I’m glad to have caught Be Charlotte playing in The Attic, it may well be one of the last times we will have the opportunity to see her perform in such an intimate venue. Charlotte has evolved to an almost unrecognisable artist from her days playing with a loop pedal and acoustic guitar, now set with a full live band and top quality backing tracks which really make her performance come to life. Through the use of a full band, I believe Be Charlotte will display her best work in a platform that is able to fully express the themes of the songs.
The first support of the night came from Emiah. Unashamed, polished and energetic pop anthems were aplenty, an ideal support for Be Charlotte. Emiah had an excitement whilst on stage that helped us forget that we were there whilst the venue was far from busy yet. Using a mix of originals and well placed covers such as No Scrub by TLC, it became a set that everyone was happy to be there for and set apart Emiah as a strong name to keep an eye on for pop music from Scotland. Next to perform was Megan D, a singer songwriter who performed an all round solid set. Whilst admittedly this style of music isn’t my strong point in any way, I can appreciate that what Megan D done was well written and well performed. The highlight of the set being when Megan’s friend, a fellow singer, was invited to join on stage and the two exchanged vocal priorities and delivered some of the best harmonies I've heard from local acts in a long time.
Just as Be Charlotte took to the stage the venue was packed, a varied crowd of different ages and styles were there to see this future pop powerhouse. With basic yet effective lighting scattered around behind the band and on the kit, Charlotte came on to a massive and well deserved applause. With her band dressed in black, Charlotte’s style flourished with the lights creating a visual show along with the music, not that the music needed any help. Be Charlotte treated us to a performance of her new single which was to be released shortly after the show, Brighter Without You, which she introduced as being the saddest song she had written which was a welcome change from previous release , Do Not Disturb. Brighter Without You was performed excellently and without fault, much like the rest of the set it had a recognisable chorus section with verses that stayed strong demanding the audience’s full attention.
Ordinarily I’m guilty for not clapping along to songs when asked, as I’m sure many others are. However, when Charlotte wanted us to clap in time or sing along she done so with such confidence that I felt compelled to join in, she has a brilliant presence when performing. The climactic point of the evening for most being the performance of Do Not Disturb, from the first lyric to the last there were many who could confidently sing along with the full song, making a clear statement of support towards Charlotte's music that would make any artist proud.
From start to finish we were kept in full attention, with the band playing songs that had been performed in the past, such as Lights Off, which is full of interesting production and musical pauses that make each section feel so distinguished, to newer unheard songs like Ego Wash, a song i personally thought wouldn't be out of place in most clubs.
Charlotte performed a full set of top quality music, confidently defying any changes that people have wanted her to make with her appearance or music and inviting us to defy them with her. This artist won't be playing venues of this size for long, it is important that you check out the music and attend the next gig you can before you have to pay too much for a ticket.
Check out Be Charlotte's newest single, Better Without You, below:
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