The Louisiana, 2nd June 2022
JUJU
Juju promises much, but delivers more as she cements a position as one of Bristol’s rising stars of ‘22
The juxtaposition of the two Juju’s is quite remarkable. Humble, chatty and infectiously engaging off stage. Then a brooding, melancholy, grunge-rock demon on stage.
The influences of PJ Harvey & Florence & The Machine are clear as JuJu sets about stamping her authority on the Louisiana stage.
Juju has spent a lot of time crafting her songs and working with her band over the past 6 months to great effect. As the four musicians appear tight and the performance is fluid.
The songs bleed with emotion and feeling as Juju brings them to life with raw charisma and energy in a tightly packed venue.
The crowd are fully engaged with the performance as they look at each other knowing they may just be watching the birth of something rather special.
Songs like “DNA”, “Part of You” and “The River” would comfortably hold their own against any established artist.
And it’s that level of quality in both songwriting and performance that makes us truly excited to see what the future holds for the adopted Bristolian.
There really is no bad juju here.
Melissa Fear
A born performer, fear unleashed…
Melissa Fear may be a new name to us, but I kind of get the feeling it’s a name we’ll be seeing a lot more of.
In terms of sound comparisons with Charli XCX & Dua Lipa seem a little easy. Even lazy as there is more going on under the hood here.
Melissa sinks her teeth into a world of dark pop, full of reverb and synth that give her sound an almost retro 80s electronica feel at times.
Coupled with a outstanding stage presence that The Louisiana’s humble stage struggled to contain at times.
There’s a steely eyed determination here of a performer that demands to be noticed in a world where it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.
The tracks are swift and edgy. And have the potential to take you to the dark edges of the pop world. And that’s what will set Melissa apart from the cookie cutter Charli XCX wannabes.
Burnham-on-Sea May have its first ever UK pop Princess.
I’d recommend keeping a sharp eye and ear out for Melissa Fear in the coming 12 months.
Mary Waters
Funky vibes with a serious undertone, delivered with charm, wit and a smile.
Mary, accompanied by full band is a breath of fresh air.
Breezing across the stage Mary has a natural charm that evokes positive vibes in all those watching.
The songs, sometimes with barbed lyrics are delivered with a beautiful effervescent energy.
And it was great to watch Mary shift from guitar based performance to almost MC like delivery on certain tracks.
All this is undercut with a soulful, playful, funk that is as infectious as it is ear wormingly entertaining.
The Bristol Nomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
