Elle King began her music career busking in New York, but came to global attention with her song Ex’s & Oh’s. The blues-rock song, taken from her 2015 debut album Love Stuff, reached the top 10 around the world and topped Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart – making King only the second female solo artist to achieve this feat since 1995. After a brief hiatus, King has been working on new music and last night presented some of her new tracks at London’s legendary nightclub The Scotch.
King took to the stage dressed all in white and flanked by her four-piece band, The Brethren. After thanking everyone for coming, she kicked off her set with Ex’s And Oh’s. It’s a swinging, sassy track with fuzzy guitars and definitely got the audience’s energy up. King’s gravelly, bluesy vocals were at the fore and she gave an animated performance throughout, moving around the stage and frequently jamming with her band.
However, this performance was all about King showcasing her new music. Current single Shame had a stomping beat and plenty of swagger, with King showing off some impressive vocal tricks, whilst the tongue-in-cheek Naturally Pretty Girls had a great rock and roll vibe. I was also particularly impressed with the ballad Good Thing Gone. King filled the bittersweet lyrics with emotion and it was nice to see a different side of her.
The show closed with King’s ‘favourite song’ on the record, Little Bit Of Lovin’. It’s a 70s-influenced number which starts off slow before picking up the pace and taking on almost a gospel feel. King delivered an empowering spoken-word section, which got cheers and whoops from many of the female audience members, before throwing her head back as she belted out the final chorus.
Overall I came away very impressed with King’s performance and definitely wanting more. Her unique voice is incredibly powerful and the new songs highlight it really well. She had great stage presence throughout too – I found it impossible to take my eyes off her. Her new music has plenty for fans of Love Stuff to like whilst taking a step forward and showing her growth as an artist, and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the record. My only complaint was that the set was too short!
Set list: 1. Ex’s And Oh’s 2. Shame 3. Naturally Pretty Girls 4. Good Thing Gone 5. Little Bit Of Lovin’Â Performance date:Â 21st August 2018
