LIVE REVIEW: LISA NORA - B'HIVE - HIGH WYCOMBE

There's always a little bit of jeopardy involved in going to see an artist of whom you really only know one song of, however Lisa Nora's return single "Her, Rose" was so good, and there was so much intrigue to resolve around why she was returning now after a seven year lay off, that surely a visit would be well rewarded. There was also the added bonus that Lisa was playing a mere fifteen minutes up the road, so it did seem as if the stars were aligning.

There were a number of features about tonight's show that were unique, first of all #TEAMw21 are not sure if we have ever been to a show where the artist played their repertoire sequentially and if we have, never to one where the artist had a badge for each release! Lisa would also pleasantly surprise by playing in a slightly unusual format, in that she was a duo with Shona alongside her playing piano and accompanying vocals. The piano / guitar format made for the most pleasant of listens, and Shona's contributions varied song to song, sometimes backing vocalist, sometimes duetting but more often than not just accentuating certain words, really highlighting them.

Lisa herself would be excellent company,as she took us on a guided tour through her career so far, with a definite authority and stage craft that belied the fact that she has not been playing much in between. The evening would start with just dual vocals on the chorus of "Where Did You Go?", before Lisa would start to play guitar in an upbeat manner, working perfectly with Shona's piano and vocals.

Only one song in, yet we were already convinced that we were in for a good time.

The title track of her debut ep "Like A Stone" followed, slower more delicately picked, it would see Lisa perform mainly with eyes closed, as if in the zone, just gently swaying from side to side as she sung. Lisa's voice had a rich yet delicate quality to it, and when joined by Shona on the chorus it was a divine combination. Lisa would end each song with an endearing "Thank you" that just made you warm to her all the more.

The pace would pick up again, with "Not Over You", Lisa's guitar playing became more strident and her lyrics even more telling, with the title emphasised by a relationship breakdown countdown

"After all these years, these months, these days, these hours

I'm still not over you"

It was packed with well worked lines, that you had barely absorbed one before another killer line slapped you in the face. With the harmonies and the piano as well, this was more the enjoyment you get from seeing a band that you have seen and loved many times over, these felt like old favourites that you had known for years.

Lisa would profess a love for story led songs, and in "Old Man's Hat" she was able to build up an intense atmosphere with a strong slow strum, and the "Old Man" was lyrically painted before us, a slightly unsettling figure whose clothes don't fit. With talk of a haunted house accentuated by Shona's ghostly harmonies, Lisa had weaved a weird world before our very eyes and it was truly absorbing.

Such was the hypnotic hold that Lisa held over our attention, that even though the next song was sung in Dutch, with probably only one or two discernable English words, she was still able to convey the feeling of the song to the point that you felt you had understood every word, which is a most peculiar sensation to have. The title was Tegenstrijdig’ and for poor Shona, her backing vocals were phonetic approximations, but as only three people in the auditorium spoke Dutch, she was never going to receive too much of a hard time. This was no Eurovision entry, it was easily as rewarding as any of the songs performed in English.

The tale of moving to the UK, was somewhat covered in "Pockets Of Gold", a jaunty tune on the verse, matched to a prospective singalong chorus. A further song detailing homesickness was covered in "Ocean", with Shona most prominent on piano. With the announcement that the next song was to be called "Cruel Summer", it seemed we may hit an Americana evening first with a Bananarama cover however it was not to be, as Lisa had her own lyrics. There was some additional drama though as Shona's cat had shredded her piano notation. In the end there was nothing to fear, she sounded sounded perfect while Lisa's "Cruel Summer" was a classic in its own right

"When the drinks were flowing and my friends were showing off

The highs, it seemed quite easy to forget he lows I've had"

The relationship song "Red Eyes" saw a return of the intensive strum as Lisa once more unleashed another drama packed tune. The words came thick and fast, the harmonies ever sweeter, however the subject matter seemed ever darker with the chorus undercut beautifully by the piano arrangement. Lisa and Shona were a most formidable team for sure. It was back to 2019 for a single from that year, "2 Black Feathers", the harmonies hitting even greater heights than they had already.

The final song of the set would see Lisa perform the song that had enticed us to see her in the first place, "Her, Rose". The introduction would see Lisa touch on why she had been away, and also why she had to return.

The song itself, a thing of sheer beauty, saw possibly Lisa's most pure vocals of the evening, that both hypnotised and beguiled.

Next year at some point will see a full album from Lisa Nora and from this show alone we cannot wait.