To coincide with their new monthly residency on the MDR airwaves, Where Are The Girl Bands? offer us a monthly glimpse into what they’ve been up to and what’s caught their attention over the past 30 days…
Walking down the road between Hamilton Square and Bloom Building on a stormy Wednesday night I found myself feeling like I was in a story book. I was accompanied on my journey by the wildest winds and a colour soaked sunset filling the sky that set the mood perfectly for an evening filled with magic, arriving at the doors of Bloom like an old world traveller arriving at a safe and cosy lodge.
Teah Lewis and Hallworth are two musicians setting out on their aptly named Big Adventure Tour across the UK and we as Where are the Girlbands were lucky enough to host them on their first night! Of course the gig was to take place at our favourite place, Bloom Building in Birkenhead. There is no cosier or inviting a space on a rainy Wednesday evening than the fairy-lit venue filled with painted walls and lovely people, and so it made for the perfect background to welcome these two wonderful musicians to Merseyside for the first time! We have been speaking to Teah for a long time as she runs her own events in Sheffield under the name ‘Boxie’, creating gigs with similar aims to our own; safety, accessibly and good vibes. Alongside being a facilitator, Teah is also an enchanting singer songwriter, crafting tales through folk-like melodies and so it was such an honour and a joy to finally meet Teah in real life (after many long and winding talks over zoom) and what better a way to do so than collaborating on a gig.
When thinking of local support acts to fill out the evening and introduce some sweet scouse talent to the Sheffield and south London occupied stage one person immediately came to mind: Evie Moran. Evie is someone who we have been longing to get on a line up. With her ethereal vocals and introspective lyrics Evie is an acoustic artist of dreams. And so when Evie confirmed she could perform, the night was set to be an absolute dream!
With winds wrapping around Blooms beautifully painted walls and rain wrapping gently on the sky light as if to ask to come in and listen, Evie took to the stage first. When thinking about how to describe Evie’s performance the first word to come to mind was goosebumps. As Evie began her set I felt completely lost in the sound of her voice, strong in its delivery of notes, its confidence in skilfully playing around with sound and emotion, but so delicate and ethereal in its feeling and tone…Evie’s voice is truly like no other. Dressed in overalls and a billowing shirt Evie’s presence on the stage was straight out of a fairy-tale. I could convince myself I was being serenaded to in some woodland scene, immersed in mysticality as Evie moved between originals and covers, each a real treat to listen to. The accompaniment of her guitar feels just right, a fitting companion to the delicate vocals and lyrics that feel like they’ve fallen out of a dream diary and right into your palms as they are delivered by the most finely crafted melodies. My favourite song of Evie’s so far is her single ‘Dream’ that was born from the otherworldly situation of lockdown. When listening to the release back in 2021 I felt that this was the song to make you feel that you’ve finally ascended from the lonely planet of indoors towards something heavenly, and so finally hearing it in person with all of the sounds of outdoors in attendance was a really beautiful feeling.
Next up we had Teah Lewis who took to the stage with her trusty guitar and a whole lifetime of tales. What I loved about Teah’s set was how she built a narrative throughout, telling the audience in candid tones the origins of each piece and naturally drifting into song where the story continued to play out musically. So many of Teah’s songs feel soaked in sunshine and memory with lyrics Joanie Mitchell would be proud of. As Teah recounted moments of friendship and travel and love and despair I felt the sensation of warmth and release, like stretching our your toes in warm, golden sand or smelling the gentle smell of spring and softly cut grass. Each song spun around the audience, weaving you into the tapestry of folk tales straight from Teah’s mind, from lighthouse lovers to the unconventional joys of a travelling band, you were constantly enthralled by the stories being sung and the gorgeous melodies they were carried through.
Last up on the stage was the wonderful Hallworth. Having travelled all the way from London to Birkenhead in the midst of the storm the last slot of the night felt like it was a much anticipated rounding up of the day, settling down into the reflective reveries of Hallworth’s songs. Stood under the glow of Bloom’s pink and red lights Hallworth’s stage presence felt like it could belong in the personal space of a bedroom, the pink ambience reminiscent of heart shaped fairy lights dotted around collaged walls and teenage memories. Hallworth makes the kind of music that belongs in coming of age films. Filled with the hopeful passion of youth and the nostalgic knowing of growing up. This is music to find yourself in, and in the personable warmth of Bloom it was so easy to feel seen and to see Hallworth and all of the complex decisions, thoughts and experiences laid out in her songs.
To find more of these wonderful artists check out @evie.moran @teah_lewis and @hallworthmusic on Instagram. Each artist also has music available on Spotify and Bandcamp!
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