The crowd who gathered at Koko last night was mostly made up of edgy 18-25 year olds, with much better taste than I had at their age. I was there to see Annie Eve, who should be a household name before too long. The 21 year old Londoner has been making since she was 13, influenced from a young age by her musician brother’s excellent taste and his refusal to let her get sucked into the unoriginal mainstream.
When Annie appeared on stage her effortless magnetism was immediately evident. It’s just one of the signs of the raw talent this young singer, song writer, guitarist and general cool chick possesses. She is tiny with huge haunting crystal blue eyes and when she opens her mouth to speak it’s soft and endearingly shy, with an underlying assurance that what she’s about to do is going to be good.
She kicked off with ‘Shuffle’. Annie’s voice is unique and quietly powerful, fluctuating elegantly between what could easily be classified as folk, country or soul. Her range and passion made me think of Florence Welch, but her offering is definitely something different. Plus she’s cooler. And I love Florence.
Next was ‘Bodyweight’, another beautiful, enchanting anthem. Annie’s mouth barely moves when she sings, which adds to the dreamy quality of her music. Being in the audience is like having an angel confiding a heart-breaking secret to you, personally. Koko made sense for the North London girl, geographically, but I’m a bit of a hippy at heart and I feel like her music would be best enjoyed in more outdoor, ethereal surroundings, like a sunny festival, with less bass and more of that voice, which is where the magic lies.
‘Elvis’ from her debut EP should be a big hit, assuming the likes of Little Mix and The Wanted haven’t stripped pop culture of any sense of taste. Annie’s style offers the perfect antidote for all that is artificial and Simon Cowellified in the industry. Her charm lies in the balance of enormous talent and her human fragility. In today’s often superficial industry she should give hope to real music lovers and to young musicians, trying to find their way. The self titled debut EP is now available for download and I couldn’t recommend it more. Annie also announced her first headline show at St Pancras Old Church on the 19th September. She’s playing Secret Garden Party and Green Man too, so there’s a chance for al fresco appreciation in the meantime.
Philli B
