The Green Note in Camden provided the perfect location for an evening with the multi-talented and award-winning songwriter and musician Rachael Sage.
With its stooped ceilings, velvet-clad windows, and hanging lights strung haphazardly around, the space was intimate and enchanting.
Having spent some time listening to Sage’s most recent musical offering (which was to form the majority of the night’s entertainment), I was intrigued to find out how her vocals, which are truly captivating in their recorded format, would translate into a live performance. And I was not disappointed.
Starting with the yet to be released ‘Blue Sky Days’, Sage quickly illustrated her vocal prowess and captivating stage presence.
Joined on stage by a violinist (and backup vocals) the instrumentation, although minimalist, provided the perfect accompaniment for Sage’s earnestly honest tracks, and the fiddle playing rose and fell throughout the performance as though duetting with Sage.
Up next was ‘Spark’, an upbeat and buoyant track that filled the small space with a quietly joyous sense of sanguinity and optimism.
The title track came next and its message of open-mindedness and acceptance was not lost on the small group gathered together in North London.
Other highlights from the first half? A touching rendition of ‘Sistersong’ dedicated to her friend and fellow bandmate, and the cool and paired back closer ‘What If’.
Following a short break (and a surprise costume change) Sage returned to the stage and captivated the audience once more with a rendition of the delightfully eccentric ‘Heaven is a Grocery Store Clerk’.
We were then taken on a journey through some of Sage’s earlier material such as ‘Unbeauty’ and ‘Big Star’ before she finished with another of her as-of-yet unreleased singles ‘Bravery’s on Fire’ (maybe a cryptic suggestion that we can expect new material before too long?!).
Taking to the stage for an impromptu encore, Sage sang a beautifully off-the-cuff version of ‘Abby Would You Wait’, before actually ending the evening with a charmingly inventive cover of Howard Jones’ ‘No One Is To Blame’.
All in all, it was a beautifully mesmeric evening spent listening to Sage’s recent offerings as well as getting a glimpse of her past catalogue.
‘PseudoMyopia’ is out now so head to Rachael Sage’s website for information on what she’s getting up to next.
