REVIEW – Communion New Faces Tour at Electric Circus

March 6, 2014 6:37 am

It is the inaugural year of the Communion New Faces Tour – a tour that showcases some of the brightest talents that are tipped to become something a lot more substantial in the foreseeable future. There are four acts that have been specially chosen to tour the country extensively with an equally divided 30-minute slot for each artist. Those artists include Eliza and the Bear, Luke Sital-Singh, Farewell J.R, and Annie Eve. The first of two Scottish dates brought the tour to Electric Circus with a tame and timid audience on hand.

Starting off the packed three hours was Annie Eve. The talented, effortless singer had a band accompanying her work with a guitarist who introduced some beautiful slide guitar alongside her remarkable and intense finger-picking. Electric Circus was no place for her music to be exhibited, and there were hardly enough people there to fully appreciate the flair in Eve’s work.

Farewell J.R. looked as if they had come off the streets after a day of busking, but the folk act used their studio recordings as a basis for their live show – making the performance sound tight collaboratively and sonically. They are not the folk that everybody is used to, it is almost indescribable. Oddly the band have two percussionists: the main drummer and a standing up drummer who has a small kit and an electronic board which adds some rather unusual folk sounds which gives the music an overall boldness. For a quiet and reserved frontman, there is a lot of charisma in the entire band to make them look modest.

The two final acts were the most anticipated of the night. First off was singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh. The calm and connected yet conversational artist has of the finest voices in indie music and with a simplified sound, he could be something more important. Before his song ‘Luna’, Sital-Singh discusses the subject surrounding the song. “This song is about a killer whale,” he says, while adding that he thought the name was cute but the whale turned out to be a male. His interaction with the crowd is admirable and not many acts have originality when it comes to banter with the audience, but Luke has confidence that allows there to be a return of laughter for explaining his happenings. He is tipped to be the next Ben Howard, but there is something a lot more adept about Sital-Singh. His songs don’t include just sole acoustic guitar, there is full-band electric among his trio of EPs. He seems like a more versatile Ben Howard but with more eagerness in his music.

The final act, not necessarily a headliner, was Eliza and the Bear. The band have enjoyed some moderate success over the last year, mainly including an exciting support slot with Paramore on their UK arena tour. Their emphatic, hard-hitting vocal melodies, insistent instrumentation and resounding stage presence is enough for indie rock fans to be admired. They aren’t just a simple indie rock band, though. The simple layout of vocals, guitar, bass and drums is enhanced by the addition of keyboard and trombone which donates to the vigorous nature of their music. “You can come further in, we won’t bite,” said lead singer James Kellegher as the crowd slowly but surely made their way to half-filling the front row of Electric Circus.

A short and sweet set gave everybody a glance of what is to come in the future of British music. These four artists aren’t the only ones but are right at the top of the pile waiting to pounce on some serious popularity.