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For every artist we decided to catch at SXSW, we decided to review each performance with our own version of “Five Ws and One H” answering the questions: 1) Who are they, 2) What kind of music do they play, 3) When did they play, 4) Where are they from, 5) Why did we decide to catch them play and 6), How was their performance.
FOR OUR COMPLETE SXSW COVERAGE CLICK HERE!
WHO: Celia Pavey p/k/a “Vera Blue” who earned fame as one of the final 3 on Australia’s version of the “The Voice”.
WHAT: A mix of folk and electronica.
WHEN: 3/14/2017 @ Swan Dive.
WHERE: Forbes, Australia.
WHY: Have you ever heard her single “Hold”? It’s an amazingly grand track. Oh … by the way … this performance at SXSW would be her first show EVER in America. So, there was that.
HOW: Wow. Vera Blue was spectacular. She sounded spectacular. As good live as she sounds on her records. Her performance felt almost too big for the venue. Her music, which soars with huge, emotional hooks and vocals, filled the room and had spectators listening with their mouths agape.
What makes Vera Blue’s music stand out from the rest is how she is able to seamlessly combing folk melodies with huge electronic production. I’ve heard others try to meld those two genres in the past, but Vera Blue simply nails it. That alone, makes her music worthy of a listen.
But there’s also something indescribable in the timbre of her voice that makes her performance so magical. Her soprano voice is so pure and angelic, yet at the same time powerful and fierce. Whether it floats above, or pushes through, melodies over the heavy electronic production that supports her, it’s nearly impossible not to be lured into her musical web by her pristine vocals. I was amazed, and literally held my breath, each time she crescendoed into one of those huge hooks.
I’m willing to wager that if she has a couple new emotional bangers, like “Hold”, on her forthcoming album, she won’t be playing in small venues like Swan Dive any time soon. I’ll make that bet any day.
Follow Vera Blue on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
FOR OUR COMPLETE SXSW COVERAGE CLICK HERE!
If an image below is pixelated, please click through the “view full size” link for a better view.
LIVE CLIPS
Vera Blue @ SXSW 3/14/17. Stay tuned for my photo gallery and thoughts to get posted on @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/YjM8aPxVbJ
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 3, 2017
