FIFTY3FRIDAYS: A NIGHT AT THE BEDFORD
Updated: 4 minutes ago
Fifty3Fridays takes a break from its regular format today to review a marvellous evening in the iconic Club Room at The Bedford, Balham last Tuesday. It’s been a while since I curated a show here but it is always such a welcoming place; a shining beacon for independent music. It is a venue to which people come to listen rather than talk over the music and are encouraged to stay for the whole show. The lovely circular space decked with a narrow balcony reminds you of an Elizabethan theatre while the sound system expertly helmed by resident sound man Richard Hunt gives artists a perfect live platform to hone their craft.
Many successful acts have stepped on The Bedford’s boards en route to greater fame - Ed Sheeran, Lola Young, Sam Smith, London Grammar and more. Whenever I put a show on here, I set out to showcase artists worthy to follow in similar footsteps. Tonight was no exception as we welcomed an admirable trio of performers – Surbiton resident Alex Hall aka City Limits, Brighton’s Dear People and South East London’s Mia Wilks.
All the photos from The Bedford are kindly by GREEN GREEN
Opening the show aptly with a song endorsing her love of music, “Everything And More”, 18-year-old wunderkind Mia Wilks got the evening off to the brightest of start. Her command of both high and low registers was a feature of this song and indeed the whole set. Ably accompanied by guitarist Lucas Hill, himself not yet 18, Mia told us she’d been writing songs for the past 6 years. Covid lockdowns must have acted as a catalyst, leading her to build an impressive repertoire and growing a quiet confidence to show her songs off to the world. The next song, “Woollen Rug”, showcased her exceptional vocal tone as she sang about the comfort of home as a place to step out of without fear, knowing you can safely return if plans go awry.
As the set developed, Mia’s versality became increasingly apparent. While “Woollen Rug” was closer to classic singer-songwriter territory, it was followed by “Sunshine” with a summery LA vibe – in the introduction Mia referenced her trip to LA last summer where she met up with US singer and vocal coach Stevie Mackey – and then “Masterpiece” by contrast showed hallmarks of a torch song. Lucas, who mixed up his guitar accompaniments with dexterity throughout the set, next switched to electric guitar for “Supernova”, a song about finding that one special person in life which Mia confessed was a personal favourite. Her latest release, “Drive” - a paean to keeping going with quiet determination inspired by a time aged just 8 when Mia was told by a music teacher that she couldn’t sing – became the ultimate riposte and a set highlight.
It was impressive how Mia mixed things up. Vocally, R&B stylings characterised “Falling”, while love and loss themes in “Hush” had a country flavour and thoughts about negotiating life’s pitfalls were given a soulful treatment in “180°.” The set hit another peak with the irresistible closing song, “L.Y.A”, an empowering put-down of a lying ex and a rallying call to have the courage to walk away. Though much inspired by personal experience, many of Mia’s songs could be written for someone else which is why they come across as so relatable. It’s a major strength which I am sure will carry her to far bigger stages in time. Certainly, she completely won over tonight’s audience.
Next up was Dear People, the stage name of Brighton-based Bex Green. A classically trained pianist, Bex studied music performance and composition, pursuing her love for writing for film and TV. The name of her solo project, Dear People, was inspired by those boxes of old photos you can come across in charity shops and celebrates the common humanity and shared emotions which connects all those pictured though now anonymised. Her debut EP came out in March. Having written her songs on a classic Bontempi AZ 9000 synthesizer keyboard and recorded them using some vintage equipment, it was intriguing to see how she would reproduce her sound live.
Any misgivings were pretty much silenced as Dear People opened with “Somebody (nearly)”. Combining live keyboard/synth playing with pre-recorded tracks to provide backing layers and topping it all with a soaring high vocal, a full rich sound filled the room from the opening bars. The song seems to be about missing out on life’s opportunities yet has an underlying brightness that conveys future hope. Bex announced that the next song, “Deep Breath”, was written in lockdown and was an attempt to find some peace in all the chaos. It is an emotive and haunting piece which brought a tear to my eye.
It was followed by a new song “Borderline” yet to be released, written in response to difficult times experienced by people very close to her and to show them love. With shades of Imogen Heap, Bex employed a second microphone to create an ethereal duet with herself. It was a striking effect in a very moving song. It was then back to the second half of the EP with “I Don’t Know” echoing with deep synth sounds and trapo beats. Lyrically it comes across as a cry for help out of a desperate place, unfolding to point to a place of hope where she can be heard and issues resolved. The shimmering beauty of the song on record was matched by the majesty of hearing it played live. Vocally Bex delivered it with nicely weighted light and shade. All through the set, her personality really shone and she managed any small equipment glitches calmly and with humour.
The set concluded with “Anna”, chronicling the things she wished she’d said to someone very special and the last of the 4 tracks from the EP aired tonight; a touching song again beautifully voiced and sympathetically arranged. We were drinking in the morning sun metaphorically as Dear People finished up with an affectionate take on Elbow’s anthem, “One Day Like This”, playing the opening theme on a melodica. I am sure Guy Garvey would have approved and certainly our audience appreciated the skill Bex employed to create her on-stage sound. This was the first time she has played these songs to a live audience and, endorsed by a really positive audience response, she did a great job.
Tonight’s headliner, Surbiton-based singer-songwriter-producer, AFC Bournemouth superfan and musical maestro Alex Hall aka City Limits has worked strenuously to grow his fanbase on digital platforms. Joined by Jarred White on drums, Alex presented a different sound set-up to the last time he played here. Jarred’s fine percussion brought a real immediacy to things while Alex confined himself to guitar and trumpet with some pre-recorded backing worked in judiciously. He began with a self-congratulatory announcement that his opening song “Hanging By A Thread” had notched up 65k streams since April. A great achievement with zero budget and maybe an excuse this time to blow his own trumpet; musically speaking, of course, he’s very good at that!
The opener followed by recent singles “Nightmares” and “Ghost” all share a drum and bass heritage and were hallmarked by Alex’s smooth vocal delivery and clear diction. “Hanging By A Thread” came across as a candid, at times painful examination of a terminated relationship, underlined by its refined trumpet coda. The electronic flavour of “Ghost” was blended with uplifting energy and trademark emotion, capturing the sense of watching someone slowly disappear from your life. The upcoming release from City Limits, “Start Again”, next equally impressed on a first listen.
“The Pear Tree” signalled a change of mood and style. Alex credited the song with landing him his biggest gig ever, at a TEDx talk. He used to describe this song as “a haunting, cinematic meditation on life, love, and loss” which is pretty much what it is. He wasn’t having it on the night but the post-rock label I suggested is still pretty apt. The song has a sweeping grandeur to it that puts me in mind of the much-missed London collective, Revere. “The Pear Tree” was richly and poignantly delivered tonight.
A run of three songs brought the evening to an agreeable conclusion. I always love hearing “Pterodactyl”. The way it blends the everyday and the surreal is much like in dreams where you can find the mundane rubbing shoulders with odd bursts of insight. It is a delightfully nostalgic and whimsical song, replete with a splendid trumpet solo, and it got a great reception this evening. Alex and Jarred were then joined by a sax player for “Backburner”, a brooding tale of two people at a crossroads with a cinematic soul flavour and a touch of George Michael about it. Maybe that was the sax. “Better Days Are Coming” made for a suitably optimistic closer to end a wonderfully judged set.
Congratulations to all tonight’s acts – City Limits, Dear People and Mia Wilks – who all truly raised a standard for independent music.
You can watch the whole show back on The Bedford’s YouTube channel here, fast forwarding the blank bits between sets and even muting those pesky announcements by your compere for the evening. Or for a faster fix, watch here now.
