Review: Elles Bailey, Support – The Cinelli Brothers / Demi Marriner
Islington Assembly Hall (November 2nd, 2024)
Reviewer / Photographer: Paul Dubbelman
It has been a long-time dream for Elles to headline at the Islington Assembly Hall, and tonight that dream was fulfilled with a performance that not only illustrated what a superb performer she is, but also the grit and determination that Elles shows when the chips are down.
Demi Marriner opened the show with the announcement that Elles was feeling poorly and was currently resting before launching into a too-short 4-song set that showcased her song-writing skills as well as her confident performance. Opening with ‘Sins‘ from her first album ‘The Things We Didn’t Say‘ followed by her latest single ‘Repeat Refrain‘ from her upcoming album ‘The Things We Said‘. Demi then regaled us with the tale (she’s quite the storyteller) of her time in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the World Champion squirrel cook-off (really!), before leaving us with ‘One Way Conversation‘ and ‘Good Guy Act‘. Short it may have been, sweet it certainly was and with Demi on tour with her own band at the moment, there are plenty of chances to see more of what this very talented performer can do.
With Elles resting, it fell to Demi to act as compere for the evening and, before introducing The Cinelli Brothers to the stage, Demi wanted the crowd to send a message of love and support to Elles, which they duly did, with one of the loudest cheers of the night down the phone to surely lift Elles spirits. The Cinelli Brothers, Marco and Allesandro, with Tom Julian Jones (JJ) and Stephen Giry, opened their set with the gospel-infused blues number ‘Prayer‘ which starts slow and builds to a crescendo, culminating in a fiery lead solo from Mr Giry. It then got all funky with ‘Leave It with You‘, Marco laying down some sultry keys along with some tasty vocals. Keeping it funky they launch in to ‘Ain’t Blue But I Sigh’ with a nice lead riff from JJ’s harmonica and groovy percussion from Allesandro. Demonstrating why they were worthy winners of the 2023 UK blues federation Challenge, representing British blues in the US and Europe, The Cinelli’s slid into their bluesy roots with ‘Save Me‘ and more delicious harmonica licks from JJ, closing another all-too-short set with the funked-up blues of ‘Mama Don’t Like You‘. An exuberant pull-no-punches set from the band.
A brief interlude and then it was onto the Main Event. Demi, now on BVs and acoustic guitar, led the band on stage where they kicked straight into the opening number ‘Enjoy the Ride‘ from Elles latest album ‘Beneath The Neon Glow‘. Elles walked out to an almighty roar from the crowd, expressed her love, and launched into the vocals. From thereon in it was definitely a case of “Sit Back, Buckle Up, and Enjoy the Ride”. Ruling that stage, like the Queen she is, and drawing love and strength from her many fans in the sell-out crowd, Elles and the band kept everyone grooving, singing and clapping along for the rest of the show. In a set that lasted a little over two hours Elles and the band kept the energy high, and the crowd very much engaged.
Elles‘ latest album ‘Beneath The Neon Glow‘ featured heavily in the set list, unsurprisingly given the title of this tour, but what was striking was how similar the songs sounded live to the way they sounded on the album. This is a testament not only to the quality of the album, but also to the quality of the highly talented musicians that support Elles. Joe Wilkins on guitar, never needing the limelight but always on point with a killer riff or some exquisite slide, Jonny Henderson on keys adding just the right amount of colour to the songs, the two Matthews, Waer on Bass and Jones on Drums keeping the pace and driving the tunes, and not forgetting Miss Sparkles, Demi Marriner (a rising star in her own right) on guitar and backing vocals, providing a sweet contrast to Elle’s huskier, deeper timbre.
Despite being under the weather, and not having sound-checked (all credit to the sound crew for balancing the sound from the start), it was clear to see that Elles was enjoying this show every bit as much as the crowd, and there was plenty of banter between songs to deepen that bond between artist and audience. Headlining a show at the Islington Assembly Hall had been one of Elles’ long-time dreams and being a sell-out made it just a bit more special. Amidst the joyfulness of the majority of Elles’ songs there were moments of thoughtfulness and reflection, a moving tribute to Matthew Long, the young guitarist that lost his battle against cancer at the beginning of October, and the haunting lyrics and tune of ‘Let it Burn‘, a song where the soulful side of Elles voice really comes to the fore. ‘Riding Out the Storm‘ close the main set, but there was no way that was going to be the end of things. The Band came back for a beautiful rendition of ‘Turn off the News‘, Elles sharing keyboards with Jonny and an audience that just soaked it all up. It all got lively again when Marco and Allesandro Cinelli joined the band for the final number, a riotous version of ‘Sunshine City‘, to send the crowd home happy. The tour carries on through November into next year, and some tickets are available from Elles’ Website.
(click on photos to enlarge)
Demi Marriner
Setlist
Sins
Repeat Refrain
One Way Conversation
Good Guy Act
The Cinelli Brothers
Setlist
Prayer
Leave it With You
Ain’t Blue But I Sigh
Save Me
Mama Don’t Like You
Elles Bailey
Set List
Enjoy the Ride
Leave the Light On
Ballad of a Broken Dream
1972
Over The Hill
Silhouette In A Sunset
Hell Or High Water
Hole In My Pocket
Medicine Man
What’s The Matter With You
Truth Ain’t Gonna Save Us
Love Yourself
Let It Burn
The Game
If This Is Love
Riding Out The Storm
Encore:
Turn Off The News
Sunshine City
Elles Bailey:
The Cinelli Brothers:
Demi Marriner:
© All photographs are copyright of Paul Dubbelman / Dubbel Xposure Photography. They may not be altered or used without express permission.
Discover more from ROCKPOSER DOT COM
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You must be logged in to post a comment.