CAPELL + GINA LARNER – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 25.11.21
Before being assigned this particular artist to review, I was completely ignorant of the very existence of Emily Capell, and my life was considerably poorer as a result. Emily is an extraordinarily talented singer, guitarist and songwriter. She has been making music for around ten years, and I am absolutely astounded that I haven’t heard of her before.
However, before we get to enjoy Emily’s aural delights, we are entertained by her support Gina Larner. Gina graduated from university the day before with a 1st in Music, and the expertise that this implies is very obvious from both her material and performance.
She has a beautifully clear and strong voice, but also has a strong sense of dynamics, literally from a whisper to a scream. She is a local musician (from Preston Park) and has brought a strong contingent of supporters with her. Her songs are tuneful and memorable, and are available on Spotify! All in all, Gina’s music is very impressive indeed, and is well worth investigating.
Emily Capell, is a bit of a shock to the system. Live she hits you right between the eyes. There is no ignoring Emily and her band. Not only are they superb musicians, they’re really funny too. They have a hilarious collective sense of humour, which funny as it is, at no point detracts from the music.
First song ‘What Do I Know’, is apparently new, and immediately after it a cardboard cut-out of Jesse Lingard is brought onstage. This is a reference to ‘I Found A Footballer To Marry Me’, her first single from her debut album ‘Combat Frock’. Emily plays a number of new songs tonight, including ‘Mr Flashman’, which makes me very much look forward to her next album.
Emily’s lyrics are both witty and profound. ‘No Worries’ is a song about people who wear band t-shirts, but don’t know who the band is. I particularly liked the following lyric from ‘Ipso Calypso’: “Your boyfriend’s cool but I’ve seen him drive a Skoda, Stop! Someone’s just run him over!” After this lyric the guitar does a passable impression of a police car siren.
She clearly has a keen appreciation and knowledge of classic pop and rock music. For example, ‘Twisting On The Waves’ is about Sam Cooke, whilst Brixton Prison is a clear tribute to Johnny Cash.
Emily’s band are apparently all called Peter, and she refers to them as The Three Pete Suite. When she does introduce her band, she introduces them as members of the Kardashian family.
Her final song, ‘Ode To Uncle Moz’, is about Morrissey’s apparent racist tendencies, the #MeToo movement and much else besides. It is a pertinent snapshot of much that is wrong with modern life.
Emily Capell is, in my humble opinion, a major artist in the making. I literally can find nothing to criticise in her material or performance. I would advise you dear reader, to catch Emily while you can, for I don’t think that she’ll be playing venues this small for much longer.
Emily Capell setlist:
‘What Do I Know’ (New song)
‘Ipso Calypso’
‘No Worries’
‘Mr Flashman’ (New song)
‘I Found A Footballer To Marry Me’
‘Twisting On The Waves’
‘Pinching And Itching’
‘Only You’ (Yazoo cover) (New song)
‘Brixton Prison’
‘Bombs To The Beatles’
‘Jump Back’ (New song)
‘101 Walterton Road’
‘Bonanza’
(encore)
‘Rapture’ (Blondie cover)
‘Joey’
‘Ode to Uncle Moz’ (Solo)
For further information on Emily Capell, visit the official website www.emilycapell.co.uk and check out her YouTube Channel HERE.
