2020 So Far: Club Reviews

When punk princess Hayley Williams announced her long-awaited solo music debut earlier this month, fans went wild. The Paramore frontwoman has always been a strong songwriter and musician, however it was in her solo career that her worth as an individual would truly be measured. And while she delivered, it wasn’t what anyone was expecting.

However, reflecting back after the release of lead single ‘Simmer’, what exactly did we expect? With Paramore having taken a step away from the rock scene on their latest album Hard Times, it signalled that Williams, who started on the scene at just 16, was growing up. Having dipped into different styles through various solo collaborations (such as 2010’s ‘Airplanes’ with B.O.B. and 2013’s ‘Stay the Night’ with Zedd), it seems that Williams has found her signature sound in wistful, dark indie-pop. With a backing track composed partially acapella (yes, that’s her beatboxing) and catchy, moody lyrics, ‘Simmer’ is Williams at her best. Creating a song that is undeniably hers, from the instrumental to the lyrics (co-written with Paramore bandmates Taylor York and Joey Howard) proves that it is possible to separate yourself from the legacy of such an iconic band and make a new sound as an individual artist. Subtle, exposed, a stark contrast to the loud, outspoken Paramore days, this is the music we didn’t even know we wanted from her.

I’m in a band with my favorite musicians, so I never really feel the need to step into a role as a player when it comes to Paramore records. This project, however, benefited from a little bit of musical naïveté and rawness and so I experimented quite a bit more. […] Now that it’s time to put it all out there, I can finally exhale. I’m excited to let people in to experience a different side of myself that I’ve only very recently become familiar with.

Indeed ‘Simmer’ feels like Hayley Williams’ first breath of fresh air in a long time. After taking time away from music following the release of 2017’s Hard Times, she has well and truly asserted herself as a talented singer and songwriter on a track where she chooses to be quietly brilliant. The music video, directed by ‘Get Lucky’ director Warren Fu, follows a vulnerable Williams running through the forest, chased by an unknown creature that only as the video reaches its climax is revealed to be Williams herself. Far from being scared, fans are more excited than before for the release of upcoming album ‘Petals for Armor’ (taken from the lyrics of ‘Simmer’) on May 8th.

Lizzie Wright

Daughter of Swords, 22/1/20, Hyde Park Book Club

Tucked away in the basement of Hyde Park Book Club, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig took us through the quiet brilliance of her debut album Dawnbreaker. Support from Leeds duo Sunflower Thieves and upcoming indie-folk artist Vraell warmed up for our main act with an abundance of soothing vocals, before Monnig, brazenly entitled ‘Daughter of Swords’, picked up her guitar and climbed onstage. With a gentle presence to match her soft acoustic sound, the singer-songwriter - previously one third of folk-band ‘Mountain Man’ - is not only easy to watch but hard to look away from.

Her voice was proven to be just as captivating live as in her studio tracks as she opened the set acapella. Her angelic voice and ambling lyricism aren’t far away from Big Thief’s incredible Adrienne Lenker; it’s easy to see how Monnig’s solo writing will only grow from here.

A few songs in she eased into ‘Shining Women’, my personal favourite track off the new album and a highlight of the gig. ‘Life’s gone before you know it’ she sings serenely, it ‘passes you by if you don’t seize it’. The lyricism of Alexandra’s album is filled with tender moments like this, made all the better in such an intimate gig setting.

Ending on Jean Ritchie’s ‘Morning Come, Maria Gone’, she elegantly gave a traditional folk track her own poignancy. With lilting melodies and a voice to captivate, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig is a hugely undiscovered gem within the American folk scene. The music of Daughter of Swords is beautifully simple, and her UK tour is proving it so.