Jess Williamson at St Martin-In-The-Fields

Jess Williamson

Eleni Drake

Dana Gavanski

St Martin-In-The-Fields, 29 August 2024

After waiting years to see Jess Williamson, I get to see her twice in a matter of months! This time in the beautiful and atmospheric St Martin-In-The-Fields church, and, not to get too corny, but dressed in a white chiffon dress, she definitely looked and sounded positively angelic.

I've passed St Martin-In-The-Fields in Trafalgar Square so many times on the way to Charing Cross over the years but I've never been in, but it felt right that my first visit there was for a concert. It's a beautiful church and there's no doubting the acoustics in places of worship like this are always rather special, but I must admit I probably still prefer the Union Chapel for its sound and atmosphere on the whole. 

Still, it's always nice to see an act like Williamson in such a lovely venue and I had a second row seat, so while not quite as close as intimate as the show in January it was rather nice to relax and sit to enjoy the show.

The all-female bill started with an act who has been touring with Williamson around the UK, Dana Gavanski, a Canadian singer-songwriter who is apparently based in London these days and has released three albums, including her most recent, Slap Happy, which came out this year.

Gavanski, wearing a pencil skirt and blue sleeveless top, looked tiny behind her electric guitar, but her voice was big, pure and clear. She reminded me at times of Mia Doi Todd or Angel Olsen, and has a dark folky vibe to her music, which felt fitting in the old world setting of the church.

Most of the set she played on guitar but probably the best part was at the end when abandoned it and instead she sat behind the keyboards and to play few songs including an absolutely spellbinding version of Kate Bush's Strange Phenomena, which closed her set. 

Next up was Eleni Drake, another singer-songwriter, this time from London and sporting a black acoustic guitar. Drake is definitely very striking looking: a beautiful girl with long hair, olive skin and tattoos, wearing an elegant white dress. She clearly has a good voice (if a little affected) but I was less taken with her songs. She has apparently released two albums already and is working on a third and went down really well with the crowd, who gave whoops and cheers at the end of her set but I personally didn't connect with her music. 

Finally, Jess Williamson took to the stage in her floaty white dress and a radiant smile on her face, beginning with the folky hymn Wind On Tin, which started things off on a beautiful mystical note, her voice ringing clear in the church rafters, with rather fitting refrain "I heard God."

Keeping perfectly with the spiritual theme, she then launched into, Chasing Spirits and when she sang, "the difference is when I sing, I really mean it" I believed every word, she sounds so emotional and true. Her gradual move from indie folk into more country fare, feels natural and authentic, much like her Plains bandmate, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, and tonight she is joined by a pedal steel player, which brings out this side to her music even more, to delightful effect.

I have to admit part of the reason I bought tickets to this show was because at the last show she said she would come back and tour the UK with a band, so I was a little disappointed that it turned out there was no band because it would have been a thrill to hear the songs in a different setting. That said, Williamson is talented and charismatic enough to hold the audience in the palm of her band, all alone but I do hope at some point in the future to see how she fronts a band because I'm sure it would be equally special.

Once again, the show was mostly devoted to showcasing her last album, Time Ain't Accidental, which was wonderful, but this time Williamson told us she had been writing a lot on tour and actually gave us two brand new tunes. The first, Country Mile was played on the keyboard and sounded like it fit in perfectly with the material from her last album. The other, Tracking The Tropics, was played on guitar. Both sounded great and really showcased Williamson's incredible voice.

Like last time, she spoke about how she wrote the last record during the Covid lockdown and used an app on her phone to record drums for the songs, many of which actually ended up on the album. So once again she used her phone to play the drums while she sang and played guitar (accompanied of course by the pedal steel) on God In Everything (again very suitable for the setting!), Topanga Two Step and Time Ain't Accidental.

The encore was so swift (probably due to having to keep to the schedule in the church), it was barely an encore really, as she returned almost straight away to give maybe the highlight of the night, an absolutely stunning, I Walked With You A Ways, the title track from the Plains album. I have to say, I do love it when she ventures into more folky territory like this song and it sounded particularly haunting tonight in the church with the candles flickering and the night sky peaking through the stained glass windows.

She then got Dana Gavanski and her pedal steel player (I missed his name, I'm so sorry! He was very good) to return and together they played a cover of Shania Twain's You're Still The One, which was gloriously cheesy and had the girls in front of me swaying and singing along, but I do kind of wish it ended on the perfection that was I Walked With You A Ways.

Both times seeing Williamson has been a real pleasure, but I probably preferred the more intimate show from January this year, although I can see why she was so thrilled to play in such a special place as St Martin-In-The-Fields. Hopefully though, next time I might get to finally see her with a real band!