The last gig diary post a couple of weeks ago looked at the factors for choosing to see an artist you are not too familiar with for the first time. That show paid off handsomely with a brand new introduction to the music of Rachel Croft. There was a little more substance when choosing to take in Daisy Chute's debut Birmingham show. First of all she was briefly caught live previously when playing a short concourse stage set at SummerTyne in 2019. Secondly, she appeared a couple of times on the multi-artist event streams witnessed during lockdown - namely Virtually Green Note and AMA UK Staying Connected. Finally, trusted sources had put forward her name as someone to check out.
Although Daisy has had a rich and varied music career for a few years, the two missing pieces from the perspective of some potential fans are getting around the country playing shows and putting out a full length solo album. The first of these was starting to be rectified with the current tour and we learned the second was in the pipeline for hopefully later in the year. This is not to say she has been inactive in promoting her solo material. EPs, singles, live streams and pop up shows have been liberally sprinkled accumulating a decent following highlighted in the turnout for her first appearance at the Kitchen Garden.
The audience appeared a mix of those taking a gamble on a new artist and plenty already in the know leading to an increased confidence to open the request lines. The latter probably emanated from the many interactive streams. There was also the decision to split her performance into two halves which meant the evening was extended with an opening act kicking things off. Also plenty of opportunities for perusing the merch table.
There was a last minute change to the opener due to the unavailability of Jessie Reid. In line with a local act being selected for each date of the tour, Birmingham based country singer Charlotte Young met the eleventh hour call and was afforded the chance to share her heartfelt life exploring songs in an acoustic format. A gutsy performance gave a brief hint of what she is capable with the highlight being a very good song titled 'On the Loose'. Checking out her EPs reveal a much more polished studio performance and she lodges in the modern realm of country music with echoes of her influences in Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. To add a different dimension she tossed a standard Johnny Cash cover into the set and you got the impression she could get a foothold in the national scene with praise from a variety of angles.
Genre is not something that defines Daisy Chute. A strained ear can detect a jazz background; she wanders into the world of folk, but doesn't stay too long and there are shades of Americana without being soaked in the sounds of that land. She does possess the key components to become an established performer commanding a loyal following. An inquisitive songwriter combines with a beautiful voice and engaging stage presence to mark out as an entertainer. Musically, she majors on guitar and was buzzing about her new addition, named appropriately on the evening. Banjo gets billed in her headlines, but this was only turned to a couple of times during the show. Both turns pretty good though.
Joining Daisy on stage was fellow performer Nick Ereaut. His prime role was playing stand up bass, but for a couple of songs during each set he took centre stage playing his own material via piano. His style was straight out of something from 1972 and thoroughly absorbing. He even casually mentioned Carole King and Paul McCartney, probably without the irony. We cannot leave without applauding the song 'Icarus' which even had some extended vocal parts for Daisy to enhance.
On the song front, Daisy started with a selection of songs from her 2021 EP SONGS OF SOLACE. The pick of these was 'Meet in the Middle'. Another impressive inclusion in the set list was off the latest EP where a selection of poems from Scottish female poets have been set to music. To show off Daisy's ability to co-write 'Music is There' was definitely in the best of the rest category. From the requests and set list there was little doubt that 'London's on Fire' would form part of the finale. Listening to this for the first time sensed that it was built for a fuller band sound.
By the time the plug was pulled an another successful evening, the music of Daisy Chute, Nick Ereaut and Charlotte Young had moved the dial of exposure forward. A virtual existence can have many benefits, but there is a whole different world out there when presenting your music up close and personal. The Kitchen Garden is the ideal venue for artists like this and the success of the evening can be summed up in the slogan 'keep music live'. Do this and it will find new ears.
