Bud live at Spanky Van Dykes - Photo by Samuel Kirby
Selling out in advance and having to change venues at 24 hours’ notice due to high demand, I headed into Friday's EP Launch Party for Bud's debut release holding high expectations. There was no disappointment as Bud, with support from Stuck in 2nd and the Unknown Era duo Kane Ashmore and Joshua Crofts, kept the crowd moving all night.
Backed by a very talented band, Bud started the show with a beautifully sung rendition of What's a Girl to Do the second track off City Bird. A song which reaches plenty of high notes was performed without one missed as the young singer-songwriter confidently began her sold out show. Bud worked with the audience like a seasoned performer and had the audience singing along to the chorus of True to You. It's a good show of confidence in herself as she asks the crowd to sing along and they comply eagerly as the room enters into a chorus of “We got love for it, we got love for the music”.
Throughout the gig Bud had her talented new band behind her but happily shared the responsibility of making melodies by skilfully playing the guitar, displaying her impressive and wide ranging skill set. Displayed none more so than on What's a Girl to Do, a song with a simple yet intoxicatingly catchy rhythm accompanied by calming acoustic strings played expertly by the singer herself.
It wasn't solely tracks from the EP itself and more accustomed fans of Bud's music would have been pleased to hear songs such as Happy, Never Let Go and Limbo, the latter offering up some fun audience participation. True to the song title, a giant stick appeared and we were suddenly in the middle of a limbo competition where the winner won themselves a free drink. I must admit I couldn't resist the lure of a good limbo.... the drink didn't taste too bad either.
A Little Pick Me Up is the final track off the EP and one of the liveliest. With vocals as clear as the CD and the accompaniment of a live band to give it a more distinct and energetic sound, the song went down a treat with fans enthusiastically shaking their tail feathers throughout. The penultimate song of the show was City Bird; like every other song played, happiness shines through the performance, giving this and every track played an authentic, vibrant feel.
The pure joy expressed when playing on stage and impressive engagement with the audience made this a night to remember. It was great launch party for an exciting debut EP from the up and coming Nottingham based artist, with this being only the beginning there will be plenty more to come from Bud.
Bud launched her City Bird EP at Spanky Van Dykes on Friday 27 May 2016.
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