BETSY | LIVE REVIEW
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, Thurs 23 Nov
On occasion, some musicians choose to perform at venues that are normally overlooked or thought to be unavailable for certain styles of music. Nestled on the front of Swansea Bay lies the National Waterfront Museum, one of the largest educational attractions at the seaside city and where up-and-coming pop artist Betsy decided to kickstart her headline tour.
‘Get It Loud’ was the name of this particular event and the raised stage stood in the centre of the welcoming hall with the warm lights and Chinese lanterns hung high above the audience. Singer Sonia Stein, plus accompanying guitarist and pianist, opened the evening: Stein’s voice was undeniably beautiful and she sparked early interest in the crowd, including with standout song Do You Love Me). It took a few songs for her to come firmly out of her shell, but she gained swift acceptance among spectators as they watched the vocalist lose herself in the music.
The opening melody of Lost & Found was cast over the speakers before Betsy strode down the Waterfront’s long staircase, her long cream trenchcoat clipping the steps. It is no surprise to learn of her background in the world of fashion, as she brings with her a wardrobe of stylish outfits to each show. Running through her album-length repertoire – Little White Lies, Wanted More, Waiting and Fair – Betsy’s voice, and her backing band’s musical consistency, remained flawless throughout the performance.
Rosie, written for Betsy’s friend and sung in commemoration of 10 years since her death, was an emotional and moving piece that raised neck hairs as well as inducing lumps in throats. She also proved to be quite the personality, chatting to her spectators in her thick west Wales accent (completely masked when she sings) and discussing a number of things – including the fact that “Cher is the queen of everything” which was followed by a short but popular rendition of Believe.
A perfect evening, made that little more personal watching members of Betsy’s family up the front and dancing along with the rest of the attendees up until the very end.
words and photos NATHAN ROACH