Golden Slippers - DBerry Bros. and Rudd Bar, Royal Albert Hall 24.02.14

  by Gillian Fish

published: 23 / 2 / 2014

intro

Gillian Smith enjoys an evening of rising talent from acoustic folk singer John Smith, young band Emily and The Woods and alternative artist Sivu at exclsuive monthly showcase the Society of the Golden Slippers in London

Society of the Golden Slippers was set up by Jen Roberts, and has been showcasing new talent in London since 2010; the event takes its name from the cockney rhyming slang for ‘tippers’(a word used to describe new artists about to break-through. Previous performers have included Laura Mvula, Luke Sital-Singh and recent Number One artist Sam Smith. Usually housed in Blacks members club, the Monday night event has recently moved to the space underneath the main auditorium of the Royal Albert Hall, an impressive room that provides a lovely atmosphere. Spaces for the free gigs are attained by emailing for guestlist, and the audience is made up of music industry types, other musicians and music lovers! First to take to the stage is John Smith, an acoustic folk singer who has already released four albums independently and is set to headline Shepherd's Bush Empire later on in the year. The Liverpool-based artist tells tales of love and growing up in a small Devonshire town in his gravelly, husky voice. Before telling the crowd he is going to cover a song by his favourite band, he plays a wonderful version of ‘No One Knows’ by Queens of the Stone Age. The in-between song jokes with the audience serve as a welcome accompaniment to an emotive performance. Next up is Emily And The Woods, a young London band fronted by the unassuming Emily Woods. Her stunning and soothing vocals are folk orientated but musically they blend soul and jazz into the mix. They entertain the crowd with tracks that are charming and honest in their delivery from Emily ,and their cover of a James Blake song fits beautifully into the middle of the set. The last spot of the evening goes to Sivu, already causing somewhat of a stir throughout last year. His unique sound and atmospheric tracks such as first single ‘Better Man Than He’ show why he is so widely applauded. More recent songs have elements of Bombay Bicycle Club and set closer ‘Sleep’ sends a shiver down the spine; as he gets ready to head across the Atlantic for South By South West next month it looks very likely Sivu will be joining the impressive Society Of the Golden Slippers alumni. A lovely evening that provided a chance to see some up-and-coming talent in one of London’s hidden gems.