Music / Review
Review: August, Rough Trade – ‘Her soft and soulful voice captivated the entire audience’
Tucked away in the back room of Rough Trade was a night of soft and sensual music from the creative director and founder of the Bristol based vocal collective Bass Choir, August.
Following on from her debut EP, Got Those Strings, in 2021, the event at Rough Trade was to launch her second EP titled 430B.C.
Support came from a live performance from a DJ performance from Birthmark and a live performance from Eusebeia, both artists who are breaking the mould and experimenting with sounds to bring a certain unique experience to the audience.
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The room filled out as August took to the stage with five backing singers alongside her. With each song bleeding into the next, the set offered a unique experience, creating a bubble for the audience to connect with the songs as well as the singer.
August’s voice has such a soulful and unique quality that even the most popular songs get a distinctive twist, this was seen when she covered Glass Animals’ hit song Heat Waves, a song we’ve heard in shops, on the radio and in the chart for the past two years, gets completely wonderfully updated and reworked.
However, her voice is stronger when she’s singing along with slower melodies, the heavier tracks occasionally drowing out her voice. Despite the passion emanating from August, it was sometimes hard to resonate with her when her voice was hidden behind the backing track.
It was a surprise to see five backing singers squeezed onto the stage and it was slightly disappointing to see so many of them be under-utilised throughout the performance, a few of us were left questioning what exactly they would have added if they had been used more.
Despite this, the set was a truly special experience with August’s soft and soulful voice enrapturing the entire audience and left us wanting more.
You can listen to August’s EP on Spotify.
Main photo: Issy Packer
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