Frances @ 02 Institute 2, 7th April, 2017
With the recent release of her first full-length album entitled Things I’ve Never Said, Frances has embarked on a massive tour. Part of this tour brought her to Birmingham, where the singer enchanted fans with her hauntingly beautiful songs. The artist, who seems to mix Adele like emotions with Beyonce like power, has taken back the music industry, which was at one time only filled with pop women with her sultry singer songwriter genre. Part wild and part mysterious, Frances’ music is both emotionally tinged as well as mysterious, alluding to an incredible show.
“Don’t Worry About Me” is the first tune to grace the audience once Frances takes the stage. While the band set up is apparent, Frances opens with an acappella song that fills the room with an intimate living room feel. The sedated start of the show is what immediately highlights the mysterious quality of Frances’ music and her live show; there is an accessibility to the music but there is also a bit of a cover on it. This alluring quality certainly is one of the keys to the success of the young artist.
Moving forward the band enters the stage and breaks into love songs “Cloud 9” and “Love Me Again.” The heavy drum kick and layered vocals give the mid-tempo songs a bit of an acoustic pop vibe. Yet unlike pop songs these display a powerful falsetto that is not at all breathy or light. The powerhouse vocals give the songs a sense of forcefulness that is not found in pop tunes, and therefore while the songs are catchy they are very much a departure from anything present in the music world. Slowing down the tempo Frances breaks into “Drifting.” An emotional swirl in the music, Frances and her piano stand as the shining stars of the song despite the addition of the touring band.
“Let It Out” and EDM tinged “Borrowed Time” pump up the more lulling mood. They are followed by crowd favorite “No Matter,” which displays the same picked up pop dance sensibility as the following songs. Then the band leaves the stage and Frances returns back to the more sedated tunes that were prevalent in her earlier work. “Say It Again” and “Last Word” are the love songs that accompany break up feels. Slow paced and sad, these songs transcend the young age of Frances to become the tunes of heartbreak and maturity found in other female powerhouses on the radio. The band enters the stage again and the set ends with ethereal “Under Our Feet” and dance song “Sublime.” After a short wait Frances again enters without the band for the encore. “When It Comes To Us” finds the crowd singing along loudly. The band enters back to the stage to play the final song “grow.”
Frances’ set was certainly short and sweet. Only playing an hour the audience was certainly left wanting more, something that no doubt has been come to mark Frances’ career. Now with a full length album out the artist has more to choose from to fill an entire set, something to look forward to. The new voice of the industry, Frances show proved that her music is sensible and beautiful, with a flavour to entice every ear. It will be exciting to see how the artist continues to grow and curate tunes that are honest mirrors of life and love.
Reviewer: Kylie McCormick
Photographer: Marc Osborne