Bristol Strangebrew, Sun 28th May
For the last night on the tour for their first EP, Not The Baby, Prima Queen make an exit as grand as their entrance. For singer Louise Macphail, who was born and raised in Bristol, the set is a homecoming: it’s as soft to land as butterfly kisses andas harsh to the heart as truth.
On ‘Back Row’ – the EP’s leading single – Kristin McFadden’s violin playing gives the song an almost orchestral, tortured quality. Their songs would seem haunted, if the women weren’t siren-calling so optimistically from the soap box of the stage. They both wear smiles sunny enough to brighten even the darkest Sunday confession.
The set’s highlight, ‘Invisible Hand’, is epic in the way only a piece of art from themodern age can be. It’s almost universal in its specificity, erotic in its everydayness. Prima Queen’s ability to encapsulate multitudes in so few words means that, at their best, the whole human experience can be seen in the sunspots of their lyrics. ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Butter Knife’ narrate whole lives in their short four-minute spans.
Prima Queen sing like Joan Baez if she was always the last to leave the party; like Phoebe Waller-Bridge if someone handed her a guitar midway through her one-woman set. It’s this brutal self-awareness that they’ve made their calling card, and it’s what makes their gigs so worth falling to the floor over. They’re looking you straight in the eye with their lyrics, even as their bodies firmly face the crowd.
The concert chronicles the hand around the throat that nobody else sees, the touch under the table, the words an ex-lover never said out loud. It’s this talent of singingabout everything usually left under the surface that makes Prima Queen such an essential band to watch live. At times when most cover the bruise, these women watch as it turns purple, black, yellow in sequence; they use those colours to paint a portrait as delicate as it is damning.
📸 Daisy Kent – Music Photographer
📝 @katejeffrie
Kate Jeffrie @katejeffrie
Role: Lead Writer / Interviewer
I review gigs, and interview bands and musicians.
Available For: Gig Reviews, band interviews
Qualification: I study English Literature at the University of Bristol.
First attended gig: The first gig I remember going to see was Lewis Watson when I was 13, at a pub a few towns over from where I lived. My friends and I all loved him, and I remember how shocked I was that someone I had on this pedestal could be stood on a stage just a few feet away, drinking a beer and playing guitar!
First gig reviewed: The first gig I ever reviewed was Palace at the O2 Academy Bristol. As a band I wasn’t particularly well acquainted with, it was a testament to how live music can bowl someone over, even when it’s coming from strangers.
Dream gig: My dad saw The Smiths on their first tour, and since they’re my favourite band, I think seeing them in an intimate venue would be a dream
Daisy Kent @daisylkent
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Hi! I'm Daisy, and I'm a music photographer and digital creative. I also write live music reviews.
Qualifications: 2:1 in BA Photography: Editorial and Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Mcfly at Westonbirt Arboretum, June 2009.
First gig shot: My first photo gig was The Stranglers at O2 Academy Bristol, in March 2019. My first writing and photo gig was Bastille at Marble Factory, in February 2022.
Dream gig: Taylor Swift, 100%. No doubt.