Gig review: Harleighblu – The Maze – April 2nd

With the greatest respect to The Maze, I was surprised to hear that Harleighblu had chosen the venue to make her ‘comeback’ to the world of Nottingham music considering she has played (and filled) the Rescue Rooms. Maybe a smaller venue was less of a risk considering how fickle the local audience can be?

Kicking off the night was Yazmin Lacey, playing as the venue filled up and went down well with the crowd. A well suited opening act with a beautifully laid back set that will ensure that she will soon be headlining in her own right. The only pity is that more people didn’t see her.

Unknown Era haven’t been together very long but bring several years of musical pedigree to the stage and have quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Their EP was hands down the best release by a Nottingham act in 2015 and took the roof off the Maze with their energetic set fusing ska, reggae, hip hop and anything else you can think of. If Harleighblu is the best singer that Motown never signed, you can say the same about Unknown Era and the legendary 2 Tone label.

In the ever-evolving musical landscape that is Nottingham it is weird to label an artist such as Harleighblu as one of the old guard without sounding insulting, but I simply mean that because being touted as the next big thing can be a double edged sword. Being away from local activity can either strengthen your return to performing live (Georgie) or consign you to the ‘where are they now’ files. Thankfully for Harleighblu it was the former.

Taking immediate command of the room, Harleighblu was quick to show her hometown crowd what they had been missing while she was away. Having played all over the world and spending all of last year “in the fuckin’ studio” she declared herself back with a set that combined old favourites with, in her words – new shit. With a tight backing band and a more upbeat sound reminiscent in places of The Ronnettes, Harleighblu is back on the road and hopefully she won’t stay away too long this time.

 

By Steve Oliver