Alison Sudol at Omeara

Alberta Cross

Alison Sudol 

Martin Luke Brown

Omeara, 4 April 2023

Isn't it funny, in my head Alison Sudol is a huge artist. For years I had wanted to see her live when she performed as A Fine Frenzy and then she turned to acting and scored a plum role in the Fantastic Beasts movies, so she became more famous as an actress. But for me it was always about the music and when she finally started recording again under her own name I was thrilled. 

Although I've been a fan of Goldfrapp for years and have all their albums, probably the deciding factor of finally seeing them live last year was the fact that Sudol was opening for them. It was just as magical as I had hoped and gave a lovely preview to her first solo album. Of course, when that album, Still Comes The Night, finally arrived it became one of my absolute favourites of the year, even though it seemed to barely make a ripple in the music world. Knowing that, it makes sense that she would be playing smaller venues but, even though Omeara (the stunningly intimate venue where I finally saw Jewel last year), is a tiny room with a snug stage, Sudol isn't even the headliner tonight: she's on a bill with two other acts from her record label (as the middle act, she laughs and says she's proud to be in that musical "sandwich").  

Last year when I saw Sudol it was in the relatively big Royal Festival Hall, so I am more than intrigued to see her perform up close and find a nice spot in front of the tiny stage. First though there's the first act to get through, a chap by the name of Martin Luke Brown.

I have no clue who Brown is but there seems to be quite a few at the front here to see just him and it's a surprisingly diverse bunch but they all seem to know the words to the songs and call out throughout for him to play more. He's a young guy from London with the kind of perfectly disheveled hair made for Instagram. He plays keyboard and sounds like a lot of the soulful male pop songwriters that are popular today. Obviously it's not for me but I can see why he has his devoted following and how, when he releases his debut album this year, he might be the next big thing. At one point he swaps the keyboards for guitar and invites a "special guest" to the stage, which turns out to be his blonde girlfriend who had been standing behind me in the crowd. He makes a sweet speech about how she's the love of his life and how the pandemic wasn't as hard for him because they had each other etc. They sing a couple of songs together, and he makes quips about them being sad songs but they all sound alike to me. After she leaves the stage the most memorable moment comes when he does a slowed-down cover of the Wheatus favourite Teenage Dirtbag on piano, which has the Brown devotees all gleefully singing along. He then only has time for one more song (despite calls for two or three more) so sings one called Love Is A Black Hole, which is says was a huge on Tik Tok. Oh, so that's it, I realise. Martin Luke Brown might well be the name on everyone's lips later this year, who knows. He certainly sounds a lot like many other popular male singers, so he has a good a chance as any.

The Brown devotees move away and make way for those of us there to see Sudol and when she and her band take to the stage it is with so little fanfare that people are talking and paying no attention almost the entire way through her first song, The Clearing, which is a slow-building strum that becomes a beautiful noisy finale and finally drowns out the chatter. Sudol had arrived on the stage in such a shy, unassuming way: smiling, wearing a diaphanous long black dress with a noticeable baby bump on which she balances an electric guitar. I don't think I've seen many pregnant performers in my time but it does make me remember seeing Throwing Muses back in the 90s with a very pregnant Kristin Hersh (at a time when smoking was still allowed in venues, the crowd was asked not to smoke in respect for Hersh's condition). I thought it was immensely cool then and seeing Sudol now, I still think it's supremely cool.

Tonight she is playing with the same band that she had at the Royal Festival Hall last year and I believe she collaborated with them on her album and it's clear they have great chemistry and seem to enjoy playing together. This is particularly apparent on the joyful Peaches, Sudol's ode to her little daughter. For an album that is often mournful as it was inspired by a devastating miscarriage, it is one of the shining hopeful lights of the record, and tonight it seems a celebration of life. Sudol beams with happiness as she sings it and sounds absolutely glorious. It's absolutely infectious. 

On the title track, Still Come The Night, Sudol becomes completely wrapped up in the lyrics and feel of the song, and the emotion pours out of her in such an affecting way. It sounds beautiful and Sudol's voice is like a prayer, echoing through the venue.

Taking up an acoustic guitar this time, the band join her on the gentle strum of Come On Baby, a song that reminds me of Angel Olsen at her crooning best, with a rousing chorus building to a stirring swirl of guitars and howling vocals. To me this is a headliner worthy performance.

Sudol ends, as she did at the previous gig, on the trippy groove of Meteor Shower, complete with breathy spoken word vocals and atmospheric synths, what see Sudol lost in the beat and dancing like she's performing a rain dance via the witchy spirit of Stevie Nicks. Completely winning over my heart, as you can imagine. 

Playing just seven songs from the album, like a sparking magical flash, she's gone but it feels just right. As she's not playing any of her older material, I suppose a full show wouldn't be much longer: although even if she does want to avoid the A Fine Frenzy years she still has two excellent EPs, Moon and Moonlite, to mine material from so a longer headline show is more than possible. As there is a baby due soon I'm guessing there won't be any more live shows though for a long time but I really think if she did announce a gig of a similar size it would still be full (this one she was barely mentioned on the advertising). Hopefully she'll consider it in future but I do feel very lucky to have seen her live twice now and this time in such a beautiful, intimate setting. 

After Sudol left the stage, again the crowd rearranged as fans of Alberta Cross moved forward and the Sudol faithful went off the bar. I remained though as I'm always curious to catch a good Americana band. Although I thought I was completely unfamiliar with the Anglo-Swedish rock group (thanks Wikipedia!), after checking my last.fm it seems I did briefly enjoy listening to the band's debut album back in 2009. I can see why, as the band definitely live in the same bluesy-country-rock realm that My Morning Jacket and Drive-By Truckers live in: two bands I was really enjoying at the time.

Although I haven't followed them over the years and one half of the band has left during that time, when singer Petter Ericson Stakee puts on his guitar and begins to play, they sound instantly familiar. 

Stakee begins the show with the title track of the band's new album, Sinking Ships, slowing building up anticipation with a more soulful side, before amping things up with new track Mercy and wailing away on his guitar and providing a rocking, rousing start.  Stakee's vocals definitely remind me of Jim James but he seems more happy to let his guitar do the talking. It's definitely rockier than on the record, but that's no bad thing. 

I admit I ducked out after a few songs, not because they didn't sound good but I was mostly unfamiliar with the material. As I left though the crowd looked like they were getting into it and apparently later, they even covered Sharon Van Etten, which I can't deny I wish I had heard, I'm sure it was great. But I came for Sudol and she more than delivered and I really can't ask for more.