The Lounge Live at Beckview presents livestreamed music events with a live audience in the studio. We popped along for a specially curated HullMusic.Net Takeover taking place on Thursday 27th February, featuring some of Hull’s superb original artists, Tom Kay, Amelia Quinn and The Froot.
Follow a trail of fairy lights to the rear of Beckview Studios and you enter a large kitchen waiting area, replete with hot beverages and chilled, fruited water in lidded mason jar cups. After being greeted and giving your onboarding information by studio co-owner Kristina, you can wait, mingle, and watch the monitor to see interviewer Beth Pilling chatting to some of the evening’s acts, or footage from previous Lounge Live events, whilst awaiting the commencement of this evening’s sets.
Once inside the lounge – a cosy, tardis-like space beset with tungsten bulbs, fairy lights and stylish soundproofing – Jim Taylor acts as host, reminds us all of the rules of this live recording session, and introduces the first act to the assembled audience and online home viewers. This evening has been curated by HullMusic.net, a community and platform helping people in Hull grow in the music industry; and we are set to witness solo artist Tom Kay; Amelia Quinn and two-fifths of her band; and four-piece The Froot.
Tom Kay apologetically but humourously informs us that his songs are all quite sad or depressing; certainly, they are of the soul-rending type, but they come with a steady streak of optimism. The guitar playing and vocals mesh in achingly emotional harmony; but the squeakiest water bottle in the world provides levity as an unintended additional instrument. Tom’s voice, with just a hint of echo on the mic, is resonant and timbrous.
There is a beautiful song written about this daughter which speaks for itself in performance. Chatting to Tom later between the other sets, he gives some more backstory and explains that he used to tell the tale onstage but found it hard not to become emotional. There is depth and truth in Tom’s work, and whether he chooses to explain them or not, emotional connection to his songs is easy to come by; there are more than a few audience members who identify with the depths of feeling here.
After a recess and return to the kitchen holding area, we are welcomed back in for Amelia Quinn, who states that her songs are all quite sad, too; but she also admits there is some anger in her songs, and as we soon learn, there is also much power. This artist, backed by the guitarist and keyboard player from her usual 5-piece band, has an amazing vocal ability, and the emotive quality of her expressions and performance are remarkable. She plays guitar herself for about half of the set, and in others focuses solely on the singing; one of the latter renditions, Rose Tinted Glasses, is, despite the hint of pink in the title, a deliciously bluesy track with vibrant vocals.
There is at times the feeling with Amelia’s music of either being on holiday, or perhaps reliving a holiday romance – there’s sunshine and starlight in amongst the indignation and ire. Apricity is a track, she explains, named for the feeling of winter sun on your skin, which seems to sum up the themes and tones appropriately. There are nods to 90’s indie but Amelia feels like an artist very much for the now – offering an attitude of resilience and strength blended with warmth and humility, the songs and the performances feel fresh and unparalleled.
There is another break to the kitchen before the third and final set kicks off. The Froot have a vintage vibe, psychedelic prog in full force. Many of their tracks are instrumental, dancing that delightful tightrope between feeling like inventive improvisation and being intricately plotted and planned. When they do add lyrics, the two guitarist-vocalists complement each other with differing styles, contrasting whispery and deep tones. On early track, God, the spoken word-style and screamed vocals hit you in the jugular.
The set they offer is playful at times, vehement at others; undulating rhythms and mind-bending ruminations fit perfectly under what the band themselves describe as ‘dreamgaze’ – blending dream pop and shoegaze; shoes that more naturally might be gazed at in a dark, sticky-floored nightclub, which they mention is their usual sort of venue; quite different to this intimate, personal sort of experience in the Beckview Lounge. As much as you, dear reader, missed out if you didn’t witness them live – there’s nothing to quite match the live experience – you can enjoy the entire trio of sets from tonight on Beckview’s YouTube channel; and you’d do well to check out some of The Froot’s own music videos, particularly the charming I Don’t Know Why, directed by Victoria Smith.
The band and their music have a magnetic, hypnotic quality; with complements and contrasts between the acts, this sampling of some of Hull’s finest has given a finite but glinting glimpse of the variety and talent hailing from the Humber. HullMusic.Net offer support and advice to help people grow within the music industry, and as a sampler of their work, this line-up has presented a tantalising overview.
Links:
Watch the entire Lounge Live at Beckview stream
HullMusic.Net Website : Instagram : Facebook
Beckview Studios Website : Instagram : Facebook
Tom Kay Bandcamp : Instagram : Facebook
