As a winter storm raged outside, Blue Violet kept us warm at Rough Trade with a sultry, stripped-back show to launch their sophomore album...
After a week marked by US politics and shivering in the winds of Storm Éowyn, on Friday night there was light at the end of the tunnel. Just as they had hoped when they spoke to LeftLion ahead of their Echobelly support show last November, indie alternative duo Blue Violet returned to Nottingham to celebrate the release of their new album Faux Animaux. And it was just what this coat-clad crowd needed.
Armed only with their voices, guitar and their touring bassist, Sarah McGrigor and Sam Gotley thawed the winter chills with a mellow, intimate showcase of new material and established favourites.
The pair wore this stripped-back style well. Powerhouse pieces such as Undercover and Imagine Me took on a dark, almost country-inspired aspect; perhaps harking back to their roots as Americana outfit Broken Bones Matilda. In contrast to the layered, shoegaze-esque vibe of their first album, the minimal set-up also suited the sparser, rhythm-centred sound Blue Violet have found for their new record, even without any of its prevalent electronics.
Faux Animaux explores the ways in which we defy our own animal instincts, and the moments where those societal layers fall away.
Lead vocalist Sarah McGrigor truly embodied this theme: resplendent in leopard-print and an oversized tee, her vocal talents were on full display - from powerful vibrato on Barefoot on the Seine to a deeper croon on the sultry Halo.
While Sarah had the crowd smiling and cheering throughout, guitarist Sam Gotley’s deep, husky tones were just as welcome; particularly in quieter moments like the end of Faux Animaux - not to mention the plaintive, poetic album track The Librarian, which was met with quiet reverence by spectators and bandmates alike.
This show encapsulated everything I love about a Rough Trade gig: the easy rapport between audience and performers (the crowd needed almost no encouragement to sing Sam a mid-show chorus of "Happy Birthday") and a sense that everyone there is experiencing something a little bit special.
I hope I get to see Blue Violet play a fully amped gig in future; with their ability both live and in the studio, I’m sure they’re going places. But this was a unique show I won’t soon forget, and a perfect way to launch an excellent second album.
Blue Violet performed at Rough Trade on 24th January 2025.
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