Opening proceedings is Puerto Rico born Gabriel Rios, who takes the audience aback with his hypnotic set.
Rios’ voice is soft but authoritative throughout, balancing a sense of melancholic nostalgia with the pain he’s been through and lessons he’s learnt, which could be felt through his lyrics.
Rios’ jazzy rhythm accompanied by a Latin undertone with Latin piano and a minimal, but prominent percussion, successfully warms up the audience and is met with a warm response.
Sounding like a Latin Twenty One Pilots, playing his debut single from 2005 ‘Ghostboy’, Rios really connects with the audience though his heartfelt lyrics: “you thought you’d never see the light oh you just became the light”.
His most recognised song, ‘Gold’, Rios captivates the audience with his catchy lyrics and infectious rhythm that has everyone dancing along with his effortless acoustic guitar riff.
With haunting lyrics and harmonies reminiscent to sirens calling sailors to their death, The Staves preform a really solid and surprisingly inspiring set with a myriad of instruments, their voices being the most remarkable of them all.
The three Stavely-Taylor sisters entranced the audience in a spell, which isn’t broken until they play the last bar of their final song two hours later.
The Staves have made quite a name for themselves since releasing their debut album in 2012, working with names such as Bon Iver and Ben Howard, which can be heard tonight as they incorporate more instrumental accompaniment throughout their set than previously.
As they began to play, a well-deserved silence falls over the awestruck audience who become instantly entranced by the three sisters, drawn in at not only the beauty of these women, but their real and powerful sound.
Accompanied by a percussionist, drummer and keyboard player the sisters begin playing songs from new album If I Was, kicking off their set with ‘Blood I Bled’.
The band continued with ‘Steady’ and ‘Teeth White’, which get a great reception from a half-crying half-singing crowd.
On hit single ‘Mexico’, youngest sister Jessica takes lead vocals duties and does not disappoint, managing to hit every note perfectly, while accompanied by her sisters’ balancing vocals.
With a steady, but melodic guitar playing throughout, Jessica uses a pick and go technique, which is being seen more and more in folk guitar, creating a great accompaniment to their magical harmonies while keeping a steady rhythm.
The three sisters’ talent does not go unnoticed as they consistently swap instruments between songs, each playing a variety of acoustic, jazz and electric guitars as well as some percussion from eldest sister Emily.
The humility and authenticity of the band can be seen in their effortless stage presence and eagerness for crowd participation as they joke and laugh with the audience, admiring the venue and telling anecdotes of their experience growing up together.
This vitality and energy naturally completes their set as they belt out gentle but powerful ballads of love and loss.
They close their set with new song ‘Tired As Fuck’, which reflects on their experience post-tour, The Staves end the night on a light-hearted note, leaving the audience satisfied, but greedy for more.
Words: Hazel Urquhart
