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Gig Review - Kerri Watt with support from Lauren Rycroft at Hyde Park Book Club



Scottish born singer-songwriter Kerri Watt performed an intimate acoustic gig on Tuesday night at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds.


Kicking the night off was local singer, Lauren Rycroft, who's angelic soprano voice immediately charmed the audience. Her vocal tone was similar to the likes of Janet Devlin or Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (Of Monsters and Men), resonating  a sweet, nymph-like lullaby throughout the venue.


Her opening track, 'Waters of Life', immediately captivated the room with her endearing yet bold voice. Her vocal range was impressive - the foundations of all her tracks had a sincere, soft warmth, which would be effortlessly elevated to an emotive, powerful cry, giving her music a gorgeous depth.




The highlight of her set was her original song "Paint the Skies", which best highlighted her lyrical flair. As a whole, her lyrics channel very feminine and fantastical imagery and allude to gothic and pastoral influences, but 'Paint the Skies' was the most evocative and effective of the lot.

The chorus orientated around the lines: "When an artist dies, do they paint the skies, When an artist dies, do they paint the sunrise?". Coupled with delicate finger-picked guitar, it was a really charming ballad.

She closed her set with a rendition of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. Although nobody could ever match Stevie Knicks, Rycroft performed the song beautifully and had the whole room swaying along to her serenade.

Shortly after, Kerri Watt took to the stage, followed by her percussionist and backing singer Eloise Davies. There was a wonderful dynamic between the two of them, their voices and playing wove together in a really lovely and fluid manner.

She opened her set with 'Who's lovin' me now', a love song that showcased her skilled and original songwriting ability. Watt frequently incorporates witty lines or rhymes into her songs, which coupled with her amicable stage presence, gives her performance a refreshing and engaging edge.




The intensity and vulnerability of Watt's performance was stunning. She explained the backstory of her songs and really opened up to the audience, making it easily one of the most intimate gigs I've been to. She made direct eye contact with the whole room, making you feel like she was singing especially for you, which made every lyric so relatable and sincere.

Her song 'Wondering Kind' had the greatest impact. After sharing a wonderfully candid and sweet story about her long-distance relationship, Watt serenaded the room with a prepossessing ballad. The song's lyrics, in particular the line: "I'll draw a map on my hand and wherever I am, I'll find a way back into your arms", were just stunning and left the whole room in awe.

Watt then indulged in a fun rendition of 'Let the Good Times Roll', handing out various percussion instruments that she'd collected in Brighton Market to the audience. It added a fun, quirky twist to her set, and the crowd definitely enjoyed getting involved.


Overall, the evening was a superb display of two very talented singers. Both Rycroft and Watt are immensely talented and know how to charm a crowd. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Rycroft in the local music scene and I shall be keeping an eye out for Watt's debut album (which is set to be released in 2018).



FOLLOW KERRI WATT



FOLLOW LAUREN RYCROFT



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