Alphabet in Brighton’s Dyke Street is a gem of a find. Previously the Rialto theatre, this lovely gothic chapel-turned-venue is up an 18 step staircase and holds circa 100 people. No seating, all standing. At full capacity tonight. There is a trendy hi-fi pub on street level in this building and apparently a roof terrace too.
The live space is lit with warm, static fluorescent tube lighting on the walls. The in-house stage lighting stays the same throughout and does not change colour for live acts. One may think for a singer and songwriter artist such as Olive, it’d be much better with tables and chairs and a more chilled vibe, instead of 100 bodies upright on two feet for the whole show.
Nope. From the first song, it is obvious that this is very much a “listening” room and every last person is here for the music, not to chat or annoy others, not to disrupt with their mobile to capture shaky photos or video. No drunken a-holes either. Nope. A very respectful and appreciative audience who value Olive’s unique talent. Other venues all over the UK take note.
London-based Olive tells the crowd she is glad to be back “home”, having lived and studied at Uni here. Ably accompanied on the compact stage by her three superb compatriots, Chris Dagger on bass, Jay Sikora on drums and James Wyatt on keyboards.
To emphasise the “compactness” of the stage, during her song “Talk About Love”, the eighth of 12 songs in the set, some of the drum kit microphones feel off the stage and onto the floor, which created laughter, but these four pros didn’t miss a beat and played on without interruption.
Olive didn’t speak much in between the songs, and with this being an early show so the late night crowd could come in for a regular club night, maybe time was a factor. But with material and performance as top notch as this, who needs banter.
Setlist
Planes
A Woman’s Heart
All In My Head
Summer Rain
Tell My Why
Three More Nights
Colour On The Wall
Talk About Love
Kingdom
Mary
Encore
Only You
End Of Time
Following promising indie-soul support act Gigi Wile, Olive and the chaps take to the stage and open with the popular “Planes” and then “A Woman’s Heart” and “All In My Heart” to kick things of in classy style.
“Colour On The Wall” and the afore mentioned “Talk About Love”, are also superb high spots in the faultless set. As is penultimate main set song, “Kingdom”. Love it.
“Mary” ends the main set which delivers 10 of the 12 songs on her debut album “For Mary” – which dropped in March this year via Nettwerk Music Group. It is produced beautifully by James Wyatt who has worked with Lianne La Havas, George Ezra and Ellie Goulding, and is on keyboards on this tour.
A brace of songs to end for the encore; “Only You” and the gorgeous groove of “End Of Time”. For those new to Olive’s music, it sounds cliched to say listen and make up your own mind. But she cannot be pigeon-holed really; it’s soulful, a bit jazzy, a bit alt-folky and a smattering of smoky blues.
Olive was raised on soul and jazz on the Dorset coast and as a youngster she learned sax and guitar, penning her own songs from the age of 14. Joined a Leeds band. Did her music degree in Brighton and then moved to France where she busked. Later she toured with Bombay Bicycle Club.
It was hearing the Amy Winehouse debut album “Frank” that inspired Olive Jones to pursue a jazz meets soul sound.
Olive has a lovely voice with a calming vibe to it. No need for frills and vocal acrobatics. But certainly do not discount her guitar skills at all. Impressive and innate. She does not need a second fretboard on that stage, other than her excellent bassist.
But her song writing is world class and she really does serve those songs in the best way possible. No fat, no noodling, no surplus notes or words, and definitely no template for disposable and predictable material.
This stuff; you bath in the sonic joy wafting from the speakers like a warm bath. One of those times when hearing her recordings or live when you may well ask the rhetorical question: Why the hell isn’t this innately-gifted woman a household name?
Her lyrics might well at times jar a nerve or send a chill down your spine and make you think; this song is about me and my story.
Olive Jones’ sublime music is what emotions sound like – her songwriting craft aims to “capture an essence of being human; exploring topics of love, loss and communication observed through her lived experience.”
As around 100 people flooded out into the mild spring night, they probably all had the same thought: That is the best £14.85 (plus booking fee!) I ever spent.
* Catch her across the US and Canada in June, an Austrian show and back to the UK for festivals such as Love Supreme in East Sussex.
Photos by Manja Williams
Words by Steve Best
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