BBC Radio 2 live in Hyde Park – Review

Sep 17, 2013 | Lifestyle, News

I was so flattered and honoured to receive such a love review that I had to share it…

http://musosguide.com/festival-coverage-bbc-radio-2-live-in-hyde-park/31188

And so from the main stage back to BBC Introducing where the lovely Emma Stevens was headlining. Championed by Terry Wogan and Chris Evans, Stevens’s brand of seemingly bright and breezy indie-country-folk is lyrically astute, musically mesmeric and utterly charming. From the first note, this was a performance of a singer-songwriter destined for mainstream success and critical acclaim.The three EPs that Stevens has released feature multi-layered harmonised vocal tracks and there was a brief thought that this might not translate well a capella (so to speak) but at no point was any intensity lost and Stevens’s megawatt smile would have more than compensated if there was. Even the usually stoic sound engineer couldn’t resist nodding along to a couple of tracks, especially the beautiful ‘How to Write a Love Song’ which was introduced as a riposte to a an old boyfriend that ended their relationship on her seventeenth birthday. A real joy also was her signature track ‘A Place Called You’, which needed just a couple more people in the crowd whistling along. A more personal track, ‘Sunflower’ was also passionately performed and Stevens’s preamble was particularly affecting. It’s on her new EP and well worth seeking out. Stevens and her band sounded amazingly tight and exuded genuine sincerity towards the huddled crowd. She was by far the most professional act on the BBC Introducing bill – presenting her band by name, cheekily setting up a guitar solo and she was also the only performer to take a bow. After the set, she came out front to chat to the audience, which was a simple but telling gesture of how grounded yet grateful she surely is. She truly deserves all the success that comes her way.

By Stuart Anderson