Review: Fenne Lily, The Lantern

Bristol’s music scene is renowned for its strong young acts. However, not many of these up and coming acts get to play the Colston Hall, where Fenne Lily, a 20 year-old solo singer local to Bristol, will be headlining tonight.

Backstage, she’s barely touched her very modest rider of olives and melon slices due to ‘feeling a little bit nervous.’ Having listened to her Spotify, which has upwards of 600,000 followers, it’s not clear why.

https://youtu.be/uzCRcpOKUXs

Her vocal warm-ups consist of telling tales of her best friend who is currently away shooting wildlife documentaries and politely greeting streams of friends and family who pop in to wish her luck. Fenne’s wit is uncontainable as she slips in one-liners, mainly self-deprecating, whenever too hard pressed by a question. We also talk briefly about her influences, which unsurprisingly include Joni Mitchell and Kurt Vile. Despite headlining the evening, she makes it very clear that this is a joint effort. This current tour is showcasing four acoustic acts who take it in turns to open and close the shows.

Fenne opens her set with What’s Good, and her vocals fill out The Lantern with a haunting ease. The room has always lent itself best to acoustic acts and Fenne’s breathy tones are magnified here. As Fenne told me earlier in the evening, “we chose the venue because we know the sound here well and wanted the audience to feel settled.”

For an artist of just 20, her lyrics are unfathomably mature and believable. She mentions the fact she didn’t grow up particularly popular and lived a fairly modest life. Its astounding how she manages to draw such emotive and heartfelt imagery in her songs, and looking around the room, the audience visibly resonates with her choice of words.

Her guitar style smacks of Laura Marling, but she informs us that a full band is under construction for future dates. However, we never feel like we’re missing out – Fenne flits effortlessly between acoustic and electric guitars, showing off her talent on both instruments.

Fenne’s strikingly personal song, Brother, is a particularly touching moment. Her personal dedication is stunning, and adds to the feeling that this set feels a little like reading through her diary. It’s intimate and personal and even sad at times, yet she reinvigorates us with humorous banter between each song that brings us round again. Shut your eyes and it feels like we’re in the company of someone who has been doing this for decades, not someone who only started making music five years ago  while still a teenager.

Fenne is not just proof that young, local acts can play at a world-renowned stage, she’s proof that Bristol’s music scene is one of the best around.. It will be exciting to see where she takes her exceptional voice next.

Main image by Carl Osbourn