I arrive at Stereo three songs from the end of Jordan Murray‘s set, but it’s enough for him to display a quite strong vocal range.
He plays acoustic guitar and his only other accompaniment comes from a piano that extends the harmony and adds bass to the performance.
Though he is more or less your typical singer-writer, it’s hard to not be impressed by his falsetto.
Something, Someone continue the evening’s trend of strong, folk-inspired vocals, they mix their tight, female-female-male harmonies with violin, acoustic guitar, bass and at the beginning of their set, a banjo.
Playing through their songs, they bounce back and forth playfully, the most upbeat of which is their interpretation of ‘Call Me Al’.
The purpose of tonight’s show is for Sophie Rogers to release her new single, ‘Devil In The Detail’, but before this her backing band help with the showcasing of some older songs.
‘Free to Fly’ is the first that I recognise and a strummed acoustic guitar leads in alongside Rogers’ warm voice, both of which set the initial rhythm.
I haven’t seen a performance without the current addition of drums and bass, but with them, the sound is much rockier than it would be without and with this comes much more energy.
Regarding that, my only criticism would be that at times the bass is slightly too loud and some lower notes sound very rumbly, where both the mix and the harmony would benefit from more definition.
Midway in, Rogers tells the audience that the slower songs are making way for some more energetic numbers, the first being ‘Drunk On Us’, introduced by a disco-influenced bassline before sliding into place and displaying Rogers’ take on the American country.
Throughout the performance, her sister Lucy provides backing vocals that range from tasteful “oohs” and “aahs” to impressive harmonies, demonstrating once more that tonight’s line-up is curated to exhibit some of Glasgow’s exceptional young singers.
We should be able to guess the inspiration behind the next song, according to Rogers, it’s called ‘Waste of Time’ and I believe I’m right in assuming that you can probably guess what its about too.
‘Devil in the Detail’ is the last of the half hour set and draws the night to a close, again, the energy of American country is shown and the vocals highlight the attitude the genre can carry.
Overall, Rogers’ set consists of romantic songs blended with a soft rock ’n’ roll aesthetic and within that, various other influences shine through.
Words: Greg Murray
Photos: Bill Gray
