LIVE REVIEW: NEEVE ZAHRA - ROISIN O'HAGAN - THE GREEN NOTE BASEMENT - CAMDEN TOWN

Quite possibly the evening began with a little bit of Green Note history, for as the queue of patrons for the evening formed, stretching far down Parkway, 19 of the first 20 were there to see an act in the Green Note Basement in the form of Manchester based Neeve Zahra, while only one was there to see late 70's popsters, Sniff & The Tears, most famous for their rather excellent hit "Driver's Seat".

It was by any standards, a packed Green Note Basement with space at an absolute premium to watch the London headline debut of Neeve Zahra currently on her first UK tour promoting her new EP "Breakup Breakdown" however first off, returning to the Americana scene like a prodigal daughter was Roisin O'Hagan. The last time #TEAMw21 wrote about Roisin, she had just released her excellent "Dreamstate" EP with the sublime "Sunset Valley" on it, just as she had announced she was off to explore new genres. Her return did raise an eyebrow or two however we needn't have worried, for Roisin is not only back but she is back better that ever!

It seems a little bit of time away may have been beneficial, for she both looked and sounded supremely confident, in a way that was highly impressive. Her set may have been short, only six songs, however she is now armed not just with her tried and trusted material of old, but with a couple of promising new tunes that even on first hearing seem set to become firm favourites going forward.

Dressed in jeans and a black top with a cross cut out, and with her hair resting on her guitar, she would open with "Smoke Stain" from the "Dreamstate" EP. Bold confident guitar playing matched to a snappy chorus made for a great start. A new song "Like Mine" co-written with Lewis from Two Way Home, came with an atmospheric opening and a catchy chorus with the creepy pay off line "You'll see the Devil's eyes and they look like mine". It was a definite strong new song.

A total professional, Roisin would make eye contact with everyone in the room as she sung, her new song "12/11", a dramatic wordy song, the chorus pointedly asking, "Where were you on 12/11?". Another co write this time with fellow Essex songstress Florence Sommerville, "Here's The Thing", was another intense affair, "I close my eyes but I still see you" was delivered powerfully by Roisin, the room hanging on every dramatic word. Upping the pace "The Moon And All It's Stars", the phrase "Don't say you don't remember" repeated with real feeling.

Roisin would close out with "Living In The Dark", a slower considered song, written when she was 18/19 still sounding good. It was an undoubted impressive return and #TEAMw21 look forward to seeing more of what Roisin has up her creative sleeve.

For Neeve Zahra it must have felt like years in the coming, since she announced this London show at Song Suffragettes at Lil Nashville. It was great to see an artist really soaking in the achievement of a first London headline show, and there would be videos shot to capture key events. Neeve would also arrive with an impressive line up of merchandise including her second EP in a glorious cream vinyl edition with lyric insert, as well as chocolates emblazoned with Neeve's face and QR code on them, alongside the more regular t-shirts and CD's. It's been a journey since #TEAMw21 first met Neeve at Buckle & Boots, after declaring her debut EP to be one of the finest debut's ever made by a UK Americana artist, and one suspects there is more travelling yet to be done.

In a somewhat bold step, Neeve would add a pedal steel to her overall sound with "The amazing" Ben, her additional player, either backing her on that or on a normal guitar.

Starting with "Breakup Breakdown"'s opening track "Love & Hate", immediately you were gripped by Neeve's ability to craft a melody and to provide the sweetest "Oohing" on the exit of the chorus. The wisdom of bringing a pedal steel immediately made sense the moment you heard the intro into "What Did I Miss?". Another sublime melody on the chorus, with Neeve's vocals able to extend out words in a non fussy, yet most effective way at one point, while equally firing them out at a rapid rate at another.

That skill at gracefully elongating words would come into play again on "Empty Heart" where she would also play with levels of volume to create performing drama.

Neeve would sweetly end each song with a preemptive "Thank you" as if she were worried we might not notice it had ended. The silence as she played was the sound of a captivated audience.

The upbeat "The Best Thing" came with the lines

"I don't love you and I never have

But you're the best thing I've ever had!"

Neeve previewed "Karma" at Song Suffragettes, it's a mild mannered type of revenge song, with punishments being lost shoes rather than a lost life! The pedal steel once more managed to emphasise the country elements of the tune especially on its joyous solo. Moving to a more tender approach, two gently picked guitars paved the way for the single "Rub A Little Dirt On It".

In another bold move, Neeve and Ben have been playing a new cover each night, London would benefit from Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". Neeve has excellent taste and correctly chose to use the UK pronounciation of "Patronise". Strangely Neeve didn't seem to be able to quite inhabit the song in the way she does her own, it was still a fine version especially given the ad hoc nature of its appearance, but to match the original was always going to be a tall order.

It was now time for a sassy, woman wronged, song with "Won't Get Another", opening to a powerful strummed guitar, it led to a punchy powerful chorus.

Neeve has an unique instinct to be able to write older than her age, the emotions in "Miss Me More" are quite complex to pack into a three minute song let alone with such a melody, perfectly undercut tonight by the pedal steel.

That talent would come even more to the fore on "Love Me", the song that took a teenage Neeve to Nashville. Initially played solo with the pedal steel only joining in on the chorus, this was the quality that brought attracted #TEAMw21's moth to Neeve's bright flame. The dramatic final chorus has some soaring notes that Neeve hit perfectly, as she played Neeve made you believe in every heartbreaking line, even though it was written when she was only sixteen!

The main set would close with "Step Right Over", a delightful piece of uptempo snappy pop to finish off, with a chorus that deserves the sobriquet "Irresistible". It managed to get the whole Basement clapping along such was its infectious nature.

Neeve looked a little flabbergasted, when the London crowd demanded her first encore of the tour, however a quick chat with Ben saw them pick out one of the cover versions they had played earlier in the tour in Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide". This version made one final, judicial use of the pedal steel and if Neeve may not have totally nailed the earlier cover, this one fitted perfectly, you could almost believe she had written it!

As nights go it was nigh on perfect, Neeve Zahra announced herself properly to London and delivered live with the same skill and attention to detail that she puts into her recorded output. Hopefully next time we might even be upstairs

Neeve Zahra is just one of the many reasons why you should be buying a ticket for Country Calling 2026

https://tickets.country-calling.com/events/country-calling-2026/