The Louisiana, 4th November 2022
In complete honesty, this show was one of the best gigs I’ve been to in a long time. It was one of those nights where you left on a high and felt incredibly happy afterwards. This was my first time visiting The Louisiana, and what a gig I chose to attend for my first time at the venue! I loved the history of the venue and instantly wanted to attend more gigs there in the future as I left that evening. Considering this is one of the smaller venues in Bristol, it is now one of my favourites. The stage lighting was very eye-catching and the sound was perfect, and it’s honestly very rare that I think this when I leave a concert. Huge props to the audio technicians!
During the evening, the gig goers were treated to some individually, incredibly talented and upcoming musicians. I strongly believe that every artist is worth checking out and are all definitely ones to watch in the future. It’s clear to see that each individual will establish themselves further within the music industry and grow even larger fan bases in the near future.
Jarki Monno, took to the stage for what is his first headline tour he’d ever been on. The London-born rapper and singer-songwriter is extremely down to earth, and I loved listening to him talk openly and personally about how his songs came to fruition. A really moving moment during his set was when he performed his song ‘Wet Shave,’ an extremely poignant and beautiful song written about the moments he never got to experience as a young man because his father sadly passed away when Jarki was 6 years old. The song serves as a touching tribute to his late father. During his performance, Jarki also treated the crowd to an unreleased song titled ‘Dead End Town’ and what an absolute tune it was! I discovered Jarki’s music through his friend/collaborator Alfie Neale, as they have collaborated on a few incredible songs together and they performed some of these during the evening. A few songs I recommend listening to by Jarki are ‘Fade Up,’ ‘Boys Still Cry’ and Show You My Love.’
After supportively watching Jarki perform their set from the crowd, Brighton-based singer-songwriter and musician Alfie Neale took to the stage accompanied by a three-piece band. I first discovered Alfie when he supported Sam Tompkins at Lafayette in London back in September, and have been a fan ever since. Alfie has an enchanting stage presence and, due to his music being extremely catchy, the crowd vibed to his sound instantly. During the evening, Alfie and Jarki performed their collaborative tracks ‘Cigars,’ ‘Day To Day’ and ‘Moonlight Hours’ together which was really enjoyable to watch. Songs worth checking out by Alfie are ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ feat. Isaiah Dreads, ‘My Girl Likes’ and ‘Mercury.’
Overall, I loved the intimate vibe of this show and how the down to earth natures of both Alfie and Jarki enabled them to interact freely with the crowd. It was kind of them to take the time to sign tour posters, merchandise and take pictures with fans who attended their show. This gig kicked off Alfie and Jarki’s joint headline tour, which is a testament to their strong friendship and mutually-respected artistry. I cannot wait to hear more music from these two extraordinary artists in the future, and see what they go on to accomplish in their careers.
Dan Rose Photography
