JANE WEAVER + LUCY GOOCH – CHALK, BRIGHTON 6.2.22
British experimental pop icon Jane Weaver took to the CHALK courtesy of local concert promoters ‘Love Thy Neighbour‘ in order to celebrate the release of her 8th studio album ‘Flock’. This new release shows her brilliant whimsical song writing alongside the genuine themes of kindness, humour, and glamour that her fans have grown to love.
She describes this album as “an untested fusion of seemingly unrelated compounds fused into an eco-friendly hum; pop music for post-new-normal times. Created from elements that should never date, its pop music reinvented. Still prevalent are the cosmic sounds, but it is a natural rebellion to the recent releases which sees her decidedly move away from conceptual roots in favour of writing pop music..”
With this description I was beyond excited to see how this experimental style would be performed on stage, with an early doors time of 7pm the room quickly filled up with fans eagerly waiting for the night to kick off.
To start the night was Bristol based solo singer and musician Lucy Gooch, who was previously included in the Pitchfork top electronic music list of 2021. She dropped her ‘Rain’s Break’ EP last June, but copies can still be purchased HERE.
Her half an hour set began as what is described by her fans as “Ambient dream pop,” using just her voice, a laptop and a synthesiser Lucy filled the room with angelic ambient back-to-back tunes.
As there were very few gaps or speaking between each song, the 38 minute was completely uninterrupted and held the audience’s attention to the point of silence between songs as the crowd stared back at her in awe.
Find out more at www.lucygooch.com
Next to the stage was headline act Jane Weaver. Backed by a 4-piece band made up of
guitar, keys, drums, and bass alongside Jane’s vocals, keys, and tambourine.
The 15-song set began with album track ‘Pyramid Schemes’, highlighting her electric energy as she danced across the stage and engaged with the crowd. This led into following tracks ‘Stages Of Phrases’ and ‘Slow Motion’.
As the set progressed it was clear Jane’s Northern charm and humour had won the crowd over, as she spoke to audience members individually creating an intimate atmosphere.
A highlight of the set was newest single ‘Solarised’ which saw guitarist Joel take over the keys bringing a more electronic dance feel to the set.
The night also included the option to buy one of their limited-edition EPs on vinyl from the merch stand, including second to last track ‘Don’t Tell Me I’m Wrong’. After expressing her dislike towards encores, as they just “Take far too long” the set came to an abrupt end with the song ‘I Need A Connection’.
You can Catch Jane Weaver and her band on the remainder of their tour, next travelling to Nottingham and Newcastle.
Check out Jane’s albums on Bandcamp HERE and HERE.
For further information, visit janeweavermusic.com
