On the 1st of March (or this Saturday to its friends) Ort Café in Balsall Heath welcomes back two familiar faces – Louise Petit, with support from Rhiannon Mair.
Both singer/songwriters have worked hard across the UK’s gig circuit, honing their strong delivery and confident presence on a variety of stages. Ort Café is an estate agent’s ‘intimate’ venue, with little room between the front row and the artist; March 1st will be an opportunity to see two solid performers very up close and personal. And be warned, you’ll probably have to sing.
Birmingham Review first saw Louise Petit on 10th August last year. Having been uncertain what to expect, and a little wary after watching Petit’s absurdly sweet Christmas Time With You, the show was a extremely pleasant surprise.
Backed up by double bass and percussion, allowing a beautiful modern Jazz sound to surface, Louise Petit delivered a confident set of freshly original material – crossing Folk with Pop melodies, underpinned with Americana and Jazz. It’s was a memorable gig, one that felt comfortable and certain in the small confines of Ort. The only downside was again due to popularity; by the time Petit started it was standing room only.
Rhiannon Mair was a surprise attack support for Daisy Chapman, whom Birmingham Review saw (again at Ort) on 23rd September last year. Playing to a restless room and an overwhelmingly loud packet of crisps, Mair owned the venue as soon as she stood up and spoke. Then she started to play and sing; engaging, melodic, confident – everything you want a solo artist to be.
Rhiannon Mair had released her debut album, It Goes Like This, about 6 months before and had been steadily touring it across the UK; Ort Cafe was one of the last gigs before Mair returned home.
A melody driven recording, with the occasional Pop production undertone, It Goes Like This is a bolshie debut – but it was on stage that Rhiannon Mair really grabbed the proverbial. And getting another chance to hear it from only metres away is not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
Both Louise Petit and Rhiannon Mair would be worth a ticket to themselves, but for £5 you get to see both of them on one night – at Ort Café on Sat 1st March. Ed King will be there for a Birmingham Review.
For more gig information, and further listings at Ort Café, visit http://ortcafe.co.uk/whats-on
For more on Louise Petit, visit http://louisepetit.com
For more on Rhiannon Mair, visit http://www.rhiannonmair.com