LIVE REVIEW: BROOKE LAW / SASSY THE LIBRA

Speaking with TALENTBANQ supremo Ray Jones ahead of the gig, he was noting how everyone bemoans venues closing, yet no-one highlights new ones opening. #TEAMw21's first visit to The Libra and the feedback is unanimously positive. A theatre for the rest of the week, yet for one day a week, it transforms into a snug little venue. It's all very civilised, drinks and cake available beforehand, and a sort of honesty queue, repays those who arrived early as everyone shuffles into the order they arrived in, before heading downstairs to the venue.

The stage has blue curtains, on three sides, the performing area has a large rug on a bare wood floor, and there is the chassis of a piano, we can see right through it so we know it is not all there, but it will later be used when it is housing an electric keyboard. A light on top of the piano reminds us of the venue we are in.

Tonight's support would be Sassy, erstwhile TALENTBANQ staffer and curator of the acts that appear at The Libra. Personally requested by Brooke herself to be opener. Dressed in black covering a white t shirt, with boots to match Sassy was a tall figure, with a genial line in self-deprecating humour, and a remarkable openness, willing to seemingly share anything! Given a warm introduction from her boss, Sassy would open with a song "Red Flag?" written only the previous week, with a heavy old introduction about "feeling like damaged goods". The guitar was delicately picked in the manner of a folk song, while the lyrics had a nice turn of phrase that immediately piqued our interest.

"I'm an open wound, you are the open sea

And everyone I know says you're no good for me

And I am sure that if we tried, then it would sting and I would cry

You would not know what you did, and I would never tell you why"

For an opener, it was a lot to take in, but with it, Sassy established a connection with the audience, we'd been invited into her world and we most definitely wanted to see more. With a habit of not giving song titles and then singing songs with about 5 or 6 possible options, nailing down what was played was not an easy task!

The next song "Dishwasher Salt" was introduced as being about Sassy's Dad, but as he observantly pointed out really it is more about Sassy herself. Detailing a list of things that she cannot do like salting a dishwasher or doesn't like, such as driving in the city. It was delicately sung to a gentle recurring guitar riff, treading the delicate line between being heartwarming and hilarious.

Blessed with an ability to say so much with the glance of an eye, her next song was disarmingly honest about dating someone in her friendship group and the fall out from embarking on such an adventure.

"Hope you don't die - the funeral would be so awkward

Would I laugh or would I cry?"

One last song on guitar, was "This Year?", written at the start of the year and outlining potential visions of the future married with New Year's resolutions.

A move to the keyboard, would see things remain personal with a song about Dating App "Hinge". Sung in a conversational mode, it would at times almost get a little dark with her date living with his Mother, and already knowing her songs!

Sassy would break the fourth wall and add in little additional comments not covered in the song and also add in a hilarious nightmarish final section!

A final song "Weights In My Pocket" was as ever full of gripping lines, that flew by before you could scribble them down

"I feel like I've let everyone down

Cos I failed to even get to know myself"

Finishing the end of the closing line "You made me like I was alright" a capella, time with Sassy flew past at lightning speed during which she packed in so much that it will surely take a repeat visit to even start to unpack it all. Her evening would not be over - arguably the best was yet to come ........

After being officially labelled a "Badass" by Sonia Leigh last week and crammed into a thirty minute support set, tonight would give the Brooke Law the ability to flex her creative muscles, with an hour to fill as headliner.

With the recent announcement of a debut album, and associated launch to come later in the year - this would be a chance to play some of the songs that don't always have time to get aired. One of the songs definitely in the debut collection will be "Flying Solo", with each of Brooke's occasional stomps amplified through the wooden floor.

For "Millionaires", Brooke seems to highlight a different line each time, tonight it seemed to be "I ain't gonna sleep tonight" in that opening verse about 16th floor life. The confidence of being headliner is the safe assumption that the audience will know your songs and so tonight it was thrown out to be a successful communal singalong. Full kudos must also go to the sound engineer who balanced Brooke's ever changing volumes perfectly throughout the night.

One theme that that ripples through Brooke's work is her concern for others, "We All Need Saving" being one such example. Tonight's version came with the softest of guitar playing, with Brooke gently caressing the strings, while the vocals tiptoed between the faintest whisper, barely tumbling out, to the impassioned pleas later, this was quite possibly its best incarnation yet. It certainly affected one listener who asked for Brooke not to drop it from her set - such are the dilemmas with a new album coming!

Another song, set to feature on that release is "Real" which saw Brooke's guitar playing brought, to the fore with a headliners composure.

Brooke has a vast array of covers in her armoury, however it was a first time for #TEAMw21 hearing her take on "Your Song", softly sung, with the aid of the gathered Libra Community Choir - it was a beautiful moment that even an errant mobile phone ringing could not spoil.

Another special moment came with the return of Sassy for a song written specially for the night. From such ideas can come the stuff of nightmares or genius, in this case it was definitely the latter. A thirty minute WhatsApp call created a delightful dreamy melody. With the freshly created words taped to the mic stand, a little piece of magic unfolded before our very eyes.

Brooke would open the first verse, with Sassy taking the second, deviating from her more folky and conversational style of singing to reveal a sweet pop voice on this Mermaid related classic

"I want to lose my mind, I want to dip and dive

I want to give it up and let it go"

Possibly too late to be an album contender but like a mermaid it was a rare and beautiful find.

A run of familiar singles would follow, "Help Me", followed by "Gypsy Woman" which seems ever more dramatic with each retelling. With the strident guitar opening setting an Orbison like atmosphere, and looking up on the line "Looking up to the sky", these little touches add greatly to the overall effect.

In another bout of performing serendipity that you could not make up, on "Big World", another of those "thinking of others" songs, the lines

"Close your eyes, just try to listen

Can you hear the noise"

were delivered perfectly, as one of the underground trains that had made their presence felt occasionally all evening, trundled past - it was impeccable timing. This is a tune where at times Brooke's guitar playing is almost secondary such is the grip that her voice has on your concentration.

Another new song "I Want You Now", coming on the album, came with a punchy classic melody, and variety of hooks that immediately grabbed on first listen - a definite one to watch out for.

Although "Villain" has been around for a while, it is still a relatively recent recruit to the live set and gradually reveals more with each performance

"I got a thicker skin

I'm free from all you sins"

Delivered with the appropriate amount of venom, it seems to get better with each outing.

One of Brooke's older songs that tends to more often get an outing when she is playing with a band, is "Excuse Me" which matches the sweet melody of the verses to the explosive chorus to make one powerful combination. There is also something uniquely charming about the "Riddle me this, Riddle me that" line. It is abrasive live where Brooke normally freed of guitar duties can really emphasise and act out each line, this solo version really unveils all of the hidden nuances within. Brooke was talking of replacing the "Sue me" line, personally I think it still works fine!

"Cowboy Hat" which will appear on the album as a duet with #TEAMw21 favourite Savannah Gardner, is maybe the one song of the evening that did not land as well in a solo format. It maybe because our last hazy recollection of it was from Savanah's album launch where it was a rawkus band version.

"Boomerang" came with a most touching introduction to TALENTBANQ, tonights promoters, for making it possible to make a living from being a musician.

A familiar fan favourite that sees the room explode with audience participation, which probably made another passing tube train wonder where the noise was coming from.

The encore would see the welcome return of Sassy, for something of a ramshackle "Wagon Wheel" with the audience mainly to blame for not knowing the second half of the chorus! Nonetheless it was hugely enjoyable fun on a night that saw the emergence of one act to watch out for in the shape of Sassy while confirming, as if it were needed, that Brooke is an undoubted star in waiting.