On one plane, the music of Toria Wooff serenely drifts across the misty West Lancashire Moors. On another, she is playing Dead Wax in an inner city district of Birmingham on a Friday night. In one world her gorgeous ethereal sound permeates the skin of an attentive listener. In another, it has to compete with sound gremlins turning a speaker into a Neil Young tribute. Good music wins the day as this singer-songwriter from Horwich near Bolton accrued a new posse of fans in the midst of a debut show in Birmingham.
Dead Wax is one of those places that has re-invented Digbeth as a burgeoning hub in Birmingham’s nightlife scene. Live music spills out of multiple spaces inside the venue with Toria Wooff offered an outside covered yard warmed by the odd heater dotted around. Following an inauspicious entry, a spacious setting comfortably accommodated those seeking a new artist whose ripples have increased since the release of a self-titled debut album. The show served affirmation of an emerging talent alongside the odd surprise. All in an evening’s pursuit of flourishing music away from the often superficial bright lights.
This gig was part of a short nationwide tour aimed at further spreading the word of an artist pulling her gothic tendencies in a folky direction while inadvertently attracting the acute ears of Americana followers. From a similar pool of aspiring talent, David Gorman was invited to open each show and instantly demonstrated what a fine singer-songwriter he is. The biggest compliment is a cover of Blink-182’s ‘All the Same Things’ was inferior to most of his originals. All the parts of an enjoyable set were in place including the crucial knack of keeping you engaged for three and a half minutes with appealing songs ‘Hourglass’ was the pick from the opening few numbers, with new single ‘Darlin’’ shaping up well as the half hour set came to a close. No albums yet but plenty of songs available on the streaming channels. An artist to watch out for and no powerpoint in sight from this David Gorman.
Toria Wooff came on stage around a quarter to nine and luckily didn’t have to compete too much with the anticipated loud rock bands elsewhere in the venue. Apart from the odd weird noise from her right hand speaker, the style, sound and emotively packaged songs came across well. The turnout swelled to a reasonable gathering for an unknown artist in a big city on a Friday night, and it would be tough for anyone with a spark of interest leaving without a good impression.
The 70-minute set was filled with two phases of a career to date. From the debut album released in March on Sloe Flower Records, a stunning version of ‘Lefty’s Motel Room’ was an early standout. The divine ‘Mountains’ expressed the depth of its eminence mid-performance as a song born to send shivers. The final three tracks mirrored the way the album closes and you will travel a long way to hear such a sublime trio as ‘That’s What Falling in Love Will Do’, ‘See Things Through’ and ‘Estuaries’ sending you sweetly into the evening air.
The other phase is the exciting prospect of a new album nearing completion. The strength of songs off the first album meant the new ones will take time to bed in but they wholeheartedly contain the Toria Wooff trademark craft and will weave their own magic over time. ‘House on the Hill’ was the pick from those heard and demonstrated the breadth of theme inspiration. Anything ghostly, dark and evocative fires the writing bug while feeding into an identity and the way the songs filter to audiences. Solo is the current stage format for Toria Wooff but ample potential exists to expand and bring some of the enhanced production sounds evident on the record to the stage especially the haunting pedal steel.
Fine music lurks in the backwaters of any music scene with artists like Toria Wooff and David Gorman awaiting discovery. Anyone choosing a live music fix at Dead Wax in Digbeth this Friday found a couple of gems parading a slice of esteemed songwriting.
