“Stunning high notes, and raw, vulnerable lyrics are casually dropped throughout, long gone as their impact hits home with the audience. One of Smith’s strongest skills as an artist is that these impactful moments are not the focal point of the songs, they are the baseline. Passing moments that leave the audience hanging off every word, every note, to be sure they miss nothing.”
Front-man and songwriter Dylan Knur strikes a delicate balance between genuine emotion, captivating storytelling, and a contagious energy in every number. While referring to himself as a ‘classical-violinist turned gentle-folk-singer,’ Knur by no means follows any of the predictable routes of the solo acoustic folk singer.
“The quality of the performance and engagement of the audience in this moment might trick you into thinking you’re at the stadium show of a well-established artist – rather than at the Corner Hotel with relative newcomers.”
“The band is a locked in, cohesive unit with a magnetic energy, and within moments they have the audience in the palm of their hand.”
“‘Sweet and Sour’ is an unquestionable success, memorable and powerful it’s hard to imagine a better introduction for a new artist.”
“The shift to performing to a screen instead of a physical audience was handled with grace, and many laughs – with dying batteries, precariously balanced cameras tipping mid song, and the eternal refrain ‘how do you end this thing?’ as fans were treated to extreme close-ups of their favourite artists’ faces.”
“Carpi is focussed on serving the song itself, not the market it falls into. What this creates is timeless music that will remain relevant and withstand the tests of time, where other popular music might make a splash before forever sinking under.”
“With their 2016 single ‘New York, Paris,’ Stewart reminisced over the last time they had played at the venue, to an audience of 20. Compared to the sold out room now singing along with every word he’s written over the years, it would be fair to say it’s quite the improvement.”
“The balance between intensely powerful performance and meaningful lyrics, and the conversational, complete lack of pretence in the way Black handles herself, creates a deeply intimate performance space. Transforming her songs from hits you might hear and connect with on the radio, to stories she is confiding in you as a friend.”