Photo by Luke Brennan (Website | Instagram)
I hadn’t seen Josie Beth up until her debut headline show at Rough Trade Nottingham last Friday, but I had big expectations for the now London-based artist. I was told that she was a vocal powerhouse and an extremely talented musician in many ways, and just how right this was. Her set had a chilled and reflective atmosphere, which was amplified by her supporting band of six very talented people, two of which were the support acts for the night, Dorothy Ella and Leah Wilcox.
Dorothy Ella
Starting off the night was Dorothy Ella, one of the busiest people on the Nottingham and Derby music scene. Whether it’s releasing new music, or performing at a gig or open mic, she seems to be everywhere this year.
Her opening set utilised her trademark disco-pop sound, combined with her bubbly and charismatic personality, making for a fantastic 30 minutes. What really shone through here was her musicianship, with a truly fantastic, high-energy sound crafted from just her vocals, her acoustic guitar and some reverb. Absolutely incredible to see, and showing how much simplicity can pay off.
The highlight of this set was the finale, in which she invited Gordon Parma up to the stage to sing their excellent, recently-released collaboration, Thunder. Dorothy’s voice alone is a thing of beauty in itself, but combined with the pure soul and deep-seated euphoria in Gordon’s voice made for a truly special, goosebump-inducing feel. 30 minutes doesn’t really do Dorothy’s talent and well-crafted musicianship justice, but those 30 minutes were absolutely brilliant.
Leah Wilcox
Second up was Leah Wilcox, alongside her band, with a guest appearance from Dorothy on backing vocals. A resounding and soulful voice, accompanied by punchy songs expertly delivered by her band made her performance complete, and allowed Leah to truly go off.
A slightly rockier, yet very contemporary pop-centric sound truly complements her voice, and every song feels a testament to just how good Leah is at balancing well-crafted music and her raw, powerful vocals.
The 30-minute set never gave up the pure frontal force of Leah and the band, and was amplified when Leah and her bassist got into the pit for a section, showing their commitment to provide a fun and truly engaging show.
The set’s highlight was a rendition of Leah’s latest single Blue; a roaring yet charismatic performance that was captivating, and also a huge earworm. Leah is one hell of a talented musician, only amplified by her band’s presence, and is certainly a must-see on the local scene.
Josie Beth
Now, finally, the night’s headliner. From my understanding Josie now resides in London, but keeps a special place for the scene in her old university town Nottingham, as reflected by her choice to do the first show of her headline tour here. I’m so glad she did, as her set was just wonderful in every way.
With a seven-strong band, including herself, and both Dorothy and Leah as her backing singers, this set was incredible all the way through. This had a more indie pop-leaning sound, echoing the likes of Beabadoobee, Tia Gostelow, or Willow, but with a really earnest, vibrant feel. Josie’s angelic voice carried across every song, her tones reflecting everything from inner vulnerability to happiness, and showed the true range of her music.
However, three songs in came the best song of the set, for me, Gloria. This song is emotional, yet driven and powerful, done in the vein of Phoebe Bridgers. Josie’s honest vocals were only added to by her skillful guitar playing, appearing completely seamless as her voice ebbed and flowed over lines expressing loss and care. Huge credit to her drummer too, who, on this song, really put his all into providing a secure, yet unique backbone on which the rest of the band and Josie herself could rely on. This song showcased everything Josie is: an extremely talented indie pop force, who isn’t at all afraid to show it.
Josie’s supporting band is another thing of beauty in her set. Having the two support acts join her added insanely polished backup vocals, crafting intricately-layered harmonies which greatly blessed the speaker system. The three differing voices came together to provide a truly beautiful and unique aspect to Josie’s sound. Another really special part of Josie’s band was her keyboardist, who is also her brother. This family link adds a really heart-warming another layer to this already amazing performance.
For her first ever headline show, which I can not believe at all, Josie absolutely killed it, and she 100% is a huge person to watch out for on the scene. I can not recommend her enough!