The opening act of the night was Darcie Parker, a singer full of ambition. She proudly announced to the crowd that she is deaf, and she uses vibrations to assist her while performing. Darcie does this by feeling the vibrations through the guitar by holding the end of it as well as not wearing shoes so she can feel the vibrations through the floor.
Her voice complemented the band, especially while performing her new single ‘Be My Own Home’ which is full of heartfelt lyrics with a beautiful melody, which gives an overall sense of empowerment for Darcie herself. Another favorite of mine that
Darcie sang with passion the no named song that they call ‘the feminist one’, which personally I think is a great name for the song! It was a different style compared to some of the slower songs she sang however, I really felt the desire and passion she had about the topic through her performance.
It was really inspiring to see that Darcie was using music as an outlet of expression for her emotions but also as an outlet to raise awareness and break stigma around those in the industry and community who are deaf. Her voice captivated the room when she sang as well as giving us an added comedy show with her witty comments – what more could you want!
The next act was the young, talented Midge. Her voice is unlike anything I have heard before, it being individual and unique. Shes not trying to be like anyone else and the crowd really resonated with it.
One of the songs that captivated me was the song ‘Loving You’ where Midge sang about the experience of love itself and it was this point where the crowd were making little declarations to each other. It’s beautiful how music can do that, and how Midge’s talent was also fuel for that. This proves how she had such an intense impact upon the crowd. The cover of ‘The Best’ by Tina Turner was especially good, a classic which she perfected to make it seem like the original, however she still made it her own advocating the versatility she had within her.
The Dunwells are a band made by pure individuals with a pure connection. They are two brothers that have been performing, writing and making music together since 2011, which they now do independently. The bond is seen through Joe and Dave within their witty comments and brotherly banter, making the whole crowd laugh – This is part of what makes their music so great. The Indie Folk/Americana band from Pudsey, Leeds produce songs filled with sentiment, honesty and beauty. The lyrics telling real life stories and experiences that can be applied to the majority making the music to be personal to the individual listening to it. Their music in my eyes is the epiphany of what music is all about, helping celebrate, mourn and enjoy all areas of life.
This year, their aim is to release one song a month. They played a cover that they’re releasing on the 26th of April where Dave Dunwell takes the role of lead vocals which he stated that he ‘wasn’t very keen’ about it himself, causing the crowd to erupt into laughter again. Although he stepped up to a role that was subverting from his norm, especially with losing his voice, Dave did not disappoint. The crowd was slowly swaying to his singing, the die-hard fans enjoying hearing something different and the new fans absorbing the music.
Many times, they used the audience as their anchor, which advocated how much The Dunwells valued them. They asked for requests from the crowd which many people obliged to, shouting out their favourite songs and singing along while they played them. The brothers also shared intimate stories with us, including one about their song ‘Battling Life’ which was the first song they produced independently, and they filmed it in Dave’s loft and now that song has emerged into a great success. This is what they felt that music is all about, it’s about playing around, having fun, being simple. This works for them, and the songs they make have a profound impact on those who listen, the universal experiences and nostalgic, relatable topics they sing about allow you to make them your own with your own experience.