Billie Marten stays down to Earth at Manchester’s Aviva Studios
The Yorkshire musician supported Ben Howard on his UK tour.
Photo: Katie Silvester
As a new listener of Billie Marten’s Music, I didn’t fully know what to expect. But, what arrived on that autumnal Monday evening in Manchester, was a sound of purity and organic-ness that pricked the ears and kept you in that very moment from beginning to end. A supportive and welcoming crowd left the atmosphere warm and homely.
The vulnerable lyricism of I Can’t Get My Head Around You is a song stamped with full-blown honesty, leaving moments of reflection for the listener’s past and present experiences. The earthly metaphors of “I won’t forget the taste of my morning sun” to the contemplative direct approach of “I made a mess, a life to assess” left me with an admiration that mistakes between each and every one of us are inevitable.
Mice was another stand-out point of Marten’s set. The eerie but daze-like instrumentation, followed by words of self-doubt and sabotage with memorable lyrics “To me, I am my only vice” hits you powerfully with a deeper understanding of Billie. Marten has a clever lyrical style that leaves you comfortably uncomfortable with a desire for more. The added bonus of a guest violinist topped off the night, adding a soothing dynamic.
A show that will be remembered for leaving a mark and a focus on myself, along with the people around me.