For those with sensitive ears, South By South West can no doubt be a deafening experience. Music blares from every doorway, as bands inside clamor for your attention, while out on the street crowds assemble around an unwashed banjo player vying for your cash. There’s little respite in the city for calm – everywhere you look is live music, people, food trucks and noise. Clash found an oasis of tranquility on the Wednesday night, where we, and everyone else who was lucky enough to have squeezed into the heaving British Embassy (AKA Latitude 30), had our weary, jet-lagged, hungover souls soothed in peace.
Hosting the BBC Introducing showcase, 6Music stalwart Steve Lamacq took to the stage to prepare the scene for the next performer’s arrival. She would only begin, he reported, if the entire bar were silent. Usually an impossible task in Austin, he orchestrated from the stage a sudden stillness, as eventually an expectant hushed descended among even the bar staff at the back. Only vacating his spot once he was satisfied that the tightly packed audience was completely quiet, Lamacq ushered on stage the wonderful, Derry-based singer, SOAK.
At 18 years of age, SOAK is not legally allowed to even be in this drinking establishment, but as a performer, she’s about to own it. Alone with just her guitar, SOAK maintained her audience’s reverence from start to finish, as we stood enthralled and enraptured by her ethereal folk reflections.
With only the briefest introductions to her songs, SOAK spent her 30-minute set previewing songs from her debut album, ‘Before We Forgot How To Dream’, ensuring there was little opportunity for the speechless audience to be distracted by the thrashing sounds of a grunge band next door emanating through the open windows. The beautiful new single, ‘Sea Creatures’, was unveiled early, alongside early EP tracks ‘B a noBody’ and ’24 Windowed House’, while the devastatingly heartbreaking ‘Blud’, prefaced with an explanation of the song’s genesis after hearing her parents arguing, was given the devout admiration it deserved.
To anyone unfamiliar with SOAK, they must have felt lucky to have chosen this particular showcase, out of the hundreds on offer across Austin, to attend tonight. It was the introduction to an artist who recalls the emotive honesty of Joni Mitchell, and a poignant experience to savour in this otherwise exertive week. Ultimately, it was the most affecting show that Clash caught, and to all the Uber drivers who asked for our SXSW highlights, there was only one name we could think of.
The following day, still basking in such chilled splendour, and enjoying the Texan heat before the rainstorms predicted for the weekend, Clash sought out SOAK – real name Bridie Monds-Watson – for her reaction to the night before, and the festival at large.
“Once the crowd was quiet, the only mission was just keeping them quiet,” she admits, “and it worked pretty well. If (Steve Lamacq) hadn’t said all that and got people to shut up, it would have been a lot tougher. But last night was so smooth.”
It’s a regular occurrence for Bridie: her voice is so fragile, her music so sweet and captivating, that you really do have to quieten down and listen intently. The Americans caught on fast – her first visit to the country began three days earlier in New York, and on that occasion and each one since, she’s been surrounded by immersed new fans.
Unlike many acts that come to SXSW, Bridie is not here to network or make industrious developments to her already impressive career. “This whole trip has been the first time I’ve played in America, so it’s like there are intentions there as in hopefully people come and enjoy it and word spreads – as everyone here hopes. There is no master plan,” she says. “We just tried to make sure all the gigs were really good gigs and not do too many, and I think we did well at that. And at all my shows I’ve had a really good time – like, a genuine fun time on stage – which is surprising, because a lot of the audience is [music] industry, and can be a bit dry, but I’ve had a really good time.”
The emotional intensity of SOAK live is reflected in ‘Before We Forgot How To Dream’, but its dynamics are more pronounced. Produced by Villagers’ guitarist Tommy McLaughlin, it balances Bridie’s fragility with an expansive, orchestral backdrop, reminiscent of Beach House. “All the songs have kinda been written since I was 13, and not all of them, but a few of them are like coming-of-age, growing-up things, so I guess it’s emotional,” she agrees. “I definitely don’t think it’s as quiet or anything as my live set right now, because there’s a lot of production on the album. We have a full band, and we’re doing tonnes of festivals with the full band, and a lot of that will be recreated live, but at the moment doing it acoustic live is not the same as the album. It’s the same songs, but a different sound.”
In between convincing friends to slip her a sneaky beer, Bridie managed to see Kate Tempest (“She fucking blew my mind… She was unbelievable.”), and hoped to catch Courtney Barnett and Elle King later. A strong indication of the international selection of females blowing up at SXSW, SOAK’s own intensity is completely at odds with their more forceful impacts. Hers is subtle, touching and delicate.
Hence the demand for her at many of this summer’s festivals, including Bestival and Latitude. Consider this alongside the June 1st release of ‘Before We Forgot How To Dream’ (on Rough Trade), and we see a frantic year ahead for Bridie. Asked what she’s most looking forward to, however, and Bridie’s sights are set a little closer to home. “I fly home tomorrow and I get home for two weeks,” she beams. “It’s the first time I’ve had two weeks off in so many months, so I’m really excited.”
Well, she definitely deserves her own respite.
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Words: Simon Harper
Photo Credit: Katherine Squier
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