Buzzin Pop Music

Nell Bryden at the O2 Academy, Oxford 8/02/08 – review

Nell Bryden

Last October Nell Bryden once walked out to thousands of troops in Iraq where she recorded her forthcoming album Live in Iraq. Last night, she walked out to five people, excluding the bar staff, sound men and security (I’m not sure what sort of a riot they were predicting).

The cold side-room of the newly named O2 Academy on a sleety Sunday night was perhaps not the ideal place for her to start her UK tour, but Nell Bryden remained chirpy throughout: “Let’s forget about the snow and that it’s Sunday and just have fun.”

And she certainly looked to be enjoying herself, despite the weather conditions and empty room. Throwing her head back and dancing to the tracks with her 1946 country guitar on the tiny stage, the set flew by as she and a very professional suit-and-tie backing band, who she later explained had only been put together days before the Iraq concerts, blasted through some very fine rock ‘n roll/country/dixie tunes.

She didn’t miss a note the whole night – Nell Bryden’s voice is astounding. Her band are just as good – the guitar solo in the penultimate song – possibly the most rock ‘n roll song of the night in a cover of House Of The Rising Sun – is technically and melodically incredible, as is the drum solo in the closer, the single Second Time Around.

Her style certainly was certainly fitting for a troops entertainer – though she assures us she had no support of the war itself. Her performance is bouncy and chirpy and her songs are uplifting in a very American manner. Late Night Call could come straight from a Disney soundtrack whilst Tonight is a jazzy number that could easily come from the 50s and which oozes nostalgia for old American country romance.

Her set is nicely varied and well-structured too – there’s powerful soul (Tuesday’s Gone), twee dixie and bluesgrass tinged country story-telling (Helen’s Requiem) and even some folk in her set (Where The Pavement Ends). Admittedly the faster songs are her forte – the power-soul can be a bit draining despite her vocal proficiency, particularly considering that this is neither a large crowd nor a smoky nightclub, but an empty unatmospheric side bar of the institutional Academy.

Yet her professionalism and Radio 2 playlisted toe-tapping songs are her saviour, and it is a shame they go largely unheard, for they really do deserve a larger audience.

Support came from Tom McKean and the Emperors, who I highly recommend checking out – they play classy French-tinged, bluesy rock songs with some lovely Fleet Foxes style harmonies, Eric Clapton guitars and late-Leonard Cohen vocals.

Nell Bryden’s live album will be released on the 6th of April, though she has one out already called Second Time Around. Here is her MySpace.

These are the upcoming live dates:

Monday 9th – Monto Water Rats, London

Tuesday 10th – O2 Academy, Newcastle

Wednesday 11th – O2 Academy, Birmingham

Thursday 12th – The Glasgow ABC, Glasgow