Music / Elles Bailey
Review: Elles Bailey, Rough Trade – ‘Rich threads of country, folk and blues’
After a standout performance at Glastonbury earlier this year and in search of her highest charting album to date, Bristol’s Elles Bailey released Beneath The Neon Glow at the beginning of August.
The album landed at five – between Charlie XCX and Taylor Swift – in the official mid-week UK album chart and eventually rested at 12, leaving her teetering on the brink of becoming the first Bristol-born female solo artist to get a UK top ten.
The artist’s fourth, the record delves into the many facets of love – the depths of heartbreak, resilience of friendship, fleeting moments and that which withstands the tests of time – with lyrically vulnerable and brutally honest songwriting.
is needed now More than ever
Drawing on her eclectic range of influences from old school blues, roots, and outlaw country to soul, southern rock and dark gospel, it’s a sound which fully embraces Elles’ stunning vocal prowess.
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Never one to settle or slow down, the award-winning, smoky-voiced chanteuse who has powered her way to the forefront of the British americana and roots scenes, is about to embark on her largest UK tour to date.
She’s already on an in-store tour to celebrate the album’s release and at her Rough Trade date was joined by guitarists Joe Wilkins and Demi Marriner.
She opened with 1972, which has a real sense of nostalgia: “Polaroid’s stuck on the fridge, atlas maps open the dash for trips, blue bell bottoms and platforms.” With its country-funk toe-tapping vibes it’s also a big shift in style for the singer, inspired by the desire to embrace the present moment.
Elles’ first hometown gig on her UK tour was an intimate show, while she returns to play SWX in October – photo: Paul Gainey
Leave The Light On has a real anthemic quality and is americana in its purest form with glorious melodies and a dazzling guitar solo in the closing stages. Again, the song presents an intimate insight into Elles’ personal relationships and her life as a travelling musician as she continues to wear her heart on her sleeve.
It is tinged with the sadness of exchanging home for the road, before Elles determines to embrace her rolling stone spirit and make the most of her adventures.
Ballad Of A Broken Dream follows and has a much darker energy drawn out by a bluesier vocal which affords it a much greater sense of both resignation and emotional depth.
Whilst presented in a more conventional rock style, it has a rousing chorus line with a vibrato in Elles’ vocals which alludes to some emotional scars that clearly resonate with personal experience.
The song tells the poignant tale of a musician who has burned too many bridges and finds solace only on stage. The evocative lyrics create a compelling narrative: “Here he sits playing for tips and no one knows his name” paints a vivid picture, making this track a standout for both its emotional depth and melodic appeal.
Elles was accompanied by two guitarists and performed songs from her new album – photo: Paul Gainey
Wistfulness meets wide-eyed wonder on the serene Silhouette in a Sunset, co-written with Tamara Stewart, which changes the mood completely as its acoustic opening immediately sets a thoughtful and melancholy tone. But what follows is an emotional rollercoaster which represents a cornerstone for the album.
Next up, Turn Off The News, which closes out the album, a song recognizing the privilege of those who can “turn off the pain” after watching whatever horrific events unfolded in the world that day.
Truth Ain’t Gonna Save Us draws on the rich threads of country, folk and blues as it drives forward with a narrative once again focused on heartbreak.
The sense of resignation conveyed through the line “the truth ain’t gonna save us, but it will set us free” resonates so clearly through the beautiful phrasing in Elles’ vocals.
Penultimate track Love Yourself is more lyrically introspective and has a great opening line: “Dull eyes that used to light up the room, now muddy with the weight of the years.”
Elles ends with the last song written for the album, Enjoy The Ride, which has been released as the first single. A strong ode to positivity, its shuffling beat and driving energy define the kind of sound Elles has made her very own in recent years.
The song was written with two of her longtime collaborators, Ash Tucker, who also co-wrote Turn Off The News, and Will Edmunds. It was inspired by the request Elles often gets to give advice to up and coming independent artists.
She tells the crowd: “Very early on in my career a friend told me that this musical path I had chosen doesn’t have a destination, it’s a journey – a very tough journey and one it’s so important to enjoy”.
Elles and her top-tier band will be back in town at SWX on October 26.
Main photo: Rob Blackham
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