Emma Stevens - Shifting waves

Emma Stevens

The subtleties of Emma Stevens didn't instantly shine in the crepuscular air of St Pancras Old Church (01/10/2015) yet her rays of positivity would always reach out and break into the darkest recesses of our urban hearts.

Sam Rommer -
percussion and bass

Emma Stevens' willowy presence bent in the cynical breeze that emanated from the St Pancras streets. Her first song 'Anywhere' blew fallen leaves in the air, she kicked up the sticky seeds so beloved of naughty children, and they cemented themselves upon this grumpy city dweller. Two songs, 'This is for you' and 'Make my day', flowed past before we could feel the real heat of Steven's desire with 'Helium'. This was anything but odourless, tasteless and inert. It had the classic bite of a frost, the hard split of cracking ice and made you lick your lips against the cold. 

Much of Emma Stevens' repertoire talks of Nature and the sea, 'Helium' leaves the wave motif of her most recent album to turn the tide on something deeper. Her themes are the needle point rocks that rise far into the sky, not the brooding crags that scuttle ships and buccaneers, these were as elegant and long as Stevens' neck and we were lucky enough to juxtapose this elegance with Sam Rommer's excellent bass solo. Darker waters, deep swimming.

Sam Whiting - guitar

There was plenty of skipping optimism, time upon time you imagined you heard the sound of laughter from cohorts of greeting friends. 'Sunflower' broke this pattern, it conjured visions of a perpetually growing beanstalk, just like that of Jack's. It reached higher over days and nights, but it pushed harder and keener during the midnight hours, forever trying to find the moon. 'Riptide' let us dig our toes into the shifting pebbles beneath us, it stopped us being knocked from our feet.

A quick note to say how much I enjoyed sketching guitarist Sam Whiting. Check him out at @samtwhiting

Buy Emma Steven's Wave Deluxe CD on her website. The first 100 copies ordered will be gift-wrapped with a personalised, signed message from Emma and the chance to find one of three Golden Tickets for two free tickets and a meet 'n' greet at one of Emma's future headline shows.

Best of luck.

AL.