VV Brown, Alphabeat & Alexandra Burke @ Little Noise Sessions. 17.11.09

The Little Noise Sessions are very special. A series of 9 nights at an intimate venue, the sessions feature an all star line-up and secret guests. The shows require little promotion either, held each year for the greater good. The gigs raise money for Mencap, a learning disability charity, and are curated by Radio 1 host Jo Wiley.

Traditionally held in Islington’s Union Chapel, the acts play to an audience of under 400 people. It’s an extremely exclusive crowd, and the ticket price reflects this; a night’s entertainment is yours for a cool £40, and usually features 3-4 bands. The venue is beautiful, both visually and musically, the chapel’s acoustics accomodating the stripped back, acoustic sounds that the participating musicians are expected to bring.

Whereas this year’s launch featured brooding indie from Editors and The Maccabees, the second night moved into pop territory. V.V. Brown opened the show, introducing her throwback pop with a slight version of “Game Over”. Supported only by a percussion box player and guitarist, her sound was suprisingly full. The performance was equally mature, although V.V. is both a driving force and a problem. Her vocal acrobatics have taken on a weird stilted style, restricting the power and tone in her voice, her mouth twisting into all manner of shapes. Still, you cannot argue with the contemporary skill of her songwriting; closing with “Shark In The Water”, one feels there are many more epic songs to be penned.

Marina & The Diamonds were scheduled to play next, but pulled out last minute. It added a sour taste to the evening, as Wiley chose to simply gloss over their no-show rather than addressing the issue. Alphabeat more than made up for this hiccup, the Denmark group playing a swift set of their pop tunes. Current single “The Spell” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but early indications suggest their second album might be a darker proposition. Whilst not usually my style, the band won me over with a wholly professional performance, particularly the vocals of lead singers Stine Bramsen and Anders SG Nielsen. There is certainly more to their live performances than their sickly sweet exterior suggests- the songs are simple (“This song is called “Boyfriend. It’s about a relationship.) but the performance adds weight and context to each song’s sound. They closed their set with “Fascination”, the star performer and single that helped them find fame in the UK.

Lending her voice to the headlining slot, Alexandra Burke proved that X Factor graduates can show a little class. Taking the stage in a showstopping minidress, this gig was clearly special to her. Hailing from Islington, the songstress had always dreamt of playing at the annual Little Noise shows, and slowed the set down with anecdotes and ramblings. She walked the fine line between endearing herself and irritating the audience, bursting into to tears of joy at one point. Opening with a reinterpretation of Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous”, two dancers ran up the aisles and jumped on stage.

Her sound was seriously hampered by the lack of a backing band, instead opting to use a backing track, two guest vocalists and some dancers. The mistake wasn’t able to detract from her voice, but it was certainly distracting. There were brief moments of promise, however. Bringing on an acoustic guitarist for a stripped back version of “Hallelujah”, she gave a performance that reminded us of her X Factor days. Her voice has come a long way.

The show closed with lead single “Bad Boys”, showing off her rare ability to sing and dance simultaneously. There was no miming here, and it was an all-star performance. Burke left the stage, Union Chapel cleared out, and Little Noise 2009 prepared itself for another night of fantastic performances. And all in the name of charity; a better combination you will not find…

Photos courtesy of Will Hines

1. 

   Alex Hunt says:

   November 22, 2009 at 9:01 am

   Marina & The Diamonds
   were they on Jools Holland’s prog a couple of weeks ago???
2. 

   Will says:

   November 22, 2009 at 3:53 pm

   They were indeed. She’s a hot topic these days!