Championed by Playlist Manager Sepideh Cole, ‘Unsigned Sessions’ at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn showcase a diverse, eclectic roster of talent. With usually four acts taking to the stage each for a 25-minute set, the night offers audiences the chance to discover new music and broaden their musical horizons.
Last night’s line-up comprised former X Factor finalist Jack Walton, contemporary soul artist Alex Parvenu, ‘Street Folk’ band Lester Clayton, and jazzy songstress Anna Aarons. Read below for our thoughts!
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Jack Walton
Looping his guitar riffs, Walton performed acoustic versions of four of his original songs. Though perhaps fitting the archetype of the Ed Sheeran-styled male singer-songwriter, Walton sang and performed with conviction – improving leaps and bounds from his X Factor stint back in 2014. His take on folk song ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’, covered notably by Led Zeppelin, was impressive.
Alex Parvenu
Contemporary soul artist Alex Parvenu has recently been filming in Miami for a musical project titled Yard Ruckus which he established alongside Grammy-nominated artist Devin Di Dakta. His friend and barber Devon Chavis, with the group in Miami, was tragically shot dead last week upon returning to Baltimore. Parvenu and his band dedicated their performance to Chavis and were all dressed in black accordingly.
Having released his Motown-flecked single ‘It Wasn’t Me’ late last year, Parvenu performed a selection of original material from his upcoming EP Blue Summer. Acknowledging wryly that his own material draws heavily on previous breakups, he began the set with ‘Middle Finger’, a mid-tempo tune with a brilliantly resigned opening line: ‘I used to believe in love / Before you came and fucked things up.’ He followed with ‘Sundried Roses’ – a jaunty melody concealing an underlying pain (‘Why don’t you love me baby?’) – and closed with the questioning ‘The Lights Are On’. He also paid homage to his reggae/ska influences with a medley of Toots and the Maytals’ ‘Sweet and Dandy’ and’Monkey Man’, and Barrington Levi’s ‘Too Experienced’. Parvenu’s stellar trio of backing vocalists harmonised beautifully against his soulful tenor. Read our in-depth interview with Alex Parvenu here.
Lester Clayton
The most challenging act of the night to categorise in genre terms, Tottenham-born Lester Clayton and his band (Wolfe Hogan, Mehmet Raif, and ‘Big Daddy’ Steve) refer to themselves as ‘Street Folk’ – a fusion of reggae, hip-hop, folk, and soul.
Clayton’s opening song ‘All My People’ – a message of solidarity to fellow ‘scratch-card dreamers‘, ‘hopeless romantics‘ and ‘daydream believers‘ – foregrounded the wit and wordplay of his lyrics. ‘Beg, Steal Or Borrow’ (about the struggles and pressures of everyday life), and ‘Please, Please, Please’ (a gritty reflection on the socio-political landscape) showed the band’s range both musically and lyrically. Clayton’s conversational, part-sung/part-rapped/part-spoken delivery is winning.
Anna Aarons
Closing the night was Anna Aarons – a talented singer with a clear knack for songwriting. She began with ‘Her’, a self-penned song dedicated to her sister with a winding, intricate melody reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette. Her lullaby ballad ‘Life’, written in celebration of her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, showcased her lilting vocals. She also premiered her newest song ‘Words’, her edgy refutation of the old adage that ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones / But words will never harm me‘. Against a pulsing melody, she sang: ‘All the scars that you leave / Are invisible.‘ Honouring one of her seminal influences, Aarons also delivered a heavy, electrified take on Amy Winehouse’s ‘October Song’ – an oft-neglected cut from Winehouse’s debut album Frank and itself an homage to Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Lullaby of Birdland’. Read our profile of Anna Aarons here.
Check out future ‘Unsigned Sessions’ at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn here!
(Image copyright: Pizza Express Live)
