Would you buy a Guinness for Billie Marten?
Billie Marten is a British singer-songwriter from Ripon, North Yorkshire, known for her indie folk music and delicate, lyrical style. Born Isabella Sophie Tweddle, she gained early prominence after a YouTube video of her singing went viral when she was 12 years old. She has released five studio albums and was nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2016 award.
Review by Iris Griffin
Billie Martens gig in Leeds, on the 14th November, in the Irish centre was a sold out spectacle. The opener “La Ren”, the fans, and undoubtedly Billie herself were all part of what made the night unforgettable. La Ren perfectly embodies Billie Marten’s music, and I’m delighted to have seen her live. Despite not knowing who she was beforehand, she was super enjoyable. Just by being her authentic self, La Ren engaged with the audience frequently with humour, and funny tales from their travels so far on the tour “dog-eared” (for Billie Marten’s latest album).
Additionally, the relationship between Billie and La Ren feels so real and gentle, La Ren didn’t want to get too emotional upon the subject of the tour ending, but it was evident they felt it- however they mentioned both of them had a nice night out planned for their last day together on tour!
The tour began in Denver on the 8th September and ends on the 13th December, in Chicago. Last week, I attended the gig which was held in the Irish Centre in Leeds, even the venue was refreshing! She isn’t afraid to shy away from gig arenas, and stays down to earth and accessible to all fans by being cost-effective, which created a beautiful atmosphere.
No one rushed to get to the barricade, or camp overnight, and the blend of fans being respectful, and the choice of venue, felt authentic to herself. Behind Billie Marten and La Ren, there was an artistic backdrop of Billie outlined in one colour, which was simple.
However, Billie knows how to make all the small details add up to an artsy cool girl aesthetic, simple but effective. Due to the backdrop being so malleable to the tone of the song, lighting played a role into the chill mood of the audience, making everyone feel so at home, peaceful.
Quiet confidence isn’t something unknown to Billie. Having started her career at only aged 12, and began playing guitar at only 7, naturally she had a quiet stage presence which could be perceived as anxious at times.
But as time has gone on, it is evident she has grown as a person and a musician. But she is still quiet, why is that? Billie Martens songs speak for themselves, with articulate and poetic word play- particularly in her latest album “Dog-eared”, with my personal favourite track “Crown”.
In between tracks, she has a calming stage presence; I overheard a conversation of some fans behind me who commented on how they found that she has a perfect length of gaps during comments to the audience. Whilst I found it quite funny that’s what they decided to comment on at that moment, I can’t help but agree. After a particularly moving song, she asked an audience member (whom she knew) to go to the bar and get her a Guinness because she fancied one (you’re in an Irish bar-go for it!) which shows she’s incredibly down to earth, and in my opinion, hilarious.
Towards the end of the night, Billie Marten, the support act La Ren, and her tour manager Tim, were all on stage, to play some songs and to help with the audience participation where one side sang one melody, and the other half a separate harmony. We transformed into a choir, complimented with quiet harmonies. For a little, it was awkwardly hilarious as we all failed miserably (we got better) but as we all stood united by a love for music, everything felt calm, and I finally understand why Prince said “music is healing”.
The UK part of her tour finished in London on the 15th of November, but she is carrying on to the USA and Canada beginning 28th November, some dates have tickets left. Be sure to get yours whilst you can!
