It’s remarkable that anyone so terrified of performing would decide to do it for a living, let alone become the noughties answer to Stevie Nicks.
The majority of Pip Brown’s (AKA Ladyhawke) live reviews present a show beleaguered by shyness, and tonight it’s evident she’s not managed to overcome it yet.
Shuffling onstage, dressed in tight skinny jeans, an oversized Nirvana T-shirt and sleeveless denim, it’s clear why she’s caught the attention of the gathered asymmetrical-haired, indie fashionistas – even if she can’t quite look them in the eye.
When she’s not hidden under a mass of cascading blonde curls, she’s looking down at her guitar, the other members of her band or directly over everyone’s heads. Luckily though, while she might be low on confidence, she’s very big on tunes.
Far from being an awkward affair, Brown’s timidity now seems to define who she is. Far from being off-putting and eradicating stage presence, it’s somewhat endearing, making her ‘80s synth-heavy electro-pop all the sweeter. Kicking off with ‘Magic’, her debut album’s euphoric opener, it’s obvious just how well the immediacy of her dreamy material works in a live setting. Every track has a chorus to die for and never once sounds like mere pastiche.
‘Dusk Till Dawn’’s simple brilliance swoons and flutters, ‘Professional Suicide’ and ‘My Delirium’ pilfer Gary Numan, Erasure and The Pet Shop Boys, while ‘Paris Is Burning’ fizzes with energy – albeit it a nervous one.
If Ladyhawke struggles with the size of the crowd in the Cockpit’s main room, it’s going to be interesting to see how she copes with her forthcoming festival appearances. But if she’s going to produce songs this blissful and anthemic she’d better get used to the large audiences. After all, if you do the crime, you gotta do the time…
Words: Dannii Leivers
